Beach weekend!

So ready for the beach!

This past weekend, we were able to meet up with one of my best buddies from Colorado & her grandma in San Luis Obispo.  We loaded up the car first thing Friday morning, anxious to get the heck out of the heat!  The plan was to meet up with Nette and her grams that evening, so after grabbing lunch at Brad's Cafe (look it up if you're ever in Pismo), we hit the beach.  We knew Hailee loved the beach.. it's a difficult task to drag that girl out of the ocean!  We quickly learned that Charlee was just like her sister!  After getting set up (Hailee was already in the ocean at this point), I headed towards the water with Charlee.  My plan was to "just get my feet wet".  Boy, was I wrong!  We got close to the water, and Charlee took off running through the water, giggling as the waves hit her.  I, of course, was having a panic attack!  The girl has no fear of the water, so needless to say, there was no "relaxing in the sand."  We didn't mind too much though.  The girls never stopped smiling, and we got to be kids again playing in the ocean and building sand castles.

We met up with Nette and her sweet Grandma later that afternoon in SLO.  It was so great to see her!  I really miss my Colorado buddies, so I had been counting down the days until I would get to see Nette.  We enjoyed some shopping and dinner in SLO, and then headed to Morro Bay.  We hit up the candy shop I visited often as a kid, and then walked on the beach, enjoying the sunset, while the girls picked up seashells.  Perfect day!

The next day we met up at Avila Barn.  There is so much fun to be had at Avila barn~  The girls were able to feed the animals, (actually just Hailee, Charlee didn't care to feed the animals), we enjoyed a hay ride, picked peaches, and picked up some homegrown/homemade products.  After that, it was back to Pismo for some more beachtime!  It was a bit colder, cloudy with overcast, but that didn't phase the girls at all.  They had another great afternoon playing in the waves.  Grams and Nette had to head back after the beach (boo for more goodbyes) and we were pretty exhausted, so other than a bit of shopping, we had a pretty relaxed night.

Sunday, we planned to head back to Bakersfield, but more fun was to be had before heading inland.  We enjoyed feeding the seals and visiting the aquarium in Morro Bay, and checking out all the fun shops.  We had also promised Hailee some boogie board time, so it was off to Pismo for some more beach time.  Daddy found her a boogie board for cheaper than renting one for 3 hours, so she was super excited!  I know she'll use it again before we leave, and every summer we come home-- the girl loves the ocean!  We also took the girls to the cliff overlooking the ocean where we exchanged vows.   It was the perfect touch to an already amazing weekend <3 

Feeling extremely blessed and thankful for the amazing memories we have been able to make this summer.

 

Playing in the ocean with daddy

 

Playing in the sand with my babies :)

playing in the ocean with mommy

San Luis Obispo w/ Nette

Pelicans in Morro Bay


 

Charlee & Nette's grandma checking out the Emu

Hay ride @ Avila Barn.. great place to take the kiddos!

Hay ride fun!

Picking (& eating) peaches ;-)

country girl ;)

Hailee riding the waves on her boogie board!

Hailee LOVES the ocean!

Daddy giving Hailee some tips..

Daddy burying Charlee

She wanted her daddy to bury her like this.. haha

Fun in Morro Bay

Visiting the seals in Morro Bay

Morro Bay Sunset <3

Where we got married.. can't believe it was 9 1/2 years ago!

Yep, he loves me <3

Rock to Pier 10k & other happenings..

J-bird & A-dawg... beach bound!

This past weekend all my training finally paid off.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had been working really hard on my training lately, and was really looking forward to my upcoming race, the Rock to Pier 10k in Morro Bay.  I was so excited when one of my best friends, Jennifer (aka J-bird), told me she would run the race with me.  We made plans to head over to the beach on Friday, stay overnight, and race early Saturday morning.  We had a great time at the beach on Friday-- catching up, enjoying each other's company, all while enjoying cooler weather at one of my favorite places! 

We were a little nervous about the weather race morning, as we had just purchased new tanks from our friend Trace's shop (Runner's Booty, if you haven't checked it out.. do so!), and of course we wanted to show them off ;-)  After doing a quick warm-up, we quickly learned that once the run started, we would be fine and didn't need to run in layers.  I was so nervous before starting.  This was something I really wanted.  It was so important to me to reach the goal I had set for myself- run the 10k in under 1 hour, less than a 10 minute mile pace.  This would be my fastest race pace since I've had kids, and in the sand.  But I had worked incredibly hard, so when the gun went off and I was able to get across the timing plates, I was off!  I apparently had quite a bit of adrenalim built up, because my dear friend RunKeeper (an app on my iphone alerted me that my 1st mile was an 8:43).  Now, I would have loved to keep that pace, but I'm just not there yet (one day!).  The sand wasn't too bad, but you can tell from the picture and all the sand stuck to my shoes and calves that I didn't do a great job of keeping dry. I felt great for most of the race though.  Miles 3 and 4 were a bit difficult, but I kept a steady pace.  Somewhere between mile 4 and 5, I thought I could make out my high school coach ahead of me.  We had run into each other earlier that morning, and I was sure that was him ahead of me.   As I kicked in the last half mile and got closer, I learned it was him.  After crossing the finish line, I was able to visit with him and his wife Cathy, which was great.   Oh, and he gave me a hard time for beating him.. but it was only by 39 seconds. Looking forward to meeting up with them later this summer.  Oh, and that goal.. I beat it!!!  I was so excited to see the times posted... 58:21!  1 minute and 39 seconds under my goal.  The only other 10k I have a time for was in Denver a few years ago, and my time there was over 17 minutes slower.  I was super proud of improving my time so drastically!

Jenn did awesome too!  She hadn't even trained for the 10k distance-- it's double what she'd been running, yet she beat her goal as well!  She ran a 1:11, and her goal was 1:15.  I was super proud of her!!  I was yelling like crazy for her at the finish line, eventhough she couldn't hear me over her headphones ;-)

This guy was hanging out in the parking lot at the end of our race

If you're thinking of running a 10k next summer, I definitely reccomend this race.  It's a great race.  If I was around next summer I would do it, but our plans are to travel in July, so we won't be back to the states until August.

Back in Bakersfield, we've been keeping busy with running/biking, visiting with family and friends, and of course trying to keep up with Charlee and Hailee!  I am biking for the rest of the week to try and give my legs some time to heal.  My hamstring is still really sore, and I earned myself some shin splints.  Yesterday I did 11 miles on my bike, and today 20 miles.  Bill does anywhere from 25-45 miles every weekday.  Hailee's done quite a bit of reading and we also got her a math workbook to help get her ready for her new school.  We've also taken the kiddos out for bike rides to the park, Charlee is really doing well on her Strider, spent time at the awesome spray park, and of course got some great ideas from Pinterest.

The summer is flying by!  We have just over a month left until we leave, and our weekend calendar is filling up fast.  Next weekend, we are headed to the beach to hopefully meet up with a dear friend from Colorado.  We also have Hurricane Harbor, Universal Studios, LA, and possibly San Diego on the calendar.  Other than our Eugene trip, the last month has been pretty relaxing.. but I'm thinking we won't be able to say the same about the next month.   But, I think we are okay with that.  I mean, afterall, time flies when you're having fun! ;-) 

  

Charlee sorting cards by color

Just after we had gotten her dressed! Syd's shoes & daddy's hat!

Fun at the park.. her face is so red.. it was so hot!

Charlee's way of beating the heat!

Homemade sidewalk paint.. idea from Pinterest!

Happy 4th!

Back home in Colorado we usually host a 4th of July BBQ.  This year we had a low key 4th, but we definitely enjoyed it!  We hung out here at the house and BBQ'd with Colt, Sydney, and Lynda.  The nighborhood was having a block party so the girls got to jump in a bouncy house for awhile, followed by quite the firework show.  Just down the street, some illeigal fireworks were being set off well into the wee hours of the night.  The kids were fascinated with the fireworks!  This was the first fireworks show Charlee was old enough to watch, and she sure did enjoy it!  Oh, and everyone looked super cute in their red, white, and blue- thanks to Sydney! She made super cute shorts for the 4th, and offered to help Hailee make a pair, and then ended up making some for Charlee too!  I aspire to use my Pinterest boards more often because of her :)

the girls with Aunt Lynda

Super cute shorts!

Colt took a gazillion pictures of us.. these 2 are my favorite!

Enjoying fireworks..

Who doesn't love Sparklers?

There's those illeigal fireworks, lol

the girls and thier bubby.. gotta love his green socks ;-)

We hope everyone enjoyed the 4th!  Summer is flying by! 

Training.. 10k race Saturday!

Since I've been in California, I've really stepped up my training.  Right before leaving Colorado, I finished up the Insanity workouts, which not only improved my overall fitness, but also my running.  I try to run at least 6 days a week, first thing in the morning to try and beat the heat.  The heat, even at 8 or 9 am is brutal.  I honestly think I prefer the altitude to the heat! I guess I shouldn't complain too much though, since I run, and then Bill does his bike rides, so he's out in even tougher to handle temperatures. 

picture courtesy of Pinterest ;)

I've really been trying to push my pace.  Before I got pregnant with Charlee, I lost most of my weight through running (75 lbs!, crazy to think of myself at that weight), and even did a half-marathon.  I completed a half last summer as well (under-trained), but I finished.  At both times in my training, I was cruising along at 11-12:20 mile pace.  I decided that this season, I want to set my goals high, and work hard to achieve them.  It's not about weight loss this time around, (although I do still have some pounds to shed), it's more about my overall fitness level. Bottom line is I want to be fit and I want to be healthy. 

I decided I needed to pick a race to train for.  I chose Morro Bay Rock to Pier 10k (6.1 miles), one of my favorite races from my high school days, and will be running it with one of my closest friends- Jennifer (aka J-Bird).  It's on the beach at 8 am, so it'll be cool and the scenery is right up my alley.  I knew that I needed to set a goal for this race, and I set it high.   The last 10k I ran was Fans on the Field in 2008, and I ran it in 1:15.56, which is 12:12 pace.  My goal is to finish the 6.1 miles on Saturday in under an hour!!  Yes, I know that is a huge jump, but I've been working hard and I believe I can do it.  Everytime I race, I am racing myself.  Trying to get faster and stronger each time I put myself out there.  Yes, my goal would mean a 16 minute PR at this distance and an improved mile pace of over 2 minutes, but my heart is right and I am determined.  Today I ran 4 in the heat faster than my goal pace, proving to myself that I can do this.  We'll see what Saturday brings :)  I'm ready!

Eugene Trip

The girls in front of the cottage from Hansel & Gretel

We had such a great time in Eugene, and definitely enjoyed the cooler weather!  This is the last time we would be seeing Billy, Alisa, and the kids until next summer (unless of course they come to Jordan for a visit ;), so we spent most of our time with them.  Billy was pretty busy getting ready for the trials of course, but were able to see Alisa and the kids quite a bit.  We stayed in the same hotel, which made this much easier.  Colt and Sydney came up the day before the finals, and we were all able to get together and take the kiddos up to the Enchanted Forest in Salem, Oregon.  The Enchanted Forest is a handcrafted fantasy themed park set in the middle of beautiful forestry.  It's a perfect park for young kids!  I was amazed at all the things Noah and Charlee could do/ride on their own at the age of 2.

Charlee couldn't get enough of this chipmunk

One of the rides Charlee was able to ride on her own- kiddie ferris wheel!

Charlee and Noah loved being able to drive their own bumper boats!

Right across the street from our hotel was a pond and miles of paths running through beautiful scenery.  The kids loved being able to hang out at the duck pond, and their mommies loved being able to run in much cooler weather!  Alisa and I were able to get in plenty of good runs, and Bill brought his bike and was able to get in some good rides.

  

AND.. of course, the reason we were in Eugene was to watch Billy run the 3000m steeplechase in the Olympic Trials.  We love watching Billy run, especially in the steeplechase, one of the most challenging events in track-and-field.  Billy placed 8th in the finals, so did not make the team this year.  However, he is still a phenomenal runner and has his whole career ahead of him.  As always, we are incredibly proud of him.