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On July 7th (mom’s 54th birthday) I did the Philly Women’s Triathlon with my friend Lauren Nestler. Lauren used to do tri’s years ago with her husband, but it had been some time since she did one. A few months ago we were out getting a drink and decided that we would do this one together. It was so much fun! There were 1600 women registered and the energy was so great – total girl power. The swim was in a pool, the bike was along West River Drive along the Schuylkill River, and the run was around the Japanese House in Fairmount Part. We had beautiful weather.

Here are shots of the three legs:

  • Lauren & I
  • 3rd place in the 40-44 age group!

I ended up doing really – running the fastest mile I’ve run in my life – and ended up taking third place in my age category (40-44)! I was pretty psyched about it!

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For the last few years my good high school friends Sallie and Aleen and I have gotten together for a weekend getaway, just the ladies. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year! This year we ended up at a resort in Clearwater, Florida. The weather was perfect, the drinks were cold, and the conversation was great.

  • Aleen bought us matching shirts, of course!
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On June 15 were both Sophie’s choir concert and Lauren’s ballet recital. And they were of course at the same time! We split up with Mom, Kathy, and me heading to Lauren’s show and Dad and the Daves heading to Sophie’s show. But it ended up working out well – for the moms at least, because Lauren was the 4th group to dance, so we snatched her up right afterward, jumped in an Uber, and headed up Broad Street to Temple Performing Arts Center, where Sophie’s group was just starting. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect!

  • Striking a post before leaving the their respective theaters
  • The whole fam

Here are a few shots of Lauren’s dance:

And a few of Sophie’s concert.

  • Sophie is 5th from the right in the front row
  • With her friend Sarah
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The school year has finally come to an end!

Lauren had her kindergarten graduation on June 7th and Sophie had another week of school before she was done on June 14th. The graduation was held in the church that Lauren’s preschool is attached to. It’s a beautiful church and a lovely setting for a graduation.

  • Lauren getting her “degree” from her teacher Kiernan
  • The kindergartners sang for everyone…
  • and danced!
  • Lauren, Teagan (twinsie) and Kiernan
  • The 3 Amigos: Norah, Teagan, and Lauren

After the graduation we headed over to Sophie’s school (soon to be Lauren’s too) where the science fair was happening. Sophie spent the last few weeks working hard on her project discovering why Mentos and Coke explode when combined. And the work was worth it because she won first place!

  • The scientist and her board

And then it was finally Sophie’s last day of school, which was pajama day.

Last day of 3rd grade!

Note the blue tape on the floor. We’re finally getting the kitchen redone. Where Sophie is standing will be a center island. The upfront process has taken some time as we’re removing a weight bearing wall and the house is over 100 years old, so there are a lot of surprises behind those walls. Hoping that we can get it done in time to host Christmas again this year!

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Dave and I decided to do another triathalon in Rock Hall. We did one at the end of September (my first) and it was a lot of fun. We stuck with the sprint distance, which is a 1/2 mile swim, 16 mile bike ride, and a 5K run. This was Dave’s first race since injuring his foot back in January. He did great, beating his time from September. I trained a lot for it and also beat my time from September by 10 minutes! That also put me in 3rd place for my age group, which was 40-44 (they made us compete as the age we will be at the end of the year), so I got to stand on the podium!

  • Pre-race photo op
  • transition from the swim to the bike
  • 3rd place in the 40-44 age group

A few months ago the Sharp’s bought a new sailboat and after the race the new name was put on: Kind of Blue. It’s a Catalina 42, which is a good bit bigger than their previous boat, Stolen Moments.

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On May 30th it’ll be Dave and my 15 year wedding anniversary! We don’t typically do much of anything for our anniversary, but this year we decided to take a short trip. We’re also both turning 40 this year, so it just feels a bit more significant all together. We decided on South Beach – we’ve both never been there, it’s a quick direct flight, and nice and warm. We had a blast! The weather was beautiful, the people are insane, and there’s great food. We enjoyed it all (although Dave will tell you it was all a bit too much for him).

It seems to be the town of selfies, so we got in the spirit ourselves.

We spent one afternoon in a neighborhood called Wynwood Walls, which was previously a blighted area and was recently (relatively) developed into a hipster/artsy neighborhood. We ate some amazing ice cream at a place called Dasher & Crank and saw some very impressive graffiti and large format art, including an exhibition of Kobra, whom I love.

And then we did what I guess you do in South Beach – lay by the pool, drink straight from a coconut, listen to amazing latin jazz, and meet ladies who juggle fire at a bar late at night.

It was a lot of fun and felt much longer than just three days (just long enough I think). The icing on the cake was getting upgraded to first class on the way home. One of the few perks of Dave’s crazy travel schedule.

For a quick blast from the past, please enjoy this! Look at those babies!

Here’s to the next 15!

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Summer is almost here! The girls are wrapping up their school year activities with end of the year celebrations.

Lauren took her last kindergarten field trip to the Japanese House in Fairmount. Each month the kindergarteners took a different trip and this one was sort of the culmination. They learned all about Japan for about two weeks and then experienced it for themselves at the House.

Sophie had an art show of the different works that she did at the Narberth Handwork Studio. She took a fiber arts course where she sewed some pillows and a sewing machine class where she made a skirt. She loved that one so much she’ll be heading to a fashion camp this summer.

And Sophie also had her first Girl Scouts camping trip. Her troop went to a camp ground about an hour from our house where they earned badges hiking, learning how to use a compass, cooking dinner, and learning about nature. Dave was a chaperone… and Lauren and I slept wonderfully in our beds at home 😉

Sophie also did a program called Girls on the Run this spring, where, for two days each week for an hour and a half each day, she learned to run as well as did a lot of girl empowerment activities. The culmination was a 5K in May. She needed to have a running buddy with her so that was me. It was a hot day and she was tired, but we did it in 48 minutes. She was really proud of herself when it was done, and so were we. We can also definitely say she is not the runner in this family – at least not at the moment.

A few days later I ran in the Philly Broad Street Run, which is a 10 mile race. This was the 6th time I’ve done it and I got a personal best time, with a time of 1:22:55! It rained the whole race, but wasn’t that cold, so not so bad.

And finally Dave and I got dressed up for a black tie fundraiser for Temple University Trauma Center. We were invited as guests of the Gift of Life Family House, a board that I sit on.

Still up – Lauren’s spring ballet recital and Sophie’s spring choir concert – which are of course are at the exact same time in just a few weeks. We’re going to have to draw straws to decide who goes to which.

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This year’s spring break was pretty low key, and it was also really nice. We did a tour of the Mid-Atlantic – visiting the Townsends in Maryland, staying a few days with my family in Virginia, and then ending the week in Rock Hall with the Sharps.

We stayed with the Townsends in their new house, which is beautiful. All three girls get along really well, but Bella and Lauren are especially close.

Bella and Lauren playing dress up

Then we hit the road down to Charlottesville where we stayed for a few days. The weather was mostly beautiful and we took full advantage spending a lot of time outside.

Ari and the girls also get along really well, especially Ari and Lauren who are only a year apart.

  • On the Lawn at UVa
  • On top of Wilde Rock in Crozet

We spent the last few days of the week in Rock Hall, where the weather was beautiful and we were able to hit the beach one day, and where I also neglected to take any pictures.

And we ended the week off with Easter brunch at Torresdale with the Sharps, Zoe, and Elliott.

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On April 1 we celebrated Benson’s 13th birthday! While he’s slowed down a bit in the last few months, he’s still got some spunk in him. He got a bone that made him do his new bone dance and a cake shaped cookie that he devoured.

The birthday boy!

He spent most of the weekend doing what he does best…

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Every year Lauren’s school, Bala House Montessori, has an event called the International Dinner. It’s a pot luck where families are asked to bring a dish that represents their cultural heritage and then the kids give a singing performance where they sing about world peace and loving each other. It’s very cute.

The kindergartners are the “hosts” and sit at the table to check people in and ask for donations. Afterward the kids use the donated money to purchase animals for villages in need through Heifer International.

  • Lauren and her friends collecting donations at the door

Lauren on stage with the other kindergarteners singing their songs. She decided to dress in her unicorn outfit, because as we all know, the Sharp’s are actually descendants of the unicorn.

Unrelated to the International Dinner, but still worth adding so that we can look back at this post some day and remember, Lauren has moved onto a new favorite ensemble, seen here. Over the last year she has decided that she has one outfit or one piece of clothing that she loves, and wants to wear nothing else. She wears it until it’s full of holes and need to official retire into the trashcan. Right now this is the outfit, complete with the boots. It’s magical and amazing, just like Lauren.

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