Kalahari Flow Rider

While we were at Kalahari, Brian and I did boogie boarding on the flow rider. I have never done boogie boarding, surfing, water skiing, or anything, so I was a bit nervous, but it went okay. They had a guy directing us on how to do "tricks" in the waves. Enjoy the videos!

Brian's favorite part was my facial expression during the turtle move.

I had to cut this video off early because at the end, we got to see a little more Brian's booty than we bargained for! :) The flow rider has a serious wave!

Spring Break - Churchill Downs and Cincinnati Zoo

One of my cousins was curious how we are able to do so many things on our "student salary". There are a bunch of factors, including how we prioritize our funds (we almost never eat out, for example), having a good income during Brian's summer internship, looking for free or really inexpensive opportunities, going places within driving distance, doing a lot of research, etc.

However, one major things that has worked great for us is using Priceline to book hotel rooms. We used Priceline when we went to Greece and again for our two nights in Nashville. We actually got two nights at the Hyatt for less than the entrance fees to all the places we went to during our trip. (The entrance fees are what really cost a lot!) I think Priceline can be a little scary to use when you're new to it, but it is well worth it. It takes a little time and research, but I have some great tips if anyone wants to get into using it!

Sydney strutting her stuff at a gas station on the drive back to Ann Arbor.

I think this picture is awesome!





We stopped at Churchill Downs in Kentucky just to say we've been there! The museum was closed so we just took pictures and ran around for a bit.





Family picture!

On our way out of the gift shop, Sydney put the horse back but tried to get away with the cookie!

Sydney and Brian with the race track in the background.

We stopped again in Cincinnati to go to the zoo - mostly just to break up the trip some more and let the kids get out and play. The kids were really excited to see the elephant!

Wes was too nervous to look at the camera because he thought the peacock would get him while he wasn't looking.

Mom and Sydney checking out the sea lion.

We enjoyed watching the penguins get fed (even though you can't see any penguins in this picture - just the starfish and Wes).

Spring Break - Nashville

On Wednesday afternoon - around 1pm - we left Kalahari and headed south to Nashville. We decided we probably wouldn't have a ton of opportunities to go there in the future, so we should hit it while we can. Plus, we wanted to have some warmer weather than the Ann Arbor snow!

First thing Thursday morning, we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wes asked what that big thing in the corner was and Brian told him it was an old-school iPod. :) It's amazing how far technology has come!

Brian thought this car was awesome since it had guns blazing! We can't remember who it belonged to though.




I love trying to get a picture with the two kiddos! They had multiple walls full of the gold records.



Me next to Elvis' commemorative plaque.

The kids playing in the Hall of Fame rotunda.

After our museum tour, we were really excited to get outside in the 40-degree weather. We went to Bicentennial Park to look around and play.

The big map of Tennessee and pointing to Nashville!

After naps, we went to tour the Grand Ole Opry.

The stage was being set up for a dinner party that evening.

One of the dressing rooms in the Grand Ole Opry. See if you can spot Willie Nelson's picture on the wall (hint: he looks nothing like he does now)!

Brian standing on the Opry stage where many favorites have previously performed!

On our trip, the kids ate lots of chicken nuggets! Wes loved his Burger King crown, Sydney just thought hers was okay. :)

National Countdown - 2 Weeks to Go

Beauty. I so want to run where this picture is taken. Don't you? Ahhh... We're getting closer to spring! The past week was actually pretty great for running. I loved my Saturday run. It was warm (in the high 30s) and the sun was shining. I had to take off my headband (that covers my ears) and my gloves because it was so nice! It was so great. I needed a good running week!

I'm technically supposed to be tapering, but I wanted to get one more 20-miler in, so I ran it on Saturday. It went well (since life was bliss with the sun out) and I'm really glad I decided to do it. Considering how sore I am now, I think I really needed to do that to feel like I can finish 26.2 without killing myself. Plus, I knew I would regret it if I didn't take full advantage of the great day I had to run!

I'm getting super excited for National!!!

Weekly Goals

Monday: 5 miles at 8:35 /mi

Wednesday: 3 miles at 7:23 /mi (w/ 1 mile warm and cool)

Thursday: 5 miles at 8:35 /mi

Saturday: 20 miles at 8:35 /mi

Outcome

Monday: 5.5 miles at 8:27 /mi

Tuesday: 3 miles at 7:45 /mi (w/ 1 mile warm and cool)

Saturday: 20 miles at 8:30 /mi

Spring Break - Kalahari

Brian had this past week off from school for Spring Break. We figured we had to go somewhere, otherwise we'd go crazy sitting inside our house for a week with snow outside. And preferably, somewhere warmer than Ann Arbor. Plus, when is Brian ever going to have a full week free again?

On Tuesday, we headed to Sandusky, Ohio to the Kalahari Resort, an indoor water park. Normally, it's pretty expensive, but they were running some great spring break deals so we decided to take advantage. Two other families from our ward, the Dunfords and the Priddises, were also there on Tuesday.

Sydney was gung-ho when we got there until she got drenched with a big bucket of water (the kind that fill up by themselves and then tip over when they're full). Wes was excited but neither kid loves getting water in their face.

Snack time! I didn't necessarily intend on getting them coordinating swimsuits, but they ended up looking super cute.

We got together with the Priddises and Dunfords for a potluck dinner. The kids (Sydney, Lucy, Wes, and Isaac) went for a fun ride on the luggage cart.




Since there were three couples in two nearby hotel rooms, we took turns staying with the kids and going out for a little date. Brian and I got this ice cream sundae. We were glad we got one to share! We enjoyed the note on the menu board that said: "You want nutrition, eat carrots!" They're not kidding!

Family picture! We played some more on Wednesday morning before we had to head out. Everything worked out great, because we were all able to take turns watching kids and going to the adult water rides. (More on that later.)

The kids really enjoyed this slide in the kiddie area because there was minimal face-splashing on the way down.

"Cheese!" The water was a great height for Sydney to play and walk in.

Down Wes goes! He had a great time and really loved the water park.

Wes and Sydney on the water swings.

You can see from this picture that I had to cinch up Wes' swim bottoms with a safety pin in the back. His swimsuit is a 2T and it's still huge on him. Sydney's suit is also a 2T and also a little big (they didn't have an 18-24 month one). Wes is almost 3 and Sydney's almost 18 months. I figured they'd eventually wear the same size! :)