Saturday, I recorded Josh and Sommer's wedding in Mineloa. It was a gorgeous wedding, despite the morning rain. The rain cleared up - in time for the outdoor reception.

Sommer booked me a hotel room, so I wouldn't have to make a 2 hour drive home following the reception. I woke up pretty early on Sunday, drove to the church to pick up a cord I had accidentally left behind (it's not a wedding unless I forget something) and then I made the drive back home.

Later that afternoon, Cheyenne and I had a ballet date at Bass Hall.
While we were there, we met up with Amanda (She use to watch the girls for me). I won an extra pair of ballet tickets (it was a Texas Ballet Theater FB contest) and I gave her my tickets, since I already had a pair. I also won tickets to the Botanical Gardens and Japanese Garden...I kept those and plan on taking the family this summer before it gets too hot.

I'm surprised how much Cheyenne likes going to the ballet and can sit through it without getting fidgety. Typically, the show is about 2 hours long. The intermission and breaks help. She takes a pen and notepad in case she doesn't want to watch parts of the performance. This was the first time, this season, she sat and watched the majority of the show. Going to the ballet is something we look forward to doing together. I'm not sure if I mentioned it in a previous post, but I went ahead and subscribed to another season with Texas Ballet Theater, so that means we'll be going to more shows in the fall and spring. Now, I'd like to look into doing something with Dakota….some one-on-one with her. She's too young for the ballet, right now. If you have any ideas, let me know. I'll be kicking some ideas around.

After the ballet Chey and I drove to Grapevine to meet Dakota and Trey at Great Wolf Lodge! I'll write more about that in the next blog post!

Afternoon in Dallas at Sixth Floor Museum

How was your weekend?
Saturday, Trey and I toured the Sixth Floor Museum. We took the self-guided audio tour. If you are in Dallas and looking for something to do, this is a wonderful tour.
Rich in history.



JFK Memorial.

After the tour we walked around and ate at Hard Rock Cafe. Later that night, we went shopping at North East Mall, went to the movies and watched Kingsman: The Secret Service and ended our night  eating dinner Carrabba's. That was the first time I had ever eaten at Carrabbas's. I got a pizza, it was alright.

2014 Cowtown Official Race Photos

My Race Results:

Distance: 50K (31 miles)

Duration: 5:28:56

Average Pace Per Mile: 10:37

Overall Place: 145 out of 451 Ultra runners

550 Ultra Runners Registered. 451 Finishers.

Gender Place: 42 out of 201

Division Place (25-29 yrs): 9th out of 21

 No, I didn't run sideways the whole time. I was checking behind me to make sure I had a visual of my pacer. We were running downtown, probably mile 11. Sure enough the pacer was behind me, but not pictured here.

The Trinity Trails aka the painful miles. Mile 26 'ish.

I heard a spectator yell, it makes it easier if you smile, so I tried to smile. He was right, it helped. 
Sprinting to the finish line. At the end of a 50K, a 10:30 mile is a sprint (for me).

About to cross the finish line! PRAISE THE LORD! Also, holla and food me!

Happy.

I already passed one mat, it's over right? Can I stop now????

Sweet victory tastes like salty sweat.
After I crossed the finish line I sat down to catch my breathe, text and call my friends and family who had been following my race. When it was time for me to stand up, I felt every ache in my body. I saw two gentlemen and asked them to help me up. They laughed at me and called me crazy, but they did help me. Today, I'm feeling less sore. All the foam rolling and stretching has helped.

Similar Post:
2014 Cowtown Ultra Results
http://domandtrey.blogspot.com/2014/02/2014-cowtown-ultra-results.html

Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker - Our First Ballet Together

Last night, we went to the Nutcracker at Bass Performance Hall courtesy of Dee Dee! This was Cheyenne's first full lenght ballet experience!
  
I surprised her with this new dress, for the special occasion. I wasn't sure how she was going to react, since it's primarily black (She lives in a pink world!)…to my relief she loved it.

And sweet Bella was also excited. Both of the girls were good - not perfect, but overall I was impressed at how well they behaved. I told them it's important that they behave and listen to me, especially when we are out in public -- because if they do, I will take them out more often (to special events).

 
We had fantastic seats on the Orchestra floor --- seated  in the center aisle, right side. The girls are short and would've had a difficult time seeing over peoples shoulders, so we rented cushions from the hall. The girls didn't miss a thing. Trey didn't join us because he had to work.

    
          
THE BEST thing about the show was at the end of ACT I, snow fell on the entire audience. It was so magical and fun! It was a night full of wonderful memories that I will cherish forever. I'm so glad I got to experience it with Chey, my sister and niece.  

Where was Dakota?
Well, Mrs. Amanda volunteered to keep her overnight for me. I was like, WHAT? Are you SURE? But my baby...And I'LL MISS HER….
But then after thinking about it, I was really grateful and said yes, thank you. I'll see her in the morning.

Don't worry about Dakota, she got lots of attention too. Luke made sure to massage her feet and they took her out to Olive Garden for dinner. You guys, I'm so thankful for Mrs. Amanda (and every time I see Mrs. Erin, I thank her for recommending her to me). Amanda is a wonderful friend and childcare provider.
    
I'll leave you with this video: Well, I thought it was 1 video, but it seems to be some kind of playlist. I'm too lazy to figure it out so, here's a million of my YouTube videos too. Haha! Merry Christmas! 

Clara's Tea Party with Texas Ballet Theater

We had the most amazing time yesterday at a Tea Party hosted by TBT! Clara is a character in the Nutcracker. This event was a mommy - daughter - grandma - aunt type of occasion. Cheyenne was my date for the day. She was so excited to meet the characters, but she was shy…you can tell by the look on her face.

The tea party was at McDavid Studio, located - downtown Ft. Worth. Originally, it was going to be at Bass Performance Hall, but due to popular demand the event was moved (across the street) to McDavid Studio to accommodate more people. The facility was gorgeous and the tea party decor was decadent. I should've taken more photos, but I was too busy eating the food. SO GOOD.

I love downtown Ft. Worth, there's so much fun to explore!

Cheyenne enjoyed it too. We were there a few weeks ago, for the parade. She remembered and said she wanted to stay in a hotel again.
  
                             
While we were at the tea party, they had a meet and greet with the Nutcracker characters, they also had a professional photographer taking portraits of the girls. I can't wait to see those! All the girls received a ballet slipper and a baggie full of jewels.

There was tea, hot cocoa, amazing treats and food. Oh, and my favorite was the champagne for the grown-ups.

At each table they had a variety of nutcrackers. We had the option to purchase one. Since Dakota, didn't join us, Cheyenne wanted to get her one…so we did.
  
All proceeds from the party support Texas Ballet Theater it also helps to support ballet outreach programs. 

It was so cute seeing all the little girls dressed up. Cheyenne had a great time. I had a great time.
Can we go to Clara's Tea Party every weekend? And when Dakota gets bigger, we'll take her. Who wants to join us next year?

My Week in Photos

Sometimes I call Dakota Sassy-Pants.

Here she shows her sweet smile.
  
Trey's eye a few days after his operation. Notice how the pupil on the right side is itty-bitty. That's whole lot of blue.

I love my city. This was another view from our hotel room.

Cheyenne loves staying at hotels. She says she likes the all the family time.

She found a hiding spot, under the night stand.

One last photo of the TBT float.

Quick lunch. Dakota loves black beans.

Dakota's new fashion. Blanket round the neck.

It's time to break out the Christmas outfits….
  
And the Christmas decor! More to come tomorrow….