Another Friday Family Outing

We were able to enjoy one more Friday Family Outing before Tim starts his new job. We didn't want to spend a lot of money so we decided to go to Old Town St. Charles, Missouri to walk around and window shop. It was breezy and not to hot so it felt good to just be able to enjoy being together. Here is a family picture of us.

Originally, we were going to eat at one of the cute cafe's in Old Town, but the rain was coming in so we changed plans. We decided to head downtown and eat at the Old Spagetti Factory. This is one of my favorite places and it was the first time to take Hannah there. We had a lot of fun introducing her to a St. Louis favorite. Hannah and Daddy waiting for our food.

I think Hannah liked it -- you can see the spagetti mess left on her face and her digging into her spumoni ice cream!

Friday Family Outing

Last summer, Tim, Hannah & I tried to go explore something on Friday's because Tim's job allowed him to take some time on Friday's. This summer is going to be a lot different because in two weeks, Tim starts a new job. While this is very exciting for our family, I will miss these Friday's. We still have today and next week and we couldn't wait to go do something today. We chose Grant's Farm -- one of St. Louis' best family attractions! Grant's Farm is the land where the Busch family once lived and is now a wild life perserve. It is not only beautiful but has tons of things to do and see. One of the favorites is feeding the goats. Here is Hannah trying her hand at it. The worst part was that the goats eat so quickly that Hannah wanted to keep doing it!Hannah also got to experience her very first carousel ride! I think she really liked it!Here is Hannah and Daddy riding the tram back to the entrance. We had such a great day hanging out as a family!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Tim's family came here for part of the long weekend and we had a lot of fun! On Saturday, we took full advantage of a wonderful nearby site -- Eckert's Orchard. Eckert's is outside of Belleville and has so much to offer all year around. During the month of May, each weekend was Strawberry Fest. What is so cool about Eckert's is that you can go out and pick your own fruits and vegetables that are in season. We hopped on the tractor and headed out for some fresh strawberries. I wasn't sure what Hannah would think, but despite the rather warm day she loved it! I think this will be the first of many "pick-your-own" experiences at Eckert's!

Hannah with Mommy and Daddy getting ready to pick strawberries!I think I found a strawberry! Hannah loved looking (and tasting) the strawberries in the field.

The End is Near

Well, May is winding down and that means so is the school year! It has been a pretty crazy last couple of weeks and I am so glad it's almost over. Not only is it the end of my school year, but also my mom's -- and her last one ever! My mom is retiring after 33 years of teaching -- and over half of those teaching special education students. She has inspired so many people during her career, especially myself. I have lots of fond memories of going to school with her and eating at her on-campus restaurant. Tonight, we celebrated this wonderful accomplishment at a dinner and program that my mom's union puts on for the retirees. It was an awesome night filled with family, friends, co-workers, fun, memories, laughter and reflection. Congratulations Mom -- You are the BEST! My Aunt Jan, Grandma, Mom, Hannah and Me -- all former or current educators! Myself, Mom, Tim & Hannah
My mom and her partner in crime -- her aide Laquita who served the district for over 40 years!

Our Trip Out West

We had the opportunity to go to Arizona for a few days this past week. The main reason we went is because our dear friend Becca was getting married. I was her personal attendant and Tim played the guitar and sang before the service started. The wedding was on Thursday so I spent most of the day at the ranch helping Becca get ready. It was a beautiful wedding and we are so glad that we were able to take a few days off to help Becca and Greg celebrate. Here is a picture of the happy couple on the day they became Mr. and Mrs.!And here is a picture of Tim and I after the wedding. Our good friends Ethan and Christie were also a part of the wedding so we traveled together and were able to spend some time hanging out while we were in Arizona. We had all day Friday to explore before we had to leave on Saturday. We started they day in this cute local cafe for a very yummy breakfast. Tim was especially excited to eat...

Then we were off to explore the Sonora Desert Museum. The drive to get there was absolutely beautful. It was a great attraction and combined the desert wildlife and animals all in one place. Here is a picture of Tim and I at the museum.

You could totally tell that we are midwesterners because everytime we saw a cactus we were totally amazed at how they looked. At one point during the drive to the museum one whole side of a mountain was covered in a cactus forest. Although they almost look fake, they truly were an amazing sight.

After the museum, we went to a Spanish Mission that was built in the 1700s. It is on the edge of one of the Native American reservations and is still used today as a Catholic church. It was absolutely beautiful. You could see it from the distance as a bright white spot in the middle of the desert. I'm so glad that we were able to see it while in Arizona.
After the Mission, we did a little shopping and then met Tim's cousin's family for dinner (they were gracious enough to let us stay at their house while we were there). It was a great way to end our full day of sightseeing. We got up early on Saturday to start our trek home. It was a great little vacation and I'm so glad we were able to go! Congrats Greg & Becca - thank you for letting us be a part of your special day! We are so excited for you guys!

Go! St. Louis

Today, Tim and I both ran in the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon! This was Tim's 3rd -- he ran in 1:58:43 which was under his goal time of under 2 hours! He did a great job -- now onto start training for the Chicago Marathon in October! This was my VERY FIRST half marathon and I ran it in 3:00:01 (with a hurt knee)-- not too shabby! Let's back up and I'll tell you how this all got started...

I have NEVER been a runner! Before I got pregnant with Hannah, I started running a little bit at a time. When I started, I couldn't even go for more than about 5 minutes without being exhausted. But slowly and surely, I worked my way up and finished my first 5K (without walking) in May 2008. Then, I got pregnant with Hannah and my running days were over for quite a while. This past fall, one of my co-workers and I started running a couple of days a week after school just for exercise (we both had baby weight to lose) and to work towards a 5K. We did a few 5Ks in the fall and started enjoying our time running. When we got back to school after winter break, we decided we would *try* to train for this half marathon. We figured we would do the best we could -- if we had to walk some of the way, that was totally fine! We looked up a training program and started working the best we could on getting through it. Slowly, we started adding miles to our runs and our confidence started to build. I actually thought to myself that I may make the whole run without walking. Then, the weeknd Tim and I did our 8 mile long run, I started having the worst knee pain ever. Tim said it was my IT band and it should heal after a week or so. I'll be the first to admit that I am not an athlete and probably have a pretty low pain tolerence so I wanted to work through it the best I could. I took it easy that week, but every run, even after a mile, was sending sharp, shooting pains into my knee and down my leg. The week was over and it wasn't getting any better. I was so dissappointed! I was 8 weeks into this thing and pretty much unable to keep up my training the way I had planned. For the next 3 weeks or so, I barely ran at all. I had to tell myself that it was okay to have to walk some of the race because it was either going to be that or not be able to finish. This morning, I got through the first 3 miles with minimal pain. From 3-7 miles I walked a little, but still kept up some running. After that, it was a lot of walking. I was afraid of not finishing so I didn't want to push it too much. I made it to mile 12 and tried to run the last 1.1 miles the best I could. It definitely wasn't the story I was hoping for, but it is my story. One of these days, I may try to do it again. I have really enjoyed running 2-3 miles at a time and after I rest up some more, I would like to keep it up.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have supported me in this from the beginning, and especially since I got hurt. It was so awesome being a part of it today and especially since I got to do it with Tim. He has been so motivating and supportive throughout this whole process! Now it's on to cheer on Timmy has he trains for Chicago!

Tim about the halfway point -- smilin' for the camera!
Me at the halfway point -- posing for the camera! :-)
Hannah cheering on Mommy & Daddy!
Family shot at the end of the race -- we did it!

Spring Break

We enjoyed a fablous spring break over the past few days. We didn't go anywhere this year and it was nice to relax at home and spend time together as a family. What made break even sweeter was the fabulous temperatures we experienced. I think it was in the low 70s. It was absolutely beautiful! Gwannie and Gampy just got Hannah a little outdoor slide right before break and she loved climbing up and sliding down. We took full advantage of the weather and spent as much time as possible outside.

Our break started with a visit from my Grandma and Grandpa. It was a nice to spend some time with them and they loved hanging out with Hannah! Here are the three of them hanging out on the porch swing -- a favorite springtime activity for our family.Not only did Hannah love swinging with Grandma and Grandpa Sugar, she also took some turns on her own.

We also had a fabulous Easter with Hannah this year. We went to church with my mom and then out to lunch. We made it home in time for a nap then my mom came over to open baskets and "hunt" eggs. Hannah absolutely loved it! She walked all around the yard picking up her eggs and putting them in her basket. The rest of the day (and the day's following) consisted of Hannah opening and closing her eggs and putting them in her basket.
Hannah hunting her eggs in the front yard -- then taking a little break.

The last day of break was beautiful again, so we decided to try out the zoo for the first time this year. I guess everyone in the St. Louis/Metro-East area did as well! We couldn't find a parking spot to save our life! We didn't want to waste the day inside somewhere so we detoured to the Delmar Loop and walked around for a bit. We also did a family first -- ate lunch at Fitz's! It was really yummy.
Overall, it was a FABULOUS break! The warm weather and family time together gets me excited for summer break. We're almost there!!!