Favorite Non-Running Hobbies

Today's Tuesday Topics Linkup is all about our favorite non-running hobbies! If you've been a blog reader here for a while, I'm sure you can guess mine! :)

#1 Disney and Traveling 

We LOVE going to Disney, but we also love seeing new places! One of the reasons we joined the Disney Vacation Club last fall is because it gives us the opportunity to do just that. Already, we've discussed the idea of visiting Hawaii in the future (I traveled there for my senior trip, but Jason's never been)! We are also taking a cruise this summer (non-Disney) with Jason's family to Alaska! This time, we will be sailing on Royal Caribbean. I am excited to return to Alaska and take in the wondrous beauty of it all. For this trip, we are planning on excursions we've never done before which include whale watching and visiting a musher's camp. I know Brayden is going to LOVE seeing the dogs! It should be an all around fun time!

#2 Family & Friends

Family and friend time is absolutely the best. I love being with my family and friends and spending time with them! Life is seriously so fragile - I see it every day. One thing about working in oncology is it has given me a better appreciation for LIFE and enjoying loved ones in the here and now. In the end, I want to be able to look back over my life and say that I truly took the time to appreciate my family and friends. Our loved ones bring such a richness and fullness to our lives and it's important to truly value that.

#3 Baseball

During baseball season, you can either find me at home watching a ball game or at Minute Maid Park cheering on my beloved Astros! I've been a fan since birth and love carrying the tradition over to Brayden! We also love visiting Minute Maid Park! It's almost opening day, y'all!! I'm SO excited!

#4 Volunteering

When I look back over my life, I can't remember a time that I didn't volunteer (because I truly love it that much)! At my church, I've been a volunteer with our Girls Ministries program since 2000 and once I started working in oncology in 2007, I also became a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. Over the years, I've also helped in various other areas, but these two have stuck the longest and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Giving of yourself and your time, especially with how busy life can be is truly rewarding, especially when you know you're helping to make a difference.

So, there you have it - when I'm not working or running or going to Orangetheory, those are the areas you'll find me! 

Join Kookyrunnerand Zenaida every Tuesday for the Tuesday Topics Linkup!

Houston Times

Over the weekend, we spent time with my parents in Houston, Texas to attend an Astros game and visit the Houston Zoo.

We had so much fun at Brayden's last zoo experience in San Antonio and were looking forward to more fun at the Houston Zoo!

My oh my how he's grown! The daily image I see on my phone is from his very first Astros game when he was only 4 months old. Pardon me while I dry up the tears. I know some parents say they can't wait for this phase or that phase to be over, but I'm not there. I love having my child small. He might be our only one and I'm cherishing each and every moment because I know they will be gone far too soon.

Anyway, back to the weekend...we made it!

We actually arrived before the gates opened, so we joined the massive line of people waiting on their free duffel bags. Yes, there was a massive line. I didn't have my heart set on getting one because I wasn't planning on waiting out there all morning. Well, we were one of the first 10,000 in line and we got one anyway! YAY!

This right here is my kind of ball park food. These quesadillas are some of the best I've ever eaten!

It also wouldn't be an Astros game without a picture with Mickey! Brayden was so excited to see Mickey! It was precious!

I've mentioned this before in a previous post, but we LOVE sitting in the 200 level section at the game, especially with having Brayden.

This area is a little more quiet, the alcove isn't as busy, the view is perfect, and the seats are a bit roomier!

We won! YAY!

Our typical field post-game family portrait!

On Sunday morning, we visited the Houston Zoo. We arrived not long after they opened and they weren't very busy which was nice!

There are several play areas at this zoo (including a splash pad). I can't wait to return and spend a better portion of the day! We were only a time constraint because Jason had to go into work that evening.

Hands down, Brayden's favorite animal was the sea lion! He loved watching him swim around in his pool!

Our tickets also included a ride on the carousel which he enjoyed!

Of course our animal of choice was the "seal"...hah. See what we did there?

Not long after our carousel ride, the bottom decided to absolutely fall out of the sky. Thankfully, we were near a large employee umbrella and we were able to have sanctuary there for a little while. After checking the radar though, we realized the rain wasn't going to let up any time soon. That's when I remembered that I had a dollar poncho stashed away in Brayden's diaper bag, so I put it on and used it to trek around the zoo to purchase more ponchos for my family. 

The zoo floods pretty bad and there were sections where water was up to my ankles. After about half an hour, I returned with ponchos for everyone and we were able to make our grand escape.

No one was angry or mad, we were grateful we had the chance to see most of the zoo before the rain, and we looked at it as another adventure. These are just fun stories to share in the future!

It was a fantastic weekend and we made it home in time for everyone's everythings!

I can't wait to go back. We LOVE the Houston Zoo - it's spacious, roomy, we were up close and personal to the animals, it's super clean, super shaded, the staff is friendly, the list goes on and on. We definitely need a zoo-redo! :)

If you're ever in the Houston area, consider adding the Houston Zoo to your list of things to do! You won't regret it!

How was your weekend?

Fitness Friday - April 6

Happy Friday! Long time no Fitness Friday!! This week I actually did enough "activity" worth blogging about, so here we go!

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA 
• Warrior Nation 5K
• Contraband Days 5 Miler
  

Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - Squats/Lunges/PT Routine
Tuesday - 3 mile run
Wednesday - Cross Training with the Tone It Up Girls 
Thursday - 3 mile run
Friday - Rest Day/Party Prep

So my recap this week might not look or sound like much but here lately, this is great for me! I've also been birthday party prepping for the last several weeks so needless to say, that's consumed a lot of my time.

The week began with a Monday night dinner with my parents and "Easter Bunny" gifts. Yes, the Easter Bunny still passes for us (even the grown kids) and now there's an overload of chocolate in my house. Yikes.

This basket is about 30 years old!

After dinner, I did my usual PT squats and lunges routine. My right knee has been tweaky lately (not IT Band tweaky) and I realized that the lunges made the pain worse. After backing off of the lunges this week, my knee is feeling a little better. Hopefully it continues to improve. (It honestly feels like runners knee.)

On Tuesday, Brayden and I went out for a 3 mile run and as I mentioned yesterday, we discovered a new route! 

Y'all have no idea how much of a game changer this is for me when running with Brayden. Lately he's started getting "bored" after about 2 miles or so and if we have to loop back in front of our house and pass it again, he's not a happy camper. So, with lots of snacks and no need to loop back in front of our house, we are good to go again!

Another crazy storm also threatened our area on Tuesday night but I think they overshot this time - they predicted all kinds of stuff and nothing happened. I'm sure they just didn't want a repeat of last week. Guess that's how the weather works for you! Better to be safe than sorry, I say! 

We also got a little rained on during our run but it wasn't anything too terrible and passed rather quickly.

On Wednesday, I picked through the Tone It Up Girls YouTube channel and found a workout that I liked and could modify with my tweaky knee.

Thursday was Brayden's birthday and also an opportunity for us to try out our new route. It worked great! Another 3 miler in the books an gorgeous spring (although kind of humid) weather!

After work on Thursday, I also met up with my sister in law for a cup of coffee at PJ's! She was in town for an appointment and it was nice to catch up with her.

This week has also been all about baseball in my house! The Astros revealed their World Series Champions flag as well as their WS rings! I'm loving that baseball is officially back!! 

Tomorrow is our 11 year wedding anniversary and this year we are sharing it with Brayden's Birthday party! I've been so consumed with party planning, I haven't even thought about where to eat or what to do but I know we will end up doing something.

Have a fabulous weekend!!

World Series Champions

Source

When you reminisce about your childhood and the way you were raised, there are few things that have remained consistent through time. You could say that family, faith, and some friends have always been there, but as times change and children grow into teenagers and then adults, few hobbies/likes/dislikes stayed constant.
 
As far back as I can remember, baseball has always been a huge part of my family life. From April to October, you could almost always catch an afternoon or evening game on our television. If we weren't watching baseball on TV, we were playing baseball/softball at the ball fields or even better, we were attending a game at the Astrodome or Minute Maid Park.

Those rainbow seats, the giant scoreboard, Orbit running around on the field, Junction Jack, Tal's Hill, the roar of thousands and thousands of Houston fans...there's just not quite anything else like it in the world. 

Throughout my childhood, we took yearly summer vacations to Houston where we would spend a day at Astroworld (rest in peace) followed up with an Astros game the next day.

As a teen, my dad and I formed a bond over our love for this sport. One day, he showed me his box of baseball cards that dated back to the 1960's and I was instantly fascinated. During those teenage years when relationships can be strained between a kid and their parents, my dad and I spent HOURS at local card shops over the weekends, scouring through boxes and boxes of baseball cards. I was determined to find rookie cards of all of my favorite Astros and I almost succeeded. Those cards still remain in a box under my bed to this day and I pull them out on the random occasion to take a walk down memory lane.

It's funny how over time, those moments and memories come and go....even funnier how a smell or sound can bring us right back to that moment and all of those memories come flooding back. Baseball will do that to you. It's a sport where you can experience some really big highs and some really incredible lows. It's an unpredictable game and one that makes you truly believe that anything can happen.

Biggio, Bagwell, the Killer B's - the mid to late 1990's were perhaps one of my favorite times as an Astros fan, as my true love for this organization began to develop. I spent many a night cheering on my favorite boys of summer as they went through division wins to the playoffs, the World Series in 2005, and back to the rebuilding process to start over from scratch again. Watching Craig Biggio receive his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown New York two summers ago was a pretty special moment, too.

Now that I'm a parent, I want to pass on the tradition of the love for this sport to my son - one that began back with my own grandfather and his son (my dad). I want to tell him stories of how I grew up watching baseball with my dad and how 9 innings of a World Series game on November 1, 2017 was added to the list as one of the best moments of my life.

I honestly never ever thought I would see the day when the Astros would win the World Series. Not at all because I didn't believe in them, but because luck never seemed to be on their side.

The. World. Series. Y'all. Somehow it still hasn't fully sunk it.

I finally understand how Saints fans felt back in 2010...and Cubbies fans felt last year. When your team, a team you've been following most of your life is able to accomplish what seems to be a near impossible feat, it's one of the most incredible feelings in the world. I'm pretty sure I'm still walking on cloud 9.

Thank you, Astros. Thank you for allowing the heart of a young girl and her dad form a bond over the love of a team and a sport. Thank you for showing people everywhere that anything is possible if you believe. Thank you for giving hope to the city of Houston after such devastation. Thank you for a lifetime of precious memories. You will never know how much it truly means to me.

Goodbye, Baseball!

We began 2016's baseball season by welcoming Brayden into the world (I was literally in labor on opening day) and last night, we said goodbye to 2016's season with the end of the World Series.

 
It's been a really fun season of baseball for my family and I! We brought Brayden to his very first Astros game in Houston and we attended a Texas Rangers game (vs the Astros) when we visited family in Dallas over Labor Day Weekend.

During my maternity leave and the early weeks of Brayden's life, we watched nothing but baseball games in the evenings and the Astros stayed on our living room television almost nightly.

 
This 2016 World Series is truly the thing dreams are made of - two teams who haven't won championships in YEARS, the Cubs since 1908 and the Indians since 1948. They both fought hard and played their hearts out but in the end, the curse of the goat was lifted and Chicago ultimately won the championship by 1 run in extra innings. I love it when the World Series extends into game 7, where two teams who are equally matched play it out until the end. I wasn't necessarily "for" either team, but it was so much fun to watch! Both teams and their fans should be proud!!

What a great and fun filled six months it's been and I'm sad to say it's officially over!

There's no crying in baseball, until it's the end of the season that is!

Goodbye, baseball! See ya next Spring!

Baby Seal's First Astros Game

Last September, I attended an Astros game with my family like we've done a couple of times a year for as long as I can remember. This game in particular was different, though - I knew I was pregnant and so did my family. Despite not yet knowing the gender, I purchased a onesie, a set of bibs, and a couple of pacifiers for baby Seal, and said he/she would wear them to a game the following season. Well, HE had the opportunity to do just that this past Sunday!

A little backstory in case you're new here - I found out I was pregnant after attending the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend in summer of 2015. We were there to celebrate our favorite Astro (Craig Biggio) and his induction ceremony. My family and I have also been life long Astros fans. In April of 2016, Brayden was born during the opening week of baseball and was actually born on the Astros first game of the season vs the Yankees. That was April 5, he was born at 5 p.m., and the Astros won 5-3. No way that's a coincidence, just sayin! :)

Needless to say, I was way incredibly excited for the opportunity to bring my little guy to his first Astros game this past weekend!

Isn't his outfit just the best? See that onesie? Yep! It's the one I purchased last season at the game and my dad bought the hat for him!

Brayden says blankets taste yummy in case you were wondering...

See his shoes? Those were an amazing find at a local consignment store called Once Upon a Child. They are Sperry's and when I saw them, I knew I had to have them.

We have two pre-game traditions - take a photo with Biggio/Orbit and find Mickey! 

I tried to show Mickey to him but in all the commotion of people walking around, and the line to take a picture with Mickey, it didn't happen.

At first, I was worried the crowds and noise would bother Brayden because he started to cry a little - I think he was mostly overwhelmed by everything going on around him. Thankfully, our tickets were in the Mazda Club Level and we didn't have to worry as much about the crowds. I knew this going in as I've sat in this area in the past and I can definitely say it was perfect with a baby! The alcove behind the seats is enclosed and it's a bit quieter with less people which worked perfectly for us. When we go with Brayden again, we are going to sit here for sure. 

I have to tell you that we had a BALL at the game (no pun intended). Brayden was way better than I ever could have imagined! He was happy, loved looking at the lights/sounds, and overall stayed calm and content.

He loved the baby carrier! I took him with me when I went to find food and he cracked me up! First, he was like this....

Then before I knew it, he was OUT!

Watching the game from daddy's lap!

Of course, we also had our other game tradition - ice cream! :)

The only time he got cranky at the game was right before this family photo (and that was at the end of 9 innings)! He was hungry so I fed him a bottle, and he was just about to fall asleep again when we took this photo.

I really enjoyed sharing this experience with my parents. We all had such a great time together!

Now that I know he can do so well, I can't wait for the next one!! :)