Bagel-Balls, mud and hobo-gore tex

The kids just finished their 2-week spring vacation. We had a really good time as a family - just spending time together. We didn't go anywhere as I still had classes and work to do. Also the kids didn't really go outside all that much as it was cool and rainy for what seemed like the entire time. So they found (or rather, had found for them) things to keep them busy.  Like bagel-making morning. Susan had the kids help her with a big double batch of bagels. Each of them could make one into whatever shape they wanted.

Micah created a bagel-Death-Star

Matea opted for a 'bagel-baguette'

Jonah made his own creation - and then asked if he could make a full batch of bagel-balls. Susan told him that if he did everything himself, then he could. So he did. And we were eating bagel-balls for a few days. Our favorite was to toast them in the oven, then skewer them and dip them in melted Nutella.

Jonah made a few bagel balls

Of course a little rain cannot keep them inside for all that long.  So they went out in a manner that - to them- seemed quite well prepared.

The sun did come out a few times - and I took advantage of it to have my first real bike ride since I fell and separated my shoulder last fall (which is the reason I started running in the first place)

looks like a trail to me

I actually forgot how much I love mountain biking when you can leave the house and be on actual mountain trails just at the end of our street.

Add a little bit of damp to the forrest floor -and let the fun begin!

Run

On Sunday Matea and I competed in our first ever running races. We we're in the beautiful alpine city of Annecy, nestled in between the lake and the mountains - however you wouldn't really have known it due to the drizzly grey day.

Matea did her race and got herself a t-shirt and earned a medal for running through the muddy 850m course.

I ran a half-marathon. I started running at the end of November (after wrecking my shoulder when I crashed my mountain bike and couldn't ride for a while). I decided that I needed some kind of goal to work toward, so I signed up for the half-marathon, not even knowing if I could do it. Of course since I broke my big toe, I had to take four weeks off in February, but I was cautiously hopeful I could do it.

Having never done anything like this before I really didn't know what to expect. It was quite a big ordeal - there were over 3,000 people running the half marathon alone.




























The cut-off time was 2:45, and originally all I was hoping for was to finish- but recently I was starting to think that I could do it closer to 2:00. I ended up finishing the 21km in 2:07, and my knees held out - which I wasn't sure of lately - so it was a pretty good time overall.

Look who finally has a Canadian passport

THANK YOU!

Thank  you so much - from Matea - but even more from the people who will receive clean drinking water because of your generosity.

Matea had a $800 goal for her 8th birthday 

You guys gave $1000 !

It is quite amazing that 50 people will have clean water. 
Mothers will have to spend less time carrying water from far away.
Kids will get sick less often as their water won't be full of disease.
Girls will have more opportunities to go to school.
Parents can spend less money on medicine and doctors.


Thank you for allowing Matea to have this birthday wish come true...
She is so excited about how this turned out


http://mycharitywater.org/matea