It's Becoming Clear

I think I figured out what's been ailing me: Ollie! Yes, the kid is a happy, funny little boy. But man, my ability to keep the house clean now that he's a toddling little one has diminished. I can't tell if it's because he's a bigger mess maker than his brother ever was, or if it's just that I have two kids to follow around and pick up after, and I just can't do it. So if you come over, the house might be straightened, but I can't guarantee that it's actually clean.

This is Ollie with his favorite headgear: anything. Boxes, buckets, blankets, anything.


And this is how he looks right before throwing the pom poms all over the kitchen.

This is What I'm Talking About

Two episodes of Parenthood (thanks to Roku).
One box of Cherry Heads.
One cherry Airhead.
One fun felt project that is now completed.

All of this brought to me by: Sarah's mom (who took Rhett for a playdate) and Ollie (who is napping like a champ). The nap was brought to Ollie by the quiet, Rhett-free house and the grey afternoon.

Oh I like today.

P.S. And when FHE includes these, I think I'll like tonight too.

The Things I Wish I Was Accomplishing

Christmas shopping
Christmas projects
Provident Living lesson planning
Blogging
Sewing
Household chores
Birthday gifts for friends
Watching lots of "Parks and Recreation" with Chuck

Treading Water

Do you ever feel like you're just treading water? Like you're only doing the minimum to get by? The last time I really felt this way was when I got called to be the Young Women's president. For a couple of months, I just made sure some activity was planned for Wednesday and someone was teaching a lesson on something come Sunday. That was about it. It was months before I felt like I was actually making headway in the program.

Now is another one of those times. I'm not sure why, exactly. I had a baby last Christmas; why can't I do things now when my body is better and Ollie is older? Of course, last year at this time I wasn't back to work. And Rhett was still going to a babysitter twice a week. That might have something to do with it. But this year is different. I feel like there are a million things I want to do (or feel like I should be doing), but I just can't. I'm really just doing the minimum.

So please forgive me if I skip a Monday, or a Friday, or all week. (And really, I know I care way more than any reader of this silly blog.)

We'll just pretend this is Rhett saying, "You can do it Mom!"

Date Night Topics

We had three dates in eight days. It's a Christmas miracle. We try to not talk about the kids all night long, but sometimes coming up with topics can be hard. This was one topic from last Thursday:

If you were to go back to college now to take the exact courses you did when you went the first time, do you think you'd get:
a) worse grades than the first time,
b) about the same grades, or
c) better grades?

Chuck thinks he'd do better. He's more mature (or so he thinks), he's experienced, and has been using those things he learned for 15 years. He thinks his brain is just better equipped to handle that kind of learning

I don't know about me. I think I'd cruise through the stats courses, struggle a bit through the math theory classes, and be bored to tears by nearly everything else. I mean, if I had to sit through Sociology 101 again, UGH.

Christmas Gifts

Okay people. What are you buying your kids for Christmas? I assume that many of you struggle with this as we do, for probably some of the following reasons:

1. Your kids have too much stuff already.
2. What they do have, they play with a lot, then a little, then not at all.
3. They're too little to really know what they want. Or they want something unreasonable, like a trampoline.
4. You hate plastic.
5. Your kids already have a lot of "imaginative" toys (blocks, play doh, legos, art supplies, sand box) and you dislike many of the "un-imaginative" sort.
6. Let's be honest: Your kids are content with a box...for their heads. (Yes, Ollie loves walking around with a box/bucket/whatever on his head, even if that box/bucket/whatever is opaque.)
7. Santa only brings one gift because you still feel weird lying to your kids.
8. (And this may be my issue alone) You like to make the gifts instead of buy.

Given all of my issues, what do I get my boys?

P.S. We're thinking about doing four gifts for each child, one each in the following categories: want, need, do, read. What do you think? Do any of you do something like this?

P.P.S. Again, I apologize to myself for the irregular posting schedule this week. I've just been feeling a little off.

More Little Things

It's well known that I love my thrift store. But do you know that I'm actually grateful for it? This might be the best buy I've ever made there: the hairdresser set of play doh stuff. The razor even buzzes as it cuts hair. So dang cool.


Although this pie is pretty, and the apple pie was really yummy, I am thankful for pie crust all by itself.


And I'm thankful I don't have to hear the words "Black Friday" for another year. This shot is just for fun.


Not at all a little thing: I'm thankful for date nights with Chuck. We had one last Saturday and get two this week. Whatever should we do?!

It's the Little Things

All the gratitude posts I see on Facebook this month seem to be of the obvious type. You know, "I'm thankful for my husband" or "I'm thankful to have a job." Of course I too am thankful for these things. I have a great husband and, well, a job. I'm thankful for my boys and that they are happy and healthy little children with functioning brains and all of their limbs. But c'mon. Isn't it much more fun to think about the not-so-obvious things for which we're grateful? Such as:

The perfectly reheated leftover. Not too hot, not too cold.

When the top rack of the dishwasher gets full at the same exact time as the bottom part.

(We interrupt that to bring this: ACK! I have TWO boys! Sorry, but sometimes, this still creeps up on me.)

Freegal, the free music resource available through my county library. What? Three free MP3s each week? I'll take it!

Socks that actually fit my feet. No more heels half way up my calf!

And, finally, the sock bun. What a wonder it is for my hair.

The end.

Wait. Check out this video of my brother. Does the comment about him being an adult strike you as funny, because it does me. Anyway, the video is long with a lot of snow, but it's also kind of mesmerizing at the same time.

Can't. Stop. Please. Help.

I know I said I wouldn't do this anymore, but I found a new-to-me bow tie pattern for Chuck that didn't require any hardware. The temptation was too much and I succumbed.

I Don't Feel Like Typing Much

I know I'm not alone in this, but I love when Rhett falls asleep "reading."


Stellar dressing, dude.


I love when pumpkins are past their prime and they look like old men who lost their dentures.


What is the plastic doing stuck to the walls? Are we painting again? NO. We are trying to save our floors and walls from Ollie and Bruno. One throws food and the other licks it up. Can we please be done with this stage?

Things You Swore You'd Never Wear

I don't get Tom's shoes. Before you feel like I'm attacking you--don't go. I'm not saying I dislike them or find them hideous. But they're a simple loafer, right? Then why all the hype? It reminds me of how I initially felt about Birkenstocks. The first time I saw Birkenstocks I thought they were hideous. Absolutely hideous. I swore I would never, ever wear them. But guess what? I did. I loved them. So maybe some day I'll wear a pair of Tom's.

It got me thinking: what else, fashion-wise, have I sworn I'd never wear, but now find myself wearing?

Here's one I remember: I swore I'd never marry anyone who wears "little socks." (This is what I called them in college. I now know they're called "ankle socks.") Guess what? Not only did I marry an ankle-sock wearer, but I wear them too. Just for running, but still: I wear them. Somewhere, 20-year-old-me is feeling all nails-on-a-chalkboard-ish because of this.

P.S. Hmmm...You know, these aren't terrible. And these look like great little-kid shoes. But these? Uh, seriously? Are these like shoes from the future? (Please watch the video.) I will never wear these shoes.

P.P.S. "Hahahaha. Sure you won't," says me of the future.

A Retropactum

The other day, I was looking through my blog archives for a post on Rhett at the age Ollie is now (15 months). I ended up reading far more than planned because, man, can I be ridiculous, or what?! I sure know how to blog about the totally unimportant. Sooooo glad I've matured. (Why isn't there a font for sarcasm? It would make it so much easier.) Today I'm going to comment on all my posts from June 2009. Here we go.

June 1, 2009 Ollie loves that little pop car now! I need to take a picture of him on it and compare the two.

June 3, 2009 Of course having two kids is harder than one, but really, I was very self-aware to know that, for me, some things would be easier with the second. I am so less bored with Ollie than I was with Rhett, and so much more confident. That is, I was confident until Ollie started being oppo-Rhett. (See how I used that in a sentence? Try it!)

June 5, 2009 I still hate that bumper sticker.

June 6, 2009 Aw, that "new little one" got a new sister just last week! That tablecloth, once washed, was a beast to iron. Ugh. Those cookies are still the best chocolate chip cookies. Too bad I'm horrible at making them. Anyone want to make them for me? I accept deliveries.

June 6, 2009 This one kills me. Just in case you didn't catch on, this was a situation from real life (GASP!). But the killer thing is that the people offering the babysitting (me and my YW) and the person requesting the babysitting for her visiting Philly ward was none other than Natalie, who has become one of my best friends. Awesome.

June 11, 2009 Wow. Reading my first thoughts about this are so eye-opening. It was successful and we are repeating this ad infinitum!

June 14, 2009 I don't think I ever found a use for those bottom two fabrics. The first became a backpack for Rhett and a diaper clutch.

June 17, 2009 I'm still a wuss. I can't even open sippie cups that Chuck closed.

June 19, 2009 I'm embarrassed to admit that paper towels are used and abused in my house. We go through them pretty quickly; I'm sure my mom would be horrified. (Hi Mom!) And I can't believe I forgot that I can put muffin tins in the dishwasher. I still do all pots and pans by hand (or by Chuck's hand), but cleaning those muffin tins is the reason I don't bake more muffins.

June 21, 2009 Those are cute! I should make more.

June 23, 2009 The Metro. Ugh, the Metro. Since the people who fared the worst were in the very end of the train, and since I always sit in the very last seat on my way to work, it lasted a couple of weeks before I returned to "my" seat. Isn't that funny? You watch "Supersize Me" and swear off McDonald's for...oh, I don't know...three months? Was anyone able to never go to McDonald's again after watching that movie? Morgan Spurlock never got sick on the ice cream cones, so I'm safe.

June 25, 2009 We still have and use that box. It's a counter saver for sure.

June 27, 2009 My first thought was, "Dang. I need to get some pictures taken of the boys." My second thought was, "I really like my life. All of my life." My third thought was, "Well, maybe I don't really like it when Ollie throws everything from his high chair tray to Bruno."

June 29, 2009 Oh, this was a great idea! I had so much fun doing this with all the other women. How lovely and talented they all were (are!). The quiet books turned out great and I hope everyone involved feels the same way. We should do more projects as a group. Any ideas?

Whee--this was fun! I might do it again. Bonus points if you can tell me the movie reference for the post's title (unless you're Chuck--I know you know).

My Perfect Thanksgiving Menu

Since I've disallowed all travel for Thanksgiving (not enough time, too expensive, too many crowds, too much traffic), I'm excited to spend it at home (well, my in-laws' home). While Chuck's mom and I were divvying up the dishes, it made me think about my perfect Thanksgiving dinner. I see no need to have some food just because it's tradition. I want to fill my stomach with only those foods I actually like to eat. So here's what would be on my menu:

1. No to meat. I don't really care for turkey and see no need to spend the money, time, calories, and oven space on it.

2. No to stuffing. Can't stand it.

3. No to regular mashed potatoes. They just don't do it for me.

4. Yes to my mother-in-law's cranberry dish. At this moment, I can't recall what goes in it (cranberries, sugar, and...?) but it's good. Really good. Bonus: it can be made in advance.

5. Yes to my mother-in-law's orange rolls. I could probably eat a good half dozen of these, if not for pie. Oh, let's be honest, even with pie I will probably eat six.

6. Yes to my mom's sweet potatoes. I don't like the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes, but this one has an excellent streusel topping. Trust me.

7. Because any excuse for this raspberry-pretzel "salad" is welcome, let's add this too.

8. Yes to pie. And because it makes both me and my husband happy, apple pie. Sure having more pies for variety is nice, but I don't need them. Besides, apple pie makes a great breakfast the next day.

Am I missing anything? What's on your Thanksgiving dream menu?

Things Rhett Says

Rhett: Mom, which do you want more? Me to calm down OR me to sleep in your bed?
Me: Calm down, of course.
Rhett: Well, then you'll have to let me sleep in your bed because it's the only way that I'll calm down.
SNEAKY!

After talking to Rhett about smoking...
Rhett: Mom, when M and I get married, we won't smoke.

After talking to Rhett about a friend of his who has two dads...
Rhett: I know I won't do that because I've already decided to marry Madeleine.

Rhett: Mom, does ketchup stain?
Me: Yes, very much.
Rhett: Then come get it off my face!

Rhett: Can we do some more origami, Mom?
Me: Well, how about you go downstairs and vacuum up bugs?
Rhett: Yah! That got origami off my mind.
Note to my parents: While I love the origami and love doing it with Rhett, I do all of it and sometimes I just don't feel like doing all of it.

Monday evening, Rhett decided to take off his clothes (leaving him in just underwear), don a fox mask and his cape, and zoom about the house as "Super Fox." Oh how I want to post a picture of him as Super Fox, but you know, the interwebs might get a hold of it and then where would I be?! But don't worry: that picture will be used for ammo at a to-be-determined date, probably when he's about 16 or so.

Random Thoughts

Let's say that one of the legs in your flannel pajamas tore in the knee (notice the singular "knee"). You get tired of it catching on everything, so you rip off the entire leg from the knee down. So now you have shorts on one leg and pants on the other. Make sense? Do you keep wearing the shants (shorts + pants = shants)? Or do you toss them because, well, they're now shants?

You know how some people when wanting to express that something is the exact opposite of another is called the anti-____? But I don't like this. It implies that it's against it, not just the opposite of. So I introduce to you my new prefix: oppo! (It's even fun to say, yes?) Try it out. I promise you won't be disappointed.

My mom came up with a great idea for dealing with Halloween candy. You see, rationing in our house doesn't work. Rhett can't have just one. Instead he begs all day for one more. And if given that one more, then he wants another. Just a tiny one. And on and on. My mom told me that we should buy it off him, so that's what we did! He ended up with $13.25 and we'll take him to Kohl's today to spend it. Why Kohl's? Because I just happen to have a free $10.

We saw Jupiter through our telescope last night. So flippin' cool. We could see its orangish color and three of its moons. Sweet!

What kind of bread do you eat at your house? Does it look like this:


or more like this:

or something else entirely? Would you say that the second bread is the oppo-Wonder-Bread? I might, because, well, it is to me.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get my husband to take pictures that are NOT blurry? Seriously. It's so incredibly frustrating. And please don't tell him to buy a new camera. He does it with all he touches. And please don't tell me to take the pictures myself. I do that already. All I ask is a couple of good ones every once in a while with my boys. That's it.

Halloween

Hurricane Sandy did not, thankfully, ruin our Halloween. Behind a dry floor and no power loss, this is the third-best thing that happened this week.

Tuesday, while we were all off because of the storm, we made some awesome candy corn cookies. Then we ate them. And they were good.


Then we carved our pumpkins and Ollie had a great time picking up, and then throwing, the pumpkin guts.


Halloween dinner was chicken noodle soup and bony breadsticks with blood special dipping sauce.


Then for the real fun. Our neighborhood isn't the most Halloween-y, so we visited that of a friend's. Good times were had by all.


Especially when I got to pick the candy I wanted Ollie to have, since I know I'll be the one eating it. (Almond Joy, thankyouverymuch.)


The spoils. Now we just have to decide how to go about disposing of it. One a day? Or one day of candy bingeing? The jury is still out.

Hurricane Sandy

Two posts in one day! It's a miracle! Or it's a hurricane and I'm afraid power will be out shortly. Either way: two posts! It's getting windy (as of 1:30 p.m. EDT) and it's incredibly rainy. I can't tell you how many times we've already had to siphon the window well of water. We figure 30 gallons maybe? Ugh. But it's better than a flooded floor.

How grateful I am for a husband who figured out how to do this as it's so much better than just bailing. So grateful. It's working great. I am dreading the night, however. It will be worse than having a newborn, what with our frequent wake-ups to drain the well.


After playing a bit in the morning, we took advantage of power still being on and did some chores. Rhett loves vacuuming up spiders, so I let him have at them.


These cookies are technically for his preschool Halloween party Wednesday, but we baked up a couple and enjoyed them for sure.


But by 11:00 a.m., we were ready to get out of the house. When some good friends invited us to go to lunch, we couldn't get out quickly enough. I was surprised at how many cars were on the road.


After lunch I really wanted to see how full the local creek was so I made Chuck take a detour. Uh, let's just say it's super full.






And while it might seem like I'm taking this lightly, I'm not. We are prepared (water, food, etc.), but when the weather says that the rain is only going to get harder tonight and the wind is already making me nervous, let's just say that I'm not at all comfortable and probably won't be until Thursday. Friday. Saturday at the latest.

Update: Or I feel better today! We didn't lose power and given the winds have really calmed, we're not likely to. Schools and government are still out, giving us a day to recover. Chuck was a superman and woke every hour or two to bail the water and we escaped flooding! Of course we're grateful for how lucky we were, but saddened by the devastation that rocked other parts of the country.

The Family that Does Stuff

Nearly six (six!) years ago, I whined about wanting to be a "couple that does stuff." Chuck and I did some stuff and that's about it.

But now that we're fully ensconced in our 30s and parenthood, I feel that we're on our way to being the "family that does stuff" and this makes me happy. Earlier this month you read about our Donut Dash. In March will be our Pi Day celebration. We've been camping more times than I thought we would this fall (two).

In addition to those activities, last weekend was our first "Outdoor Movie Night." We recently bought a projector that happens to show movies perfectly on the side of our shed. We invited a few friends to the house (not too many, in case of epic failure) and had some classic Halloween kid-flicks to watch. And one not-so-classic (cough, cough, Yo Gabba Gabba).

Yes, yes, I still think it's important for Chuck and me to find things that we enjoy together and we're trying. But I think it's also important for us as a family to spend time together and with others. This was just one of the latter.




P.S. As you read this, Hurricane Sandy is bearing down us. I can take having no electricity; I can take cold. I cannot take another flooded basement.

P.P.S. Because I guessed that Sandy would blow all the leaves off the trees, we went to Great Falls Saturday morning for one last view of the fall colors. It's been a long time since I've been there on a weekend and it was packed! But lovely as always.

Pinterest Hits and Misses

Another episode of Pinterest Hits and Misses.

First the misses.
1. This monster door. I was so excited about it, but the tape didn't stick to my door and the humidity killed its bangs anyway. It lasted a day. So disappointed.

2. These popsicles. Ugh. The worst part about it was that they were served when he had people over for dinner. They just tasted like frozen cool whip. On the plus side, they brought Magic Shell into our house.

3. Pumpkin snickerdoodles. Meh. These were okay, but I prefer other pumpkin goods and regular snickerdoodles. Sadly, these, too, were given away. Maybe I should keep my experimentation to when the missionaries are being hosted.

Second, the in-betweens.
1. These pumpkin pie croissants. They were good. I won't admit to how many I ate, but let's just say it was more than I probably should have. However, I'm not sure I'd make them again. But certainly not a waste of materials.

2. While I liked this baked pumpkin French toast, Chuck was not a fan. As a side note, I have since banned the word "texture" being used in my presence, by Chuck, when referring to anything food-related.

And finally the hits.
1. This pancake cake. Yum! It tasted like stacked pancakes but I didn't have to stand over the griddle.

2. Yummy broccoli dip. I like the broccoli soft, but not overly squishy and the dip was awesome. Rhett didn't eat it (even though he ate the broccoli), but I did and so did Chuck.

3. Pumpkin Donut Muffins. YUM. I got two dozen mini muffins and six regular-sized muffins.

4. Rice Krispie pumpkins. (It does bother me that she spells "krispie" incorrectly. I'll get over it.) Although rice krispie treats NEVER make it beyond the bowl in our house, I wanted to try these for a Family Home Evening treat. Since I'm way rusty on my skills of taking the warm, sticky mess to shaped things, I forgot how to wrap them, so I didn't. They got a touch hard, but after a 12-second microwave zap, they were great.

Anyone want to share their own hits or misses with me?

Totally unrelated, but look what came in the mail yesterday!

Postcards!

So remember Monday when I showed you the kitchen chandelier in its full Halloween glory? I love this light; I really do. I just dislike how much I struggle coming up with cool ideas to display on it. But I got one the other day: POSTCARDS!

Awesome, no? But, um, I don't have 30-something postcards. In fact, we have only four right now. (But they're all cool ones from Japan thanks to Elder and Sister Dad and Mom!) So, does anyone want to do a postcard swap? For every one that you send me, I'll send you one back. You can even send me two or three (I don't have that many friends and there are about 35 clips on that light so someone will have to double up) and I'll send you two or three right back.

Anyone want in? While I can't promise it, you might get lucky enough to get an original Rhett drawing on the postcard. Does that help sway you fence-sitters? And really, who doesn't love mail?

(If you want to play with me, make sure I have your email address where I can send you my physical address in exchange for yours.)

Updates at Our House

We've been trying to get some things done around the house in our few free moments. The biggest strides were made in the library and in the shed. (We reorganized three upstairs closets as well. So much more functional!)

After waiting to get the appropriate hardware to support such a map, we were able to hang it. I love it. I love walking by it. I love pointing out neat places to Rhett.


Also, we needed some way to control all of Rhett's art work. He will not "let us" throw anything away. So we put up these wires and told him he could keep only what's on the lines. So far, so good! I've seen "Hoarders," people; I know that the ability to throw away is a pretty important life skill.


And the shed. Oh this shed. Getting in and out of it for the stroller was such a hassle. But now, it's clean! It even has a small aisle.  We tossed lots of stuff we didn't need and even cut some wood to make another shelf. I love it. I know what's in there and, better yet, I can find it. I even found my bike. Not sure if I can ride it, but that's not as important.




Finally, the kitchen chandelier. Last Christmas we hung up Christmas cards and letters as we received them. This was great...as long as it was actually Christmastime. In August, not so much. So in September I finally decided to do something about it and voila! No doubt these will hang up there until this year's Christmas cards start rolling in.


P.S. We had an awesome weekend, notwithstanding Rhett's 5:00 a.m. wake-up calls. Chuck had work off Friday and we had a great mix of getting things done AND getting nothing done. I love those weekends.

More Things I Know (or don't)

Recently I became aware that it's entirely possible for a high school senior to not know some (what I thought was) basic math. So here it comes again: me asking you questions about what you know or don't. As before, this is not me saying, "Wow, how can you not know that?!" It's not. I promise. Rather it's me saying, "Huh. I thought people knew that I guess not. Now, what's for dinner? Tell me it's cold cereal. Please."

To prove that, let me share with you things I don't know: pretty much everything about the human body. The pancreas? The kidney? The duodenum? (I didn't google this so I don't even know if it's a real anatomy term.) I have no idea what these things do or where they're located. I only recently found out that the colon is the same thing as the large intestine. I also don't know anything related to biology and animals. See, totally inept when it comes to this stuff.

So here goes.

Question 1: Do you know how to represent "0.25" as a fraction?

Question 2: What is this number in words: 1,000?

Feel free to ask me questions about stuff you know that I don't. Believe me: I know I know very little.

P.S. Just to show you I don't take myself too seriously, this is Ollie's response to the question: "Where is your nose, Ollie?" And yes, that finger goes exactly where you think it's going.

Guilt

It's really unfortunate that on top of all the other things parents have to do, we also labor under intense feelings of guilt.

Here is a small sample of the things I feel guilty about on a fairly regular basis:

• that my kids don't get outside enough.
• that my kids don't eat enough vegetables and don't take multivitamins.
• that Bruno doesn't get the same attention he got pre-kids.
• that Ollie doesn't get near the same amount of book time Rhett got.
• that Ollie will not have the only-child attention until Rhett's off in college/mission, at which point Ollie probably won't want all that attention.
• that my house isn't nearly as clean as it used to be.
• that I never have side dishes at dinner.
• that we don't use the sandbox because it rains here all the time and gets gross.
• that I leave Chuck every Saturday morning for my long runs and he is "stuck" with the boys.
• that I make Rhett go to preschool even though he recently divulged to me that he doesn't want to go.

Update 1: Monday night we had TWO side dishes (count them: chips and broccoli with dip--a vegetable even!) with dinner. I felt like a superstar.

Update 2: We spent three days last weekend in the sandbox. And Ollie didn't eat all the sand (which, of course, was my fear in letting him get in it)!

Maryland State Parks: 17, Hubands: 3

Of the 21 Maryland State Parks with family campsites, we've now done THREE! Dude. We can totally do this before, say, the boys to go college. This past weekend we crossed off Patapsco from the list. It was awesome! Other than the freezing weather when we woke up Saturday morning, it was a great trip.

I've been trying to go easy for meals, and hot dogs definitely count as easy.


Rhett's only desire was to stay up late. And because we really want them to sleep past 5:00 a.m., we let them.


And it worked! We slept in until 6:45. Awesome. Little did we know at this point the cold that awaited us outside.


Now we know. It's in the 30s at this point.


The sun starts to warm up things. That and the car heater.


In addition to the sun, we used the coolest tire playground ever to help the boys warm up. Chuck just enjoyed sitting with Berry (a hanger-on from preschool). It should be noted that Rhett's favorite part of the trip was this playground.


Chuck's favorite part was hanging out with Berry.


After the boys were sufficiently warmed, we hiked down to the Patapsco River. The river was beautiful! And Rhett was super tough with this stick gun. We kept going towards some little waterfall which was equally awesome.


Rhett taking good care of Berry.


And the whole family on the way home. I would seriously recommend this park to other Marylanders. It was a 90-minute drive in Friday afternoon traffic, and only 60 minutes for the return trip Saturday afternoon.


Only 17 more parks to go...

Donut Dash 5K: Lessons Learned

In Wednesday's post I noted how there were a couple of oops! moments wherein I made obvious mistakes. I didn't start the timer (uh, erin, this is a RACE!), I failed to check batteries, I forgot a pen for me, etc. I've noted those omissions and will take care of them next year.

In addition to these race-related items, I learned two other things. First, I LOVE planning events. I made lists. I checked things off lists. I made party-related paraphernalia. And then, in return, I got to attend a fun event with people I enjoy. Everything about it was just perfect. And what wasn't perfect, was noted in my documentation so that next year's race will be perfect!

Second, while it may seem like I must be extroverted to plan something like this, that's not quite true. Yes, I like people and yes, I loved carrying this event out, I also loved sitting back and watching it all unfurl. Seeing people have fun and watching them talk and mingle was really fun for me. Seeing other people run together as couples or even families, was also really fun. Being the coordinator was more than enough to make me happy that day.

The End of the Donut Dash 5K Race Reports...until next year!