So much to be thankful for...

This year is a bit tighter than other years financially because of the economy and how it's affected our business but we still have so much to be thankful for. We have wonderful and healthy kids (except for the occasional cold or ear infection), we have so much fun together as a family, we have great friends and we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives that makes all the difference. We are indeed thankful everyday for the blessings we have.

I am thankful for Rich. He never fails to make me laugh everyday, and he cooks! What more could I ask for? He made most of the Thanksgiving dinner this year. He is a Food Network junkie. He loves Alton, Paula, etc and so on. He cooked two turkeys this year. The first was Alton Brown's recipe which went to the community center for the dinner for less fortunate individuals. The turkey he cooked for our meal was from Tyler Florence. It was a Maple Bacon Turkey and it was so delicious!

(mmmmmm...)

He rubbed sage butter under the skin, covered it with bacon, and basted it every half hour with maple syrup. It was juicy and sweet!

We had all of the rest of the trimmings...garlic parmesan mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, stuffing, cranberries, olives, rolls and apple & yam casserole. It was just our family and Janet. A small gathering but that means more left overs!

(they're all thinking..take the picture already, we're hungry!)

We ate about 1:30 and let the food settle a bit while everyone played games. About 4:00 we drove down to Riverside to visit with my side of the family at my Grandparent's house.

(my beautiful cousin Rachel)

My cousin Rachel was busy helping my Aunt Jody cook their dinner while we visited with everyone else. Jeremy and Gage got to hang out with their cousins, which they love to do, and we had a fun time just sitting around visiting with everyone. Holidays are always a bit more special with Grandpa and Grandma because we don't know how many more we have with them. That is another thing I'm grateful for, that we live close enough to visit them often so my kids will remember their Great Grandparents like I remember mine. Grandpa has given up shaving, which I guess he can do at 88, so he's looking very Santa Claus-ish.

(Grandpa & Grandma Goodwin and Julia)

We stayed until late because we always hate to leave. It's such a blessing to have family!

(The 4 generations of girls...Mom, Ally, Grandma, and Me!)

Julia and Guster

We got a puppy last week! We named him Guster, after Burton Guster from Psych (one of the our favorite tv shows). Mostly we call him Gus. He's a Lab mix and is very snuggly and is coming along on the house breaking. Right now the biggest problem is that he nips at the kids a lot. I know all puppies do that and they aren't being mean. He seems to like to chew on Julia the most although he has many chew toys she's his favorite.

This morning when the girls got up early they went down to watch tv before getting ready for school. I came down and found Julia watching tv while sitting in the dog's kennel that he sleeps in. Smart girl.

That way Gus can't nip at her when she wants to watch tv!

BYU!

I finally convinced Jeremy that BYU would be a great place for him to get his undergrad degree. He wants to be a doctor, as you know, and was not thinking BYU was where he wanted to go. "Too many Mormons there"....uh, yeah. Not that he's against our kind but he thought it'd be better to be in the REAL world. See what all that had to offer. "Okey-dokey, your choice" I said.

Then last Wednesday we went to an informational fireside about the Church Educational System. We heard about the LDS Business College, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii, and THE BYU in Provo. That helped some. For being a fabulous school BYU is very inexpensive. Plus #1. They hold your spot and scholarship if you go before your mission so you don't have to reapply after. Plus #2. But still Jeremy was not convinced. "They have no pre-med program". So I did research.

BYU has a pre-med counselor, a pre-med club, and is a very good school to go to for someone who wants to be a doctor. I didn't find any schools with a specific pre-med program (that wasn't Ivy League), you just see what the pre-requisites are for med school and get into a major that takes care of those. "Hmmmm, maybe" he says. His favorite cousin Katie lives in Provo and they could go to school together...still "maybe".

The deciding factor? "I know Aunt Wendy took skiing as a PE class, maybe they have snowboarding." I say. "I'm in!". Really? That's all it took? I checked, they only have skiing but I'm not telling him that. He's close to the canyon, I'm sure he'll have friends who snowboard and will take him along.

Woohoo BYU!

St George Marathon 2009

After running over 400 miles in the past 9 months I finally made it to the St George Marathon!

The family and I drove up to St George on Friday. Thankfully the kids are out of school on break so that wasn't a problem. We met Matt and Wendy and their friends Brian and Emily, who were also running the marathon, at the Pizza Factory for our spaghetti dinner before the race. Gotta load up on carbs! It took a long time to get our food so by the time we finished we had to hurry over to the convention center to pick up our race packets before it closed. We made it just in time!

We went back to the hotel, got the kids settled and tried to get some sleep. My sister says it's a marathon tradition not to get any sleep the night before, she was right. I tried not to think about it, but every half hour, sometimes every three minutes, I'd wake up and look at the clock. I finally got about an hour of sleep when the alarm went off. It was 4:30 am, time to get up.

I quickly got dressed in my shorts and t-shirt then put my running pants, jacket and gloves on because it was cold and would be even colder up where the race started. We drove over to the pick up point where the buses took us up to the starting line. As we rode up the canyon and kept going and going and going it felt like we were traveling way too far. It was very comforting to have Wendy with me since she'd done all of this before and assured me I could make it. We finally stopped and got off the bus and I thought, "Wow, now I have to run all the way back. What am I doing?"

We all had to use the restroom and there were long lines for those so we stood and waited. By the time we all accomplished that task we had to hurry to get our warm clothes off just before the race started. It all happed so fast I didn't have time to be nervous.

In the race there are pacers. Runners who carry balloons with what time they will cross the finish line. So if you want to run the marathon in a 3:45 you keep up with that pacer. Just as the race started we rushed up toward the front because Wendy, Matt, and Emily wanted to be with the 3:30 group and Brian is faster than that and wanted to be even farther up. I was going to hang back with the 4:45 group but they told me to come up with them for the first few miles then I could drop back.

I started out with Wendy, Matt and Emily but with in the first quarter of a mile I lost them. For the next 7 miles everyone was passing me. I kept thinking it had to stop eventually and it finally did when we got to Veyo.

Veyo is the big hill about 7 miles into the race. The marathon is mostly downhill, it starts at 5200 feet and ends in St George at about 2700. There are a few hills but Veyo is the big one. It's about a mile up before you start descending again. I didn't mind the hill and was kind of happy that I finally started passing people. After that I seemed to keep pace with the people around me.

It was still dark when we started and the moon was full. It was so beautiful. It was cool because all I could hear was the pounding of thousands of feet and it was one of those surreal moments when I had to keep telling myself I was really running in a marathon. The time went by a lot faster than when I was training alone because I'm a people watcher and it was fun seeing all the different kinds of people running. I was surprised at how many older people were running...and running faster than me. There were even some kids that looked like they were about 14 or 15, also faster than me.

My split time was 2:07 at the half way point. I was so excited because that was so much faster than I thought I could do. I felt good at that point, it was nice. There were little pockets of people in the towns we ran through that cheered us all on and some had music playing. It was fun.

In the last 7 or 8 miles of the race there were some steeper hills we ran down. I didn't train on hills because we don't have many around us. I was doing fine until about mile 21 when the outside of my right knee started to really hurt, then the pain went up to my right hip. I think it was my IT band...if anyone knows what that is. I think I strained it or something. I kept running until my leg started to give out, then I walked for a few minutes and ran again until I couldn't. I did that over and over for the last 5 miles. I was mad. I wanted to run and feel good and sprint at the end but instead I hobbled at the end.
I did see my family and my best friend from high school waving and cheering me on at the end. That helped and I was happy about my time. It was better than I was expecting, hobbling and all.
My official time was 4:29:21, Jeremy took a picture of the clock at the finish line but I was on a little over 2 minute delay from when we crossed the starting line.
I got my Finisher medal and will get my official marathon shirt in the mail in a few weeks that I will run in proudly this winter. Matt got a great time and Wendy qualified for the Boston Marathon which was her goal.

I always thought this would be it, I just wanted to do a marathon to say I did it and be done. Now I want to do another one to say I did it and felt good and sprinted at the end. I have found running is addicting!
The icing on the cake for me was that my very best friend from jr. high and high school was in town with her husband. She lives in Texas and I hadn't seen her for about 15 years. When we figured out we'd be in St George at the same time we arranged to be at the same hotel. After the marathon and a little nap we got together and visited for hours. She got to meet all my kids and I got to meet her husband. I was so happy to get to see her again! It just made the whole weekend even that much more memorable. She runs too and there is a marathon in Austin where she lives.....hmmmmmmm.

Jeremy's dream job...

(St. Mary's Medical Center)

Jeremy has started his volunteer work at St Mary's Medical Center and LOVES it! He works Friday afternoons (2pm to 5pm) and Saturdays (9am to 2pm). He's working mostly with phlebotomists in the Emergency Room. He helps them out by running samples of blood to the lab. He told me the other day that he volunteered to hold an infant who needed an IV put in. (All that experience with his little brothers and sisters is showing). He tells me he can't say much when I ask how his day was "because of HIPAA Laws", but he does have a big smile on his face when I pick him up from the hospital and he always says it was cool. He was very excited to meet the Infectious Disease Specialist because that is what he wants to do. I actually think he was just as excited to be able to wear scrubs!

He's a typical teenager in some ways but not very typical in others. We are so proud of him! He gets all A's, he's very serious about his studies and knows just what he wants to do. He's a very sweet kid, although he won't admit it. We are so blessed to have him in our family!

(Jeremy's 1st day)

My playlist

I requested that people give me ideas for songs I could put on my ipod when I run the marathon and some people wanted the list I came up with. It's quite eclectic. Old stuff, new stuff, different genres. I don't know how to post a list of about 60 songs on Facebook so I am posting them here. Here you go;

Lovers in Japan - Coldplay
Mercy - Duffy
Don't You Know - John Batdorf (Best Two Years Soundtrack)
Best I Ever Had - Chris Isaak
Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode
I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones
Somebody Told Me - Killers
Now Let Us Rejoice - (Home Teachers Soundtrack)
Hideous Towns - Sundays
Who Knew - Pink
Single Ladies - Beyonce
Onion Skin - Boom Crash Opera
Sugar, We're Goin Down - Fall Out Boy
Waterloo - ABBA
Move Along - All American Rejects
Black or White - Michael Jackson
Always on the Run - Lenny Kravitz
Notice the Ring - Chris Isaak
Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins
Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Disturbia - Rihanna
Friend or Foe - Adam Ant
Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
I'm Alright - Kenny Loggins
Anything, Anything - Dramarama
Hold Back the Rain - Duran Duran
Come Out and Play - Offspring
Circus - Britney Spears
Jack and Diane - John Mellencamp
Human - Killers
Please Don't Leave Me - Pink
Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers
I Do Not Hookup - Kelly Clarkson
Come Sail Away - Styx
Shattered - OAR
I Kicked A Boy - Sundays
Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction
Devil Inside - INXS
Just a Girl - No Doubt
Because We Can - Fat Boy Slim
Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
When I Come Around - Greenday
Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
Leavin' - Jesse McCartney
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Get On Your Boots - U2
I Want You - Kelly Clarkson
Rockarfeller Shank - Fat Boy Slim
Dope Nose - Weezer
The Globe - Big Audio Dynamite
Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Spotlight (Twilight mix)- Mutemath
Don't Let Me Stop You - Kelly Clarkson
Troublemaker - Weezer
Viva La Rock - Adam Ant
You Get What You Give- New Radicals
Life Is A Highway - Rascal Flatts
Pocket Full of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield
Original American Boy - Chris Isaak
Pork and Beans - Weezer
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

The long and winding road...

As most everyone knows I have been training for the St George Marathon this past year. I can't believe I've come so far that I think I can actually finish it! Many people have asked me why I would be crazy enough to do this...hmmmmm. I have asked myself the same question many times, usually in the last mile of a long run.

I like to do things that are hard just to feel that I can do it. I know that sounds weird, but I like the sense of accomplishment. I have several goals that I just can't get to yet but running a marathon worked out to be the thing I could do now. I like that I am doing something. I like the lessons I learn along the way...the joy in the journey.

I have trained by myself so I have had a lot of time to think about things as I run. When I first started it didn't really take me long, I'd only last about 10 to 15 minutes before I was completely pooped. It took me months to work up to running a full mile without walking, then another few months to work up to two and three miles. From there I was able to add the distance faster and feel better. That also means I have hours of alone time to just think on some runs. Three and a half hours, for example, on my last long run.

I have thought a lot about how many things about running a marathon parallel lessons in life.

I don't run with anyone else, like I said, so I have no one to encourage me and push me farther when I feel like quitting. I had to learn to never think negatively because when I did I couldn't keep going but if I kept a positive attitude, sometimes just focusing on one step at a time, I could go farther. I have felt that way in my life. When things have been hard to deal with sometimes just getting by one step at a time got me through. Believe in yourself, think positively.

I also learned how incredibly important it's been for me to have my sister, who is also training for the marathon but lives in Utah, call me to encourage me. So many times I have felt like I couldn't do it and I wanted to give up the whole idea but then she would call me and tell me how proud she was at my progress and she'd give me advice about how to make it easier. Without her I wouldn't be able to have gotten this far. The same goes for Rich. He's been very supportive, always willing to take care of Julia in the mornings when I was out running, and always there to come get me when I couldn't make it any farther. He's been so excited for me and has always believed in me. The love of my family has gotten me through many difficult times. Family is important.

I learned that I had to change how I ate. What "fuel" you put in your body is how you perform. I didn't realize how bad I felt eating so much fast food until I started running. I started to crave healthy foods more and my treats...yes, my beloved ice cream...less. I have lost about 15 pounds, that wasn't on purpose, but I feel better. That got me thinking about what I am putting in my mind. Are there shows, movies, music, internet sites that are spiritual "fast food"? I started listening to church talks the first hour of running and been careful about the messages of the songs I listen to when I run and I've noticed a difference. I say my prayers and read my scriptures every day as I always have, but I think it's more meaningful now. What we put in is what we get out, physically and spiritually.

I learned the power of prayer, but also that God won't give us something just because we ask. We have to do all we can do and He'll make up the difference. My long runs are the hardest. The few weeks of running 14, 16, and 17 miles were discouraging. Some of those weeks I didn't make it as far as I wanted to. I got frustrated because before every run I prayed that I would be kept safe (I run along busy roads and of course there's the dog factor) and that I would be able to make my mileage goal. When I didn't make my goal for two weeks in a row I was frustrated. Then I realized that I wasn't eating as well as I should the few days before, or that I didn't prepare as well, or that I didn't have enough or the right kind of fuel to take with me to keep up my energy...I wasn't doing all I could. I had to study up on things to find out what I was doing wrong and what I could do better. On my last run of 20 miles I did all that I could. I felt so much better and when I started to hit that wall at 17 and 18 miles twice it was like a window opened up in my mind and the mental burden of feeling so tired was lifted and the thoughts kept coming to me that I could do it...just a few more miles. The thought of my little brother, who was on the cross country team before he died, came to me too. That he'd think it was pretty cool that I was doing this and that I could do it. It seems so insignificant, it's just a marathon I'm trying to run by choice, it's not a life or death matter or something that I have to do, but it is important to me and I am grateful that I am not insignificant to my Heavenly Father. Out of all the things going on in the world God notices my little efforts to accomplish this goal and is willing to give me the support I need when my own energy is spent. My Heavenly Father loves me.

The marathon is two and a half weeks away. I'm on the downhill side of my training now and I hope everything will go well and I'll finish the race...but how ever it goes I have enjoyed the journey.