Pat's Run 2012

 April 21, 2012 - a day that I will never forget! I finally set a goal for myself and ACCOMPLISHED it!!!

I have to admit that I was really nervous when Chuck signed us, along with his parents, up for Pat's Run. It is a 4.2 mile run through downtown Tempe that benefits military scholars through the Pat Tillman Foundation. When Chuck signed us up in January, I was barely jogging more than 30 minutes on the treadmill without struggling and being sore for days... But once we were registered, it was just the motivation I needed to get my butt in gear.

Then Chuck and his sis Melissa ran a half marathon the beginning of March. I was hooked - I vowed to run a half marathon with Melissa next year so now I really needed to train properly. I promised myself I would set these goals and accomplish them!

Over the next few months, I pushed myself harder than I have in years! 

By the time April 21st rolled around, I had set a goal of running this 4.2 mile run in 50 minutes. The morning of, I was so nervous/excited/anxious/ready-to-go that I could hardly stand it. 

 Waiting around for the race to start

28,000 people ran/walk in Pat's Run - AMAZING!

Here we go!

FINISH LINE!

The adrenaline gave me the kick that I needed and I finished the race in 43 minutes (7 minutes faster than my goal!). It felt SO good! Chuck and Donna finished at 49 minutes - we were all under 50 minutes! 

I had to add a few pictures of our boys at the end of this post because they are my biggest inspiration for getting healthy! I want to be able to play, keep up, play sports, and enjoy every minute with them :)

Our silly boys make life FUN!

I AM BLESSED

Finally.... A Family Vacation!!!

A much needed family vacation in San Diego, CA!

We were greeted in California by rain - LOTS of rain - but the boys did not care ONE bit. Our room was on the 4th floor of the hotel and it had a big picture window so the boys enjoyed watching the boats in the pier and the rain storm! They were so happy to be out of the car after almost 6 hours of driving. So Friday night we ordered take-out and just hung out in the hotel room watching a beautiful rain storm come in off the ocean.

Watching the rain

Friday evening, after the rain let up, we walked around the pier by our hotel. It was cold and windy, but we still enjoyed walking around and watching the boats. 

The view we woke up to on Saturday morning - beautiful San Diego!

We spent all day Saturday at SeaWorld! I think I had more fun than the boys did ;)  Something about whales, dolphins, turtles, etc. makes me feel like a little girl in awe all over again...

 Watching the cool killer whales

Getting ready for One Ocean, Shamu's killer whale show. Logan was freezing so he wasn't so thrilled to sit and watch the show

AH-MAZING!!

Logan's FAVORITE exhibit of the entire day was a helicopter in the Arctic Exhibit ;)  He kept wanting to go back and see if he could ride in HIS helicopter!

I have a deep love for dolphins ~ I am so fascinated at their playfulness, agility, gracefulness, and intelligence. Someday I want to swim with dolphins! So the dolphin show was one of my favorite experiences at SeaWorld.

They jumped SO high - it was incredible!

Then we went into the indoor aquariums to check out all the other sea creatures - turtles, fish, sharks, octopus, jellyfish, seahorses, stingrays, you name it!

~PENGUINS~

~TURTLES~

We just happened to walk by the dolphin tank when the trainers were doing a training session with some of the younger dolphins. It was the most amazing thing ever to watch how they actually train the dolphins. I could have stayed there and watched ALL day! 

We were so close to the dolphins and the trainers let you touch them as they swam by! I was in heaven!!

After SeaWorld, we took our first trip to the beach! I had SO much anticipation about FINALLY being on the beach and seeing the ocean that I was jumping out of my skin!

My first glimpses of the ocean - more beautiful than I ever could have imagined!

 Downtown San Diego

We were supposed to head back to Arizona early Sunday morning, but I have the BEST husband ever. As the boys and I were eating breakfast/watching cartoons, Chuck snuck downstairs to the front desk and extended our stay for one more night!!! What a wonderful surprise! 

Sunday was the ideal vacation day! We played around on the beach, picked seashells, and splashed in the ocean in the morning. Then we went back to the hotel for some much needed naps... After naps, we cruised around on the boardwalk, people-watched, and took in the sights and the sounds. It was the perfect lazy day for the last day of our vacation!

Landon enjoying the ocean for the first time

 Building sandcastles with Daddy

What's THIS STUFF Mom?!!

I LOVE IT!!

We ended our trip with the most beautiful sunset over the ocean! God's beauty never ceases to amaze me - it was one of the MOST serene, beautiful sunsets and I left that beach with a peace I have never felt before!

 The perfect end to a perfect family vacation!