I Know Someone Famous!!

Check out Char's blog at CRAP I'VE MADE

She's totally famous - in magazines and everything!

Way to go, Char! You definitely have one of my favorite blogs!

I have the coolest friends - can I be cool by association?

Chicken and Pig

Conversation between the boy and I about breakfast:

Boy - Mom, can I have chicken and pig for breakfast?

Mom - Uh...

Boy - You know, chicken and pig

Mom - Uh, okay...

Boy - Mom, eggs come from a chicken and bacon comes from a pig, don't they teach you that at your school?

Guess I'm haven't gotten to that chapter yet . . .

Days Three and Two, A Proud Moment

For those of you anxiously awaiting the sequel to the kitchen sink, here it is:

DAY THREE came with still no new and improved, beautiful stainless steel kitchen sink installed.

More gnashing of teeth, a new disposal and a third attempt at making the $25 sink fit later, this is what I found:

I know, beautiful. Wish I had taken a picture of the old sink so as to truly emphasize the beauty of this new and improved sink. Thank you to my handsome, ever charming, mechanically inclined, voice of reason husband who is still speaking to me (in short grunts). Next time I ask for a $25 sink, please remind me how much the $25 sink actually cost (new disposal, drain, piping, saw . . .)

Next, these are three handsome, ever so polite boys that came and hung out with Cam and I today. We had a blast! Boys rule!!!

And finally, DAY TWO of my return to running accompanied by A PROUD MOMENT.
Woke up to blue skies, relatively little wind so I donned my beautiful new pink running shoes, grabbed the Ipod and headed out the door. My oldest daughter (who is 13) yells for me to wait, she wants to run with me! I was so proud - so happy to hear those words!

We took off - did a 2 mile run and it was awesome.

(This time it only took my butt about a 1/2 mile to join the rest of my body.)

What a successful day.

The Beginning

The sun was shining, the wind was barely moving, so I laced up my fabulous new pink Saucony running shoes (thank you, Uncle Randy and Auntie!) grabbed my Ipod and headed out for my first run in six months.

I started out with a brisk walk, warming up my forgotten muscles. Got the the corner and started with a light jog. Made it to the corner, so decided to head up the hill.

My breathing was bizarre - as if I had forgotten how!

My butt was flailing behind me, like some extra appendage with a mind of its own.

My chest was heaving in and out, in and out, not knowing what to do, not knowing how to even out. I slowed to a light jog again, made it to the top of the hill. I turned around, determined to go at least a mile.

Down I go, feeling as if my body had a mind of its own - nothing wanted to work together. I hit about 3/4 mile and suddenly everything clicked. My breathing evened out. My muscles began to move. My butt joined in and became part of my body again. I was doing it, I was running! I made the mile-long run down the hill, and decided that would be good for the day. Overall, made it about 1 3/4 miles - my farthest run in 6 months!

Now I remember why I love running - no matter how far I go (or don't go) I feel like I have accomplished something. My body was free. My mind was free. My spirit was free!

Running, my long-lost, comfortable friend, how I've missed you!

Day 2

Still no new and improved, beautifully stainless, fabulously installed kitchen sink...Dishes piling up on the stove

AND

a husband who is still mostly speaking to me

(he's a little grumpy about a broken saw)

Maybe I should rething this $25 sink...

The Kitchen Sink

For five years now I have been badgering my dear husband for a new kitchen sink. The sink residing in our home upon purchase was a not such high quality cast iron painted white sink. I am a clean freak. This white kitchen sink would scratch and stain if I even thought about putting food in it. One touch of a pan and the scratches appear. The bain of my existence! Rust stains lined the sink. I could not have it anymore!!

Lo and behold, I return from class to find my entire cupboard underneath the kitchen sink full of water. I was delighted, thinking (knowing) I was finally getting a new kitchen sink! My dear husband, who is always the voice of reason (as he reminds me daily) decided it be best to fix the leaking sink. Okay, I went along with it for a few minutes (we all know how this is going to end). We head to Lowe's, look at some sinks (upwards of $300 for a new one and another $250 for the faucet I want). Again, the voice of reason reminds me that a fix will only cost about $20.

I do not give up that easily. So I ask the salesman if he has any "clearance" sinks. Lo and behold, he does! I pick out a new, beautiful, stainless steel one hole sink - something I have been dreaming about (I know, I'm weird). My dear husband, the voice of reason, can't deny me this beautiful sink - especially when the salesman marks it from $200 to $25 for us. And there was much rejoicing - even by the voice of reason.

(I swear I heard a heavenly chorus rejoice when I purchased this sink!)

We get home, me giddy over the prospect of cleaning a brand new kitchen sink. Dear husband starts the process of installing the new sink. Turns out installing a new sink is not as easy as one might think. Our old sink was GLUED to the counter top, not bracketed like it should be. With much gnashing of teeth, dear husband gets the old sink out. All I can say is good riddance, rust trap! He tries to install the new sink and it does not fit. Again, with much gnashing of teeth, dear husband does everything he possibly can to make the sink fit. After two more trips to Lowe's, still can't make the sink fit.

So here I am, the next morning with no rusty old sink, no beautiful stainless steel new sink and a mess all over the kitchen! I guess the moral of this story is be careful what I wish for! And be grateful for a dear husband who is still speaking to me after four hours of fighting with the kitchen sink!

Finally!!

I finally found them - beautiful pink running shoes. Thank you, Saucony, thank you!!

Boys

Why I love boys:



Boys + dirt = Awesome!

Really, take a look. It's only 12 seconds.

11 Is a Big Deal

This is the very sophisticated, very mature 11-year-old.

Being 11 is a big deal. When you are 11 you get:

A makeover at Bare Minerals at the mall

A Jonas Brothers Build-a-Bear dog (trust me, it's fabulous!)

A special lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, complete with a Happy Birthday piece of cheesecake

A rockstar party, complete with a Jonas Brothers cardboard cutout (courtesy of the completely and totally amazing Aunt Laura)

Yes, when you are 11, life is good!

Super Baby and Diaper Girl

The lengths girls will go to to entertain themselves.

(Yes, they are wearing pull-ups)

Driving

Driving home from St. George on Saturday - UDOT said severe weather travel delays. What does UDOT know? We absolutely knew better than they did - so we left St. George at 3:30 in the afternoon. All was fine until we get on the north side of Cedar City. Then we hit this:

Sat in traffic for over an hour. AN HOUR!!

All thanks to THIS - trucks and cars off the road EVERYWHERE! I lost count after 10.

After our hour of waiting, we pass the traffic on I-15 heading southbound. Yikes!

Threw this pic in because I think my hubby is so darn cute! And he was very patient. Didn't yell or blame me once. (It was my idea to head home - I wanted my own bed)

Thank heaven for in-car entertainment systems and leftover Pizza Factory pizza (the best pizza in the world - according to me!)

As for me, I studied brains until it was too dark to see.

We rolled in around 10:00. Very long drive, but worth it to sleep in my own bed. Glad to be home! (But I do miss the St. George weather!)

And UDOT? Next time I WILL heed your advice!

Sunny St. George

Spent a long weekend in sunny St. George - the hightlight? Snow Canyon. Sand, rocks and more sand. What more could a kid want?

Running Etiquette

A long overdue post. At my last race I was extremely perturbed by some "newbie" racers. I think I can call myself an experienced racer - I have 15 races under my belt. I won't list them all, it would just bore you.

I don't ever "win" (as my son asks me, which is debatable, though, becasue if I finish I consider myself a winner - but that is a completely different post) or even place. I know I am not fast. That is not what I am claiming. I do, however, try to have some etiquette for those around me.

If you are considering running a race in the near future - or EVER for that matter, please, please, PLEASE read this article. Everyone around you will be extremely grateful you did.

Here are a few highlights:

If you are slow, line up in the back!

If you are walking, line up in the back! Don't walk in the MIDDLE of the course - walk to the sides, please, please, PLEASE!!!! Those of us that want to run and get a respectable finish time HATE trying to dodge you!

If you run with a group, don't run more than two together (my last 1/2 marathon I kept trying to get around 4 teenage girls that were running extremely slow on a very narrow path. Wanted to trip them all!)

Say thank you to volunteers - they are awesome and amazing!

If you didn't pay to run, line up in the back and let everyone else that DID pay go first!

Thanks for reading - I am HOPING to run in the SLC Marathon - the 5k portion. My first race in MONTHS!

May all your runs be SOLID!!

Running

I did it. I finally put on the running pants, the shoes, the jacket, the Ipod and went for a short run. I ran only about one mile. My lungs were burning. My legs were screaming. My mind was ecstatic. Unfortunately, when I got home, I was in enoguh pain I had to go to bed for the rest of the evening. But that's okay. It was worth it. I did it. I overcame my fear. And it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I do, however, realize I have a long, long way to go before I am back to my running capabilities before the surgery. Use it or lose it completely applies to my running! Ah, it can only get better from here.