a life beyond running shoes.

we borrowed a friend's camera.... the super-duper high tech, telephoto lens, etc.  it was super fun to play with! here is little bit, who despite being resistant to getting dressed for his games, looks like he had a ton of fun once he got out on the field.  and peanut who was part of a great team and played really well. he was getting stronger and faster each game! it looks like real soccer at this age!

we were supposed to go to yosemite this past weekend but apparently there was a governmental shut down and we had to come up with plan B. hendy woods state park.....north of sonoma county in mendocino county.  daddy and little bit eating breakfast  a fort right by our tent made for hours of unstructured play    fisher girl who was much braver at picking up bull frog tadpoles than her oldest brother  steel head trout. apparently rare in these neck of the woods a redwood root system. this was about eight trees that were growing together  apple farm where you cannot pick the apples and they do not have apple cider donuts.   so we played apple baseball with the ones that had fallen on the ground. we make our own fun!!!

So here are some moments on (and off) the soccer field: little bit is quick footed... but at his age they still resemble a bee hive buzzing around the field :) (love his expression) here are two sisters of soccer players. they make great cheerleaders! peanut is growing as a player. he likes playing mid-fielder and is getting more aggressive for the ball. he has a great team of boys that work well together. and might i say, peanut has a great coach (a bit silly, but that is WAY better than a yeller!) more soccer sisters just waiting for next year to show their stuff!! great throw-in, peanut!! and that is what we do on saturdays!

visiting the academy of science in golden gate park griffith observatory with mimi and mr. denny (the hollywood sign is in the background) santa barbara with g'pa adams sweetpea's cousin's first bday our time in tennessee with family we had lots of other adventures including golfing, more cousins in palm springs, a road trip via I-40 to tennessee, signal mountain with friends, monterey aquarium with more friends, and more exploring "the city" . and hello september.

i have a new book group. it is pretty much all i have read this year.  wow, this year is different from last.  i poured myself into my books last year.... this year i don't seem to have the time. i guess that is a good thing considering the previous year was a move and lost of transition.  it is a good thing.  here are my book club reads: the invisible bridge by julie orringer (which we all appreciated the historical context and insight into hungary during WWII) girl in translation by jean kwok (provided a much deeper discussion than read but a worthy insight into a immigrant experience) the unlikely lavender queen by jeannie ralston run with the horsemen by ferrol sams (i am determined to finish this) my discipleship group read: celebration of the disciplines by richard foster give them grace by elyse fitzpatrick & jessica thompson my summer reads: looking for alaska by john green the woman upstairs by claire messud and other books:...

because i am behind and i have things i want to share.... i will start with this: sweet pea turned 4.  not sure how that happened but it did.  peanut turned 8.  now, that seems impossible!   and here is our easter:

but i finished the LA marathon last sunday morning while my family sat in church. i can honestly say i am was not sure that i would have but sweet friend, T, pulled me through every step of that blasted marathon!!! we were shooting for a 4:30 (4 hours and 30 minutes) finish time. mom and dennis took us to the start (traffic to dodger stadium will be another post). we got to the starting line 3 minutes before the gun went off.  we were behind the corrals where the handy dandy pace groups were situated.  somewhere in there we passed the 4:45 group.  then somewhere in there we managed to pass the 4:30 group.  i was pretty darn pleased with us.  we were feeling good.  mom and dennis saw us at miles 6....  then saw us at mile 12...... then saw us at mile 17...... where i know i was not feeling good and was starting to worry that with over an hour and a half left to the race, i would not be able to finish.   then the 4:30 pace grou...

i will finish the year with my last books read.... over the last month or so.  i have not even sat down to write my xmas letter and yet i post about my final reads....  happy 2013! global girlfriends: how one mom made it her business to help women poverty by stacey edgar what a fun and amazing story about a woman who started with a vision to do something about poverty among women around the world. check our her website: www.globalgirlfriends.com  making peace with the land by fred bahnson and norman wirzba a scholor and a practision discussing the biblical merits of working for the good and steward of the land. adoption without debt. by julie gumm. practical and inspiring of how it can be done. for reals. eat and run. by scott jurek carnivore turned vegan while pursing the dream of being/becoming an ultra runner. the hobbit . by jrr tolkien i re-read it so i could go see the movie.... i opted to spend my one movie date a year on les mis .  g...

we had a great thanksgiving with my mother-in-law in town.  we visited "the city" on the best weather day of  her visit.  we feasted with friends and had my new niece come visit.  we took her to a local brewery. i also trained and ran my first half marathon on this coast.  i got  my personal best time!!! 2:10 guess all that backyard circuit training we are doing really might be making a me a stronger runner.  and of course threw in some advent wreath making!!  merry christmas!!!

(by the way those are two ninjas and one rapunzel) the day was full, full, full. each boy had a party in his classroom - which sweet pea and i attended both.  then had a parade at school. than trick-or-treating.... that ended in rain.  phew.  and now the battle over candy.  yipee!!!

in the midst of coming off of vacation and looking forward into the holiday season... i hunkered down with a few books to pass the time.   i will admit that i actually let my children watch just a bit too much tv while i was reading one of these. kitchen counter cooking school. by kathleen flynn. oh how i loved this one.  all these lovely women learning how to cook, use a knife, cut up a chicken.....learning about healthy options that don't cost too much.  and oh how i wish i had been in this class. to be on the journey of exploring food and cooking skills along others.... i was envious.  what a quick but fun read. it also includes recipes for simple things....like vinaigrettes.   i loved it...and have to thank my sister-in-law who recommended it to me over a year ago.  thanks, tiff! tiger in red weather . by liza klaussmann. well.....it was a bit 'gatsby' for me.  too indulgent, too long island, too much despair.  AND then there wa...

we got to really celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.  sunrise. dinner at sunset. hiking.  shaved ice (aka snow cones) while watching surfing. more sunrises. snorkeling. despite the one day meeting that husband had (like the obligatory timeshare meeting that you have to sit through in order to get to stay there), we had an amazing time!! this was my first time snorkeling and i LOVED it!!! one of my highlights was running on the beach with hubbie.  funny how it takes vacation for us to see this activity as a luxury. it was amazing to finally get some nights away from kids and enjoy just having time together. thank you friends and family that helped make this happen!!! maybe it won't take over six years for us to do it again! and i read two books:   the weird sisters  by eleanor brown   and eddie would go by stuart holmes coleman:  one a novel threading shakespeare quotes through a story about sister all with fata...

well soccer season is under way.  an opening day and two games and we are in full swing.  opening day consists of kids in the back of pick-ups riding down main street (we don't actually have a main street but it might as well be called that).  it is a lot of whoop-la. i had a bad attitude. apparently it is enjoyed by many.... but not this mom. go rockets!!! go comets!!! little bit was dyno-mite on the feild. he got out there and tore it up.  can't say that there is any resemblance to the kid that played last year.  i am not sure where he went but  apparently he was replaced by a soccer player!! and here is peanut in the goal.  more pics of him to come!!   happy fall.