What was lost, is found.....

This morning we had on the docket a plan for a 12 mile run.

Unfortunately we woke up to drizzling rain.

My running clothes were all laid out,

M was planning on being woken up to stay at Tina's while we ran.

She was looking forward to hanging on the couch 

watching a movie while eating a baggie of sugar cereal.

I actually felt like getting out there....rain or no rain.

I sent texts to Tina and Christi.....

we were all on the edge of waffling...everything was in favor 

of not going.

In the end we pushed it through with a loose plan to 

end our run at anytime if it got too miserable.

Perfect.

I was testing out a pair of pink and white striped knee highs,

a possible addition to our marathon running outfit.

We settled M, and were off in our visors for the unknown.

M had suggested a prayer before we got out of the car, 

to pray for a light rain fall so it wouldn't be to bad on us.

We did that.

We were enjoying each others company as usual,

it was pretty dark.

Christi and I pulled ahead, T was not too far behind...

also as usual.

Around a mile and a half C and I wanted to double back and 

touch base with T.

How ya doing?

Fine....why are you two stopping?

we have barely gone over a mile.

Oh, you know, just checking in.

Well get moving!

OK, ok...

we were off.

(anything for a little break right Christi?)

We went another mile or so and turned again to get T in our view.

We were running.

Talking about implants, fake eyelashes,

how hard would it be to do our own lashes....was it even possible??

and so forth....deep stuff.

Finally after running back a bit we were like, hey where the heck is Tina?

How far back was she?

We sped it up....

oh, there, is that her??

hmmmm, no just a fire hydrant.

Running....running....

oh wait, is that two legs up ahead???

oh, no, just tree branches on the ground.

What the heck?

We went back and forth on how we could have missed her?

.....passed her?

Could she have passed us somehow?

We ended up running all the way back to her house,

not quite 6 miles round trip.

We asked the gate guard if he'd seen her, no.

We knew she hadn't made it home when we saw her garage

was still down.

Hmmmmm......we got in our van and decided to back track and 

find her on the trail.

This went on.

We went over the whole route,

which unfortunately we were a bit sketchy on.

We would have called each other,

but unfortunately again, none of us run with our phones.

We could not find her.

She was no where.

At what point do you call a spouse?

When do you call the police?

Well, for Christi and I we did both simultaneously,

right then.

It was go time in our books!

She called the police,

I called the Descovich residence.

Braden, her son answered.

Hey Braden, how's it going?....

oh that's nice, have you seen your mom?

oh, she's not back yet, well is big D up yet?

No huh....well, can you go wake him I need to speak with him.

Dread.

Hi Derek, um, I just wanted to let you know that we lost Tina.

W h a t ?

Don't panic, we are still looking, I am sure we will find her

but it just didn't feel right not keeping you in the loop...

We didn't want you to be surprised if a police officer

shows up at the house.

......and so forth....

We drove the route again, this time going all the way over the 

other causeway, just in case Tina became wonder woman

and forged ahead on her own covering the entire 12 mile course.

But  Nothing  - 

no single white female,

5'5, dark hair in a ponytail, blue tank top,

black running skirt, slender, late thirties.

No one like that was out running alone.

At one point Christi says,

Wow.  

I have never been more stressed.....

about another runner.

Why we started laughing our brains out over this I have no idea.

She comes up with some crazy stuff.

I think it was the worry and the pressure.

Not to long before this happened I made it a point to 

let Christi know that in fact it was not Tina who got us out running 

this morning, but it was all thanks to ME!!

Yeah!  ME!!

oh great, now I get to have that on my conscience forever.

We saw a police car,

we decided to stop and see if they had found anything out.

It felt weird pulling up to the car, 

usually when they pull up to me I am unhappy........

anyway, it was a woman police officer,

 after we got done catching her up,

her making several C-B calls and saying 10/4 a lot,

she finally said.

They have her.

She is fine, they are heading back to her home.

What? 

Really?

She is alive?

Oh HO HO!!

YES!

Whooohoo!

We tried to get more details, like where did they find her?

....in some bushes??

Is she badly hurt???

and so forth...but she wouldn't tell us anything else.

WE called D with the great news and sped back to their place

for the reunion.

D was out side, T was still not there.

Laaaadddeeeedaaaaaaaa......

waiting for a really long time.

I can't tell you every detail....but suddenly D goes storming in the house,

comes out with his machete and a bat,

throws them in the trunk and peels out of there, 

saying if she shows up to call him.

ummmm, yeah, but, wait!

After I phone the police again and was like what is the hold up???

The lady said when officer Noel found her,

she said she was fine,

he said he was told to find her, suicide watch or something.

Tina said to him, hey, do I look like I am going to commit suicide?

I am out on a run buddy,

 I am fine, just running back home.

Anyway, very long stressful story short,

Christi went and picked her up.

She shows up saying she had a magnificent run of 9 miles.

D comes speeding back down the street at a break neck pace,

flying into the driveway.

We all stood there feeling slightly awkward....

at least that is how C and I felt....

well I did anyway.

We went into the house so I could gather Cauley,

she had had a lovely time.

Then we drove home.

I was freezing from being sopping wet,  

so I took a shower.

I got a text from Christi after my shower.

"Ok. We're not idiots, right?!"

me - I'm not sure.

me- Debatable...

We have discussed new running rules that we will 

be implementing.

Down a pint....

I have not been running for the past week.

 With the boys being gone, 

I can't go in the dark at 5:20 with my 

vampire running buddies.

Today I finally had to break the cycle and make a 

run for it.  

I dropped M off at school and then suited up.

I was set to get out the door at 8:30

 in the 

BRIGHT - GLARING - SUNSHINE.

I kinda felt nervous to head out.

I am so used to enjoying the cover of the dark that I was 

feeling slightly insecure and kind of exposed.

Yeah,  sounds ridiculous,

but I know how hard I inspect other runners.

Not in a judgmental way

.... I remember not too long ago

when I was trying all kinds of "different" looking running

gaits to try and save my knees.

I know full well they were not pretty.....I didn't care, 

I just wanted to be able to run.

I am just saying I notice other runners.

I gave a quick call to V and T before I headed out.

Got a few pep talks under my belt and I was off.

My goal was to run from our house, over the causeway and back.

9ish miles.

From the get go I was pretty sluggish.

By the time I was heading up the causeway I was dying.

Light headed, I could not catch my breath.

I promised myself that if I would just push it to the top

I didn't care how much I walked on the way home.

Deal.

I dug deep and wheezed and sputtered to the top.

Are you joking me???

Can I really blame all of this wimpiness on the sun?

I was completely out of it.

I felt embarrassed for walking so much in broad daylight.

I was so frustrated at not being able to handle this run,

 and was asking myself who I was trying to kid

thinking I would be able to run 4 times this amount 

in two months time for the marathon.

It wasn't until I was coming back over the top of the 

causeway that I remembered that I had just

DONATED BLOOD....two days before!

Whoa!

Oh Yeah!

How could I have forgotten?

I know it takes me up to a week to get back on track.

I walk/slow jogged my way back home at a snails pace.

Light headed after every attempt at running, seeing black spots,
not a smart choice.

It took me two hours.

I was pretty relieved to be home.

Straight away

I remembered M's leftover chocolate milk from last night's 

Happy Meal....Yum!

This is my new water carrying slot.

It works perfectly.....no more using my hands to carry water.

V carries hers between her......well in the front.

Tina has a water belt.

We are getting pretty tricky around here.

This is not how I looked or felt today!....but wow!  Look at her go!....

nice muscles, she is really flyin....

All your Blood Donation Questions Answered -
we were talking about a few of these questions at our last sculpt class.
We are going to try and do a group donation the next time
double rewards come around.
I will keep you posted.

How long does it take to give blood?
The process for whole blood donation usually takes about one hour. The blood collection itself is usually about 10 minutes. The donation process includes registration, a brief medical screening, blood collection and refreshments. 

How much blood is taken?

Whole blood and apheresis (platelet) donations are about 1 pint. One pint is roughly equal to 1 pound.

How often can I give?

Donate whole blood every 56 days. Red blood cells are the oxygen carrying cells. They can take two weeks or longer to fully return to normal.

Donate platelets (apheresis donation) as much as twice in one week – or up to 24 times per year. Platelet and plasma components are replaced in the body more quickly than red cells. Platelets will return to normal levels within a few hours of donating. Plasma, the watery substance of your blood, takes a couple of days.

What are platelets?

Platelets are tiny cell fragments that circulate throughout the blood and aid in blood clotting. 

How much blood do I have in my body?

Women have about 10 pints, and men about 12 pints of blood in their bodies.

Are there age limits for blood donors?

Seventeen years old is the minimum blood donor age. There is no upper age limit.

Is it safe to give blood?

Yes. Donating blood is 100 percent safe. 

What is the universal blood type?

Type O negative is the universal donor and can give blood to any other blood type. Eight percent of the U.S. population has blood type O negative.

AB positive is the universal recipient and can receive blood from any other blood type. Two and a half percent of the U.S. population has blood type AB positive.

How long until my blood is used?

All blood donations are processed and available for use between 24 and 48 hours. Whole blood is processed into components (red cells, platelets, plasma). After processing, the red cells can be stored for 42 days. Plasma can be frozen and stored for up to 12 months. Platelets (from whole blood or by apheresis) expire after five days.

Are the health history questions necessary every time?

Yes. Screening questions must be asked of all donors at each donation. This is an FDA requirement that helps blood centers ensure the safest possible blood supply.

Do America's Blood Centers members pay donors for giving blood?

America's Blood Centers members are volunteer donor supported organizations. They do not pay for blood donations. FDA rules say that blood used for transfusions cannot be "bought." Studies show that volunteer donors provide a safer blood supply.

Why do blood shortages occur?

A three-day supply is the optimum blood inventory level. The inventory changes hourly due to unpredictable demands from trauma incidents. When the supply drops below a three-day level, blood centers begin alerting local donors to increase the inventory to a safe operating level.

Girl Time....

Good Evening....

I donated blood today (Tina FYI- Blood Pressure 91/56)

and this was their promotional t-shirt!

It is the first AWESOME shirt they have ever had.

You may see me sporting it a lot over the next week.

Cuz 

a. it is cool.

b. it is Halloween week!

c. no men in the house to fix up for and impress.

Whooohooo!

Girl time!

The crew is outa here.

These guys are hunting pheasants with Kev, the uncles, and gramp.

All from K's side of the family.

This is an October tradition.

I hope they have a fantastic time.

Lots of male bonding.

From what I have heard so far Kevin forced

all of the boys to get "store bought" hair cuts right out of the gate.

This raised eyebrows from the boys,

he spent $60 when mom does this for FREE!

Always has.

What are you saying K?

Apparently the boys did not want a hair cut.

They didn't want them in a bad way.

There were tears shed and weeping and wailing for the loss

of their hairs.

I suggested that Kev save the trama for when they are home.

After dropping the gang at the airport I got stuck on the 528 on the way home.

It was a bummer.

I was anxious to get home lickety split and start my projects...etc.

Nope.

It was an hour long stand still...

I had an empty gas tank,

but had guzzled two things of water to cleanse my system, 

so a very uncomfortably full tank of my own.

Every one was getting out of their cars and taking walks,

holding up towels as cover to use the rest room.....it was so strange.

...but truthfully I was a little envious.

It was a roll over...bottom right.

The people were airlifted out.

I hope they were ok.

 The day the boys left M and I started up the party.

We attended the Mother Daughter Stake campout....our first ever.

The weather was perfect.

M had several of her good buddies there to have fun with....

....and I had several of mine!

Turns out Vanessa is a Shemale.....

over and over she stepped up and saved the day for us little dainty ladies.

She single handedly made this roaring fire.

(well the girls did gather twigs and sticks)

 She got the cockroach in the middle of the night so 

we could all get some sleep.

She climbed the bunks to tear down the beeping fire alarm.

She made our tin foil dinners....(this was womanly)....

I am admitting I did nothing but eat, and enjoy of her labors.

THANK YOU DEAR Scout Master, MANLY skilled FRIEND!

I would never want to go camping with out you!!

 Take a good hard, close look at this s'more.

Blow it up and LOOK!

That is a KitKat, courtesy of Chrisi.

I had a number of these guys....

(see below)

and to be honest...I don't want to go back to regular 

"some mores" as Christi would say.

She had to really an.nun.ci.ate the two words....what in the world??

In the above picture you can also see the tinfoil meal.

Oh Ho Ho Ho......delish!

You know how food is when you are camping....right?

That is exactly what I am saying.

 Here we are.

 Some other stuff M and I have been doing.

Mixing Apple Jacks w/ Lucky Charms.....yep....I said it.

I have been watching old time movie classics, 

Exodus included,

as I work on compiling my recipe book....
just basically organizing my zillions of loose recipes.
I will show you when I am done,
I'm kind of excited about it.

Eating.... cake....you need to enlarge that bad boy.

Can you smell that?
Trust me when I say it tastes even better than it looks.

It is gone now, but I want some more very badly.

....it is from scratch off the Hershey canister....

try the dark chocolate recipe also.

You will not regret it....unless you will regret gaining 5 lbs.

I think it is totally worth it.

M had a 3-D field trip today....
all about making healthy choices....yikes....what a downer.
No, it was pretty good.

At one point during the show, the star of the production

was out picking kids to go up on stage to dance,

we were kind of up in the rafters....but next thing I know McCauley is

off to the stage with him.

She had a blast.

She sure is different from the boys,

I couldn't have paid the brothers any amount of money to

do something like that.

Well, Good night.

M and I have an early morning sculpting session
.....she will be tagging along at 5:20 a.m.
We both have our shoes and weights laid out.

Daily Details Update....

A hodgepodge of family happenings.
These top two performances were from a
recent ward talent show.

Henry Q. is leading the group to a Lord of the Rings song,
the arrangement was done by him also. 
Lawson, Aaron, and Ryker.

McCauley along with Isa, and Claire Q.

They came up with the song, and all of the
dance moves by themselves.
I donated the hats for the outfits.
They had a blast doing this.
For as much as our boys have made fun of this, and say they can't stand
the song, etc.
I sure hear them humming it a lot,
and I am pretty sure they know every dance move.

Take a look at Ethan's bent up foot.

He fell asleep like this the other day....didn't know if I should wake him

up or not.  I opted not, he was limping around after for a bit.

Eth is super busy these days.
His school days begin with early morning seminary,
 I give him a pre-wake up
nudge at 5:15am before I head off to my sculpt or running.
He leaves by 6:15 and sometimes does not get
home until way after dinner,
depending on if he has baseball conditioning, a game,
or both.

Kev just got back from being out of town for a few weeks.
We are happy to have him home.

Here is the gang minus E (he was at a stake dance!)shopping at Sams Club,
and making waffles and oily eggs....our fav!


McCauley is in girl scouts!
Here are a few fun pictures from an event called
Mall Madness!!
It is crazy, after the mall closes it opens its doors to girl scouts and
their mothers and leaders.
They get to sleep over, shop, dance, play games,
do contests, see performances, etc.
until the next morning.
It was a wild one.

 M and I only stayed until midnight....which was just right
for the two of us.
She loved it!
The highlight for M was being able to get a blue hair
feather attached to her hair for just $5...
they are normally $15.
She spent her own money....take a look at the top left really close and
you will see it.
She is still sporting it today.

I walked in the boys room the other morning and
marveled at what a wind tunnel it was in there.
It seemed to be louder and more helicopter sounding
on this day.
When I wake them up each morning I turn off their fans....
there are 5 going every night.
One at Rykers feet, one at his head,
Lawson's fan, Ethan's personal fan,
and their ceiling fan!!
It is not unusual to find debris hanging off the ceiling
fan.... today was no exception.
If you look close you will see the cause for the extra noise.

Hmmmmm, 

could all these fans be the reason for our

soaring electric bill???!

Firework scared, and burned Luke Skywalker.
For Luke's sake,
and for the sake of our boys souls,
I hope Toy Story is not true.

Think back 10 years ago.....

I really enjoyed this book....

but more than that, 

I think I kind of needed it to.

I gobbled up the 423 pages in no time at all.

Kev has been out of town for 17 days, so I have had 

a little extra reading time.

When he is away, M always sleeps on his side of the bed,

she reads to me, says her prayers, then gets tucked in.

Next I get the boys settled,

and then I go straight to bed myself.

No staying up for t.v. time of any kind.

I hop in bed and read until I start falling asleep....

usually I get in at least a solid half hour.

When I excitedly told my sculpting girls about my

new book they all rolled their eyes and said 

that it sounded extremely lame.

Huh?

Are you people crazy?

That is what I was thinking about them.

The basic story line of the book is that Alice is a 39 year old

mother of three that has a fluke accident, 

gets a concussion and amnesia that takes away her memory 

of the past TEN years.

She comes to,

 believing that she is 29,

pregnant, and madly in love with her wonderful husband Nick.

The sad reality is that she is in fact 39,

in the middle of a nasty divorce and has become a 

mega control freak BEEEEatch.

It was eye opening.

It was sad and happy.

It was a lucky break for this lady.

An opportunity to see her life from a different perspective,

albeit her own.

I could relate on many levels,

one being Kev and I's communication.

I picked up on numerous communication errors that K and I

have participated in over the years.

We have gotten better on some,

still could improve on many others. 

This story deals with Alice's relationships in general,

she remembers what they were, 

and is surprised to see what they had become over the years.

Anyway.....I recommend it completely.

I think there is plenty to take away and glean from.

It got me wondering about myself.

Where was I at age 29, 

what was I like?

Did I like the person I was.....

am I pleased with who I have become?

We would have been in Florida one year.

Lawson would be almost a year old.

McCauley would not have been born or even thought of.

We were done having children.

We were happy with three boys.

I wore lots of covies....or overalls.....I have seen the pictures.

I guess being comfortable was my top priority.

I just went and found my journal from this time....

I was so wonderful!!!

I used to write all the time with little updates.

A few Quotes:

Jan. 14 2001 - I think I better read my scriptures before

the kids get up.  I'm on my 14th day straight of not missing my 

reading them.  I know that it helps me be a better mother and wife.

I have noticed already more patience, my reactions are more loving and calm.

Jan. 27, 2001 - Two days ago we had to drop Kev off at the airport.

He had to go to Columbia for a week or so....it is the "or so" that I don't like.

Gosh, it is so lonely with him being gone.

I hate not being able to count on him being home at night.

It is amazing how the kids and my days practically revolve around his coming

home in the evenings.  

We miss him a ton......I miss him.

I read of us getting our very first used piano (the piano we still have)

....I am so proud and 

in love with it.

Kev and I went sky diving while Peggy Russell baby sat our kids overnight.

I found out that one of my kids actually did have a "pooh fest" of their own.

It was Lawson....!!!

I always thought my kids were "above that type of thing".

It didn't even seem like I freaked out....phew.

I said....."what a stinker"!

I recorded working every day on our new house.

Put pictures of the new shower curtain I bought, 

the fancy table cloth, my new strawberry pink Landsend modest swimsuit.

I am almost finished reading the filled journal.

I read many snippets out loud to the kids.

There are some important things I can learn from my 29 year old self.

I am thankful for the sweet reminders.

I dare you to read the book and try this stunt yourself.

See what you have become....

and what you would be missing if you lost 10 years of your memory.

My Friend down the street....

I mentioned in my previous post 

that I knew there was a Jewish family that lived down the street.  

I made frosted banana cookies today....

so yummy!!

I took a plate down to them a little bit ago.

The mother and her two little guys age - 5, and their

little one year old were at home.

She was super surprised, but very welcoming and invited 

me right in to visit.

I was so happy I stopped in.

As her older son was licking frosting off his cookie he was telling

me about how much they wished their grandma could come and 

visit, but that Ukraine would not let her leave.

This made them very sad.

  This girl is from Russia!

She met her husband in Israel!!

She is 37.

She has been teaching Hebrew up until June when they closed 

her school down.

Hebrew!!!

Right now she is unemployed, but studying to be a paralegal.

Her husband runs his own carpentry business.

Their house looks very nice,

they have done a lot of remodeling.

They just barely repainted and stuccoed the outside,

when they moved in it was pink!

I was so excited to tell her that I had just finished reading 

EXODUS....she was super happy and said that that is

her absolute favorite book ever written.

I asked how it is for her being a Jew.

She said the major persecution was before her time,
and that actually Israel
is one of the very safest places for children now.

It was a little difficult to talk because her 

boys started getting riled up.  

Her older was getting ready for karate,

so we had to cut it short.

She did tell me that her husband is really wanting to make a 

Sukkot (you can learn about it if you want),

and that there is a major Jewish holiday that 

begins on Wednesday, 

and lasts for 7 days.

I have been reading up on it.

She showed me the Lulov that they will all wave together,

as well as the special symbolic fruit, the Etrog.

They had me smell how delicious it smelled and 

she explained the different symbolic parts to me.

She wanted to tell me more, I wanted to hear more.... 

maybe another time.

It was so nice to visit.

We exchanged numbers and email addresses.

She said to please let her know of any questions I have,

she also said that Tina could contact her for any updates

that she would like from Israel.

I like her a lot.

I felt emotional being at their home....

that sounds really lame.

thinking of their connections with all of those places.

Having lived in Israel, walked there,

lived there, seeing all of those sacred grounds.

They are not my ancestors...why would I be so emotional?
I guess the book is still fresh on my mind.

T if you ever asked me to go there again with you,

I think I would do it.

It has perked my ears up to the Bible,

and references in the Book of Mormon.

I am not obsessed, just more appreciative.

It reminds me of when Kev and I lived in 

Jigger, Louisiana 

shortly after we were first married.

When the girls I worked with at CATO found out

I was Mormon....

they were shocked and amazed.

They couldn't believe they were looking 

at an actual Mormon.

I looked much more normal than they 

would have thought.....

(it really seemed like they were looking for horns

or something.)

One of the girls asked me how Kevin felt about 

me being Mormon.....she just about fell over

when I told her he felt great about it,

he was one to!

EXODUS - my review

I really wanted to love this book.

I wanted to enjoy it like I enjoyed Atlas Shrugged, 

or Pillars of the Earth.

I consider both of these other titles deep reads,

books I won't soon forget.

Titles I took something away from.

They left me thinking and pondering about my own life,

my blessings, our society, etc.

EXODUS was in that same realm,

a historical fiction anyway, but I did not enjoy the journey

as I did the other two novels.

It was the story of the War of Liberation of the Jews.

It tells the story of the Jews coming back after centuries of 

abuse, torture, and murder to take back what was theirs

two thousand years before.

Israel.

ok, sounds good.

I knew nothing of this war.

I know that Tina is obsessed with the happenings in Israel, 

and follows it religiously.

She even went to a rallie of some sort recently that 

she said I would be dying to support after I read this book.

Nope.

That is not for me.

I felt I knew enough of the holocaust and Jews in general

through books like -

Sarah's Key, Number the Stars, 

and Anne Frank.

Exodus was so relentless in the hardships and fighting,

and wars and fighting.

Then some more fighting,

then meetings, abuse, fighting.....

killing, murder, plunder, dying, 

fighting...

fighting...

I was so worn out from all the fighting and trying to 

keep track of the Arabs, and Egyptians, and British 

coming at the Jews constantly.

It was exhausting.

I have come to learn that I am a very selfish reader.

I want certain things from my books.

I felt exhausted, I didn't want to take it any more.

HA.

I couldn't take it any more!

Get that.

That is the sad truth.

I wanted happiness and some relief.

I want my books not to be broken.

This book was broken, and did not end in a happily ever after situation.

It still continues today.

 Some of the things I learned from the book:

No one in Israel worked for comfort in his own lifetime:

it was all for tomorrow,

for the children,

for the new immigrants coming in.

They worked for a new generation that was never to know

 humiliation for being a Jew.

They work and work and fight tooth and nail to scrape and 

hang on to what is theirs.

Always defending. 

Constantly on the alert for the next attack on them.

There was no luxury of sitting and thinking.

No time to enjoy their garden,

their family,

a book.

In the past I have always been a little put off by the Publix

ads that have a full page wasted on weird Jewish

food items for sale during certain times of the year...

Passover being one of them.

In the book I learned what some of those items symbolize for all Jews.

Matzos - the unleavened bread reminds them that the children of Israel

had to leave Egypt so quickly their bread was unleavened.

An Egg - to symbolize the freewill offering.

Nuts, diced apples, and maror (bitter herbs) - represent the mortar 

the Egyptians forced them to mix for brick building,

and the herbs recall the bitterness of bondage.

I have gained a greater respect for what the Jews

went through....

go through.

I have gained knowledge enough 

not to be annoyed or ignorantly disrespectful in regard 

to their traditions and beliefs.

I would love to go and eat a passover meal and have it all explained, 

and hear the story of their ancestor's
exodus from Egypt retold from the bible.

You know what?

I am almost 100% positive that there is a Jewish family living on 

our street. 

They are quite, keep to themselves....

pretty much everyone does on the street so that is not
a huge surprise.
I have spoken to the mother one time,
probably over a year ago,
they have two small children.
I have challenged myself to go and get to know them this week.
Make an attempt to reach out.
I will get to ask all of my questions,
and they will be sincere,
 I really want to know.

God loves all of his children.
He provides miracles not only for some,
but to all of his faithful.

I still don't understand so much...
I am still confused about many of the happenings.
I don't know how the Jews fit into the grand sceme of my beliefs of being in
the true church of Jesus Christ.
I don't know how it will all pan out.
Maybe I don't need to know.
I have no desire to ever re-read Exodus again,
but I am glad I persevered through one time.
Some good came of it I think.

Lastly.....I am going to watch the dvd with Paul Newman.
This will help clear up some sequencing, etc.
I hope.
Now this I think I can handle.
It is being held for me at the library....holler if you want to join me.

I am done with seriousness for a while.
After I read some Ensign articles, and my scriptures,
 I am going to start my new book.
I cannot wait!!!
It is sitting on my microwave just teasing me!!

How is it that I have such a life to be able to sit and read?
To enjoy.
To relax.
To think.
To ponder.
To choose.
To be free.
To live with out fear.
To love.
Do I recognize these luxuries enough?
Do you?

For Tina.

This is a snippet off the running blog

Shut Up + Run!

I read about this guy, and I thought his first marathon experience was 

worth sharing.

Each time T and I have to up our mileage, or think about  an 

upcoming mega run, i.e. 17 miles in the very near future

she stresses and wonders if she can do it.

Always saying that it is not too late to switch down to the half.

I know she is mostly kidding, 

and there is no way we are not running this guy.

I know we will be ready,

 as well as all the other girls running the half or 

whole right a long with us on TEAM NECK n' NECK.

We need to stay inspired and motivated....

check this fella out.

SUAR: What did running your first marathon symbolize to you?

Richard: I trained hard, following any marathon training program I could find on the internet and on social networking sites like Facebook. I was determined that on my 1 year anniversary of starting my weight loss journey I would complete my first full marathon. It so happened to be the Denver Rock n Roll Marathon in 2010. My partner and I were on a pace to complete it around 3:30 and at mile #20 I went down with excruciating pain in my left knee. It took me over an hour and a half to complete the final 6.2 miles, but with indescribable pain I finished it in 4:27.

Everyone told me that you would cry when you reached your goal of finishing your first marathon, however, I was all out of tears from the pain of the last 6.2 miles. Despite the IT Band issue, it was an amazing sense of accomplishment, not only had I lost over 100 pounds but I completed something that only a small percentage of people in the world can say they’ve accomplished. It sparked something in me to embrace a lifestyle of fitness and health, but also to continue to set and reach goals that I never dreamed I would be able to accomplish. It also allowed me to share with others my successes and help them also reach their goals. It also allows me the opportunity to train with my partner.

3 weeks later I registered for and completed the Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon on my  35^th birthday and was able to cut off 19 minutes off my time. I have not stopped trying to reach new PR’s at every event, all while having the time of my life!

When we finish....

How do you think you will answer that question??

Scary Dream.

My sister had a recent post about dreams,

I decided to double dip and just copy 

part of my comment I wrote on hers.

This is a recent dream I had that left me

very sad.

 It starts with my trying to ride a very small bike up an extremely steep hill at night by myself. Next thing I know Hugh Grant (is he the one that was with Elizabeth Hurley?) is passing me on his bike and just going for it. We both end up having to walk the last part. He beats it out of there and now I am trying to make my way down a street that is full of gangsters, I am going as fast as I can and ignoring them but it is hard because I feel like I am riding in slow motion because my bike is so small....progress is slow and excruciating. I finally get to turn the corner and come to a store, I meet up with the kids there. This place is really cool, but I have a foreboding feeling. We all park our bikes and go in. This old shop is up high, kind of on an overhang of some kind, we can look down from the windows into a big pool area, it has a big ship, like Cherry Hills at one end, and is a wave pool of sorts. Beyond that is the ocean a ways off. The old lady store clerk offers the kids some candy from a bowl and then the children all want to go out on the deck and look around better. I let them, and remain inside looking out at them while I talk with the clerk. The next thing I know this huge tsunami wave comes... I can see it, but I cannot get out in time and it comes up onto the deck and covers the kids.  They are trying to hang on to the railings with all their strength. Just before McCauley is covered she is screaming for me, her doll gets washed out of her hands I am stuck in the store because of the 

press of water and can't get out.....it was so horrible.

That was a tough one.

Last night was fun,

Lawson earned his Arrow Of Light for Cub 

scouts.

He has officially moved onto scouting.

Notice we had to come straight from soccer.

I forgot his shoes....

Good times.

Just posting my orange hair.

Notice that is is bathed in a camera film....

way too boring without one.

Films make you look waaaaaayyyyy hotter than reality.

Which is why I love using them so much!

My sister had a quote on her blog...

something about not being pushed by your problems,

but to be led by your dreams....!

No thank you.

Steep impossible hills, loose broken teeth, gangsters and tsunamis!

I will take a pass on that.

I choose reality.....

except for when it comes to pictures....

I like those doctored up a bit!

What was your last dream???