my own worst enemy

My countdown begins...

I have 10 days until I either rejoice for having SURVIVED my half marathon, or my husband begins funeral arrangements. It used to be a different goal other than SURVIVE. I was going to finish is a time I could brag and boast about. I was going to pass old men on the trail (maybe the same old guy who beat me in my 5k in May). However, shortly after such dreams of glory and grandeur I got a nice little reality check. The 3 gals at the track this morning that were passing me on my sprints around the track were just one of many (and I swear they planned each lap so they could put me in front of them and then zoom on past me... I KNOW IT!)

I have a lot of runners that I know, am related to, or aspire to be like. My son is stinking amazing, and if his drive matched his talent, I would be the proud mother of a state cross country title holder. Still might. He has 2 good years left still. He's fast, and that wasn't too hard for me to figure out that I would never be as fast as he is.

He ran Ragnar in June...

as did my sister.

My sister has been running for awhile and will be running with me on this lovely journey next weekend. Unfortunately, her times from Ragnar race in June were to be part of my REALITY CHECK. Her 7.5 mile UPHILL run time was 74 minutes. That's below a 10 minute mile. My sister in law ran her 4 miles in 28 minutes. YEAH... hello... 7 minute mile. Unfortunately for me, she is also racing next weekend.

My cousin who ran her FIRST 1/2 marathon in May, posted a 1:48 time. 8:14 minute mile (I barely SPRINT that fast).

My friend and cousin's cousin ran a 1/2 UP the side of a mountain and down the other side and posted 2:10. She also ran a 5k in 23:17... 7:30 minute mile! INSANE!!

I know that running isn't a sport that is like basketball or volleyball where you can go in and WIN or not win (50/50 odds are pretty good).

I know that I have only been running for just over a year.

I know that running more than 1 mile used to be something I could never do.

I know that I cut 5 minutes off of my 5k time in 1 year.

I know that a 10 minute mile pace USED to seem like something UNTOUCHABLE.

I know all this.

I know.

But KNOWING and telling my competitive gene to go into hibernation are two very different

things.

So my goal is down to survival.

Going to go, run the thing, and not walk for the entire 13.1 miles.

Going to chant my mantra to myself the entire time: "this is a competition with YOURSELF, no one else"

Going to go have fun...

even if the old guy beats me

again.

reset button

One thing Hayden and I have in common is the need to hit the "RESET" button every so often. Between work, cleaning, the heat of summer, and just the daily routine and humdrum... we both do much better when we have time to just relax and unwind for awhile. The CABIN in Fairview Canyon was where we were able to reset this past weekend.

A good rainstorm the first night, a couple of rides on the mule (no, not the horse kind of mule), a few walks up old ATV roads, a nap, some food, campfire, many trips to the out house, 70 degree temperatures, 2 runs up (and down) mountain roads... and we were able to return home relaxed and ready to take on a new week.

missing

I'm getting old... all the signs are starting to manifest themselves. I lose things that I vividly remember leaving in a particular place, but they are no longer there. I've blamed it on Aspen and her love of carting things off to play with, but my list is growing and I am beginning to maybe think its ME.

Missing...

my watch with the big beads band

my niece's ipod

my running watch (scratch that one... found it in the car today)

my running sweatband

a library book

Aspen's dog/cuddle blanket

all right handed garden gloves (3 pair)

sterling silver teardrop earring

More than the things I've lost, the things I've found tell me I'm screaming toward the OLD age of 40 (yes, I know... in 10 years this will be the YOUNG).

Found:

~1035 gray hairs

myself saying quotes my mom used to say (and probably her mom)

AKA: hold on to your hats, for Pete's sake, or "shut the door Richard"

my toes becoming more hammer-toe-ish each year

Does this house have a lost & found???

puddle jumper

It started with Lake Powell and has gotten worse over time... Aspen has a terrible case of NON -Hydro phobia: NO FEAR of water. Friday her non-hydrophobia had Aspen stepping into the pool 3' deep without flinching. After I fished her out, she objected, but it didn't deter her wanting to swim.

She now carries around swim diapers and sunscreen trying to convince all around her that it's their turn to take her swimming. I put a bucket with water in it in the back yard to appease her on Saturday, which seemed to work. Temporarily. At the park she found a big puddle of water under the picnic tables in the pavilion (they had come and cleaned them all that morning). After playing around in the water, I look over and she is FLAT on her belly in the puddle of water. NOT in a swim suit.

Thank heavens for Legacy Center Swim Passes!

3...2...1...

The countdown begins:

• 5 more weeks til I have to report back to school
• 4 more weeks til my half marathon (more on that to come.... AAARGGGGGHH!)
• 3 weeks left with the boys
• 2 RS lessons left to teach this summer
• 1 month left of making my own schedule each day

... and about 32 things still left on our summer bucket list to do by then.

DUH!!

For years I have tried to improve on my garden. I get gung-ho in April, and the past couple years have even had my garden in by the middle of May. However, come July... my motivation evaporated with the hot weather. I never could quite catch up with weeding.

This year, I planted all my rows far enough apart to take a tiller between them. I should have thought of this before... I've seen my parents do it my entire life, but somehow this idea never occurred to me.

WELLLLLL... I sure LOVE my garden this year. I don't have weeds in between the rows, and my rows have no weeds in them. I will have tomatoes by the end of the month, a ton of winter squash this fall, pumpkins, and a few other staples. Sometimes I go to my garden and don't find anything to weed so I start pulling the wild weeds around the edges. :)

Thanks for the idea mom and dad. Just kinda embarrassed it took me so long to catch on

face painting

So the secret to getting a 2 year old to hold still (WITHOUT MOVING) for 15 minutes, is to have her face painted... by someone other than mom or dad. The entire ride home from the zoo, she only wanted the mirror to look into so she could open her mouth and watch the fish on her face open his as well.

worth 1000 words

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. We have had some adventures, some of which I've posted, but others really can only be fully shared by posting pictures. Here's a short description of the pics:

*Watching FINDING NEMO amongst the mess

*Aspen enjoying having a bed to lay on again (mine).

*An afternoon getaway to Park City with Jolona and Kara. A little shopping, a little Cafe Rio, a lot of FUN!

*(3 pictures) Aspen thinks she knows how to do what dad does, but mostly she just likes hanging out with him while he works.

*Hanging out @ our getaway hotel in SLC

*Aspen found some socks (or LEG warmers with toes... for her little legs) and insisted on marching around with them on.

personal TRAINER

I have a trainer. I don't pay her, but I do feed her... and play with her... and yes, even change her poopy diaper. The first thing Aspen says when she is up is "RUN RUN" with a cute little running motion with her arms. So, of course, I have to accommodate (even on those days when I thought I was taking an OFF day).

Two weekends ago, she got to ride in the ATV with Hayden as they followed me down Ephraim Canyon while I did my downhill run. Now every time she sees the ATV, she demands that I run... while she follow along next to me.

How do you tell a 2 year old NO when they are this cute?

the cost

What it takes to "refinish the floors" in our house:

*18 days

*2 gallons $5 "seconds" paint from Home Depot

*1 night in a tent (1/2 night for Hayden)

*2 nights in Ephraim

*1 night in a hotel w/a 2 year old (with a toddler, this is not considered a "getaway")

*7 nights on a couch

*26 showings of Finding Nemo

*3 paint rollers

*1 trusty paint roller pan (which has been through about 20 paintings, and 4 houses with me)

*countless frazzled nerves

*2 buckets of spackle

*90 feet of new baseboard

*some Grandma Toni luck on the patch job

The finished project... PRICELESS!

Things we took for granted BEFORE the project:

*going out the back door

*using the microwave

*a changing table

*finding things

*kitchen FLOOR space

*having blinds to close at will

*counter space

*having a sink (that isn't filled with paint supplies)

*ability to COOK unobstructed

The corner of the bedroom wall turned out pretty good, just don't look too close.