Christmas !

Its been a long time since I have blogged.... a lot has happend. But I'll start with Christmas...

Annual Pumpkin Run

Run Till You Cant Run Anymore!

Well, I ran on a relay team this weekend, if you've never heard of Ragnar Relay before, it is a 12 person team that runs 195 miles over 24-30 hours. We started 8:30am Friday morning, and ended about 2pm sat. afternoon. Then I hurried home to run to Talia's play "Treasure Island" She was awesome.....Alina Too!

Thanks to my wonderful husband who covered the home front while I was off frolicking about with a bunch of sweaty people! They asked me at the last minute because they hadnt filled the team and who am I to say no? It was actually a very spiritual experience for me this time, someday maybe I'll tell ya.

Talia is the one on the back row, center, and Alina is just below her to the right. Good Job Girls!

Play & Play

Ok, get a look at this! I dont remember exactly what spurred this photo shot but its actually quite handy at the moment. The Missoula Childrens Theater came to Mesquite for this week and the kids all tried out for parts. Talia made it! She gets to be a grumpy villager...... she can play grumpy really really well, as you can see. Kate didnt get a part :( as you can see, she is pretty clueless...they gave her a ticket to the play so she walked out with a paper just like everyone else and she's good!

By the way - Tara is in Elko NV right now as we speak competing for a title in State Golf. Yesterday she finished 4th in Individual and 17th overall with a score of 101 after 18 holes..... and Today after the first 9 holes she has a 47, if she does the same on the back 9 she may very well come home with a medal!!! We'll see..... while she is doing that, her drill team coach is mad that she is gone, her teachers are doing chem labs and giving assignments and tests and giving her incomplete's on her assignments...............geez! You'd think they could just get excused for being gone! Mercy!

Homecoming Twits...

Well there you have it! Homecoming is come and gone. Tara went with a boy named Adam Christensen, and they doubled with Lane and his date (?) . Sandra went stagg with other Foreign exchange students and had a blast. Tara spent $6 at D.I. on her dress and Sandra spent over $50 in San Fransisco on her dress. thank you Tara for saving me a buck or two or actually tons!

A Day in Zion!

The day after the marathon, we intended to listen to conference in the car, but the station was horrible. How is it that we can get conference anytime anywhere but not on the radio? Weird. Anyway - we went to Zion National Park to walk around, keep loose, and just get out. It was kind of like, "Well, we supported you all day yesterday, and We want to do this, so lets go...." Oh well, no rest for the wicked right? So off we went. It was great! I was suprised at how many people we met, saw, or talked to that had run the marathon also. Just out, walking, and loosening up. What a bunch of friggin idiots! (pan calling the kettle black)

Supporters Galore!

Pict #1 Here I am about mile 8, greeters and supporters, running with me and cheering me on.

Pict #2 Then again about mile 23, pretty worn down, but happy to see my supporters once again.

Did I mention that Tim saved me on my last turn, my body was done and my brain was checked out, I was the frog in the pot that boiled without even realizing it, I was a gonner. Then Tim came at me hollering and screaming and poured water on me and I came to life and was able to finish.

As I looked at the clock it was all I could do to not break down into the fetal position and bawl my eyes out. Where did the time go? I knew about 1/2 way that my goal of 4 hours was not achievable and I kind of gave up then, but I talked myself through the last half, pushing hard, telling myself I could still get 4:05 or even 4:10 but to see my watch say 4:14 was a slap in the face. I know most people dont understand that and I did better than all my girlfriends and all the people who didnt even run, but for me, it was a lesson learned. Last time I ran the marathon I said, "Never again..." It took me 2 years to get the courage to do it again.... this year.... I'm mad.... I'm not only planning on doing it next year, I 'm going to get 4 hours even if I have to go home in an amublance.

Sorry Supporters! Your not off the hook yet!

Better yet, the Tuscon Marathon Dec. 12th is looking pretty good!

Delayed Marathon Post

I know Tim & Sue beat me to it, and they have a really great camera but I wanted to just blog a little of my own picts and thoughts.

First, notice the picture taken of the supporters, and imagine yourself in the cold just waiting and waiting on the side of the road, waiting and watching closely for the person you support. Only to have them come and in a 30 sec window, they are gone! All that waiting and watching for that moment seems like such a pain to them. But I can tell you from my point of view, it was the best thing they could have done for me, and they were their when I needed them. Kind of like Christ I suppose, just watching, just waiting, paitently waiting for us to need him, give us that few minutes of support we need, and we're off again. I just really am grateful for my kids and family and for all the waiting and support they give me.

Life is Just Better w/ friends

Can I just tell you that I love this little girl.... It's been a rough week at kindergarten because Kate's class has had a sub for about 2 weeks now and 8 days of it has been a very mean big african american lady. The first day this lady was there, I went to pick up Kate and she said "who you here fo?" (yes, improper english and everything!) I said Kate and she yelled, Kate come 'ere! Dis yo Mama?, and KAte just stood there and staired at here, I mean oh my gosh, I was afraid of this lady!! Of course Kate is going to answer her! So then she actually let me have her but wouldnt let several parents have their kids, so she took the kids to the office and parents had to pick up there. Seriously? I get being careful when your the sub but she was scary. Wel I didnt think anything of it because she could have just been there for a minute helping out or whatever but when she was there the next day I said to Kate, is she your sub? She said, yes, really sad....my teacher needed a break.....so so sad. Anyway - on Monday I found out she was there again and I had to work and Kate was so sad to go to school so on Tuesday, I found out that lady was still there and tons of parents had complained and the office wouldnt do anything to change the sub so I went all day with KAte. Oh my heck, that lady was a nazi! She would make them put their heads down if the talked and tried to keep complete control on them the whole time, lecturing and threatening them. She even walked around and put stickers on kids' work that DIDNT color outside the lines, Um, Hello? I thought this was the 3rd week of kindergarten, not prep school! THEN, get this, she said, You want me to take away dat sticka, huh? do ya? Well, I will.....I was so close to going mama hen on her it wasnt even funny, every time I about said something, a kid had started bawling or needed to go potty and she wouldnt let them, so I would take them out, hug and love them and tell them to be brave, and go back in with them. Kate was fine with me there, but her little buddy Owen, oh boy, he kept saying, I have a tummy ache and the lady wouldnt listen so I just stuck by him and he would cover up his paper when she came by, afraid of getting in trouble, so I would go over and help him erase really quickly, do it right and then he would smile. So sad! And I'm so mad at myself for not having my substitute teacher license because I could have been their sub! I mean, hey, not that I wouldnt yell at them when they are rowdy but I would at least love the little buggers a little. Anyway - nothing cures a case of the blues like a friend. Kate and Owen took out there woes on the tramp which has a big tear and they just pretend it is lava!

Hope everyones day is great and wonderful! 10 Days till my marathon, wish me luck!

Gotta love that swing!

I like to call it the funky chicken but on this par 4 whole of 286 yards, she got on the green in 2 shots.

Well, there goes the first week....

Why must they grow so fast? I wished them to be bigger when they were smaller now I wish they'd stop. Tara won athlete of the week on sports radio , go to www.sportsradio1210.com to see it. They even called the school and announced it over the intercom. Taner has had a great week, he hasnt given me one problem going to 6am seminary and I love him so much for that. Sandra is buried in American literature to read, and is handling the changes great, but is a bit overwhelmed. Talia is mad every day when I pick up Kate from kindergarten before her. I promised I would be late today so she could pick her up and she wore the same shirt as Kate so her teacher would know they were sisters....where would I be without that girl? Kate is doing great at kindergarten and I know I should stop going in and helping at lunch but I cant help myself. The first couple of days they all sat there and ate slow and were barely done in time to leave, and yesterday they were all done with there food 15 minutes before they had to go back to their room so the lunch ladies were just trying to keep them in their seats. I'm amazed at how much little kids can handle when it comes to big changes and adjusting so quickly.

Me on the other hand, I dont adjust so well, I'm moaping around this house like I have nothing to do! Cant even focus on anything....then later when they are all home and wanting this and that I think, I wish I would have done all that laundry and dishes while they were all gone.

Not to mention the fact that mockingjay is driving me crazy! I wait to read it at night and I dont want to put it down but I'm at a sad part where I dont want to read on, but I do. Man this author is good. Can I just say "hijacked" ... for those of you who have read it already, you know exactly what I mean, for those of you who havent....... get it, now!! I just have a picture in my head of a romeo and juliet scene where both peeta and gale are dead side by side and katniss drinks some poison and falls dead across the top of their two bodies...... I mean, talk about torn apart inside.............. I'm so scared to finish the book because in a way, I dont want it to end.... (for those of you who havent read it yet, I'm not spoiling anything by saying that, theirs no romeo and juliet scene in the book)

Well then, 12 miles tomorrow, 20 miles next Sat. and then its taper down for the Big Day on Oct 2, 2010 for the big 26.2...... Feel free to be there to support and yell or run along with me for a minute on the big day, I'll need all the help I can get about mile 21.... but then again, whats the big deal, right? Only 5 more to go? yeah, you'd think........

School & Sports

Well here we go! We're off and running with the new school year. Between drill team performances, golf practice, tennis practice, school schedules, homework, signing all those stupid papers we sign every year!!! and my baby going to kindergarten ~ its been great so far. I wont mention the fact that when I dropped off Kately everything was fine, she went in and sat down then later some kid got dropped off and was freaking out and screaming. Kate started pacing the back of the room like a caged animal, I wanted to bad to go in and help but I had my friends 2 kids with me. Finally someone from the office came and took the kid out but all day long I wanted to go pick her up.... What can I say...Im co-dependant. Taner came home with the "this is gonna be easy" attitude and Tara and Sandra came home with, "oh my gosh we're gonna be swamped with home work" attitude's. Talia is so worried that I wont sign her reading log each day and she doesnt even have the log yet. Kate just says everything is great and doesnt really care if I turn any of those papers back in. I go zippo done yesterday so I plan on getting my workout and some laundry done today (gotta burn off the 5,000 calories in doughnuts I ate yesterday as I wollowed in self pity), no kids come home from high school until later today because they went to Vegas for a tennis match. Sandra has said that our schools here are funny. Her teachers in Germany are very staunch and strict and she about died when the principal and a teacher did a chest bump at the pep assembly yesterday, she says they are crazy! Its amazing to hear how different things are on the other side of the world. I'm pretty much learning that Americans are lazy, slobby, slang infected, worthless, and have no manners. Go Red, White, & Blue!