My First 5K! And... Theia's First Visit!

Ok, so, since I last posted... Winter storm Rocky snowed on us a bit, but not much. And then winter storm Saturn was expected to bring 4-8 inches of snow. We ended up with almost two feet (and much deeper in some spots!) Of course, the worst part of the storm came through on Friday morning, just as Gus' sister's plane was landing in Boston for a weekend visit. What should have been a three-hour round trip quickly turned into an over-5-hour epic drive through blizzard conditions on slippery roads. I was so, so worried, as I waited for them to get home!! It didn't help as I watched cars fishtail down the road in front of our house! But they made it safely, though they had to park across the street because the driveway was blocked again (and Gus had already cleared it before he left). It was crazy!

Fortunately, the snow stopped pretty much right when the forecasters said it would, at 1pm. Shortly after that, we geared up and the kids got to show their Theia just how much work it is to walk in deep, freshly-fallen snow. haha! Really, it was exhausting. It's so much nicer to play outside when it's just a few inches, and packed down more. Poor Maya will tell you that she "had a lot of problems" out there-- her boot kept coming off, and she just had trouble moving in the deeper parts. Still, I think everyone had fun! And it was warm enough (above freezing) that we could play outside pretty comfortably for as long as we wanted.
By Saturday morning, the roads were pretty clear and the sun was shining-- it made it up to almost 50 degrees! Such a gorgeous day! After I cleared the driveway, we gave Theia the tour of the town, capped off with lunch at Friendly's. After that, we spent a few hours at the kids' science museum. Obligatory picture with Siegfried the stegosaurus: At that point, we were all pretty wiped out. So we had a quiet evening at home. No complaints!

Yesterday, despite the time change, I was up early. I was so nervous! I had never run any sort of race before, and I knew that I was woefully unprepared. I hadn't run in a few weeks... and I had NEVER run more than 2.5 miles at a time. So I had no idea how this 5k would go. And we were stressed out about parking, which ended up being super easy. We (my friends and I) got there sooooo early, haha! We parked pretty much right at the starting/finish line. I'm glad we got there when we did, because it ended up being the largest race ever in the city of Worcester (the second-largest city in MA). Just look at the video from the starting line! We are on the camera side of the street, just after the 1:30 mark. I have a purple shirt, black jacket, a green scarf, and a goofy grin. Click here to see a screen shot! :) So... it was a lot longer than I thought! And the three of us separated pretty quickly, so I was on my own. And there was a hill! Plus it was chilly (32 degrees when we started, and the road was wet and sandy from all the snow removal. BUT... I DID IT!!! I was aiming to do it in under 45 minutes... My official time was 36:44, which SHOCKED me. And I am in agonizing pain today. But, I DID IT!!!!!!!!! And I was also part of setting a record: largest race to ever take place in the city of Worcester. Kind of cool!!

The city's St. Patrick's Day parade started immediately after the race, on the same route. So we walked to a bar on the parade route, where we could stand outside, drink some beer, and watch the parade go by. By that time, it was in the 40s and very sunny-- it felt great! Except I actually got a little sunburn. In Massachusetts. In March. With snow on the ground. haha! Still, it was great. Here's one quick pic from after the race. We were feeling pretty accomplished! After the race and the parade, I came home to a house full of resting people. The four of them had gone to Nikos' ice skating lesson together. Maya was asleep on the couch, leaning up against Theia. Gus was asleep by the fire. And Theia and Niko were watching TV. I was so, SO tempted to fall asleep, too, but I resisted the urge! I took a nice, hot shower, popped some ibuprofen for my aching muscles, and we eventually went out to a lovely dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants.

Today, we spent the morning at home, then headed to the mall after lunch. The mall is halfway between here and the airport, and has become our usual stop when we are saying goodbye to family. We took two cars, so the kids and I could go home while Gus took his sister back to the airport. They had fun at the mall, but the kids literally cried almost all the way home. Even Nikos! Maya would cry for a bit, then feel better, then remember that Theia was leaving and get upset all over again. It was pretty much the saddest thing ever. I think they are both finally old enough to realize that they can't see their family as often as they used to. ugh! It breaks my heart!!!!!!!!

Before we left the house, though, we took a few REAL (non-cell phone) pictures for posterity. So here they are! All in all, it was a great weekend. The kids love their Theia! We hope she comes back again soon!