Color Me Crazy

I am not athletic. I am not a runner. I don't like to be hot and sweaty. I am not adventurous. I don't like to step out of my comfort zone. I don't like to get dirty.  So when I heard that The Color Run was coming to Columbus in the middle of July during one of the hottest summers on record.... I signed up.  Nothing about this makes sense and to this day I have no idea what got into me.  The Color Run is "the happiest 5k on the planet".  You pay a bunch of money to run 3.1 miles in the sweltering heat and as you run you get colored powdered paint thrown at you.  I know it sounds strange.  It is.  But it is also a hilariously fun time and I am so glad I did it.  Nikki, who runs several marathons a year, was a total sweetheart and signed up to run it with me.  I spent almost 3 months training and by the week of the race, sure enough, I was able to run (well, jog) the entire 3 miles without walking.  For me, this was a huge accomplishment.  I wanted to do The Color Run because it sounded crazy and fun, but I also wanted to to do it because as much as I loved my daily walk around the neighborhood pushing the girls in the double stroller, it was time for something different and a little more challenging.  By the end of the training I was actually looking forward to my early morning runs.  For me, what I learned about myself and accomplished in the 3 months leading up to The Color Run was actually more impactful than the event itself.

Since the run was in Columbus it meant we got to spend a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  It was especially fun that Nikki travelled from Stow to spend part of the weekend there as well.  We love it when our Piland and Kelley families collide!  Saturday morning Nikki, Erich, and I woke up bright and early and headed to downtown Columbus to find the starting line.  We are so thankful that Grandma and Grandpa were able to watch Avery and Norah at home during the race.  There were over 10,000 runners plus all the spectators... it was insane!  I can't imagine trying to manage the girls in the midst of it.  

 Nikki and I posing for a "before" photo before we left to go downtown.  Once we got there Nikki and I headed to the starting line.  Erich went to secure a good spot at the finish line so he could be sure to capture the monumental finish on camera.  I had my cell phone in my pocket and when we were getting close to the finish I gave him a quick call to let him know to get ready with the camera.

 When Nikki and I crossed the finish line we couldn't spot Erich right away so we just hammed it up and acted like fools hoping that he was in the crowd somewhere taking our picture.  (spoiler alert: this is not a photo of that moment)  Once we finished and grabbed some water, we walked around for 30 minutes looking for Erich.  I called his cell phone at least 10 times and was getting frustrated that he wasn't answering.  It turns out, he wasn't answering because his phone was in his pocket and he was too busy holding the camera up to his face and watching the finish line like a hawk so he didn't miss taking our photo.  Except, he had already missed taking our photo.  That poor guy stood there for 30 minutes posed and ready to document this memory for his wife and sister.  All the while we were looking everywhere for him!  After we finally connected and all had a good laugh about it, Erich made us go back into the crowd of runners and cross the finish line again so he could get it on camera this time.  The above photo is our "fake finish" and I laugh at the memory every time I look at it.  I wouldn't change it for anything.

 Our "after" photo.  I am so thankful that Nikki has enough crazy in her to want to do something like this with me.  She is an amazing sister in law and friend and I loved doing this with her!

 To prevent people from ruining the interiors of their cars on the ride home, they had a "cleaning station" which was actually just a couple of guys with high powered leaf blowers that blasted us with air and blew a lot of the powder off of us.  It was hilarious and it did the trick! (Although there was still plenty of color left to scrub off later)

 Can I tell you how amazing this man is? He sacrificed his time and adjusted his plans on his days off several mornings a week in the months leading up to the race so that I could have the time I needed to go out and train while he stayed home with the girls.  He drove us to and from the event in insane traffic and then waited around by himself for us to finish it.  He knows that this was all very much out of my comfort zone and he was a constant supporter and cheerleader.  I kept telling him it wasn't a big deal, but he knows me better... he knows it was.  And because of that, he did this...

 I had no clue that Erich had made this banner and left it with my parents.  When we got back to their house I was greeted with a sign, cheers, smiles, and "The Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background. I definitely felt the love.  I've never seen a better looking team of cheerleaders... especially that little one in the middle!

Future Color Runner?  I think she pulls it off well.  That sweet baby Norah is always full of smiles.

I'm still not athletic. I'm still not a runner. I still don't like to be hot and sweaty. I'm still not adventurous. I still don't like to step out of my comfort zone. I still don't like to get dirty.  But just think of the fun I would have missed if I'd let all that stop me.  Sometimes it pays to stop focusing on all the things we're not and remind ourselves of all the things we are.  Today, I'm proud that I'm a Color Runner.

More Summer Snapshots

It's 50 degrees and raining outside.  Fall weather is officially upon us and I still have a lot of summer fun to document here on the blog in order to get caught up.  I can't say I mind... looking over these sunshiny photos is doing my heart good on a gloomy day.  My blog updates my get fewer and farther between, but I refuse to let it go.  This little corner of the internet has become a keepsake for my family and therapy for this sappy mommy who can't come to grips with how quickly it's all flying by.  Here's the second half of our summer at a glance...

We were having such a great time celebrating the 4th of July that I forgot to take photos!  We love the community we live in. One perk is that we live in such close proximity to great friends.  For the 4th, I loaded the girls in the stroller and we walked a few streets over to our friends Adam and Lindsey's house and crashed their block party for a little bit.  Avery loved running around with the other kids, eating her first snow cone, and having her face painted (which is the only photo I took the entire night).  From there, we walked down just a few more houses and joined Scott and Amy and the rest of our church home group for a party (Erich met up with us there when he got off work).  The kids had a great time running around in the sprinkler and keeping cool while the adults had fun eating too much great food and talking the night away.  Scott and Amy have a perfect view of the city fireworks from their backyard... it was the perfect place to enjoy the show without the crazy crowds.  What a wonderful night!

 For the second year in a row, we enjoyed  a free event called "Sandtastic" hosted at Levis Commons, the outdoor shopping mall down the road from our house.  They set up a huge sandbox in the middle of the street and fill it with toys for all the kids to play with. They also have sand sculpture demonstrations, live music, and other family fun.  Norah and I sat on the sidelines this year and watched Avery and Daddy  play in the sand, but I'm sure next year Norah will want to be right there in the action (this year she just would have eaten the sand).

 Avery and Daddy sporting their shades in the hot sun.

 I love that Erich got this candid moment on camera on one of our summer trips to Marysville... Avery and Grandma enjoying a lunch picnic in the middle of Grandma and Grandpa's backyard garden oasis. It's a sight to behold, and the perfect place for a picnic!

 Our church hosted a summer festival and baptism celebration in the church parking lot complete with live music, free food, huge inflatables for the kids, and most importantly... 400 people were baptized that night, including our good friend Tari!  Avery immediately zoned in on the hugest inflatable at the party, The Screamer, and declared she wanted to try it.  I was a little nervous as we waited in line... all the other kids going on this particular inflatable were twice Avery's size, this one wasn't really meant for the 3 year old crowd (It was even taller and more steep than it looks in the picture).  In order to get to the top she had to climb up a steep and difficult ladder.  I was worried that she would have a hard time making it up the ladder, or that she would get to the top and then get scared and freak out and Erich or I would have to climb up after her.  I should have known that would not be a problem for our little adventurer!  We have a video of her going down the slide but I couldn't get it to load.  In the photo above you can see tiny little Avery climbing up the ladder in her green skirt.

 In August we enjoyed a visit to a paint your own pottery studio here in town.  Avery loved painting a tile while Erich and I worked on a coffee mug with baby Norah's footprint (yes, it was a two person job!).  For his first Father's Day, I made Erich a coffee mug with Avery's baby footprint on it.  He requested that we complete the set with a Norah mug.  It was a fun little trip and I'm thankful we could support this new, locally owned business in Perrysburg.

 The first part of this post was all about what Avery has been up to, but have no fear... Norah has been having some fun of her own!  She was present at all of the previous events I mentioned, but she was usually sleeping in the stroller.  She has been plenty busy at home though, always on the move and looking for adventure.  She seems to be following in her big sister's footsteps in that she has no fear and loves to look for trouble!  She's a rough and tumble girl.  Above is a picture of her first time trying blueberries.  She liked them :)

 Avery sometimes mistakes Norah for her own real life baby doll, as evidenced by the fact that I found Avery giving Norah a (rather fast) ride in the doll stroller!  Norah was cracking up and loved it, but after  I took a photo I suggested that this might not be the safest activity for these crazy sisters.

 This busy girl is always getting into something.  One day I found her stuck in the magazine tote...

 and the next day she got stuck in the toy box.  Norah's not afraid to dive headfirst into just about anything (including the toilet once when the bathroom door got left open... yuck).  She keeps us on our toes!

 This summer was definitely double the fun with two girls to enjoy it with.  Norah is a treasure in our family and I'd argue that she might be one of the happiest babies on the planet. She's a content baby girl and doesn't have much to complain about.  I can't believe we're already approaching her 1st birthday... this has been the fastest year yet!