Tutu's for Peru 5k + beer

Lesley and I did a 5k race in tutu's!





Mavie tried one out, too.





The proceeds of the race helped send middle school girls to Peru to help their peers deal with low self-esteem issues. It was a blast to see all the creative tutu's. Mine has lights that twinkled, you can kind of see the sparkles in this pic.

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Superhero 5k

Jill and I dressed as Captain America for the Superhero 5K.





This will be my last time running in a cape. It was choking me and the wind was tangling it around my arms or the people behind/next to me!





But we did it! It was really fun to see adults and kids dressed up and running. We'll definitely do this one again next year.

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Pierogi Party

The first time was such a success, last year, we decided to do it again!


The trivia crew gathered at Anne's place, and we made a million pierogies!


And drank several bottles of wine while doing so!


We made potato and cheese, sauerkraut, mushroom, blueberry, and pumpkin pierogies. Everyone took home about 10 Ziploc bags!

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Happy 12th Birthday Sheba!

Sheba got a puffin for her birthday! It's one of those Audubon birds that has an actual recording inside. She, as you might imagine, already adores it!


So much so, that she had a nap outside in the yard. Sweet girl!

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Insane Inflatable 5k

A new race came to Jet Blue Park in Ft. Myers- think bounce house meets American Ninja Warrior. So we formed a team of 9, plus a photographer, and made shirts with our team name: Lagerheads (as in beer-drinking Loggerhead sea turtles).


The starting line was crazy busy, we were in the second of 10 heats.


The beginning of the race was a pretty basic 5K course.


We stay together as a pack.


It was really fun to have our own paparazzi, Nick was at every turn snapping photos.


The obstacles were bounce houses tough enough for adults!


This balance obstacle was not easy.


It looked way easier than it was, just like on TV. I definitely got some carpet burn on my knees and elbows here.


I thought maybe sliding would be faster than bounce-running, but it wasn't slippery, so my feet went over my head!


There was a giant climbing wall…


With a huge slide on the other side. Next time I will wear pants… I got major rug burn on the buns!


We finished! No major injuries!


And everyone got a medal!


Afterwards, we celebrated Jill's 42nd birthday with beer at the Jackie Robinson Memorial. Fitting!

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Sofa re-arrangement

I decided to rearrange the living room to give Sheba more carpeted area to walk on. She slips so much on tile, and the carpet is softer when she falls.


The dogs absolutely love the added space!


I can't keep them off of the rug!


Here is an old pic of the way it was for the past 5 years. It feels like a totally different space!

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SCS band

We are groupies! This venue was quite a hole in the wall, but we were in it together. And there was cheap beer!


Andy plays the drums for this band. Their acronym stands for Serious Country Stuff, although I would describe them more as southern rock than country.

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Brewery & Buggies

First great idea of the day: ride bikes to the brewery!


Second great idea of the day: join friends at swamp buggy races!


Third great idea of the day: Frisbee fries (fresh-cut french fries, served on a Frisbee!)

These Jeeps have snorkels to keep the engine running while they completely submerge.  My video cut off before they got that deep, but it's still kind of cool to watch.

This race is for actual swamp buggies (homemade machines) that move really fast. Its a family thing, where the dad wins for years and then trains the son to keep up the tradition.

As crazy as it is for a place as fancy as Naples, the swamp buggy race is of those things that only happens a few times a year, and is guaranteed to be a good time.

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Kayak season celebration!

Part of my responsibilities at work are to oversee the ecotour program. There's no way it would be successful without the help of a really great group of volunteers. So each year, we organize a celebration and boat out to a barrier island in the Reserve at sunset. Everyone brings a dish to share and favorite libations. It's something we all look forward to after a long season!

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Pet birthdays!

Happy birthday Otis (14) and Maverick (13)!


O celebrated with Rosie and flower petals.


While M celebrated with Sister Sheba in the sunshine.  Love them!

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