Amie visits!!!

For the first time ever Amie came to visit me in Williamsburg. We've lived here almost 4 years, so she was LONG overdue to come and visit me.

She arrived Friday evening and after picking her up from the airport we went straight to dinner. I brought her to GreenLeafe which is a local bar and grille type restaurant.

We both wanted to get our cameras out. She beat me to it while I was still looking for mine.

Mozzarella Sticks for an appetizer were delicious. Amie liked to just eat the sauce, nasty.

We decided to share this pasta dinner. It was delicious. Shrimp, sausage, chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. Amie made sure that no shrimp were touching her plate. Apparently the texture reminds her of cartilage. She doesn't know what she's missing.

After dinner we stopped at the grocery store to get dessert.

We decided on a brownie mix that has a cookie topping. It was so good. We had Ben & Jerry's ice cream on the side, (Brownie Cheesecake & Cinnamon Bun).

Saturday morning we woke up fairly early had our Lucky Charms, (Crosby Tradition) and got ready to go to the beach. Since Amie lives in Phoenix one of her requests was a beach day. We went to Yorktown since it's still a nice beach and not as far or as busy as Virginia Beach.

We packed a cooler with water and snacks (apples, pears, oranges and goldfish) and walked down to the water. The parking garage I usually park in wouldn't allow beach visitors to park in it so we had to park a little further, which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but this cooler kept tipping back and forth and was super annoying to pull.

We got our spot on the beach and we were so glad we were near the water since it was really hot out.

We loved watching the people, catching up and watching the boats on the water.

I love my sister!

We lasted less than three hours, since it was so hot, and we were starting to get hungry so we decided to call it a day and head back home. Amie had cooler duty on the way back to the car.

On the way home Amie wanted to stop at Barnes & Noble so we went and she wanted us to pick out a book for Baby Murphy! It was so sweet of her. She didn't know what books we already had, and neither did I (so many saved from when we were kids) but we were able to find something good. We decided on There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, and than a plane board book since Aunt Amie and Uncle Jay both love airplanes. This was an unexpected yet fun surprise, thanks Amers!

We than stopped and picked up sandwiches for us and Sean to bring back to the house. It felt so good being inside with the A/C.

Amie than surprised us once again with a homemade quilt for Baby Murphy.

I couldn't believe the detail, this quilt was amazing. I love it so much, and I know Baby Murphy will too.

Sean and I show off our new quilt. I love the frogs!

Now showing off the back of the quilt.

After present time we had nap time! I'm glad Amie likes naps as much as Sean and I. After nap time we got dressed and ready to go out to dinner.

Amie's only request for dinner was not a chain and she really wanted to branch out and try some seafood. We decided on going to The Kingsmill Marina.

We definitely enjoyed the nice weather, while it lasted.

Dinner came and I was excited about my shrimp and corn!

and than the storm came

They boxed up our food and shut down.

Boo!

Amie was however very excited for a mini thunderstorm. A thunderstorm was yet another request of hers. It blew flew pretty quick, but we had already packed up our food and the restaurant had already closed down so we went home.

We decided it would be fun to play some wii so we stopped at our friend's house on the way home to borrow a wii controller.

We started out playing Smarty Pants. I was doing the Double Points Dance.

The last game Amie finally won, and was so proud of herself. I've never won, I'm awful at trivia.
We played a little Super Mario Bros and Mario Kart and than called it a night.

Sunday morning we woke up and had our Lucky Charms again and than decided to head down to Colonial Williamsburg.

The best part of CW is The Peanut Shop, unfortunately with Amie's allergies it would have been a REALLY bad idea to venture inside, unless we wanted to spend another weekend at the ER.

Amie expresses her love for The Peanut Shop

My favorite part of CW, besides the Peanut Shop is walking around looking at the animals.

This pretty horse was out in the awful heat.

He really wanted a sip of Amie's ice coffee.

We took a break from walking around and sweated in the heat.

Posing in front of the Governor's Palace with my Amie Leigh

Come on, I dare you to throw tomatoes at us

We continued walking around and enjoyed every bit of shade that we could find.


After walking around we decided to share some ice cream, Grape & Apple Sherbet with popping candy. It's delicious.

Just part of my nasty sweat from the day.

After getting back to the house we took more photos of the quilt.

And than it was nap time. Amie and I crashed and took a nice long nap, and we woke up feel rejuvenated.

The next item on our list was teaching me to sew. I know I won't ever be able to make stuff as cool as Amie, but I did want to learn as much as I could.



I think I did pretty well and I'm excited to practice and make something I can show off. Hopefully there will be a blog entry in the near future with an awesome sewing project.

After sewing we decided to go out yet again. We don't normally go out for every meal, but it was just easier so we didn't have to cook.

We decided on going to our favorite restaurant, Bonefish. We made Amie try our favorite appetizer Bang Bang Shrimp. I wish I had taken a photo of her face. She was so scared to try it, and she psyched herself out so she didn't like it. Maybe she would have liked it if she had given it a try, or maybe it just tastes like "cartilage."

Right before leaving we had the waitress snap our photo since we hadn't taken a photo of the three of us.

We went home stuffed and finished off the ice cream and rented a movie on Demand, Leap Year. All three of us snuggled on the couch and eventually we had to go to bed which meant the weekend was over.

Amie's flight left at 7 this morning, so her and Sean left the house around 5 am. I woke up to say goodbye, and I was thankful that Sean was able to drop her off. I went back to bed for another hour and a half and when I woke up my sister was gone.

Although the weekend was short, Amie and I had so much fun. It was great seeing her and spending quality time together since we don't get to see each other very often at all.

I love her and I can't wait to see her again. I hope you had fun Amie Leigh!

First Colony 5K - 21 Weeks

Tomorrow I will be 21 weeks pregnant and today I ran my 8th race and 4th 5K since I became pregnant. I'm proud that I have been able to keep up with my running and looking back at what I've done so far makes me feel good.

My pregnancy racing log includes:
5 weeks - Virginia is for Lovers 14K
10 weeks - Shamrock Half Marathon
11 weeks - Smithfield Sprint Triathlon
14 weeks - Run the Dog 5K
15 weeks - Ask 5K
18 weeks - Military Red White and Blue 5K
19 weeks - PowerSprint Triathlon
21 weeks - First Colony 5K

These last few days I've been suffering from Round Ligament Pain and was thinking that I was going to be walking this race. I didn't want to be done running, but if that's what I had to do than I was willing to stop and take it easy.

It was a hot morning in the 80's and the sun was out in full force. I started running telling myself to give it a try and if my body said no I would stop and walk. I was able to run the entire race and even though it was really hot, with no water stops, I felt great during the entire run.

I ran really slow this time and my overall time was about 4 minutes slower than my last 5K. It was also over a minute slower than the 5K I ran at the end of my last triathlon. Even though I focus on my times and stats, I was just happy to finish and be able to run the entire race.

For my race outfit I sported my racing shirt that Sonny made me for the triathlon, so everyone knew I was pregnant. I had a couple people come up to me and tell me how great they thought it was that I was still running, so of course that made me happy.

Power Sprint Triathlon 19 Weeks

I am a week behind on posting my race recap, but wanted to still post about it.

They were predicting rain for the race, but we ended up with good weather, a little humid but no rain, so I was happy.

We had to get up at 4 am to get to the race on time. I never seem to have a problem waking up early for a race. I was especially excited to wear my new racing shirt that my friend Sonny had made for me.

We got to the race site and set up our transition area. I posed with my new shirt.


The transition area closed around 6:50 since the first swimmers went off at 7. I wasn't getting in the pool until a little after 8 so I got to hang out in my swimming outfit, which was just a sports bra and tri shorts. Because of this I decided I needed to write something on my belly. I was feeling a little self conscientious thinking people would just think I looked fat and not pregnant.

Audrey helped me out and everyone definitely knew that I was expecting.

Swim
Distance: 300 meters
Time: 6:30 minutes
Pace: 2:10/100 meters

My swim went pretty well. I was excited to start and knew that I couldn't/shouldn't push it too hard, especially after how I felt after Smithfield. I wanted to make sure I stayed hydrated and fueled up.

I'm not a fast swimmer so although I would have loved to be under 6 minutes, I haven't ever swam that "fast" even without being pregnant. I felt good the entire swim and never felt like I needed to stop. I think all of my 1,000 meter practice swims have helped me out. I did get passed by one girl but I wasn't too concerned, at least I felt good.

T1 - Running from the swim portion to get my bike

T1
Time: 3:24

My first transition was super slow. I made sure to take it easy, fuel up and not push it too fast. Even though I'm super competitive I didn't push it and made sure I was feeling good as I got my bike.

Bike
Distance: 20k (12.4 miles)
Time: 43:57 minutes
Avg Speed: 16.2/mph
Avg HR: 151/bpm
Max HR: 164/bpm

My Garmin only clocked 11.81 miles at 43:49, so I think the course was short. The time above was my official time, and the speed and HR are from my Garmin. The ride itself felt good, it wasn't fast but I did pass quite a few people including that girl that passed me on the swim, so that made me happy. I got passed by a ton of other people, but I'm just glad that I was able to pass people as well. I had Sean take my clipping pedals off of my bike once I started getting a little bigger so I wouldn't fall and hurt myself while pregnant. Because of this I didn't have the advantage of pulling while I was cycling, but I still held my own.

Riding towards the finish

T2
Time: 1:05 minutes

When I got off my bike I was a little tired and therefore walked my bike back to the rack instead of jogging, which I normally would do. I grabbed some water, some GU Chomps, Blueberry Pomegranate flavor, and was ready to go. I remember to grab my Garmin off of my bike, and my race belt but forgot my watch which I clip my Garmin to, so I had to hold the Garmin watch face in my hand during the run. Since I decided to wear my racing flats on the bike I didn't have to change shoes which helped my time even though I walked and didn't push it too much.

Run
Distance: 5k (3.1 miles)
Time: 31:11 minutes
Pace: 10:04/mph
Avg HR: 158/bpm

Max HR: 176/bpm

The run itself felt great. It started to get hot so I made sure to drink water at the water stop. I did get a little competitive and pushed it towards the end but I was able to talk, I cheered on others that were going the other way (out and back course) and felt confident that I wasn't over exerting myself.

Just starting the run

"Sprinting" to the finish (I didn't want this guy to beat me)

Final Time: 1:26:04
Overall Place: 327/493
Age Group Place: 22/36

Considering I was 19 weeks pregnant when I was racing I am happy with my results and I was glad that I wasn't tired and I felt very strong at the end. Overall a successful race.

Sonny, me, Sean and Audrey (plus the sign Audrey's sister made for us)

Sean and I posing with our sign

It was a great day and I think the fact that we had great friends not only racing with us, but cheering us on made the day even more fun. Thanks to Suzy and Ali for all of the race photos!

My next Tri isn't until June 27th, which actually isn't too far away. It'll be here before I know it. I have two other running only races in between which I am excited to run, especially now that I have an "official" pregnancy racing shirt. Let's hope I can continue doing what I love.

Tree on House

We got a text from our neighbors last night asking us if we knew we had a tree on our house. I thought they were kidding. We walked home, we were at a different neighbor's house, to find this.





Sean got in touch with our insurance company and a tree removal company come out today, to take the tree down. The only damage was one bent shingle and it wasn't really bent bad, barely noticeable.





And this is how we spent our lazy Sunday afternoon.

Soccer and Baseball

Sean and I both took a half day from work on Friday so we could make a trip up to NoVA and Maryland.

We went to NoVA first to visit with Sean's sister Amy and her family. Usually we don't leave until after work and than by the time we make it up the kids are in bed. It was nice to arrive around 5:30. The weather was gorgeous, mid-high 80's, so we hung outside for awhile and just enjoyed the weather.

We went out to get pizza for dinner and than back to the house to relax and play with the kiddos.

Saturday morning we played with the kiddos before Anna's soccer game.

Jack is such a happy baby!

Lucy LOVES her Uncle Sean

We went to Anna's soccer game around 10. It was too cute watching a bunch of 4 year old kids run around and try and kick the ball. Unfortunately there were a lot of tears out of frustration. The ball wasn't coming to them, or they never got to kick the ball.

I did capture a few photos before Anna sat down and refused to play anymore.

Before the game they did a few drills

Game time! Anna runs to get the ball.

I love the action shot!

They are just too cute!

After the game we went to Dunkin' Donuts for a treat. I haven't had a donut in forever. My Boston Creme never tasted so good....delicious!

We said our goodbye's after the donuts and headed to Maryland to visit with our old crew and to see the Orioles vs. Red Sox at Camden Yards.

We bought tickets about an hour before the game, and got great seats for a very affordable price. We were front row centerfield. A great spot to be at so we could see all the action. Especially since it was a high scoring game with LOTS of home runs. Final score, 12-9 Orioles!

View from our seat

Game time!

When Sean and I used to live in Maryland we would go to 10 or so games a year. We only went to one game last year, and who knows if we'll get to go again. We love the atmosphere of the ball park and definitely love our O's, even though they normally aren't very good.

We also love the Oriole bird, but unfortunately it was too hot and he only made a few appearances.

Overall a great weekend!

Birthdays are fun!

Last Tuesday was my 29th birthday and I had one of the best birthdays ever!

I woke up Tuesday morning to my husband delivering chocolate cupcakes, and a glass of milk to me in bed, so delicious!

After getting ready for work I came downstairs and grabbed my phone and saw that I had a message from my friend and neighbor Sonny. Him and his wife had left a little birthday surprise on the front steps for me. Such a fun surprise! I decided to wait to open it after work with the rest of my birthday pile.

Work wasn't very exciting, they had birthday cake for me last Thursday so most didn't realize it was my birthday until I shared my birthday cupcakes that Sean had left for me to take into work. I felt like I was in grade school again sharing cupcakes on my birthday!

I had a free ice cream coupon at MaggieMoo's for my birthday, and I couldn't let that go to waste. I only got a free baby cone, but that was good enough. I choose the cheesecake flavor since I had strawberries back at the office that I mixed together once I brought my ice cream back.

I got home from work a little after 6. Just enough time to open presents with Sean! I had quite the collection from everyone sending gifts during the week. I even had a few delivered the next few days, which was nice because it extended my birthday.

I love birthdays!

The aftermath

I got a ton of great stuff. Jewelry, maternity clothes/gift card, stylish lunch bag, belt, prenatal video, yummy smelling lotion and soap, movie gift cards, money, chocolate, date milkshake mix from Dateland Arizona, prenatal magazines, VERmints variety pack and a homemade purse from my sister Amie. I need to take a picture to post, but she has her own etsy shop basil boutique, check it out!

After opening presents it was time to meet my girls at dinner. I was so excited that so many people could come out and celebrate. I wish I had taken a photo, but I didn't so you'll just have to pretend there is a photo. It was JoJo, Emily, Janelle, Jami, and Amanda who met Sean and I out. I'm getting bad at remembering to grab the camera. We went to a small Italian restaurant Giuseppe's. They had just opened up a new restaurant a few months ago and I was anxious to check it out.

The owner of the restaurant was very friendly and when I walked in he yelled "Surprise!" Than he asked, "Is this a surprise?" I told him I was the one that made the reservation, and no it wasn't a surprise. Throughout the evening every time he walked by our table he would yell surprise. It was cute.

Dinner was delicious. Again, no photos, but let's just say I had enough left over pasta for at least two more meals. After dinner out came the cake! Sean had stopped by the restaurant on his way home from work and dropped off a chocolate cake! Yay!

Everyone sang Happy Birthday and we all enjoyed some yummy cake! It was a good day!