I'm almost out of my rut

Ok, so I have totally slacked on my blog, but don't give up on me yet. I have my computer set up in my house the way I want it, and soon you'll receive an update. Check back in soon!

Stuck in a Rut

Help! As you may or may not know, Chad is gove every other day which means when it comes to dinner on those days, it often gets a little scary. Brooklyn's food of choice is cereal or Wendy's. I need ideas of quick, easy, kid friendly meals that I can make when Chad is at work. All ideas would be SO welcome!

Also, I need to go meet my new neighbors and want to bring them some type of treat. Does anyone have any good recipes for something that is easy to make and goes a long way? What would be a good treat from a neighbor that you don't know yet? .... My neighbors aren't extremely friendly yet, I'm trying to win them over!

Comments

How come anyone can't leave a comment?

The Wasatch Back

For those of you who don't know about the wasatach back, let me explain give you a little background on it. It is a 180.5 mile run from Logan to Park City that you do with a team of 12. Well in about January, Cathy Gilmore asked me if I'd do it with her and I said sure. (What was I thinking!) Mind you, I loved to run before Chad and I got married, but I have not ran more than 5 times in the 8 years we've been married! I thought this will be a good way to get me into something that I enjoyed once upon a time. So I said sure, I'd do it and signed up with a bunch of people from our old ward.

That meant I had to get in shape and get in shape fast! Training became hard with selling a house, ending school, and moving and then unpacking. I did my best, but knew a part of this race was going to be completed by gutting it out.

Our team included Jene Peart, Peter Colasurdo, Kim Tucker, Kim's 2 daughters Kim and Denise and 1 son John, Alison Linnell, Mindy Larsen, I roped Chad into it, and Steve Tucker was going to run and couldn't so he found a friend Ben to run his leg, and Cathy ended up being too crazy, so her sister ran in her place. Our team was divided into 2 vans. Laura, Chad, Denise, Kim the younger, Ben and I were in van 2. We were the second group of runners. Cathy was our driver and she was awesome! Each person in the race runs 3 different legs.

This is Kim and Denise. This is of course before we began running!
This is Chad waiting to run his 1st leg in 95 degree heat. He was awesome though!
This is me on my first leg.
My leg began at Snow Basin. I had a little over 3 mile run up the road to Snow Basin. It was insane and totally harder than anything I imagined. When I trained hills it wasn't in the 90 degree heat. I also had a little time to catch my breath! Not with this hill. It's incline was 5% with not one moment of flatness or leveling off! Because of my inexperience, I didn't know how to do the race. See your team would stop every once in awhile and cheer you on and give you water. The water just made it harder for me... My breathing got messed up (remember I was panting, it was one steep hill!), so I ended up walking in a few spots which disappoints me just a bit. Jene and Mindy taught me at the end for my last leg, just to wear a cold handkerchief around you neck, which I did for leg 3, and did it helped more!

Notice those nice retarded things around my legs? Well I have never had a problem with my knees until 2 weeks before this race. My knees started killing. (I live on Advil now). I bought these to help with me knees. After my first run I felt great and my knee did too!


My second run was at 5 in morning. I ran up to and around Rockport. It was about 5 1/2 miles of beautiulness. The sun was just coming up and I kicked butt! It was awesome! Too bad everyone in my van was asleep and missed it! But on the run, I only wore one retarded knee thing and from the moment I started, my right knee began to hurt (which is opposite of the one that had been giving me fits!). I totally ran through, but started compensating, which by the end of the run, my legs were killing!

So after our van finished our first leg we had from about 8-11 to sleep. We went to East Canyon Lake and tried to rest, but it was impossible. We had one man yelling at everyone and everything because he rented a Yert and no one told him that 7000 runners were coming through. He was quite humorous watch! We ran from 12-6 for our second runs and had from about 7-11 to sleep. We went to South Summit and tried to sleep at the school. I think I got about 1/2 hour of sleep the entire run. For those of you who know me, know that this is killer! And then to have to sit in squishy stinky van for most of the time... what was I thinking?

Chad's last run was 1/2 way up Guardsman Pass. It was 3.6 miles. He ran up the first 1/2 and Ben ran up the 2nd 1/2 in the heat of the day. (I guess things could have been worse, I could have had that run). I don't know honestly whose run was harder, Chad's or Ben's. Chad's first half miles was relatively flat, but he made the same elevation change that Ben had in 4 miles, so needeless to say, they were both awesome!!

Here is Chad thinking, what in the heck did I sign him up for this for? But can I just tell you how proud he made me. He was the best. Running is not his thing, he hardly trained for this. I mean, he's totally in shape and works out all the time, but he detest running distances. He did this all for me. I couldn't have done this without him there. He truly is the best!

Here is my last run. It was 5 miles long, and was supposed to be the easiest, but it was anything but that! By the time it came to be my turn, I could hardly walk my legs were so sore. I totally gutted it out, but I ran the entire time. I got lost on this leg and no one from my team could cheer me on because I was on this long extremely straight rail trail that went on forever! I didn't even know if I was going the right way! By the end, I was in tears it hurt so bad, and I was so proud of myself. Notice the cool handkerchief to cool me off! It totally worked.

So yes, I ran 13 and 1/2 of the toughest miles of my life. One of my top 10 accomplishments in my life. Everyone keeps asking me if I am going to do it again next year. Right now, I can't even hardly wobble to the bathroom and I am so tired my head is spinning. I just don't know. But I am dang proud of everyone on my team and myself. They were so fun to be with and each person did such an incredible job! WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT!

Thanks also to my mom for watching sick kids. Not an easy thing to do!

Goodbye all, I'm going to sleep! I am supposed to have a date at Lagoon on Tuesday, I need to be able to walk by then!

An exciting week

An exciting thing happened this week... one that I've been looking forward to forever... I became an aunt. My sister had her baby on Tuesday. George was born around 10 that night after much labor and pain! But he is SO cute and my sister is recovering. Because things were a little hectic that night with my sister... (She lost a lot of blood and went into shock) I still don't know the details even though I was at the hospital awaiting the details! He was 7 lbs. 13 oz. Don't have a clue how long. If anyone knows or cares, you can let me know! Both he and Les are doing extremely well though. Brooklyn is totally in love and wants to visit about 3 times a day. She's also announced she likes this baby better than the other one... when asked who the other one was, she announced, you know, my sister.

One funny story. She woke up Wednesday morning and came in and asked first thing about baby George. I announced he was SO cute. She then looks at me and says. Well you still look like my mommy, not an aunt. (She's been telling me for weeks she didn't want me to be an aunt.) I was then able to explain to her that I am her mom and always will be, but I get to be George's aunt too! It made Chad and I laugh pretty good!

A lot of catching up!

Well I have to say that I seriously didn't even know if anyone was still checking my blog because it's been so long since I have updated, but after being stopped by 2 different people and both asking me when I am going to update, I decided I better get back in the game!
Needless to say, the last few months have been perhaps the craziest of my life. We are moved in, for those of you wondering... we are almost unpacked. I'd feel better if pictures were hung, but I want to recarpet and paint and I have just got to decide when and where and get going on all the projects! Everyone keeps asking me what's the best thing about the house. One is that my kids have separate bedrooms and so they don't wake each other up! Another is 3 bathrooms instead of just one. I love all the windows and light. We have a huge yard, and I'd love it if I knew anything about yards. Hopefully soon I will have some time to get some stuff done!
But, I do miss our other house. It was small and cozy and it just had a nice feel to it, if it makes any sense. I really miss our neighbors! I haven't even talked to one of ours yet. I keep wanting to go make cookies and meet them, but it's just another thing to do and I already feel so behind! Our ward seems good and I think I will like them, but there are 3 totally different neighborhoods and we are referred to "east LA" What does that mean? Everyone keeps telling me, oh you live in east LA. I laugh, not really knowing what that means! But because there are no active members by us, nor little kids, it means we have some work to do... in finding friends...getting to know people... all that fun stuff! The one thing I was really excited about moving to a new ward was that Chad would hopefully be home before and after church, but alas, he has a new calling and has to stay after each Sunday because he is now the financial clerk. Just goes to show that I can't get too greedy! But anyway here is a picture of our house. I promise that VERY soon we are going to have a house warming party and anyone who reads my blog will be invited! You just have to let me know if you wanna come!
I can't believe it, but Jacee turned 1 on the 31st of May. She is the best baby, although since she's turned one she's started sticking up for herself. Just goes to show that I am not going to have a passive baby!

Brooklyn had her dance performace last week. She did so GOOD! I hate dance, it's on the day I worked late and it was always so crazy geting her there between getting home, eating dinner, changing clothes, and getting her there before 5:30. For those of you who know and love Brooklyn, you know she can drag her feet with the best of them, so she was no help getting there. We were late almost every week (which is my biggest pet peeve) but somehow Brooklyn know every dance and was incredible. I was way impressed!

Okay so I don't have my contacts in and I don't know how to move pictures so I uploaded some of the wrong pictures. I am going to have to do some more downloading, but it'll be on a different post!

We're Moving... and need boxes!

Well, it's official... we're moving. But to all me friends in the ward, my sister is buying my house and you all will love her! Please be as nice to her as everyone has been to me! We're not sure on a date, but I am thinking we'll be here for about a month. My aunt says the loan will take no time at all, but we're trying to get the best interest rate possible! When we get all settled I am planning on having a big potluck dinner for everyone, so let's hope it gets warm real soon!

If anyone has extra boxes lying around, please let me know, or for those who have moved recently, let me know the best ways to collect them. When 3 people in your family are moving at once, it requires many boxes to be used!! Next time I am over at my aunt's house, I'll get pictures for everyone... and I've got more to post soon. Brooklyn just turned 4 on Friday...