The Crazy Beaver

Don't get too excited! This is not as impressive as it seems!

This weekend I ran my first off-road 5K. When I signed up for it I thought it sounded fun, but mostly I signed up because it was at Joe Pool Lake, and I wouldn't have to drive far to get there. I was really excited at first...it was going to be a new experience, it would be something different. But as the days got closer, I got more nervous! I started to worry about hills, mud, a slower time....and then my dear friend Curt mentioned the possibility of SNAKES! What ?!?! Why didn't I think of all this before I paid my entry? In addition to all of this, the confirmation email said that I had to be there by 6:30am, I think I would have been better off driving somewhere!

So on Saturday morning I rolled out of bed and headed for the lake. It was still pitch black dark when I got there, and it was cold! Because the wind was blowing so hard and it was coming right across the lake, it was 10 times colder than it had been at home. We had a pre-race meeting where even more fears were introduced in the way of possible coyotes and a bobcat! Again I questioned what I was doing here!

By the time the race started it had warmed up a TAD, and I was feeling a little better. This was a small race, only 30 people, so the start was an old fashioned, "runner on your mark, go!" We started off running slightly up hill, across the edge of the parking lot and down into the woods. Nothing was flat because we were running on bike trails. Keep in mind that I train on a treadmill, no hills, not even a bump! I figured out real fast I was out of my league! I will admit I started out pretty close to the front, but about 1/4 mile into it, I was ready to cry! I have run several races now, and never have I felt the need to walk. My desire to walk and or just flat out quit, was what got me so upset. I didn't cry, for the record, but I will say the Lord and I were very close running buddies! I started praying and quoting every scripture I could think of about perseverance! I prayed for God to keep putting my foot down in front of the other one, I prayed that He wouldn't let me stop running, and I prayed that I could just finish and not be last!

I ran up and down rough terrain, through mud puddles too big to go around, through grass that you couldn't tell where the ground was, and dodged many branches. I was never happier to see the finish line! I was terrified to hear what my time was, but I hung around to find out anyways, (because it would make me crazy not to know). To my surprise, my time was the same as my last run in Cowtown, 31 minutes! That was such a relief since I was told to expect 10-20 minutes slower! An even bigger surprise was them calling my name as the 1st place winner for my age group! Wow! I was shocked! Really they should have called out "God" in my place because I quit running about 3 minutes in! I truly believe that God answered my prayers when I BEGGED Him over and over to carry me to the finish! Even though I came home with this lovely plaque, it doesn't belong to me!
I can honestly say that I hated every minute of this race and it will be a long time before I do another off-road again! However, if I had to do all over again, I would make myself do it. I learned so much about myself and what I can do WITH God on that trail in the woods. This wasn't about marking off my 5K for the month, it was about so much more, and for that I am SOOOO grateful!

P.S. I called Corey on the way home and told him I won my division and by the time I got home here is what I saw:

A New Experience

After the girls got home from my parents house, I was ready to have some Spring Break fun! Corey's grandparents gave me some money to take the girls to Chuck E Cheese, however, I am NOT a fan of the mouse with pizza! I was searching for any alternative...I remembered hearing about a place called Going Bonkers. So Wednesday we loaded up and headed to Lewisville in search of some fun.
Going Bonkers is similar to Chuck E Cheese in that it has an arcade and food(and not just pizza!) However Going Bonkers is not about pizza and games, it is about climbing! The entire place is wall to wall climbing structures! Children, and adults, of all ages can climb, slide, crawl, and zip-line until your arms can't take any more. Yes, I did do my fair share of all of the above! Of course, since it was Spring Break it was a little crowded, but it is really big enough that you don't notice it too bad.
So here is my overview of this new place for all of you that might like to have your own adventure. The cost to get in is very reasonable, $5 for each of my kids(younger ones are less) and $1 for me. I would have to give the climbing structure a 10 for sure! There were lockers that you could lock your stuff up in while you climb and they were only a quarter to rent. It was very clean, even the restrooms. The food was expensive and just okay. There weren't enough tables, since all of the "uncool" parents who didn't climb with their children were sitting at them taking up space. So I had to ask a very nice woman if my 2 girls could squeeze in and borrow 2 chairs long enough to eat their lunch, which she was more than happy to let them do. In the arcade we lost many coins in machines that didn't work but had no out of order sign. We also played several games and walked away with no tickets because the machine was obviously out.
Even though the food and games weren't the best...I would definitely take the kids back! They loved every minute of it and we stayed for 3 hours. What cheap entertainment! I would recommend this place to anyone who has active kids, and let's be honest, they are all active! (Sarah, you MUST take Clayton here! You will be mom of the year!)
Next time we will eat at Chick-fil-a before we go, not play games, and probably take friends with us!
P.S. I took pictures but they are on Makinley's camera and I haven't uploaded them yet...coming soon!

12 and Counting!

This past weekend Corey and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary:) We are not known for doing a lot of celebrating, however, I did do some planning this year. I secretly book us a room at the Horseshoe in Shreveport a few weeks back. The challenge was to see how long I could keep it a secret! Well, turns out I only made it 5 days and I told him! I just wanted him to have something to look forward to since work has been so crazy!
So Friday my parents came and picked up the girls for an few days of Spring Break, and we headed for the Horseshoe. It was about 8:00 when we got there so we ate a quick dinner and then headed for the casino. The most beautiful part was that every time we went into the casino we got carded(and no they weren't carding everyone!). I was very flattered! We played some slots and walked all 3 floors of the casino before turning in for the night. The next morning, we slept in a little and then got up for the brunch buffet. Now I am not a buffet kind of person, (just weird about feeling like cattle grazing over the feed trough) but I will admit it was pretty good. Then it was off to the games again. We did manage to find a Blackjack table that we had a blast at. I haven't ever played table games, but I loved it! We played for a while with someones grandmother and a guy on his lunch break! Can you imagine running over to the casino for your lunch break, having a Jack and Coke and dropping a few hundred at a table?! Hope he wasn't operating any heavy machinery! We were rocking along pretty good, I had more than doubled my money... then the dealer changed. That should have been our cue to leave, but we stayed and I managed to walk away only $10 up. (Corey was another story! Let's just say the table liked me more!) We decided that luck was not ours to find in Shreveport, so that afternoon we began our journey home. We made many stops on the way. We stopped in Lindale to pick up some of my favorite wine. Miranda Lambert is from Lindale and has her own store that specializes in her wine. After that we made our way to the Nike outlet in Terrell where I got summertime running gear:) From there we came all the way back and headed to the Melting Pot for some Fondue. I'm sure that those who know Corey are laughing at the thought of him eating fondue, but he was really a good sport! I did all of the ordering because he said it was way too much work! He thought all of it was too much work, especially the part where he had to cook his own food:) He couldn't figure out why everyone got so excited about fondue until the dessert showed up! That part was right up his alley! Next time he said we are going to Saltgrass to eat then follow up with dessert at the Melting Pot!
Although our trip was all wrapped up Saturday night, we didn't have kids until Tuesday, so we enjoyed several more days of it just begin us. (Thanks mom and dad for playing with the girls for a few days!) It was so nice to be able to go all weekend and do our own thing. We didn't have to worry about being anywhere at a certain time, or going anywhere specifically, we just went. We had such a great time and were able to relax, which is something we both needed! Hopefully it won't be 12 more years before we do this again! Thanks Corey for such a wonderful weekend! I love you more than you will ever know!