Get up.

Gathered the craft I've been putting off for 3+ years.
Sit down.
Get up to google "how to thread a bobbin".
Sit down.
Get up to wipe a kid's nose.
Sit down.
Get up to find a bobbin.
Sit down.
Get up to start a bath.
Sit down.
Get up to answer the phone.
Sit down.
Get up to find a phone charger.
Sit down.
Get up to answer the door.
Sit down.
Get up to wipe a kid's nose.
Sit down.
Get up to wipe a kid's nose, yet once again.
Sit down.
Get up to make lunch.
Sit down.
Get up to break up a fight.
Sit down.
Get up to go in dark corner where words are not heard.
Sit down.
Get up to find more thread.
Sit down.
Spend 7 minutes looking for the thread that I did grab, just misplaced, who flipping knows where.

Perhaps one can see why the stupid craft was put off for 3+ years.

Marathon

Training:
About 2 months ago, if you would have asked me if I might run a marathon, I would have told you "Heck no! I'm not crazy!" Alas, I am crazy and I am no longer a marathon virgin. When I was training for the Wasatch Back, I ran 10 miles and I realized about 8 miles into it that my legs just kept moving! They just kept on going despite the insane amount of 10 miles that was my goal. I was impressed! If my body can run 10 miles, maybe it can run more. Teeny tiny marathon thoughts kept creeping into my brain and I wondered if I could do it. Heather, my friend who lives in Murray has run FOUR marathons this summer! She invited me to run the Top of Utah marathon with her, and I responded the same way I mentioned before! But I kept thinking about it and decided I'd give it a try. Marathon training takes lots of weeks and lots of hours. You run one long run a week and add 2 miles onto it each time. You work your way up to 20 or 22 miles and then cut back down, so you never run a full marathon before the big day. That was crazy to me!! But that's what all the experts say, so I listened. 16.5 miles felt pretty good. 18.5 miles was VERY hard. I was SO tired and ran out of fuel. I wanted to walk SO bad, but my sweet husband was right next to me and helped me to keep going. 21.5 miles - I was surprised to see that I felt good! I could have kept going! Mark hurt his knee right when we were supposed to start getting the high mileage in so he couldn't train. So sad! After all his years of passionate running, I ran a marathon before he did! But even with that disappointment, he was the BEST support ever. He encouraged me, drove next to me, brought me cold water and ice cold rags, massaged my sore legs and scrubbed the tub so I could soak! He watched the kids so I could spend 3 hours running. He's amazing.

Marathon:
Heather came up and ran it with me! As we were walking to the buses at 5:37 am, I realized I forgot my number!! Ahh!!! I had about 8 minutes to drive home and back for it! I drove WAY too fast. But I made it!! Heather and I ran comfortably at the same pace! Yeah!!! We talked almost the whole time, it was so nice, and we ran 9:05 minute miles. She had some issues for the first 15-ish miles and I pushed her, then after mile 18 I got tired and she pushed me. After mile 18, it got hard. I was tired, I wondered if i didn't have enough fuel and my thighs were feeling it. I kept going with her, lingering a little longer at each water stop that I should have! I had to try really hard to think positive. We both had our ipods and started listening to music about then. By mile 24, I started to walk and Heather yelled back at me "Don't stop!" So I ran, then I did it again, and again she yelled, but finally I just had to walk. I couldn't! I knew I just needed to walk for a couple minutes then I could finish, so I walked for about 2 minutes, looked at my watch and knew I had just enough time to run (not fast) and finish before 4 hours! I couldn't get myself to run fast by any means, and I felt like my legs weren't working right, but I made it in at 3:58:19. I heard my sweet hubby yell, and I heard my dad yell! Heather was waiting for me in the shoot. I'm so thankful for her help!! I'm SO glad I didn't have to run it alone! I'm SURE I wouldn't have done as well without her.

Anyway, it was awesome to be done. I honestly related the marathon to natural childbirth!!! :) So hard. Painful. Tried and tried to think positive. I know that it's only hard right now, but soon I'll be done and I'll have a great reward, you know? If I can just keep going now and get through the hardest, I'll be so happy as soon as I cross the finish line! And I was!!!! I cried! It was so awesome. I did it!!! I hugged my family with my gross sweaty salty body. I was so happy to see them there!

Bridal Faire:
So, after I finished the marathon, I took a shower and headed over to USU for my booth set up at the bridal faire here in Logan!! I spent this week making cake dummies, flyers, business cards, and a million other things. It was INSANE!!! I'm pretty sure I've never been more productive in my life! My super incredible awesome friend Malia and my sweet husband set up the booth, and Malia sat at it for the first half. Okay, she didn't sit at all. She was perfect for it and learned more about the brides she talked to than I learned about the brides I talked to! Next time, right? It wasn't as busy as I had hoped for, but I talked to a lot of brides and a lot of vendors too, and gave away a few stacks of flyers with my DARLING new logo. Rob Davis, graphic designer extraordiare, designed it for me. He's amazing. If Windows will cooperate, my new site will be up in a couple days.

Anyway, if we want to expect a great reward, we better put in great effort!!

Father Forgets

We are reading Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends & influence people." It is SUCH a GOOD book. The world would be such a better place if everyone read it. This story is in it, and it's the best story in the entire world. It was written by W. Livingston Larned, published in the 1930’s originally in the People’s Home Journal, and then in this condensed version in Reader’s Digest. It has been reproduced hundreds of time since then. I am determined to keep trying and learning until criticizing, condemning and complaining can't find room in my life anymore.

Father Forgets

Listen, son; I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I came to your bedside.

There are things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.

At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, “Goodbye, Daddy!” and I frowned, and said in reply, “Hold your shoulders back!”

Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came Up the road, I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before you boyfriends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive – and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father!

Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. “What is it you want?” I snapped.

You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither. And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs.

Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding – this was my reward to your for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too muchof youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.

And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!

It is a feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: “He is nothing buy a boy – a little boy!”

I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother’s arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much.

Nine.

Nine years ago I was lucky enough to marry my best friend! I couldn't spend enough time with him and I definitely didn't want to share. We have experienced a lot together, three little stinkers, moves, jobs, life, it's been an adventure, but it has been wonderful! We seem to grow closer each year and I am so grateful for that! He's such a good man. He's determined, generous, works hard and loves with all his heart. He is so good to me and tells me multiple times a day how hot he thinks I am. And he's the best papa ever! He loves our little ones and plays with them every chance he gets. He's always striving to be a better person than he already is. Geez, how lucky am I???






Happy Anniversary! Love you Babe!

Oscar! We found him in a field on a run. He was so little and helpless, we took him home to find him a place to live, but we ended up falling in love with him!

Kodak moment. These two are best fwiends.
What summer is complete without a pool?
The glare. Don't worry, I get it all the time so it doesn't fracture my inner soul anymore.

Denver's a pimp.
What a tragedy that all that beautiful hair was buzzed off yesterday!
Our pet monarch butterfly.

Our summarization of the Wasatch Back. 188 miles from Logan to Park City. 12 people on a team, each run 3 times which is anywhere from 3.5 to 9.6 miles, a little level, maybe some nice downhill or some treacherous uphill. 6 people in van 1 run legs 1-6, 6 more people in van 2 run legs 7-12. And then you eat, take a rest, and do it all over again. And then again. When your van is up, you drop off your first runner, cheer for them along their run, then go to the next exchange where they meet their next team member and slap the bracelet on their wrist as FAST as they can! Then, we repeat this 5 more times until our team gets a break. We slept 2-ish hours the whole night. BUT Sarah & Spencer seemed to have gotten a whole nights sleep! We're not gonna talk about that. On our last break, we found a comfy concrete skate park, rolled out our sleeping bags, and drifted into utter bliss. Great break. Until some stupid inconsiderate people close to us would NOT shut up about bagels and cream cheese and not crying while running and whatever else they were saying as we were trying to plug our ears and clench our teeth and hold back some pretty obscene words. Pleasant way to wake up. Now it's time to run our hardest leg!

Our team was "Bringin Sexy Back". Yes, we may have mentioned our crack, but many other vans talked about what comes out of it.
Mark making sure Sarah had some surprises on her camera.
Coming in on my first exchange. I got to hand off to Mark. That was cool! I ran a 3.4 stretch at 8:24 pace.
Handing off
Time! Time!!
Off he goes! Mark ran 3.5 miles at 5:40 pace. WOW!!!
Here's Mark defying gravity. Naturally built runner!
Mark's hot. Literally.
Lex organized the team and ran 2 legs. He ran 6 times instead of 3. He's a die-hard.
Lex ate some weeds while Sarah walked on his back.
Snapping a pic at Pineview.


My midnight run. It was 7 miles mostly downhill, I ran a 7:18 pace.
This is Nikki's mom's restaurant in Coalville that we had an exchange at in the middle of the night.
Bad pic, but we needed proof that we passed Wanship. Then we passed our friend Greg on the freeway on the way home!
These dogs ran with the runners for at least 1 consecutive legs. I think it was their first experience with Ragnar.

Mark in his night running attire. He found out about an hour before that his leg was 9.6 miles uphill, not 6.2 miles level. He's incredible though and ran a 6:46 pace!
Chillin in the van before my last leg.

Me & Sarah at our last exchange. It was 6.1 miles climbing 373', I sucked it up and ran a pitiful 9:29 pace.
Pretty sure I was saying "this SUCKS!"
Nice lady I shared my water with and then killed: road kill is how many people you pass.
Sarah giving me water.

I ran my butt off and my team wasn't there at the exchange!!! Mark came, had to pull off a pair of extra shorts, realized he had no number, so we unpinned mine and pinned it on him, then he FREAKING POSED FOR A PICTURE!!!! I was screaming "NO TIME! NO TIME!"
Mark's hardest leg, up the first half of Ragnar - 3.6 miles climbing 1482'! It was insane! He ran a 9:50 pace, but come on, he never walked!

Hand off to Spencer who gets to finish Ragnar! Good luck!
We're not sure, but we think he's a member of the "Tighty Whities" team.
Spencer conquering Ragnar while checking his nails.
Giving our buddy Mitch water on his acension back down Ragnar.
Water boy
Over the Heber Valley. Hey, we were just down there 10 minutes ago!
Team Photo