Evelyn 4 Year Pictures

Compliments to Erin for the wonderful pictures and creative "interview" idea to remember Evelyn at age 4.

 

 

 

 

Best Beach on the Pond

I just finished the 3 week project to add a beach to our back yard.  It was ambitious, and I didn't use any motorized equipment to haul dirt, sand, stones, or sod.  What a big job!  

Step 1:  Remove 300 sq ft of sod by hand.  Push sod uphill to driveway. 

Step 2:  Dig up approximately 6-8 YARDS of dirt.  Push dirt uphill to driveway.  >100 wheel barrel loads!

Step 3:  Move 41 bags of paver base, 21 bags of paver sand, and 70 large concrete bricks down to the pond.

Step 4:  SAND!  Move 6 YARDS of sand down to the pond.  48 wheelbarrow loads.

The children all pitched in and helped since the beach really is for them. 

 

 

 

Total mass moved:

• SOD:  3,000 lbs (moved all of it 3 times)
• Dirt:  12,000 lbs
• Stones:  5,000 lbs
• Sand:  9,000 lbs

FINISHED PRODUCT! 

 

Riverbank Run 2012

On Saturday I completed my 8th consecutive 25k Riverbank Run.  My running career has gone through a lot in the last 3 years but I bounced back with a solid race.

My training this year was pretty light in terms of miles, but I've been playing a lot of basketball so my overall fitness is relatively high.  Most importantly, I finally dropped below the 190 lbs threshold and was approximately 10 lbs lighter this year than any of my previous years.  Lighter weight makes a huge difference, especially with reduced training.

2012 was the best weather in my opinion.  It was 60's by the start of the race and stayed right there all day.  A light sprinkle early on brought the humidity down without getting us soaked.

2012 was also a great year for me in terms of family/friend participation and family/friend spectators.  Record numbers for each!

I started a little faster than I should have but wanted to see if there was any prayer for me to keep up with the 2 hour pace group.  After 2 miles I knew there was no way so I backed off as necessary.

Mile 1:  7:58

Mile 2:  7:48

Mile 3:  8:02

Mile 4:  8:08

Mile 5:  8:06

Mile 6:  8:07

Mile 7:  8:26 (pause to hi-five my family)

 

 

Mile 8:  8:11

Mile 9:  8:16

Mile 10: 8:30

Mile 11: 8:18

Mile 12: 8:22

Mile 13: 8:27

Mile 14: 8:42

Mile 15: 8:42

FINAL TIME: 2:08:17

AVG PACE: 8:17 min/mi

Several times between miles 10 and 15 I felt like I might fall apart but kept plugging away and really never lost much pace.  Overall I was very happy with my race and my final time.  As a comparison, it was my 4th best time out of 8 years, and a nice rebound over the last 2.

2005:  2:16:56

2006:  2:06:46

2007:  2:01:17

2008:  2:12:47

2009:  2:05:49

2010:  2:18:57

2011:  2:48:26

2012:  2:08:17

Florida 2012: Part 5

One of the primary reasons we spent 2 weeks in Florida this year was for Erin to take Evelyn to Disney. Evie has loved all the Disney "princess" movies for the last year.  She goes in trends but her overall favorite has been Cinderella.  

Evie loved Cinderella's castle.  Papa and Nana have been long time Disney fans and also enjoyed the day with Evelyn and Erin.

 

 

Talking with Mickey, Minnie, and the princesses was Evie's favorite activity of the day.

 

 

Erin and I took Evelyn to a Cinderella dinner the night before they went to Disney.  Evie was petrified of Prince Charming but loved Cinderella, Anastasia, and Drizella.