Dance Recital

This past Saturday was Olivia's dance recital.  It was a busy day too! Brendon had a bike race, so we went to the race, zoomed home to get ready, and then off to the recital!  She actually did pretty good this year...we just need to get her to smile!

Mother's Day

This year for mother's day we went to church and had breakfast at church.  After church we came home for some coffee and then decided to go to Stone Mountain.  We haven't been in a long time to climb the large piece of granite!  We weren't sure if Olivia could do it but she could!! Such a fun day and it was perfect weather. 

Kindergarten Here We Come!

The first week of May we had kindergarten registration.  Basically filling out paper work and then Olivia gets a brief assessment.  She was so excited to be at my school! She loved coloring a Tiger picture and then meeting one of the teachers!

Then last week Olivia got to go to Kindergarten Round Up.  Basically she spent about 30 minutes in a kindergarten classroom.  She did some centers/games.  Then we took a tour of the school. Then got to have a snack in the cafeteria and finally a school bus ride! Too bad she won't be riding the bus! Riding the bus was her favorite part!!

Enjoying chocolate milk

The bus ride

Nashville

 Since the end of January I started training to run the Rock and Roll Nashville Half Marathon.  I printed out a training schedule and really tried to stick to it.  It was hard.  I was running 4 times a week and cross training 2 days.  I couldn't stick to the days per say on the schedule at times but I really tried my best.  Towards the end I really had a hard time with squeezing in long runs- weather, schedule, sickness...it all factored in.

We left on Friday and it took forever to get there.  It was traffic jam after traffic jam.  We finally got there and stopped to get my race packet.  Then it was off to the house we rented and to dinner, very yummy pizza!!

 I had been watching the weather all week.  The weather was all over the place...I prepped for rain.  Then that morning when I woke up I checked the weather again...no rain.  The weather channel lied...it poured! The race was delayed due to lightning.  Then finally after 2 delays it started.  I went without headphones due to it raining.  There was enough music along the way so I didn't mind it.  But boy....was it hilly.  Hill after hill after hill...I was fine until mile 10.  I could feel my right calf starting to cramp.  So from then on it became a run a little bit, walk to recover, run a little bit, walk to recover.  I finished...2:22.  Not my best but I was proud of my training and the end result.  I think if my calf would have started to cramp I would have done better but I am proud of my time! Nashville was a beautiful city!

Then we did some exploring of downtown Nashville and went to the Grand Ole' Opry Saturday night.

Braves and G-Day game

We had a very busy April! On Brendon's birthday we went to the Braves game! At games on Sundays they let the kids run the bases after the game.  Olivia had been so excited about it all week!! Well...

 Well...here is what happened...she was running a bit too fast...caught up to the child in front of her in red, tripped on his shoe, and went face down in the dirt. I knew instantly she was going to cry.  Thankfully someone walked her around the bases...parents are not allowed on the field. 

The following Saturday we went to the G-Day game! It was so crazy busy in Athens! We could hardly find a parking spot.

When it is not just painting a door...a Fixer Upper story

Our house was built in 1995 and it looks it.  We have started making some small changes to it.  Well last year was kind of big with carpet and flooring for the lower level.  Since then we have changed out doorknobs, changed some lighting fixtures, and faucets.  Our lovely white doors in some rooms have really gotten beat up...from us and the previous owners.  There are only so many times you can wipe finger prints off the door before you start taking off the paint.  My plan was to only do 2 doors...the door from our garage to mud room and the front door.  Well...then it looked kind of silly since there are 4 doors in this little area...the white and new color Brown Fox by Sherwin Williams just didn't look right.  So the project increased by 2 doors.  By the 3rd door someone wanted to help.  So I let her.  I gave Olivia a paint brush and showed her what to do.  Yes she got paint on the molding...and the wall, but the moment was priceless.  We chatted about little things as we dipped our brushes and of course had some giggles.  She was so proud of her work.  When she was done (her job was the bottom of the door) she went upstairs to play.  Little did I know she was in the office.... here is what she was doing...

She drew a picture of us painting the door.  My heart skipped a beat.  That moment of painting was to me, just painting.  Now our door tells a story.  She will always say...I helped you paint that door, or remember that time I helped you paint the door. 

As I have been painting the doors I thought about what those doors have seen in the 20 + years of being there.  Those doors hold so many memories of our house.  They open and they close, they let people in and out, some lock and some never lock, and sometimes you just need to knock on them to open an opportunity.

Here is one of the doors, I just need to finish the moldings! So much better than white!