I Ran A Half Marathon!

YEAH FOR ME! I did it! I ran a real half marathon here in Safford on Saturday at the Health Raisers event. No pics...but I have a medal to prove it! I heard about the race about 9 weeks ago and I had always wanted to run a marathon...so I decided a half was a good start. I've never really been a runner per say--I ran track in jr. high but was a sprinter (ha! ha! I'm so slow now!). I was always an athlete I suppose, but not the most athletic ever...I often felt like I got the spot over the next girl due to my desire...or my drive. I was grateful that drive never left--for I'm sure it was what kept me getting up day after day as early as 4am to train for this race. (This was quite a feat for me because I am NOT a morning person and hate getting up--and it was the only time of day I could go on such long runs due to Jason's and my schedules!)

In training, I always ran alone. (Well, Travis went along on my short 3 and 5 mile runs sometimes.) But Saturday, I was grateful to have a partner. Mila (a friend from work) and I had decided to run together. We had both ran some races at the same time, but never really together. I was worried I would be too slow to keep up with her, but on race day I was grateful for her speed which pushed me a bit harder than I think I would have gone if I was alone.

I won't lie--it wasn't near as easy as my training runs. I was prepared for the distance--I had ran 13 miles twice and 14 miles twice before the big day, but I wasn't prepared for the sandy, rocky dirt road we ran on for what seemed like forever...probably only 3 or 4 miles, but the road stretched as far as you could see-- so it seemed like forever. Once that stretch was over, the race seemed to fly by. Mila and I even did we do best--chatted off and on despite the crazy windy weather, lack of air in our lungs, and ache in our legs.

I finished the race of 13.1 miles in 2 hrs and 20 mins. I got 24th place....which meant I got a medal! (The first 25 did! Lori, a dear friend from my ER tech days and now my DON, was at the finish line and was so proud and thrilled "her nurses got medals". We were proud too!) I am glad to have accomplished my goal, but now I'm not sure how I'm going to get out of bed in the mornings.....maybe I need a new goal.....

ThE QuEeN oF HeArTs and ThE wHiTe RaBbiT: Halloween 2009

Okay, you guessed it! Reagan,who is not necessarily the girly type, wanted to be a Villain again for Halloween. This is no easy task! We thought long and hard--Cruella...so last year, Ursula....where are we going to find a octopus costume?....she finally agreed that The Queen of Hearts on Alice in Wonderland was villain enough. So, of course Travis had to be The White Rabbit (while I can still choose his costume)! Cute pair aren't they?! Travis actually loved his rabbit costume and from the first time he tried it on, he never wanted to take it off! He was tearful that night only because I didn't let him wear the white slippers that came with the costume! Silly boy!

Halloween Day was actually a busy day for our family. First, I ran a half marathon in the morning (more on that later) and Reagan had a soccer game. Then, lunch at Tanya's with my family. Next, Amber Halversen took family pictures of us and my entire family. It was fun! And so easy! The kids did better than expected, especially Travis who loved Amber's husband Josh and his noisy clown puppet. I can't wait to see how the pics turned out! Next was the Halloween festivities of course.

Reagan and Travis LOVE candy--what kid doesn't?! So they were eager to Trick or Treat....and eat their spoils. We went out to Rose's to see the cousins and admire everyone's costumes. All unique and so creative! Getting 11 little goblins to look and smile at the camera was futile, but here's my best attempt:

We joined the cousins for the Trunk or Treat party at their church south of town. Reagan had fun, but it was Travis who was all smiles and just walked from trunk to trunk with his hand out...raking in more candy than his little bag could hold. Next, it was off to Grandmother Ford's house--a Halloween tradition. The kids play and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters that stop by and Gram ooohhhs and ahhhs at their antics. On our way home, we had one more important stop: to see the Cheshire Cat! Baby Kaela couldn't choose her costume yet so Tanya decided it would be cute if she was part of our little fairy tale (and Tanya has a Cheshire cat she has had since she was 3--it was her favorite stuffed animal as a kid!). We just needed Alice.....

After the long day, we read the kids stories and it was off with their heads...to sleep anyways! Jason crashed and I made it in to work by 9pm for my shift. What a Halloween to remember!

A Princess's Song

Once upon a time there was a blonde little princess who was six years old and not afraid of anything! (Okay, except maybe spiders...they will occasionally elicit a shriek or two!) The princess was asked to sing a song in the Thatcher 7th Ward Primary Program. Her mom was nervous...and asked if there was another prince or princess that would sing with her. Nope, she was to perform all alone--a solo. The princess wasn't afraid or even nervous, she was excited in fact! The song was her favorite of all favorites and she already knew the words by heart--I Love To See The Temple.

The days passed quickly and the princess practiced her solo with her Nana the Queen and any time she was in her royal coach. She learned to sing softly, then loudly, then on tune. Finally, the big day arrived. Again, her mom was nervous, but not the princess--only a look of excitement filled her eyes. First, she sang all the songs loudly and proudly with all the other kids in the kingdom. Next, she stood and said her part without flaw. Then, it was her turn to sing alone and she waltzed to the pulpit and opened her mouth. Out came the beautiful words of the song and then a precious smile crossed her lips as she realized she was finished. She had done it! Sang all alone and beautifully! Her family sitting in the back watching her had never been so proud! Their smiles radiated the love they felt for the princess's song and for the princess. It was truly a fairytale to remember!

The Princess even loves her naughty little prince of a brother!

Family Fun

Last Saturday, we made a trek to Tucson for a little fun family getaway. Our first stop was Disney On Ice Worlds of Fantasy. Jason had tried to say that ice skating shows were just for women and small children...but I convinced him this was a family excursion for all and it wasn't optional for him to miss out. (I was actually pleasantly surprised to see another family from our ward there--with the Dad in tow....men are so funny about these things!)
Cute family huh?! We stood in line to see princess dresses and all the things fairy tales are made of....Reagan loved this and we even got to see Cinderella and Belle (which was great since these are her two favorite princesses right now). Daddy and Travis weren't as impressed as us girls were...at least while waiting in line!
Reagan and I had been to Disney on Ice once before so we were prepared for the awe and wonder, but I think it really surprised and impressed Jason and Travis. Jason became the official photographer and I think I ended up with over 75 pics of the amazing event. It was broken up into four little segments: Cars, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Tinkerbelle. Travis was glued to the entire show and I don't think ever took his eyes off the ice. His favorite was Lightening McQueen and Mater of course....he was so excited to see them in person. (He loves to watch the movie and every night we read one of three Mater stories...I think he's addicted!) As for Reagan, she was glad to have a friend at her side--the C's joined our in our little getaway so Lucy and Reagan took turns singing quite loudly along with the performance. It was hilarious and so sweet at the same time! Reagan said her favorite was the Lion King part and she definitely sang the loudest during it...she knows the songs by heart. I just enjoyed the awe of it all...my kids being so excited, Jason and I being relaxed, and just taking in the amazing talent of the skaters/actors/actresses. It really was cool. We'll definitely do it again one day!

We finished out the trip with some shopping, a wonderful dinner at Carraba's, and a comfy night's stay at the Hilton (Yeah for Priceline!!!). The kids especially loved the pool! They are both still fish and loved the water, even though it was a bit on the chilly side! We all love home, but it was nice to get away for a day and enjoy some family fun!

Travis is 2!!!!!

WOW! Time sure flies when you are having fun...and I have to be honest--its been nothing but FUN since little guy came along. He is so funny, easy going, loving, crazy, and even naughty...I can't believe he's already 2! He is such a big boy, yet he's still so small and still my baby!

What a boy Travis is...he loves tractors right now so of course that was the theme of his party on Saturday. ( He knows green tractors are John Deere and those are his favorites right now which made decorating even easier since those are Daddy's favorite's too!) We invited family and friends over for the birthday celebration. Jason grilled chicken and I made a tractor cake and we were set!

After dinner, there was a pony race--I'm still not sure who won...and who just made galloping look good! Then was the coveted tractor train ride on Poppa's train. The kids ALL loved this! (Thanks for letting us borrow it and for the rides Poppa!) Next, was the pinata that was big enough to ride...Travis loved it and I thought he wasn't going to enjoy tearing it to bits, but I was wrong--he whacked that tractor with all his might with the best of them, knocking off the first tire! Travis got lots of fun big boy toys---tractors, trucks, tools, puzzles, and cute tractor pants. He was a typical 2 year old and hated giving up one present to open the next...and just wanted to eat his pinata candy and the bag of candy Uncle Tanner gave him so there were some tears and a bit of a fit--told ya he is naughty! He did love blowing out the candles on his tractor cake though and tried and tried unsuccessfully until he finally got some cousin and sister help! He also loved the tractors his Daddy bought him--we had to pry them out of his hand when it was time to go to bed that night! He also loved his workbench Jason built just for him, with tools and all...he is "fix'n" everything now! Too cute! It was a fun party! Thanks to all who came and shared in our fun...and thanks for the awesome gifts--Travis loves them all!

Naughty or not, we love Travis and are grateful to have him in our lives! Happy 2nd Birthday Travis! We love you!

Fair Fun '09

Oh, the fun of fair week! Reagan made cookies, drew pictures, and got a day off school. Yeah! Then, it was off to the fair parade to watch with the cousins. Next, we made the trek to the Fair...I'm sure there was a cloud of influenza floating over the top, but we still braved it--Reagan was dying to see her ribbons--and she got lots of blues and reds!!-- and get on as many rides as possible. Travis was just thrilled to see the chickens and ducks. (Him and his Daddy took their time admiring all the weird breeds!) It was exciting, but about 3 hours of fair fun was about all we could stand...

Saturday morning, Jason blessed baby Kaela Belle, my sister's little 4 month old girl. It was a beautiful blessing and I'm glad Tanya knows the importance of this special ordinace. I hope and pray she continues to raise Kaela in the gospel...

5K: Mosquitoes & A Simple Lesson

Okay, so I don't have any pics to prove I was there.....but I did the Fair 5K with the other crazy valley runners on Saturday. It was a beautiful cool morning, but the mosquitoes were out in full force. The run was fun--even saw a few good friends. I even manged to finish in 29:53...slow I know, but it felt fast to me...maybe just because I was running to get away from the mosquitoes! (Too funny--the mosquitoes were all on Powerline Rd. by my in-laws house which we ran right in front of!)

Two little twin boys ran ahead of me most of the race. They looked about 4, but later their Dad told me they were 6 (told ya I was slow!). These boys ran and ran...one boy would often get a bit side tracked and slow down and even vear off the beaten path. The other boy would often have to stop, turn around, and guide his brother's attention back to the task at hand by putting his arm around his shoulders or holding his hand. The side-tracked boy would be guided back and then later sprint ahead and the cycle would start all over. The scene was priceless--I was amazed by the determination of the guiding boy and the perserverance of the side-tracked one. It reminded me that I don't run alone...I don't go through life alone...I have a big brother named Jesus Christ that will lead and guide me too...and he'll even help me when I get sidetracked like I often do. What a great reminder of a simple lesson on a race day!