Racing...walking...some whining...& getting up before the crack of dawn for the cure!

Up EARLY this morning to get parking for Race for the Cure.  We were there in plenty of time, but when an event is scheduled to have 40,000 participants and they all need parking, I like to bust a move.  The early time led to some of the whining, but fortunately there was Starbucks to go around and I stopped.  Kidding!

At 7:30 the survivor's parade kicked off and it was a reminder of how many people, women and men, have had to battle breast cancer. Everyone was in high spirits...like this woman..love it!

40,000 is a lot of people! Solid people all the way down the street behind us and in front as well.

On we go! The little kids rode in the strollers for the most part and the rest of the kiddos did great with the 3.1 miles. After we crossed the finish line there were snacks to go around.

It was a great day and I'm glad we were able to go. It's a worthy cause to support and was a lot of fun to be part of something that big. I also learned that my new Nike shoes are really good for walking, and now I have no excuse for not walking every day. Which I will definitly need after all of the junk I ate today! But, Mmmmmm, Mug and Bun is yummy!

Racing...er, I mean...Walking for the Cure

Tomorrow bright and early our family along with the Painter Family will be downtown in the midst of about 40,000 other people for the 2010 Indianapolis Race for the Cure.  (I threw out the 40,000 number to freak out my mom.  Yes Mom,  I'll keep hold of the kids!!)  We're doing the 5K, and by doing I mean walking at a pace that will accomodate a 12 year old, an 11 year old, a 7 year old and two 4 year olds.  Don't look for us to hit the tape near the front of the pack!  I've wanted to do the Race for the Cure for a while now.  While we haven't been directly affected by breast cancer, we are all too aware of the devasting impact it can have.  So we walk in memory of Paul's mom, Donna, who passed away a few years ago and we walk to honor Cathy Tolbert, a good friend of my mom's who has been fighting the disease.   So hey, if you are also going to be downtown tomorrow morning....look for me, I'll be the one wearing the white Race for the Cure t-shirt....number 27,804.  You can't miss me!

Pacer Fun

I've taken Rachel to a lot of special places lately, so tonight it was Aaron's turn.  You'll notice he's not wearing his glasses...he got contacts last week and is thrilled to have them!  We ended up with Pacer tickets courtesy of Lusk Entertainment...aka Uncle Daniel.  It was the last home game so it was Fan Appreciation night which included among other things $1 Pepsi's and popcorn...BONUS!!  So after stopping at Wendy's for dinner we headed downtown.

We were handed our programs and complimentary posters by sequin clad Pacemates. No, I didn't take a photo! Right off we passed a table where Jeff Foster was signing autographs. There was hardly a line, so Aaron jumped in and got his poster signed. Then we made our way to Boomer's table and grabbed an autograph there. Time for the game.

We were in row 30 of section 20. Not bad seats at all. The game was never really close, but it was a lot of fun anyway.

We started out with this view, but with 6 minutes left in the game and people starting to leave, Aaron and I made our way down to row 15 where our view improved to this:

They had announced that there would be special entertainment after the game, so stick around. After the game was over some people started to go further on down to the court. I told Aaron, "Lets see how close we can get. We'll go until someone tells us to stop." We walked onto the edge of the court and some of the players came out and started handing out signed balls, shoes, and jerseys. We didn't snag any of those, but Aaron got another autograph for his poster.

And we can now say we got to stand on the court. It was a great night and I had a lot of fun with a great kid!

Mommy & Rachel Adventure Day - Take 3

Rachel and I have been going on various outings lately.  Today - the Indiana State Museum.

We went through an exhibit from the Library of Congress of Lincoln letters and memorabilia. Got to see Abraham Lincoln's handwritten drafts of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. I found it very interesting. Rachel tolerated it.

Here we are at the giant pendulum. It swings back an forth and knocks over the blocks in the circle. Neat thing is, the pendulum doesn't actually move in a circle, but the blocks, entire building, and the earth as a whole are rotating in a circle around the pendulum. Makes my brain hurt. :)

After we made our way through the museum we walked down the canal a bit. It was a gorgeous day and a lot of people were out enjoying the sun.

Happy Easter

Egg Time

Where the wind comes whistling down the plain

Just got back from Illinois.  Brought the kids home after their week long tour of their grandparents' homes.  Have I mentioned that it's flat where my mom and dad live and WINDY!  And just because I told someone I would take them, here are a few flat, barren field pics for you.

And some non-HDR shots to round things out.