Weekend Adventures

This past Saturday, my husband ran his 6th Pike's Peak Ascent in Manitou Springs, Colorado.  It's a 13.1 mile run (which is partly a walk) up the 14,114 foot mountain to the Summit.  He has run the marathon (up and down 26.2 miles) twice, and wished he had signed up for it this year, too!

This year he invited our daughter to go with him.  Actually, he told her she was going! Ha ha!  But, she was excited, even though she wasn't expecting a trip to Colorado just a few days before she left for college.  It gave them some special time together before she left, plus probably made the last few days of summer break go by faster.

The day before the run, they drove up Pike's Peak. Since she was going to have to drive up the next day, this drive up was her practice go at it!

Oh, and she figured out that she didn't have her driver's license with her on their way to Colorado, so..... 

....I had to airmail it to her, but thankfully, it was there the next morning at not too big of a price....probably because it was such a little thing to be sending (size wise, anyway).

On the way to Colorado, they stopped at the volcano at Capulin, N.M., took lots of beautiful pictures.  On Friday, they ate Italian food (carbs for the run) and ran through one of the "Garden of the Gods" trails, drove around the Olympic Training Center, and drove by the Broadmoor Hotel.

 Here's Joe just before the start of the race.  There were runners from all over the world!

 And he's off!

He made good time and thankfully Lauren got to the top in time to see him cross the finish line! There was a huge line of cars waiting to go up the mountain, so she wasn't sure she could get there in time.  It was pretty neat to have a photographer there for his event!

And here's the proof that he finished!  Now all of our children want to go on this special trip with him when they graduate. It will become a new tradition, I'm sure.  A few of them even want to run it!

The boys and I went on our own adventure over the weekend, but in another direction.

We went to our first and only Rangers' baseball game of this season Saturday night.  The Rangers played the Angels.

The Rangers didn't win, and this season sure isn't as exciting as it's been the past several years, but the temperature was cooler than was expected and the atmosphere at the Ballpark is always a lot of fun.

Plus, I had a special time with my boys!

I also had a wonderful chauffeur, who was also pretty much his own GPS. It's amazing how our 18 year old knows how to get around in the Dallas area!  I would fall asleep, wake up, and we would be wherever we were supposed to be - all without maps and the GPS!  We don't know where he got that gene! Ha ha!

After worship on Sunday, the boys and I headed towards Oklahoma. Joe and Lauren loaded up the rest of her college stuff, and we all met on campus and moved her in to her new "home". After worship, we ate at Lauren's favorite Italian place, along with her aunt and uncle, then told her goodbye and we left for home.

It was a crazy and tiring weekend, but lots of fun.  

Leaving our daughter for the beginning of her second year of college was much, much easier than leaving her the first year.  That first year away makes a difference.  Of course she's an hour or more closer now, and we know we will see her more often, so that helps, but also it's just different now.  She was here for three and a half months for summer break, so she was ready to go back.  She's excited about new adventures and new possibilities, and we're looking forward to seeing what God has planned for her this year!

Happy Birthday, Joe!

The first week in April, I came up with a sneaky plan.  I let the two oldest kids in on my idea and they agreed that it sounded like a good idea.  I decided to surprise my husband, Joe, with a special birthday gift...something he would never expect me to do.  For his birthday, which is the 30th,  I wanted to give him Texas Rangers baseball tickets.  The only time we could go was Easter afternoon.

The problem with my plan was that that Easter weekend is alumni weekend in Tipton  for the school and also for the children's home where Joe works.  On that Saturday, Joe has to be in town for Saturday morning and a little bit of the afternoon.  I wasn't sure if he would be able to leave Saturday afternoon or not.  I called the secretary at work and she thought it would be just fine for him to leave in the early afternoon.  So the tickets were ordered.

As the days went on and I waited for the tickets to arrive in the mail, I began to worry a little bit.  I was worried because I got to thinking, "What if Joe is preaching somewhere (and hasn't told me yet) on that Sunday and he can't leave?"  He preaches at Tipton once a month, but that's usually the second Sunday, so that was clear.  But also, part of his job involves speaking for churches that support Tipton Home.  Maybe I didn't know he was going to be out of town?

I decided we would have to give him the tickets just as soon as we got them in the mail - just so we would know if it wouldn't work and also so he wouldn't schedule anything for that day.  Our plan worked.  The kids (all four of them) and I were so excited!  Joe was excited and surprised at our gift!  Our first Rangers' game of the new baseball season!

So Saturday we headed to Arlington.  My parents were also going to the game with us and we met up with them that evening.  Of course we ate at our favorite place, Pappasitos!  Joe was so excited to wear the big sombrero and have the wait staff sing their birthday song to him :).  Of course, the free dessert was enjoyed by several at our table!

Sunday we woke up early and drove to Plano for early morning worship and class.  Joe's brother, James, preaches at McDermott Road church, so that makes it handy (though 50 minutes away) when we're in that area.  After worship and class we headed to the ballpark.  We were the first ones in the 3rd base gate.  The kids were thrilled!

(Joe and the kiddos)

The Rangers won the game, the kids were able to run the bases after the game, and we headed back home. Joe had a great birthday surprise!