Tag Archives: g-ma

My Birthday Weekend and Baby’s First Brewery

Well, it happened, I’m another decade. No more starting with a “2” to enter my age, now it’ll be a big “three-oh.”

I keep thinking I see gray hairs now, but Kelley just laughs telling me I’m crazy/paranoid. Secretly, I think she’s thinking, “Oh crap, those are gray!” Oh well, I’ve come to terms and am learning to embrace the thirties; and hey, at least it’s not the forties!

My birthday weekend was off to a “winning” start when Avery and I placed first overall in a small 5k run.

Avery and Daddy_5k Race Finish

After the race, we headed to a unique restaurant called Brewed that offers local food, coffee, and beer, and an atmosphere that would fit perfectly in Colorado. To us, that’s a good thing, we love Colorado and it’s health-focused environment!

I’ve mentioned before how I am averse to eating out as I am keen on knowing exactly how my food is prepared and want to keep it healthy, so I didn’t expect to eat there. I did see a tasty egg white omelet option, but I have those every day and don’t need to pay $8 for someone else to make it. I know, I’m a fun guy to go out with, huh? You know who else is? This guy….

Sorry, I crack myself up every time with this one!

So, I just ordered an Americano after the waiter promised to give me free refills of their drip coffee. Kelley ordered the egg white entrée and since it included mushrooms, she just requested those be left on the side and kept raw for me to enjoy. Yes, I love mushrooms!

Since I was the non-eater of the group, I held Avery most of the time so everyone else could eat. She was a little squirmy, nothing new, but we made the most of it.

Avery on dad's head_smiling_brewed

Since she’s so cute, I couldn’t keep her all to myself and she made her rounds at the table. While G-ma was holding her, Paul took a picture of Kelley and me since we thought the curtains made a great background. What do you think?

R.C. and Kelley_Brewed

Isn’t she beautiful? That guy in the picture…he’s pretty damn lucky!

The ultimate plan for the day was to visit a small, local brewery called Martin House Brewery, but it didn’t open until later in the afternoon so we had time to burn. We were right next to downtown Forth Worth and decided we’d check out the new (to us) area. I think the “new” things have been around for some time now, but since we don’t get out much (by choice), we haven’t seen it before.

We mainly wanted to see the new splash pad in the center of downtown and headed there first. Our initial thought was that we could let Avery get in there a little bit, but we soon realized the shooting water would be too much right now. So we just stood in front of it for a picture.

Avery and Daddy_Splash Park FW

Not sure what that look on my face is all about; I think I was talking. Meh, oh well. The sun was beaming down on us and with the buildings blocking any breeze, sweat was seeping through our pores like they were tiny faucets. Luckily, we found a nice shaded area to sit down and kill time until we were ready to head off to the brewery. Paul enjoyed a little Avery time as she grabbed at his face in curiosity.

Avery Grabbing Paul's Face

Finally, it was time to head out, so we journeyed back to our parking spots and drove maybe 5 miles to the brewery. They had just opened when we arrived which made for a quick entrance and kept us from standing in the sun. It cost $10 to receive their beer glass and a bracelet allowing 3 drinks.

Kelley was the designated babywearer and driver, so she didn’t have to pay. G-ma, Paul, and I all got our glass and had our first round poured in no time; refreshing!

Mom, Paul, RC_Martin House

Of course, since I just ran that morning and only had several cups of coffee, three beers would’ve put me way under, so I shared with Kelley. Besides that, I’m not the drinker I was in college, which saves a lot of money and my health, so it doesn’t take much anyway.

Within a few sips I was already feeling nice and warm…..oh wait, that’s because it’s Texas and almost Summer! But I was feeling good, and I think it shows in this picture with Kelley and Avery.

R.C. and Kelley_Martin House

G-ma let Kelley borrow her glass so she didn’t look out of place in the picture. Ummm, Kelley, I think you were the only one wearing a baby, so too late dear!

The beer was great and I’ll be buying several of their brews soon. As expected, it was loud inside the brewery with live music and groups of people trying to talk over one another, but that didn’t keep Avery from sleeping soundly.

Kelley and Avery_Martin House

How do they do that?

3 beers and several samples later, and I was feeling good, maybe too good. I was ready to leave as were the rest of us, so we said our goodbyes G-ma and Paul and headed back home.

I fully enjoyed my day with the ones I love and always wish it would last longer. We just need to remember to cherish the “now” and not worry so much about the past and future. I’m the worst about this and need to remind myself every day to calm down.

The day after, Sunday, was my actual birthday and it was spent with Kelley and Avery at home most of the day. I meant to share this day with you, but right now I have a baby calling my name (slash crying) and must tend to her needs. I’ll share the rest of my birthday weekend tomorrow….I think.

Do you celebrate birthdays for more than just one day?

Do you ever get caught up worrying too much about what’s to come or what happened in the past?

By the Time You Read This, We’ll Be Finished

It’s the night before my first race with Avery and I should probably be sleeping. But instead, I’m sitting down in my running shorts while eating and writing this post.

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Yep, my nightly big salad with a mix of kale, Brussels sprouts, salmon, broccoli, jicama, pumpkin seeds, and mustard and salsa for dressing. The perfect pre 5k meal! Hey, it worked for my 10k the other week.

So, ummm, yeah, like the title says, this will have posted 30 minutes after the start of the race and I’m fairly confident I will be done well before 30 minutes. Hopefully Avery is good and enjoys the ride!

Today is the eve of my 30th birthday, and my mom (G-ma) and her boyfriend, Paul, are meeting us at the race for a fun day together. We are going to a new restaurant called Brewed that serves local fare and then heading to a local brewery, Martin House Brewery.

Seems weird, huh? A guy who despises eating out and normally just shares a beer with his wife is doing this for his birthday? Well, it helps that Brewed serves local food and fair trade coffee and I’m still a fan of craft beer and will happily have a few of for a special occasion! I’ll probably skip on the food and just enjoy some good coffee; then head to the brewery for beer.

Hmmm, coffee then beer; I’m sure I won’t be going pee a lot….NOT! Oh well, despite my aversion to restaurants, it’ll be in good company and I’m sure we’ll all have a great time. Of course, Avery will have the final say on that!

Who me? I'm always good....
Who me? I’m always good….

I don’t ever get to a “buzzed” feeling often since I hardly have much alcohol when I drink because I can’t justify it’s non-nutritive contribution to my body. Yep, I’m serious. But for my 30th, since Kelley is offering to hold off and drive home, maybe I’ll have *gasp* 2 or 3 beers! Hey, that’s a lot for this lightweight!

I don’t want to be an alcoholic dad, and I’m perfectly fine with just sipping some good stuff every now and then. Enough with the drink talk though, I’m just thinking in the future at this point, so I’ll fill you in early next week.

For now, I should probably get some rest before our “big” race tomorrow. I’ll leave with one of my favorite pictures of Avery this week; her smile makes me grin every time and flushes away any stress I may have.

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There were about 10 carrots around here just a minute before this picture. She didn’t eat them, but strategically hid them in various places….the floor, her lap, her diaper (seriously), and behind her.

Any special plans for the weekend?

Do you ever go places you usually don’t enjoy but when you’re with your loved ones it’s okay?

1st and 2nd Place and Our Daughter Feeds Her Face

Rhyming, it just comes naturally as a parent, don’t you think?

So, um, wow, the weekend is gone! Going Mom had four days off and now they’re all gone; what happened?! I guess that’s what happens when you’re having fun….

On that note, Kelley, G-Ma, Avery, and I had a fun and exciting Memorial Day. The day started not bright (because the sun wasn’t up) and early as we had to get ready to head to my last 10k race in my twenties. Kelley actually had to wake Avery up for a change, but she didn’t protest about it at all! I would’ve lost that bet.

It was a cloud-covered morning with a light rain at the race, and it didn’t let up until after everyone finished running. I, for one, happen to love running in the rain as long as it’s not cold, so the conditions were perfect to me. We arrived a little early, so I just hung out with my beautiful support crew for a while.

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Luckily, my concern about using the bathroom before the start was never an issue and I was “relieved”! I don’t know, do you think I was just a little too excited about this?

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Maybe I was, but it’s better than being really bummed, true?

The race started with both the 5k and 10k runners at the same time, and then we split about 2.5 miles out. I had a great pace to start with and was able maintain it through the finish. I really had not clue how I would do since I only had a few solo runs and the rest have been with Avery in the stroller and our dog, Abby.

I didn’t say it out loud, but my goal was to finish in under 40 minutes, and I just barely made it with a time of 39:59.7! Holy crap, it’s hard to get any closer than that! With an average pace of 6:26/mile, I surprised myself and am very happy with my time. My wonderful and supporting wife, mother, and daughter were at the finish to cheer me on which helped give me that extra push.

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I was maxed out at that point! A big thanks to my wife for snapping this action shot! My time put me 1st in my age group, 25 to 29, and 2nd overall. It wasn’t a huge race, but I’m still proud and feel good about it being my last solo race before getting bumped to the 30 to 34 bracket.

Even though I was gassed, I knew I had to get my daily dose of 30 burpees in while I was still warmed up, so I found a spot on the sidewalk and went to work. Thanks again to Kelley for capturing the moment.

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Then, probably against her will since I was still sweaty, I posed for a picture with my beautiful mom.

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It took forever for all of the awards to be announce, but finally they got to the 10k runners and announced my name. I brought Avery with me and she was given the medal for placing.

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She deserves it for being such and awesome baby the whole day! Love our little girl!

Speaking of awesome, our little girl is catching on to eating solids more and more each day. I just posted about her first actual consumption and how I had to “help” by holding the food to her mouth, but now she’s using her own hands!

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This was on Sunday before G-Ma arrived to witness what I thought would take forever! But, without my assistance this time, she brought both broccoli and carrot to her mouth and actually ate a little of both!

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And, as we all know, along with the consumption of solids, comes the ejection of poop! Avery blessed us twice with the confirmation of her new food groups and needless to say, I installed our diaper sprayer posthaste. Now I finally get to put our Spray Pal through its first test! I’ll let you know how it goes soon!

Since G-Ma missed out on Avery eating on Sunday, we decided to try another BLW moment after we arrived home from the race. I’d say she’s definitely getting the hang of it now; look at that firm grasp on the broccoli and her delicate bite into the floret. Attagirl!!

Avery eating broccoli

Good things happening around here! It’s sad when a great weekend has to end, but I know there will be many more great times ahead! Times like spraying a poopy diaper for the first time……or something like that. :/

Okay, I’ll leave it at that for today. Hope everyone enjoyed an extra day off and made sure to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Have a great day!

Any plans for a race of your own yet? Do you even care?

I’m still being stubborn and don’t want anything too sweet, but any suggestions on what to try feeding Avery next?