It is hard to believe that July is already ½ over............time really does fly by!
A lot has been going on here.

First and foremost, James is headed off today to do the MR340 boat race. http://rivermiles.com/mr340/
He has been planning and prepping for months and now it is finally here. I am confident that he will do well and make the best of it. I am also confident that he will come home with very sore butt! (He-he-he.) I’ll post updates this week as the drama of the race unfolds!

Tomorrow morning, Zoe leaves for a 2 week trip to Japan. She also has been planning and prepping for months. I spoke to her today and she is giddy with anticipation. I personally supervised the packing and I think she is ready; at least as ready as a 13 year old leaving the country for the first time can be. I am scheduled to drop her off at 5 am tomorrow to catch a bus to the airport. When she returns, I will post all about her trip.

Last weekend was another really nice weekend. We stayed here in Columbia and kept busy, but not too busy. Friday night, James, Alli and I went out for dinner. We got to Jazz before they started lining up. I had my favorite dish, Coonass Chicken. Alli was SO good. You really could not ask for a more perfect child. She sat in her high chair and ate her jar of baby food while we waited for our dinner. She nibbled on bread and Cheerios while we ate. She scoped out all the ceiling fans and smiled at anyone sitting close by that would take notice. After dinner, we stopped by Tryathletics and visited with friends.

Saturday morning, I got up at 5 am and rode my bike up to the 6 am “Krak” bike ride. I brought along my running shoes. The morning ride was a gorgeous, flat 25 miles with one small exception; there was asphalt work being done on Rangeline so we had to ride though some tar. One poor girl slipped, wrecked and broke her handle bars. After the Krak ride I headed over to Smokin’ Chicks to do the 5K with my friend Cherie and her husband. It was their first ever 5K race and they both accomplished their goals of not coming in dead last. We had a great time and after the run, we got coffee at It’s a Grind. My favorite is……the Road Warrior; a cold, blended drink with ground up chocolate covered coffee beans!

I spent the rest of the morning doing the weekly cooking (extra cooking for the big boat race), laundry and playing with Alli. Malcolm called me around 3 pm for taxi service so I picked him up, fed him and delivered him back to his dad’s house. At the same time, I picked up Zoe. We hit the grocery store and got a movie. We watched The Bucket List http://thebucketlist.warnerbros.com/ Pretty good movie, I would recommend it.

Saturday afternoon it rained some as a cold front came though. After dinner it was so cool and nice out that James and I popped Alli in the trailer for a little bike ride. We also opened up house to let the fresh air in. I just love having the windows open and it is a special treat in mid July!

Sunday, Zoe and I finished her packing. Alli went swimming with Elissa while I went to BodyPump class at the gym. Zoe and I went to the final Japan meeting and she picked up her small shirts that fit her like a dress.

Sunday night James, Alli and I all climbed in bed to watch TV and have quiet family time. Allis was so sweet and cuddly lying between us. She tries to hug and kiss you, but she mostly just gets slobber everywhere. She eventually fell asleep in my arms. It was a great way to end a great weekend.