Success!

The Start.

Last Sunday, Little Sprout participated in the local DuRunRun (Run/Bike/Run duathlon) to raise funds for Special Olympics. Her goal wasn't to be first, it was to finish. And to have fun getting to the finish line.

The Finish.

Perhaps those are goals we all could embrace.

Won't Be The Last

And certainly isn't the first of these I've read.

Almost home.

Too young.

Too soon.

Too much.

Friday Five: Thankfulness List

For the RevGalsBlogPals, MaryBeth writes
Welcome to the Friday Five!

This one is going to be veeeery simple: List at least five things (people, places, graces, miracles...) for which you are thankful. You may elaborate as you wish, or keep it simple.

Hat tip to Princess Mindy for the idea. Oh...and if you know The Veggie Tales' hit "Thankfulness Song," please hum it as you post.

1. Poker. I like to watch it on TV, especially the World Series of Poker.
   
2. Poker Chips. They make a great reward system, that actually seems to be working. After you collect a few, you exchange them for a reward activity. Little Sprout gets Red and Blue ones for doing things. She gives me white ones for exercising.
   
3. Exercise. I really do enjoy it. Didn't exercise all through summer, but I'm looking forward to Autumn walks as the new season begins.
   
4. New beginnings at a new church.
   
5. Church friends, new & old. And those we have yet to meet.
6. Meetings. No.
   

Another Reason to Avoid Fast Food

First some background info about me:

• I have a six year old daughter.
  
• I do not wear makeup.
• I do not color my hair. It has enough gray sprinkled in to be noticeable but you can definitely tell the original color.
• I haven't been sleeping well this week so I may look tired. Still I don't have any noticeable wrinkles.
  
• I have another birthday coming up in about 3 weeks. But I won't be fifty for two more years!
  

Today included a trip to the park to practice for Little Sprout's first DuRunRun, a bike/run event to raise money for Special Olympics. After that we were headed to the library, but I decided to stop for one of those cheery kids meals to replace some of the calories Little Sprout had expended on the loop around the park. I ordered from the dollar menu. A small soft drink.

She ate most of her meal. I snitched a few fries. I looked down at the receipt.
I still can barely believe what I read:

SNR soft drink $ .49

I'm pretty sure that does not stand for Sexy Neighborhood Resident...

So I saved 51 cents and lost all the self-esteem I had been able to collect this morning.

Those Purple Things

Or beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

The local library has been having a month long Civil War series of displays and events. This past weekend there was a Civil War encampment and battle re-enactment at the nearby park.

I knew Little Sprout wouldn't appreciate the history behind the event, but I thought she might like to see the tents, soldiers and ladies in costume, cannons, horses, campfires, etc. We decided to go early and avoid the actual battle scheduled for the afternoon.

She brought her camera along and we first visited the Confederate camp. Usually Darling Hubby (UDH) and I were pointing out all the photo opportunities. She took photos of a few things but seemed frustrated by our suggestions.

"I wanna take a picture of the purple things!"

"What purple things?" I asked, looking around the camp.

"Over there, across the field."

UDH & I laughed.

We trudged off towards the Union camp. About halfway there, the perfect photo was captured.