View From The Grove

Color Run

2012-02-06T20:37:00.001-07:00

Here's a photo journey of our trip to Arizona!

We couldn't start the trip off without a stop at a gas station -- Thank you Melanie, for staying off the animal!

This stop was really cool. This monument celebrates the Quilt Walk by some settlers of Panguitch. the men walked on the quilts their wives made to keep from sinking into the mud as they went for much needed food.

Here we are at the beginning of the Color Run! We are wearing nice clean white shirts - which we know will get DIRTY!

Less than a mile in and we see the first color throw! So do the 6000 other 'runners' . . . ...Can you believe how many people there are here? There's still more behind us waiting to get to the yellow color.

This is a great photo because you can see the lake we run around. In the distance you can see the green and purple color that's being thrown at people.

Melanie celebrating her finish!

Jaime celebrating!

Me, with a super duper close-up!

Mom, came with us but didn't run. She did join in the color party at the finish line (they did a HUGE throw every 15 minutes at the finish). Ha! It was so cool to see my mom in color and having a good time!

After the race we found plenty to do! We went outlet mall shopping and then to Bahama Bucks for some Hawaiian ice. It really was FABULOUS!

Sunday morning we headed home. But that got all messed up as we kept detouring to see EVERYTHING! Here we are at the Mesa Temple.

And here we are, stopping at every piece of art on Mesa's main street! So fun!

To show how crazy we are, we took a huge loop to Lake Havasu so we could have an antipasta salad at Mudshark's! DELICIOUS! (Only we would drive 2 extra hours to eat a salad!)

Can't miss the London Bridge if you are in Havasu! Here's Jaime hanging with the brilliant men who decided to buy the bridge and move it to the middle of the desert.

Popeye's! Need I say more? Guess I could say it three times - as that's the number of times we ate here in three days. Sad . . .really sad. But so TASTY!

Man, do we know how to pack in the fun in three days, or what??!

Let me be BRIEF

2012-01-26T11:45:00.001-07:00

Went on a shopping trip with Josh yesterday.

He needed a new suit for his upcoming region meet.

(That means that his other suits have sat in the bottom of his swim bag and gotten all NASTY!)

Anyway, Josh opted for a BRIEF suit,

Instead of a normal jammer . . . . .

Ummm, Hello? That's way more of my MAN child than I was prepared to see.

Holy cow! Where did my baby boy go?

(I'll try to capture a photo of this 3/4 naked swimmer and post it later)

Meanwhile, good luck Josh! Swim hard in the 200 and 500 yard races.

Woods

2012-01-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

How long's it been since you went to a Woods Class?

You know, the class in Jr High where you make candy machines, keychains, pen sets, etc?

Wednesday I'd have told you had been 25 years.

But today, I can tell you it's been 1 day!

It was fun (for me).

Ethan didn't seem to enjoy his mommy going to class with him though. . . . .

But what's a mom to do when her son is getting an "F" in the class and there's two days left in the term?

This mom does what she says she'll do when there's more than one missing assignment --

And I show up in class to "help".

Ethan was mortified!

But he's getting an "A-" as of this morning!

Guess it works to have mommy keeping you on track in class.

(Someone needs to get my kid therapy)

Craftiness meets Running-ness

2011-12-21T14:10:00.002-07:00

With Melanie's help I created this little gem that I LOVE!

It's so fun to flip through my race bibs and see what I've been able to do over the past two years.

Escape

2011-12-05T22:05:00.001-07:00

Watching the news tonight I am forced to recall a book I read earlier this year. It's called Escape.

It's the story of Carolyn Jessop and how she escaped from the polygamist organization in Hilldale, UT.

I really would suggest that you read this, it makes the news reports even more meaningful and scary!

Carolyn does a great job in the book of pointing out what it was really like, but still shielding you from some of the more 'private' moments that she had.

Really makes me want to go on a crusade to awake and enlighten the people there -- I know that sounds like I know what the right thing is. But I guess that's exactly what I am saying. I think there is value in human life, in the life of women and children. I believe that there is not suppose to be oppression in religion's name.

How do you convince a fanatic that they are a fanatic? I still want to try though -

The news tonight really, really bugs me.

GoodRead

2011-12-04T16:17:00.001-07:00

I can not stop thinking about the series of books I just finished. I find stupid ways to think about my daily life in reference to the books.

I contemplated their meanings and thoughts all through stake conference today.

I even devoted my whole evening to finishing the books while at Jeff's company Christmas party. It's really hard to focus on blackjack when desperately wanting to pull out my book and read.

Oh, Mistborn, I love you. Brandon Sanderson, you're a genius!!

P.S. Thank you to the Sumsion's and Dillon's who suggested this book to me!

Family Photo

2011-12-03T21:44:00.001-07:00

My Mother-in-law wants family photos from each of her 6 kids, as her Christmas gift this year.

So, I've snapped photos for two of Jeff's siblings.

My own family's photos . . . still undone.

** a bit unhappy that I struggle to get people all in focus, clearly and sharply. Any suggestions? **

Fall Run

2011-10-07T14:39:00.000-06:00

I think this may have been the last time I see South Fork Canyon without snow until spring.

Sad . ..

There's hard, and then there's harder

2011-10-06T10:46:00.000-06:00

I'm a regular complainer lately.

Somewhere along the way we've turned a corner,

and parenting the boys has become very hard for me.

I feel like I have less control, that they listen less, that I am less of a parent.

I'm struggling!

But, as is the case, when I whine -

I get it pointed out that my life ain't so bad.

I've heard heart wrenching parenting stories at work,

from parents and grandparents.

I call to make appointments to help kids,

And get sobbing parents and grandparents who are at their breaking points.

Yes, suddenly my hard life doesn't look so bad.

There's Hard, but then there's Harder.

And then I feel grateful and try to re-group.

While I pray for total strangers.

What do you get?

2011-09-19T15:29:00.003-06:00

What do you get when the Science teacher hands out these:

To this person:

A BLACK EYE!!:

Thanks, science teacher, for handing these poppers out to boys who want to see what happens when they stick them to their bodies! Dur!

26.2

2011-09-18T15:31:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share my experience with you all by posting one photo for each of the miles I ran yesterday.

But I ran into some snags with that idea . . . .

So here's the first 13 miles in photos!

This is mile 0 -- More accurately, this is all of us in a tent trying to stay out of the rain pour that started just before the race started. This is our view when the start gun (muzzle loader) was fired. Ah, nice start!

Mile 1 -- People think they are hot and leave clothes on the side of the road. We are all bundled up and running at this point, not willing to give up any clothes.

Mile 2 -- Time to use the Handi Hut! Oh, Honey Buckets, I missed you. You are the best port-a-potty around, this one just wasn't the same.

Mile 3 -- First aid station. Apparently this set of folks run the mile 3 station every year. They are runners also, but like to help out in this way. The flags were an awesome touch!

Mile 4 -- Pretty run down the canyon!

Mile 5 -- There were some great signs along the course. It was really fun to see the message that were left for people.

Mile 6 -- We just came through our first hail storm! Look at my freezing arms -- at some point I thought my arm would just fall off!

Mile 7 -- Here's are awesome race bibs. Melanie is 3055, Jamie is 3052 and I'm 3044

Mile 8 -- I have a steady drip of rain water running off my hat. I think that's gonna be the worst of it, but I was so, so wrong!

Mile 9 -- Two miles after it happens we take a closer look at Jamie's leg. She has fallen out of the Handi Hut and had a crash landing. That's two falls in the last two races for Jamie, maybe it's a sign.

Mile 10 -- More hail. We run in it, we cry in it, we end up laughing in it. At some point this race has become completely ridiculous!

Mile 11 -- Low lying clouds. We hear lots of thunder claps over head followed by intense rain.

Mile 12 -- More water .. . this time we like it because it's in a river.

Mile 13 -- We are about to the bottom of the canyon. A waterfall in the distance is nice, but we are soaked! The camera is soaked and the battery is dead. We hand the camera off to Jeff at Mile 14 and wish we could hand ourselves off too.

We ended up finishing the race in just over 6 1/2 hours. It was very hard and quite the accomplishment for us. I was happy that I didn't ever get completely overwhelmed or angry. We kept our wits about us. I appreciated Jamie for bringing along some stories that she'd read to us every once in awhile. I appreciate Jeff and Emma coming along and checking on us during the race. And it was great to see Tani and the kids at the finish line!

This was really a hard thing we trained to do. The time it has taken away from my family, my schedule, Ethan's football game, Josh's Homecoming dance, and many other things, has been hard. I think that although I feel great about finishing, I won't do this again. It was a sacrifice for my whole family for me to do this, and I love them for helping me finish!

And to my two running partners, I couldn't have made it without you gals. Thanks for going on these crazy adventures with me and pushing me through to the end!

P.S. When I get a photo of the finish line and medal I'll post that!

Freaking Out

2011-09-11T17:59:00.002-06:00

So, for over a month I've not blogged.

And apparently not blogging has made me hold in all my stress.

So today, I'm FREAKING out.

What am I freaking out about?

Lots --

1st -- Running a freaking marathon next Saturday. I can't just be stressed about running 26.2 miles, but I'm freaking out about how coming in last will be perceived. I just can't be happy with the miles, I have to not be last either. Don't know why this is bothering me so much, but it is. And there's nothing I can do about it now.

2nd -- Homecoming. I'm freaking out that my baby is going to the Homecoming dance on Saturday. He's so grown up now and I'm not loving that. (Except for when he can drive himself places - and then I LOVE it). And the freakin' part of this is that I will be running a MARATHON instead of being at home to help him with the day date and maybe getting ready!!

3rd -- Sunday School & Embarrassing my kid. So I teach Sunday School now. Specifically, Ethan's class. I'm 2 for 2 on embarrassing him in class. I like to add a little 'personal' touch to the lessons which involve stories about my and Ethan's relationship. He would like me to go teach another class. Maybe this item is more of Ethan Freaking out. I just feel bad that I can't keep my mouth shut.

4th -- Amazing Race & Biggest Loser are starting in the next few weeks. Although I'm not really freaking out about it, there is a certain amount of anticipation that is making me happy right now.

5th -- And to not leave out Emma, I could probably say I'm freaking out about here homework and violin practice. I am just not getting into the swing of things with her yet. It's a tough one to get these two things done with her.

Ah goodtimes!

Browsing

2011-08-03T20:57:00.000-06:00

Seems like this summer has been one long sick day.

Jeff has been hacking and coughing for two months now.

Josh has been ill with Bronchitis for a good three weeks.

I am getting a sore throat (which I hope will be super bad on Saturday so I don't have to run 16 miles),

And Ethan can't seem to get sick no matter what he does. Poor kid hasn't been able to lay around the house at all.

And Emma has had an 'Ear Confection.'

At least that's what she calls any little bit of water in her ear. . . .

So I went on line to do some browsing to learn more about 'Ear Confections'.

And here's a picture of one:

Tasty, eh?

Skeleton

2011-07-24T13:54:00.000-06:00

So, skeleton was a stupid word to get in the middle of summer.

I really toyed with how to approach this. . . .

First, I thought I'd take a look at my own skeleton just to see how it was doing. Conclusion: I don't even think there's a skeleton underneath all this flab. I should go on a diet. I don't like diets, therefore I don't like skeletons.

Second, I thought about a skeleton crew this week when they split our ward and redrew boundaries. We were left with a skeleton crew of a ward, and so was everyone else. Once again, I don't like ward splits, so I don't like skeletons. Although I do like crews -- it's just a cool kinda word.

Third, I thought about skeletons in my closet. I decided that if I have one in there - it's staying there!

Anyway, skeleton was a bad word to pick this week, and it made me take to long to post about how I hate the word. So let's pick a new word, shall we?

And the new word is:

BROWSING

Word 6

2011-07-11T18:43:00.001-06:00

And the word is: SKELETON

Ingredients

2011-07-08T07:04:00.000-06:00

INGREDIENTS

Tulle

Cardboard

Cotton batting

Ribbons

Beads

Running Shirt

Iron Ons

Running Skirt

Muddy 4 Mile Obstacle Course

3 Runninng Buddies

RESULTS:

The Cotton Rockettes running in the "Kiss Me Dirty" Race

Thanks to Jaime, we were rockin' celebs in our costumes. We had people laughing and wanting to take our photos. One group of people watched us walk by and we heard one ask her friends if we were chefs. Her friend said, "Those aren't chefs . . . . "

Another little girl asked her daddy what we were, he took a second look and just started laughing. Poor girl won't find out what we were from him and probably not for another 10 years from anyone.

We ran over hay bales, through tires, over a climbing wall, under an army crawl, down a COLD river and through tubes. It was really hard coming off of no sleep at girls camp, but it was fun!

And my awesome family surprised me by getting up early and coming to watch us. I'll have to add a photo later of me and Josh and Ethan. Not sure how those boys felt watching their muddy mom dressed up like a tampon. . .. Ha! So funny!

Word 5

2011-07-04T07:10:00.000-06:00

Word 5 is INGREDIENT!

Please do NOT think I'm going to use that word in relation to cooking. Although that would make a real interesting blog post . . . .

Whoop!

2011-07-03T11:51:00.000-06:00

Whoop! My week of crazy is OVER!

I have survived girls camp,

And so did all of the girls!

At this point:

Chieko is tired of telling me that the girls and leaders Don't Get Me.

My back is completely out of whack from sleeping on the ground.

I've framed my camp award for having a potty mouth (big oops!).

I owe Ted something HUGE for cooking a great dutch oven dinner for everyone on Thursday night.

I'm trying to get over how the big spiritual moment of camp is directly related to me being unprepared.

And I've started therapy to deal with Jeslie's Whoofy.

Sounds like a successful camp, eh? We really whooped it up!

Word 4

2011-06-26T08:23:00.001-06:00

And the new word is:

Whoop!

Avaricious

2011-06-24T21:20:00.000-06:00

I admit it!

I was avaricious this week.

Jeff took the boat to Lake Powell and I had HIGH hopes that someone would buy it.

Which would fulfill my need to get MONEY!

I've had boats sitting around this place for so long,

And money flowing from our pockets,

And limited space along the side of our house!

So I was completely avaricious to think of putting an end to the outflow of money!

But after looking at these photos I really just want to go boating . . . .

Word 3

2011-06-16T15:51:00.000-06:00

Dumb random word generator!!

Here's my word: Avaricious

Thank goodness for dictionaries!

Panel

2011-06-15T12:41:00.001-06:00

I've recently discovered a crisis here in my town.

It's a crisis of significant size in my life, and others.

The DUNFORD CHOCOLATE DONUT DISTRIBUTOR has gone BANKRUPT!

What this means to you and me, is that there are NO donuts at Harts, or any other gas station.

This is devastating!

I took my concerns to a PANEL of experts to discuss this. The panel consisted of Josh, Ethan and Emma -- people deeply affected by this.

Moderator: What will we do without any chocolate donuts!!

Emma: Get one later when they get them.

Josh: *shrug*

Ethan: Huh?

Moderator: How does this donut shortage affect you?

Ethan: It won't. You never bought me one anyway.

Josh: I can't have a quick breakfast anymore. I'll have to make me something else. And by "Me", I mean "You".

Emma: I'll just get one later when they get them.

Moderator: What should the President do about this donut problem?

Josh: Maybe he could sue someone?

Moderator: Do you really think the President will sue someone?

Ethan: The President should bring us a donut

Emma: We can just get one later when they get them

Moderator: I don't think you're taking this panel discussion seriously! I had to buy powdered Hostess donuts this morning - without the jelly centers! Go eat your lunch somewhere else -

Word 2

2011-06-14T07:12:00.001-06:00

And the random generator has provided the word:

PANEL

Check back in 3 days-ish for a post. . . . . .

Deceptive

2011-06-13T22:57:00.000-06:00

In honor of Relief Society:

D is for DECEPTIVE

Frankly this word has seriously stumped me this week. Having it come up as the word of the day seemed deceptively easy.

E is for Ewwww!

Ethan was deceptive about what his underclothing was today. He chose to wear his swim jammer all day today instead of underwear. Seriously, Ewww!

C is for CANDY

I've been eating a bazillion Giant SweeTarts this week. They make me all sweaty when I eat them. The Tart part is deceptively stronger than the Sweet part, which you'd expect in candy. But man I LOVE the purple ones!

E is for ENGRY (or angry)

This past week I was accused of being a deceptive person. The accuser let my son know she was upset with me and asked him to convey the message. I admit this made me angry. Ah, the joys of volunteering your time to help people!

P is for PEOPLE

I'm specifically speaking of people who sneak into random wards and share their LONG testimonies in a deceptively 'religious' husky voice. I'm on to you! I actually can tell when you are speaking from your heart vs your psycho mind!

T is for TIME

Thinking that you will eventually have Time to do anything you want and actually finish your To-Do list is deceptive!!

I is for ICE CREAM.

Those little Ben N' Jerry's that cost $1 at Walmart and come with the little spoon have 240 calories. That's completely deceptive -- small container should be small calories!

V is for VINCENT BOY

One of my Vincent boys thought I was being deceptive when I told him NOT to put his suit in the washing machine. Luckily he only washed the pants (because he had put a cookie in his pocket). I'm now wondering what I do about that. . . . other than yell at the Vincent boy (Josh).

E is for ENTERTAINMENT

My good entertainment for the week was reading Brandon Mull's Beyonders. I really do enjoy Brandon Mull's writing. He is very talented and the style of book is great for me. I really hate having to wait for sequels though. And there was a really great quote in the book about Deception. But it was deceptively hard to find, even though I thought I'd remember the page number I saw it on.

Word

2011-06-07T20:11:00.001-06:00

To spur my blogging to a more normal routine I've found a Random Word Generator,

And every three days I'm going to generate a word,

Mull it over,

And then form a blog about the word.

The blog entry will most likely have something to do with my life AND the word.

This is going to be some good summer fun!

And the word I'm mulling over is:

DECEPTIVE

Rain

2011-05-18T10:20:00.000-06:00

Can't help but think of this movie when it rains,

and rains,

and rains.

It's burned into my memory since I saw it in middle school.

Warning -- Makes Jane Eyre look like a happy tale. . . .

Suits

2011-05-16T08:10:00.000-06:00

Can't resist posting these photos everywhere.

The suits are a result of Josh's too-tight-Sunday pants that we've had to paint on him each week,

And the fortunate happenstance that Mr. Mac had a BOGO!

There is a little problem with our timeliness in purchasing suits,

As it occurred one week after the new baptism boys wore suits to church and the bishop commented on it.

Now I look as though I'm making my teens compete with the 8 year olds.

Ah well . . .

Save

2011-05-11T14:46:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how much couponing use to be a part of my life!

But looking forward, I need it to be a part of my life again.

So to inspire myself I started with a little trip to Smith's,

where I saved 85%.

That's 3 boxes of cereal, 2 shampoo, 2 packs of soap (8 bars each), 5 tooth brushes, 10 Quaker snacks, 2 Body Wash for $11.37

Maybe I'll keep at it for awhile

Today

2011-05-09T13:57:00.000-06:00

The first thing I do every morning is . . .

Grunt at Jeff to give me the remote.

Jeff wanders off to shower and get ready, and I turn on the TV.

And I always turn it on to the Today Show.

(yes, except for Saturday and Sunday)

I like the first 90 minutes of the Today Show.

I like getting all the NEWS as I wake up.

But as of June, I'm not going to be watching like I use to.

In fact, I may find a new way to wake myself up and get moving.

Why?

Because Meredith is leaving.

But that's not really the problem.

It's that Ann is replacing her.

Aaaaggghhh --

That Ann Curry drives me nuts!

I just don't think she's sincere. She uses a different 'pity' voice when she's trying to suck someone's story out of them.

(Josh and Ethan think I have that same voice change when I try to teach someone something -- ew!)

Starting my day with Ann is just not going to work for me.

I will cross my fingers that Katie Couric gets her own morning show so I can survive. But I'll sure miss Matt . . . .

Yup, I'm just this nerdy to care about the Today Show!

Thanksgiving 1/2

2011-05-05T13:54:00.000-06:00

Wow! My 3rd half, and it was harder than the first. This was a pretty rolly course and the snow at the beginning was not particularly fun for me.

But the company was good and they kept me going!

I refuse to talk about the marathon . . . this race just didn't go THAT well.

Procrastinating

2011-04-14T09:46:00.002-06:00

I have to write an Easter program today.

I have sworn to sit at this computer until it's done.

I am now blogging for the first time in over a week because I'm procrastinating.

Yesterday I procrastinated the writing by going to Salt Lake with Emma.

(Josh has been at a week-long Lifeguard class and Ethan had play practice).

Anyway, Emma and I had lunch with Jeff at Ekami Thai, a little hole-in-the-wall establishment. I had Pad Garlic Black Pepper Beef that was DELISH!

Then we popped next door to another hole-in-the-wall for a Liege waffle, served at Bruges Waffles & Frites. Mine had bananas and delicious cream on top. YUM!

After fattening up on good food, we dropped Jeff off at work (Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg) and took a stroll around the temple grounds. It was a gorgeous day!

(hat display in the Joseph Smith Bldg -- reminded me of Grandma Marie)

What shall I do now so I can avoid the writing of the Easter Program?

Things I Think About

2011-04-06T21:28:00.000-06:00

Lots going on here, in my mind.

Stuff like:

1. I will never go to the bathroom again, or buy furniture from others:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

2. I am still busy being completely BUGGED by my telemarketer phone call the other day. I asked to be put on the Do Not Call list, and got an earful of lewd, sexual comments. After being referred to a manager, I got another earful of dirty, nasty talk. YICK!

3. I want a dog

4. I miss my favorite Thai Masaman Curry. The restaurant that I LOVE has changed hands yet again and with the change came a new recipe. I don't like it as much.

5. Can we please stop giving Charlie Sheen any media attention? (This does not count since there's so few people who read this, and I don't think he'll take courage to keep "winning" by reading my comment)

That's just the tip of a giant iceberg of thoughts. . . . .

I Cry

2011-03-31T17:33:00.002-06:00

Unwind

2011-03-20T21:04:00.000-06:00

Read another great book this weekend.

It's called Unwind, and is written by Neal Shusterman.

The premise of the book is that parents have until a child is 18 to decide if they want to keep their child.

Parents can choose to have their child 'unwound' between the ages of 13 to 18.

(Oh, so tempting . . . .)

This was a great, interesting read!

Again, pick it up, read it, let's do lunch!

I Hate St Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T21:31:00.001-06:00

I hate St. Patrick's Day

Okay, maybe that's a little harsh.
I totally respect St. Patrick for removing snakes from Ireland.

I would like him better if he would've removed snakes from Utah.

Also, I would like St. Pat more if he didn't come with the whole Leprechaun and pinch-me-for-not-wearing-green thing.

I just don't think that Leprechauns and pinching are a reflective way to celebrate snake removal.

Adding to that,

St. Patrick's Day also stinks because there are some moms out there who are letting Leprechauns in their house!

I told Emma that I don't let treat-bearing, house-messing, green-food-color-armed Leprechauns in my house.

She cried, and cried and

Cried!

I have just completed writing a note to the Leprechauns and leaving it on my door.

I told them if they were nice, they could visit next year.

Emma stopped crying.

Since when did bargaining with imaginary Leprechauns become my life?

I have to let St. Claus in, the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny and now Leprechauns?

I just don't like holidays this much!

Great Read

2011-03-14T17:13:00.001-06:00

The blogging goes down . . .

Reading has increased.

I have read several books the past few months,

And I must recommend to you:

The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs.

I really, really enjoyed reading this.

I confess that I laughed a LOT and read so many passages to the family that they were happy to see me finish!

The premise is that the author will live the rules of the Bible as literally as possible for a year.

This makes sense when you consider rules like pay a tithe and love thy neighbor.

But you're just asking for trouble with some of the rules regarding stoning and unclean women.

Ha! I laugh just thinking about those sections.

Come on, go read it!

And then call me and let's go to lunch to discuss.

P.S. A little shout out to Patti -- I really want you to read this and tell me what you think.

Glimpse Into the Future

2011-03-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

Had the missionaries over for dinner tonight.

It was great!

And I'm not just talking about the steak & potatoes.

But it was sad.

It was glimpsing my future --

Looking at my boys sitting across from someone else's boys. . . . .

Not sure I can handle letting mine go one day.

But I will.

Until then I'll hold them a little closer,

While I can.

Dear BYU,

2011-03-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Dear BYU,

I love you.

I love that you have an Honor Code.

I love that you are standing up for the Honor Code and what it means.

But I'm heart-broken!

I'm now eating a tub of ice cream.

I will still watch you on Saturday,

Please don't make me eat more ice cream then.

Sincerely,

Me

Where Have All The Good Men Gone?

2011-02-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

NO! I'm not looking for a Good Man. . . I got one.

But where are all the good men for all these good women that I know?

I associate with a few good women at my work,

Who are freakin' amazing and so darling.

The are educated,

They are creative,

They are cute!

They chat with me sometimes about there not being good men around who will date them.

Where have they all gone?

Because they are missing out!

R & R

2011-02-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a little Rest and Relaxation to put yourself back together.

Jeff and I spent a weekend in St. George.

This is our annual trip to see the Home Show and take in some sunshine.

We started this tradition by going with our good friends,

But time and life get in the way and we go alone now,

But it's still good.

It's become our way of celebrating our anniversary now.

So, happy anniversary Jeff!

It's been an eventful 21 years, and I'm happy to have been on the journey with you!

Ownership

2011-02-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

My life is a cycle of Ranting - Assessment - Guilt - Retreat - Ranting - Assessment - Guilt . . . .

You get the point.

I've just Ranted.

Now I'm taking an Assessment of the situation AND feeling guilt.

I have thought alot about the PTA stuff.

And the truth is that I have been asked to do stuff and didn't follow through with it.

For example:

1. I quit going to School Community Council at the Jr High because the ladies didn't like me . . .(pathetic)

2. I didn't follow through with Reflections this year when I felt that I'd be overshadowed by some people . . . (pathetic again)

3. And I think I dropped the ball on serving on the School Community Council at the High School (I will try to see if this is really the situation)

Anyway, just thought I'd confess my sins here on the old blog -- Facebook seemed too public (ha ha)

Now for retreating . . . . .

PTA Rant

2011-02-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

For goodness sakes, if you're going to get offended, stop reading NOW!

But I just have to respond to KSL's article about "Are Schools Asking Too Much of Parents?"

I was so irritated over the article after the news last night!

I am personally struggling with PTA and volunteering and this just LIT my dry tinder.

The premise is that PTA's / School's are needing help and not getting it.

For example, a woman needed help with Mom's and Muffins and only had 2 committed volunteers.

They were going to have to resort to tougher tactics by making PHONE CALLS to ask for help.

The additional issue is that only the same handful of volunteers are ever helping.

I realize that when you are in the middle of being in charge, things feel the way that was presented in the article.

But I think that some of those same old PTA ladies are to blame.

Yes, I've now offended you -- I'm sorry, but not.

Because sometimes when you aren't willing to CALL people and ask them to help, or take a chance on their skill set, you are closing yourself off to be in that same little group.

My personal journey this year has been one of asking to help, repeatedly, and being turned down, repeatedly.

I can only assume that the job I do for PTA has not been 'good enough' and they are turning me away.

I went and got a job -- where they do appreciate what I do, and do accept my help.

I can readily give you names of other mom's who try to help, were made to feel inadequate and no longer help.

And I'm not being passive about this -- I have worked hard to volunteer, to try to fit in, to feel good about myself by giving service, to show my children I care by being there. But there are just some moms who make you feel like crap. And then they complain that they are the only ones doing stuff.

AAAARRRGGGHHH!

I realize that these mom's are good people, doing good things, wanting to help. And I realize that they are oblivious to what they are doing.

But you're kidding yourself if I'm going to take them on and tell them what they are doing. These moms can be a little high strung.

And I know that several of you readers will think I'm the pot calling the kettle black. But I really do try to accept all help offered, make people feel like they belong and help them feel good about themselves. I know I don't always succeed either.

I think we all just need to realize that people want to be included.

I think we all need to realize that there will always be someone else to take our spot when we need to step down. Maybe there will be some interim chaos, but that's okay. The next group of ladies need to learn and feel important too.

And I think that we should realize that being at every activity and being the sole supporter of that event does NOT mean you love your kid AND my kid more!

Thank you for the opportunity to rant, and I'm sorry if I offended . . . . .

Miss Emma

2011-02-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

This girl is somthing else!

Put her in a new dress and she's ready to be sassy and pose for me.

Just sayin' you should note the hair . . . .

That's all me, baby!

Old Addiction

2011-02-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

I have an old addiction.

No, it's not about Diet Coke, this time.

Although I'm now at a super high risk for heart disease,

Because I drink A Diet Coke everyday.

See HERE for my dignosis . . .

My addiction this time is to:

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman

(*I hang my head in shame*)

I can't stop watching it!

Homesick

2011-02-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

Emma talks, non-stop

about getting married.

She's currently in a snit because another boy

likes a girl in her class

and they're going to get married.

Reminder: Emma is SIX!!

But for as much as she talks about getting married and moving out,

(Seriously, she's SIX!)

She has cried TWICE this last week about missing me when she moves out.

She cried once during Mamma Mia (when Sophie gets ready to be married)

And Emma cried again during Open Season (where the bear has to leave his human mommy for the summer).

I was touched that she'd miss me and get all sentimental.

And then I FREAKED out again

Because she's only SIX!

Mom, please tell me I wasn't like this at SIX . . . .

And tell me that Emma's mind-set is not going to ruin her life.

Please!

I Heart Diet Coke

2011-01-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

This isn't really a post about Coke.

It's more a post about the company that ISN'T Coke.

Let's just call them Mepsi . . . . . .

And let's say they have a little contest where you can Refreshingly vote to have them donate money to worthy causes.

And let's just say that the whole thing is rigged by THUGS.

You team up with the THUGS, you can get the $

You don't team up with the THUGS and you work hard in the cold .. .., you get NOTHING!

Okay, you do get good skills at talking to people, working together towards a common goal, but you get $0

Also you get to Enjoy Diet Coke a lot, lot more!

(Sorry Lori, if I wasn't to share that Mepsi has THUGS in charge of their charitable gifting -- I tried to make the real situation 'disguised')

Photoshop Fun

2011-01-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Been taking a Photoshop class.

It lets me erase people from my photos.

Like this:

With Two Ladies BUTTs behind us . . . .

WithOUT two BUTTS

Finished Scrapbook Pages look like this:

Conditioner

2011-01-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

My boys have made it to ages 13 and 15, respectively

Without being able to read,

Or tell the difference between Shampoo and Conditioner.

They have been 'washing' their hair with

Conditioner

For a week now!

Ethan has dandruff like no other,

And Josh has soft, build up hair.

Josh couldn't read that both bottles in his shower said, "CONDITIONER"

And Ethan didn't know the difference, and figured they'd be the same.

Oh My Brilliant Kids!

Picture A Day

2011-01-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

It's harder than you think to come up with an interesting photo for each day of my life.

Makes me feel like I should get a life,

Do SOMETHING interesting.

It's going to be a long 344 days . . . .

http://www.photoblog.com/viewfromthegrove/

Dream Interpretation

2011-01-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

I have now dreamed of losing my teeth,

one by one,

Every day for the last week!

I find myself checking to make sure I still have teeth

During the day.

Because the dreams are so vivid.

(Ha, Ha -- I originally typed 'livid' instead of vivid)

I've checked several Psychic websites

And they suggest that I am worried about losing something close to me,

specifically my kids, since it's my front teeth that fall out.

They also suggest that I'm worried about losing control of something important.

And there's the opinion that it represents a fear of getting older.

Where do they get this stuff!?

It would be so outrageous,

If wasn't actually feeling those things . . . .

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

2011-01-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Had an hour to grocery shop today.

I was in a hurry.

Got stuck behind a car at Wal-Mart,

That wouldn't get out of my way.

I saw that they were making out.

Right in front of the store!

You know, that stop sign right in front of the crosswalk into the store?

They were making out right there.

Blocking me from parking and doing my shopping.

I honked!

They jumped!

And out popped the lady from the passenger side,

Apologetic for the kissing.

And crossed into the store while her sweetie cruised the parking lot waiting for her.

Shocking to me -- she was about 70 years old!!

Yup, some people still have their groove on . . . .

Felt really bad about honking,

The honk plus the making out might've resulted in a heart attack!

Bare Bones

2011-01-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Let's just break it down to the bare BONES . . .

* Prior to the Christmas break I have never seen an episode of Bones.

* As of tonight I've watched 5 1/2 seasons of Bones (over 100 episodes)

* I am addicted to Bones

* There is a good chance I'm watching Bones just to see Bones and Booth get together

* That means I'm a DORK

* But I'm a dork who will be watching Bones this Thursday night

Someone save me from getting hooked on another TV series!

Maybe cut the connection between me and Netflix. . . . .

Projects

2011-01-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Something about the new year makes you want to finish projects.

I'm working on the scrapbooking from Israel -- 2 years in the making,

And I've been working on quilts.

I just finished this THING last night:

Clearly I'm not in love with it, yet.

The fabric was torturous to work with!

It was my first attempt at using my mom's handiquilter,

And it ended up square! For reasons I don't want to go in to.

Emma's happy with it,

And on some level I'm happy it's done too.

On to the next project . .. . .

Puzzled

2011-01-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

(2010's puzzle)

I always get to this point of the year and think "Yes, I do have traditions!"

Which is different than in October, when holiday season starts,

And I think "I have no family traditions, these poor kids are so deprived!"

It is a fine line trying to introduce new things, compensate for last minute changes and keep old traditions.

One of my favorite traditions is putting together a 1500+ puzzle between Christmas and New Years.

This year's was done a day faster than previous years.

Perhaps a testament to how much time I spent in the kitchen this year watching Bones.

2010

2010-12-31T14:40:00.002-07:00

Saying goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011 tonight.

I have to say that 2010 was not too shabby to the Vincent Family.

Jeff's layoff threatened to depress us all,

But we came through pretty well!

We have been very blessed,

Makes me a little nervous that the Lord will try us in 2011.

Guess we'll handle whatever comes up!

Looking forward to 2011 I'll be attempting the following:

1. Taking a photo a day and posting them at http://www.photoblog.com/viewfromthegrove/
2. Running a marathon!
3. Finishing my Israel scrapbook
4. Finding 25 names to do temple work for
5. Appreciating my family more!

Good luck to me, and to you, with all you've got planned for the new year!

Babies

2010-12-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying a weekend of babies!

Spent a bit of time holding Jacquie's new baby girl on Sunday,

It was magical!

Sometimes having to wait for so long and agonize over something,

makes the reward just amazing!

Also spent time holding my nephew, Liam.

Ah . . . it's so sweet to snuggle a little bundle!

Here's an awesome baby clip for you to watch -- this mom is AMAZING!

I think she's publishing a book in 2012 and she has a blog at: http://www.milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

Time to Celebrate

2010-12-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to Celebrate Christmas with the kids last night:

It's Finished!

2010-12-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Two quick posts this morning and then I'm on to fixing a holiday meal and Santa cookies.

First Post -- the house is FINISHED!

And by "finished" I mean that there's still a few little things to do,

But I can use my kitchen now!

Take a look:

(New Cabinets, tile splash and slide-in range!)

(My amazing rock fireplace with new mantle!)

(New railing that is so beautiful!)

(New sink and my granite - Love it!)

(New fridge with its first two residents -- Diet Coke and antibiotics)

This experience took a little longer than anticipated, but the results are so Great!

I have been really blessed to have some talented craftsmen in my home, whom I just adore!

If you ever need a contractor, builder or remodeler -- you need to call Scott Dent. We are LUCKY to call him our friend! He has been amazing to give me his much valued opinion on everything from my wall color to my granite choice.

If you ever need a tile guy who is the nicest, most honest, and most talented guy around, you MUST call Miguel. We are planning future tiling jobs just so we see him again!

Need granite? Need a laugh? Call Justin -- don't worry about where he works, just make sure he's handling the granite and there's no problem. But send out every good thought on the planet to him that he becomes a published children's author this year. He's super talented!

And should you need carpet, access to the awesome tile guy, or wood floors -- go to Westco and talk to Joy. Or just go to Westco and buy nothing and talk to Joy -- because really, you'd just be lucky to talk to her and have her as a friend!

We've got names galore on other varied projects too, electrician, HVAC, plumbing -- okay, not plumbing, Jeff did that himself. But I'm just saying we've been very blessed with the people we have met!

Come by and see me -- I'll actually invite you in now!

Check this Out!

2010-12-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

You have got to see this, it's so funny to me!

By the way, I implemented a star system for earning presents this year.

The kids can open a present for every 5 stars they earn.

Happiness, chores and gratitude is over flowing here!

Thoughts on Sunday

2010-12-20T11:23:00.002-07:00

Not many thoughts about Sunday,

Since I spent it at InstaCare with Emma.

She's doing great and her ear is feeling better.

But since I missed anything 'churchy'

I'm including a link to a really great Christmas Story -- Click HERE

Oh, and since I missed church,

Does anyone want to give me their rendition of Jeff's goof while conducting?

Go Figure that I missed it!

I Love Seminary

2010-12-17T16:48:00.001-07:00

Seminary is a great thing.

Josh loves it!

And I love moments when he brings me stuff like this, from seminary:

The Lanyard, by Billy Colllins

The other day as I was ricocheting slowly
off the pale blue walls of this room,
bouncing from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
I found myself in the "L" section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one more suddenly into the past --
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that's what you did with them,
but that did not keep my from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sickroom,
lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips,
set cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to talk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift -- not the archaic truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-toned lanyard from my hands,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

(P.S. What does a mom do with a lanyard? She loses it. Then her son, who gave it to her, with a lovely poem, finds it. Under the couch. Where the mom 'lovingly' placed it. So she makes up for it by taking his photo and posting on her blog how much she loves him. Because, frankly, a lanyard IS worth it!)

Questions

2010-12-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

What's the point of having an excused absence?

Just curious.

Emma has some UN-excused absences.

I need to make up an excuse for why she was absent within 5 days of the offense.

Can I just make up any ole' excuse?

And what happens if she has UN-excused absences?

Do the police come?

(Note: the police do not come -- they send home a note. I asked the office about it -- they send home a SCARY note)

These are things I've thought about today after getting a note about excusing absences for my kindergartner. Along with a list of her absences for the year.

(Note: Emma misses school on Wednesdays mostly)

I'm not sure which ones are UN-excused. There's no legend as to what an "X- ", " E-", " G- " and "T-" mean. Any thoughts?

Also, if your child is sick more than 10 days due to an illness, you need a doctor's note.

What happens if you don't get that doctor's note?

Do you get a scary letter?

Can you just change your excuse for why your student is absent?

Regardless, I now need to Pre-Approve Emma's extended absences.

From the look of things, I need to pre-approve every Wednesday . . . .

Thoughts on Sunday

2010-12-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Time for another installment about what I thought on Sunday!

1. I thought I would kill my kids for getting ready for church 10 minutes before we needed to leave. I think they need a moratorium from the computer / tv.

2. I think it's okay to email during sacrament meeting, as long it's high council Sunday and I have to work out my future marathon plans with Jaime.

3. I think I should not share any of my comments from Relief Society ---- you're welcome!

4. I think Amazing Race is GREAT! And I'm thrilled that Nat and Kat won, except I love Brooke and Claire too. Can't wait for the next season.

5. I think Visiting Teachers are great when they bring me awesome sugar cookies and truffles! They are pretty okay when they just bring a message too . . .

6. I think you should all go vote for CSYP so they can get a grant from Pepsi to go to New York. I mostly think this because I am not going with them unless they get the grant. Somehow I think that they'll take me for free if they get it. So Vote! Every day!

That's it . . . check back later for a great post if I could only find my boondoggle -- yeah, boondoggle . . .

Glimpses

2010-12-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Nothing is really finished around here,

But I'll give you a glimpse into what is going on.

New entry -- Note the tile inset, new carpet, taller mopboards and the red wall.

Granite Guy redid all our bathrooms!

Wood floors in the hall -- awesome!

Lots and lots of tile, with tile mop boards -- my favorite!

Maybe next week I'll give you more than random glimpses. It's going to be good!

Hiding

2010-12-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not hiding from life.

I'm hiding from all of the workers around the house.

Don't assume that my children are the workers!

That would be very, very incorrect.

It's all the carpet installers, cabinet installers, countertop measurers, countertop installers, etc.

I just don't know if I should stare at them while they work --

Or look like I'm busy in the same room they are in, in case they need something --

Or leave the house so they can steal my Christmas presents --

Or hide in my room where it's awkward for them to ask me questions --

I just hate it and can't find a decent hiding spot.

How about some photos tomorrow?

Moccasin Walk Challenge - an Interview with Josh

2010-11-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Josh, thanks for visting me today. Can you tell me about this Moccasin Walk Challenge that you did?

It was a challenge where you had to give up your normal living conditions.

Like what?

I couldn't use a cell phone, no T.V. or Video Games. I had to sleep on the floor. And I only had one set of clothes for the week. I couldn't take a shower, but if I did, I had to use cold water and a bucket. Oh, and no fast food, no snacks and only two meals a day.

Who gave you the Challenge?

My Seminary teacher, Brother Taggart.

Why do you think he gave you this challenge?

So we could be more thankful for the things we have.

Did it work?

Yes! I never appreciated a bed more in my life.

You definitely look more refreshed this morning than I've seen in previous days, son! What was the hardest thing to go without?

Probably food.

Was it missing your mom's warm, home-cooked breakfast's that you missed?

I have no idea what you're talking about . . . . .

Okay, then! What food did you miss?

Well, I did miss breakfast, the ones that I make by myself.

How many people in your seminary class did the challenge?

Brother Taggart said that there was an average of 1.5 per class who did the challenge.

Did you feel a little lonely with the challenge?

Yes, kind of.

One day when you were missing all of the stuff you couldn't do, you were lamenting about how there wasn't going to be a reward at the end. How do you feel about that now?

I feel that I have attained a great reward from this challenge.

Way to use big words son . . .

You made me lose it . . . I have the knowledge of all the rich blessings I have gotten from the Lord.

Any blessings from me?

Um. . . .

Fine, fine -- the Lord is definitely the source of blessings. Good stuff son! You can now go play Starcraft.

Thanks! Wahhoooooo!

Faith

2010-11-21T13:37:00.001-07:00

Stumbled on this last week during church,

Yes, I was on the internet at church last Sunday.

And this Sunday I'm home with a semi-sick Emma.

Regardless, I've been following this story fairly intently this week.

It's emotional, it's real and it's a beautiful thing to see someone else's faith.

Grab Tissue

There's a blog you can follow along with at www.cometoofar.com

I really like this post and this one

** Quick note: There's background music. So if you read this at church, during Relief Society, TURN DOWN THE SOUND first! **

Food

2010-11-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

When Jeff and I travel, we like to enjoy the local food.

This is NOT a natural trait for Jeff, as he did not like trying new food when we first married. His first taste of Prime Rib didn't come until he went to dinner with me and my parents when he was 23.

Trying new food, particularly local favorites, is part of my heritage. I recall stopping at EVERY bakery in China Town to find the best almond cookie. And if it looks like a local food DIVE, we will stop and partake. . . .

Anyway, Hawaii was just a great big opportunity to try local food -- and for the most part, I got photos:

Featured above is Garlic Shrimp from Macky's Shrimp Truck. This was our first meal in Hawaii. Jeff ate more shrimp than I think is humanly possible. He managed to put down 34+ shrimp in one day -- I can't even think what his overall trip total would be.

Above is a delicious Pineapple Burger from Kua'Aina in Haleiwa. There's a tasty grilled pineapple with grilled onion on this huge burger. We did manage to eat twice at this place! Shockingly, Jeff only had fries and cole slaw the last time -- may have had something to do with all the shrimp he ate the day before)

Not a great photo, but you'll get the point. This was my breakfast from the Hukilau Cafe. It's called a Loco Moco. There's a bed of white rice, a piece of mahi mahi, two eggs over easy and brown gravy. It's quite delicious and fairly unusual for this Haole.

While in Waikiki we did manage to eat at Hank's Haute Dogs and Duke's. We enjoyed a Hula Pie from Duke's and the Lava Flow drink pictured above (minus rum). Waikiki was a little too touristy for us, but it was still pretty sweet to sit in a restaurant dining on yummy food right next to the beach. Life is Good!

Stuff

2010-11-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

I spent my day yesterday watering all my plants.

Apparently I've neglected them with all the STUFF going on lately.

I logged onto this blog thinking maybe it had tried to curl up and die like the plants.

Appears not.

But it does look pretty neglected.

Unlike these little specimens of plants I saw in Hawaii two days ago -- (Where it was 80+ degrees and I was sweating like a pig dressed in flip flops and capris . . . )

Good times at the botanical gardens in Hawaii!

Look for more good stuff in the days to come, and I don't just mean about our trip, We've got plenty happening around the house too. Plus I find myself more opinionated then ever -- so I'm sure you're gonna want to hear that too!

36 Legs 36 Experiences

2010-10-27T22:43:00.000-06:00

Oops I did it again!

I guess it wasn't so much an accident as an adventure. But count that as my third Ragnar.

I'm currently snuggled up in bed suffering from a head cold, but figured someone's gotta update this blog and record this Ragnar.

So to keep my foggy head from thinking too much, I'll just give you 36 experiences from the Las Vegas 2010 Ragnar. 36 is representative of the total number of times someone had to get out of the van and put the shoes on the road.

Here we go!

1. Just call me"U-Turn" Wendy. I liked to get us close to the place we should be at and then complicate the situation with a series of U-Turns that just got us back to where we should've been. Kudos to Cheiko for holding it together while driving.

2. Have you ever seen the Valley of Fire? It's where we started the race. Here's what it looks like at 6am:

Yup, it's impressive. If you add in some nerves and reflective gear, it's even more cool.

3. Actually, here's a pretty good photo of what the area looks like:

(This is Lisa H running down hill after cresting a freakin' hard hill)

4 & 5. Yes, I'm only at 4 and I'm wondering how long this blog could possible be. But since I saw two of the following, I think that it will count. Of course I saw one alive and one dead. Either way, it was kinda creepy/cool and gave me a reason to stop running for a little air break. The live version was photographed and emailed to me by the Scouts.

6. Speaking of Scouts. This was one of my favorite teams! Apparently a Boy Scout group had provided service to Ragnar for two days previous to the race and then ran the race. I can't tell you how cool it was to see them out running. They all ran IN their Boy Scout Uniform shirts and with a hodge podge of shoes. One boy had skater shoes on. They were extremely polite as they passed me . . . . I do remember one scout who took off out of the 2nd exchange. He was young and amazingly fast! Very inspirational, actually.

7. Another note about my first run, it just happened to be the EXACT same first run as last year. I was STOKED to see that I ran it nearly 1 min 20 seconds faster PER MILE than last year. And it was 7.2 miles long! I was thrilled to see improvement. Now, do I credit the performance to a year's worth of running or the bag of Circus Peanuts I ate before I ran?? (You know it was the Circus Peanuts!)

8. When you are the 'inactive' van you get to go to the next major exchange and wait for your next turn. It's really tough depending on where you get to wait. How rough do you think this was?:

(We're hanging out poolside at a swanky casino on reclining chairs)

9. Another look at this exchange:

(I will say that from here on out the exchanges just got worse. Poor van 2 had a horrible sleeping situation at exchange 30. Unless you enjoy a rocky surface to roll your bag onto. Ugh!)

10. Red Shoes! That's a great memory for me ~ These are NOT my shoes, but they belong to a rockin' awesome runner who really did a bang up job at the race. Not saying that it was easy for these Red Shoes, but you have to respect them, and I do! Go ahead and guess whose shoes they are. She is RAGNAR!

11. I was again fortunate and HUGELY surprised to find that my second run was the same one as last year. Last year I was runner 11, this year I was runner 5. So having two of the same courses is quite odd. But, I was really grateful for this. My second run was the one where the man was killed last year. I took a detour last year to avoid the accident scene and was very emotional about it. There was no detour this year, and it was still pretty emotional. Cool though!

12. On that same second run of mine the man in front of me reported that he was struck by pellets from an air soft gun. A car driving by had shot at him. Freakin' people!!!

13. I didn't realize something had happened in front of me, I think it was because I was getting passed by one of the 1/2 naked runners in a speedo. That's an incredibly distracting event to have butt cheeks like that passing you, Just sayin'

14 & 15. Did I mention I have a cold? Let's call #14 my sister-in-law Tif who gave me 1/2 of the cold and #15 is the cold night I spent sleeping outside with a sweaty, wet head which caused the other 1/2 of the cold.

16 - 20. Ragnar Bling. I'm counting each of the toes . . . .except I'm pretty sure that one of these is going to fall off now. I'm thinking about surgically removing them ~

21. Have you ever been the scape goat? Well I have! And here's what happens when Chieko thinks you're the one to blame:

(Cheiko's evil eye -- P.S. Don't trust a word Lisa says in the van!)

22. After being the recipient of Cheiko's evil eye, I let it go after this happened;

(sleep affects people differently)

25. Suppose I should make some mention of my last run. Let's just say it was bad . . . . We could also say that it was a lot like running on the canal. Except it was rockier. And it was uphill. It looked like this whenever I looked around;

And of course the rest of the trip wouldn't have been complete without the following:

26. Libby -- I think this may be the last time I talk Libby into something like this. Libby bailed early on our trip. I think it had to do with a hot car and a man.

27. Lisa -- I blame Lisa for EVERYTHING! It's completely her fault that I find myself sitting on a curb in the dead of night wondering why I'm there. It's her fault that I love crossing the finish line too . . .

28. Dena -- I love Dena AND Kim. I think the best part of my whole thing was riding around with Kim and Tifany at the end of the race. Kim was howling at the burros and dropping drawers . . . .Ha! So funny even now, good times!

29. Cheiko -- the previous photos say it all!

30. Brenda -- Nickname "red shoes"

31. Cyndi -- I so wish I was in the same van as Cyndi. There's something really cool about watching someone do something hard and trying something new. I love hearing about how this was for her.

32. Jen -- 41 hours with no sleep. Thank goodness she finally fell asleep. I was worried she'd be up all night. Jen was putting out crazy miles/min and was still going strong with no sleep. AMAZING!

33. Kellie -- How's this for my fabulous friend who has followed me through all of these Ragnars? Beautiful!

34. Jaime -- Queen of decorations. Sorry you got stuck doing this twice out of the three times we've gone. But you are great at it!! Looking forward to that marathon next year . . . .

35. Tifany -- Crazy Tif! You fly out from Iowa each time we do these. I can't tell you how much I rely on you running in with me for the last bit of my legs! Thanks sis!

36. Melanie -- Thanks for everything you did to help things flow smoothly between the vans! You are great at helping out and seeing the needs of the people around you. Thanks for letting me run in with you on that last leg. You did great!

Ah! I made it to 36.

My head is still stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey!

Not sure what my next BIG thing will be . . . but it's looking like a marathon next year. YIKES!

Guess it's good I'm headed to HAWAII soon! YIPPEE

Reflections of Sunday

2010-10-18T14:53:00.001-06:00

Here's my thoughts about this past Sunday:

1. Sacrament meeting goes A LOT better when I don't sit by the boys. Apparently I am the cause of the irreverence -- who knew?

2. People will finally do the BSA Youth Protection Training if it gets them out of Sunday School.

3. I really do LOVE my new calling! I'm the Advancement Committee Member for the scouting program -- it's a SWEET gig!

4. It sucks when you haven't cut your coupons for 4 weeks. . . . .

5. I really love Amazing Race! I think Brooke and Claire are my favorite ones to watch. I'm not saying they're going to win, but their hysterical.

6. I also really love The Next Iron Chef. No idea why I like this show -- I just do.

7. After watching 60 minutes and reading The Lemon Tree I have some strong opinions about Israelis and Palestinians. Perhaps tomorrow I'll tell you what those opinions are. Meanwhile, you can have a thought about today, Monday. It's the day I took Ethan to get his braces:

"G" Mountain

2010-10-08T10:35:00.000-06:00

Hiked up to the "G" last week.

It was kinda tough,

But it was also pretty cool!

I do love living at the base of these mountains.

Watch tonight, I hear they are lighting up the "G"

After the football game.

It's gonna be freakin' amazing!

No "Umph" Left

2010-10-07T19:19:00.000-06:00

Dropped by Parent Teacher Conferences tonight.

I just happened to have some free time.

Let's face it, if I was even remotely busy, or in my PJ's, I wouldn't have gone.

That's just the way I roll now with Emma.

I've become the lame mom.

Emma has four weeks of missing homework.

I know just where they all are,

But I don't feel like doing it with her.

It's kindergarten, for heaven sakes.

And by the time I'm done with Pre-Cal, Spanish 3, 7th Grade History, CTE, etc . . . .

Kindergarten homework is just not going to get done.

Poor Emma has a mom with just not enough "umph" to go around.

Except maybe now I better find a way.

They made me sign a form saying it'll get it done.

(Hope they caught that I added the word 'maybe' to the commitment paper before I signed it)

Serenity

2010-10-04T13:53:00.000-06:00

I know the definition of serenity.

It's NOT the feeling that I have now!

Especially after investing the last few days of my TV life watching Firefly.

Thanks for letting me know that I was watching a series that has been cancelled!

I'm on to watching Drop Dead Diva now. Anyone want to tell me this is cancelled too?

Feeling Peevish

2010-09-29T09:25:00.000-06:00

A few things have been on my mind and making me feel a bit peevish.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. The other day I drove Jr. High Carpool. 18 feet from the crosswalk a young girl stepped in front of my car to cross the street. I nearly hit her -- right in front of her mom who had not taught her to cross in the crosswalk.

** Note, the same girl crossed again in front of another car to get to the correct side of the street. That's TWO jay walking instances in less than 3 minutes for this gal! **

2. I HATE picking paint for my house. If you come during daylight hours you'll love my brown paint and the cool purple accent wall. If you come at night you'll hate the red paint and the dumb black accent wall. Why does the light have to make my paint choices so crazy!?

3. I'm still stewing over the feeling I had when we refinanced the house and I was asked if I had a job, that generated income. I feel undervalued and like a leech when finance stuff like this comes up. * Yes, I just sit at home doing jobs that aren't valued enough to be paid for and I ride on my husband's coat tails. * Bite me!

4. All this peevish-ness is probably directly related to the fact that my sweet husband brought home 4 liters of Diet Coke the other day -- CAFFEINE FREE Diet Coke. Someone get me to Harts!

(Instead I'm now headed to the dentist -- talk about peeved!)

Favorite Form of Torture

2010-09-28T08:05:00.000-06:00

Josh came home from school yesterday and DID NOT do what he was suppose to.

He went and played StarCraft 2 instead of homework.

I imposed one of my favorite punishments. . . .

Essay Writing!

Here's what he came up with in the 20 minutes I gave him

(He only had 20 minutes because he had to do homework, chores and moan that he was grounded from the computer).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mom

I am so very sorry for making the poor decision of playing Starcraft Two instead of doing my jobs like making my bed, doing laundry or cleaning my bathroom. I also could have been doing my Pre-Calculus Homework for Math class or reading a Chapter for Computer Programming. I could have even been studying my Spanish notes so that I would do better in class or started to sell those amazingly delicious, overprice, creamy ice-cream filled cakes from Cold Stone ® and using that wonderful form that you spent much time working on that nobody noticed how much time you actually spent doing. I would like to take this time to tell you how much I appreciate the work that you do for the Swim Team and I. I am sorry for not doing all these crucial things in my life and now know that I made a really bad decision In playing my computer game instead.

Mom, I love you so much and would like to tell you that I love you and appreciate that you remind me to do my homework and jobs before playing my freaking awesome computer games. I know that sometimes I do not like it but in the long run it can help me a ton to know to do the more important things first in life.

Mom, you have taught me many great lessons in life and I would like to thank you at this time. I am ~~kind of~~ grateful for the lectures and lessons which you have brought into this home and learn from these things which you teach me and the rest of this family. I have learned not to hop in to a jeep with some other guys to do donuts. I am sorry for getting in Brayden’s car and getting donuts at Macey’s. There are too many other lessons that have learned so much from that I cannot name another plus I am almost to the bottom of the page.

Mom, I love you. I would like to mow the lawn, do all of my homework, sell some cakes, and let you pop some of my zits. From, Josh.

Reflections on Sunday

2010-09-27T07:48:00.000-06:00

I think it'd be good to Reflect upon my Sunday each Monday morning.

It'll be my personal challenge to try and remember what I learned (ha ha).

Here's my thoughts from yesterday:

#1 WHY? WHY! Did it have to be my daughter's underwear that showed during the Primary Program? You know at least one kid will lift their dress over their head and show their underwear . . . but why Emma? (Okay, it wasn't over her head, but apparently I need to teach her about crossing her legs)

#2 Who Knew!! There's treats in Relief Society. I've gone several times now, and I keep getting something to eat in there. It's freakin' magical! I've had chocolate twice and yesterday I had cookies. The church is definitely true!

#3 I'm not having more children. Okay, this is not really news, but I sat next to a mom in Relief Society who had to entertain her baby the whole time. I was exhausted just watching her! I watched her get spit up crackers in her hand, I watched her get pushed by a sleepy little baby, I watched her picking up toys, diapers, treats. For the love! I'm so over that.

(I'm so over it that I held the baby, made faces at her, and kissed her hand - repeatedly)

Fall into TV

2010-09-26T10:02:00.000-06:00

My calendar is usually chock-full of MUST Watch TV at this time of year.

But I've cut back to only 3 this time around.

And they are:

Biggest Loser

Glee!

Amazing Race

Sadly, out of all the available time slots, they had to put Biggest Loser and Glee on at the same time! Why, Why does no one consult me anymore? Did someone miss the memo that I am the center of the universe?

Regardless, I'm looking forward to Melanie making THIS delicious cake for dessert while I watch Amazing Race tonight.

And you can see why I love Glee! so much by watching this great Sue Sylvester commercial. Heaven help me! I think Sue is hysterical. And I am NOT endorsing this particular tv show to everyone --

Appraisal

2010-09-23T14:05:00.000-06:00

So, after letting the appraiser come and wander around my home yesterday I thought I better take a closer look at what he was seeing.

Here's my appraisal of what's going on around here:

1. Scratch the WELCOME mat and just put out the POISON.

Nothing says "Welcome to the Vincent's" like a little Roundup. Yes, it's still sitting on my front porch now. I think it sends a nice bold statement. I figure this added more of a 'feeling' to the appraisal than an actual dollar amount. Although, Roundup is freakin' expensive.

2. Loads of Love? or Pile of Pain?

The value of a master bedroom is in the size, don't ya think? I really wanted the appraiser to see how large this room is. The master bedroom is large enough to contain the fundamental bedroom pieces as well as an ironing board with a fat ton of laundry. I think it also adds and element of 'warmth' to see the clothes piled like that. Certainly should add to the value of this home!

3. Lunch Chic

The appraiser came at lunch -- he was able to witness the orderliness of our home and how we like to label our food. Either that or he thinks we own a cow named Josh. Or that we have a sick sense of humor. Bet he didn't guess that we were trying to chug that milk down for lunch so Josh could have a water bottle at swim team. I DO own real water bottles! Josh is just going through a weird phase. Regardless, the individualized milk jugs must add to the value of this home!

4. Personal Pool

Just had to point out to the appraiser that we have our own personal pool. Figured if he just saw all that swim gear he'd know that we have a pool here. And you know that a pool is worth a MINT.

*mental note: check the boys tub more often*

Well, that's about all I could bare for running around and checking up on what the appraiser saw. I've kindly left out the photo of my artistic deck. You know, the one with the funky, fun angles. . . Makes you think that it's tipping over, but really it's an expensive work of art that's "attached" to the house. That's gotta make this house with something!

Slump

2010-09-22T19:54:00.001-06:00

(Provo Canyon 09/19/2010)

Clearly I have slid into a slump in my life.

I don't know why,

but occasionally it happens.

I think I'm headed up though.

Had an appraiser come to my house today,

It wasn't that interesting,

Other than I think tomorrow I'll share MY appraisal of the house.

It's gonna be good . . . .

Tuesday Night Lights

2010-09-01T12:43:00.000-06:00

There's something about a guy in a uniform . . .

Kindergarten

2010-08-26T17:51:00.000-06:00

So, Emma went to her Kindergarten Assessment Test the other day.

It's a time when the teachers try to see how smart your kid is and decide which class they need to be in.

It went something like this:

Teacher: What's your full name?
Emma: *shrug*

Teacher: What's your first name?
Emma: Emma

Teacher: What's your last name?
Emma: *shrug*

We're not off to a good start. I'm stuck at a table in a tini-tiny chair that doesn't even fit 1/2 a butt cheek. Emma doesn't know her name and I'm trying to answer a dumb questionairre that asks what I want Emma to get out of Kindergarten. I'm tempted to answer that I want her to get a million dollars.

The teacher continues:

Teacher: Repeat this sentence after me: "I have a big, black dog."
Emma: I don't have a dog.

Teacher: Just repeat this sentence: "I have a big, black dog."
Emma: *long silence* "I have a white bird."

Teacher: No, just repeat this sentence. It doesn't have to be true or false. "I have a big, black dog."
Emma: No I don't.

I'm dying at the back table! And Emma looks so confused. The teacher just goes on:

Teacher: Let's try another one. Repeat this sentence: "I am going on a picnic today."
Emma: No I'm not!

At this point I leave the room because I'm laughing so hard. My kid doesn't know her name, she doesn't have a black dog and doesn't know what 'repeat' means. I have no idea what happens while I'm in the hall.

When I come back Emma struggles though some letters and sounds. She tries to write a sentence, but has to answer "I don't know how" to every word of the sentence. Her head is sinking to her chest.

We finish up with some math. Stuff like, "Figure in your head, if you had three blocks and added one, how many would you have?" I'm sure Emma doesn't know what "in your head" means.

Luckily we finish up and skeedaddle. Josh tries to explain what 'repeat' means in the car. He says it's like the copycat game.

He practices like this:

Josh: Uh
Emma: Uh

Josh: Um
Emma: Um

Josh: Will you stop it?
Emma: Will you stop it?

Josh: I have a big, black dog
Emma: You do?

So much for preschool! Emma's got a lot of learnin' to do this year!

Long John Silver

2010-08-25T07:53:00.002-06:00

I'm going to get around to posting about school stuff -- sometime.

But this morning this little essay by Josh just caught my eye.

He wrote it several years ago,

But it still applies.

Here's hoping he doesn't write anything like it today in school.

Long John Silver & My Mom

Long John Silver is heartless and my mom is heartless also. They both have traits that make them heartless. Elements of this trait are being cruel, selfish, and scary.

Long John is very heartless. First, one of the crew members, Tom, was killed by Long John because Tom would not join the pirates. It is very cruel just to kill someone because they don't agree with you. Second, Long John thinks only about himself. One time, during Long John’s travels, he led a mutiny with the pirates so that he could get more of the treasure but later mutinied against the pirates. Long John was being heartless because he doesn't care about the people that are on his side just as long as he gets the treasure. Third, Long John is scary. When Long John wants something done he yells at the pirates to do it which scares them. When Long John gets what he wants it makes him happy. So scaring people makes Long John happy which is very heartless.

My mom also has the traits of being heartless. First, she gives me jobs and makes me do homework everyday after school which is very cruel. Second, if my mom goes to Harts before I get home from school, she won’t take or get anyone else anything which is very selfish. Third, when my mom gets mad, she uses this voice that always scares everyone. Everyone is so scared that they feel bad and my mom gets what she wants. All three of these traits make my mom heartless.

Because Long John is heartless there are things that he ends up with. Some consequences of Long John being heartless would be walking away with treasure, not being caught and probably being happy. There are also some bad consequences, like nobody likes him and no one will help him when he’s in trouble.

When my mom is heartless she gets some consequences too. Consequences for my mom include having a clean house, cold drinks from Harts, and she is very happy. Some bad effects are that when my mom gets nominated for cleanest house, she will have to include the people who actually cleaned it. Also she will not have the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you share your drinks from Harts.

Don't miss tomorrow's post when I tell you how Emma did at her kindergarten test.

Let's just say she probably failed.

Peaches

2010-08-13T21:10:00.001-06:00

Spent a few hours at the cannery the other day.

We were doing peaches.

And by "We", I mean "They".

I was doing boxes, which had very little to do with peaches.

Other than they were labelled "peaches".

It was four hours of taping box bottoms, and sticking labels on boxes.

You'd think this would be horrible.

But I love it.

I think I'm cut out for production work.

Give me a job, get out of my way, let me get it done.

Of course it helped to talk to an older gentleman serving a mission there.

He told me about his recent divorce,

His son that had just gotten out of juvie,

And how volunteering as an investigator at the MTC 5 days a week has changed his life.

Ah!

Testimonies and Peaches -- what can be better?

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

2010-08-12T22:31:00.000-06:00

I think the only thing our family can count as a Summer Vacation activity this year was going to Lagoon.

We went back on the 23rd of July (yeah, I'm THAT far behind on blogging).

I hoped the whole day was going to be EPIC so that the children would remember we did Something during the summer.

It started out pretty EPIC as the boys were getting along and really chumming it up!

We increased the incredible-ness of the day by sending the boys on the Samurai.

Of course, that was a little anti-climatic as they waited for vomit to be cleaned up before they could get on the ride. (ewww!)

And you can't get more EPIC than getting mom to ride Cliffhanger and getting Emma to go on WICKED!

That's just CRAZY EPIC!

And what puts the whole day over the top more than ending it on THIS ride:

That's me trying not to hurl!

Don't worry, I kept the whole EPIC theme as I vomited all the way home.

Sorry to Farmington, North Salt Lake and Draper for leaving a trail of EPIC in your city.

Happy Summer Vacation Kids!

Ugh!

2010-08-06T14:56:00.000-06:00

Like an idiot, I volunteered for something new this summer.

While out to dinner with Jeff,

Moaning over all the crap I'm involved with,

And how I need to cut-back . . .

I accepted a request to volunteer to put teams together for soccer.

Did I mention I'm an idiot?

Anyway, I'm fielding questions from an irate parent today.

She wrote the wrong thing on her registration,

She didn't call me back,

She didn't email me back,

When I tried to clarify, over the last 3 WEEKS!!

Now she's angry,

And the fact of the matter is,

I can't fix it,

It's in someone else's hands now.

To top it off, she has her friend calling me now.

I want to shoot her,

Or maybe myself,

Cuz I'm an IDIOT!

What I Thought On Sunday . . .

2010-08-04T15:34:00.002-06:00

While sitting in the audience on Sunday,

I focused on Ethan, who was sitting on the stand.

He seemed like a good person to focus on.

Especially since he looked so handsome!

What a delightful distraction he was.

Bless you Ethan~

Peace, Be Still

2010-08-04T15:07:00.000-06:00

I am loving the weather last night and this afternoon.

A summer rain storm is PERFECT!

I got up at 5:30am and sat out on the porch,

Wishing my dad was there too, just like he was when I was young.

But I sat alone and it was still beautiful to behold.

I went back to bed and waited for Emma to get up,

Thinking she'd be afraid of the lights and sound.

But she never did.

This morning when I asked her why she didn't come get in bed with me, she said

Cuz, I just said "Peace, Be Still," and it stopped. So I was fine.

I asked where she learned that phrase.

She said, "Primary -- It's what Jesus said on the water."

Heart . Melted .

Here's some photos from this afternoons rain shower --

Weight Lifted

2010-07-25T14:53:00.000-06:00

I realize you all know that I was released from Primary a few weeks ago.

Last week I was busy attending a lovely open house for Chris, and missed the true feeling of being Primary-free.

But today, I experienced the whole thing.

And it was lovely.

I sang the closing hymn in sacrament meeting,

I read scripture and enjoyed a great Sunday School Lesson,

I was told to put away my phone in Relief Society,

And I was GIVEN a treat instead of GIVING OUT treats!

Delightful!!

I'll be honest, primary was getting too tough for me the last few months. And although I didn't ask to be released I know that it was obvious I was needing it. The craziness, the meanness, the unthoughtfulness of some of the people in primary really brought me down.

But I can tell you today, I'm on the up swing! My bucket is being filled, instead of drained.

I think this blog will benefit more from this change too ---

What Work Looks Like

2010-07-11T15:30:00.000-06:00

This is how the Vincent Family works in the yard:

Josh Working?

Ethan moaning over having to work

Josh NOT working

Ethan wishing he were dead

Taking a food break from all the hard work?

Taking a Water Break?

Here's how the project ended up -- definitely a long way from finished.

Shocker!

Music to My Ears

2010-07-08T16:25:00.000-06:00

This blog has turned into a life update,

Instead of my Views about things.

Today it's safer to avoid my views -- cuz I'd rant and rave about cooperation, teamwork and charity.

So let's just update you on my life and say that I'm in love,

With Ethan's new instrument of choice!!

Such a beautiful sound!

Fire - Works

2010-07-05T09:33:00.001-06:00

Twelve Year Old Man Has Discovered Fire

A twelve year old man encountered the effects of fire this weekend and burned his thumb. After purchasing a multitude of fireworks, with his own money, he proceeded to light them. Following the lighting of the fire bombs, the twelve year old man threw them in the air - narrowly missing the car parked BEHIND him! During the process of lighting and throwing, a thumb was charred and blistered.

Somewhere, nearby, a mother was a FREAKING out!

How Not To Fall Asleep

2010-07-02T18:16:00.000-06:00

How not to fall asleep on your drive home from Flagstaff. . . ..

Practice photo taking!

(probably burned my sensor out on this one)

How does this magic happen?

Freakin' lucky I made it home safely!

Flagstaff

2010-07-01T16:27:00.000-06:00

I think I made the world's fastest trip to Flagstaff this week.

It was a down and back kinda thing.

But Oh, So worth it!

Here's what I saw:

Fast Trip

Good Stuff!

12 Runners = One Crazy Race

2010-06-21T21:20:00.001-06:00

Well, we did it again.

We ran another Ragnar Relay Race.

This time, the Wasatch Back.

A race that starts in Logan and ends in Park City.

Team 454 - Save Our Soles

There were 12 great runners who helped us reach this achievement.

And in honor of those 12 runners,

I give you 12 Highlights from the Race.

*******************************************************

# 1 - Overall, the race course was lovely! We passed through small towns and in/over mountains. It was much more scenic than Vegas.

Tifany running in front of a lovely field

# 2 - We met new people who joined our team. I think this gal's name is Helen, maybe it's Norah, or Ruth . . . . Regardless, she was great fun and a rockstar runner. We were really tight by the end of the race (as you can tell from my ability to remember her name).

(Alright, I know her name - it's Ruth. And she's getting married this weekend - Congrats!)

#3 - Running up Avon Pass was my running highlight. It was a 1200 foot gain, and all dirty, dusty road. You can tell it was a hard run because of my boob sweat, again . . . .

There should be a picture here of me. But when I looked at it again -- I was horrified! So just picture a completely haggard, chubby girl with boob sweat and a sunburn. I also had mud on my teeth. It's not a picture for the world to see .. . .

#4 - My first experience showering in a middle school girl's locker room. Don't even scroll down looking for a photo! Let's just say that my nakedness probably made a lot of skinny gals feel REAL good about themselves.

Oh, don't even bother leaving me a message that I'm not chubby. The freakin' 'shower attendant' charged me DOUBLE for my shower -- she must've figured that I used twice as much water as the other gals.

#5 - Hanging with other running teams. Okay, we didn't do a whole lot of mingling, but just watching other teams is a kick! It's definitely a PG-13 race when you take a look at all the different team names. But here's a few of my ' favorites '

(Oh, the funny-ness of computer geeks who run!)

(Sorry, didn't include his teammates who were dressed similarly and cheering him on)

# 6 - Watching the success of my teammates. Man, this is really one of my favorite things! I love supporting the gals who are out running and then watching them finish their legs. I love, love it when they feel success.

I know that for all of us there are some runs that don't make us feel successful, but then there are those that do. Like these:

(Dena, after her first LONG run. She has done 10 min miles on this run -- AWESOME!)

(Adorable Cheiko after her HOT, uphill, 6.5 mile run)

# 7 - Being loopy. Ah, the joy of being completely off your rocker after getting little (if any) sleep and running like there's no tomorrow. Being this loopy makes you think that mooning and flashing your friends is funny. Along with this stuff:

(Melanie blasting herself with the sprayer)

(It's Helen's name spelled out on our shirts)

# 8 - A Massage at the end of the race. How do I even begin to describe this messed up highlight? Can I just say -- LARGE, LARGE sweaty man, with sweaty boob marks (just like mine) touching my body while sweat drips off his forehead and plinks off my hands and arms. Not to mention the LARGE, LARGE man's overhanging 'areas' around my head and hands! And why, oh why, did I still have to enjoy the freakin' massage and walk away like a drunken sailor? I'm so confused by this experience.

Yeah, no photos for this one either!

# 9 - Proud Kids / Families. I do love the power and strength of women. I think that doing hard things makes our kids and families see us in a new light.

(Cheiko and Ethan)

(Brenda, Mike & Jenna -- Mike & Jenna were two of our AWESOME volunteers!)

(Jaime running in with her family - minus Bailey - after a long run on a crappled knee)

(My Support Club)

# 10 - Miracles. With 1050 teams moving from Logan to Park City it's easy to appreciate that people made it through safely. It would definitely be considered a miracle and an answer to our team's prayer that we were safe.

But sometimes it's even more miraculous that one person's prayer could be answered out of so many.

Alexis, told us how she spent her third run (a run that was unexpectedly increased by 1.5 miles), talking to a lady about the church, about Jesus, and sharing testimony. This lady told Alexis how she was an answer to prayer. The lady prayed that she would make it through that leg, and that with Alexis she was able to do it.

Finally, it was a real miracle and answer to prayer when Jaime lost her wallet (containing $300 and her Ragnar medal) and found it again. She found it on top of the car, which had been driven wildly down Provo Canyon in the middle of the night, to church and back and parked in front of Ruth's house.

**************************************

The one thought that has stuck in my head during this Ragnar race comes from the back of some guy's shirt. I saw it at the first major exchange. It just simply said:

Do Hard Things

And so I will keep trying to Do Hard Things -

Thanks for the journey, ladies!

See you in Vegas ~

Straight!

2010-06-15T11:05:00.001-06:00

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Where do I buy the retainer insurance so I don't find myself elbow deep at a dumpster somewhere?

Alive!

2010-06-11T09:58:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to let you all know I'm still Alive. . . .

Jumping into summer has been a little hard.

We started with

2 Scout Camps,

2 Weeks of Swimming Lessons

220 Swim Team members looking for suits & stuff,

130 Triathlon participants,

2 weeks left at Symantec,

1 Unfinished Rock Wall,

1 Falling down deck,

1 Shed that needs to be built

1 Boat to be sold

1 Car to be sold

3 Children to be nagged into jobs

And 7 days left until I run RAGNAR again!

My "Alive" status may not last very long.

Thriller!

2010-05-26T13:17:00.000-06:00

Dance Festival was a success!

6th Grade pulled a new musical number with their rendition of Michael Jackson's THRILLER!

Ethan LOVED his role as Zombie

Alex and Alinda as Michael J and his girlfriend:

Dance Festival ROCKS!

Let the Graduations BEGIN!

2010-05-24T14:31:00.000-06:00

Tis the season for graduations . . . .

Our first one is from Preschool,

Where they let just any crazy lady come:

But where they have a super great teacher:

And where Emma practically FLEW to her seat following the receipt of her Diploma:

I have loved that Emma goes to Miss Camalee's class!

She has come home most days telling me about what Miss Camalee was wearing,

Which boy she is going to marry,

And always wanting to go back.

I, personally, will miss the preschool years . . . . .

And by that I mean:

I will miss Miss Camalee's Cookies!

The ones you get at the beginning of each year,

And the ones you get at graduation!

The Bitter-SWEET-ness of Graduation . . . . .

Things I Think About

2010-05-20T11:21:00.000-06:00

I've had a lot on my mind lately.

I can't seem to turn my brain off with all the stuff I think about.

Stuff like:

Why does Little Caesars Pizza have to be so NASTY when it is vomited up at 3am?!

Why is my memory so short when it comes to remembering if I've already added a dryer sheet to the laundry? I go through 2 dryer sheets per load every time!

Why can't Target have dresses WITH sleeves in its little girls section?

How do Ethan's socks end up EVERYWHERE around the house? One is on the counter (ick!) and one is behind the TV . . .

Just how crazy would I have to be to sign up to run a marathon?

Would it be wrong of me to go to next year's preschool graduation just so I can have the cookies?

Who wants to eat Kneader's French Toast with me next week before the kids get out of school?

Does a Summer Craft Camp sound like a good idea for Josh to make some money this summer?

Will everyone think I'm less white-trash if I get cool cement curbing for the yard tomorrow?

Why do situations get worse whenever I start monkeying with them? Is there a law that says I can't make a bad situation better?

Oh, the list goes on!

And so does my thinking about them . . . .