Texas Independence

The kids and I went over to the San Jacinto Monument to pick up Brian from his Texas Independence Relay.   A 26 hour relay run from Gonzales TX to San Jacinto.  Brian loved every minute (wait, almost every minute) of it.  You can ask him about visiting Wal Mart in Sealy at 4 a.m. to jump start a dead van battery.  

Anyway...  I wanted to get a picture of the kids with the San Jacinto Monument, but couldn't figure out how to get them all in the picture (and not be 1/2 mile away).  So, I came up with this idea.  Laying on the ground.  

The kids were really excited to be at the Monument and see the Battleship.  We haven't been out there since Daniel was a baby.  With Brian not having slept in 2 days, we decided we will have to come back to tour San Jacinto and the Battleship Texas at a later date.  

Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio

Mid November brought us back to San Antonio for the Rock N Roll Marathon.  Shelly, her girls, my kids and I all brought our signs to cheer for Brian and Bryan in the 1/2 marathon.  This year, they were joined by Bryan's brother, Brad, for the run.  Brian worked hard on finding just the right saying to put on this year's shirts.  With Bryan's help, the front read, "In my mind, I'm a Kenyan."  The back read, "In my shorts, I'm a Texan."  I am told they got tons of comments before, during and after the race on the shirts.

Kids with one of their signs

We took this picture with my phone in the hotel room before the race and sent it via text message to Brian as he was getting ready.  We found out later, he didn't receive it before the race.

We were a little late to Mile Marker 3 because I got the time the race started wrong.  And with Brian in an early corral, we basically ran to Alamo Plaza from the hotel.  We managed to squeeze our way through the crowd to sit on the curb in time to see Brian run by.  My pictures didn't come out well since it was so crowded and I was sitting down.  But he spotted the kids and ran to our side of the street to wave at them.  He also threw us his jacket to hold onto.  The weather that morning was quite a complication.  People were over bundled and were shedding clothes like crazy at mile marker 3.  

Since Bryan and Brad were in a later corral, we had to leave Shelly and her girls at Alamo Plaza and head down to mile marker 8 on our own. 

At mile 8

This was Brian as he passed Mile Marker 8 and spotted us on the sidewalk.  Doesn't he look happy?  He always manages a smile when he sees us during a race.  We yell and cheer and make lots of noise for him.

At Mile 8

Using my phone and lots of luck, we found a good route to get us to mile 13 before Brian passed that way.  And then with even more luck, we got a place along the wall as the runners came up the long road towards Mile Maker 13.  They are running in this canyon type drive with a high wall one side and a raised sidewalk with rails on the other.  We got a good spot along the railing to watch and cheer.  Unfortunately, while we were waiting for him, Birdie dropped her sign down below on the road.  Oops. It landed on the marathon side and there weren't many people out on that side yet, so hopefully it was picked up before it got busy.  

Brian running uphill towards mile marker 13

Brian tells me he was in lots of pain running uphill here at the end with his calves cramping.  Then he saw us up there yelling for him.  It really helped him finish the race strong.  

Brian after completing his 3rd 1/2 marathon!

 We were very proud of Brian for completing another race.  We can't wait till next year.

Cameron, Brenna and Shelly congratulate Brad and Bryan

Brian ran into his fraternity brother Barry after the race

Brad, Bryan and Brian after the race

Run Daddy Run

Brian ran his second 1/2 marathon in January here in Sugar Land.  It was great for it to be close so the kids and I could attend easily.  The morning of the race found our part of Texas a rather cool 21 degrees.  It was tough to believe it was that cold and Brian was going to purposely run outside in it.  And it was horrible to think that the kids and I were going to voluntarily sit out in it!  I know Brian was really concerned about running in that cold of weather, but once he got going, it was fine.  Not that he wants to run in that cold again probably, but it wasn't a huge factor.  

The race was set up nicely so the spectators could easily cheer the runners on from several mile markers.  We saw Brian and Leah 5 different times in 13 miles, not including the finish or start lines.   Because of the cold, I left Birdie with my parents.  Ashley, Daniel and I met up with Linda, Ron, David and Bryan to cheer for our favorite runners.  The kids made adorable signs for their Daddy.  

We were so very proud of Brian and Leah for their great run.  The kids just LOVE to cheer on their daddy and I love to see him succeed at something that makes him happy. 

We Love Our Outlaws!

I am proud to announce that Brian ran his first 1/2 Marathon this weekend!  

Doesn't he look really happy running!!

After many months of training and planning, the 3 In law Outlaws and Outlaw siblings, Ron and Sarah, ran in the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon.  They even had running shirts custom made for the big event.

Bob & Pat and Shelly, David and I with all of our kids (minus Megan) came out to cheer them on in this run. 

Shelly made some great signs for each of us that really helped them see us on the sides of the road as they went past.  

Our Outlaws did wonderful!  We couldn't be more proud of each of them for completing this race.

Something I Never Thought I Would Do...

There is something people do that I have always sworn I would never do. Something that just didn't make sense unless you HAD to do it. Well, this thing has become so very popular, and I have so many friends doing it. I know what you're thinking - if they jumped off a cliff, would you? No, but... I was considering it. Against my judgment I mentioned it to Brian and he encouraged me to try it. Said it was something we could do together.

So you know what happened next don't you?

I went for a RUN! Yes, I actually did it. Voluntarily, without being chased. We went out with the kids on Sunday afternoon around the block. I found it pretty tough, but Brian was encouraging and helped me along. He did let me let walk some when I got really out of breath, but made sure I got started again. Brian says we went 2.5 miles and walked less than 1/4 mile! Can you believe it? I thought I wouldn't even be able to make it 1 mile, and he had me over 2. It is surprising that even though it was really hard, I want to do it again. Hopefully, when the kids are all well again we can make it a regular occurence.

Brian's Hobbies

Did you know Brian has a few hobbies? I mean, besides working all the time. For years, Brian has enjoyed running and now runs 3-4 days a week about 5 miles a day. Sometimes he takes Birdie in the jogging stroller or lets Daniel ride his bike along side him. Can you believe Daniel has ridden his bike w/training wheels over 2 miles before?

Brian also loves to have movie night with the kids. He pops popcorn, pulls out the sofa bed and they all sit and watch movies together. Everything from Ratatouille, to all the Star Wars movies and their new favorite - a penguin movie named "Surf's Up".

About once a week, Brian makes sushi for the family for dinner. It is one of our favorite weekend dinners. Well, everyone except Ashley. Last night after saying "YUCK!", she agreed to taste it so as not to hurt Daddy's feelings. Birdie wants to try it really bad, but she only gets bits and pieces, not a whole roll. Its so cute the way she asks for it, "Susheee Daddee". He makes lots of rolls and somehow we manage to eat all of it every time.

Brian's secret hobby is playing the kids Webkinz! At night, I think he is working and I look over and see his favorite game, Home After Dark! It is so funny. He plays both with the kids and by himself. Webkinz games really are addictive.