Showing posts with label Ashley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ashley. Show all posts

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Dragon*con

Ashley talked me in to going to Dragon*con this year. We only went for a day, and we had a great time. We saw the True Blood and Vampire Diaries panels and we did a lot of people watching. A smattering of photos that don't even begin to do the even justice below...

Ash made our shirts!



So, so many dice.


I took this photo for just for Thomas. And the rest of you that read this who will know who this guy is dressed as. 

Monday, May 14, 2012

Sand, Steam and Pisco, and Pandas

Just a few things that appeared during our weekend.  We had a really fun, very busy, and somewhat productive weekend!

Thomas won tickets to the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, which is a three-day food and drinking extravaganza that runs from Friday morning through Sunday evening. We only participated in a small fraction of the events, but really enjoyed everything we did. We got a sitter and went to a dinner Friday night, but on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, we got together with the other Fowlkes' and each gender got an afternoon away.

Thomas' company also hosted a festival on a property they own on Saturday, so we also did that.

And Carter performed at church on Sunday.

And I did some much needed shopping.

And I made a lot of baby food.

And John learned to crawl.

That doesn't seem like TOO much in words, but really, it was a crazy weekend. So I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Friday Night: Food & Wine Festival (FWF) dinner at JCT Kitchen.
Where I met my new favorite cocktail: vodka, lime juice, maple syrup, white pepper and a tequila floater.
Seriously. So, so, SO good.  
Saturday morning: Festival at Riverview Landing
Playing in the sand ring
Carter says, "Mom, is there anything better than sand?"

Exploring the river
Anything to distract Carter from his demands that we take a dog home with us
(it was a dog-centric festival)

Saturday afternoon: the Fowlkes men head to the FWF
Ashley and I take four children under the age of 6 to the mall
All children survived and were allowed to ride the train
John opted to skip it in favor of milk with mom
Ashley and I actually manage to shop (briefly)
And we only buy one thing that's exactly the same (pretty amazing for us)
Thomas sends a photo of his point-of-view from the FWF
The "wine" part of the name is a bit misleading
There was wine, but there was also an abundance of beer, bourbon, pisco, vodka, tequila, moonshine, etc etc etc 
Later that afternoon, the cousins had some good outside fun
While I got busy steaming a LOT of veggies in preparation for smushing them for John
I'm pretty sure that this was my last batch of mush
By the time John eats all of this, I think he'll be on to all finger foods!
When Thomas returns from the FWF, the glass around his neck is empty

He takes a nap in the midst of the chaos
(remember: 4 children under 6 running about)

It really doesn't seem to bother Thomas

He did eventually perk up in time to eat again

Sunday morning: We're all up VERY early for Carter's last choir performance
(in my opinion, a big mother's day scheduling failure on the part of the church)
Carter did great, in part, (I think) because his ability to choose whether or not to be part of the choir again next year was predicated on him doing well. So he did. And I suspect that was his final performance.  

Saturday afternoon: Our turn at the FWF
Happy Mother's Day to us! 
Thomas and Park weren't able to do this on Saturday, so we got our glasses waxed by the Maker's Mark people 

Can we do this for Mother's Day every year?
Seriously. 





Tuesday, August 23, 2011

John and Family

John has been blessed to have a lot of family visit him in his first week of life. I missed getting shots of a few family members with John, but here are the ones that I got.











Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Warrior Dash!

This past weekend, I ran the Warrior Dash with Park and Ashley, and it was quite the event. It is basically a 5k race...with obstacles. It takes place over 2 days, with race waves starting every half hour, with over a hundred people per wave. Lots of people in costume, lots of beer, lots of general merriment. My wave was at 3:30 in afternoon, so we had a chance to watch and absorb before we took to the...street, lake, mud, trails, barbed wire, walls, and fire.




Well, I've had some pretty crazy days, but this was certainly fun!




Eli and a reluctant Carter before the race.




Carter feeling better after getting the official warrior hat and shedding his shirt to look more like lots of other people.




Before the race, looking serene, thinking "this will be interesting, I believe...."




Off we go, with FIRE! The first mile or so was a regular run around the lake/pond. I decided to avoid the crowds and make some decent time, as I was wearing actual running shoes and clothes and not a wedding dress or superhero outfit....




The run around the lake ended with a jump INTO the lake for about a 100 yard wade/swim (see in the background above). Then you slog out of that into 3 sets of burned out cars and a field of tires. And mud.




Over the top.



Just after that you hit a 4' plywood wall to scramble over, then a barbed wire fence about 2' off the ground to scramble under. Through mud. Repeat that FIVE freakin' times! I was okay with the going over, but the going under was hard for an old man.




After a little more trail running (and mud), you hit the BIG wall. After that it is another hill of tires. And mud. Seemingly several more miles of strictly uphill trails. With mud. Then several more obstacles that I was too busy conquering to take pictures of (and they were back in the woods away from spectators, so no photos). A suspended horizontal cargo net 40' long to crawl over (which I busted a$$ coming off of and was bleeding and massively brusied from), a 2' high blackout tent also 40' long that required an army crawl to avoid the giant wood beams in the dark put there to (apparently) knock people unconscious. Then a giant hill covered in plastic and hosed down for a super long slide into a pile of hay and likely another runner. The 18" deep mud pit with barbed wire just at head high you had to crawl under, the other pool of (slightly less) muddy water with floating logs to swim over. Then, finally...






FIRE!



2 sets to be exact, back in front of the adoring crowd. Grace under pressure is all I can say about that photo.




After.



"WTF did I just do to myself?!?!?!"




Park and Ashley before.




And after.



I would highly recommend seeking this race out in your area and getting a BIG group and being warriors. Next year, we are getting more people, and more drunk. It should hurt less. Thanks to Eli and Carter for being a great cheering section and support team!



Friday, December 31, 2010

The Day After Christmas

While the boys were all supposedly at the driving range, we took the kids to the bouncy playground to burn off some energy.

Eavan loved the big slide -- and could climb up the ladder nearly by herself!



Anna gets silly

Carter and Anna get silly together

All the cousins get silly!
(Our sad attempt at a group photo)

And where were the boys, if they were not at the driving range, you ask? Since the driving range was closed due to the snow, they had to make do with sampling (a lot of) drinks at a local watering hole, or so I hear. Apparently a good time was had, and they didn't freeze to death on the walk home, so it was a good afternoon!

Christmas 2010

Christmas morning before the chaos. As Patrick said:
Respect this mantle! Eight hand sewn, sequined stockings anywhere from 5 months to 45 years old. All hung (with care) on the same mantle for the first time ever.

Carter's big present this year was a desk, complete with office supplies. When he saw the clip magnets on his hutch, the first thing he did was RUN to his room and get a picture of Mama Helen and Daddy Phil to clip on his desk!

Carter helps Eavan with her Santa gifts

Everyone enjoyed their gifts!


Even if Eavan mostly wanted to chew hers...





Carter liked to help everyone unwrap their presents

Right around the time we went over to celebrate with the other Fowlkes family, it started to SNOW!

Just look at this hefty accumulation we had the next day!

The Fowlkes

The out-laws!