Firsts In Pictures

During the past two weeks, I've experienced a few enjoyable firsts like...


1) Running a 10K! My mom, Brian, and I ran our first 10K on Thanksgiving morning. This was us prior to the Run to Feed the Hungry. (Too bad we didn't take a picture afterward; my mom and I were simply glowing! Ha-ha!)

After completing the Four Bridges Half Marathon Relay in October, Brian, my mom and I made plans to run the 10K on Thanksgiving. But then I got sick, and Brian got sick, which meant that we didn't put in as much treadmill time as we had hoped. The day before the run, we decided to switch to the 5K run. As we've done for many years, the morning of the run, we parked at Starbuck's Coffee and walked to the starting line area. Technically, the 5K runners and the 10K runners lined up in the same spot, but anyone running the 10K run was to start at 8:45 a.m.; the 5K runners started later at 9:05 a.m. As the clock neared 8:45 a.m. and the three of us stood waiting in the street amid a sea of people, I threw out an idea, "Hey, why don't we just go for it? Why don't we run the 10K?" I think my mom thought I was nuts. And my husband gave me that "Are you crazy?!" look. But I continued, "Worse case scenario, we'll just have to walk some of it, right?!" I could tell that my mom and Brian weren't quite convinced, but I felt good that morning. Really good. And I surely didn't want to finish the 5K and wonder if we could have done the 10K. So, I twisted their arms a bit more and they reluctantly agreed. Minutes later, we were off and running.

We were running six miles for a really good cause, though! We were among 28,000+ people who walked or ran in the Run to Feed the Hungry that day, raising more than $800,000 for the Sacramento Food Bank.


2) Last Friday, my fourth graders and I took a field trip to Effie Yeaw Nature Center, which is located inside Ancil Hoffman County Park in Carmichael. I'd never been there before (and neither had any of my kids), but we had a great time! (I was so exhausted afterward, though, that I fell asleep on the couch at 7:00 p.m. that night.)

Anyway, when we arrived at the park, I taught my students three nature games. Here's two of my students engaged in the Salmon Slalom game. (Just FYI: I have parent permission to use the student's photos online.)


The fourth grader on the left is the salmon who is trying to snag some food (a bottle cap), while the girl on the right (the fisherwoman) is trying to "catch" her.


Same game, but here the salmon is trying to grab a bottle cap while two bears (the kids on their knees) try to catch her.


After the games and lunch, we walked over to the Nature Center, where our guides showed us a number of live animals, including owls, snakes, and turtles. We even saw this garter snake up close and the kids were given a chance to touch it. (Not me, though; I don't do snakes!)


The kids also learned more about consumers (both primary and secondary), producers, and decomposers--all material right out of the 4th grade science standards!


Next up, we headed out for a guided nature walk, where we saw lots of deer, wild turkeys, and squirrels frolicking in the grasslands. Up in the trees, we watched (and heard) acorn woodpeckers hard at work. In the sky, we saw turkey vultures circling nearby.

If you're looking for a family field trip of sorts, check out the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. It's open Monday through Sunday and admission to the center is FREE! For more information, click on the link above or call (916) 489-4918.


3) This past Saturday, my mom and I had the opportunity to perform in the hilarious interactive play, Sister's Christmas Catechism, which is currently playing at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret in downtown Sacramento. Along with seven other members of Joyful Noize (our church choir), we sang Christmas carols before and during the show. I don't want to give away too much of the play, but suffice it to say, it was a hoot! (In fact, my face and belly hurt from laughing so much!)

And don't you just love the headbands we donned?!

Sister's Christmas Catechism runs from now until January 3, 2010. If you're interested in seeing this incredibly entertaining Christmas play, buy your tickets now and enjoy the show!

P.S. Just mention "Repeat Discount" when ordering your tickets and receive $5 off the price of each ticket.