Saturday, August 30, 2014: Renfest

I have never been to Renfest before.  The closest I've ever come was going to Dickens Christmas in San Francisco when I was younger (TOTALLY AWESOME, BTW).  Anyway, Renfest opened this weekend and I thought, "Why not?"  And so we did.  Initially, Lauren was very apprehensive.

Lauren struggles with anxiety and this was a new experience.  I know that she responds this way and that she will work through it, but I'm not going to lie: it is a PITA each and every time.  We had to sit and watch the bellydancers for about 30 minutes until she settled down.  And so we did.  And then we went in search of a turkey leg for Jonathan and a snack for Lauren.

Both kids tried their hand at bow and arrows and crossbows.  Both kids did far better than I expected.

So I have a secret, or not so much a secret: My kids are better than your kids at the hula hoop. I'm not bragging. I'm stating a fact.  I've had challenges, but no one has ever come close.

And then Jonathan slayed a dragon and was knighted.

And we went home.  The end.

August Run with Kids: Blacklight 5K Run

I have a goal of doing a 5k with the kids on a monthly basis.  Jonathan and I have done this before (racing), but I'm now making Lauren join as well.  This race was at night out at Cricket Wireless Ampitheater. The sky was looking very ominous.  Indeed, shortly before race start, the rain, wind, lightening, and HUGE drops started falling.  We waited until the last minute before exiting the car.  By the time we got to race start, we were soaked (no joke) and debating whether we were going to run this or not.  The rain was lightening up, so we decided to go for it.  We were glad that we did as it stayed dry the rest of the night.  

Race management was inadequate for the dark and the number of people.  We followed all the people in front of us and ended up cutting off 2 of the 5 k.  Turned out okay because it was late and the kids were getting tired.  Overall, we had a good time and are glad that we did it, but I do not think we will do it again.

2/52 Selfie Series

I got lost on the drive home from lunch with Jen, saw an abandoned house, liked my outfit, decided to jump out for a quick selfie.

Random Spider

Friday, August 29, 2014: The Drop Bistro

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I'm  loving Groupons. It gives me an opportunity to try places that would otherwise never have crossed my radar.  Today was The Drop Bistro in Martini Corner.  Cute little restaurant with a variety of cocktails.  The one above is L&L Press - lemoncello, lavender, champagne, and soda. Very refreshing.

Thursday, August 28, 2014: 1/52 Selfie Series

I'm having a hard time with how I've been looking lately.  I've gotten huge in my mind.  I'm currently obsessed with how big my arms and boobs have been lately.  I know I've gained weight over the past couple of years.  Yes, I know that life has been hard and I've turned to food and drink, but I should be over that by this point.

At this point, I'm completely avoiding the scale.  It's been at least three months.  I've debated back and forth as to whether I should just face reality or if I should continue the healthier eating I've been doing over the past week and just trust that I will lose weight in the process.

Still haven't decided.  Monday is the day I am considering.  But I think I will put it off one more month.  Maybe after a month of watching it carefully, I won't be so horrified when I finally step on the scale.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014: Sunrise

Yeah, I got nothing today.  This was a quick shot out my car window as I left CrossFit.