Tag Archives: birthday

My Birthday Weekend and Baby’s First Brewery

Well, it happened, I’m another decade. No more starting with a “2” to enter my age, now it’ll be a big “three-oh.”

I keep thinking I see gray hairs now, but Kelley just laughs telling me I’m crazy/paranoid. Secretly, I think she’s thinking, “Oh crap, those are gray!” Oh well, I’ve come to terms and am learning to embrace the thirties; and hey, at least it’s not the forties!

My birthday weekend was off to a “winning” start when Avery and I placed first overall in a small 5k run.

Avery and Daddy_5k Race Finish

After the race, we headed to a unique restaurant called Brewed that offers local food, coffee, and beer, and an atmosphere that would fit perfectly in Colorado. To us, that’s a good thing, we love Colorado and it’s health-focused environment!

I’ve mentioned before how I am averse to eating out as I am keen on knowing exactly how my food is prepared and want to keep it healthy, so I didn’t expect to eat there. I did see a tasty egg white omelet option, but I have those every day and don’t need to pay $8 for someone else to make it. I know, I’m a fun guy to go out with, huh? You know who else is? This guy….

Sorry, I crack myself up every time with this one!

So, I just ordered an Americano after the waiter promised to give me free refills of their drip coffee. Kelley ordered the egg white entrée and since it included mushrooms, she just requested those be left on the side and kept raw for me to enjoy. Yes, I love mushrooms!

Since I was the non-eater of the group, I held Avery most of the time so everyone else could eat. She was a little squirmy, nothing new, but we made the most of it.

Avery on dad's head_smiling_brewed

Since she’s so cute, I couldn’t keep her all to myself and she made her rounds at the table. While G-ma was holding her, Paul took a picture of Kelley and me since we thought the curtains made a great background. What do you think?

R.C. and Kelley_Brewed

Isn’t she beautiful? That guy in the picture…he’s pretty damn lucky!

The ultimate plan for the day was to visit a small, local brewery called Martin House Brewery, but it didn’t open until later in the afternoon so we had time to burn. We were right next to downtown Forth Worth and decided we’d check out the new (to us) area. I think the “new” things have been around for some time now, but since we don’t get out much (by choice), we haven’t seen it before.

We mainly wanted to see the new splash pad in the center of downtown and headed there first. Our initial thought was that we could let Avery get in there a little bit, but we soon realized the shooting water would be too much right now. So we just stood in front of it for a picture.

Avery and Daddy_Splash Park FW

Not sure what that look on my face is all about; I think I was talking. Meh, oh well. The sun was beaming down on us and with the buildings blocking any breeze, sweat was seeping through our pores like they were tiny faucets. Luckily, we found a nice shaded area to sit down and kill time until we were ready to head off to the brewery. Paul enjoyed a little Avery time as she grabbed at his face in curiosity.

Avery Grabbing Paul's Face

Finally, it was time to head out, so we journeyed back to our parking spots and drove maybe 5 miles to the brewery. They had just opened when we arrived which made for a quick entrance and kept us from standing in the sun. It cost $10 to receive their beer glass and a bracelet allowing 3 drinks.

Kelley was the designated babywearer and driver, so she didn’t have to pay. G-ma, Paul, and I all got our glass and had our first round poured in no time; refreshing!

Mom, Paul, RC_Martin House

Of course, since I just ran that morning and only had several cups of coffee, three beers would’ve put me way under, so I shared with Kelley. Besides that, I’m not the drinker I was in college, which saves a lot of money and my health, so it doesn’t take much anyway.

Within a few sips I was already feeling nice and warm…..oh wait, that’s because it’s Texas and almost Summer! But I was feeling good, and I think it shows in this picture with Kelley and Avery.

R.C. and Kelley_Martin House

G-ma let Kelley borrow her glass so she didn’t look out of place in the picture. Ummm, Kelley, I think you were the only one wearing a baby, so too late dear!

The beer was great and I’ll be buying several of their brews soon. As expected, it was loud inside the brewery with live music and groups of people trying to talk over one another, but that didn’t keep Avery from sleeping soundly.

Kelley and Avery_Martin House

How do they do that?

3 beers and several samples later, and I was feeling good, maybe too good. I was ready to leave as were the rest of us, so we said our goodbyes G-ma and Paul and headed back home.

I fully enjoyed my day with the ones I love and always wish it would last longer. We just need to remember to cherish the “now” and not worry so much about the past and future. I’m the worst about this and need to remind myself every day to calm down.

The day after, Sunday, was my actual birthday and it was spent with Kelley and Avery at home most of the day. I meant to share this day with you, but right now I have a baby calling my name (slash crying) and must tend to her needs. I’ll share the rest of my birthday weekend tomorrow….I think.

Do you celebrate birthdays for more than just one day?

Do you ever get caught up worrying too much about what’s to come or what happened in the past?

Our Baby Won the Overall 5k!

Yep, Avery and I won the entire 5k! Technically, since she was in front of me as we crossed the finish line in our first race together last Saturday, June 7th, she was the winner.

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This picture confirms I was just the weird shirtless guy behind his speedy, first place princess. And check out the gap; no one in sight. After seeing the race results posted, we had a very comfortable lead of around 5 minutes!

Race for the Family 5k Results_Snip

Honestly, though, it was a very small race and I don’t think anyone else took it very seriously. My thoughts were confirmed after the race director and photographer yelled my name and asked me to run back across the finish line so they could get a picture. Yep, not kidding. Glad my lovely wife was there to take pictures!

Our day started before sunrise, but we were still very late to get on the road. The race said it started at 7:30am and we left our house at around, ohhhh, 7am. Did I mention it was about 22 miles from our home? Yeah, go us.

Going Mom, diligently drove us to the location we input on our GPS, but only one problem, the race wasn’t there! Thankfully, my mom just had the same thing happen to her and her boyfriend Paul, and they found the actual race location.

It wasn’t too much extra driving, but since the surrounding area has a history of being the bad part of town, we weren’t trying to take the full tour. The park where the race was held used to be run down and only a popular place for the homeless to hang out. But recently, it was cleaned up and is now an inviting family-friendly park with trails. The surrounding area is still less than stellar and not a place we’d go to often ever again.

Back to the story, we made it to the race with a few minutes to spare thanks to a faulty microphone delaying the pre-race warm-up. My mom picked up my bib which I hurriedly pinned on my shorts and situated Avery in our B.O.B. stroller.

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She had her game face on and was ready to roll! Traditionally, I made quick use of the port-a-potty since I always have to use it right before a race starts, then we got in line waiting for the signal to start.

Another key indicator of the size of this race was the start was sounded off by someone saying “Ready…..go” in a low tone and without a microphone. For any decent sized race, it would’ve been hard to hear, but for this one, we heard just fine.

I’m not one to push myself up to the front of the line in races, so I just tried to find a good spot in the middle where the stroller would fit. After we crossed the start line, I began weaving around the other runners/walkers and within 2 minutes we were only behind one person.

I kept sight of the other runner, but once we hit a slight incline, he started pulling away. Meanwhile, behind me, there was emptiness, so Avery and I only had to focus on the one guy in front.

Surprisingly, when we made it to the turn around point, he stopped and just waved us on saying to turn around and just go back the way we came. Ha, he was part of the event acting as the race leader, not a participant! At that point it was just a competition with myself to see how fast Avery and I could run a 5k.

I’m happy with the sub-20 minute time as I was just hoping to get under 22 minutes. Immediately after finishing, I set out to complete my last set of 30 burpees before turning 30.

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As Avery and I were basking in the glory of triumph (or maybe that was just the sun), Kelley captured our victorious moment.

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As you can tell, Avery was overly ecstatic about the whole ordeal…..

Everyone at the event was warm and inviting and it was obvious the majority of the folks were all from the same church. Their church put the race together and the proceeds went towards the fight against family obesity.

This is what motivated me to sign up for the run, and I am happy we did since I obviously have strong feelings towards living a healthy life! I love being able to show our girl how to live a happy, healthy lifestyle!

Avery and Daddy_5k Race

We made sure to hang around for our 1st place overall medal, and thought I’d get a second medal for my age group too. By the way, another sign that a race is small is when their age group awards go from 0-6, 7-12, 13-17, and then 18-64. But, when they made it to the 18-64 awards, I was never mentioned.

Not that it was a huge deal, but I would like to get a medal if I am supposed to. Greedy? Maybe, but it’s only because I earned it fair and square. Anyway, we accepted our single medal and left to have coffee and breakfast. As we were driving with my mom and Paul in front of us, I looked at my bib and quickly realized why my name was never called for the 18-64 awards….

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Notice the age of “0” and Gender of “F”? When I filled out the online registration form, there was another form for children 6 and under. I didn’t understand why since they are free, but I filled out Avery’s information just to be safe. Well, somehow they lost her name and my real information, and kept my name and her information.

I’d say that takes the father-daughter race up a notch, and someone, somewhere, might be thinking “Holy crap, that’s a fast 0 year old!!”

Such an eventful day at was only 10 in the morning! We spent the remainder of the day with my mom and Paul to celebrate my birthday since we wouldn’t see them the next day on my actual birthday.

After leaving the race, we headed to a restaurant called Brewed that serves excellent coffee from local roasters who source their beans through Fair Trade. We enjoyed ourselves there before heading out to sight see a little and then go to a local craft brewery, Martin House Brewery.

Yeah, we’re starting Avery early with the beer scene, but I don’t think she was too aware of what was going on anyway.

Kelley and Avery_Martin House

The entire day was great and spent in good company, but I’ll tell you about it in another post. For now, this 30 year old dad is tired and needs to rest his aging body.

Ever catch a typo or information error on something about you when it’s too late?

Do you enjoy craft beer?

Any local breweries near where you live?

By the Time You Read This, We’ll Be Finished

It’s the night before my first race with Avery and I should probably be sleeping. But instead, I’m sitting down in my running shorts while eating and writing this post.

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Yep, my nightly big salad with a mix of kale, Brussels sprouts, salmon, broccoli, jicama, pumpkin seeds, and mustard and salsa for dressing. The perfect pre 5k meal! Hey, it worked for my 10k the other week.

So, ummm, yeah, like the title says, this will have posted 30 minutes after the start of the race and I’m fairly confident I will be done well before 30 minutes. Hopefully Avery is good and enjoys the ride!

Today is the eve of my 30th birthday, and my mom (G-ma) and her boyfriend, Paul, are meeting us at the race for a fun day together. We are going to a new restaurant called Brewed that serves local fare and then heading to a local brewery, Martin House Brewery.

Seems weird, huh? A guy who despises eating out and normally just shares a beer with his wife is doing this for his birthday? Well, it helps that Brewed serves local food and fair trade coffee and I’m still a fan of craft beer and will happily have a few of for a special occasion! I’ll probably skip on the food and just enjoy some good coffee; then head to the brewery for beer.

Hmmm, coffee then beer; I’m sure I won’t be going pee a lot….NOT! Oh well, despite my aversion to restaurants, it’ll be in good company and I’m sure we’ll all have a great time. Of course, Avery will have the final say on that!

Who me? I'm always good....
Who me? I’m always good….

I don’t ever get to a “buzzed” feeling often since I hardly have much alcohol when I drink because I can’t justify it’s non-nutritive contribution to my body. Yep, I’m serious. But for my 30th, since Kelley is offering to hold off and drive home, maybe I’ll have *gasp* 2 or 3 beers! Hey, that’s a lot for this lightweight!

I don’t want to be an alcoholic dad, and I’m perfectly fine with just sipping some good stuff every now and then. Enough with the drink talk though, I’m just thinking in the future at this point, so I’ll fill you in early next week.

For now, I should probably get some rest before our “big” race tomorrow. I’ll leave with one of my favorite pictures of Avery this week; her smile makes me grin every time and flushes away any stress I may have.

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There were about 10 carrots around here just a minute before this picture. She didn’t eat them, but strategically hid them in various places….the floor, her lap, her diaper (seriously), and behind her.

Any special plans for the weekend?

Do you ever go places you usually don’t enjoy but when you’re with your loved ones it’s okay?