Diablo Trails Challenge



Courtesy of Brazen Racing



So running has definitely become a family affair.  This past weekend was no exception.  Emma and Sophie love trail runs, and the latest Brazen Racing race was on a trail we are very familiar with:  Castle Rock Regional Park.  This is only 10 minutes from the house and was a very fun 5K (3.1 miles) for the family.

Myles got to spend time with his best friend Sawyer and went out in service.  We braved the rain (the rainiest day of the year) and set out.





Now, there is not enough to say on what a first rate operation Brazen Racing is.  It really made the difference in what could have been a challenging day.  The course crossed several creeks, out and back and it was very muddy.  But extremely fun!!!!  Emma and I started off at starting line.  Beth and Sophie started in the middle of the pack.  My goal was to run enough ahead of Emma so that if the creeks were too deep I could help here across.  No problem there.  The girls were such troopers.  They slopped through the mud and crashed through the creeks. 

I don't know any kids that have so much determination. Both of them bested there other 5k trail run times, even with the challenging conditions.

After all was said and done, Brazen Racing and the Save Mt. Diablo group provided a wonderful BBQ.  It was cold and wet, but you couldn't erase the smiles on the girls.

District Science Fair and Alameda

On Saturday, Emma represented the third grade at Woodside Elementary in the District wide Science fair.  So proud of her.  The fair occurred Saturday morning, so Myles, Sophie and I dropped Beth and Emma off.  Emma did real well, and won a dinner for the family where she will have to present her science project to the Fair sponsors.

After,  we went to Alameda for a run / bike ride.  This was Sophie's first bike ride in Alameda and loved every minute of it.  The weather was perfect; however, Beth and I were tired from taking care of the puppy the past week, so we only got 9 miles in.

Myles had great fun, looking at the flowers and the sea life. 

It is just a really nice place to spend as a family.

Trampolines, Brakes, and Rotors

Well, the last couple of days were rather different. First, we had a couple introduce Beth and I to Airobics, which is aerobics on trampolines.  Second, after 42 years, I learned how to change the brakes and replace the rear rotors on our car.....

First, we were invited to go with a couple in our hall to Sky High for Airobics.   This place is awesome.  The kids went over to the kids area and jumped around then moved over to a jump pit.  This jump bit was made up of three trampolines followed by a pit of foam blocks.  We could see them the whole time and they never took a break.  Later they played dodge ball on trampolines!!!!

Beth and I as well as Matt and Sabrina joined the class.  Basically the class consists of different exercises on the trampoline and lasts for 55 minutes.  It was pretty fun as you jumped around with twenty other people following the instructor.  It was extremely enjoyable.

Second, I have to say I have really needed to have the brakes done on the car.  I mean when you hear the grinding sound, it is never good.  I was talking with our neighbor and he offered to show me how to change the brakes.  This is the same neighbor that Myles ran into the back of his trucks tailgate,  he still feels pretty bad about that.  He has done race cars and his own vehicles, so I was pretty confident he could show me what to do.

Now I had gone online to see how simple it was and talked with workmates that were in the know (I mean I work for AAA so there are "experts" everywhere) and got scared off.  Now having one car and really not trusting repair shops, and having a tight budget, I kept putting it off.  This is probably something I should have learned years ago; however, I was spoiled having a father who owned a tire and auto repair shop.  It is finally catching up to me.


So when the neighbor offered, I quickly agreed.  We had the front brakes off and replaced within 30 minutes. In fact we also rotated the tires in the process. 

The rear brakes were a different.  We quickly realized we had to replace the rotors.  No problem.  Took those off, replaced the brakes in another 45 minutes.  After we were done, tested, retested, then retested the brakes again and they were solid.  The noise was gone and I could have peace of mind again.

I am extremely appreciative of the time that our neighbor took and now I know what to do!!!  Thank you.

New Addtion to the Family

Well, we have a new member of the family.  King Kona Kamoamoa!!  He is a lovely miniture schnauzer, very spry and active.  Of course we call him Kona for short.

To make the transition to the new home a positive instead of the negative (the landlord was foreclosed on), we said that we were moving to the new house so that we could get a puppy.  Beth and I had a schanuzer when we lived in Washington and love the breed.

The kids have wanted a dog for years.  With a brief stint with a kitten in Georgia and alligator lizard from last year, this is there first official pet.  I grew up with many dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, fish, birds, chickens, and hermit crabs (no reptiles) so I am happy that they can have a dog.

If you are not familiar with the schnauzer, they are a beautiful breed.  Very intelligent and active.  They love to run and play and are full of personality.  His parents were of wonderful temperment.

We are so happy to have him as part of the family!!!