The Weekend - the highs and the lows

We were lucky enough to have no rain all weekend long, which is a miracle considering all of the rain we have had lately. We started the weekend with another visit from Doug, Richmond's own Dog Whisperer. He needed a re-do on my video testimonial and offered some more helpful advice for Troy in exchange. This guy is really interesting to watch and talk to - his dog training stories could easily keep me entertained for an afternoon. Troy once again showed Doug how calm and good he can be. He even listens to the kids most of the time:

After spending the morning shopping and getting hair cuts with mama while I worked, we (even Troy) all headed to Milly and Robert's Saturday afternoon for our annual Kentucky Derby viewing party. The kids, especially Evyn, were totally into it this year. Milly printed out a list of horses, their colors and odds so we could all make our picks. Evyn and I voted for the Filly, Eight Belles, to come in second, which she did. What happened after the race was heartbreaking though. Evyn said that Eight Belles was in animal heaven with our other pets who have passed. She is getting good with the death talk which freaks me out a bit. Even with the sad ending, we had a great time. Evyn had so much fun that she and Milly planned a "girls night" with pedicures, dinner at E's favorite restaurant and board games when Milly gets back from her country-hoping European vacation.

I ran like a girl Sunday morning. It was a women's only 8K trail run benefiting cervical cancer. I was not thrilled with my performance (I'm sure it was because I did not have Troy by my side), but I did it in under an hour (my usual 10K goal). It was mostly uphill. Seriously like .25 miles of relatively flat field which promptly led to hills, hills and more hills. It was a perfect, almost too hot morning, and it is always great to support an important cause. Unfortunately, Evyn and Reed were sick and Holly could not bring them out to watch and cheer. I rode with two other women and we decided on the way back home that we would meet at a local park once or twice a week for trail runs, which I am looking forward to.

We also spent a bit of time this weekend playing the Wii - bowling in particular. We are totally enjoying it, however, Reed had a hard time understanding the coordination and timing with button holding/releasing. Apparently the little devil was just kicking back and watching our technique because he is now officially kicking our butts. All of a sudden, he is bowling like a professional and no matter how hard Holly, Evyn and I try, we can very rarely beat him. He even breaks a sweat - rosy cheeks and all - because he jumps and hops all over the den the entire time he is playing. He has even earned a special star ball that we did not even know existed and apparently is saved for the elite players. Geez! I really need to take a picture of him playing while wearing one of his new "wife beater" tank tops that Holly (calls "bitch slappers") recently picked up for him to sleep in. All he needs is a pair of cut off jeans hanging off his behind, some hanging open high tops and a cig behind his ear. :)