Cutouts - It's Our Thing

My family can't pass these up! Every time we see one of these face cutouts, we are sucked in. What crazy thing does your family do?

At a farmer's market a couple weeks ago.

At Pink's Hotdog Stand at Cedar Point last week.

At Ben & Jerry's in Vermont in 2010.

On another racing trip in 2010.

In Alaska in June 2011.

At the Connecticut Aquarium in July 2011.

When I grow up, I want to be a fire fighter - December 2011.

Greg at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in March 2012.

Such great family fun!

Training for the Akron Marathon has been tough due to the sweltering summer. Since almost all of my long runs have been run while it's between 75-90 degrees, in spite of getting up by 7am each weekend, it's been hard to get a sense of where my training is. I ran the Perfect 10-Miler last weekend in Lyndhurst and actually PR'd the distance (for me, that is). My time was relatively decent, but I do know I cannot hold that pace for 26.2 miles. So this past Sunday, Greg, Bridget and I drove a good portion of the Akron Marathon course so I could get a bit of feel for what the course looks like. I am actually pretty excited - it appears to be a beautiful course overall. The Stan Hywet Gardens and surrounding area is so pretty. Sand Run would be much prettier if I wasn't running it during the exhausted miles! I still don't know how I will perform in 6 weeks, but I do know that I'm going to enjoy seeing Akron on foot!

While in Akron surveilling the course, we had lunch at the West Point Market. They make the BEST salads. I love love love their Mediterranean salad and Greg loves making his own salad - even the clerk enjoyed his concoction! While wandering the course afterwards, we stumbled across the Akron Hamburger Festival. Wow - that turned out to be absolutely delightful! Greg won a White Castle Crave Case! Thank goodness, they simply give you a voucher to present at the store during your next visit. Can you imagine how stinky our car would have been for that hour drive home?! Ugh!

Wow, That Was Hard

Pumpkin moved to college. Not sure how it was possible that 18 years could fly by so quickly, but wow, it sure did. She's loving her school and she's so excited about what lies ahead. We moved in her in on Thursday in what could be described as the tiniest real estate in all of Oxford. Her roommate is wonderful and she has a great location for a dorm. We enjoyed lunch with her at the dining hall and I ate probably the least healthiest meal that I've had in close to a year - fried chicken fingers, baked beans, green beans soaked in goodness only knows what, and ice cream!

So, it looks like I will be sending mail via Hedwig over the next few months!

Princess Tea with My Littlest Princess

Wednesday was a super special day. Bridget had invited Megan and me to her preschool Princess Tea. This was her last week of preschool and they put on such a nice affair. Each of the "princesses" were introduced one at a time, came in to the room like fashion models, then joined their moms and sisters for tea. Bridget made name plates for both Queen Meg and Queen Robin, complete with flowers, hearts and jewels. Such great fun! And it was a wonderful way to spend our last day with Megan before she headed off to college!

Two More Items Checked Off the Summer Bucket List

Before my oldest headed off to college, we managed to check off two more family fun items from her Summer Bucket List - watching the sun set and sparkler party.

Picnic at Huntington Beach enjoying takeout from Sweet Melissa's. We figured that Huntington Beach would have great sunset views! Plus, who doesn't love a picnic?!

Amazing views of the sunset. Best of all, we enjoyed this awesome view while sitting on a small blanket and enjoying Mitchell's ice cream!

Sparklers really do make you feel like a kid!

Cedar Point Fun

Sunday was my first trip to Cedar Point. I had been there to volunteer during last year's Rev3 Triathlon and to cheer on my good friend, Karen. But I had never spent the day at the park and rode the rides. I am not a "ride person" and I cringe at the thought of being tossled around or, worst yet, having to be on a roller coaster. Thank goodness I live with a family of adrenaline junkies and they can rely on each other (and Greg!) to ride the roller coasters. Best of all, this was Bridget's first trip and she LOVED it. I'm pretty sure we have a whole lot of summer trips to Cedar Point ahead of us in the years ahead!