Happy Halloween!

What a great treat for us this Halloween. We're blessed with nearly 70-
degree weather and clear blue skies. That makes for perfect pumpkin-
carving weather.

We don't get fancy with our creations. Just some spooky faces!

Sliding siblings

It's cooler outside so we've made our move to the indoor playgrounds.
Our favorites are the Plymouth Play Cafe in downtown Plymouth and
Jungle Java in Canton. We'll still play outside, but this gives us a
break from the cold and keeps the kids dry. Plus, it's open early in
the mornings.

Rainy day fun

Today is a cool, rainy fall day. So Kelsey, Ryan and I met friends at
Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum this morning. We haven't been since Ryan was
a newborn and I was on maternity leave.

They've moved the preschool area into a larger room, making it easier
to keep tabs on two children who move in different directions.

Both children loved the giant petoskey stone that they could squirt
with a water bottle and scrub with a brush, though Kelsey enjoyed
squirting herself the most. They also enjoyed the usual favorite, the
water tables. Kelsey had to eventually be excused because she couldn't
resist splashing.

Frightfully good!

Brendan has a knack for drawing that makes Ken and me marvel. He was motivated to draw Halloween decorations a couple of weeks ago, when the neighbors decorated their front yard with many spooky treats. This is one of his creations. I love the details, including the person walking into the scene from the left.

Drylands

This video of a recent dryland workout for TCU swimmers brings back painful memories. In the fall, we spent some workouts doing mostly dryland or weight training. My knees were much worse then, so I didn't do too much running. But my two least favorite but most grueling dryland workouts included running the stadiums (zigzagging up and down on the stadium stairs as fast as you could) and pulling myself up stadium ramps on a scooter, using only my arms. I can feel the burn now!

2:08.49

Yesterday, my friend Suzanne G. and I ran in the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon -- 13.1 miles. We both were proud in our accomplishment. Our time of 2:08.49 is slightly better than a 9:55 pace per mile. It also is better than our last half marathon, which we completed around 2 hours 15 minutes. (That was on an unbearably hilly course that I will never, ever do again.)

The course was beautiful, with the first couple of miles winding from downtown Detroit to the Ambassador Bridge. We crossed the bridge into Canada and ran along the riverfront before heading back to the United States through the tunnel. (The tunnel was cozy and warm, which I was even more aware of when we emerged back in the cold air. Race time temperature was around 32.)

You can watch us finish on the video here. Make sure you're watching the 2:13-2:23 video, as our clock time is slower than our actual finish time. (For you novice runners, that is because there were literally thousands of people lined up for the start. We were pretty far back in the crowd, so our offical race time is from the moment we crossed the starting line to the finish line. Our clock time is when the race began to when we crossed the finish line.) Patiently wait for the moment when the winner of the men's marathon crosses the finish line -- around 2:16. We're right behind him in white shirts. You can see me clap with my white gloves on when I cross the line. And, yes, we got lapped by the marathoner. That's amazing to me.

I had said this would be my last half, but I am not so sure now. This race felt much better than my last half, and my knees didn't hurt once. My right hip did, but that was OK. I'd love to someday match my personal best time, which was around 2:03 in the White Rock half marathon in 2001.

Family resemblance?

Here's a photo of my hubby just days before his first birthday, way back in 1970.

Here's a link to Kelsey around her first birthday, and another link to Ryan at the same age. Any resemblance?

Rocket star

After each soccer game, the parents and spectators (all relatives, of course) make a tunnel for the kids to run through. It is clearly the best part of the entire game for most of the kids. Brendan certainly enjoys it, as seen above from Saturday's game.

Beautiful day

We're having the most beautiful summer weather today and through the
weekend. Today it is in the low 70s, blue skies, and barely a breeze.
Tomorrow it'll be in the 80s. We'll soak up every minute, knowing it
could all turn to winter any moment.

Horny Toads

New Horned Frogs have hatched at the Fort Worth Zoo, and they aren't of the invading freshmen type.

See the video here.

Very cool little purple power

For my birthday (which was last Saturday), my parents bought me a new running companion, an iPod Nano. Quite fittingly, it's purple. (It's from the new colorful collection.) I love it!

I simply wanted something smaller to run with, as I've been running with my iPod Classic as of late. I didn't realize how cool it would be. The screen and images are so smooth and crisp, and I love the Genius feature. Just pick a song, and it makes you a playlist. Very cool.

Only problem? I keep touching the screen, expecting to navigate with a touch feature. The iPhone has spoiled me.

Thank you, Mom and Dad!

(P.S. -- I must mention that my hubby's birthday is the day before mine. We celebrated jointly by purchasing a new Plasma TV for a newly finished basement. Well, it's not finished yet. But we're making progress. So far, we've cleaned out some major junk, purchased a new couch and electric fireplace heater, added a couple of games for the kids, installed new lights and a heater in the bathroom, and added insulation to keep out the cold and keep in the noise. Still to do: install ceiling, paint the walls, install base molding, and clean out more junk. We hope to be finished by mid-November, just in time to hibernate for the long winter. Seriously, it feels as if we've doubled the size of our home by utilizing this space.)

Good, old days

From 5 Things I loved about our vacation: Visiting TCU and spending a night in Fort Worth

Proof that Ken and I did exist in the University Pub, the main hangout near campus, together. The Pub has a wall or two of Polaroids taken over the years. We stopped in on our night in Fort Worth and split a pitcher with our friend Ron. Most of our time was spent searching for familiar faces in the photos. Shocking how many swimmers were in the photos. In this picture: Ken, Laura, Ryan Kling, Courtney Gardner and Ron Forrest (guessing that's Homecoming 1995)

We had dinner with Ron at Joe T. Garcia's, a legendary restaurant in Fort Worth's Cowtown. It's legendary for a reason. The Mexican food was outstanding, portions were generous, atmosphere is beautiful, and the margaritas were yummy. Joe T's is also simple. They offer maybe five entrees, so menus aren't necessary. And bring cash.

Us with Ron on the patio at the Pourhouse, another one of our old hangouts. We parked it here most of the beautiful evening.

Me next to the newly renovated Frog Fountain, on TCU's campus. A new student center and several dorms have just been completed (behind me). The campus has completely transformed in the short time since I graduated. I think all the changes are good and I am rather impressed! I particularly liked the new fountain, which was never my favorite.

Goodbye, Main. The student center was demolished just a few days before we visited campus. The center housed the Main, which was the main cafeteria on campus. I ate many, many meals there.

Ride 'em cowboy

Ryan discovered his cousin's old cowboy boots today and couldn't be separated from them the rest of the day. He wore a Woody hat (from Toy Story), wore his cowboy boots (which somehow made him look even skinnier), and managed to find a colorful pony given to us today by a neighbor. That pony became Bullseye. We know he will one day deny everything ...

Ride 'em cowboy

Fall traditions

Fall seems a much bigger deal here in Michigan than it was in Texas. Perhaps that's because it could be 80 degrees until Halloween, and the leaves on the trees didn't change colors much at all.



In Michigan, people live for Fall. It's one of the more popular seasons, and people look forward to visiting cider mills on a perfect Fall day.



That was today for us. We headed to our favorite, Three Cedars Farm, for a picture-perfect outing. The sky was blue, the wind was absent, and the temperature was mild (though we had to start the morning with jackets).



The kids loved the hayride and enjoyed picking pumpkins. We noticed the pumpkin patch seemed to have fewer (and smaller) pumpkins than previous years. The newest addition to the very well done Three Cedars is a playground. The kids spent 45 minutes or so milking a pretend cow, going down slides in a barn, riding John Deere tractors, and playing on a wooden train. They barely stopped to eat the delicious donuts (part of the Fall tradition), which come in plain or cinnamon sugar. I made up for their disinterest by polishing off a couple of extra!

Ryan and Brendan find a pumpkin in the U-Pick pumpkin patch.

Kelsey uses this extra large pumpkin as a drum.

Brendan, Ryan and Kelsey sit atop a real and old tractor.

Porky and Mr. Ed, or Ryan and Brendan, play in the playground.

Ryan goes for a spin on this pedal-powered tractor. The play area included a small track they could pedal around and a shed to park the tractors.

Best seat in the house

Kelsey finds her comfy spot for hanging in my room while I fold
laundry. When she's not sitting nicely, she's rocking the boat.

So grown up

Brendan in his first-grade photo