Kids' Music City Marathon

Jenna completed her third Kids' Music City Marathon on April 23, 2010. Kids grade K-5 thru 6th have an opportunity to participate in this event. They have six weeks to run 25.2 miles on their own then they go to LP Field the day before the Music City Marathon to run the last mile together with kids in their grade. This year Jenna ran with fifth and sixth grade girls. There were only about six girls from her school in fifth grade who ran this year and Jenna finished second among those girls. She ran with her friend Lindsay and Lindsay finished first from their school. Jenna enjoys running and is looking forward to trying out for the track team when she gets to middle school next year.






Allison, Jenna and Lindsay get ready for the race.


















Jenna and Lindsay head to the finish line.

















Jenna shows off her medal.

Last Weekend of Spring Break

It's been a great spring break with lots of gorgeous spring weather and the kids are enjoying their last weekend of spring break. The South Carolina Gamecock baseball team is in town for a weekend series at Vanderbilt. Last night we went to the game and the Gamecocks won 3-2. We are going back for game #2 today at 2:00. It's supposed to be a gorgeous, sunny afternoon with temps in the 70's....just perfect for sitting outside and cheering on our Gamecocks! After the game today Seth is going to head to a youth group bonfire. The rest of us will head home to help get Steve ready for his trip to IN on Sunday. He'll be leaving Sunday afternoon and will be gone for a week for work.

Spring Break

So far we have had an absolutely gorgeous week of weather for spring break. On Monday we took advantage of the nice weather and met my sister for lunch at one of our favorite cafes - City Limits. We enjoyed sitting outside on their patio for lunch. After lunch we went to Edwin Warner Park to go hiking. We chose to do the 2.5 mile hike through the woods. It got a lot hotter than we had expected and a lot hotter than what had been forecasted. Thankfully we all had our water with us. We all enjoyed the hike and the scenery. After the hike we went to my sister's house to hang out for the rest of the day. We enjoyed the first grilled out burgers of the season along with good homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner. (Steve came up after work to have dinner with us.)

On Tuesday, Jenna had a hair cut appointment at 11:00 so we packed lunches beforehand, went to her appointment and then met friends at the park for lunch and to play. Thankfully there was a nice breeze so it didn't seem quite as hot as it did on Monday.

Both kids will be working some the rest of the week. Seth will be kid sitting this afternoon and Jenna will be working for a friend from small group for 2 hours this morning and again Thursday morning. Seth will work for her on Friday morning. I'm so thankful that the kids have opportunities to earn some extra money and get into the habit of tithing, saving, etc.

We are all looking forward to the South Carolina Gamecocks being in town this weekend for a baseball series at Vanderbilt. We are planning on going to the Friday night and Saturday afternoon games. We were planning to go to the Sunday afternoon game as well, but Steve has to leave that afternoon to go out of town for work.

Easter Weekend

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. The kids were off school for Good Friday, so we went out to lunch to celebrate the beginning of spring break and then we did some errands. Friday night, our small group met at 6:30 at a Civil War battlefield sight here in Spring Hill to remember Good Friday. It was a very special hour remembering what God did for us so many years ago. The hour ended by each family taking communion at the top of the hill right before sunset.

Saturday started out as a rainy day but by noon we had blue, clear sunny skies. The kids worked on cleaning their rooms in the morning while I did grocery shopping and then we all just hung out the rest of the day. It was a gorgeous day, so I did as much as possible outside.

Easter Sunday was another gorgeous spring day. We went to church and had a wonderful service. I'm so thankful for the talented singers and musicians who make up our worship team. After church some friends from small group came over for lunch. In the evening our small group got together for a dessert and game night.

And Down the Stretch They Come

The kids have entered the home stretch - the last nine weeks of school! Didn't they just start yesterday?! Seth will be wrapping up his first year in high school (at least 5" taller - or so it seems - and with his learner's permit in hand) and Jenna will be wrapping up her last year at the elementary school. Steve and I went to a parent meeting for the new middle school and we're excited that Jenna will be opening a brand new, state-of-the art middle school when her class enters in August.

The kids will be on spring break starting on April 2 through the following week. Right now we don't have a lot of plans. We are planning to meet Sharon on Monday to go hiking, but other than that there is nothing on our calendar for that week - which is nice. I hope the weather is nice so we can be outside a lot.

I'm actually looking forward to summer break this year since we've had such a busy school year. It will be nice not having to keep up with schedules, homework, band, fundraisers, etc. Steve will have to travel some for work this summer - going to Michigan, Wisconsin and maybe Maine. We're going to try to get back to South Carolina at some point this summer. Jenna is planning to go to a Christian day camp the last week in June with some other kids from church. Seth was planning to go back to Fargo but unfortunately we think that trip is going to be cancelled due to low numbers. He will have band practices throughout the summer and is planning to go to Centrifuge at Union University in Jackson, TN with the youth group. I am looking forward to our family vacation in July - we're going back to Perdido Key on the panhandle in Florida.

Steve Turns 50!

We have had a fun weekend celebrating Steve's 50th birthday. The celebration began for Steve when he walked into his office Friday morning to find a sea of black balloons, black streamers, black decorations, etc. His co-workers took him out for lunch at Jonathan's. Friday night Steve wanted to use his birthday coupon for a free burger from Red Robin so we went there for dinner and stopped at Cold Stone Creamery on our way home for ice cream.

When we got home Friday night, the kids gave Steve his birthday present from us - his very own personalized Steeler jersey (notice the number on the jersey). We told him he had to wear it and be dressed and ready to go on Saturday at 1:30.

On Saturday, the kids and I hosted a drop-in for Steve from 2:00 - 5:00. About a month ago, I had a flash of creativity (which doesn't happen very often) and I came up with the theme "Counting the Years" since Steve is an accountant. His high school and college colors are the same (red, white and black) so those are the colors we used for decorations. The tables were simply decorated with bunches of red, white and black balloons and bowls of M&M's and peanuts and we had a marble cake and punch. Many friends from church, work and neighbors came. It was a fun afternoon. Some people brought "50 of something" for Steve - he received 50 M&M's, 50 jelly beans, 50 pennies, 50 prunes, a 50 foot electrical cord, 50 puzzle pieces, etc.

After the drop-in, Steve to go to Bucca di Beppo for his birthday dinner. My sister, Sharon and her husband, Brad joined us. After an hour wait, we had a great Italian meal. My sister and brother-in-law even presented Steve with a trophy for turning 50!

When we got home Saturday evening, Steve opened all his cards. I had been confiscating the cards that came in the mail.....so he had a lot to open!




Steve reading some of the memories family and friends sent in.

A neighbor helped me and Jenna make a tri-fold display. We listed places Steve has lived, schools, college, special places, etc. and put pictures on it.

Also on that table were special pictures from throughout the years, starting with his baby pictures.

Seth is Driving!

Seth got his driver's permit yesterday! Not too many kids get a car when they get their learner's permit.....but Seth did. We went to Steak N Shake for dinner and he got a 55 Sunbird.