Broad Street

It’s been a busy spring, as always! But a lot of fun stuff. First up was the Gift of Life 5K that a combination of Dave, Lauren and I have done for the last several years. This year it was just Lauren and me because Dave was out of town. She killed it – placing 2nd in the 15 and under division!

Next up was the Rock Hall sprint tri – which was the same weekend as our wedding anniversary (21 years!). This time Dave got a podium finish!! We both placed 2nd in our age group and got to stand up on the podium together – awwww 😉

We also ran the Broad Street Run, meeting up with Justin at the end. This was the first year in a while the weather actually cooperated. It threatened the rain, but never did, thank goodness. A personal fave for both of us.

The girls both had their end of year concerts – Sophie for the Philadelphia Girls Choir, at Temple Performing Arts. Emma Devine is in the choir this year, so it was fun to see her up on stage as well.

And Lauren had her spring band concert. Sadly (for me, not her) her last because she is not doing band in 7th grade. They were impressive, as always. Next year she’ll be in the middle school choir.

Two other happenings worth mentioning – the family came up for a quick visit and to see Sophie’s choir concert – and this pic of Lauren and Ari is just too cute not to post.

And shortly after the Gift of Life 5K, Lauren broke her toe, and had to wear a boot for 4 weeks. She took it in stride, blinging up the boot – and was a very happy camper when it finally came off!

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It’s been a packed spring with races, performances and various end of year activities.

Lauren and I did a 5K race for Gift of Life, called the Donor Dash. And Lauren killed it. She came in 3rd in her age group of 15 and under. We’ve got a star runner in the making!

The next weekend Dave and I, along with Justin, Don, and Rebecca did the Broad St. Run. The weather wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the worst we’ve run in either. First weekend in May, you never know.

I also did a sprint distance triathlon in Rock Hall. Dave unfortunately couldn’t come down to do it because of a crazy schedule, but Don joined me. This year I’ve moved up in age groups to 45-49 (ugh). But it went well and I ended up taking first in the group – first our of 18 in the age group and 61 out of 380 overall!

There were also spring concerts – Lauren’s 5th grade band concert and Sophie’s Philadelphia Girls Choir concert. Both were excellent and both girls did a great job.

Lauren had her 5th grade dance, which she went to with her “crew” of friends.

After two years Sophie finally got her braces off! We finally get to see the full smile again – teeth and all!

And finally, in exciting family news, Shannon Boyle is getting married! Lauren and Kathy represented the Sharp contingent at her shower. We’re looking forward to the wedding in September!

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This spring we were competitive. Lauren participated in her school’s filed day and took 2nd in the 50 yard dash. Dave and I ran Broad Street with our neighbor, Mark. Lauren and Dave ran in the Gift of Life 5K, where Lauren took 3rd in her age group (15 and under), and Don and I did the French Creek Triathlon, where I took 3rd overall in the women’s sprint. I’m proud of all of us!

French Creek Tri
Field Day
Broad Street Run
Gift of Life 5K

Over Mother’s Day weekend we volunteered at the Gift of Life Family House where we cooked a meal for 40 guests staying in the house that night. It was just the 4 of us cooking and we got it done! If only we could convince the girls to help in the kitchen on holidays.

Sophie had her spring Philadelphia Girls Choir concert at Temple Performing Arts Center. The girls were fabulous, per usual. This coming year will be Sophie’s last year in the Cantata group, and then she’ll audition for the Concerto group, which is the most senior group.

Our singer
Phila Girls Choir

And I met Aleen and Sallie in DC for a girls weekend. We went to the National Portrait Gallery, which none of us had ever been to before, and we ate several very good meals. As always, it was a lovely weekend with my besties.

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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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After a week straight of rain the sun finally peeked out on Mother’s Day. We took advantage and did a little bike ride and picnic in a beautiful park in our neighborhood. 
Me and my girls
A week before Mother’s Day I did the annual Philly Broad Street Run. It’s the largest 10 miler in the country with 40,000 runners. This was my first race since having the kids. And unfortunately it was wet and cold. But Dave and the kids were troopers and came out to cheer me on anyway! It was what got me through the first 6 miles and totally worth seeing their smiling faces and homemade sign (paint still wet). I finished in 1:33 and won’t ever run that race in the rain again! 

The cheering squad

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