Peabody Auction 2015

After running the half marathon earlier in the day, Todd and I got all fancy for the kids' school auction. It wasn't exactly ideal to "recover" from a half marathon by putting on heels and going out dancing. Gotta do it for the kids though ;) 

Prom photos.

The auction was at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and this captain's hat made the rounds that night. 

Our favorite teacher, Mr. Silva! 

And most of my pics are like this...

 Lots of drinking and dancing and oh yeah, raising money for the school. (Nice hat, Todd!) 

Team GSF

In November, I ran with Team GSF again in support of the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. This was my third year running with the team and my second half marathon (the first year I ran the relay). Sadly, our shining star we were running for, Gwendolyn, passed away this past July. There definitely was a different feeling this year not having sweet Gwendolyn out there racing alongside us as she has in years past. The community of runners and supporters pulled together to make the experience extremely positive and to keep Gwendolyn's memory alive. While we hate, HATE, this horrible disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), that has taken the lives of so many including someone very near and dear to our hearts, we take comfort in the fact that we can make a difference by being a part of Team GSF.

There are all sorts of running levels on Team GSF. I was two years younger and in better shape the last time I did the half marathon. The hardest part of training for me is the time commitment and getting in all the training miles you need in order to make it through the finish line. I have to say, I really didn't have a training plan. Around September, I decided that each week I'd run one more mile than the last, starting at 5 miles, and once I got to 11 miles I figured I could stop because I'd be close enough to race day and adrenaline would pull me through those last two miles. In between those long runs, I barely ran. I did other types of cardio workouts and some strength training but not nearly as much as I did two years ago so I was pretty nervous. 

Here's my cheering squad picking up my race packet the day before the race. 

Carbo loading at the team dinner at The Biltmore. 

Bill and Victoria did an amazing job speaking at the dinner. They shared the incredible progress the foundation has made in finding a cure and using the funds raised to make the lives of those with SMA more fulfilling. I'm always grateful by the generosity of those who help through donations, buying merchandise or raising awareness by sharing and learning more about this cause. I'm proud to say that through the help of friends and family, since 2013, running for the team has brought in over $3,500 from my fundraising! 

For those who read Victoria's blog, you already know she is an incredible writer. She's equally gifted at speaking. Just like she was at Gwendolyn's memorial, she blew everyone away with delivering her message about her love for Gwendolyn and how she and Bill will continue to find a cure for SMA in her memory. 

 We met incredible and inspiring families who have been touched in one way or another by the Strong family including these four beautiful and young moms who also lost their babies to SMA. 

Fast forward 8 hours and I was up super early and ready to run! 

We picked up Mike Paskin who had literally just did an Iron Man (his second one!) weeks prior. And it wasn't just any Iron Man, it was the World Championship in Kono, Hawaii. So he swam over two miles, biked over one hundred miles and ran a full marathon in crazy heat and humidity all in one race. So I am sure my nervous questions on running the 13.1 miles that morning were hilarious. Right, Iron Man Mike?!?!? This was like an easy warmup for him to run. 

The kiddos were still in pajamas and half asleep on the ride to the start which was at UCSB this year. (Obviously I was too nervous to tell that we were taking the darkest picture EVER)

We arrived to a sea of blue Never Give Up runners. 

I'm horrible at knowing what the temperature is but I think it was somewhere around 40 degrees that morning. It was FREEZING! My feet were frozen which makes it kind of hard to run.

Off we went! 

The race route was much prettier this year because it went along the beach for the first few miles. We started and ended along the water which was nice. My feet finally thawed out around mile three and somehow despite not being in as great of shape, the race seemed to go smoother for me this year. Todd and the kids were at around mile 4 cheering me on and then they were off to AYSO soccer games. I was not concerned about my time, I stopped at water stations and even did a speed walk up Cliff Drive hill at mile 11 rather than run it like I did before. I'd say it was just before that hill where I got the "running sucks" feeling but I knew I would be crossing the finish line in about 20 minutes. The last mile of the race goes along Shoreline Drive, it is packed with spectators, so I just sort of put a smile on my face and powered it out even though my feet ached so bad.

I didn't wear a watch but I did have my phone on with the Runkeeper App running in the background. I tried not to pay attention to it but I did want to know a general idea of where I was at in the race in case I missed the mile markers. I had a moment around mile 10 where I realized that I was actually running about as fast as I did two years ago. So all of a sudden, I had an adrrenaline rush and thought, "wow! I can maybe get a PR" (personal record) which is what I always hear seasoned runners say. Well, like I said, I walked that hill at mile 11 and the PR faded away....

This was my "act like everything is okay and your feet aren't burning" smile when I saw the photographer before the finish line.

And after I finished, I walked home! This made me laugh. I had just ran 13 miles and had no ride home since Todd and the kids were at soccer. Okay, so we live less than a mile away BUT it did seem kind of funny to run a half marathon, get your medal and then walk home. ;)

And to my surprise, I wasn't as slow as I thought I would be. Two years ago I did the race in 2:03 minutes averaging a 9:27 mile. This year I did the race in 2:06 minutes averaging a 9:38 mile. THREE Minutes! That damn hill. Oh well. 

The most important part of the day was all money and awareness we raised for such a great cause and I am so happy I got to be a part of it again!

Basketball Season

I am not sure what sport I like watching my kids play most but the start of any new season is always fun. I just love watching them play sports, all sports!

It's Samantha's 3rd year playing basketball. She's in the 1st/2nd grade girls league at the Page Youth Center again and this year, being a 2nd grader, it definitely brings on a whole new level of confidence and playing ability. Next year, she will be the "little guy" again in the 3rd/4th division so everyone gets to have their time to shine. ;)

The Page does evaluations and holds a draft to form teams. Last year, I am not sure coaches were holding their breath to get Sam on their team which benefited us because we got our favorite Coach, Coach Jules (and co-coach Tyler!) who scooped up all the first graders and formed a team of friends/classmates. This year, it was a little more dicey. If you show any skill at all in the evaluations, especially a second grader, you are ranked higher and therefore you are not guaranteed to be with a coach you know or friends for that matter. 

We got very, VERY lucky and were drafted by the skin of our teeth by Coach Jules (and Tyler!) again but some friends/classmates were drafted elsewhere. I am fully prepared that next year's team will look differently for us but I am very VERY thankful we get one more year with Jules. And who knows, maybe we will get lucky again next year, maybe?

Samantha was probably one of the tallest girls there measuring in at 4 foot 5. 

This is her last year measuring at 4 foot 3. 

The girls (and Thatcher) warmed up before the evaluations began. 

They line them up and then split them up into groups to be evaluated. My favorite part about this night was our little friend, Maggie (in the blue shirt), next to Samantha. She is a first grader and it is her first year playing at the Page. She was hysterical. She was talking a mile a minute to Samantha the entire evaluation. She even showed Samantha how she can do a backbend in the middle of the evaluations. I'm bummed we didn't end up on the same team because she is pure entertainment. 

One of the tests is to individually dribble to the basket and shoot three times. Samantha was okay, not great, not horrible. 

I actually think she may have done better last year. 

First practice for the KNICKS!

Gym practice. 

Thatcher is always tagging along. At least this time he got to bring a friend, Lila. 

Thatcher tried his hardest to get Lila to play basketball with him on the other court but she kept saying, "Basketball isn't for girls." When I dropped her off at home later I told her mom to sign her up for basketball ;) 

More practice and learning to be aggressive. I am just as proud of a steal as I am with a basket. 

And FINALLY, the first game! 

Unfortunately, the other team didn't have enough players which resulted in a forfeit. The Page did end up putting 20 minutes on the clock and we lent the other team players. Any baskets scored by the Knicks on either side counted towards our team so we still had a game, sort-off. 

 As you can see, the game started off with Samantha getting a basketball to the head but she turned it around and made the first basket of the game. ;) 

We had a fun night out with the Knicks team to see the UCSB vs. USC basketball game last month. Samantha. Rio and Charlotte are doubling up with sports right now and doing club soccer team training so we went from soccer to dinner and THEN to the game.

UCSB lost but the girls still had a fun time staying out way too late on a school night. 

Sammy and Charlotte got called down to do the slam dunk contest along with our friends TJ and Cassian Deakyne (Maggie's brothers). The Deakyne's don't miss any Gaucho sport AND they know how to win a slam dunk contest. They put the rest of the participants to shame. Sorry Samantha and Charlotte, you had no chance ;)

Game 2 and not only is Todd the time/scorekeeper BUT the other team showed up! Yay!!!!!!

Samantha has gotten SO aggressive this year. She will wrestle the ball out of the opponents hands or at least try. So proud!

Sam's highlight reel. 

Pep talk from Coach Jules

And guess who else is eligible to play this year?!?! 

Thatcher is making his basketball debut at the YMCA. At the Y, it is less competitive and the referees are VERY lenient on calling fouls and traveling. It's co-ed too so it's fun to see the little girls keep up with the boys. 

Just like Sammy did when she was in kindergarten! 

Now this guy is ready to tear it up on the court. They just had their first practice and games do not start for another week. We don't even have a team name yet!

Thatcher's first practice. 

And just yesterday, the Knicks had their 3rd game and 3rd win so we had a celebratory lunch at Mesa Cafe. I didn't video any of the game and missed Samantha's best basket of all time. She dribbled down the court, did a 360 degree spin and then made a basket. Three cheers for that spin!!! 

Here's how the season is shaping up so far:

Game	Thatcher	Samantha
1		W-2
2		W-4
3		W-4
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
		3 wins, 10 points