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I am so proud of my family. Not only do I have some of the most loving and kind people in my family but they are also determined, dedicated, and driven. These traits are so important to have in a world where average is becoming expected.

This past weekend was the Rock N’ Roll Marathon and ½ Marathon Race in San Antonio. Kara, her mom Sheri, dad Pops, brother Zach, sister Sara, and brother-in-law Pete all competed in this year’s race. Pete ran the entire 26+ mile marathon route and the rest ran the 13+ mile half-marathon route.

I have so many pictures that I want to share. I will post them below and comment on some.

Zach was nice enough to drive his truck down to San Antonio. It was nice to veg out instead of drive the route.

Check in for the race was at the Alamodome…the entire floor of the huge arena was full.

Here is Kara waiting in line to get her race packet.

Each racer gets a number to pin on their clothing for identification purposes and a small strip of plastic to attach to their shoe (seen in upper left.) This strip has a RFID computer chip that activates that runner’s clock when they pass under the start line and stops their clock as they pass under the finish line…very cool.

Completed check-in and a funny picture

So race day had come. My alarm clock went off at 4:20 am and we left my grandparent’s house (thank you Papa and Grandma) at about 5:15.

It was still pitch black and very cold when we arrived at the parking place, the AT&T Center, and waited to board a shuttle to Brackenridge Park where the race would start.

Kara on the shuttle bus.

Sara and Zach on the shuttle bus

Zach had chosen the “Rosa Parks Memorial Seat”…giggle.

Spirits were high as the runners prepared for the race. The only difficulty was that seemingly everyone had to use the restroom at the same time…

These were the lines for the 50 Port-O-Potties that were near the start line. Each pair of potties had a line that was 50 people long. And these toilets were not pretty…most runners, I guess, wanted to “lighten the load” before they started the race.

…and away they go…

The route took the runners past several San Antonio landmarks including the Pearl Brewery…I was tempted

Here was my vantage point for the race…behind the fence…the only time I run is when I am trying to get away from something.

After the sun came up and the runners started their run, the warm clothing, gloves, scarves, hats, hoodies, etc. all started coming off. There is nothing to do but discard the clothes along the route with no hope of seeing them again. Good for San Antonio’s homeless.

Another landmark by which the runners passed was the Alamo. To most, it’s not as big as they would have thought.

The signature of the Rock N’ Roll races is, conveniently, rock n’ roll. Along the route, local bands played music to inspire the runners.

And runners there were…

The field was 33,000+ runners strong. This was what I had to contend with when trying to locate my family members.

The aid stations were a sea of discarded cups and spilled liquids.

Runners nearing the finish outside of the Alamodome

Believe it or not, this is Pete crossing the finish line. You may notice the clock above him. It reads 3:03:19 which means to me, “WOW he ran for three hours straight! That’s longer than a movie.” To the marathon community, it means that he ran fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon which is arguably the most prestigious in the country. CONGRATS Pete!

Here is a little Zapruder work I have done on the image.

I also got a quick chance to see Sheri cross the line.

Unfortunately, these were the only two pictures of family members finishing. The others were lost in the VERY large shuffle.

I did get some good post-race pictures of the greatly respected finishers.

Pops

Sheri (aka Nana)

Sara

Pete

Zach

Oops, I forgot to get a closeup of Kara after the finish. (To be fair, she was not around when I was taking the above pictures.)

The whole group

To celebrate the hard work and preparation, it was time for Mexican Food on the River Walk at Casa Rio…yummy.

This weekend would not have been the same without my Mom and Jim who graciously hosted our three kids at their house on Saturday and Sunday. Even a coughing and puking Parker could not make them complain…THANK YOU.

Also, big thanks goes out to my Papa and Grandma for giving us a free place to stay.

In all, we had a great and fun weekend with our family.

For more:
http://sorenandreese.blogspot.com/2008/11/monumental-weekend.html

Parker gets to go play with his friend from church Judah Worton from time to time. Last time he was over there, the first thing they did was put on Judah’s Star Wars helmets. I thought the image was cute, snapped a picture and emailed it to Judah’s dad, Roland.

Later in the day, Roland replied with a picture of the boys both wearing 3D glasses…it was equally cute. I am thankful that my kids have good friends.

This past weekend we took our bi-annual family camping trip. We went for one night only this time because of other commitments and stayed close to home by going to Ray Roberts State park north of Denton.

When we arrived, I put Wyatt in charge of building the fire. He gathered some sticks for kindling, put a firestarter in place, and added some newspaper. I would say it turned out great.

He was proud of his great work.

Our campsite was near the lake and Parker took full advantage.

This picture is the current image on my phone…cutie.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of my lovely girls but they had fun exploring, jogging and riding bikes.

On Sunday, we had a bash for my niece, Avery. Here are some cute pictures from the day.

I am a week late in posting these but, y’know, life and stuff…

For Wyatt and Ashton’s birthday this year, we all went to Six Flags. The kids got to invite a friend to take along for the rides.

This is Ashton and her friend Hannah.

We rode the Mexican Hat first and Parker was so excited, that he rode with a total stranger, just took her hand and went on the ride. Maybe we need to talk with that boy

Next was the Conquistador boat ride. Parker loved it.

The kid’s cousins, Soren and Reese met us there…they brought along their Mom, Aunt Sara.

Here are the Underwood swing riders.

Some of our brave clan even tackled the Titan…the biggest and fastest coaster in the park.

Soren, Wyatt, and Steven (Wyatt’s friend) all braved the thrilling ride.

Kara and I had a nice time resting on the locomotive. One comment: time to update the animatronic scenery…the sun faded simpletons have been there since I was a kid.

Girls being girls…cuties.

The only drawback of the day were the crowds. I guess lots of other people wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather. Also, Six Flags has Fright Fest during October where they have ghouls and costumed people walking around. These specters are not so bad during the day but after dark, they can be scary. We decided to leave before it got too dark.

As we were leaving and to give you a sense of the crowds, this was the front gate area…at 8 pm!

Even when we weren’t riding rides, we had fun…this picture of Parker on a saddle was funny and a great way to end a post about a great day.

While waiting in line for dinner I saw this lovely pink Hummer…classic!

I have really had a lot of great chances to lead worship lately and wanted to ask for your prayers as I continue to lead.

All the King’s Men is a morning bible study group that has been meeting for a while at our church on Tuesday mornings. A few months ago, the regular worship leader decided it was time for him to take a break from leading the group and they asked me to step in. I have been leading worship there now for several months and I have really been blessed. I enjoy hearing Godly men proclaim His goodness.

Our family is involved in a small group that meets at our good friend’s house every other Thursday night. I have been able to lead worship for this group as well a couple of times. These are sweet and intimate times of praise before we all share and pray together.

This past weekend, our Men’s ministry at church had a retreat at Pine Cove camp in east Texas. At this beautiful setting, I got to lead a band and about 60 men in worship. The spirit was very thick as we worshipped and we had a great time.

Once a month, I have the fun opportunity to lead the children’s church in worship. These kids really love God and it is fun to jump and yell with them in worship.

Finally, this coming Sunday, I will be part of a team that is leading worship for our two Sunday morning services. I would ask for your prayers for peace and clarity in direction so that I am not nervous but do what I know how to do…praise God.

Also, if you are so inclined, please join us for either the 9 am or 11 am service to be part of the fun. Directions and more information at www.sojournchurch.org

Hope to see you there!

Wyatt got to ride in a mountain bike race with his cousin Soren on Sunday. It was tough and hot but he pushed through to the finish! I am a proud Dad.

Thank you to Pete and Sara for letting Wyatt be a part of the day.

Today (October 3rd) is my “baby girl’s” seventh birthday. I know everyone says it but it is hard to believe how fast they grow up.

We did our normal “candle in the doughnut” celebration before school and all got hopped up on way too much sugar before starting our day. She loved the attention.

When I got to work, our wonderful testing kitchen staff had made an entire bouquet of princess cookies just for Ashton. I was suprised and she will be too.

Happy birthday to my wonderful daughter who adds so much joy to our family. May God bless you with many more happy years!

September 28th is my lovely wife’s birthday.

God has richly blessed me with a wonderful wife and mother of my children.

My oldest son, Wyatt’s birthday is today, September 29th. He is now only one year from double digits!

Ashton’s birthday is this Friday, October 3rd. She will be a big seven years old.

We celebrated all of our family’s birthdays with a few parties this weekend. Thank you to everyone who is a part of our lives and who make our kids and us feel so special every year.

And just for fun: here is Parker playing a game he calls “Skeeto.” The kids put a small fishing net (never actually used to net a fish) over their head and “sting” each other.