To be the best Wife, Mom, Daughter, Sister, Friend, and Runner I can be...God willing!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Our full weekend....Race for the Cure, the Zoo, and a party!

Oh my goodness did we have a busy weekend and it was wonderful.  The kids were very well behaved and I took lots of great pictures.  Both are a bonus in my book!

Our adventure began Friday night when Drew lovingly left work early so we could get to our hotel at a reasonable hour.  We have previously decided that everyone would be much more rested if we got a hotel Friday night and there would be way less driving.  E, J, and S love hotels and this was no different.  We had a nice dinner, a quick swim, and a fairly early to bed night.  It was all good!


Saturday morning arrived  with an early 6:45am departure for the Race for the Cure 5K.  The kids were very cooperative despite the early hour and chilly temperature...63 degrees and windy!  We arrived in plenty of time and were able to check out some of the booths before the race. On our way to the cheering section we spotted these...

Pink Port-a-pots...that is awesome!
We found a great spot just before the finish line.  The kids hung out for a while in the strollers.  Again, it was chilly...
Freezing waiting for the race to begin

Dealing much better with the cool air
This is a picture of the special finish line for survivors.  A decent distance before the official finish mark this path is lined with "cheerleaders" who hand out praise and carnations.  It is just wonderful.

The entire event is awesome.  The Houston Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure is the largest in the country.  This year there were over 35,000 walkers and runners and over 3,000 survivors!  It is great to see ladies...maybe a man or two...wearing pink.  All survivors wear pink.  It is sad and inspiring as well to see all the memorial badges that people wear in honor of someone.  I especially enjoyed being able to explain the purpose of this race to Emma.  I was proud to be supported by friends and family who so generously donated to help find a cure. 

For me personally it was an out of this world run.  Check this out...

Bib FName LName City State Div Age Sex ChipTime ClockTime Overall SexPl DivPl
6350 Kortni Mann Spring TX F 35-39 35 F 24:13 24:19 444 111 5

I placed 5th in my age group...holy cow!  I never ran below 25 minutes before...double holy cow!!  I was so super excited to see the results.  My mantra of "what are you saving it for"  worked.

Waiting for me to pass by and yell "Go Mommy Go"

There I go headed to the finish

Elena was worn out and fell asleep just after I finished


With the race completed, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and get showered.  Less than an hour after arriving at the hotel we were headed to the Houston Zoo for Drew's company party.  After finally locating a parking spot, we were able to enjoy a glorious day at the Zoo.  Drew works for Swift Energy and they provided a wonderful lunch....fajitas which were delicious!  There was a face painter...a highlight for Emma and Jonah.  Check them out...

Jonah "roaring"
Super cool Emma with her dolphin

Of course, the animals were a highlight.  The lion roared, we saw a baby elephant, the sea lions put on a show, and a monkey destroyed a roll of paper towels!  It was all fun and very silly.

The seal lions were so funny

The baby elephant...momma was always very close
Riding an elephant

The merry-go-round..a big hit

Elena sleeping again
Finally she is awake

Elena finally gets to check out some animals

Checking out the monkeys

Hanging out in a tree like the monkeys!
Cooling off in the sprinklers before heading to the car
Family picture!

The zoo was fun and then we headed home to rest because our day was still not over!  We spent the evening at an Octoberfest party eating yummy food and drinking yummy beer!  I forgot my camera for the nighttime activities.  The kids loved playing with their friends!  Drew and I were happy to sit and visit with our friends...oh, and did I say sit!  What a great way to end a great day.

We truly had an awesome beginning to October!

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