Toot Toot!

That's me blowing my own horn. It's my blog, I'm allowed! This morning I was unfortunate enough to be awake at 5:30am. Seems to be the way of it these days. I mumbled to Glade "do you supposed it's cool outside?" He gave me an emphatic "yes!" I think he even quoted me 73 degrees. Ok, Ok...up I got. I haven't been so faithful in my running lately, I only ran once last week. I ran Monday night because I got a surge of energy and felt the best I had felt in almost 48 hours (allergy attack) so that was good.

Since I was pushing time (gotta get back for scriptures), I decided I would just run 3 miles hard. I could do that. I got about a mile and a half and was pooped! I walked just a little and then went on. The "coolness" of the morning no longer felt good. I'm pretty sure if it's above 55 it's too hot. Anyway, past 2 miles, I had to walk/run the rest of it. Basically I walked over half a mile total. Not that great for someone who was going to run it hard. By the end, I was dripping with sweat and very ready to be done. I turned off my iPod (keeps track of my runs) and it told me I averaged 10:20 min/miles. Hmmm, it also said I ran my fastest mile. That last part isn't accurate cuz I've had to reset my iPod so it doesn't have my actual fastest one on there.

What I'm really "toot"ing about is that when I got home to analyze my run (iPod again), most of my running was between 8:40 - 9:15 min/mile. What's really the great thing about that is that I didn't feel like I was running that fast. What that boils down to is that my sprints on the treadmill are paying off. I'm starting to run that fast as my normal pace. That's awesome! What's not awesome is that I can't keep it up for long distances, hence why I was so stinkin pooped. That's ok though cuz it's still progress. THESE days make me want to run again! "toot! toot!"

AHHCHOOO!

Sunday sucked. I woke up sneezing and could never stop. I took both Clariten and Benadryl but neither did anything for me other than make me spacey and tired. By the time it was time to go to church, my head was pounding and my throat burned. I contemplated staying home, but that seemed silly since I wasn't "sick". I decided to lay down for just a few minutes to see if that helped. Church starts at ten. At 9:26 I was still in bed. I decided to just get up and go. It was the right thing to do. I barely combed my hair, threw on clothes I hated and started out the door.

I called for the big girls, but they didn't come down. We always leave at 9:45 and now it was 9:52. I was really irritated so I left without them. Chelsey can drive so I wasn't too worried. Got to church, got settled and had even given myself a pep talk about enjoying the day. It wasn't too far into church when the sneezing started again. Sneeze, blow...sneeze, blow...grrrrr! As the sacrament was being passed, Dalin was messing around leaning forward playing with his shoes so we passed it right by him. I could have nudged him, but again...irritable. When he sat up and said "I didn't get one!" I barked at him that maybe if he paid attention he wouldn't miss things. That made him cry, which made me cry. I was being so mean and it wasn't even his fault. Once the tears started, there was no turning them off. I kept my head down, but now I was really needing to blow! As soon as the sacrament was done being passed, I turned to Glade and told him I was going home. I guess he hadn't noticed the crying so he was a little in shock. I got up and left.

At home I crawled into bed and slept for the next 2.5 hours. The kids came home (Chelsey took Whitley to the singles ward with her, but was there at the end to bring them all home). They were very sweet, Chels made lunch and Bo kept telling me he was sorry I was sick. I took another hour nap with Katy after lunch then had to get moving for Sunday dinner. The evening wasn't as bad as the morning, but still bad.

This morning I'm still sneezing, but now it's all settling in my chest. My sinuses are still congested and my throat still burns. I hate allergies. So today has been a jammie day doing nothing but laundry and computer stuff. Luckily the menu calls for homemade chicken soup tonight. I really need to run, but can't see that being too realistic. Lots of people called to check on me and that was really sweet, it's nice to be missed.

The week went really well. Everyone still loves their teachers. Thursday night I decided to take them to the pool after school to escape this awful heat we are having. This was the first time all summer I couldn't wait to dive in! I had Enrichment that night so we were home in time for dinner and for me to get there by 7. We had our annual "clothing exchange". I didn't really bring much home, not much was needed, but I saw several who did, what a blessing for them.

Friday I took Katy grocery shopping, just the two of us. It's been awhile! I very much enjoyed leisurely shopping, not worrying about what was happening at home. Bo came home kinda grouchy so right after lunch he asked to watch TV in my bed. Wasn't long before he was out. He slept for almost 4 hours. I am anxious to get Brooklyn out of their room and upstairs with Whitley. I'm hoping they will get to sleep earlier. We'll have to see.

Chelsey's mind is running a thousand times a minute. She has made a to-do list and carries it around with her. There are some important things and then are some that I tell her can wait. Everything is urgent to her at this point. She's very cute, but making me a little crazy with it all! I will miss her terribly.

This morning, Whitley had a 6am work meeting so I decided since I had to be up that early anyway, I might as well go running while I waited for her. Glade came with me and we ran at the park. The low last night was like 87. Didn't make for a very cool early morning. We only got 3 miles in when a friend showed up looking for her husband. I guess he was out for a ride and had crashed somewhere at the park. Glade ran and got to him and helped him back with his bike. Their son was getting baptized today so it was very unfortunate timing. Turns out his collar bone is broken. Very sad, but glad he's going to be ok. So far it's been a long day of taxiing kids around in the heat. Tonight we are seeing "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Broadway Palms. That should be lots of fun! Next week bring tons of activity so right now I'm taking one day at a time!

First Day of School

The long awaited first day of school. The day before, we went to meet their teachers. Everyone was happy with who they got and very excited to see all their old friends. Unfortunately, that night was our crazy Tuesday night with Pack Meeting and mutual, so it wasn't a calm, get ready kind of evening. Brooklyn was very helpful in getting everyone showered and clothes ready for the next day. Sleeping did not come easily. I sent Bo back to bed several times, he has a little nervous excitement going on.

They were all up and dressed by 6 am, ready to go. This practice will fade within a week, always does. In the meantime, I don't mind too much. I made them tidy up before they left. We got everyone loaded up and headed out. I walked Bo back to the playground and showed him where to put his stuff. He played on the playground for a few minutes before the whistle blew. I love that I don't have clingy, shy kids. It makes it so much easier! Now, on the other hand, I had to drag Katy out by her hair. She sat down with arms folded and said she wasn't leaving.

While Bo was at school, Chelsey, Katy and I went and did a little shopping for Chels before she heads out in a week. Bo came home right at 11:30 and when I asked how his day went, he said "three words: Gr-eat!" He had some lunch, told us about his day, which was uneventful and then Katy stated she was ready for her nap. It was only noon, so I told Bo he could watch a movie while I laid down with Katy. I also told him if he wanted to come lay with us, he could. About 1, Bo poked his head in ( I was reading my book) and said he was tired. So I laid with him for a few minutes till he fell asleep. Now I had almost 2 solid hours till anyone came home. I vacuumed and swept and cleaned and loved every minute of it! I organized my coupons, made a shopping list..very productive time. I had to get the other kids around 3 and they all reported that they had the best teacher at the school. Glad to hear that! Rhett did fine on his first day of Jr. High. He's always a little nervous with new things so I didn't expect a glowing report from him, but it wasn't bad either.

About 4 pm, I finally insisted Bo wake up from his nap. Three hours! I knew morning kindergarten was the best option for him. I had a short time before dinner so I headed to Fry's to use my coupons. My original total was $152, my final total after sale prices and coupons was $41, plus a $3 off my next order. $30 of my savings was just coupons. That pays for two months of my newspaper subscription! I love days like that.

I made dinner, got everyone settle and went to sub for a bunko group in our ward. Chelsey did the mom thing for me in exchange for me not waking her up early this morning. Fair trade to me! It really was a great first day and I think we'll all be happier now that there is routine and our time is organized and productive.

Rhett

Brooklyn

Dalin

Boldon

Katy

Bo and Dalin on the swings

Brooklyn took Katy and played with her while we waited

Lainey and Bo waiting in line

Everything BUT the race

My pictures are all in a scramble so I will just have to jump around. To leave off from my last report, the boys came back from their ride Friday morning and we all left for a run. The weather for running is Perfect! Because it was pre-race day, we had a lot to do. After getting ready for the day, we headed to the high school in Windsor to pickup their race packets. Once they had all their stuff, we drove part of the bike course and went to the beach where they would be starting the swim. It was a tiny beach, amazing they could fit that many people in one place.

Once the business was taken care of, we decided to spend the rest of the day at a little county fair nearby our hotel. Oh the smells of the fair! It's been awhile since I've been to a fair. We ate kettle corn and Jake ate some raw fish dish, ewww! We watched the horse races and looked at lots of farm animals. None of us were much for thrill seeking, so we didn't ride any rides, although Jake was itching to go on one, none of us wanted to go along. When dinner time hit, we went to a fancy pasta place, gotta get loaded on carbs ya know! We looked at the menu and decided we would fair better across the street at Sizzler. It's also been a long time since I've been to Sizzler! We turned in early so everyone could get a good nights rest.

We were up at 4:30 to get to the start line. I will go into race details another time. While the boys did their thing, Jenny and I filled our time with a few other things. I went running while they did the swim since there wasn't really time to leave. It was my fastest 5K. The town was a little hilly so the roads were either up or down. I averaged 9:36 min/miles, for me that is really good! We went back to the hotel and showered and then headed to the outlet mall. It was kind of small, but I came back with a few little things, nothing too exciting. We needed to get back to the race so we grabbed lunch and then spent the rest of the day sitting in the grass watching the boys run back and forth. We got back to the hotel about 11:30pm. Not one nap or snooze!

Sunday we drove to San Francisco to see what was to see. We first stopped at the Golden Gate bridge, then went over to the city to Fisherman's Warf. I didn't realize it was so commercial or I wouldn't have suggested it for Sunday. We walked around a little, the boys were limping is more like it. We bought taffy for the kids and tried to get on the trolley, but the wait was over an hour. We had lunch and then headed out. We drove as far as a little town called Solvang and stayed there for the night.

Got up and ran again Monday morning, again...so great! After breakfast we went around this little town that has a dutch theme. It's very cute and had tons of little bakeries and antique shops. We didn't have a lot of time, we needed to be getting home, but we did stop in at a little Christmas store. I got all my kids ornaments for this year while there. So, back in the car we went and pretty much came straight home. We got home right around 8 pm to a great welcome by most of the family who had come to welcome Glade home and hear his experience with the race.


These are the piles of crabs that lined the street in San Fran. The smell was seriously gagging me.

Glade tried his hand at "milking " the cow at the fair.

This is what lots of the roads looked like as we drove around Napa Valley, so beautiful.

This is where they swam for the race.

I only include this cuz the story is funny. We were running on Friday and Glade is always faster than me, but because he was taking it easy before the race, he stayed with me the whole time. Right at the end, he took off ahead of me...so in my competitive way, I decided I could keep up with him and stepped it up. What I didn't realize was that he was running ahead cuz he wanted to take my picture. He turned around to take it and "bam" there I was. Woops, sorry honey!

Willie Birds...nuff said.

Heading out for our run.

San Francisco from across the way. Amazing. While driving around, we went all the way to the top of the city and then back down. It's seriously steep! Every time we headed down, I would throw my arms above my head and scream. Crazy.

Funny thing about the bridge, it was super cloudy and cold over here, but when we went across to the city, sunny and warm. Looking back at the bridge, it still looked like this.

Alcatraz Island. I really really wanted to take a tour, but they were sold out till middle of August.

Jake, Jenny and Glade walking down the pier.

This was the scene in the little town the swim was in. I got to run with this as my view, gorgeous!!

Hills and hills and miles and miles of grape vines.

On the Softer Side

With so much that has gone on this summer, I feel like it's been a little bit of a wild ride. I need to get the rest of the pics of the race then I will finish that post. But on a softer note, some other little good things have happened lately that have made my heart smile.

I have had some concerns lately about a few of my kids, nothing serious, just concerned. I know we aren't perfect parents and haven't done all that we should, but I do feel like we have tried really hard. When they start thinking for themselves and have the freedom to act independently, it makes me a little nervous. It's kinda sucky cuz I want to tell details to make my point, but then there's always the privacy factor to consider. I guess I will just say this, even if lots of times they appear to be doing the opposite just to spite you...or trying new things cuz you never let them...there are also moments when they come right back and do all the things you hoped they would. Free agency is such a blessing, but it's also a cause for anxiety to a parent. It's nice to have little glimpses that all the time and effort hasn't been for naught. That underneath the teenage exterior is a kid who likes their parents. Even if they are small and not as often as I would prefer, it's so rewarding.

Holy Grapes

We finally made it to Santa Rosa where our hotel is. Some crazy long drive! We left Thursday afternoon and drove about 5 hours to Banning to stay the night. We stopped for pizza on the way and Jake wasn't feeling well. We were worried about him having a fever and being well for the race. He felt better the next morning, but still not great. He seems fine now so let's hope he stays that way.

We got up and started driving Thursday morning. I felt like my kids in the car. I was so antsy to get out. I could see how if I wasn't as mature as I was, I might start doing really annoying things in my boredom and desires to GET OUT of that car. Luckily the end of the drive was beautiful! Napa Valley, wine capital, is amazing. I have never seen so many miles of grape vines. What's more amazing is to think that all those are harvested by hand. My mind cannot comprehend how that is possible. Once we got to our hotel, we put on WARM clothes and walked to a nearby diner. It was called Willie Bird's. What we didn't know was that the only thing they served was turkey. I like turkey, but turkey shouldn't be in all dishes. I really wanted to stroganoff, but I was a little weary of turkey stroganoff so I went with a turkey sandwich. It was very interesting.

The boys are getting a little nervous and counting down the hours. This morning it's totally overcast and a little chilly. The boys are out riding and will be back soon to pick us up for a morning run. Jenny and I have already located a movie theater and outlet mall to keep us busy while they are doing the race. We do have 13 hours or so to fill! There is a link you can go to to follow their progress, but I'm not sure what it is. When I find out, I'll come back and post it. Ta Ta for now!