races and rodeos.

Hello, June.  It's nice to see you... kind of. I have mixed feelings on this month.  June is typically my favourite month of the year. It's the beginning of summer. It's my birthday. It's my baby's birthday! While I look forward to a summer full of fun, I'm currently in denial about the fact that not only will my baby soon be a year old, but by the time this month is over I'll be a 30 year old. I know, I know, you are all going to tell me that 30 is young and wonderful and that my life is just beginning.  Whatever.  I'm sure you're right, but for now, just let me mourn the loss of my 20s.  I've really enjoyed them.  

Before we get too far into June, let's talk about the last weekend of May.  Is there anything better than a warm, sunny weekend filled with fun?  Let me answer that for you... no. No there is not.

With Ryan back from his work trip, Briley feeling much better, and far less rain in the forecast, I was determined to make up for the disapointment of the previous weekend.

Friday night was off to an exciting start. I spent the evening creating a chalkboard for Briley's birthday, erasing said chalkboard and starting over. By the third try, I was finally satisfied... or maybe I'd just stopped caring as much.  It never fails.... I sacrifice hours of my time on parties for my kids, get in way over my head and forget that I'm actually not very good at DIY projects. Will that stop me? No. Not unless I end up with a whole bunch of children with birthdays every single month....and even in that case I'm so birthday obsessed that I'd probably still go overboard.   

This project carried into Saturday morning, and was FINALLY complete as Briley awoke from her morning nap. It was time for all of us to get out of the house.  

We drove to St. Albert to meet my mom and her boyfriend at the Rainmaker Rodeo. I'd never been, but figured the kids would enjoy the loud noises, bright colours and overstimulation. The excitement started on the park and ride bus.   When you are 2 years old, riding a bus is a pretty big deal, and Aaralee was thrilled to watch out the big windows and describe eveything that we drove by.  

Once we arrived and forked over the cash for admission, we made a beeline for food.  What is a midway without tripling your reccomended daily calorie intake?  We chowed down on hot dogs, mini donuts, corn dogs, beef brisket, and fresh squeezed lemonade, because fruit is important.  We watched a few lame attempts at bull riding, took the girls to the petting zoo, and spent way too much money on games that are impossible to win.  Grandma spoiled Aaralee with a few kid games, and the carny at the ring toss was nice enough to let her throw a bucket full of rings.  She left with a decent haul of ugly stuffed toys.

 Once we were full and the kids were tired, it was back to the bus. We got dropped off at the mall parking lot, so we decided to let Aaralee run the halls with her toy stroller to get some more energy out. Unfortunately, the mall closed at 5:30 and our fun was cut short. 

My mom and Justin invited us to Red Lobster for dinner, because somehow they figured we hadn't already eaten enough. The food was delicious, but our kids were tired and miserable and quick to remind us of why we prefer to eat at home these days. Back home we went, and off to bed the girls went!  

The next morning I woke up and longed to go back to sleep, but forced myself out of bed. For some crazy reason I'd signed up for a 5K run that started at 9 am. I ate breakfast, got dressed, and put some clothes on the kids.  Ryan tagged along to hang out at the finish line and to document the race as my own personal photographer.  I made a vow to myself to at least come in second last, not last.  As I shuffled towards the start line, I was left in the dust but chugged along.  I thought that I could just pace myself, but my competitive side took over and I felt the need to pass people that were running the same speed as me. By the turnaround point I was exhausted, but Ryan and the girls were on the sidelines waving and I couldn't quit in front of them. I kept running, and running. 

I regret binge eating on the midway the day prior, and accepted that I'm just not a runner and that this would be the last race I'd sign up for.  And then it was over. I made it. I survived. I shoveled watermelon in my face like I'd never eaten before, and high fived my husband and toddler. Oh... and I managed to come in as first place female.  At first I didn't want to mention it at the risk of sounding too braggy, but after some careful consideration I've changed my mind.  When I first started dating Ryan (exactly 7 years ago tomorrow!) my fitness goal was to run 1 kilometre without stopping. Just one.  It seemed borderline impossible at the time. Here I am 7 years and 2 kids later capable of running at least 5 kilometres without so much as a stop for water.  It might not sound like a lot, but to me, it's more than I ever imagined I'd be able to do. So you know what? I'm bragging. I can do whatever I set my mind to, and that's a pretty good feeling. I don't even care how lame and cliche that sounds.  Sure, it was a small race and I kind of lucked out (I'm really not that fast), but I still conquered it and went home to sign up for another. 

I got awarded my snazzy little medal with my baby asleep on my chest, which was nice as it deferred the attention from me to her.  

Afterwards it was off to lunch to cancel out the workout with meatballs at Ikea!  We ate, we played, and then headed home to relax. My mom came over to visit while Ryan went to his own race... car racing, that is. We had supper and watched my silly little people until it was finally bed time.  Another weekend had come and gone, but it was spent with my favourite people and I was as happy as a girl could be.  (Can I still call myself a girl?  Am I too old for that now? Is "woman" more appropriate?)  Bring it on, June... and summer!