Not even the rain can stop us

I know it is January.  The season is WINTER.  It is cold outside.  And yes, it is raining.

None of that stopped us from planning #2's birthday party at a local park.  What I mean by "plan" is that a week or so ago, I found a coupon in the back of a magazine at the doctor's office and hired a guy to come set up a laser tag course at the park.  Then I invited a bunch of kids through their parents' facebook accounts or by sending a very informal text message.  No phone calls were made and no attempt to figure out the food situation was made. Then I prayed for a clear day.  No rain. No rain. No rain.

I have come a long way since the clown/jumpy/catering days. 

I did feel a tiny bit of guilt because six months ago for the older one, I sent out handmade invitations weeks ahead of time.  Then, I set up a red and yellow candy bar for all the kids to pick and choose a goodie bag.  I spent weeks thinking about what I wanted to serve for lunch and dinner, and what I thought the kids would like as a snack.  There were decorations and balloons... the whole nine yards.

This time around, I sent our email invites, cleaned my house fifteen minutes before guests arrived, and left the party several times to grab things at Little Cesar's, Ralph's or Costco.  Oh, and it started to (lightly) rain several times while at the park, in the pool, and during the smores segment of the show.

Luckily, a very wonderful woman that I know reminded me that it isn't about the bells and whistles.  It is about the thought and the effort.  And believe me, I want nothing more than for my son to have a good time with his friends, laughing and playing. No face painting, no traveling animal shows, no gimmicks.  Just fun. Since I'm blogging at 11:30 at night, while the boys shake my house with their uncontrollable laughter, I think I got what I want. 

But... I bet in 6 months from now, I will do it again with spending weeks planning a sweet 13 for my oldest one.  I think it is more of a time issue than it is an effort issue.  January is a tough month, but by June I'm not working, so I have all sorts of time to come up with grand ways to celebrate.   In the end, it's all the same.  The boys have wonderful friends that celebrate with them, and I have equally great friends that will help me set up, clean up, run to the store, and calm me down with their words when it gets just a bit to overwhelming.  Thank goodness I've got a solid support group to help me with all the antics.  Not to mention that the Hubby is always a step ahead. 

I'll end this blog with three little tidbits of information that I'd like the world to know:

1) The Dads and Moms played an all out, no mercy game of laser tag today.  I am happy to announce that the Mom Team claimed an undisputed victory today.  In a sign of pure humble acceptance of our victorious win, I am posting a picture of the husbands during the slaughter fest.

2) My anniversary is tomorrow.  I still feel like I'm the luckiest gal in the world.

3) There are 11 boys in my house between the ages of 10 and 13.  They are the loudest, kindest, most polite, messiest group of kids I've every had over.  And the room they are sleeping in smells kind of like wet feet.

Splashing in puddles and picking up seashells

With one week until the big run, the girls and I hit Solana Beach for a 9 mile run to Torrey Pines and back.  What I expected was nine miles of sweat, crying, and swelling of the knees.  What I got was an hour and a half of chasing birds, splashing puddles, collecting shells, and - most importantly - QT with my cuties.  

I'm not gonna lie:  39 Degrees stings. Literally. When we started our run at 7:15, the wind was doing a great job penetrating right through the clothing, shoes included. By the time we hit the sand, the ocean water didn't take its time getting in my shoe. But I dare not complain because in turn, I got to hangout with some of the coolest chick I know.  Just good people.

I may not necessarily enjoy running, but I do appreciate the time I get to spend with my girlfriends staying active and strengthening our friendship.  What a blessing to have a group of friends that have solid families, great kids, and a genuine love for me, my Hubby, and the boys.  God's really taking care of me.

The snail shaped shell,  I picked up when we hit the 4 mile mark and I thought I might die.

The beige and brown "perfect" shell I picked up when we made it to Torrey Pines.

The really big white one I picked up right after I ran to to scare a group of birds...just to watch them fly away because it is so pretty.

And  the sand dollar I picked up because... well, it's a sand dollar.  That's cool.

I think I'll make each of the girls a cheesy piece of shell jewelry with the treasures I picked up this morning.

Or maybe I'll keep going to the beach and collecting them.  When I have a lot, I'll glue them to the mailbox. 

Or maybe I'll pull out all my old hula stuff and stick them to a headpiece or tassel belt.

Or maybe I'll keep them for a few days, then toss them. 

First, I better go ice my knee though.  I guess swollen joints is part of the nine mile package.

Get there... by running

It all started one day at the dojo when MM asked, "Who wants to run a marathon?"  Of course, I was quick to say NO but Mrs. Sensei said, "Sure!  That's a great idea!"  Thus began the peer pressure. So, 3 months later and I am in the process of training to run 13.1 miles just because...well... because my friends are doing it.  Great reason, I know.

When the madness started, I could run about 2 minutes (literally) before the need to stop, take off my shoes, and open a beer.  But I kept going and soon 2 minutes turned to 5, and 5 turned to 10.  It has been a very slow process, but at least I'm running the hamster wheel with friends.

Miramar Lake has become the weekly meeting place.  It has worked out well because there are markers every quarter mile.  In October, we ran Light the Night 5k in Balboa Park dressed like bunnies.  On Thanksgiving, we ran the 10k for Run for the Hungry in Downtown.  Hubby ran with us and ended up having to run backwards to keep pace with me.  Ah, true love.

With December's cruel weather (a whooping 65 degrees, but I'm a SoCal gal, so I'm super sensitive!)  I've resorted to running on a treadmill that Hubby set up for me in the garage.  Although it gets a little boring after the first few minutes, I'm finding that I get my motivation from this stupid Nike app that I downloaded on my phone.  It keeps "unlocking" voices that give me words of encouragement.  Kind of silly, I know, but I get my kicks from Lance Armstrong telling me things like, " You just set a new record for the 10k!"  I wonder where I'll get the motivation once all the levels have been unlocked...

At least it's easier than Crossfit.

Six Months later...

It has been (literally) six months since my last blog.  I can tell you exactly why too:  FOOTBALL.  8-0 regular season, round 2 of the playoffs, and second place at a tournament.  Nationally ranked #8 in the Nation according to D1 youth football rankings.  Not bad.  New friends, great family time, lots and lots of food,  swim parties, running around following the kids, and basically focusing energy on the people that matter...not the blog.

Since my last entry, the boys have finished summer sports and started school again.  The little one is finally potty trained...thank God.  And hubby and I are as strong as we have ever been, surrounded by genuine friends that love us enough to keep hanging out, despite the craziness of having the three boys and allllllll their friends, activities, energy, and antics.

The easiest way for me to recap the later part of 2011 for our family can be condensed to three simple truths:

1) God is Good.
2) Kids soak up all sorts of energy, but they are the only thing worth investing in.
3) When in doubt, family will come through. Period.

Lesson #1 - God is Good.

At church, the pastor said that sometime God manifests himself in unlikely ways.  He also said that God is brightest when it is the darkest.  All I can say to that is AMEN.  I realize that the beginning of this Christian walk started in a time that I would now regard as a dark time.  But from it comes massive light and energy.  I've also learned that I have to understand that I may not understand.  It's crazy because it is simply true. 

Today, I would say that God works in great ways in my life.  For that I thank the darkness , for from it came light.

Lesson #2 - Kids soak up all sorts of energy, but they are the only thing worth investing in. 

Let's face it, I'd rather have a glass of wine and watch the last episode of Glee than sit in the cold at football practice.  Our coaches never *really* ended at 7:00 and even when it was dark out, if the plays were not learned, the boys stayed until they got it.

 But man oh man when those boys (my boys? all 30 of them? yup.) won one, then two, then three...then 8 games in row, all those cold nights thinking about coffee were absolutely worth it. No buts. More importantly, the ability to make friends - with players and their families- all I can say in PRICELESS. 

The coaches and other parents have become a wonderful unit of friends that shared a common love. And with it now over, I can say we are two for two when it comes to successful

 football seasons. 

Yup, 6 months of driving to Otay Ranch, Temecula, Olympian and beyond is time consuming and tiresome, but the benefits well out weigh the temporary costs.  Great investment of time as far as I'm concerned. 

Mix football with jiu jitsu practice and what we get is a full calendar with no room for wine or Glee. 

Is it quiet? No. Is it worth it?  Yes, in fact it is quite simply the only thing worth investing your time in because you get so much back.

Lesson #3 : When in doubt, family will come through. Period.

I've known this for years.  The past six months have reinforced it.  Ups and downs, through it all, those we call family are there.   We have a few close friends that we call family.  They are the people that are honest and truthful.  They love our kids, keep us in their thoughts, and have our best interests at heart - always.  They serve as a mirror to what is important and real in our lives and for them we are thankful for their genuine love and unconditional friendship.

Sissy and No Neck are dependable like the sun rising everyday when it comes to true need. It's great to have that kind of relationship with family.  One day, I know my children will grow up to understand that -although we don't pick our family-we should always choose our family in times of need because they choose us. 

With that said,   Don't trust No Neck with a "secret".   He takes the "surprise" out of surprise party - literally- every time. But he is truthful as they come, strong as an ox, and loves the kids... despite hitting them in the center of the chest each time he sees them.