Cowtown Weekend

We just had a great weekend in DFW - a very busy weekend!

Friday, we went to SheesaNui's future home (fingers crossed and knocking on wood - closing is late March), then Mira stayed with them while Kenny and I joined our real estate group for happy hour. We were going to go to a movie afterwards, but after the happy hour, we were so excited and chatty, we just grabbed some Starbucks and talked instead.

Meanwhile, Mira got to go to the Frisco Athletic Center ("the FAC") and played in the water park and swimming pool with Sheesa and PapaNui. She had a blast. They all came and stayed at the hotel where we were, so we put Mira to bed then chatted it up a little more before hitting the sack.

Saturday, we had a leisurely breakfast then went to Spiral Diner (Yum!) and had lunch with some friends. It was a lot of fun to catch up with Craig, who we used to work with, and get to know his fiance, Shawnie. We also picked up a vegan, chocolate cake to take to dinner that night.

After lunch, Mira napped in the car....

I think this is so funny; I find Mira's shoelaces like this all the time. She unties them then sticks the ends into the empty holes at the top. Just a funny little thing she does.

...and when she woke up, we took her to our old neighborhood park. It's the best park - sand volleyball court (or giant sandbox, depending on who's playing); two playgrounds; wonderful walking/running trails; awesome pond with tons of friendly (not obnoxious and aggressive) ducks and geese - AND it was only about a mile away from a house. We used to run to and around this park all the time when we lived in Bedford. It was the one and only thing I was sad about when we moved out of that townhome!

Friendly geese - can you believe it?!

She had a lot of fun swinging and watching the ducks, and Kenny and I really enjoyed re-visiting one of our favorite spots and sharing it with Mira.

Only half-amused with the monkey bars. She was just killing time until one of the swings became available.

Now this is the good stuff! She could swing for hours - definitely her favorite piece of playground equipment!

"HIGHER! HIGHER!" she's yelling, and Daddy pushes with a smile.

Let's go see the ducks!

We sat and watched the ducks for a while - giggling when they would stick their heads under water and their tail feathers up...

She had just looked down and realized she could see the water underneath us, which scared her a little. I love this picture because of how she is clinging to Kenny - so sweet. Daddy will keep you safe, Baby Girl!

And, he'll give you a lift, too!

We celebrated Kara's birthday at Campisi's Egyptian Lounge in Dallas. I'm not sure what makes it "Egyptian" because they serve Italian food. The food was pretty good, but our server was a beast! We had a great time visiting with Kara, Coy, and Kellen, as well as Sheesa and Nui. And, the cake from Spiral Diner was so moist and rich...delicious!! Too bad Kenny, CoCo, LaLa, and Avi couldn't make it...(more on that later).

Sunday morning, Kenny, Kara, and I did the Cow Town half-marathon. Kenny ran, and I sort of dragged myself along...either way, people say it's quite an accomplishment! It was a very windy day, and the course had a lot of killer hills, so it was a tough race!

I finished at 3 hours 17 minutes 6 seconds and have no clue what my rank was - in the thousands, so I didn't think it was worth remembering. My goal was 3 hours, so I almost made it.

Kenny finished in 1 hour 36 minutes 51 seconds (yes, that's about half the time it took me!) and placed 144th overall, 23rd in his age bracket. Not too shabby!! His goal was 1 hour 35 minutes, so that was pretty darn close!

Kara finished in about 2.5 hours (she wasn't concerned with exact numbers). =)

We're ready for the big race - notice Mira's racing bib!

Kenny at the finish.

Mira and Daddy with their bibs on post-race.

With our Cow Town medals combined...

My new favorite picture of me and Kenny!

Kenny (my brother) was also training for the half, but found himself in the ER the Friday before race day, and so he didn't get to run. He was so disappointed and we missed him, CoCo, LaLa, and Avi (who was going to run her first 5K at the Cow Town). Such a bummer, but the most important thing is that he is feeling much better now. It was pretty scary there for a little while considering his symptoms (meningitis scare). I do wish he was in the group shot above though!

After the race, we ate at Spiral Diner again (Double Yum!) before jetting back to the hotel for a super-quick shower and heading home. The 3 hour drive home was grueling - we were SO uncomfortable sitting all that time! We're still walking a little stiff today, but it's a lot better and we'll be bouncing along again before we know it!