Spartan Race 2012

I did it!  I survived the Spartan Race.  Before the race,  I envisioned myself (literally from being awake in the middle of the night thinking about it) that I would get to each obtacle and try and fail and then do a thousand burpees for punishment.  Hubby kept saying to me not to worry and that I would be telling myself "that was no big deal" afterwards.  Not so much because it was hard.  But can I just say, I'm so proud of myself?!  On two occasions, the monkey bars and "spider man wall", I started and finished on my own! With no help from hubby.  Both times almost falling off but sticking to it with the mentality of I will make it through.  What an awesome feeling!   The times that I did need hubby's help were just as cool.  We are a team and I loved having him by my side encouraging and supporting me.

{I'm in the purple about to step on hubby's shoulder}

The kids did their own races and I am one proud mommy.  Pops and Grandma were there to watch and support them since their races went on at the same time as ours.  Their courage and bravery to do it on their own amaze me.  J-man's race was a mile and Roo's was a 1/2 mile.  Both weren't too sure about doing it but they blazed through and had a great time.

That's my son going around the mud pit because he didn't want to get too dirty!

Roo is in the pink shorts and white shirt.  Look at that face! The poor girl in front of her was fine.

 Roo said her favorite part was walking through the mud.

When their races were over they camped out by the last few obstacles and waited for us.  It was not awesome that when they finally saw us, they witnessed me throwing a spear like an absolute girl and then freak out and be a scaredy cat about jumping over the fire.  But I redeemed myself rope climbing over the wall and then rolling through way too much mud under way too much barbed wire.

Woo Hoo is how I felt too!

I just have to say that I could not have done this race without the help of Beachbody programs.  All of the programs I have done have led me to this point.  The most fit I have ever been in my life and I'm pushing 40.  Thank you P90X, Insanity, Chalean Extreme, Turbofire, and Les Mills Pump!  If you have any questions about any of these programs I would love to help!   I can even be your coach through it all.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Just click on the "Connect/email-me" button on the right hand sidebar and I will get right back with you!

A fun busy week

Last Thursday I finally cashed in my gift certificate to a beginner's mosaics class out in The Heights.  I went totally out of my comfort zone and hung out and crafted with ladies (and one gent) I didn't know from all over this crazy big city.  I even experienced morning traffic here for the first time and to tell you truth I was thankful for the slower pace instead of cars whizzing past me.  

Here is my creation before the grout.  Imagine that, its all neutrals!  Ha.  

And after the grout.

The Mosaic studio was gorgeous and they were working on a huge mural piece right in the front room.  I hesitated again to take pictures because I wanted keep their artwork protected until finished.  

Look at that rainbow of colored tiles.

I liked The Heights so much that Hubby and I decided to go back the next day for date day (the one bonus of shift work).  We explored shops, antique stores, and of course, my favorite thing to do, walked and dreamed about  houses.  Here are some pictures of a few things that caught my eye while browsing around.

Sorry. These are all so blurry.  What is up with my Iphone?  But I want to remember them and I think they are totally DIY-able.  Not the crazy car though.

And the craftsman houses were killing me.  

It was actually quite difficult to tell the brand new houses apart from the original ones.

That night we went with our church to give away free ice cream to everyone at the Concert in a local  park.  My kids really enjoy seeing the looks on people's faces when they find out its actually free.  And the best part is telling those people that it is just a simple way of letting them know that God loves them.    We enjoyed listening to some Tejano music in celebration of Cinco de Mayo but the band ended up playing all sorts of music and the crowd loved it.  

Insert picture here:  I was too busy keeping up with where my kids were going to even think about taking pictures. 

On Saturday, J-man's soccer team won by a landslide and Roo went to a Cinco de Mayo birthday party.  The best part of that day?  The party wasn't finished when I went to pick her up so I gladly said yes to a margarita and then found the dishes all done when I got back.  (-:  Now that is love.  

An outing at Brazos Bend State Park

We are proud new owners of a new Nikon D5100 dslr camera!  We took it out for a test drive on Saturday while at Brazos Bend State Park.  It was the most beautiful day and we had so much fun exploring, biking and snapping pics.  

Our day started out with a picnic lunch and a little crocodile watching.  Yep, they are right there hanging out in the water right next to the trails!  

 {This one is totally blurry but I love their smiles and the picnic table in the background}

 See the crocodile hanging out right behind the Roo?!

The baby croc was hard to see and I thought she was so cute sneezing but soon found out that she was hissing at us.  We decided to not stick around.

A few years ago I took a picture of the kids in this exact same tree.  

They have grown so much! 

 The trees there were incredible!  Perfect for climbing.  

Somebody needed a little help getting back down.

And the vines were perfect for swinging.

It was a great day and I'm so thankful that hubby somehow got that day off.  It was a much needed outside family time while the weather is still bearable down here.  We bought year long passes in hopes of getting out to other parks more.   Have you been to a state park lately?  Where did you go and what did you do there?  I would love to hear about it.

She's done! A painted armoire

This will be a picture post.  After two nights of our house alarm beeping on the hour, EVERY hour, I'm tired.  But I'm happy to say that she is finally done and my craft stuff is not in boxes on the floor anymore.

{New York City picture purchased from Hobby Lobby}

{hardware purchased from House of Antique Hardware}

And because everyone loves a good before and after:

{Roo is the happiest that the creepy handprints are gone.}

Linking up to:

Nutmeg Place Show off Saturday