Weekend at Summer Sizzler

We had a nice weekend in Nashville watching Pumpkin swim in the NAC Summer Sizzler. He swam well swimming in the morning and the evening. At this meet, they had Super Finals. I learned they do this when the Olympic Trials are coming up. The Super Finals give the top four older swimmers the chance make the Olympic trial cut time. It was amazing to watch the older kids swim. And, we got to see some swimmers make the cut for the trials next week in Omaha. When the swimmer got the time, the entire place erupted in applause.

On Friday, we went to lunch at a place, Buca di Beppo, in Franklin, TN. It was great. They serve family style Italian dishes. We had an extra swimmer with us. Those swimmers appreciated the pasta. The Big Guy and I opted for the pizza. There were enough leftovers for lunch the next day! I just noticed they have a restaurant in Cincinnati. We just may have to stop in. Here is Pumpkin after lunch on a carb high!

The Big Guy participated in the Harpeth River Ride cycling the 42 mile route. This was the first time he has ridden in this area since his accident 2.5 years ago. He had a nice ride through farmland and up some BIG hills. I was thrilled he made it in one piece. He enjoyed the ride. It was worth it to schlep the bike with us. This picture is not the best. It was quite early and I just snapped one. I had to drop him off and head back to the hotel to pick up the swimmers. He thought ahead bringing the alma mater jersey to wear in Vanderbilt territory!

BTW, we traveled in the Volvo. It was great! That car is old with lots of miles. We are crossing our fingers it can go many more as we can't decide on what to buy next. The seats are so comfortable. It has a way of making you feel very spoiled.

We did not get to hook up with my good friend that lives in Franklin. It was a hard meet as Pumpkin was swimming in two different pools. I am learning that these meets are all about the swimmer and his social life. I don't mind. It is those friendships that will keep him in the water in the years to come.

On Sunday morning, the boys did their good luck "clap" for the camera. They were getting ready to swim the 100m Backstroke. The clap worked as they both shaved tons of time. We won't dwell on the fact that they have not swam the event in quite some time! I played with the video in iMovie - just a bit. That is addicting and I could spend hours editing. I'd love to add music, but just don't have the time right now. Here is their movie ">debut.

Sunday afternoon, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory. Every time we go there we forget about the enormous portions. We all ordered our own dish and had leftovers for lunch today. I was glad we packed the cooler in the car. Unfortunately, we were all full and did not get to enjoy any cheesecake. We'll have to do that next time. I wore my special shirt having desserts of my own! This is the one I finally made. It was super easy to make and comfortable. I even altered it a bit. Go figure! Ruthie, are you impressed? I want to order some other fabrics. And, I may try my hand at using fold over elastic. The pictures are a bit corny, but show off the shirt. I am getting ready to put it in the washer on gentle. We'll see how it survives!


All in all, a great weekend for everybody. We picked up one of Pumpkin's friends for the ride home. They get along great. And, Peanut loves hanging out with his brother's friends:)