Moran Family Fun

WARNING: Picture heavy post!  Way back in July when we first looked at our home I felt as if it was pretty much finished, or move in ready, or whatever else you might like say to describe a home that doesn't require any work to make it nice. Once we actually started living in the house in early September we realized there were actually quite a few things that we'd like to change or that needed updating. I guess a thirty minute walk through isn't really enough time to adequately notice every little thing that might require some attention. We're getting better at spotting what things were just quickly, and often not very carefully, done by the previous owners before they put the house on the market. One room that was high on my list was the downstairs bathroom.  It's definitely a hodgepodge of a room without any matching fixtures, only primer on the walls, and a toilet that's constantly running and uses about 8 gallons of water per flush.  Unfortunately, our ...

We took a long Easter weekend and traveled to Pennsylvania for a combined birthday, running, conference, Easter, game playing, house cleaning weekend with the Kennedy family! We arrived Thursday evening and got right to celebrating Jared's birthday a second time.  I know it is traditional to have cake and then open presents, but we switched things up and opened presents first. The last time we visited John and Larisa they searched their house for an old iPhone to give to Jared. I don't think Jared minds his flip phone but they really wanted him to have something updated. In the end they couldn't find one at their house but Rebecca, their daughter in law, had just upgraded her phone and very generously offered to send her old phone out for Jared. Larisa and John outfitted it with a sweet Red Sox case and a new charger and Jared joined the ranks of smart phone owners! After presents we headed out for dinner at Texas Roadhouse; you're never too old to sit on the saddle ...

While the girls slept in John, Mark, Jared, Larisa and I headed out to run the Dirty Kiln Trail Race. John did the half marathon while the rest of us ran the five mile loop. It's called the Dirty Kiln because of some old kilns along the course and because the course is a wet, muddy slog.  There were a few paved stretches near the end but for most of the race we were treated to at least ankle deep mud, a couple of stream crossings, and what felt like a never ending uphill section that was really only suited for mountain goats. Pre-race. We're still smiling because we have no idea what is waiting for us on the course! Well, we had a little clue from the race map. All those warning triangles should have made me much more nervous than they did but I was just so happy to be going on an adventure with my friends that I really didn't think about it too much! Once the starting gun went off Jared and Mark were off and Larisa and I trailed far, far behind. We could still...

Jared had a birthday, shout hooray! We were lucky enough to have Jared home for his entire birthday this year. He had taken some time off work and the girls were enjoying their spring break so we had the whole day together. Any day we can spend together as a family is a great one so adding a birthday to the fun makes for an amazing day! We started off the day with steak and eggs, the breakfast Jared has been asking me to make him for the last eighteen plus years. For his forty-first birthday, that wish finally came true!  The eggs were yummy but the steak wasn't so great; next time we'll go with a better cut of meat. The rest of the day was spent mostly being lazy with a little bit of bathroom renovation throw in for good measure. Jared really is the best - I don't know of any other person who would be willing to spend part of their birthday setting up sawhorses, cutting baseboard, and listening to their wife complain about the mess all that work brings without doi...

At the end of January Jared was tasked with coordinating a Dining Out for the Security Forces Group at Andrews Air Force Base.  A Dining Out is a formal military dinner that is meant to bring members in the unit closer together. The group commander wanted the dinner to be held at the end of March, giving Jared two months to put together a formal military dinner. In an ideal world you'd have about six months to plan a Dining Out. The accelerated schedule meant that the last two months have been crazy for Jared at work because he's been taking care of his regular work responsibilities AND scrambling to get everything lined up for the big formal dinner.  The big night finally arrived and everything turned out great! I don't often get to see Jared in action at work and I just have to say that he is really impressive. Seriously it was a great night and a lot of fun for me and lucky Abigail who got to tag along for the evening.  A dining out is an interesting event wit...