International Walk to School Day

We enjoyed this year's International Walk to School Day trek up to the elementary school.  (The middle school doesn't do this).  With the close proximity of the Lakeland Trail to the school, a LOT of people take advantage and walk.  They even have a spot where, on these recognized walking days, the buses drop the kids off and parents lead a chaperoned walk to the school.

Every time we do this, we say that we have to walk more often - there really is no excuse...it's less than a quarter of a mile.

It was also "Pocket Day" today - hence the double hoodies.  Poor kid will be devastated that his mere 8 pockets will not win him a prize.  I saw kids with clearly over-achieving moms who had custom made t-shirts and such with dozens of pockets sewn onto them.

Go Blue!

When Mom and Dad asked if they could take the boys to their first UM football game, Brian and I agreed and were jumping for joy at lamenting the idea of a day home alone.  They chose the game against Air Force (best flyover prospects) and began planning for a day of Grammie & Grandpa fun.

But when presented with the opportunity of unused corporate suite tickets, we couldn't pass that up and decided to join the family fun!  Did we feel guilty sitting in the air conditioning with real, private bathrooms close by...not so much.

We met up early Saturday morning, all decked out in our maize and blue, and headed over to the golf course to secure our tailgating real estate.  Even at just after 11, the crowd had begun to gather.  We started out with fresh cider and donuts from Parmenter's, a family favorite.

The boys had a blast racing around the golf course while Grandpa cooked hamburgers.  They played some football, explored, and practiced a few tumbling moves.

After stuffing ourselves on burgers, fruit, chips, and cookies, we cleaned up, packed up, and headed over to the stadium.  The nice thing about the golf course is that it's not a very long walk.

Boys' first UM game!

Once inside the stadium, we split up to head to our seats.  When the boys first learned of the game, Jared quickly claimed Grammie as his seat-mate.  Since he got to choose first grandparent, Owen got to choose his seats...he and Grandpa had phenomenal seats right down close to the field.

Nice photo, Grandpa!!!

Both boys were amazingly engaged in the festivities - Jared loved the cheering, chanting, and antics of the student section.  Owen was enthralled with the football itself, following every play and pointing out what he saw to Grandpa.  Brian and I enjoyed our seats...and the associated perks like snacks, cold drinks, SEAT BACKS, and a nice, uncrowded bathroom!

A beautiful football Saturday at The Big House

We had two Fourth Quarter Passes that allowed Jared and Grammie to come up to the suite after the end of the third quarter.  We enjoyed an exciting fourth quarter - the game was so close!

Mommie and Me!

To avoid the crush of post-game traffic, Grandpa brought out the grill again after the game and we all had a hot dog, more chips, more cookies.  And we were treated to a GORGEOUS sunset over the golf course.

Everyone had a great time - the boys LOVED their first game, Owen repeatedly referred to it as "the best day of my life".

2012 Michigan 3-Day!!

Another year, and another 3-Day has passed.  As always, the weekend was amazing - full of laughter, tears, hugs, smiles, sore knees/hips/feet, and blisters...but we wouldn't trade it for the world.

Team Tyrannosaurus Racks participated in our fourth 3-Day as a team this year.  We walked in 2009 and 2010, crewed in 2011, and walked again this year.  For Amy and I, this was our fourth year together.  Linda joined us for the first time, and we were missing some of our previous walkers who couldn't make it this year.

But it was an incredible weekend...we started out bright and early Friday morning at Oakland Mall in Troy.  Opening Ceremony was inspiring and we were all anxious to get out onto the route!!

Team TR ready to get going!

 We walked through some beautiful communities, saw some early morning Dream Cruise activity, and even managed to find a Starbucks along the route where Amy was able to get her beloved iced tea.  We surprisingly only stopped for tea/coffee that one time during our walking hours!

Day 1 was a long one - 21.8 miles, in fact!  But we made it back to camp still smiling and ready for more!

Walking into camp - Day 1

"Put up your pink!"

 Day 2 was another gloriously "72 and sunny" - and brought us to the much-anticipated Plymouth Cheering Station!  As they have every year of our walking experience, Plymouth rolled out the pink carpet and did things up for us!  The fountain was pink, there were welcome signs all along the route, and hundreds of cheering loved ones were there to shout encouragement, hand out cool/frozen treats, and give hugs and smiles.  We're so fortunate to have had lots of family and friends cheering us on!

Downtown Plymouth cheering station

Day 2 - 40 miles down!

Saturday afternoon/evening held great excitement in camp!  There was a wedding held in the large dining tent - almost immediately after, we noticed lots of pink/black/white debris flying over the camping area - what looked like lots of kites were in fact tent and gear debris flying over camp!!!  If you've never seen a flying tent...wow...something to behold!

It's a bird...a plane...nope, a 3-Day flying tent!

 Day 3 was another spectacular day for walking - we really lucked out this year with the cool temps, sunshine, and NO RAIN!  Even the humidity was very low!

By Day 3, we're all a little delirious.  But our Dancing Lady, who never fails to provide just the pick-me-up that is needed, marched into lunch and led a group of walkers/crew in a 3-Day performance of The Wobble.  It was a riot... 

The arrival in Holding and Closing Ceremony is bittersweet...as we limp in with blisters, sore knees, and aching backs (remember...Limping is Walking!), we're struck by the fact that...it's over.  Our weekend of kindness, sisterhood (and brotherhood) is really...over.  As we say good bye to new and old friends, we all remember why we're here...to find a cure for breast cancer!!

The Three Amigos

The one-shoe salute!

We Will NEVER Give Up!!

Coming home is fantastic...showers...my own bed...kissing my boys...it's amazing.  And as I hobble around on my gigantic blisters today (it's not a limp...it's SWAGGER!) I think...how many days until 2013?

Ice Skating Fun

With Owen starting hockey this fall, we've been making frequent trips to the local ice rinks for public skate.

Both boys are doing really well this year!!

Beach Boys

The boys are having the time of their lives at the beach. They love the waves, the sand, and the sun. It hasn't been super hot and sunny yet making the days very pleasant!!!

Our hotel is fabulous - right on the beach and close to good restaurants and shops. We've tried a different frozen yogurt or ice cream every night!

Beach...Waves...Sand

Two little boys who are LOVING the ocean!

Silliness!

We spent the day in the car driving around looking at cottages (bust). The kids were troopers for most of it, but they did get a little silly.

After one round of the alphabet game, we had several "potty" themed rounds of one word story and rhyming of the name game.

Then...we hear hysterical giggles and turn to find THIS in the back seat. Crazy.