October 17, 2012
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But wait! Before a fun-filled family weekend, I went out to Heat Shabu with my girlfriends. Highly recommended! We picked the all-you-can-eat option, and given how much we ate … it was a financially savvy choice. The lamb was my favorite, and the sauces were SO good. After a long work week, a night of talking, laughing, and eating was just what I needed!
Saturday morning was a typical exercise in schedule coordination. I ran a 10k with my coworkers, while James got the kids ready for the day. He took Calie to dance class as soon as I returned. Right after dance class, he took Zach to his soccer game (won 2-0) while I took Calista to Hannah and Hayden’s bounce house birthday party. Happy 4th Birthday Hannah and Hayden!
In the evening, I took Zach to the exact same venue for a Laser Tag party. Happy 8th Birthday Vikranth!
Sunday … the annual Intel 5k. Both kids ran the kids’ fun run. Calie ran the ¼ mile 0-5 yrs heat, lost her sneaker right at the beginning, and almost got trampled trying to reclaim her shoe. Zach ran the ½ mile 6-10 yrs heat and came in 4th place. James, Zach, my running group (Erjia, Jaybal, Bev, Sam, James C.), and I ran the 5k. Thanks Melissa for walking it with Calie so that both James and I could run! I ran it in 31:45 which is my post-kids PR (sadly, pre-kids, I was able to run 5ks in ~26min). Zach finished in 24:22, his all-time PR. Sam won 1st place in his age group (40-49) with a time of ~21 minutes! Way to go, Sam! Before the race, the kids decorated pumpkins and trick-or-treat bags.
After the run, Melissa and my family drove to Bishop’s Farm. It was the most crowded I have ever seen it. Luckily, our kids didn’t care to partake in the train ride, ‘Coyote Mountain’ slides, and marble panning … which had huge lines, and quite frankly are boring to me too. They just did the play structures (tag is always fun, right?), sunflower labyrinth, the corn maze (much harder than I remembered it was … maybe my spatial skills are declining as I age…), and hayride to pick out pumpkins. Calie also went on a pony ride. The line was not too bad, as some parents may have been deterred by the $6 ticket price.
To end the day, we had grilled burgers and salad at Melissa’s house, with shoo-fly pie and ice cream for dessert. Thank goodness for the morning run!
Tuesday evening, Zach played hooky from soccer practice so that we could attend Stephanie’s good-bye party. After spending a few months (sabbatical from work) travelling and staying with John, she was flying back home to Australia. A yummy barbecue, and a great reason to get friends together! Safe travels Stephanie!
Ending the post with a few more pictures of Calista … opening a birthday present from Larisa (James’ sister.) It was a super glittery butterfly costume, and we opened it in the morning. I literally dazzled them at work that day. (I crack myself up!
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