Running

The kids and I go running a lot. They're incredibly patient while mom whips them around in the stroller for a while. I'm grateful for that, because I love to run.

Running here in Moorpark is much different than in Redondo Beach. 

We had the beach run down pat. Always the same route out and back. I decided to do a photo tour the last time we ran our stretch of beach...

Here's the starting line at the pier.  

Here's one of our favorite beach spots, by the white lifeguard tower. We had Shelby's 3rd birthday party here, among other fun gatherings.

Shelby's favorite - the tractors! If she ever goes to a farm she'll be confused...as far as she knows, tractors are for combing the beach sand.

This was our beach play date spot years ago...until the beach collapsed! It's surrounded by caution tape now. That sand is always shifting.

Here's the halfway point, near the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Gorgeous.

I always told Shelby to help me watch for the zeros and then we'd know where to turn around. 

Sometimes she made it to the zeros and sometimes she looked like this. (Cameron's out too!)

 

This corner is pretty. It was always a nice sight because it was at the top of a big climb up from beach level. I'd get here and think, "I made it!".  

Our bank was right on our route. I had to take a photo to reminisce about the millions of times I went in there to get rolls of quarters for laundry. They were really nice to us, and the kids loved the free Dum Dum suckers, but I won't ever miss going in there.

We got to be friends with the H&H Body Shop guys just from walking by and waving so many times. They were right in our backyard (made for lots of noisy days in our apartment). They worked on both Tom's car and my car while we lived there (we've had some crazy car luck in the last year. More on that later).

So that was our route when we went running in Redondo Beach. I loved it. 

When we decided to move I worried that I wouldn't be able to take the kids out for stroller runs anymore, because it's much more difficult to maneuver sidewalks and traffic lights and all that. I was thrilled when we started to explore our area. Horse trails galore, and not a horse in sight! The trails are amazing places to run. I'm having a blast finding them all. I can definitely tell I've been running on just flat beach for the past few years and I need to get more geared up to run hills, but I'm ready to work!

Here's a photo tour of a new route. We've got much more rural surroundings now!

For example, I've never seen a crosswalk button placed high up so you can reach it from a horse!

Our area, Moorpark Highlands, was being built out right as the housing bubble burst. It's obvious from the many unfinished neighborhoods and roads to nowhere. 

I feel like if you tucked one home into the hills of this abandoned neighborhood it'd look like the model home from Arrested Development (May 26, BTW - who's watching??? We are!)

This pretty bridge and tower are alongside one of the trails. The kiddos wanted to explore.

Peek a boo!

So it's definitely different running around here, and I love it. It feels like home. 

And I feel a little more justified in eating multiple cupcakes today.