5 2010 Goals

#5--Expand my severely lacking meal menu.  Say hello to What's for Dinner Wednesdays.

#4--Make my house into a home.  Meet Home Improvement Ideas (say HII) on the 1st of every month. 

#3--Tighten down the budget.  Financial Tips--what's working, what's not--bi-monthly. 

#2--Strengthen Spirtual Self--Say Shalom, Spiritual Sundays.

And #1...








Has nothing to do with the blog.  But will be revealed tomorrow.

Thanks for hanging with me this year.  It's been a good time.  No need to worry.  I will still write up strange posts like this and this and most definitely like this.  But in between those bizzare every day things that happen, you'll actually see there's some depth to me. 

And of course, even when cooking something new or trying to make my house into a home, there's bound to be something funny that happens right?  Like how Wade asked me if this knob was to the back burner on the stove WE'VE HAD FOR 8 YEARS.  So pictures (and better pictures than the one on the oven showing the front and back burners) galore this next year.  For sure.

Spiritual Sundays, well, that's just so I you don't feel guilty for indulging.

Have a great New Years Eve.  Stay safe and think of me at 11:30 in the blistering cold lining up at Sugarhouse Park to "Beat the New Year" with my brothers.  Because YES they came through.  I have two objectives: Beat Scott--who's run, like, maybe 5 times since October.  And secondly, beat the New Year.  It's going to be veryveryclose on both accounts. 

Food Issues

So, Josh is 4.

And a half.

And he has whiddled his food choices down to maybe 5 or 6 things: bread, cereal, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, spaghetti noodles, and taco meat.

This is not an exaggeration.  This is it. 

Thanksgiving, he ate a roll.  Christmas, nothing. 

How does this even happen?  Because I KNOW I didn't start off feeding him only these things.  He did at one time eat food that was found in nature.  But, then, he turned two and his personality emerged as one of extreme stubborness and before I know it, it's been 2 1/2 years. 

So, as any good mother would do, I scared him.  I took him into the doctor's and plopped him down on the examining table and told the doctor exactly what is going on.  How he can go DAYS without eating.  We have tried not allowing him to eat anything else at night if he doesn't eat his dinner.  We've tried taking away the Wii and computer privileges.  The other night, Josh watched Wade and me play Wii for 2 hours because he didn't eat his dinner.  I eat fudge in front of him.  I give his sister his M & M's.

The kid is a freakin' stone.  Doesn't waver.

And the (child-less) doctor had some good ideas--in theory.  But he did say something that resonated.  He said "looks like your kid is more stubborn than you."

Yes, yes he is.  And there are some who would've thought this was an impossibility.

But then the doctor went on to say how "you need to not let Josh see you eating these foods. And you certainly shouldn't be making them for him every day."

Excuse me?  Do you think I eat mac and cheese and chicken nuggets?  And no, I don't make them for him EVERY DAY, because that would be irresponsible, now wouldn't it?  And while we're at it, he sees me eating plenty of healthy food options--fruits and vegetables and whole grain toast.  So, the issue isn't necessarily MY eating habits, is it?

Up until now, I've been pretty staunch on not fixing Josh his own dinner.  He is given the option of eating what we're eating or not eating at all.  And he usually (read: always) takes the latter option.  On occassion, I will fix him something he *likes*.  It's how my mom brought me up and it's nice for your kids to not regale you as some fascist leader.

Usually.

But now, we're going to have be more fascist-like.  Which does not fit either one of us very well.  But, food issues start getting scary when your kids move into adolescence, and I know some adults with some serious food issues that affect their every day living.  Like one guy won't eat anything but hot dogs, Little Cesears Pizza, and Bologna.

And this is not an exaggeration either.  This is his diet--by-products of animals and cardboard?  When he and his wife got out to eat, he just watches.  Now that they have three kids, the kids are picking up on this, and they too are eating this way.  And now she's starting to because it's just too hard to make that many different meals. 

Can you guess where this is leading?

I know that my four year old is not alone in his aversion to food, but I'd like to stop it from escalating into a serious issue come adolescence and adulthood.  Hence why we went into the doctor today. That, and he's complaining about being tired (which is most likely a vitamin deficiency or anemia--since, you know, he doesn't eat--but wouldn't I feel bad if it was something serious).  And we'll have the requisite blood work done to rule out all those terrible things so we can focus more on mking the kid eat. 

So for those who find themselves in the same boat, here's the suggestion by the doctor:

1.  Take an item of food you want your child to eat.  We're going to start with an apple.  Pretty basic.
2.  Offer this to him BEFORE he can have anything else to eat. 
3.  Tell him that he must try the apple before he can eat ANYTHING else.
4.  When he refuses and runs to his room and slams the door, put the apple away.
5.  When he re-emerges, complaining that "he's so hungry he's going to die" offer him the apple again.  Tell him that he must try this before he can eat anything else.
6.  Repeat this 10 times.  Stretch over days until you arrive at 10 times.
7.  The end.

I didn't have the foresight to ask, then what?  The (reminder: child-less) doctor seemed to be pretty confident that after 10 times Josh would miraculously start eating apples. 

Yeah, I'll let you know if we have any luck.  My hope is that the doctor visit and subsequent trauma that was the blood draw will scare Josh enough into eating.

Looking Good

Hey, did you know that I get up and run at some insane hour like three times a week?

What, I never told you?  Weird...I could've sworn...

Ha ha.

So, the other day on facebook I had put something about getting up early and running and offhandedly asked "are you jealous?" A friend replied that the only thing she was jealous of was "that hot little bod of yours.  I'm NOT jealous of how hard you've worked to get it..."

The compliment about my hot bod was very appreciated, but it was the second part of the comment that really struck me. 

I get compliments here and there about how I'm looking, most recently from him--which was kind of awkward and deserving of it's own post.  And he's like 85. 

But rarely does anyone acknowledge how HARD I've worked.  And I appreciate that someone NOTICED.

Fast forward to this morning, at the Christmas Tree.  Santa left me a present under the tree, that to the uninitiated, may insinuate that perhaps Santa hasn't been as observant as a friend from Facebook that I see once or twice a month in person. 

A Wii Fit.

For those who don't know about the Wii Fit, it's a game for the Wii video console that helps with different aspects of your physical health.  It's all the rage.  But, it tells you that you're fat and overweight and will actually say "ouch" when you step on the pad. 

Not really something I want to hear when I've been busting my butt for the last six months.

So I was a little hesitant to stand on the pad and have my BMI and weight checked by a video game console and I shirked a little when it said "oooh" when I stepped on the pad, like I had just sat down on a little kid in the middle of the schoolyard or something.  But then it preceded to tell me that I was in a healthy range for both my weight and my BMI and my little Mii (my person on the Wii) jumped up and down like they'd won the lottery or something.

And as long as that keeps happening, I'll keep it around.

Santa Wade, however, had a much different experience. 

Ha.

My Christmas Message

I'm not overly zealous religious person.  I pretty much keep my views to myself in a forum such as this, but tonight I want to share something I read earlier. 

For those of us who have children, there are very few experiences in life that can quite match that feeling of bringing into this world a brand new soul.  Many of us endured a lot of sickness and pain to get to that point.  And the majority of us delivered in a nice, serene setting with doctors and nurses and medicine at our whim.

When I reflect on the birth of Jesus, none of these comforts were present.  However, over time, the same feelings are mutual: adoration, hope, and above all, love.  There aren't words to describe those first few moments with your newborn.  You can imagine how overwhelming it must have been to be Mary and Joseph. 

I subscribe to a blog called So, the thing is...and the author, Barbara, put it perfectly.  Read it here:
How's Your Holiday Sprit?
 
Take some time out today to think about the miracle that was Jesus' birth, and the miracle of the birth of your own children.
 
Merry Christmas!!
 

AHHHH!!!

Christmas is in two days!!!

AHHHHH!!!!

Every year I promise I won't leave things to the last minute and every year I fail.

AHHHHH!!!!

Stress overload. 

Next year, I'll be better.  Might even get cards out and neighbor treats made and everything.  Well, maybe.  We'll see. 

Two days?!?! 

I've Been Thinking...

And that's never a really good thing.

But, I have.

So, over here, we've been obsessively kind of following the story of Susan Powell, a West Valley City wife, mom, daughter and friend who has been "missing" since Sunday, December 7. 

Apparently, her husband of 8 years took their two sons, ages 4 and 1, camping at 12:30 at night in single digit temperatures only to return later the next day to find his wife missing.

Uh-huh.

The similarities between Susan and I are a little troubling.  We're both 28.  We've both been married for 8 years, and we both have children that are 4 and 1. 


I, however, didn't marry a dirtbag.


And I know that in the United States, we have this whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing, and I certainly don't want to go on record as saying this guy is 100% guilty. 


I mean, I'll go on record to say that he's a blazing idiot if he thinks that anyone in their right mind believes he took his two young children camping at midnight in December in single digit temperatures and then--in the course of a few hours--forgot what day it was so didn't call into work.  Guilty?  I'll reserve for the higher courts.

But here's the troubling thing:

If I were to have mysteriously vanish (she left behind her purse, car keys, cell phone, and car, so based on the assumption that she left unwillingly) my husband  would be on EVERY news show that would have him.  Dateline, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Nancy Grace on CNN, Larry King, in addition to EVERY local channel.  He'd be pleading for my safe return.  He'd send out messages about how much he loved me.  He might even shed a tear or two or hundreds.

I'm not so sure he'd evade police investigations and hire one of the most powerful attorneys in the state. 

I'm just saying.

Heavy Hearted

Two years ago, I posted this.  It was the diagnosis of a good friend with stage 4 colon cancer.  And really, we all thought that she'd be gone by the beginning of 2008.  That's how serious it was.

But she prevailed and endured and all those impossible things that sometimes we're asked to do and not know why.

And tonight, she finally got her reprieve. 

Coincidently, I was talking to my mom about her yesterday.  We were driving around Sugar House Park and I was telling her how it was any day now for M.  Her cancer had spread into her spine and she was in pain 24/7.  And I was telling my mom how I felt because when M. was put in the hospital following her stroke two years ago, I was the ONLY one to go visit her from the neighborhood.  It was awkward--not really my forte--but I bucked up and went.  And we had a connection.  My entire family with the help of my Visiting Teacher partner's family put on her entire Christmas that year for her so they could save that money and use it for medical bills.  I cleaned her house and did her laundry and brought in a few meals here and there.

But then some things happened and people with sticky little tentacles got all involved and I had to cut ties to preserve my own sanity and what not, and I haven't been as faithful to M. as I would've ideally liked. 

And then I was excluded from her big 40th birthday party last month.  While I'm sure I wasn't the only one who wasn't invited, it sure felt like that.  And I played it off like it was no big deal, but deep down, I was a lot hurt. 

But, as I always do, I kept it bottled up and, deep down, I kept thinking I'd stop by and see her, but I never got around to it, or some other lame excuse.  My mom suggested that I go talk to her and let her know that the person that I was painted to be isn't really me and I had to get out of that situation because it was threatening to suffocate my very being. 

And you know, it was too late even then.  Because there were more important things that needed to be said by other people who were more faithful to M. then I was. 

So I hope, tonight, she knows the truth that's in my heavy heart.

I've declared 2010 to be the Year of Zen, because there are obviously some things I need to let go.  Just because someone has sticky tentacles dabbling in my business, I can sever them.  Beat them off with a stick.  Ignore them.

And the Battle Rages On...

Some friends asked Saturday night if things were getting a little better with Josh and church.

"Oh, yeah." I replied.  "We haven't had a lot of trouble with him lately."

Sunday morning arrived and I got Josh dressed reasonably quickly and he sat down to eat breakfast.  Everything was good. 

Wade had gone outside to shovel the driveway and I was getting Aunika in her Sunday clothes.  Mind you, I was slated to substitute for a Sunbeam class and it was nearing 8:55, but I felt like we were going to be reasonably on time.

That was, until Josh came running out of his room in nothing but his underwear. 

I sighed and went in to find his clothes to wrestle him back in.

"Where did you put your clothes?" I asked him.

"I don't know." was his reply.

"WHERE did you put your CLOTHES?" I asked him again.

"I don't know."

"WHEREDIDYOUPUTYOURCLOTHES?" This was not a hard question.  He had them on mere moments before and now where were they?

"I don't know."

Wade chose this moment to walk in.  Which is lucky, because I was choosing that exact moment to walk out.

"I'm not sure how you're going to get your son to church, but it's up to you."  I said.  Or something relatively close to that minus a few choice words.

And then I left.

There is beauty all around.  When there's love at home.

Fast forward 45 minutes, and in walked Wade, Josh and Aunika.  Josh was wearing the same clothes I had put him in earlier.  He ran over and said "Sorry mommy" (cue heart melt) and then grabbed my hand.

"Where'd you find his clothes?" I asked Wade.

"I couldn't find them.  Josh found them."

And then he proceeded to give me a lecture on how I need to work on my temper.  I thought I showed GREAT restraint.  I was actually proud of myself for how cool (relatively) I remained because a few months ago, that stunt would've sent me over the edge.  Well, further over the edge, at a much faster speed.

I think Josh has elevated the game to a new status.  However, (and I didn't want to ask how it happened and under what threats) we can officially call this a win for the parents.

Bring it on Buster!  Give us what you can.  Because as the year is coming to a close, it's still Josh: 0 and parents: 46.

Just a Thought...

I HATE the snow.

HATE it. 

HATE it.

HATE it.

*gritting teeth*
When I was 18 and a new freshman at college and it snowed and it was so miserably cold I could hardly do anything but go to class, come home, and sit in my bed under three blankets, including the heated blanket, I made an elaborate plan of how I was going to go to Hawaii.  I had it all worked out too.  I was going to graduate from CEU a semester early, move back to Salt Lake, take a few classes at SLCC while working full-time and sock everything I could into savings until I could afford the tuition at BYU-Hawaii.  Which, by my calculations, was only about a year and a half thanks to a very rich aunt who died.  Even with paying rent in an apartment. 

Because, even after just a semester away from home, I realized I could NEVER move back in with my parents.  I love them and I'd like to keep it that way.

It was a pipe dream at best, but it kept me fueled for the entire winter.  However, the one drawback was that they didn't offer the program I wanted--Biomedical Engineering--and I was going to settle for a degree in Mathematics if it meant that I didn't have to stay in this hellish winterland any longer.

Ha.

But then I met Wade and Hawaii became just a distant thought.  And my dead rich aunt made it possible for us to put a somewhat sizable down payment on our house, which in hindsight was probably a better investment than a math degree.

And I still got my math degree, and even got the privilege of paying for it myself.  (By which I mean, Wade paid for it.  But what's his is mine, and what's mine is his, right?  Happy math degree, honey!)

Until this morning, when I realized that if I would've gone to Hawaii at 20 like I had meticulously planned, it would've solved a lot of problems.

Like waking up at 5:15 to get ready to run and finding the front door WIDE open.

Again.

And 3 inches of snow on the pavement.  And it looked so beautiful, untouched, that I couldn't bring myself to go out and tramp along in it, (and I'm not a big fan of wet feet.  Or the snow, as I may have mentioned earlier) so we moved our running to tomorrow, where it's going to be a nice 8 degrees at 5 am, but will feel like -1 degrees.  Fun!

Funny, when I mentioned the door being wide open to Wade, he asked if I looked in the basement (presumably for serial killers. Of course, I did wake him up out of a dead sleep, so who knows) to which I replied: "They would've gotten us by now."  and he said "maybe they're waiting for me to go to work."  Then he turned around and went back to sleep.

Because only he would be able to sleep after casually mentioning that a serial killer was lying wait in his basement until Wade left for work before unleashing on me and the kids.

But then only he would suggest I go down and meet the serial killer face to face.

See, if I was in Hawaii, none of this would've taken place.

Score!

• I stopped by the DI the other day to look for a coat for Aunika.  I saw a really cute one at Wal-mart not  too long ago, but I wasn't about to shell out $25 for something she'll wear a handful of times before it's too small.  And, score, I found one for $4 that looks practically new.  
• Bonus score: the Steve Madden shoes I found that were brand new for $6.  Steve Madden retails for anything from $50-$$$.  And used shoes are hard to find when your shoe size hovers  between a ski and a boat.
• I ran my usual run Friday morning at a balmy (if you live in the Arctic Circle) 5 am.  Then I ran a 5k at 6 pm that was a blast.  It followed the Bountiful Light Parade down the street and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who came out to watch the parade and cheer us on.  Score, I finished with a new PR of 27:04, besting my last PR by 3 seconds.  (Hey, 3 seconds is 3 seconds.  Besides I got up caught at the first behind some lady who thought she was going faster than she really was.  So, I KNOW I could've pulled off a sub-27 minute 5k.
• Bonus score: I ran the first mile in 8:11 and the second in 8:34, averaging out to be 8:22, which is faster than a Boston Qualifying pace.  The third mile was uphill the entire way, so I slowed down to 9:14, but still it was a good pace for what it was.
• We went to see the lights at the zoo with my parents and my brother's family.  It was a lot of fun, if not a little cold and the animals were all hiding.  It dawned on me that the majority of the animals at the zoo are not equipped to deal with winter weather.  The best part was the cougar who hissed at my niece in her wheelchair.  My sister-in-law says it happens every time they come to the zoo.  We scored when we went to Training Table afterwards for dinner and my brother told us the funniest story (that, sorry, isn't fit for blog consumption).
• We have an appraiser coming on Monday afternoon for our refinance, and there's nothing like a stranger who is going to look in every room of your house to kick you into cleaning gear and get everything organized.  And score, I'm now back on track to having a Home for the Holidays.  In fact, I'm on my way to having a Home for the Holidays by tomorrow.
  

To Act Like the Rich, Be Frugal

Wade shared this article with me that I'm going to share with you:

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/financial-literacy/to-act-like-the-rich-be-frugal-1.aspx

Have I mentioned that Wade is the smartest person I know?  Because he is.  And not just inherently, (he is just smart, though.  You know, like how some people are just dumb) but because he finds these cool articles to read.

We've always maintained that when we become millionaires our neighbors won't ever know.  And people laugh at us.

"Like you'd stay in your current home if you were a millionaire." they all say.

What's wrong with our house?  It's now 3000 square feet, which is more than the  houses either one of us grew up in, and has a killer theater system, five bedrooms, and three baths.

But, they're probably right.  We'd probably move.  But not to some huge atrocity. I like our house, but it was a tract house.  We didn't have any say in what went in it aside from the actual colors.   But I don't want some huge thing up on the hill, surrounded by other huge things.  Even our dream house (which is now off the market :( ) wouldn't really fit in in some of the pricier areas of Salt Lake and Summit Counties.

We are in the process of refinancing our home to a 15 year mortgage at an incredible rate.  We got this incredible rate because (a) we've been fiscally responsible our ENTIRE lives, not just the life we've spent together. (b) We got into our home at an incredible price and resisted the urge to upgrade when everyone else was. (c) our home is worth almost $100,000 more than when we bought it--just seven short years ago.  Banks pretty much laugh at us when they see our mortgage. 

And I've said it before, we plan on being 100% debt free--cars, house, and basement--in five years.  Which would make me 33 and Wade 36.  We may stay here, because we now have the room (and I'm LOVIN' that basement), or we may move.  But it'd just be a mile away because I don't see me ever going back to the city.

According to the article, Wade and I are well on our ways to being millionaires. By which I mean to say that Wade is well on his way and I'm riding his coattails.

In any case, one day we ARE going to be millionaires, and the neighbors will still be thinking "those Hadlocks really know how to stretch a dollar".

Aunika Stats

Height: 32 inches (99th percentile)

Weight: 20 pounds (25th percentile)

Conversation overheard in the hall: "are you sure she's that tall, because that's really tall."

"Go in and look at her.  She's really long."

"I'll remeasure and see."

remeasuring takes place

"Hmm...I guess you were right."

Apparently, no one in the doctor's office had seen a baby that big before.  It was like she was some sort of anomoly.  Of course, no one asked me what I thought, because it was quite apparent when I stuffed her in 18 month pants and a 24 month shirt, that this was not the average size of a one year old.

General Disposition: Aunika is still one of the easiest babies I have ever seen, as long as she's not required to sit still for any amount of time.  Like church.  She's a garbage disposal that eats pretty much everything I feed her.  Including olives (yuck), mushrooms (double yuck), and green peppers (yum!). 

She still sounds like a stuffed piggy when you're not feeding her fast enough or she sees you eating something that she wants, but most of the time, she's just content with wherever she is.  She is really happy and laughs at everything, including the guy sitting behind us in Sunday School with the swollen eye.

In short, she's a delight to have around.  Even if she's always on the move.  And makes me tired.

Cuteness Factor:  Off the charts!

Book Review Friday 11/27/09

Book: The Goose Girl
Author: Shannon Hale
Pages: 400

This is a retelling of the fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm.  To be honest, I had never heard of the story before, though at the book club this was discussed at, some of the older ladies had.

Princess Ani is sent to a neighboring land to be married, but comes upon a plot for her righteous place in the kingdom.  She is then forced into hiding and must get the King to see that she is who everyone says she isn't. 

All in all, the plot was pretty predictable, though there were a few windy turns here and there.  I wasn't surprised at anything that happened.  However, a few ladies at the bookclub were taken by surprise.  My theory is that I've read so many books, that there really isn't much left to surprise me anymore.  Or I'm pretty good at sniffing out the twists.  Who knows?

This book took me about 1/3 of the way to get really into it.  In fact, I hadn't even read it all before I showed up at book club because I just couldn't bring myself to sit down and read it.  However, after hearing what they had to say about it at book club, I finished and I'm glad I did.

The story is written for a younger crowd and princesses aren't really my thing, so I have a bias going into it, but I thought Shannon Hale did an excellent job of crafting the story to fit into the young adult genre.  There's definitely a strong female presence in the book and it's nice to see the females empowered instead of oppressed.

By the end of the book, I was intrigued enough to maybe pick up the next book in the series, so that says something.  I didn't devour the book, but I enjoyed it for what it's worth.

Happy Birthday Little Turkey!

I can't believe that Aunika is one today.  Crazy!!!  It seems like just yesterday I was upchucking everything that hit my stomach and scratching my belly like mad and not falling asleep until 4 am because of insomnia, but wishing that I could just stay in bed all day because I was SO tired, and crying because everything hurt so bad.

Hmmm...looks like I'm not quite ready for another one, doesn't it?

But it's been a full year.  And sadly, her birthday kind of got overshadowed by Thanksgiving.  So much so that she actually fell asleep during her "party" up  at my brother's house last night.  But next year, we'll figure something else out, because you should have a special day all to yourself for your birthday and not just be an afterthought. 

For the first birthday, oh well.  You won't remember it.

Her doctor appointment is on Monday, so I'll wait until then to update her stats, but I'm expecting something like "she's the size of a two year old" or "she's in the 120th percentile (doesn't exist.  I know.  I have a degree in math.  No need to make some smart remark in the comments section.  It's a joke.)  Perhaps the doctor will mention that she's a genius as well.  That'd be nice.

Until then, Happy Birthday my little turkey butt. 

Thanksgiving in Pictures

There's a story behind all these pictures.  And maybe I'll share them with you later, but tonight, you can just make the stories up in your head. 

Because they'll probably be more interesting that way. 

 

 

 .)

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving and The Day After Thanksgiving and BYU/Utah Day and Sunday.

(And I know how horribly misshapened my pies were, but the point is I MADE THEM.  BY MYSELF.  With help from the internet.  And they were GOOD.  DANG GOOD.  And maybe, I'm not so undomestically geeky afterall.  Except for look at their shape. And maybe it was more of a peach soup than a peach pie.  But regardless, I'm on a roll this year with my new found baking skills and I'm fairly certain that in dire circumstances, my family would not starve.)

Thanksgiving Gratitude List

The Thanksgiving season is a time for us all to gather and reminisce about the things we're grateful for before we start to indulge in the overgratification that the Christmas holiday brings us.  Only to repent in time for the New Year.

And today is no different.  So, in no particular order, here is my 2009 gratitude list:

• SO happy I'm not pregnant this year.
• The Discovery Channel
• Our FINISHED basement
• My health
• My two beautiful and energetic kids
• My Ipod
• My Headlamp
• Two friends that indulge my wild running ideas, and can still beat me in a race.
• Friends that don't run, but still come out to cheer me on
• An incredible husband who works hard and is two semesters away from receiving his Master's.
• A house that is slowly becoming a home
• A car that drives nicely in the snow.  With heated seats.
• My degree
• Warm clothes
• My skinny jeans
• My brothers and their wives and all my neices.
• My in-laws.  All of them. 
• Two feet that have shaved 3 minutes off  PER MILE since Februrary.
• Hair that is finally long enough to throw in a knot.
• My bike
• The projector that makes it somewhat bearable to bike 20 miles indoors.
• My LMF's who make it easy just to be.
• New friendships with people who live mere houses away
• Old friendships with people who anticipate what I need and rush to fulfill it, even if I didn't know I needed it at the time.
• A clean pantry
• Time with my dad every week
• Tuesdays with Mom.
• Books
• My quest for knowledge
• The library
• The internet and the many sites that show you how to make pies
• College football
• Shoes.  Lots and lots of shoes.
• The ability to read in the car.
• Facebook and a quirky sense of humor.
• New friendships I've made this year with people I wouldn't have otherwise associated with
• Leaving my shell behind
• Maturity
• Boston
• My Garmin GPS watch
• Thanksgiving dinner, especially the mashed potatoes
• A second Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, especially the mashed potatoes
• Pie
• Cake
• Diet Coke
• Friends that keep Diet Coke in their fridge for me, so that I only drink it in extreme emergencies.
• Bread
• A big enough mouth to accomodate my foot.
• Long enough legs to kick myself in the butt
• An inabilty to hold any rhythm so every dance on So You Think I Can Dance looks equally incredible and impossible.
• Ditto with American Idol
• Ability to foresee the future.  Well, sorta.
• Faith in God, the inherent goodness of mankind, and just retribution

Research

We're voracious researchers.  It's a habit that Wade has instilled in me from day one, and I'm finally catching on. 

We don't make a major purchase without first researching it.  Ever.  We research it to great lengths.  Sometimes to the point that I want to tie someone up to the chair and put duct tape over his mouth just buy the stupid thing and get it over and done with.

However, it has come to our attention that people may think that we do all this research and then buy the cheapest thing.

Which would defeat the purpose of the research, now wouldn't it? 

But, to those not into researching or who do their researching incorrectly, the cheapest ($$$) thing isn't necessarily the cheapest thing.

Allow me to explain.

Take for example the road bike Wade gave me for our anniversary. 

It's cheap ($$$).  I knew that it was when I picked it out.  But here's the thing.  I don't have the time to invest right now into heavy duty biking.  I wanted a road bike to do two or three triathlons on a year.  It fits me better than Wade's brother's old mountain bike and it fits my needs.  I live in a climate where outdoor biking is not feasible six months out of the year.

In short, I'm not going to shell out $$$ for something I don't anticipate using all that often right now in my life.

I did, however, look at A LOT of reviews for A LOT of bikes roughly in this price range.  And this is the one I chose based on what I saw and what I read.  Was it the cheapest ($$$)?  No.  Was it the cheapest?  No.  Is it my dream bike?  No.  Will I be riding it on the Tour de France?  No.  But it gets me from Point A to Point B on the triathlon course and that's all that matters right now.

Now there is the argument that if you're going to pay $200 for something that later on you're going to upgrade to a better model by paying $1000, wouldn't it be better to just fork over the $1000 now and not waste the $200.

And there's some merit to that argument.  However, if I would've gone with a $1000 model now and then decided that riding wasn't really for me, I'm out $1000 and not $200.  Also, it's hard to justify $1000 for two or three triathlons a year when you have a basement you're paying for and car payments.

Because we're also responsible adults too.  And we can't always go out and get the best thing because it's not in our best interest.

Sidenote: Did you know that 60% of millionaires use coupons?  Hello, they're not rich because of some luck of the draw.

So, in short, there's a formula (we're geeks.  Would you expect anything less?) we employ when making a major purchase, by which I mean, something that is pretty expensive and you wouldn't buy on impulse.

We weigh how much we're going to use said item versus how much it costs.  We NEVER buy top of the line. You're just throwing your money away if you do.  We buy mid-line.  If it's an item that isn't going to (realistically) be used a lot (our tent, for example), we buy lower on the scale.  If it's something that we plan on using a lot, (our projector) we'll buy higher on the scale.

And then we wait.

Which is the hardest part for a lot of people.  And may be why we give off the impression that we're buying the cheapest stuff.  Because, in some people's eyes, there's no difference between cheap ($$$) and cheap.  But I can tell you that there is a lot of cheap stuff out there that cost $$$.  So don't get caught in the trap that a price tag indicates how good something is.  A $185 pair of jeans still has two legs, a zipper and a snap.  Just like my $7 jeans.

But we wait until we find said item at a price that we can live with.  Occasionally, we will see it for a better price later on, but rarely do we ever feel guilty because we bought it at a price that fit our budget. 

The final thing is that once we've done our research, picked our item, waited for the good price, and bought it, we STOP researching it.  Or we do, theoretically.  Because I've seen Wade researching things after we've bought them.  You will ALWAYS find something better or cheaper if you keep looking.

Be happy with what you choose.  That is unless you didn't do your research and just went with what the price tag said.  In which case, you're a sucker.

 

End of the Year Thoughts

I know it's not quite the end of the year, but I've been thinking about it.  Like how my little girl is going to be A YEAR next week.  Where did the last year go?  Granted, I spent the first six months in a haze (a story for later down the road, when it's not still so fresh), but still I can't believe that only a year ago I was SO miserable I would've given my left leg to not be pregnant anymore.

There was a lot I wanted to do with my blog before I got sucked into a time warp of home improvement projects, entertaining children and napping .  Lots and lots of naps because who knew that two children would make you SO tired. 

And now that the basement is done, I feel like a HUGE burden has been lifted off my shoulders.  There's a lot to be done to getting the house in order, but at least now we have the space to do it with. If I could just find the energy to get started.

Baby steps.  Baby steps.

So, starting in January, prepare to be AMAZED with my ramblings.  Because not only will they be even more rambly, there will be more of them.  And other cool stuff because I'm not just a pretty face filled with witty words.  My kids are HILARIOUS.  And I'm anticipating the return of my spouse, who has been MIA since February, so that should make for good blog fodder.

In 2010, I will aim to be your cup of coffee in the morning--like a cup of Joe, only it will be a cup of Sandra or a thimble of Sandra, whatever works--to start off your day. Or end your day.  Whenever I get around to posting.  Don't get all excited that I'm going to become all organized and actually deliver all my promises. 

Because I'm not like that.

I can, apparently, teach myself to wake up at 5:15 in the morning, but I cannot become organized no matter how many rewards I give myself.

Sorry.

For now though, I'll keep posting randomly just to keep you on your toes.

First Room

Here's a picture of the first room in the basement that is 100% officially done. 

The bathroom. 

Roughly a year ago:

Behold, greatness!

I know.  It's nothing spectacular.  It's a basement bathroom.  But it's done.  And we learned a lot.  Like make sure the floor is level.  And there are a 1000 toilets to choose from.  And vanities are expensive.  As are mirrors.  Especially since they break so easily. 

Final inspection for the entire basement is tomorrow and you'd think there'd be more pictures after that, but we have to set up the rooms, so it will probably be a while.  However, Wade's new computer screens(!) came today, so the office should be set up fairly quickly.  Which is good news since that means our bedroom will cease operating as a bedroom/office/entertainment hub and return to just a bedroom.  And our closet will no longer be a storage shed. 

And then maybe I can breathe again.

2009's Humbling Experience #4

Yes, more running humbleness.  Yes, I realize maybe this is a sign I'm in the wrong sport.  No, I'm not giving up.

Saturday, I ran a 5k with my training buddy, H, her 8 year old son, and a friend of his, who is also 8.  H. and her son stayed together, but the other 8 year old was like a bat out of hell.  He took off from the first.  Eventually, I caught up to him at about a mile and passed him.

Then at about 2.75 miles, he passed me back.  We were going uphill so I was waiting for him to tire out and start walking.

But he never did.

He kept on running, even when the group we were in made a wrong turn and ended up running back up the HUGE hill we had run down at the beginning of the race. 

And that's when I lost my visual on him.

But I'm pretty sure he got me by about a minute.

An eight year old, who has not been getting up at 5:00 in the morning to go running 4 days a week, beat me.

Signs I'm Maturing

• I wake up, by myself, at 5:15 four days a week, despite Wade's near daily insistence that I should skip my run and stay in bed.
• I wear the ugliest fleece pants almost every day and don't really care.  I don't go out in public in them, however. 
• I was the ONLY one to dress up for Toastmasters for Halloween.  To add insult to injury, my costume fell apart mere moments into the meeting and so I just looked deranged.  However, instead of cowering in shame, I stood proud.
• For years, I've been preaching that I don't really care what others think about me, but finally I really don't care what they think.
• I say what I want to say, unless it's not worth my breath to say it.  Then I just let it go.
• I haven't thought about the dream house in a long time.  I'm content where I'm at.
• I'm fully planning on cleaning out the kitchen today.  Probably.
• Someone said something less than flattering on their blog about me.  And instead of flying off the handle, and saying something I'd just regret later, I took some time to really think it out.  And apologized for the comment I made to set them off.  Which garnered a public apology.  Behold the power of words.
• One of my closest friends is 65 in body and 30 in spirit.  I want to be like her when I grow up.
• I have an actual friendship with my mom.  Not just a typical mother/daughter relationship.  She's also one of my closest friends.
• I'm gaining a less awkward relationship with my father. 
• I'm loving Toastmasters.
• There are times I don't want to get out of bed, but I do.
• I have found a passion.  With goals.
• I have an amazing twin brother with more strength then I ever thought humanly possible.  He's an inspiration to everyone who meets him.  I'm just sad it's taken me this long to figure it out.
• I have an older brother who is incredible and funny and smart as well.  15 years ago, it would've killed me to think it, let alone say it out loud.
• I have an incredible and amazing husband with a brain too large to be contained in his body.  One day, he's going to make millions.  And instead of daydreaming of the possibilities it will open up in the way of materialistic goods, I'm thinking of the good it will do to help those less fortunate.
• I have pretty much everything that I could need or want.  Except for a monkey.  But, I'm thinking I don't want one of those for fear it would try to eat me.  And not succeed. 
• I've learned that there are worse things than dying.  And I'm praying I never have to experience that.
• After last weekend's triathlon, I was more excited to see how my training buddy did than I was to see how I did.
• I have two AMAZING training buddies who let me rant and rave and still follow my insane self-penned training regimens. 
• I still dream of going on Oprah, but it's with less regularity now.
• I know the ins and outs of health care plans and how to choose the least crappiest one.  I'm still not on board the Obama Health Train, but I'm making my way to the station for perhaps another train that's on it's way.
• I have a slew of LMFs and not so many HMFs anymore.  It's kind of nice.
• I read books about events that I've never heard of.
• I read books about events I have heard of.
• I am not above going back to work if it meant that we stayed off the street.  
• I married someone who is not above delivering pizzas if he had to.
• I am gaining a new appreciation for how creative and energetic my four year old is.  Even if he never quits talking.
• My little girl is the most easy going person I've ever met, obviously not from my DNA code.  I hope she stays that way.
• I've learned to let some things go and to stand up for other things and to be happy with whatever the outcome is.  Unless it's pink walls. 
• I love myself and my life more now than I ever have.

Book Review Friday 11/13/09

Book: The Gardner Heist
Pages: 226
Author: Ulrich Boser

I was more than pleasantly surprised by this book.  I had grabbed it off the shelf at the library because I was in a hurry and it was the nearest book. 

It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.  The book is a written account of the investigation in to the world's largest art theft, the Gardner Art Museum, in 1990.  I wish I still had the book in my possession to spit out the facts, but something like 14 paintings were stolen, worth more than $500 million, in an 88 minute time span.  As of today, none of it has been recovered. 

The book detailed a world that I didn't know even existed in real life; the Boston Underworld of mafias and hit men.  I assumed that the viciousness of it was Hollywoodize, but if what the book protrays is true, then it's straight from the movies. 

The cast of characters woven into the account are intriguing, though I wouldn't want to ever meet them.  I loved the descriptions the author used to accurately portray the main players in the investigation. 

I would definitely recommend this book to most anyone, art lover or not.  I'm not familiar with a lot of art but I found the book to be beyond fascinating for the understory it told.

This book proves that some of the best stories aren't made up. 

Catching Up Part 1

So many great stories, so little time.  But, we'll start the week with the triathlon I did Saturday. 

For the record, I haven't really been on my bike since the triathlon I did mid-August.  And I've been swimming, but not so diligently.  But my running has been doing great, so I thought this would be a walk in the park.

And walk it was.  As in walking my bike up the hill.  During the race.  And walking to the swimming pool instead of running because I was exhausted.

And yet...so awesome. 

After my triathloning in August, I took some time off from the swimming and biking to work on my 5k time.  And because it was two less days I had to get up at 5 am.  Besides it's hard to bike in the cold.  But a training buddy, H., and I signed up to do the Turkey Tri in Orem.  We had heard good things about it and I needed to justify my demands for the road bike that Wade graciously granted me for our anniversary.   And, triathlons are AWESOME.  I can't wait until I have more time to devote to actually training correctly for one.

Anyways, we arrived to mass chaos on Saturday morning.  There were 400+ people entered in the race, which is roughly 300 more than any triathlon I've done.  We didn't anticipate so many people and it was all a little nuts and stressful to get to the starting line on time, but we made it.

The format of a triathlon is usually a swim, followed by biking and then capped off with a run.  However, because it's November and we were swimming in a pool, they reversed the order and we began with the run.  My strategy was to go all out for the run, recover on the bike, and swim as fast as I could.  And I all but managed to do just that.

The run was fairly benign.  There were some tough parts, but I finished in 27:51.  I held back a little bit because I knew that I still had two more events, so I'm pleased with that.

The biking was a total other story.  The course was two loops of 5 miles each.  There was a nice downhill section through UVU campus and I was really enjoying myself despite being passed by everything from really fast people to people on mountain bikes with big, ole, fat tires.  That was until I turned the corner and saw the two hills looming before me.  I made it (barely) up the first hill and then I started up the second hill.

As a side note: up until now, all my training--in both running and biking--has centered around avoiding going uphill.

When riding a bike, there is a minimum speed that you MUST attain to stay upright.  Up the second hill, I was slightly on the right side of this minimum speed.  I wasn't moving very fast, but (a) I was still moving and (b) I was still on my bike, which was more than I could say about some people.

For the record, I'd like to point out that this next part was NOT my fault.  I was merely trying to get to the top of the hill.

On my left hand side was a lady who, until a certain, albeit important, moment in time, was ahead of me.  That was until she slowed down to just BELOW the minimum speed in which you must be going to remain upright on your bike.  As a consequence, she started to teeter and weave towards me.  I started teetering in response and it looked to be like it was going to be a crash.  However, she overcorrected to the other side and since I was barely moving, I was able to get my feet out of my pedals and put them down before I fell over.  The other lady was not so lucky.  She then overcorrected again, bounced off my bike and landed on her side.

I offered my assistance, but she was mad at me and yelling at me for being on her right side or something.  Anyways, it wasn't my fault.  She was the one who was going to crash into me.  I'm just lucky she didn't take me out with her.

Yeah, she's fine.  I made sure that she got up and everything.

I'm nice like that.

But, I lost all my momentum for the hill and had to walk my bike up to the top.  Which, since I wasn't the only one doing it, wasn't as humiliating as it could've been.  And it wasn't my fault.

The second time around, I was able to ride my bike to the top of the hill, but it wasn't pretty.  I was pretty certain I was going to pass out before I crested, which would've caused a host of problems.  But I made it.

By the time I hit the transition area for the swimming, I was beat.  I crawled my way to the pool and stepped in.  As I began swimming, I formulated some thoughts in my head.  I can't remember all of them but one of them was this:

Triathlons-by the very definition of the word--are a three event race.  There are three events.  Therefore, you should be able to at least do all three events.  Like swimming.  If you can't swim, then maybe a triathlon is not the sport for you.  Running along the pool until you can't touch the bottom and then doggie paddling to the wall is not swimming.  Nor is holding on to the rope and pulling yourself along that way.  If you want to complete a triathlon, you should learn to swim first.

I'm just saying.

I had other deep and profound thoughts as well, but I don't remember them as clearly.

I finished in a respectable 1:25:46.  Not too bad considering my lack of training.  And for the first time EVER, I left feeling like I could not have done anything better.  I gave everything I had.

In April, they do the EXACT same race (obviously not called the Turkey Tri) that I think I'm going to do after (theoretically) spending the winter on my bike indoors (fun!).  We'll see how that all pans out.

I finished and I had a blast.  And really, that's all that matters.  Except for maybe taking down that biking time.

A Home for the Holidays

The holidays are quickly approaching and I've been thinking a lot about what I want.  Which isn't a lot.  I have pretty much everything I want.  But there is one BIG thing that's been lurking in my mind now for a little while...

I have a confession.  I hate my house.  Why?  It's big, it's spacious.  It has a few nice things in it.  But it's UGLY.  Like government-issued ugly.  Dorm-style ugly.  A house, not a home.

Except for the basement.  That's GORGEOUS.  Speaking of which, I need to still post pictures.  Later...

Anyways, when we built it, we were college students and we were looking for cheap.  Which we got.  We didn't upgrade the paint, just went with the standard issued white.  We hung 2 inch blinds because my parents helped us out with them.  Otherwise we would've gone with the cheapo mini blinds.  But beyond that, we really haven't done much.  Wade painted the nursery before we had Josh and I painted the master bath last year in a misguided attempt to liven up the place.

Now that the basement is nearing completion, I've been looking around at the state of our upstairs and it's made me depressed.  The walls are chipped.  The paint is peeling.  The window ledges cracking.  Essentially, it's a house that's been lived in for 7 years with next to zero upkeep. 

Apparently, it's hard to maintain a strict six month deep cleaning schedule when you have school/work/kids. 

And essentially don't care.  But that's for another day.

So today, as I was perusing my usual blogs, I came across an entry by my friend Juliana.  She wrote about beginning a program that was made up by another one of her friends that's called "A Home for the Holidays".  Basically, she's breaking up the OVERWHELMING task of decluttering your house--and life--into little manageable tasks that take about an hour a day. 

An hour?  I can devote an hour to the project, can't I? 

Oh, and I will.  Because that's what I want for the Holidays.  A home.  Someplace where I'm not embarassed to invite people in or have parties at or just to be at.  It will take me longer than the next 50 days because I want to repaint and all that fun stuff, but if I can get rid of some of this junk, I'm sure by the beginning of the year, I'll be ready to tackle the hard stuff.

And who knows?  By doing it now, we can be ready to move at a moment's notice if the chance comes up. 

Not to be Outdone

In my quest for the perfect Halloween costume for Josh, I all be neglected Aunika.  So, I searched the house for Josh's old costumes but didn't find them.  At the store on Saturday, I picked up an instant bunny costume to relieve me of some of the guilt I was feeling:

This last picture pretty much sums up the entire Halloween experience for my poor little girl.

Because we then left for the ER at about 9:30 because she woke up with a fever, gasping for air and wheezing. 5 hours later, we returned home with an ambiguous diagnosis of croup and/or piggy flu--call back in 24 hours for the results. But she sounded a lot better and we all slept until 11 am.

The Unveiling of the LEGO Man

If you'll remember, last year I offered up many prayers for my Halloween Miracle and this year, we were poised to have a repeat of the same costume.  Josh, when asked a month or two ago, wanted to be an elephant, again. 

Which suit me fine.  Me, not being much of a holidays kinda gal.

But then he got interested in--no, obsessed with--legos.  And he wanted to be a LEGO-man.  I tried to convince him to be a LEGO.  You know, a block colored red with the nubby things. 

Simple.  So much so that even a monkey--or me--could put it together.

Alas, that was not his vision at all.  A LEGO man would be the only thing that would do.  So I scoured the internet for some ideas.  I found some awesome LEGO man outfits and set out to make one myself for Josh (really, how hard could it be?).  Of course, I waited until the week of Halloween to start said costume, but at least I was making an effort.

As a refresher course, this is a LEGO mini-fig:

And this is what I was sort of going for:

But I had a limited amount of supplies, given my proximity to anything other than a Walmart, as well as a four year old who had his own vision. 

Josh's vision was a LEGO mini-fig that he had brought from home to the store with us.  It was gray with blue pants and one blue arm and one red arm.  He also had gray hands.  True to Josh's form, we had to duplicate THIS LEGO mini fig and not, say, an easier one.  Though, in hindsight the gray hands did turn out to be a blessing.

So Tuesday, the day before Josh's Halloween party at Preschool, we set off on our adventure.  We spent 2 hours at the store looking for something--anything--that we could use as a head.  I finally came upon a 5 gallon water jug:

I sawed off the nozzle bit and stuffed the handle part with batting (for some reason, I had that, and it seemed like a good idea at the time).  I used yellow duct tape to tape everything down and give it that somewhat uniformal shape.

The original idea was to spray paint it yellow, but lo and behold spray paint doesn't stick very well to plastic.  Who knew?  So we went for option number two which was to wrap it all in yellow duct tape.  It was about at this point that I gave up on my vision of the guy in the above photo.  But I was not to be deterred.  If my boy wants a LEGO mini fig, then a LEGO mini fig he gets.

I cut out (large) eyeholes and a mouth and Voila!

A slightly demented LEGO Man.

I took a container of butter, emptied it into a different container, washed it out and secured it to the top of the head for the little nub with--yellow duct tape.

For the boxy shoes, I used a shoe box (I have plenty of those) and cut it in half.  Then I taped them onto Josh's shoes and cut out openings for his legs so he wouldn't trip on them.

The idea was to pull his sweat pants over them, but Josh naturally refused to wear them, so that got scrapped.

Our next order of business were the hands.  Luckily for me, Josh wanted gray hands, so regular duct tape worked wonders.  I cut the hands out of styrofoam and then wrapped them in duct tape

I took a pair of sweats and taped in the perfect size of styrofoam blocks to make his legs look blocky.  And I cut a trapezoidal shape out of cardboard to wear under his shirt for the front.  I attached the hands to gray cotton gloves so Josh could hold his own pumpkin around the neighborhood.  These three items didn't get pictures.  Sorry.

Before the final unveiling, I want everyone to know that Josh loved his costume.  And really that's all that matters.

And he was too sick to go to his Halloween party anyways.  Figures.

So here's the final production:

I think this final picture exemplifies my blog title the best:

"Undomestically Geeky". 

Book Review Friday 10/30/09

Book: Queen of Babble in the Big City
Author: Meg Cabot
Pages: 307

This is the follow-up to Queen of Babble, which I read earlier this year.  I am a HUGE fan of Meg Cabot.  She's the author behind The Princess Diaries series (which I haven't read) and a slew of other books, some of which I have read.  It's her style I love.  If my brain were an open book (heaven help us all), it would read like a Meg Cabot book.

Well, maybe like a Meg Cabot book on steriods because of all the math thingies going on in there.

But still...it's me, in book form.

Queen of Babble in the Big City picks up from when Lizzie returns to the states after a summer stay in France, where she meets Luke, her now-boyfriend (subject matter of Queen of Babble).  She decides to move to New York from her homestate of Michigan to fulfill her dreams of opening a wedding dress refurnishing shop in lower Manhattan while Luke is attending medical school at NYU.  However, Lizzie doesn't realize how hard it is to make it in New York and she tends to open her mouth at all the wrong times and places, making it doubly hard. 

I'll be honest--there's not much depth here.  But it was the perfect book for a week of de-stressing.  Or what was suppose to be de-stressing, but actually quite stressing with two Halloween costumes to make, a pot of chili to make and a host of other, less fun activities.

I would kill at this point to have a weekend to myself where I could hole up somewhere and just read.  Or watch tv or take a nap. 

A nap would be nice.

But I digress.

Meg Cabot has quickly become one of my most favorite authors and I can't wait to pick up the next book in the Queen of Babble series.

Whoa!

So it's been a week. 

One crazy, weird week.

But I have pictures.  And that's cool.  But I don't have all the pictures I need, so I need to gather my energy and restuff Josh into his demented Lego-Man outfit so I can get a total picture of my efforts. 

And kids have been sick.



And stalkers have been lurking.

And I've spent a lot of time catching up on sleep from trying to get our basement (nearly) finished.  (Pictures of that too--not of me sleeping but of our newly finished basement).

And I spent a lot of time making a Halloween costume for a kid that--thus far--has been too sick to wear it anywhere.

And then there's our new obsession on TV, Stormchasers on Discovery, where people chase tornadoes.  So stupid, yet so fascinating all at the same time.

But don't despair.  I haven't forgotten about you.  This weekend should be a picture-filled blogtastic weekend.  

Unless, it's so busy, I don't find time to come back until next week.  But rest assured, I'm thinking of you.  And there is always my Friday Book Review to look forward to.

Yawn.

But one day you will want to read a book and you'll remember that I have a bunch on my blog.  So you'll come back and find one that I reviewed and I will have done my part to make this world a better place.

Happy Halloween.  Stay warm and get lots of candy. 

Or steal it from your kids. 

Whatever.  The end justifies the means.

Smokin'

A few weeks ago I coerced my twin brother, Scott, into running a 5k with me.  Well, coerce might be a little understated.  It was more like I signed us both up for the race and then told him he was going to run it.

Why?  Because a few months ago he started running and I was so excited to finally have someone from my family start running and I started thinking about all these cool races we could do, and then he quit.  But I still made him run a 5k with me.

I'm nice like that.

The race was yesterday.  Last week, as I might have mentioned, I PRed with an awesome time (for me) of 27:07 at another local 5k.  This week, I wasn't so worried about time.  I was just going out to have fun.

The whole fam damily drove down to watch us run our 5k.  Here's us walking to the start line of the 5k:

And here's us at the starting line:

I was confident going into the race because I knew the course.  That was, until the race director told us the course, which was the opposite way then what I thought we'd be running, so it was considerably harder since it was UPHILL. 

But I was undeterred.

We started off, laughing and chatting.  At about 1 mile, I voiced my regret about eating a Tostino's pizza for lunch.  Scott echoed with his regret of two double cheeseburgers from McDonald's.

At two miles, I was regretting not having peed before the start of the race. Scott had given up on conversation by slipping his headphones in, but he laughed and said "eh, just let it go".  He was about 30 seconds too late with his advice.  We continued forth.  I pointed out the spots where I almost stepped on a skunk and the time I came across a guy with a shotgun.  Just me, him and the shotgun.

In my defense, I kept asking Scott how he was feeling and he replied good.

We ran to the high school and then we had to do a lap around the track. 

I was slightly ahead at this point, but at the top of the last straight away, Scott took off and I was left in the dust.

My cute nieces made signs for us:

It was a great run though.  Scott finished in 27:22ish and I finished in 27:32.  Not too bad for how hard the course was. AND I totally smoked my age category.  I came in first, besting #2 by over 5 MINUTES.  I've never won an age category award before.  I'm so cool.

My mom snapped pictures of us like we'd just finished 26 miles and not just 3.

 

(secret: we felt like we had just finished 26 miles and not just 3.)

I'm not really use to running in the afternoons.  Or the sunlight.  It took some adjusting.  But, all in all, we had a good time.  And I have BOTH brothers tentatively planned for the New Year's Eve run in Sugarhouse Park.

Yeah, we'll see if that happens. :)

Book Review Friday 10/23/09

I know.  Finished a basement AND a book this week.  Will I ever cease amazing you?

Book: Alicia
Author: Alicia Appleman-Jurman
Pages: 448 pages

A friend let me borrow this a while ago and it's been sitting on my nightstand for a long time.  I just wasn't in the place mentally to where I could read about the Holocaust, although it is one of my most favorite topics to read about.  Last week, I was finally there, and so I picked it back up and finished it. 

The story is the memoir of a 12 year old Polish Jewess who was living through the German occupation.  While she never is sent to a concentration camp, she does live in the ghettos in Poland and witnesses a lot of horrible things.  The things she endured over the course of the war are incredible and her fortitude is amazing.  I kept imagining some of the girls that come over and babysit for me who are about the same age and wondered if they would be as resilient.  It's always amazing what you can make yourself do if you are put in certain situations.  Your instinct to survive is a lot stronger than I think we give it credit.

By the time she is 15, the war is over and she becomes one of the displaced.  She has no family or home to return to.  But she makes her way back to Poland and starts up an orphanage for children who lost their entire families in concentration camps. 

From there she goes on to work in the underground movement to move the Jewish out of Poland and into Palenstine. 

Alicia endures heartbreak and illness, but manages to make it through in one piece without losing her faith in God or for the human race.

The story was incredible.  I really can't say enough about it.  We should be required to read stories like this to remind us that our troubles are merely bumps in the road.