Birthday Fun

We did something different to celebrate my birthday this year. A new venue opened up called Top Golf so we checked it out. It's basically a glorified driving range and it looked super fun. It has 3 levels with a lit up range, music, TVs, food and beverages. We went on Martin Luther King day as most of us had it off and could get there relatively early. We thought we'd get there by 5:30 to golf from 6 - 7 and then have dinner. Sounded like a good plan but we hadn't anticipated it being crazy busy. We got there to find a 2 - 4 hour wait. Ugh. We lucked out though and only waited an hour and a half and we were able to hang in the bar in the meantime. It could have been worse. They said they have had up to a 6 hour wait on Friday's and Saturday's. I think we'll definitely go back but we will wait for the newness to die down a bit. 

We had a lot of fun and it was the first time swinging a club for most of us girls. I don't think we did too bad ;) 

Thanks to those that made it out to celebrate. And it was a special treat to have Andrew and Ashley there who were in town visiting from NYC.

 

The kids drew me pictures to hang at my desk

Birthday love from my girl :)

We didn't have much planned for my actual birthday. We were supposed to attend an event at Connor's school but he got in trouble that day so his punishment was not being able to go. Kinda ruined all of our plans but you gotta do what you gotta do. We had dinner at Outback and then headed home for desert.

John baked brownies from one of my new cookbooks. They were wheat and dairy free and they were delicious.

Thank you all for the sweet messages and cards you sent. They each brightened my day in their own special way. Muah! 

XOXOXO

St Pete Beach Classic

The Gumula family (and friends!) participated in the St. Pete Beach Classic last weekend and what a great event it turned out to be! The run started and finished at the Sirata hotel so we decided to make a weekend of it and booked 2 nights. The hotel wasn't as nice as we were expecting but the location was great. There is nothing better than waking up and literally walking out your door to run a race. No extra travel time to consider = awesome! I signed up for the 10K which was at 7:15 AM, the kids dash was at 8:45 AM and John ran the 5K that started at 9 AM. Perfect!

The kids were pumped to run in their first race!

I personally had never run more than 5 miles prior to the event and while I wasn't afraid I wouldn't finish, I was worried my knee would start hurting mid-way (which it does sometimes, usually around mile 4). The stars must have been aligned or something because I felt great the entire run! Sybil and I ran together which helped. I had forgotten my headphones so we chatted throughout most of our run. I also don't claim to be a fast runner and usually keep a 8:30/mile pace. I was shocked to see our 8:14 splits and about fell over when I placed 3rd in my age group.

I got a medal!

John also had a great run coming in 2nd in his age group and 33rd overall!!! And we were both 29th out of all women/men respectively. What are the chances of that?!

We chilled at the playground, beach and pool the rest of the day relaxing in the sun and hanging with our friends. 

 

It was a gorgeous day and we had the most amazing view at dinner. It was a perfect ending to our fun-filled day.

In addition to live bands playing throughout the day they also had a bonfire that night, right on the beach. The temperature had dropped quite a bit but no one seemed to mind too much :)

You can view all of our beach weekend pictures here. This will definitely make our calendars again next year, it was a super fun event for the whole family!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Marley

Meet Marley, the newest member of the Gumula family! 

Zoey never phased him! And Zoey? She is a bit jealous but loves having him around. One of the reasons we got him was for Zoey to have a friend :) It's been a year since we lost Jackson and the timing was finally right. And the kids have been asking for a cat for as long as I can remember. John and I both had a week off from work and were able to find the right cat and had the time to make him feel at home.

We were all expecting a much smaller kitten, however, Marley was not so small when we got him. The rescue service we got him from thinks he is part bangle and could get up to 16 lbs!

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He is a very sweet cat and has fit right in with the family. Connor didn't initially want him to ever be in his bed but he and Marley have truly bonded. Marley follows him everywhere and Connor couldn't be more ecstatic about it. Don't worry, Addison has picked up the slack with Zo Zo. Connor says Marley is his and Addie says Zoey is hers. There is enough love to go around!

Fast friends :)

 Those who play together, nap together

Marley watching me work

Tennis Camp

The kids got to participate in a tennis camp with H while we were visiting Grandma and Papa over the holidays. 

Addison was more excited than Connor and on the day of, Connor was actually trying to get out of going. Roles reversed by the time we got there though! Addie turned shy and didn't want to participate and Connor practically ran onto the courts. Kids.

Stretching and warming up

Bounce, Hit

Addie started warming up to the idea....

When it was time to collect the balls, Connor ran into the stands and grabbed Addie. He told her she can help him pick up some balls and would have fun playing tennis. They went back out onto the courts hand-in-hand. My heart was exploding, how sweet of her big brother! After that she stayed on the courts and enjoyed the remainder of time playing tennis.

My phone then died so I didn't get anymore pics or videos :( Connor and Addison had a great time though!