HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTEN!!!!

great trip we took to Kauai a few years ago


sorry, I know it isn't the greatest picture! (especially of me!) GO UTES!!


gotta love the zip line wear

To one of the greatest friends in the world. Happy Birthday! I hope you have a terrific day and a wonderful year! Thank you for being such a good friend to me. Things I love about Kristen: honesty, fun, generous, helps me with my kids, caring, cleanliness, organized (especially her house!), a guaranteed good conversation, bakes great pies and she has great taste! All in all Kristen is fantastic!!! Happy Birthday!

Better Late Than Never

She's a pro at crossing her eyes. I was Velma

He meshed Batman and Dash to go trick-or-treating

Superhero moves!

my masked boys

Finally some Halloween pictures. We had a great and busy (of course) day! I'm just glad the weather was awesome! Except that meant that my kids did a lot of trick-or-treating. 10 pounds of candy!!!!! Yikes. We probably only have about 2 pounds left (if that). I am welcoming in the Thanksgiving/Christmas season this year. Usually I dread the chaos of Christmas, but I'm looking forward to it this year. I just want to get all of my shopping done early again. I think that was the key to a great holiday last year. And probably why I'm not dreading it this year! Wish me luck!

Sigh of Relief

I went to the doctor today. Good news. Everything looks great! My doctor did an ultrasound and the baby looked just fine. Growing appropriately with a strong heart beat. Yahoo!! I felt like everything was okay, but its nice to see it with your own eyes. She also told me that I can pick up my activity. No lifting and exercising until next week, but I can do normal stuff!!! Who would have thought I would be so excited to clean and go to the grocery store! I'm excited to get out more and enjoy this beautiful weather!

A Tear?

I guess I have some sort of tear or something in the placenta. At least this is the educated guess of my doctor's office. What it boils down to is that I am still pregnant. My hormones look great. However, I tend to bleed when I have any increased activity. Bottom line... I am on low activity. All I have to say is...I don't know how people do bed rest!!!!! I can get up and move around. I'm just supposed to do very little. I am going crazy!! Bad enough, that I did too much on Thursday and started bleeding again. Its incredibly frustrating. I'm supposed to "take it easy" for seven days AFTER the bleeding stops. Yuck! Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful that I am pregnant. It could be much worse. I truly feel for anyone who has ever been on bed rest. There is nothing more boring than lying around all day. Okay, thank you. It was nice to vent! Have a good weekend! By the way, who are you voting for? I still have reservations. Give me reasons why you like one candidate over the other. Tell me, exactly what is that people love so much about Obama? I know he wants change. But what exactly is he going to do that will change our country for the better? People are PASSIONATE about him and I don't get it. I can't see me being that passionate about ANY politician. Please enlighten me. However, I don't really like McCain either!

Expecting

The cat is officially out of the bag! I am pregnant. I'm due May 29th. (I know what you're thinking...that sounds like a long ways away!) Feeling icky, the time can't go fast enough. However, I need all the time I can get to prepare myself for numero quatro. Scott and I are so excited and petrified all at the same time! Sam, how did you ever do twins then triplets? (you and your kids always look so well put together!) The kids are excited. Grey and Belle are already trying to pick names! Life is great, we feel extremely blessed!

Vacation

Wow, its been a long time since I've written. We had the wonderful opportunity to go to Oceanside with some very good friends of ours. It was magical. So hard to come back home to reality! I always have that problem when we go on family vacations. Its much easier to come home when only Scott and I go on vacation. We stayed in a condo on the beach. We had wonderful weather. Last year we went in May and had to suffer with marine layer fog the whole trip. Not fun. This year the beach was awesome! My kids enjoyed it more this year too. They had fun playing in the sand, water and boogie boarding. Long, sunny, lazy days on the beach, playing and searching for sea glass and sea shells. It doesn't get any better. Running on the beach in the morning then diving in the waves. Its my idea of heaven. (and it was the only time getting in the water was easy, I'm a wimp with colder water) Disneyland was also fun. Of course my kids loved it. They had all their Halloween decorations up. Grey won a VIP tour the second day we were there. It was great we had three tour guides take us around. My dream come true! We didn't have to wait in any lines!!! It was AWESOME!!! They also told us a lot of fun facts about the park.
We also went to Sea World. So, Sea World isn't my favorite place. This was my third time there and if it weren't for my kids, I'd never go back. I think it is fabulous the first time, okay the second time and gets old the third time. I'm there for three hours and I'm ready to go. I do love the dolphins and the whales but fifty dollars to see the same shows again and again? I also have a hard time with the whales being trapped in such a small tank for their size. I know they have to stay there because they were bred in captivity, but do they feel claustrophobic? I get the same feeling when I go to the zoo. Anyway, I digress. Grey loved Sea World. He said he liked it better than Disneyland! Next time, I want to go to Lego land. I think my boys would dig it. Hopefully Belle would have fun too.
All I have to say is, thank goodness for family vacations! It was so great to get away! So nice to have fun and not worry about one single thing from home! Oh, except the huge stock market drop! I tried my best not to watch the news all week! We did watch the Utah vs Oregon State game. Go Utes!

Disneyland with one of our tour guides


All of the kids (minus a baby) in line for Bug's Life ride


Jonah was in awe at Jedi training (he's obsessed with Star Wars)










The fog rolled in at the end of the day, it was way cool.

What's Been Happening

first day of school



Dew Tour




Its been awhile, a lot has happened!
Well, to start off, school started! Here are the kids on the first day. They like it so far! Yeah! I like it too. I miss them, but life is a lot less hectic. I always dread the end of summer. I don't like to see the beautiful weather and long days end. But, I seem to find myself reveling in the cooler days and changing leaves. I would say that I am excited for baking season, but every season is baking season as far as I'm concerned. Although I have tried to make a goal of baking no more than once a week. I always end up eating way too much of whatever it is I'm baking.
S took G to the Dew Tour. Needless to say, G loved it! We all went Friday night. I have to say, it was pretty amazing. We watched BMX vert and freestyle dirt. It was very entertaining. I couldn't believe the tricks they could do on their bikes. Double back flips and back flips with a 360. A guy from here ended up winning. But, the highlight of the evening was J and G meeting the Star Wars characters. J was so excited and unsure at the same time. It took him a couple of minutes to warm up to the idea and not be scared. Then he wanted to be with them and got very upset when they left.
My last triathlon of the season was last weekend. Thanks to Tausha's brother-in-law, I got in for free! Yahoo!!!! It was a fun race. It was beautiful and a great temperature. Best thing was that Annette and I did it together. It was great to have a friend that is a girl to race with! Annette did great! She placed in her group! And I won a free bike fitting (which I've been wanting). Thanks Annette for a fun day!

AND THE WINNER IS!!!!!

So my husband works with his brothers and a couple of good friends. Hence, they come up with strange contests every once in awhile. This contest happened to be who could grow the best mustache. Scott has only had a mustache once and it lasted about two minutes. Needless to say, he isn't a mustache man. However, I must say, he grows a pretty mean mustache!!


Jonah enjoying a hot dog at the Bees game



Tidal Wave!! I can't get over how much it tickles your tummy for how mellow it appears.

Before riding Wicked

After riding Wicked, he loved it!
ITS WHAT FUN IS, LAGOON!!!

Baptism

This last week was a doozer! It was busy and stressful. My poor husband bore the grunt of my stress. I worked Wednesday night. Isabelle had her birthday party Thursday night. We had a party to attend Friday night (which I had to prepare dishes for) and she was baptized on Saturday. Oh, and Scott left for scout camp today. Needless to say, I'm glad its all over!
The birthday party went well, though it was a little long (3 1/2 hours, yikes! What was I thinking!) Belle had fun, her cousin and two friends stayed over after the party. By far the best was her baptism. What a wonderful day. Most of our family and loved ones were able to make it, which made Isabelle feel loved. It was more emotional than I was expecting. I could hardly look at her without tearing up. I just can't believe she is old enough to take this step in her life. I feel like this is her first real step into adulthood. She is now truly, eternally responsible for her actions! It is a little scary as a mother to let your child grow up and be eternally accountable to for their misdeeds. I guess all we can do is teach them what is right, important and be a good example, right? Oh, I hope it works! I can't think of anything more heart wrenching than watching your child make mistakes that will negatively affect their salvation. I am just so thankful that we are given so much to help us through life.
Our family of course came over after the baptism for a nice lunch. Scott's aunt made this pistachio jello salad that I absolutely loved! Even better, no one else in my family liked it, so I got all of the leftovers! Gotta love the meals after a baptism or blessing! Saturday night Isabelle said, "I want to get baptized again, that was fun!" Grey is so excited for his, he thinks two years is an awful long time he is going to have to wait!

IDAHO!!!!!

We were long overdue for a weekend out of town. I don't think we'd gone anywhere since last fall. Ugh! Well, we had the wonderful opportunity (thanks to a race I entered) to travel to the lovely Burley, Idaho!!! I had heard it was small, but had no idea what to expect. Upon arrival at our motel our friend Rocky said, "I drove in and instantly remembered why I hate it here." At this point I had not had a chance to explore. Later, upon exploring, I decided there were definitely good and bad points to Burley. Good, the Spudman triathlon they put on is AWESOME! The river is pretty and the motel staff was great. Here is the bad. When checking in we asked the receptionist where we could get some good pasta. She replied, "there's a JB's down the road." I thought, uh oh, that's a bad sign. Needless to say, our dinner stunk!!!! Synopsis, Burley is okay, just don't eat there unless you have some inside scoop on good restaurants we were unable to obtain.
My race was great on Saturday. It was so much fun! I highly recommend swimming in a current to improve your time. It was awesome! Sad note. A man passed away during the race. He started in the group after me, so I had no idea until the race was over. Rumor is that he had a heart attack, but they are doing an autopsy. How devastating. My prayers go out to his family.
After the race we went to Twin Falls. You know, I really enjoyed Twin Falls. We went to Shoshone Falls. They were quite amazing! I'd never heard of them. Apparently they have a greater fall than Niagara, but their span is not as wide. Beautiful. I definitely recommend visiting them if you are in the area. There were some pretty places right in town too. We happened to see some guys base jumping off the bridge in the middle of town. It was impressive, the crazy suckers!
The best thing about our trip is it was Isabelle's birthday!!!! She was stoked to go on vacation for her birthday. For months she would tell people, "I get to go to Idaho for my birthday!" She got to swim, go out to eat (she didn't care that it sucked) and have Wal-Mart cupcakes with strawberry creamies. What eight year old wouldn't be in heaven? She is such a great girl (if I do say so myself)! She is so sweet and such a good helper, especially with her youngest brother. She is having a Hawaiian themed party tomorrow and getting baptized on Saturday. She loves the attention, it is a blast to watch her. I can't believe how the time has flown! Don't blink, right?

Summer Lights

I am sitting here at work in the dark by myself enjoying summer thunderstorms. I have a great view of the valley and out around the Oquirrh mountains there is one of the most fabulous lightening storms I have ever seen. There is literally a lightening strike every one to three seconds, huge ones! Its been going on for at least an hour. There is noting I love more than a summer thunderstorm. The light the sound and the smell are so refreshing, especially after all of the dry hot days we've had.

Roll out those lazy hazy crazy days of summer!

So far... not lazy, the sky is hazy and definitely life is crazy!!!! I love that song. I'm not even sure who sings it, Frank Sinara, Bing Crosby maybe? Wow, what a whirlwind!!!! How is it that summer is busier than the school year? I definately made the mistake of overbooking my kids! Well, the problem is that everything I have them signed up for this summer happens to be in June! Grey has soccer, track and swimming lessons. Isabelle has track and soccer camp. All the driving back and forth is awful! (especially with our lovely fuel prices!) We also are trying to fit in the other fun stuff like the park, zoo, swimming and of course lots of play dates. I think that after this week it should settle down quite a bit. At least soccer camp and swimming lessons will be over! I definitely will pull out the calandar and plan a little better next time!
Grey and Belle had their first track meet the other day. It was so fun! (other than the fact that it was 93 degrees, I need to adjust to the heat a little better!) Most of you know I love to run so therefore, I am pushing my kids to do the same. I hope it doesn't backfire. So far they like it! Nothing cuter than seeing 8 six year olds hauling cookies for 50 meters! They get so serious! I love it!
I on the other hand have my first oly length tri of the season this Sat. I am nervous!!! Open water swimming scares me!! I just think about it and it practically gives me diarrhea! Sorry, too much information. I don't think I'll ever get used to pre-race jitters!

Summer

I was sitting here at work trying to read our book club selection, "The Persian Pickle Club, but I keep nodding off. Its an occuptional hazard. According to IHC, definately a no no. So, I decided I would blog! What can be more stimulating than that?
Is it me, or did summer sneak up out of nowhere? Was it the weather being cooler this Spring or time flying by like a fighter jet? Wow, here we are. Today was our first full day off of our summer vacation. The day started out great! I was in a great mood, as were the kids. We went to Liberty Park to play. The temperature was perfect! Then the crap hit the fan so to say. Nothing bad happened, except my children's behavior. One word, fighting. My only thought was, this could be a veeeeery long summer! My question is: Instead of punishements for fighting, what are good preemptive "strikes" to thwart the fighting? I want to nip it in the bud. I want them to love and respect eachother enough that they don't want to fight. Ha ha, I know, I know, wishful thinking. After all, I remember my brohers teasing me relentlessly. I remember throwing shoes or any other such item that might cause damage or at least pain. How did my mom put up with us? I think she would just lock herself in her room at that point. Any great advice for me? My house is too little to lock myself away where I can't hear. Besides, they make sure that I hear all about their injustices. Maybe I just need to ignore them when they complain about what the other one did to them. I have tried this, but its hard not to get involved.
However, I truly am excied for summer. I love having the freedom to do what we want. I'm excited for long days at the pool with friends, park picnics, barbeques in perfect evening weather, long bike rides with Scott, shooting hoops 'til we can't see, the snow shack, and of course, the races I've been training for. I hope everyone has a fun filled, terrific summer!

My Sweet Family

Do you ever feel so happy and blessed that it almost scares you? Scares you, meaning you have so much, what would you do if you lost it? Is it just me or do other people think this way too? I have the best family and friends. I recently celebrated my 33rd birthday. It was one of those magical birthdays where you felt loved and special. What can I say, my husband is terrific. I never have to doubt that he loves me for exactly who I am. (After thirteen years and three kids, he's definitely seen me at my worst!) My birthday pretty much ended up being a week of celebration, thanks to my family and friends. THANK YOU!!!!!
I love my kids. Who would have guessed it could be so much fun to watch your kids interests and quirks as they grow? Isabelle loves to show me her dances that she choreographs. She loves littlest pet shops, soccer (I think more for social reasons) and playing with friends. She is such a good helper and mother to Jonah. Grey just celebrated his sixth birthday on the 22nd! I can't believe it has been six years. I love to think about the day they were born on their birthdays. I love to remember my feeling when I held them for the first time. How sweet they are when they fall asleep on your chest snuggled in. He is such a sweet boy. He is very loving. He tells us he loves us out of the blue all the time. He's starting to love sports, like his dad. He is thrilled with the basketball hoop he got for his birthday. (I'm still not sure if it was a gift for Grey or Scott) Jonah is so fun to watch. He wants to do everything his big brother and sister do. I didn't see this much with Grey and Belle, I think they were too close in age. Its fun to watch him mimic them. Only, it gets a little tricky when the big kids want to play outside and I don't! He doesn't get the fact that he can't wonder the neighborhood by himself! He is obsessed with Star Wars! And I mean OBSESSED! Star Wars are the first words out of his mouth in the morning. He will sit and watch almost all of the movie! He loves Grey's Darth Vader mask, action figures, ships and t-shirts! Its hilarious! At least until he throws a fit because we are going out in public and I make him take off Grey's size 6/7 Star Wars t-shirt. (he's a 2) Wow, I think I could gush about them all day, but I won't. They are great and I am so blessed to be their mother!

Jack Johnson

I think I've fallen in love. Yes, I love my husband deeply, but I just watched Jack Johnson perform for the first time and I am twitterpated! How I've gone this long without seeing him perform, I don't know. I have been listening to his music for years. I guess I don't watch as much MTV and late night as I used to. Anyway, here I am at work listening to him and I thought, "I want to see him". So thanks to youtube, I keyed in his name and whammo, there he is! Okay, maybe if I saw him on the street and didn't know who he was, I wouldn't get too excited. But, he opens his mouth, sings and I'm gone. He is hot! Okay, it is almost three in the morning. I might be overreacting a tad. Maybe I'll be embarrassed by this tomorrow! But for now I think I'll click back over to youtube and watch some more!

what is up with him?

So, what gene do men possess that makes them obsessed, transfixed and passionate. You may ask, obsessed, transfixed and passionate about what? Me? Our children? A personal goal he has? NO!!! It is almost summer and alas, it is time for NBA playoffs once again. Why is it that the playoffs (or sports in general) are so incredibly important to men? (ie. my husband) I was actually glad that I had to go to work tonight so that I wouldn't have to sit (or be within 100 ft) with Scott while watched the game. It was pretty likely that the Jazz were going to lose. I would have had to watch him tense up, yell at the TV and mourn the loss. I actually preferred to stay up all night at work. I like b-ball as much as the next person, but, really, does the world have to revolve around the playoffs? For example. My husband has a chance to go to the home game Sunday at 1:30 and he wants to go. Never mind that it is a Sunday, Mother's Day and we are having brunch with my family at 1:00. For some reason the game has the clout of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. HELLO!! The playoffs happen EVERY year!!! Will someone please help me understand this defect some men have!? I love Scott, he's the best, but come on! He had to leave the room the other night while the Jazz were playing. He was so uptight about the game that he was unsettling the kids. Thank you for letting me vent. This is all in good humor (in case you are reading this Scott) ha ha. GO JAZZ!!!

Birthday Surprise!

Sorry April, but I had to do it!!!! I missed sharing my list with you at lunch, so here it is!!! In dedication to my friend April and her thirtieth birthday, I came up with a list of my ten favorite things about April. (note: this is supposed to be a joke. I know it will embarrass her! What are friends for?)
1. She has the best Halloween costumes! (note the picture)
2. She's had crackupuncture
3. She is a terrific writer (check out her blog, you'll laugh out loud!)
4. She's great to trade babysitting with
5. She is completely grounded
6. She's dedicated to sunscreen and covering up in the sun. (She isn't afraid to get a spray-on tan with her grandma)
7. She wears great rain boots
8. She was a gypsy in another life
9. She's nonjudgemental, gives wise advice and is great to vent to
10. Last but definitely the most important, SHE IS A PASSIONATELY TERRIFIC BAKER!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope I didn't embarrass you too much! I think I need to do this for all friends on their birthdays, it was fun! I hope you had a great birthday!!!!!!!

Dress Part 2

Kristen, sorry it has taken me so long to get this picture posted. I know you were waiting by your computer every day! Alas, this is the Nutcracker dress. I LOVED IT! Almost as much as I loved the pink Xanadu dress. I unfortunately couldn't find a picture of it and I don't have it anymore. I am going to tag Kristen and April to show their favorite dress from when they were little.
The second part of this post is family home evening fun. Many of you know that my lovely husband is a graphic designer. This profession happens to have some perks that are entertaining. Tonight we made fun videos of each of us with a new video program Scott has. It was a lot of fun and hilarious! The hard part was trying to keep Jonah out of the video so it would work. Its pretty silly, enjoy!

Favorite Dress

This is in response to Becky's tag. I had many a favorite dress growing up. The one I am posting a picture of was made by my mom. My little dance group (I was in second grade) put on a performance of The Nutcracker. I was one of the friends dancing around with a present. I LOVED this dress! (Belle doesn't seem to share my enthusiasm, she won't wear it for dress-ups!)
My next favorite dress was a little pink number I wore for about a year straight. I still remember my mom telling me that I could not wear the same dress to church every week! It was light pink, had a lace collar and was pleated all the way around the skirt so that it would swirl up as I turned. I would wear it with my pink leg warmers and my roller skates. I was channelling Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (only one of the best shows ever made! ha ha) I can't tell you how much I wanted to be like her skating around to disco-like music. I thought she was so beautiful! I still remember the first time I saw Xanadu (just to show what an impression it made on my eight year old brain). My poor family! I know I had either Xanadu or Grease on every day. Oh the good old days pretending to be Olivia, skating around the neighborhood in my Xanadu dress and leg warmers. Some of the best summer memories of my life!

Books

Do you ever go through stages where you just don't feel like reading? I had one of those stages a recently. However, it has been broken by the force of some captivating trilogies. The first was the series about Josephine Bonaparte by Cullen. These were historical fiction. I loved them! Any learning I can do that is fun is great! The next series was the vampire series by Stephanie Meyer. I know, I know, I may be one of the last females in Utah to read this series. I, like some others I know, thought the subject matter wasn't something I'd be interested in. And still, if you recommended a book on pretty much any supernatural subject, I would decline. (but I'm a sucker for a good romance) I finally gave into these, only because of the many rave reviews. Okay, let me just say....hook, line, sinker. This rivals any book I have ever read as far as captivation (and obsession) goes. I have been reading like a maniac! My poor family and home have been suffering in the neglect area. Its funny how little spare time I seem to have, until I'm engrossed in a book. (I get very ingenious at cutting corners and skipping the unnecessary.)
I am about a third of the way through Eclipse. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these books, I would have to say they are not my favorite books. I have read other books that I like more. However they haven't turned me into a captivated, addicted maniac reader. So my question is, what is it about these books that makes it so hard to put them down? Is it the characters, the story or the style of writing?
I've put a lot of thought into this. For me its a little of all three. I do want to see what is going to happen. She (the writer) is good at pulling you along. But, I think that what has me obsessed is the underlying theme of self discipline. I am in awe of people who have strong self discipline. The intense love, control and discipline some of the characters have is what has pulled me into this story.(and kept me thinking about them after I put the book down) What is it that captivated you? If not in these books, any other book that you have torn through in record time!
P.S. It is also nice to read a book without foul language and sex!

Life is Good!

I don't have much to say, except: Life is Good! Can one help feeling this way at the beginning of Spring? I feel like the gloom has been lifted off of me. The cold darkness of winter is giving way to light and new life. Walks to the park, watching the flowers bloom and once again feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. These simple things make me happy! A fresh new season awaits! Glorious Spring!

The Results

I'm done! I officially finished my cleanse yesterday! I am so glad that I don't need to take 12 pills a day anymore. I feel for people who have a lot medications to take daily, it sucks! Especially if the pills are the size of my big toe! OK, I'm exaggerating a little.
Now to the results. I have to say, I think it was worth it! I did not get all that I was promised. Did my skin clear up? NO. Did my immune system get strengthened? No (I am currently on the brink of a cold). Did I lose weight? No. Is my tummy flatter? No. So you may be asking, "what good did it do?" I'll tell you. I think that I feel better. I don't feel as groggy or low energy as I did before. I also have noticed an improvement in my workouts. My heart rate seems to be lower for the energy that I am exerting. In other words it feels like I got faster all of a sudden. For any of you who know me and how I like to race, this is HUGE!!! My skepticisms were: 1) Do I feel more energetic due to warmer weather or the cleanse?(absolutely beautiful last week). 2) Do I feel better because I ate better for two weeks (although, I didn't eat all that great).
Conclusion. I think that I will do it again in a few months. I think I will try another system. (Tara, I'll be in touch) I also think that I will try to eat a more cleanse friendly diet. Hopefully in the mean time I will be better about what I eat. I saw Dr Oz on Oprah today. He was talking about cleanse diets and whether they are a hoax. He said that they won't do all they promise in one to two weeks. But they are a good jump start to kicking bad eating habits and cravings so you will be less toxic over time.
I know how much better I feel, how much more energy I have and how much faster I am when I eat well. So why is it so hard? Why can't my appetite get on page with the rest of my body? Why is sugar soooo good? If anyone has an answer, you'll make millions! Maybe with long term healthy eating and biannual cleanses one will obtain all of the cleanse's promised results. As for me, I guess only time and discipline will tell!

Bodily Toxins?

Okay, here it goes. I promised a post on body cleansing and here it goes. I've heard a lot about cleansing the inside one's body lately. I'd been debating whether 1) I believed we have toxins stashed away in our bodies. (what "toxins" would these be anyway?)
2) If taking a laxative and some herbs would really clean them out.
3) If I would really feel a difference post cleanse.
It just so happens that my friend (we'll call her "the baker" to protect the innocent), told me that she got a kit and was starting a cleanse. I figured this was my sign. So I decided I would jot on down to the local Wild Oats and check it out. Alas, I decided I would go for it.
For those of you who know me well, I am addicted to sugar! I love to bake and eat all sorts of desserts. I was mainly hoping this cleanse would help me kick my habit and clean out all the toxins baked goods have left behind. Thus helping me with my endurance and performance for some upcoming races I want to do this year.
Well, its been a week. I was expecting quite a bit of uhm...irregularity, due to the fact that this was my first cleansing. The guy at the all famous Wild Oats, told me to go with the "mild" cleansing so it wouldn't be too hard on my body. As my friend so nicely put it ,salad shooter. However, I haven't really noticed any changes. Okay, there is a fiber "stimulant", I need not say more. But, nothing extraordinary! I have to admit I felt a little crappy (no pun intended) the first three days. But my energy has been normal since.
I guess I can't really make rash judgements (about wasting my money) until the whole two weeks are up. But as of right now? I don't feel any different. Maybe I need to be more strict with my diet for it to have stunning results. Maybe I just wasn't that toxic? If anyone has performed a self cleansing before, please tell me about it! I would love to read what you have to say!

TAG

I'm not sure what I am doing here, so bear with me. (was that the right bear? or is it bare? whatever.) I was going to blog about body cleansing (not the showering kind, the inner cleansing) however, I suppose that will have to wait. I know, you're so excited, you will be checking my blog daily for that post. I digress. I have been tagged by a friend. So here it goes. The rules are as follows.
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag at least three people at the end of your post and link to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the fun begin!
Here goes nothin'!
1. I hate to clean the bathtub/shower. I would rather scrub the toilet for an hour.
2. I have a twin brother. We have always been really close. (except that one year he drove me CRAZY. I think it was the same year my friends started liking boys.)
3. I am a pediatric nurse. I do home healthcare. I used to work at Primary Children's and every time I step foot in the building, I am relieved (relieved isn't a strong enough word) that I don't work there anymore. In another life I would love to be a personal trainer or do something with sports medicine.
4. I love to bake, most of you know that. But, I would rather eat the batter/dough than the finished product any day. Is it possible to break an addiction to sugar/baking? My problem is mainly baked goods. I can pass on the candy. Its gets pretty scary sometimes!
5. I love to dance. I danced growing up and I don't have an outlet for it anymore. So if you peek in my blinds, you will see me dancing in my kitchen, alone or with my kids.
6. I love mentholatum. I can't go to sleep at night without putting some on my lips. I think I'm just addicted to the menthol. My nose gets stuffy at night, the menthol just feel good. There is always a jar of it next to my bed. I also love to put a soothing cream on my hands before I go to bed. It helps me relax!
Whew! Its done. Its hard to think up things about yourself! I am going to tag Andrea, Annette and Tausha.

If at first you don't succeed, tri again!

Yes, I know I misspelled try. I meant tri. As some of you may know, I'm kind of obsessed with training and racing (which I wish meant I was really fast). I have to share my exciting news with you. The last two years (2005 and 2007 because I had a baby in 2006!) I have been trying to get into the Spudman triathlon. However, I have tried to sign up too late every year. The race has already been full by the time I tried to register. So this year, I thought I would sign up the minute registration opens up! I will for sure get in, right? WRONG! I tried the whole 25 min that registration was open. The system kept kicking me off before I could complete my registration. My husband and my sister were both trying to sign me up as well. To say the least, I was frustrated! I have a couple of friends who were going to do this race, so I was doubly bummed. My dear husband sent a sappy email to the race director begging my entrance. It was all for not, he said there was nothing he could do to get me in. In my torment, I remembered a guy in a group I run with said his company was a sponsor for Spudman. He said to let him know if I didn't get in and maybe I could take one of his company's spots. Only one problem, I couldn't remember his name! I went to my running group (after missing a month) and found out who he was. I emailed him and whala! His company still had a spot open and they gave it to me!!!!! I am so excited! Apparently it isn't a race for "serious" racers (because the swim is easy, swimming downstream) but, I am thrilled! (swimming is definitely not my strong point) I look forward to a really fun race with some terrific friends!!!! I guess this is one case where try try again paid off!
P.S. I don't know that guy, I just thought the picture was funny!

CALGON

What ever happened to "Calgon, take me away!" Do they still make Calgon? I'm not sure I even know what it is. Is it bubble bath? All I know, is that I could surely use some tonight! As I was locking myself in the bathroom to get one moment of peace (which is rare, even in the bathroom), Jonah was crying and banging on the door, "Calgon take me away!" popped right into my head out of nowhere! Yes, it was one of those nights. I love my children dearly, but the fighting, teasing and obnoxiousness gets out of hand sometimes and hence, I go crazy. In these times of insanity, I find myself searching for any way to escape. Some privacy, hot water, ear phones and bubble bath sounded divine tonight. But, alas, it wasn't to be. I had just run the dishwasher and didn't have enough hot water to be satisfying. ARGH! I need two fifty gallon water tanks! Maybe one of these days!

I decide it was time to get rid of my Christmas template. Better late than never, right? I think that's going to be my new motto. For those of you who know me, you'd think that's been my motto for years. I guess my tardiness get worse with each kid I have. Maybe for or five isn't such a good idea? I'm kidding. We might add one more to the S bunch in the next year or two. I need to get to a point where I feel that I could handle having four kids vying for my attention 24/7. Three can be exhausting enough. I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I digress. I really wanted to share the experience of my first root canal. I know, you're excited. However, it was no big deal!!! Root canal has been the two words I have dreaded my whole adult life. I'm rather wimpy when it comes to having work done on my teeth. The shot, the smell and the numbness are just too much for me! So, I'm telling you, the tooth I had done must have been the one to have die! I have no pain whatsoever! It was less traumatic than some cavities I've had filled. Maybe my dentist is just a genius! (he's my brother-in-law) To help me and maybe you, in future endeavors to the dentist, I did learn a great tip today. Take your ipod! You so you can listen to your favorite tunes, close your eyes and zone out. I know, this can be difficult with the tugging, pulling and full head vibration from the drill and such. But, I thought it would have been nice to listen to a little Josh Groban on full blast to drown out the sound of the drill. (how do dentists ever get used to that sound?) By the way, I have to thank Kristen for getting me hooked on Josh. She took me to his concert and I've never been the same!
In closing, my dear friend wrote this and gave it to me today. I wanted to share it with you. Its past Christmas, but I thought it fitting for any time of year.
The greatest Christmas gifts:
To your Creator, faith
To your spouse, devotion
To your neighbor, love
To your enemy, forgiveness
To your children, patience
To yourself, hope

Isn't that great! So true for me in my life. Enjoy!

LIfe

Do you ever have the feeling that you are in somewhat of a haze? You know what you are supposed to be doing with your life, but your path is somewhat of a mist? You are technically doing the right things, but you're missing the boat by seconds. I have to admit I feel this way sometimes. I'm going to get deep and talk about life for a minute.
Those of us who have a testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel know how we are supposed to live. We know the commandments, we know are covenants, and all the responsibilies that go along with them. I truly believe that most of us try to live the best life we can, whether we are religious or not. But how often do we truly examine our lives? Take stock in all that we are doing. And truly think about what we truly should be doing.
I've been thinking about this the last few days. I took a trip down to my brother-in-laws office (my dentist), with my other brother-in-law. So we had at least an hour and a half to talk. Needless to say, conversation came up about being prepared and preparing our families for a successful life. By this I mean: testimony, schooling, food storage, etc. You get the idea. Our conversation got me to thinking. Am I really doing all that I should to live my life as Heavenly Father would have me? Are my priorities in line approriately?
My answer brings me back to my opening paragraph. A mist. I'm not sure, was my answer. I obey the commandments, read my scriptures, keep my covenants, go to church, try to do what is right, etc, etc. But am I truly doing all that I can to prepare myself and my children? Probably not. As time goes on and the world gets scarier, I can't help but think that we will have to stand out from the rest of the world. We will truly have to be a light on a hill shining forth truth, knowledge and goodness. To steal a line from my brother-in-law, "the time for sitting on fences is over". I don't feel that I sit on the fence, but I do know there is more I should be doing personally and with my family. I need to be less afraid of sharing the gospel. Light and knowledge should not be hidden. Why am I so afraid to share it? Truth and light bring true joy and happiness, why is it so hard to give that to others? If I have a testimony of eternal life and exaltation, why can't I share that with the people who are most dear to me in this world? I know that there is more I can do. I can be a more attentive mother. Teach my children better and focus on teaching them the gospel. I can study the scriptures better and participate more. I can love more and not be judgemental of others.
As a late New Year's resolution, I plan to look at my life microscopically and rededicate myself to live the best life that I can. So that I hopefully will look back and not have any regrets. I will know that I not only knew what to do to be faithful, loving and strong, but that I actually did it!

Our Miraculously Disgusting Bodies

Do you ever wonder why our bodies work the way they do? I have been completely amazed through my life at how amazing our bodies are. What they can do is miraculous. Which is part of the reason I went into health care. Physiology is fascinating to me. The fact that we can produce offspring, grow, learn, and perform different tasks is fabulous! The range of physical stamina and strength is mind boggling. The fact that people can finish an iron man triathlon in eight some odd hours is just crazy! (2.2 mi swim, 112 mi bike, and 26,2 mi race). I am so thankful for these wonderful bodies that we have been given.
But, do you ever wonder why our bodies are the way they are? Why can they be so utterly disgusting and magnificent at the same time? Case in point. Poop. I'm sorry, but poop is so incredibly disgusting! Especially when its someone else's. One of the few reasons I wish I wouldn't have gone into health care. Okay, I have three kids. I should be used to poop by now, right? NO!!! It still grosses me out! I had a huge poop mishap I had to help clean up at work tonight. I still feel like poop is going to be on everything I touch! It was crafty poo. I swear it was hiding everywhere on the wheelchair. We'd think we'd cleaned it all, and wham mo! We'd find some more! Why is it our bodies have some truly disgusting functions? (I'm sure you can think of others) This could be bad, but, do you have a gross poop story? Please share!