Sweet and Sixteen!

Yep, in yet another measurement of how life is moving so rapidly around us, my beautiful baby girl clocked in with her 16th birthday!  And to help celebrate, she invited 85 of her friends and family members to join her for a dance marathon!

The party came complete with a surprise cake for the star of the day

Eat Cake and Carry On

(courtesy of Cakes by Suzanne in Wilmington)

Even NYC supermodels showed up for this soiree.  Both of them look like they're ready for the runway 

Everybody's eaten?  Okay, time to dance! 

Just one big E Streeters family.  Complete with glowing eyeballs

Standing room only

Not sure if it's the Macarena, because none of them are moving in step

And of course, gangnam style

They're sexy and they know it.  Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

If there's dancing, that means Carlos is getting a boost up, after he finishes mauling Barry

He didn't quite reach the ceiling, but Carlos still got a shoulder-high victory lap

And finally, at party's end, nothing like a family group hug 

Super big cheers for Heather, who's developed into a beautiful, mature, and wonderfully inspiring young woman.  I miss the days of feety pajamas and strained carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes, but it's been a total blast watching you grow up!  We are super, super proud of you!

Stay Sweet and Carry On!

The Life of Pie

Once again, catching up on delayed blogs, it's time to check in at the Lowell Thanks4Giving 5K at the Lowell Elks, complete with a monstrous turnout of E Streeters, and of course, the awesome pies awaiting us at the finish line.  Hoist them high, E Streeters!

Ain't no pre-race jitters from Finn, running in his first 5K.  He's probably more nervous about being hoisted high like an apple pie by Tommy

In the chute at race start, Dinsmore Street is well represented, and we're joined by Christopher Cook, running his first 5K in Lowell after a raucous Thanksgiving Eve, and Donna Corbin, who eats 5K races up like they were Thanksgiving dinner appetizers 

It must have been a holiday, because there were John and Scott sightings going on in Lowell

Let's check in for some shots along the race course, shall we?

Here again, documented proof of John and Scott running in Lowell without a police escort 

They didn't need the police escort.  They had Barry to protect them.

Tom Hildreth always knows where the camera is

Chris really isn't in as much pain as he looks like here

In a truly inspirational running moment, Christopher persevered even after looking to his right and watching a younger runner on his hands and knees, losing his breakfast on a Pawtucket Boulevard lawn.  True story.  The kid was praying to the Lawn Doctor.

DJ, running in her fourth consecutive Thanksgiving classic, won't get lost in a crowd with that shirt on.

The Cassidy clan, armed with pies and matching tees.

Warriors

 And in the end, for the Dinsmore Street trio, it was, as always, all about the pie

Taking two seconds as I do every Thanksgiving season to give thanks for the fact that not only am I still around here to write this damn blog, but that all of you are here to read it as well.  Giving thanks for family, friends, and the health that allows us to still run these crazy races.

A Wicked Good Thanks all around!

Tangled Up in Blue Man Group

The blog's back on track after a brief hiatus due to technical issues, so I've got some catching up to do.  Prepare for a plethora of pics from the past week, starting with a trip to the Charles Playhouse for Blue Man Group, a performance the birthday girl had been clamoring to see since she was old enough to talk.  How'd it turn out?

It got the kiss of approval from Miss Heather.

Before that, though, we need to get in the spirit of things.   For some, it only takes a sign

Or a piece of modern art.

For others, they need to find their happy place

For Andrew, naturally, it's food. So it was time for a pre-birthday dinner at Jacob Wirth's, home of the award-winning clam chowder

And incredible BLT macaroni and cheese.  (Don't knock it until you've tried it.)

On to the theater!

Third row, in the poncho section, which means we were in the line of fire.  In Andrew's case, that meant banana goo right in the middle of his forehead.  Andrew would also get a marshmallow between the eyes.

The birthday girl was all smiles.  Those huge silver balls suspended in the rafters would make their way into the crowd, obviously.

For the finale, the rolls of paper buried us.  Literally.

Somewhere beneath these streams of paper is my beautiful daughter, literally covered by the onslaught

During the show, Heather and Mom's heads were used as handrests for one of the Blue Men.  Afterwards, Mom gets a hug before we leave the theater

 And outside, the stars of the show, only too happy to pose with their cheering fans

 Including this guy, who planted the birthday kiss on Heather, leaving his mark.

Heather called it one of the best days of her life, and as family events go, it was definitely right up there.  If you haven't seen it yet, hustle out and grab some tix, and definitely opt for the poncho section.  You won't leave the theater feeling blue.

Kings of the Ring Dings

A momentous trail run at Nashua's Mine Falls - not for the scenery or the fabulous trails, but because it was the death knell of a foodstuff that's been part of our intense physical regimen for decades.  I'm talking of course, about the end of Hostess and Drakes Cakes, and with them, a farewell to Twinkies, Yodels, Yankee Doodles, Funny Bones, and of course, Ring Dings.

So with that, we thought it appropriate to bring the last remaining box of Ring Dings on Earth along with us to this run.

A beautiful fall morning on a great set of trails - home to next week's half-marathon that most of us will be participating in.

Every now and then we pause for a group shot and ask a total stranger to take a picture for us, while one of our crowd marks his territory nearby.

The course isn't without its challenges, including a staircase that adds a new dimension to the workouts.  No problem for us, though.  We eat up these kinds of challenges.  Just like our Ring Dings.

Up top, victory awaits

 We'll cross every bridge to get back to our cars, because we know what's waiting there for us.

Andrew has his eyes on the prize.

Tommy and I need a map to get us back to our prize

Finally, the running under our belts, it's gametime.

For Carlos, it was somewhat of a religious experience.

Here's the hand-off.

 Carlos wants to savor every last bite of his final Ring Ding.

 And of course, Barry is ready to lend a mouth to polish them off.

RIP, Ring Dings, you will be missed.  We hope in some small way, the E Streeters did you honor in your final days.