WE LOVE CHALK!!!!

One of Allie's masterpieces is outside on our walk. I don't think I need to say anymore. :)

Playing with Penguins

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Kevin and Allie had a penguin circling the tube. It was playing with them and so cute.

Memorial Day Weekend

Shark

Mommy and Allie


Sawfish

Daddy and Allie in the shark tunnel

Turtle

Allie with a HUGE shark jaw

Allie and her penguin friend

Daddy and Allie in the penguin tunnel

On Memorial Day weekend, we went to Gatlinburg for a couple of days. We stayed at Wilderness in the Smokies. This is a resort with an indoor and outdoor waterparks. We arrived on Friday evening around 8pm and decided to go ahead and get dressed and go to the indoor waterpark. We swam till it closed at 10pm. Allie loved it! The next morning, we got up and ate breakfast then headed back to the waterparks. We spent the entire morning swimming and doing the lazy river. Allie loved the toddler area and the wave pool. Late afternoon and evening we were back at the pool until closing. It was such a fun day. I was surprised how Allie wasn't scared at all. She was putting her face in the water and going down the slides (most of the time...sometimes she would want Mommy or Daddy to hold her hand).

There was a FlowRider at the indoor waterpark. This is a standing wave for people to bodyboard or surf. Kevin did the bodyboard first and did great! I tried and I thought I did really well too (Kevin says I did fine but I think I did great). On Sunday we made sure to get there at opening (we wanted to get in some swimming before we went into Gatlinburg and then headed home). Since the line wasn't long for the FlowRider, Kevin did the bodyboard several times. He then decided to do the flowboard (a smaller version of a surf board). He was able to stand up the first time and by the 3rd try he was surfing for a couple of minutes. That was the best first time try that I saw the whole time we were there! I did the bodyboard 1 more time. This time I tried to get on my knees but I wiped out about 3-4 times. It was still LOTS of fun! Allie liked watching us try.

After the waterpark on Sunday, we went to Ripley's Aquarium. Allie enjoyed seeing the fish but I think her favorite was the penguin house. Kevin and I seemed to like the tunnel through the shark tank better than Allie. It was really cool having the sharks swim all around you. The penguin house was fun too. The penguins could swim under the floor and you could crawl through a tunnel to the middle of the exhibit. Kevin took Allie through the tunnel. Allie liked being so close to the penguins.

No pictures from the waterparks...I didn't want to take our camera around all that spraying water and a 2 yr old. :) What a fun weekend!!!

I took this picture this morning and loved her expression. I thought I would share it. Allie is so funny!

Never Knew Chuck E Cheese was so Intense!

On Monday after all the rain, Kevin had the day off because of Metrocenter being evacuated (it is right on the river) so we went to Chuck E Cheese. We had a great time and were able to get out of the house for a little bit. This is Allie on one of the rides. We thought this picture was so funny.

Downtown Nashville Flood 5/3/10

Here is a video of what the Cumberland looks like downtown.

I-24 during Nashville's BIG flood.

For those that live in Nashville, I am sure you have seen this video a lot but I wanted to post it for those that don't live in Nashville. The rain started Saturday morning around 7am and it rained and rained all weekend. This video is of I-24 at Bell Rd. The cars were stopped due to several lanes being closed because of the water and then the water continued to rise. The building you see is a portable from Lighthouse Christian which is about 1/4 mile away. This is the worst flooding Nashville has seen.

Thankfully, our house was fine and we just stayed home. Sunday morning we did get up and tried to make it to church. We kept running into water across the road so we just had to go back home. Later that evening, we tried to go to evening church and Tusculum (a church really close to our house) had cancelled evening service. So, we just decided to drive down to Nolensville and it was really flooded down there too. So much water!!

Opryland Hotel Flood

Here is a video of the Opryland Hotel when the Cumberland was near it crest. Unbelievable!!! This place has lots of memories and now is never going to be the same. The news anchors are saying that it will take months for the hotel to open again. They are hoping it will be open by Christmas.

Country Music 1/2 Marathon

Here I am around mile 8Allie and Bess cheering for Momma

At the finish with one of my best cheerleaders

Finished!!! 2:18:42

This past Sat, 4/24/2010, was my first 1/2 marathon. 13.1 miles!!! That is a LONG way! I am so glad I that worked so hard for months and finished with a great time! It was a fun and a very interesting experience. I would never had been able to do this without the support of Kevin, Allie, family, and friends. Kevin did so much over the past months. He would watch Allie while I ran but most importantly he kept me motivated. There were plenty of times over the past several months that I would be crying, worried, or just feeling overwhelmed. Kevin would always listen and then say "I know you can do this." Those simple words kept me going. Now, here I am 1/2 Marathon Finisher!

The 1/2 marathon was very hard. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It seemed like the course was uphill all the way. However, I know I did run downhill some. :)

I got to the start line around 6am. I ate a few snacks and just waited for the race to start. I didn't want to have to rush so I got there a little early. Right before my corral started, I started getting chills and feeling sick. I was so nervous but once we were running I felt much better and just did what I had trained for. I knew Kevin, Allie, and Bess would be cheering at around 4.5 miles. So, at 4 miles I made sure to be on the correct side of the pack so that they could see me and I could spot them too. I was watching and watching. This gave me something to do for about 1 mile. I finally spotted them and waved. About 1/4 mile later, I spotted my parents and waved and kept running. We ran through a residential area and there were lots of supporters. I basically just ran and read all the signs. The Belmont Blvd hill during mile 7-9 was really hard. I did have to walk a little there. I just kept moving. I never walked more than 1 house length. People were handing out food. At one point going up Belmont, someone was holding out something that looked like a sandwich cookie. I grabbed it because I thought a cookie would be really good right now. I was at about 7 miles. Yes, at 7 miles I am thinking about eating a cookie. :) After taking one bite, I realize it was really a peanut butter cracker sandwich. It did taste good but I didn't have any water and was already a little thristy from running. So, I just hung there and watched really close for the next water station. I kept running and running. Around 9-10 miles, there was a table full of salt packets. I wondered why people would want that but I guess it helps some. Then there was the goo packets. I wanted to try some to see how it went but I didn't. I had heard that it can really make your stomach upset and my body was already working really hard and didn't need anything new in the system. My legs were really starting to hurt and cramp at mile 11.5 and we were going up hill too! I had to stop and stretch my calves but only for about 15 seconds. When I saw the sign for mile 12, I was so happy. I knew I could do it but I was getting tired. Climbing that last hill was so hard. I just kept my legs moving. They were hurting and I was wondering what type of crazy people do this? Almost at the top of that hill, I could see the Titan stadium. FINISH LINE!!! I got a little bit of boast and pushed it to the top. It was then downhill, thankfully, to the Titan's stadium parking lot. I ran the last 1/4 mile on flat ground and was really feeling the effects of running 13 miles. I rounded the last corner and saw the finish line. I was there. I had made it! Smiling and running with everything I had left I crossed the finish line!

After finishing, I grabbed some water, my medal, some food, and had my picture taken. The food made me feel a little nauseous so I sat down on a curb for a few minutes. It was then off to meet my family. Kevin, Allie, and Bess were there. My parents couldn't find a place to park and didn't make it to the finish. No big deal. I was glad they saw me on Belmont Blvd twice. I sat down there for a few more minutes as Allie finished off my snacks. We were joking that it had been such a hard race on Allie that she needed the bananas and pretzels. As we were walking to the car, I had to sit down again. I was starting to feel nauseous and dizzy. I told Kevin if we didn't sit down there would be a very embarassing moment soon (I would faint). He got worried and decided that either he or Bess should drive me home. I was so thankful that Bess had made it because she drove me home. I could have driven myself but I would have had to wait another 20-30 mins and the storms were moving in. Soon after we got in the car, the rain started. I was so happy to not be running in it. I also learned not to drink too much water after running that far. I got sick in the car and once again, it was great to have Bess driving (sorry about that Bess). Once we got home, it was nice to sit on the couch and rest. I ended up taking a 2 hr nap. Kevin, Allie and I all went out to celebrate that night.

I am so thankful for such a supportive family and for the health to be able to participate in this event. It was a once in a lifetime experience!

If you are interested here at some of my stats:

Finish time 2:18:42

Overall place 9525/24636

Gender place 4784 / 15643

Pace 10:35 min/mile

5K time 30:11

10 Mile time 1:42:59

The Latest and Greatest

We have started making smoothies and having them for dessert. Allie loves smoothies, or should I say moo-wees. We put in some fresh fruit, yogurt, ice, and a little sugar. Allie is a little scared of the blender but when I say we are making smoothies she becomes brave and lets me run the blender. They are really good and a healthy alternative to milkshakes. Of course, everything is better through a straw and in a big girl glass.