Charlottesville Half Marathon

The kids and I are back from our Lynchburg vacation happy, exhausted, and enjoying our final day of Spring Break (hellooooo ten days of school break.  Why couldn’t they have done that when I was little??).  And while Frances and George had a full night of Nana and Pop time, I was able to escape an hour north to meet up with these lovely gals:

Karen, me and Cyndi (short, shorter, shortest)

Karen, Cyndi and I all went to high school together.  And frighteningly enough, I had not seen them since we graduated a mere 19 years ago.  Somehow, however, I look to have aged 19 years and they look exactly the same.  I’m not sure where the justice is in that little fact, but I have a sneaking suspicion my wrinkles have a lot to do with the two rug rats I left behind at my parents’ house that night.

My adorable little youth-zappers

Through Facebook and blogs, the three of us came to realize that after nearly 20 years apart we all enjoyed the same masochistic hobby of running races.  So about six months ago we started planning a race to run together and the Charlottesville Half Marathon hit at just the right time and was just the right distance for us.

The race was tough (hills, hills and more hills) and was by far my slowest 13.1 miles; but the course was incredibly beautiful and it was so much fun to start and end a race surrounded by these two smiling faces.

Post-race!

While we were in the area, we stopped in on another high school friend, Bryce, who had just had her fourth (yes, FOURTH) child.

And now for some complete injustice—how is it that the beautiful blonde has a three-week-old as well as three others?

We had a great time catching up and since we were all frustrated by our times, I’ve made an executive decision that the two of them must come back and run the Richmond Half Marathon sometime in the next year or so.  Fall weather, flat course, 8am start time (as opposed to the 6:30am start of the C’ville Half Marathon!)—how can we not try it again?!

Thanks so much girls for getting together!  Here’s to a November 2014 running reunion!  

Welcome to the jungle

When Frances was between the ages of two and three, she was fascinated by both the circus and the jungle.  She's been to the circus (twice now!), but the jungle remains a mystery.  In fact, she used to compare the vast distance between Richmond and the jungle as similar to the epic drive (2.5 hours) to Lynchburg to see Nana and Pop.  She's always just assumed the jungle and Lynchburg are about the same since nothing can possibly be any further away.

So, in Frances-speak, we are off to the jungle today to soak up a little Lynchburg time!  We'll be back in a few days, but until then I leave you with a song I dedicate to one of my best friends (and best Axl Rose impersonators out there), Brooke.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Happy Opening Day!

Ah, yes; if you can believe it baseball’s opening day has finally arrived and we are in full celebration mode at Casa Homiller (just like 2011 and 2012).  The kids picked out their own outfits this morning before I could clue them in and wouldn’t you know they chose RED and BLUE.  Braves colors.  It’s in the genes, I tell you.

This scene is happening right now—Frances and George are sloooooowly finishing dinner while watching both the Braves v. Phillies game and their father contort himself at nearly every swing of a Braves’ bat.  They are completely fascinated.

If you all love Will (and who doesn’t love Will??) send winning vibes down to Atlanta for the remainder of the season and I’ll do my best to make sure Frances and George continue to sport adorable color-appropriate outfits.

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Easter so far.  We’ve been up since dawn (or earlier) checking out our Easter spoils.

And finding those hidden jellybeans that the Easter Bunny likes to leave around the house.

Two years difference, if you can believe it.

We’re off to brunch and what looks like will be a very rainy, cold Easter egg hunt.  But as long as there is plenty of chocolate and sugar, I know two hunters who won't be phased by the weather.

Make that three hunters.

Happy, happy Easter, everyone!

We have a new baby in the family!

Welcome to the world Claire Elizabeth Heil!

My beautiful mother became a Nana for the 11th time last night.  A big congratulations to my brother Henry, his wife Kerrin, and big sister Maggie.  

Big sister Maggie and Baby Claire.
Clara the doll (beside Maggie) is looking suspiciously lifelike though, isn't she?

We are so excited to have another little girl in the family!  Frances is chomping at the bit to hold that little bundle of joy.  Oh, who am I kidding, I am DYING to hold another little girl.

Can you blame us?

Happy Thursday, everyone!

My Prince Charming

Another (what I assumed to be) ordinary Wednesday and I come down to the kitchen this morning to find this:

Will remembers everything—even the eleventh (!!) anniversary of our first date.  Eleven years ago today was also a Wednesday when Will picked me up in his timeworn Plymouth Valiant.  We headed to dinner at a local Charlottesville restaurant and then caught the rerelease of E.T. (he brought tissues in the event that I’d weep like a baby.  He knew me even then!).  All in all it was a perfect first date followed quickly by a next day phone call and many, many more (a lifetime of) dates and dinners.

We laughed this morning at trying to recreate that first date.  At this stage in our lives I’m lucky enough to make it through dinner awake; there’s no way on earth I could follow that with a movie.  But even a simple meal out with just Will and me feels like a first date all over again—we laugh at each other’s jokes, we hold hands, we appreciate spending those precious minutes together.  It will probably be years until I can make it through dinner and a movie, primarily because of these three warm bodies:

Don’t let their stillness fool you.  I am fairly certain Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was on the TV.

Until then Will, thank you for these last eleven years.  And thank you, thank you, thank you for keeping your dance card empty.  We’ll be out there again in no time!

I love you!  And happy Wednesday, everyone!

This and that

This Saturday, we took a daytrip to Lynchburg to see The Opera on The James’ performance of “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Wolf masks made pre-show.

Frances fell in love with the star of the show and the (much too young) woman who played her grandmother.

Neither of my children would step near the Big Bad Wolf, but I suppose that is a testament to his amazing acting abilities.

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We have a playroom, a sunroom, and a den and all he wants to do is play right where I need to cook.

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A couple of Frances’s recent school art projects that stood out to me:

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So far the score is Squirrel: 2, Lucy: 0.

We’ve even tried putting mineral oil on the post to no avail.  If anyone else has any other brilliant ideas I would love hear.

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Some recent pictures of fabric samples Anne and I have been swapping back and forth long distance for my room updates.

I don’t think we’ll even use any of these (the jury is still out), but this has been such a fun process.

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Finally, today was yet another snow day from school.  In late March.  A week before Easter.

Dear Mother Nature, while your lovely white powder is beautiful to look at, the kids and I might just kill each other if another one of these unintended days off occurs.

You’re a mother; you understand.

Happy Monday, everyone!