Aurora's Baseball Game!!!

Well, I decided I needed a 4th day off. Actually I had planned it last week, cause I wanted to go see one of Aurora's baseball games which are only on Tuesdays. But she's had a couple games cancelled cause of the rain. So today was kind of iffy if it was going to get rained out or not, but by early afternoon I decided I was going to stay home whether the game was cancelled or not.

And as it turned out, it stopped raining and the weather was actually great for the 7:30pm game!!!

Aurora is a natural at baseball. It probably helps that her mom is the team coach is really good at baseball, too. It really was family affair, both Aurora's grandma and grandpa help mom coach, and Aurora's uncle, and her sister and brother were there along with Jeromy and I.

Here's a couple of Aurora out on the field. She's such a serious player, you don't have to tell her to "pay attention", "quick kicking the dirt" and "keep your eye on the ball", like I remember telling my kids constantly LOL!!! But Aurora's mom is a pretty serious baseball player, so she's learned from a pro.

The field. Aurora's team name was "The Queen Bees"...

I had my camera that I was taking pictures with, but Jeromy recently got himself a new video camera to replace his old one. He videos just about every major event Aurora is involved in, he's one proud dad. It was so cute I took a picture of him with my camera videotaping Aurora with his camera...

Here's Jeromy and I sitting at the top bleachers to get the best view...

Here's a little video of Aurora hitting the ball...

Another video...

Doesn't she look so serious???

Another one of Aurora batting...

This is the first game that Aurora's team won!!! I think it was 6-1.... something like that. Aurora and her dad....

That was alot of fun to watch Aurora play... was also kinda nice having 4 days off from work, too. Back to work tomorrow tho...

Memorial Day Weekend

Last night we decided to have a Star Wars-athon. We rented IV, V and VI. We watched 2 of them last night, then watched the 3rd one this morning. We had a pretty lazy morning. Just sleeping in, getting up to have breakfast, then dozing in front of the movie... it wasn't until about 2pm that we started moving around.

I did my 4 miles at 2pm. This is week #9 in the training of 12 weeks- I know you want the breakdown, so here ya go:

Monday: 4 miles- done

Tuesday: Cardio

Wednesday: 6 miles

Thursday: 4 miles

Friday: Cardio

Saturday: 10 miles- wow!!

Sunday: REST!!

I also just registered myself, and Jade and Kent for the Sound to Narrows run June 11th!! That's a 12K (7.45 miles). Jeromy wants to run, too, but he just hasn't had time to train to run, and I know he doesn't want to walk it, so he'll be going as the professional photographer and bag holder. I believe my cousin Laura and her son Kyle are running in it also, right Laura??? I also think Jeromy's parents, Chuck and Joanne are going to do the 5k. Jade and Kent are doing the 5K also (3.1 miles).

So after the lazy morning, and then after my 4 mile run, we decided to take advantage of the weather and get out there and do some yard work. I think our whole neighborhood had the same idea! There have been lawnmowers and weed whackers going on all day! Love it! Jeromy started with the weed whacking.

Jade and Kent worked on raking the brush that was in all the paths...There's Kent, can you see Jade back in there on the little bridge to the mail box? Both kids are good workers. Yeah, there was a little grumbling at first when I asked them to come out side to help us out. But I put a quick stop to that reminding them of all Jeromy and I do, working our butts off, even when we don't want to so they can have all the things they have. They quickly stopped their whining and put on their happy faces and said they would help. They've been trained well, they didn't really have a choice! But all kidding aside they are really great kids and help us out when we need it!! We needed to mow really really badly! There's Jeromy in the back putting weed killer on some black berry bushes...This is kind of an angled view of the back yard, it's amazing how level it is now. But still not level enough for me to feel comfortable mowing it! Jeromy does that part. I like mowing flat smooth surfaces...This is the area I mow...

Then it was time for a yummy steak dinner... See any difference between Jeromy's dinner and my dinner...This was last night's dinner.... as you can see I'm working on my portion control...

After dinner, and watching the movie "Gnomio and Juliet" (- didn't think it was that great), it was time for me to start baking.

With Jeromy's new job he can spend up to 10,11 and 12 hours out on the road killing all kinds of nasty vermin for people in their homes. So I wanted to start making him so more healthy options to eat while driving. And I got the idea for muffins. But, like I said, I wanted them to be HEALTHY!!

So last week, I started searching the Internet for some healthy muffin recipes. Sometimes the Internet can be such a convenient tool.

I found 2 I wanted to try: Healthy Carrot Muffins and Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins!!!

So here's the ingredients for making the Healthy Carrot Muffins. Some of the ingredients were some I'd never used before and had to get special to make...

Jeromy got me grating the carrots....

I'm usually pretty impatient when it comes to alot of things, so when a recipe calls for mixing dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another bowl.... I'm thinking "really??", then I throw them all into the same bowl. But this time I followed the directions perfectly cause I wanted them to taste perfect for Jeromy!! Ya, I love that guy!

So here's the dry ingredients: flour, whole wheat flour (bought new), brown sugar, wheat germ (bought new), cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt... a pinch of salf if you wanna be technical...

All mixed up with the wet ingredients, and carrots and crushed pineapple- I guess to sweeten it up.... looks good so far...Look at this beauty!!! I was kinda worried how they would taste. Well, after the official taste testing done by the cook, let me just tell you, Jeromy's going to love them tomorrow with his lunch!Ok, onto the Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins....All the ingredients mixed together... including fresh blueberries....And look at this goodness...And in honor of Memorial Day... I'm so thankful for our military people... who make it possible for me to have the freedoms to do all the things I just posted about.... the luxury to sleep in on my day off... spending time with my family.... working on my yard on land that I own.... enjoying all the food that we as Americans have in such abundance...

GOD BLESS AMERICA...

MY HOME SWEET HOME...

LAND OF THE FREE....

HOME OF THE BRAVE....

THANK YOU!!!

Relaxing... mostly...

Soooo, here we are again.

So, Jeromy had this idea to hand out bags filled with christian tracks and mini Bibles during the folk life festival this weekend in Seattle. Our Pastor Kevin thought it was a great idea. So after a few months of preparation, several members from church stayed after to have a bag stuffing party with lunch. The church provided everything from lunch, and also the 2000 bags, tracks and mini Bibles. This was not a cheap endeavor!

Here's several people helping stuff the bags, young and old...

See Aurora? She was a great helper...

So yesterday several of us, including Pastor Kevin, headed over to Seattle. We were so blessed with such a beautiful day. The forecast said rain, so knowing me, I was already prepared for not being happy about that. But it was BEAUTIFUL!!! We probably walked 5 miles, and that's a conservative guess. There was an estimated 75,000 people to be at this event. It was such a great day, most of the people were receptive to the bags, some people gave them back. And one guys came back to me and said he was a believer and he said he wanted us to give the bag to someone who needed it. What a great day!!!

Here's Jeromy and I in Seattle...

So since we were in Seattle all day yesterday, I couldn't do my 9 miles. So I did 'em this morning before church. How many people can say they ran 9 miles before church? Any other crazies out there besides me??? LOL Here's me after 9 miles...Also, I receive another award from work, I may have mentioned this one already, but it was the employee of the quarter. Well they send you to the photo lab in the yard and take your picture then put it in the Salute (it's a bi-monthly paper for the shipyard). But they also give the person (me) an 8x10 copy.... so what am I going to do with a huge 8x10 of my face???? I thought about taping it to the bathroom mirror in our bathroom, then when Jeromy gets up early in the morning and turns on the light it would freak him out! But then I thought that wasn't very nice (still laughing at the thought of it tho) So I just put it by his computer. So he hung it up next to his computer... he's so funny...I also wanted to wish TESSA a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY today!! Here's some random pictures of Tessa and friends.... Here's TESSA with Nadia, Aurora and Jade...

Here's TESSA enjoying the whip cream the way it was meant to be enjoyed!!!

Here's TESSA (left) and Tae'....

Isn't she adorable????

Remember this one Tessa? TESSA is the cute girl in the middle, amongst all the other cuteness....Happy 15th Birthday Tessa! We all love and miss you and can't wait to see you!!!! Do you remember this one Tessa??? Tessa and I got one of those photo strips at the mall one time, and Tessa wrote on mine "Love last forever", it sure does Tessa, I still have this picture on my fridge!!!

Viking Fest Road Race, BBQ at my mom's, and getting Aurora!

Sounds like a fun busy Saturday doesn't it???

So first off, I headed over to my mom's early to pick Jade and Kent up who had spent the night, cause we all 3 were running in the Viking Fest Road Race!! Jeromy and Aurora were going to go also, but Jeromy already had a previous commitment to go to a men's breakfast at church, he missed the last one and he really enjoys going to those. And Aurora was having her baseball pictures taken this morning. Soooo, it was just Jade, Kent and I running.

Here we are at grandma and grandpa's with our numbers in place, the kids' numbers are in red cause they were running the 1 mile, my number is in black cause I was running the 5 miles.

Since we had no one to hold my camera at the run, we used the kids cell phones to get this next picture.... my kiddos and I....

I was a little whiny cause I HATE running in the rain, and after yesterdays weather.... all I can say is LAME. When Jeromy woke me up this morning the first thing he said is "You're not going to be happy"-- he knows me so well. So even tho it sprinkled all morning on the way there, when the race actually started it didn't rain at all, and I am so thankful for that. Any one else out there have a pet peeve of wet soggy feet???? Just me???? Anyway, enough complaining about that.

Also my fabulous cousin Laura and her son Kyle were also running the 5 miles, we all met up at the beginning of the race. So fun to run with family!!! Here's Laura and I holding up our participation ribbons. Just wanted to add that Laura and I were smokin'... literally smokin'... we were so hot and sweatin' from the run and the air was so cold that there was visible steam coming off our body's, I thought that was pretty funny! Just sayin' that we were "smokin'.... hot!" LOL--- Hey Laura! I don't normally think that we look alike, but I think we kinda do in this picture!

And one of the "kids"...

Then we headed back to grandma and grandpa's for a BBQ they were having!!! But not before I was able to get a shower in! I also got us all Viking Fest T-shirts cause they looked pretty cool this year...

Now onto some yummy BBQ... here's grandpa grilling. This picture is shot thru the new gazebo they got that we were supposed to be sitting in enjoying the sunshine while BBQing, but we couldn't sit out side cause it was cold and drizzly. Food was still great tho!

Everyone enjoying the food...

Smores...

Later on we were going to pick up Aurora and take her to her baseball practice... to the far right in pink pants is Aurora... the far left is Jeromy in his orange jacket. I was in the car for most of it cause I was cold hence this long distance photo...

Then just some cute pictures of Jeromy and Aurora...

Also wanted to say I was writing this post last weekend, then my computer stopped half way thru this post saying I had reached my quota for maximum picture space. So I was stuck for awhile cause I'm not computer savvy, so my mom was able to delete some old posts and now I can resume my post. So now it's actually Friday as I'm finishing this post.

This weeks half marathon training...

Monday: 4 miles-- done

Tuesday: Cardio-- done

Wednesday: 6 miles-- done

Thursday: 4 miles-- done

Friday: Cardio-- about to do it

Saturday: NINE MILES!!!-- I can do it

Sunday: NOTHING!!!-- I can SOOO do that!