RVing Fun

It was time to take the Camper out on the first trip. We decided not to venture to far from home so we parked it at Lunga Park on Marine Corps Base Quantico (about 10 miles from our house). We had a wonderful time. Tracee and I are completely hooked on the RV lifestyle. On Friday night the only brave soul of the Piller Men's Camping trip camped near our spot on Lake Lunga. Jackson was pleased to have a ready-made friend to play. On Saturday Tracee, Jackson, and Jillian headed to Stauton to pick strawberry with Carole and was joined by Grandma. Bethanee and I went to Bethanee's soccer game. Bethanee scored 8 goals during the game. It is fun to watch her score. After soccer and strawberries we all met back at the camper for dinner with friend. (Some friends even brought their tent to spend the night) We headed to church on Sunday then spent the rest of the afternoon with mre friends at the camp ground. We absolutely can't wait to do it again. Do you want to join us?

The Real Memorial Day

On Sunday Pastor Jessup asked all those in the congregation that lost a love one that was serving in the defense of our country to please stand. As several people stood he then asked me to say a prayer for the families of those that made the ultimate sacrifice. It was not a planned part of the service and I really didn't know what to say. I asked the Lord to give comfort to the families and friends of those fallen soldiers. Little did I know that I was praying for a family that we have grown to love over the last several years. I was told on Tuesday morning that one of my closest friends died in combat. Not only was he a friend but he was a father, husband, son, son-in-law, and many other titles. I'm mad at a world that demands death in the place of life. The words of my prayer seem hollow face with the reality of war. However, I have said the same prayer many times over the last several days.

Family Memorial Day

Our Memorial Day started with a family bike ride in Prince William Forest Park located just about 10 miles north on I-95. I run the roads in PWFP almost every Saturday. The park has a one way loop that has vehicle traffic on one side and bikers / runners on the other side. It was a great place to teach some bike etiquette. The kids are very good riders. Bethanee needs a new bike, she is just out grown the 18" bike. I'm considering getting a bike with hand brakes and maybe 3 rear gears. I would like to get one that was not pink so that Jackson could have a turn on the bike when he gets Bethanee's size. However, I can't find just a plain bike, either the bikes are very boy or very girl. What happened to just red bikes or just blue bikes. After a 7 mile bike ride we picked up lunch and headed to Aquia Landing Park for lunch and a quick swim. After a great lunch we ran into Bethanee's good friend Hannah. We swam for about 30 minutes before the came in strong. The rest of the day was spent inside. It was a great day.

Jillian's New Bed

I'm so glad that I let people borrow things frequently, it really pays off when your house burns down. One of the things that survived the fire because it was being borrowed was the toddler bed that was given to us by Bill and Cindy. Bethanee and Jackson both transitioned into the toddler bed around 22 months and Jillian was on the same track. last week the toddler bed came back to us and as soon as I put it in Jillian's room she took to it for naps only. Then after a week she was exclusively in the toddler bed. The crib is disassembled in the basement and we officially have a big girl.

4th Year Camping

Four years ago Clinty Clint Clifton organized a "bachelors" party for Nathean the weekend before his wedding, the tradition stuck and now every Friday Night of the Memorial Day Weekend we camp on the banks of the Rappohannock River at Phelps Wildlife Management Area. This year we were missing Colby and Mark but gained Kevin. It might have been the best weather of any camping trip so far, perfect 65 degrees with crystal clear skies. I cooked some steaks on the open pit and smoked some fine cigars through the night. The Friday Night of the Memorial Day Weekend will always be a special night. Thanks Guys

B-I-N-G-O

Once a month, Jennifer and I go out on a "date night." We take turns planning the evening. Now for those of you that know Jason, you know that he is a great event planner so I don't get to do much of the planning at our house . But last night was my evening to plan. I spent hours pouring over the "things to do in Fredericksburg" website. A lot of Fred'burg closes at 5:00 and at the end of a tasking week, we don't like to do activities that involve too much energy on our part. So we began with dinner at Bangkok Cafe. We hadn't had Thai food before and this is a GREAT little restaurant on Caroline St. We checked out the food on a table nearby and received recommendation on the Crispy duck and Drunken noodles. (This couple came all the time and had tried about everything on the menu.) We opted for medium seasoning instead of Thai spciy. Even at medium, Jennifer downed about six glasses of tea. We then headed to the Falmouth Fire Station for Bingo. We last did this over two years ago with the husbands when she and I were pregnant with our youngest. We arrived late, and purchased our game cards of nine games and the stampers (that's the fun part). We founds some seats and begin stamping away. The games were going really quick and we noticed all the winners had these computer bingo games. So at intermission I inquired about the electronic bingo setup. It costs a lot more, but it also has at least 18 games on it so it increases your chances of winning. And since the fun part is stamping away, we noticed that the "popular" thing to do was to buy the electronic with a bingo card to stamp. Since we were more interested in the mindless brain activity, we just enjoyed our cards. The next to last game was a special card called Jackpot. It was not played electronically and it was a coverall board. For $2, I went and purchased Jennifer and I a card a piece so we could play. As I sat down I suddenly figured it out. Here we are with our 1 card a piece, the others around had 5-8 cards laid out, taped to the tables. To win you have to fork out the big bucks. Trying to make us feel better, the lady next to us laughs and reassures us with a "it only takes one game to win!" The calls begin and cards begin to fill up. Then Jennifer whispers to me "Tracee, I only need 5 more." Whenever you get close, you know someone is about to call out BINGO. Then Jennifer is down to four left, three left, about five more numbers are called and no BINGO's. Then she's down to three,- our hearts are pumping in our ears, two - still no one has called out, one.....in the monitor we see the next number to be called and oh my goodness. It is B6 - she has BINGO. The board is checked and she is the winner - $500. The mouths around us drop open. How in the world did two gals, who came late, spent a total of $36 and chit chatted the entire time end up winning? I say we because Jenn split the money with me. Hmmmm$$$ After giving a nice bonus to the babysitter, the family will be going today to buy food to stock up the church food pantry.

A Honor Roll

(Bethanee) - I made the A Honor Roll by getting all A's in all my subjects. I worked hard on my school work and had fun getting it. I like school. My friends got awards too. I'm out on summer vacation now.

Ballad of Bullheaded Billy

Bethanee's school put on a version of the prodigal son called The Ballad of Bull Headed Billy on Friday night. Bethanee was a dancing penguin. Now I questioned how a penguin was going to make it into a western but Billy takes his fortune to Sin City (Las Vegas) and goes to see the world famous dancing penguin show at the casino. She did a great job and the play was very well done. Afterwards it was off for ice cream for a job well done.

Half Marathon Runner Report

5/17/2008 Fredericksburg, VA. Saturday night Tracee and I put the kids to bed and started watching a movie when we heard the sound of rain drops hitting the skylights in the living room. I quickly logged on to the Weather Channel to discover that it was going to rain steady, heavy at times, through Sunday Morning - not a great way to start a Half Marathon. I woke up around 5:30 to discover that it was still raining and about 62 degrees. I changed my decision on the "Run Jason Run" shirt (which is a very thin white performance t-shirt) and went with a plain black one. Since the rain brought cooler temps and I knew that I would be wet I went with a thicker performance t-shirt and a mesh hat that I just purchased for triathloning. I grabbed a banana and headed to Fredericksburg with plenty of time to spare - I thought. It turns out that getting 5007 runners to the start line on time is a chore. The interstate was back up and it took me longer than expected to get parked and to the line. In fact I was walking past the start line heading for my time flag when the announcer said 30 seconds to the start. So I made a quick decision - I hopped the plastic fence and got in line with the 1:45 - 1:59 group. I would have started in the 2:15 - 2:30 group but it was go time. My personal goal of the Half Marathon was to finish under 2 hours - that would be besting my PR by about 23 minutes. As the starter was counting down the start I tied my shoes thinking about my goal - could I do it? No more thinking that was the starting gun - we were off. It was lightly drizzling at the start and my new mesh hat helped keep the rain out of my eyes so I could run with my head up. Running with a faster group really has it benefits - I smoked through my first 2 miles in 15:30. I could hardly believe my watch, I was just running with the crowd and ran the first 2 miles at a 7:45 pace, amazing but I knew that I had to slow the pace down if I was going to make it 13.1 miles. I dropped back and let some of the rabbits pass me and at the 5k mark I was at 26.55. By mile 4 I had found a good pace that could keep me going through the rest of the race. I passed by one of the Clerks from the Stafford Circuit Court that lives along the route. I made a sign for her to hold up and when I rounded the corner and saw the yellow sign with screaming fans it was a huge motivator. I started to rethink my shirt selection - I was starting to get hot even with the light rain. The first half of the course is all down hill which is nice but during every downhill section I knew that I was be paying for it later. I passed the 10k marker at 53:45 - that is 2 minutes faster than my PR for a 10k - I knew that I was on a great pace and did the mental calculations to discover that I was on pace to meet my goal. My spirits were again lifted. The course continued into Downtown Fredericksburg on William Street. During a turn onto Princess Anne Street I stepped onto a curb and lost my footing on my bad foot - whoa that was close - just keep running nothing to be concerned about. At the Fredericksburg Visitor Center volunteers were passing out energy jelly beans and I also popped a sample energy pack that was in my race pack. The rain continued to fall lightly until mile 8 then the bottom fell out of it - it started to rain and rain hard. Again I was thankful I had my hat on to shield my eyes from the rain. While my eyes stayed dry nothing could be done for my feet, by mile 9 my shoes were completed soaked, please Lord protect the feat from blisters. I was running by the Rappahannock River and then onto US 1 with Mary Washington Hospital in sight - oh my there is mile 10. A quick look at my watch revealed 1:26 for the 10 Miles - that is 9 minutes faster than my PR for the 10 miler. With 3 and change to go I was going to get it done under 2 hours. Oh no - Hospital Hill, this is the hill that killed me last year. Okay Hospital Hill, come on I'm ready. I started the uphill climb and it was hard but I just kept pumping and I was at the top just as the rain started to let off again. 2 more miles with one more uphill over the interstate. I can see the mile 12 sign and with a time of 1:48 I was going to make it. Just one more turn, I can see the finish - kick it out and I finished at 1:57:41 at an 8:59 pace. (I started with the right group after all) I felt great. I went to the Powerade line and got some goodies then started heading for the car. The temp had dropped to 58 and I started to get really cold so I could not stick around. On the way to the car I saw Tim with about 1/2 mile to go. It was the best race I have ever done and meeting my goal really felt wonderful. Next Race - MudRun Quantico and get ready for my first Triathlon.

A Busy Week

It has been a busy week at the house and the office. We having been playing in our trailer - I mean when we go over to lot to feed the dogs we always open up the trailer and get inside. Tracee has bought a few thing to make it more livable, a few plastic plates, cooking stuff, sheets for the beds, and I purchased a few folding chairs. The entire family is excited about our first camping trip. Bethanee has been practicing for her school play. The big performance is tonight and Bethanee is one of the singing penguins. The only strange thing is that the play is a western so I'm not sure how a singing penguins is going to fit into the story line - but I'm sure I understand more tonight. Sunday is the big race - 13.1 mile in Fredericksburg. I'm ready to run but it looks like rain might be in our forecast. I'll post a running report Sunday night.

Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day and I have nothing to do on the computer except blog. For the past couple months I have occupied myself on the computer by scoping out a good deal on a travel trailer on craigslist. A few weeks ago, we found a trailer that had four bunk beds. Since that was one of the features I wanted, it captured my interest. It was 26 ft., which met Jason's requirement of less than 30 ft. long. With some other nice features, we decided this was one to check out. Last Sunday, we drove down to the Richmond area and toured the trailer. Very nice and well kept. The queen bed drops down, the couch easily folds down and with the four bunks we could easily sleep eight without having to break down the table. With a full kitchen, lots of storage, and well within our budget, this trailer was a perfect fit. We thanked the couple for their time and drove back to Stafford dreaming about our RV camping becoming a reality. By the end of the week, our offer was accepted and today, Mothers Day, Jason drove back to Richmond (with traffic, a 5 hour trip) and returned with our trailer. We parked it on our empty lot - our neighbors started joking that we were changing the face of the neighborhood. We agreed and told them that we decided not to rebuild but just live in the trailer. HA HA We are so excited. Jackson said it best when he exclaimed "This is the best Mother's Day present I've ever gotten!"

Settlers of Catan Tourney

12 of the finest Catan players in the Greater Fredericksburg Area gathered at our house for a battle of the Titans. After a great meal of steaks with all of your favorite sides it was go time. Three tables with four players each where randomly selected to take their seats and start the game. At the end of each game the players would calulate their scores and the winner was the highest score at the end of three rounds. Ryan came out of the box strong with two quick wins and looked to take the tournament but alas - it was not to be. The play came down to the last table with Elliot as the big winner with 27 points plus one development card. Here was the point breakdown:
Elliot 9 10 8 27
Kevin D 9 8 10 27
Bryan 9 8 9 26
Jason 10 6 10 26
Ryan 10 10 5 25
Jadie 5 10 9 24
Beth 10 6 6 22
Tracee 9 7 5 21
Josh 9 8 3 20
Kevin B 2 8 10 20
David 6 7 6 19
Aimee 5 3 5 13

The next Catan Tourney will be held sometime late summer early fall and I would like to see 4 tables or 3 tables with 6 players (expansion pack). Thanks to all that participated - it was a great time.

Soccer Balls in Afghanistan

I received an email from my good friend stationed in Afghanistan today. He just opened a large package of soccer balls from our family. I'm a bit surprised that they made it all the way to Hindu Kush in a little under 3 weeks. He told me that he would take some pictures of the kids with the soccer balls that Jackson and Bethanee wrote greetings on. We live in a very small world.

A Big Weekend

Wow it is Monday already. We had a pretty big weekend at the house. Tracee's main event was hosting a baby shower at the house. She did a great job and was so prepared before that 2 hours before people where expected to arrive she was out having breakfast with the kids and I. Since the house was closed to kids and dads we enjoyed the morning by heading to Bethanee's soccer game. She scored a goal by stealing the ball at midfield and taking it all the way to the goal. I was pretty excited. Then it was a trip to Lake Wilderness to pick up another Craigslist item - this time a bunk bed set for Jackson. The set is really nice and Jackson is excited to sleep on the top bunk. Sunday we took a trip down to Richmond to look at a travel trailer. More information to come on that event. This weekend we are hosting our first ever Settlers of Catan Tournament. It looks like we are going to have a good turn out and the trash talking has already begun.