Running, running, running

I am officially training for my runs that I have coming up.  I have a good friend that lives near to me that started running, and boy, I think she may have regretted starting up with me!  JK  Saturday, I asked her if she was good to run 5 (we both have consistently been running 3) and she was hesitant, but I assured her that if we needed to walk some that would be okay.  So off we went.  Long story short....we ended up doing 5.9, but I didn't tell her until Sunday.  Sometimes it's better to NOT know what the plan is and then when you exceed that plan you feel like you can accomplish ANYTHING!   So today we ran 3-we both had to be back so our husbands could leave, but it still felt great!! 

I forgot how good it feels to get outside and run.  It's a great time to clear your mind, think about things, or just talk with your running buddy.  Yup, I like to run (only in decent weather).  This Saturday I think I shall attempt 7-ok, I have to hit 7 to stay on target for my half marathon coming up in May.  Do I tell my friend that's how many miles we will be going???

Blog Stalking

Do you blog stalk?  I do.  The only thing is, I can never remember how I got there.  But today I came across one (which I am going to add to my blog list) that really struck a chord with me.  I don't know these people, nor do I know how I got to it, but I think I was led to it for one reason:  to recognize that I am blessed, that we are all blessed, no matter what may be thrown at us.  Life may not be perfect, nor will it ever be, but I am blessed with good health, an income, etc, etc, etc.  This doesn't apply just to me, but to my family as well.

I have seen heart ache, I have experience a death of a loved one, but they were from "a distance".  Meaning:  I lost my grandparents, but I always lived far away, so I never saw the suffering.  I have relatives who have gone through divorce, but again, I live far away, so I haven't seen the suffering, just the end result.  I know thing will come in the future-will they be tragedies or things that are expected as we age...I don't know.  But what I do know is this:  I have a Heavenly Father who loves me; a Savior who atoned for me, then died for me.  No matter what comes our way, He knows, He comforts, He is there.

These bloggers may never know what strength they provide me, but they give me strength.  If they can go through their tragedies, and yes they are tragedies, then I can get through what I am having to deal with.

So, here is to blog stalking (imagine I am holding up a glass to make a toast).

winter blues....

We just had ANOTHER snow storm and my heart, my attitude, my mental status just went kuwump!  I know that many people get SADS during the winter, and who knows, maybe I do too, but I have been doing well until this storm.  BLAH, BLAH, I know this is Springtime in Utah-I have lived here now for, oh, 27 years-but it doesn't make it any easier, nor do I get used to it.  My ideal weather is for it to snow, snow, snow from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day, then 60 degrees til May.  Is that too much to ask?  Just call me "Debbie Downer" and I will go to NYC and join SNL and perform that sketch myself-I am SOOOO much funnier than Rachel Dratch, sooo much funnier.  Maybe I should take up skiing again-I was pretty good, once upon a time.  Maybe then when it snows I will be the first maniac up the canyon and get on a newscast about Spring skiing.  Good plan-but only if Big Budah interviews me.

He is growing up

Sporty celebrated his 9th birthday on March 14.  His 9th!  It seems like yesterday my water broke and I was in such horrible uneasiness, queasiness, feverness, not dilatingness for 16 hours while Trevor enjoyed him some March Madness basketball.  I ended up having an emergency c-section at 9:30pm-no worries though, Trevor was able to get in the last game of the day.  Honestly, I could not have picked a better day to go into labor-I mean, what else would Trevor have done that day?  So, good memories.

Flash forward 8 years and 360 days....I experienced a rite of passage that all mother and sons should experience-purchasing the almighty athletic supporter and cup.  Actually, it was really funny-not in an embarrassed sort of way, but, a fun "Sporty is hilarious!" sort of way.  It was like being in Disneyland; he could not wait to get that cup and, better yet, try it on and run down the stairs to show me and Grandpa Ted.  Now, before you think "ooh gross, perverted" let me assure you, he was wearing the boxer-briefs that come with the almighty cup.  Except these shorts literally looked like shorts on him.  Sporty's legs are blasted twiggy-bird legs-so the "underwear" was quite baggy and, well, shorts-like.  Let's just say he is more and more like his idol, Jorge Posada, in every way-from the position he plays to adjusting himself every time he moves.  Now he just needs to turn his head and spit some spat out on the field and we will be set!  My little baseball protege'.
Enjoy his birthday pics:

Sporty loves his horse themes!

Such a goofball with cute freckles-Grandpa Ted

Grandma Sandi and Gpa Ted and the Little Squirt

His new baseball bag with wheels

Gpa Roger and Gma Net

My TWO goofballs.

Mother and Son-I LOVE LOVE LOVE this kids.  He is a good kid, a nice kid, and he tries hard in all he does.  We are so very proud of him and his choices.  We couldn't ask for a better 9 year old!  We are truly blessed to have him in our lives!

Neglect

Usually I would say that I am one AMAZING wife, because I deal with A LOT!  But I have neglected one VERY important person in my life and an event that occurred:   Trevor celebrated his birthday on March 3, and I didn't even mention it on the blog, yet I went on and on and on about my sister.  Sorry, Hon, I must have been in a bad place that day.  So here is my "Ode to Trevor" for his belated birthday wishes.
1.  Happy Birthday!
2.  You are also my miracle.  I don't like to dwell on the fact that if I hadn't met Trevor, I would probably be living in NYC pursuing my Broadway dreams and living the single life of a NYC Socialite.  Totally kidding-I would be hanging at "The Bay" in SLC pretending I can groove.
3.  Your are a great father (even if you don't think so-who DOES think they are great at parenting)
4.  You are an awesome mentor and coach-not just to your athletes, but our kids watch all the good you do.
5.  You are level-headed under pressure.  How do you do that and not gain a pound?  I feel one ounce of stress and I clean out the pantry-paper and all.  Sheesh!
6.  You honor your Priesthood.
7.  You are patient-you married me, you have to be.
8.  You are an example of a "Good Guy".
9.  You are an example by fulfilling your calling at church.
10.  Even though you are ADDICTED to Sports Center, and ANYTHING SPORTS on TV, you still give up the remote when I actually want to watch something.  So you are a GIVER.
11. I remember the first day I met you-I thought you were pretty cute.  I still think you are SUPER cute, and I like your muscles.  :)
12.  You are a great Coach and I love watching you with your athletes-it's like they get mesmerized by you.  In actuality, it's their respect for you that I am seeing.
13.  I love that our kids are carbon copies of you-well, Lolo-more my side.
14.  I love that when we go on horse rides we talk and laugh and are so relaxed.  I personally like this, because as soon as we get home life takes over again and I am dealing with #5 on the list.
15.  I know that you will always be there for me and the kids.
16.  I love that you are STUCK with me no matter what-AND you are okay with that!

I love you!  I hope you had a happy birthday!

Lookie-loo

Look who was the STAR STUDENT at her preschool....

...Miss Lolo

The Z-man didn't want to get left out...

...neither did Cousin E.

Congrats to our STAR STUDENT!  We are very proud of you and we love you!

Oi

In reading "Harry Potter:  The Half Blood Prince" I came across a line not once, but twice, my friends, where Ron utters the word "oi"  and it is spelled o-i.  There we go-mystery solved.  Such an ironic twist in my life, that I would actually come across a word that I wasn't sure how to spell.   I know, I know, SPELLBINDING!

Oy!!

Is that even how you spell "oy"?  Anyway, it's no secret that I like to work out.  I run, I walk, I bike, I elliptical (is that grammatically correct?), I interval train, I weight train, etc.  So today I decided to take my run outside-after all, I have a half marathon and RAGNAR coming up.  Let me just paraphrase this...DUM DUM DUM...I about DIED!  3 miles and I literally about DIED.

ZUT ALORES!  I have work to do.

My Miracle

Mom, Lyndi, Me at Yellowstone

Twenty years ago today, my baby sister was born.  Every night for 13 years I prayed that I would have a sister, and that prayer was answered with Lyndi.  Now, we call her the "OOPS" baby because my older brother, Tad, was 15, I was 13, and my younger brother, Ty-aka BACHELOR MAN-was almost 9 by the time she arrived.  BUT, though we called her that, Heavenly Father knew all along that He was sending her to us-He just didn't let us in on the secret until later in life. 

I still remember the day that my mom found out she was pregnant.  It went something like this:
Telephone rings
Mom:  Hello? (pause with occasional nodding) Yep, that's what I thought.  Thank you Doctor... (this was back in the day when the doctor actually called you back and personally talked to the patient)
Mom hangs up the phone and turns to Tad and me.
Mom:  How am I going to tell your father? (said with a smile but with some hesitation-I mean, HELLO, she was turning 38)

I think at this point I was so OVERLY ECSTATIC with JOY that I didn't care what anyone else thought-I MAY BE GETTING A SISTER!!!!

Dad was happy-we were happy-mom was happy!

THEN, the big day arrived where we got to find out what the sex of the baby was.  It was mom, me and Ty.  The doctor came in and did the ultra sound and BAM!  It's.a.girl!

Ty started crying because he wanted a boy-go figure.  The doctor then responded, and I am not making this up:
Doctor:  Oh don't cry.  Maybe something will sprout later on... more on sprouting later down the post.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!  BWAHAHAHAHA!  My mom and I laughed forever about that one!

So the next big day arrived and I was at a birthday party for my friend Katie-dad kept calling to give us updates.  My friend Tracie and I had a sleep over at my house when Dad called to say that Lyndi was here and she was healthy and Mom was doing great.

We COULD NOT WAIT to see this little girl.  First impression:  SHE WAS THE HAIRIEST  kid I had ever seen.  She had BLACK hair, she was extremely dark complected (family history-ancestor from India and Europe), and she actually HAD SPROUTED something-2 extra toes.  We all thought it was super cool!
SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL!

We have thoroughly enjoyed having Lyndi in our life.  She has gone through so much physically (remember toes?  She also had eye issues and surgeries), and she has gone through SOOOO much that the eye can't see.  She is a warrior; she has been through some MAJOR battles, but she has prevailed and she continues to prevail.  We are only given trials that we can overcome-so Lyndi HAD to have been super tough in the pre-life to face what she has faced here on earth.  She is amazing!  Not to mention she is one AWESOME babysitter! 

Lyndi, we all love you and we hope you have an awesome birthday.  I know you were one of my FAVORITE gifts-you were my miracle sister!

Follow up to "Ewwww"

Sure enough, I go downstairs and their is Z-man chomping away on a partially eaten, partially garbaged apple.  He had ZERO cares in the world as he watched a show and ate the nasty thing.  Sometimes I wish that I was that complacent with life that I had not a care in the world and ate apples out of garbages.  Sweet, I should take some calming cues from him.  Love this little man of mine.

Ewwww...

Diva:  MOOOOOOOOOOM!  Z-man is eating an apple OUT OF THE GARBAGE!
ME:  Hmmph, well, get it from  him.

Welcome to a day and a life of me.