Christmas Card 2009

Here we are.
My goal for next year is to start doing this again. A little. We'll see how it goes.
Merry Christmas everyone in blog reading land who has stopped reading this blog many moons ago when I stopped writing it.

Wow - I'm kind of famous!

Ha Ha ha. I spoke at an event in Mesa called Creative Escape. It is a huge scrapbooking convention of sorts and I was the keynote speaker at the end of it. I have had many people google me I guess and send me emails. A few have found this blog and left me notes. Thanks so much to all of you around the world who took the time to write to me. I'm overwhelmed. How nice of all of you! I haven't thought about this little blog in what ... four months or so? Maybe I'll have to begin posting once and while. Tonight I'm going to sleep but I will put the quotes on here that some of you wanted from my talk soon. Thanks again!

Shelby's post

Check out Shelby's version of the race . . . ha ha ha. It's true. All of it. Especially the thanks to all our friends for donating and also the part about the beans.
Shelby's blog

Thank You Shelby!!

Here is my sister Shelby. She is the real hero in all of this. This is her 2nd 1/2 marathon since she got cancer. She is AMAZING. I fully made her walk way more than she wanted to and she made me laugh and smile for 13.1 miles. Who could do that?? I love her and I'm so glad she made me do something so hard.


Here is the whole crew. My little brother Jamey started training in Jan. like the rest of us and he is some kind of running prodigy. It's sick really. Everything he tries he succeeds at. He was amazing!! Shelby's husband Jaymee ran like the wind also and did amazing. And then there is Jeff. He trained like 4 times. He didn't buy any new shoes or clothes. And that brat got out there and also ran like a total champ - staying up with Sara for 10 miles!! Way to go. He schooled me by like 40 minutes! He is amazing. He too can do anything he tries. I am so proud of him too. Our great friend Sara is also awesome and even schooled Jeff. Way to go Sara!

Lexi really wanted to run with us and started training but fractured her foot and couldn't run with us. But she cheered us on and laughed a lot and we needed her there. I love my sisters.


Ok - something wierd kicked in about mile 7. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it was this illusive "runner's high" I have heard so much about. Maybe it was the magic caffiene beans we started eating. Maybe it was the fact that I was doing something so hard for me and not dying - I don't know but I got really crazy. I started high fiving everyone I could see and just went a little nuts. As you can tell by the pictures straight after the race. I look high! It was so fun. I really loved it.

The rest of these pictures are just pre-race fun and night before jitter pictures. I was scared to death and Shelby was delighted. I had a blast with my family and I am so glad I did this. I will fix this later and organize it better but for now I just wanted to get the pictures up before I left for Utah.






And this last one is because for one day I really was a celebrity! Yea me! Yea Prices! Yea Team In Training. Yea to all of you who helped us raise over $4,000 for cancer research. It felt really really neat to feel I was part of something so big and that I helped make a difference.

I did it!!!

When I get back in town I will post all the pictures and talk all about it but I just want to say that I CAN DO HARD THINGS!!!!!!!! I ran the half-marathon today in Nashville and it was great! I had a blast.
SEE YA!

Discouragement

When Shelby asked me to run this race back in January I thought, "This is crazy! I don't do any exercise - how am I going to run 13.1 miles in just 3.5 months?" But then I thought I couldn't say no. It's for cancer research. It's for Dad and Yuko and Grandma Marge and mostly - for SHELBY. So I bought some shoes and started running. And it hurt. And I hated it. But I kept going. I think deep inside I envisioned myself becoming this great runner. I imagined being all skinny and perfect and happy like all the runner girls I know. To put it bluntly - I was going to excel at this. So I ran. And at first I couldn't even run to the next light post. But then I made it two and then three. And all the while my calves were killing me. And then I went one mile without stopping and I cried. I was so proud. And my calves were killing me. But I kept on going. I have gone 127 miles now in preparing for this race. That is 5 full marathons if lumped all together. And guess what? A week away from this race I still hate it. My calves have never adjusted and kill every time I run more than a mile. So now I walk run. Run a little, walk a little. I went nine miles the other day, pushing two babies in a double stroller. I was exhausted and it took too much time. Why??? Why??? Why didn't I excel at this? Why am I not a runner yet? Why do I want to stop? I know there is a great gospel analogy in here about some people have some gifts while others are given others. We don't all get all gifts. Christy H. can sing like an angel and is BEAUTIFUL and started running and is great at it. She got all the gifts. Why not me? Shelby can go 13 miles without stopping and she has messed up radiated cancer lungs. Why not me? Blah blah boo hoo. I'm just sad that I didn't end up a runner. But, actually I am glad cuz remember, I hate running!
And PS - I've gone 127 miles and haven't lost 1 pound.

But we did reach our goal and have raised almost $4000!! That's something! Yea for great friends and family.

Dream Day

If this happened to me in a train station I would be forever happy. Would someone arrange this for me. Thanks.

Sound of music

A Great Potty Training tip

I think one way to help with potty training your boys is to accidentally slam the toilet seat down on their extended unit while they are trying to go. . . I think this will lead to a lot less anxiety the next time we try. DANG IT!!

April Fools

Lizzy and Cody got me so good on April Fools day. It went like this. "Mom - go up and take a shower and we'll be really good kids."



Then in unison, "APRIL FOOLS!"

What funny, funny kids.

****WE MET OUR GOAL FOR OUR RACE!!!! THANKS TO ALL YOU DONATED! WE LOVE YOU.

Really? She writes again?

I think I got all blogged out. When it became something else on my "to do" list I decided to heck with blogs. But I have some fun pictures I need to post so I'll go back a little bit and start at the beginning.
Where is the best place to begin? On the back of a bull perhaps? Yes. Jeff, Summer and Shawn talked me into riding a mechanical bull at some restaurant in Glendale. I felt awkward and fairly foolish - but did it nonetheless. 2 days later my back went completely out. The doc said it was because of that stinkin bull. My career was short lived. No more rodeos for me.
Shawn and Jeff had a hay day though and couldn't wait to get back and do it again. Shawn set this whole big thing up after our stake conference Sat. night meeting and to make a long story short . . . poor Shawn . . . the reservation fell through, no place to eat. WE WERE STARVING!!! But a few guys in the ward decided to ride the bull before we left . . .starving. Shawn had on the foulest Wranglers you've ever seen and he didn't even get on the bull. He did bring a prize in a brown paper sack that he carried around all night and then very non-ceremoniously gave it to Jeff on the ride home. Yes, of course, my ever talented husband Jeff won the competition and got the coveted bell. And then I FINALLY got some dinner at this great little Mexican food place with HOT salsa and free soppapias. MMMMMmmmm. Which reminds me, I'm still hungry.





That's all I have for now. Blogging makes me tired and hungry. . . .

Here is the aftermath on Jeff's thigh. NICE!!



Don't forget you can still donate to our race. It's only three weeks away!!
Click here.

THANK YOU!!!

I can't believe it. Our first day of fundraising for this race and we earned $300! I can't believe what great family and friends we have. I know that many of the donations already were a huge sacrifice and I'm so humbled that so many are willing to help and believe in us and this cause. Thanks for being so good. We love you!

You knew it was coming!!!

Ok kids - you knew it was coming. Here is the official link to our fund raising page for this race. Thanks so much for all your support for this cause! I love and appreciate you!

YOU CAN HELP STOP IT!!!!

Look at my little running gal

Look at my little running girl on the bottom of this page. She's MOCKING me. I haven't run in a week because I hurt my back and now she's mocking me. For rude!

Martin Luther King

So, our friend Maegan's son came home from school recently and proceeded to have a discussion with his mom about Martin Luther King. After they talked a while about him he said, "Mom, I'm so glad there was Martin Luther King, because if there wasn't, I couldn't play with Blake!"
Isn't that the best story?! Wyatt thinks Blake is a black boy. I love it. And I love my little tan boy Blake!

I promise this isn't always going to be about running!

Ok - so last Saturday I ran my first 5K. My time was so slow. I had to stop and walk a few times - and about mile 2.5 my foot started feeling like it was getting poked by a stick. The more I ran the more I was getting poked. So I stopped and dug my finger into my shoe and couldn't feel anything and then kept running - after doing this a few times I finally sat down, took off my shoe and dug around in my sock and checked my shoe and still couldn't see any stick. So I got up and finished and after I crossed the finish line (with a bunch of strangers cheering when they called out my name - that was awesome!) I took off my shoe and found the hugest blister I have ever had right on the bottom of my foot. Perfect. One more reason to LOVE running! But I completed my first race and it was exciting, blister and all.



Today I ran 2.5 miles in the pouring rain. Am I insane?? All I could think as I was going was "chemo was harder, chemo was harder." I'm so grateful everyday that Shelby is ok and I want to do all I can to help fight Lymphoma!



This whole running thing reminds me of a little thing I wrote up for the relief society sisters when we lived in VA. I'll finish with that. Because this whole running goal reminds me so much of the goal that all of us have of eternal life.


"One of my most valued possessions is a yellow letter written to me on hospital paper. It is from my Dad. He was 48 years old and had just found out that his cancer had returned. He had six children, the youngest just 9 years old. Things did not look good. At a time when bitterness and doubt could have prevailed, these are the words he wrote to me, "The Lord must really love me, because he says, 'Whom the Lord loves he chasteneth,' and 'I will have a tested people.' He has certainly tested me. But if he thinks I'm going to give up, and be resentful, He's wrong. My faith is strong. I know that Jesus, my Savior, loves me and cares for me, and wants me to be a strong servant. He just has to refine me a little." In closing he wrote, "Don't worry about me. It's in the Lord's hands and I accept whatever he wants for me - everything will turn out for the best." He passed away just four months later.
What an example of faith and courage he was to me. When I get feeling sorry for myself and begin to feel overburdened or discouraged, I think about that yellow letter. "The Lord must really love me . . " The severity of my problems diminishes, and I am left with a sweet peace that "everything will turn out for the best." And it will.
The scriptures are a lot like that yellow note from my Dad. They are encouraging words from our Heavenly Father to guide us and comfort us. "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20)
Life gets hard sometimes. Trials come. Tears fall. Hearts break. But the Savior has taught us how to get through it. He will be there to help us, to guide us, and to comfort us, so that one day we will be able to return home to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again.
Recently,some members of our ward participated in a 10K. Upon asking a sister how she did, she replied, "I reached my goal - I finished the race." How strange would it have been for her to reply, "Well, I got tired and a little hungry halfway through the race, so I just sat down and quit." So it is with our lives. Our goal is to "finish the race," to return to live eternally with our Heavenly Father. But when we turn away from the truths we have been taught, become offended, close our hearts to the spirit or in some way walk away from the Lord and his promises, we are in essence, sitting down and quitting the race. If you watch races you will find that people will do anything to cross that finish line. They come crawling, crying, stumbling or sprinting. But they cross the line and they are joyful!. Imagine the joy awaiting us, as we crawl, cry stumble or sprint across that eternal finish line and into the loving arms of our Savior. Don't sit down half way through. You can do it!
In closing I want to leave with you a few words from another letter that I hold dear. My sister-in-law recently returned from a mission in Madagascar. Her last letter told of the many trials and joys she encountered while serving: fleas, malaria drugs, periods of time with no electricity or plumbing, falling in open sewers, sickness, shoes held together by safety pins, kids throwing rocks at her, the list goes on. And why did Tami do all of these things? Her answer is a beautiful lesson. "Why? Because God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith the prophet and restored the fullness of the everlasting gospel on the earth. And I know it. And other people need to know too. It was so worth it."
May we all endure to the end and trust in the Lord, so that when our life is over we, too, can say with conviction, "It was so worth it!"

Thanks!

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you too, can become great." Mark Twain.

I am overwhelmed by all the encouragement and kindness that I have received about starting this silly running thing for Shelby and Lymphoma research. I am surrounded by "really great ones!" Thank you.

I RAN MY FIRST MILE WITHOUT STOPPING TODAY!!!

You have to understand that this has been crazy hard for me. Why am I so out of shape and why is running so hard?? I started just being able to run between one set of lamp posts. Then I could do two but I'd have to stop and walk some. Then every now and again I could run three without stopping but today I just took off and watched all those lamp posts fly by! (well not really fly . . .) but you know. I cried. I was so happy. 10 min and 30 sec. for one mile and I'm crazy happy. I'm sure half the world is laughing at that feat but to me it's the best! Woo hoo.


Lizzy too is celebrating me running one mile - showing off the destruction she did to herself while I was out running and Jeff was . . . watching her?

I'm going to run a half marathon! Really. I never thought it was remotely possible but I'm going to do it. And I'm also going to help kick cancer's butt. I joined Team in Training to help raise money for Lymphoma and Leukemia research through running this race. I cried through the whole meeting. I have already lost too many people that I love to cancer and came too close with Shelby. I'm not going to sit back anymore and just let it happen. I'm going to do something about it. Something dang hard. Woo woo. Look I'm crying again. Who knew that just getting off my butt could cause such emotion!

Ode to Codes

Yesterday I was doing Lizzy's hair and when I got done Cody said, "Mom, Lizzy looks like a princess! I wish she could marry me someday."
He is a sweet, sweet boy. I think it would be hard to be the 4th child when the 5th came so soon after and demanded so much attention. Cody just goes his way and is so chill about everything. He demands so little and is so good. I just adore him and am so glad he is part of our family.

The answer is still no, Shawn . . .

Stop sending me these pictures!

I won't post this one.


Or this one.



Or this one.


No Shawn, a box of Krispy Kreme's will not sweeten the deal to get you on my favorite people who make me laugh post. You actually have to make me laugh.

You are wasting your time.

Or maybe this is my new favorite quote . . .

"Maybe if you ate more comfort food, you wouldn't have to go around shooting people."
Hurley from "Lost"

Laughing

The thought this month in Real Simple magazine was this:
"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh." W.H. Auden

I have thought a lot about this since I read it and I have thought back to past best friends and the people I enjoy the most and realize that this is so true for my life. I am so glad I was born into such a fun family and that we have laughed our way through life -even the really hard trials. I am grateful for my fun, fun husband and hope that the couple above is us in 50 years. He makes me laugh every day. I am thankful for fun friends who make me chuckle even hours after they have left. Here are a few pictures of some of those I love because of all the laughing. I'll post more when I get a second to scan some more pictures. Here's to all the laughs!

Are you done counting your blessings??

So my sister in law asks on here the other day, "Are you done counting your blessings?" I had to laugh. No - I'm just lazy. Or maybe I have too many blessing to count. Or maybe Shelby is slowly trying to kill me by making me run a 1/2 marathon in April and by night I have nothing left. (ok, maybe that would be true if I had to type with my calves, but since I don't we'll just go back to lazy.) But my body is rebelling. My calves are crying, "Are you trying to kill us???" Honestly. I think it's torture. Needed torture - but none the less TORTURE. We have these Nike + things that go in our shoes and then we race each other in different states etc. I don't want to get behind so I go. But my legs won't stop hurting. You'd think after 3 weeks it would settle down a little - but it's worse today than it has ever been. Maybe because I am going from atrophy to running. I really haven't exercised in my life so my muscles (or lack thereof) may be freaking out. Blah blah. Boo hoo me.
But I'm not going to quit. We are running the Lymphoma marathon in Nashville and we are doing it to prove that Shel kicked cancer's butt and maybe to help someone else kick it too. Every time I start to get discouraged with this training, I think of Shelby fighting her way through chemo, radiation and the whole disease and I think ,"I really can just run a few miles." I'm grateful Shelby challenged me to do this. This is really hard for me. As you can tell by my little guy on the side of my blog - I'm no speed demon. But look at me - I've almost ran a whole marathon worth of miles in just three weeks. I never thought I could even do that. So thanks Shelby for being so inspirational. For making me do hard things. And for living through something so scary so that when I feel like quiting I can just chant to my self, "Did Shelby quit?? Never!" If she ran a half marathon not a year out of full on cancer, I can get off my butt and run with her in April. Wish me luck. And then come over here and rub my legs.