Going Crazy and Having Fun

My running and racing has always been about one thing. Me. I run for me. I know it is selfish, but it the one thing I do just for me and the thougt of giving up a run for anything tends to push me to the borderline of a panic attack. Part of the joy I find in running is racing. I run each race hoping to get a better time than the last one. I run each race hoping to push myself harder than the last one. I run each race (at least the little ones) hoping to place in my age group. Sometimes these things happen, sometimes they don't, but no matter what, I like the challenge. I like pushing myself as hard as I can and more than anything I like the feeling of accomplishment when I cross that finish line. Yesterday I ran a 5K (3.1 miles) and none of that mattered to me. That's because yesterday it wasn't about me. It was about them:
And you know what? I was beyond impressed. Their favorite thing at their school has been running club. They have been running laps at recess all spring and have loved every minute of it. Both of them have been begging me to let them run a 5K so I finally gave in and picked a race. I'm normally pretty possessive of my Saturday mornings but I gave up my run for them and I can't stop smiling because of it. We got to the park and got them registered and they looked so cute with their race numbers on. Andrew was beyond excited to get out there and push himself. Madeline was a little bit nervous, so I told her I would stick with her the whole race and we decided to let Andrew just do his thing. He was beyond excited when I gave up my Garmin for him to wear for the race. I strapped it on his wrist. Told him how to use it and sent him up to the starting line. Minutes later the gun went off and we were on our way. Andrew was out of our site within minutes and I just kept wishing him well in my head while being excited that it was an out-n-back course so I knew I would see him at some point on the race. Madeline and I started back a little farther from the line. We were with a few other kids who are friends of ours. Of course the group of kids I was with started out way to fast and started walking after about two minutes. We had a quick talk about pacing ourselves and then we were off again at a much better pace. I felt naked without my Garmin and I hated not being able to tell them how far we were or how much further we had to go. Despite that, I made sure that they were having fun and I made sure that they pushed themselves. I was most worried about Madeline and her goals and I just kind of made the rest of the group follow along with those goals. We ran until the kids started begging to walk, then we picked a landmark just a little farther ahead on the trail and we ran to it. Then I let the kids walk for a minute or two and we were off again. Those kids did so great. I know that they all pushed themselves beyond thier limits and I loved watching them run. When they got tired they dug deeper and they pushed harder. I couldn't believe how excited I was when I saw Andrew coming back the other way. His face was red, he was breathing heavy and I could tell he was tired, but he was grinning. He looked so strong and I wished right then that I could have run it with him, but I knew he was OK and that he was going to feel great when he crossed the finish line. Shortly after we saw him on his way back, Madeline noticed the lady with the stroller behind us. She kept looking back and finally said "Mom, I really don't want that stroller to beat me!" I couldn't have been prouder. And so, for the rest of the race, that was our gage. Madeline was bound and determined to stay ahead of that stroller. Every time we had to stop and walk, she kept her eye on that stroller and every time it got within striking distance, we were off! Of coures there were many pep talks along the way. I would have loved to hear what the people who were around us thought of me and the way I was pushing the kids because I wouldn't let them quit or give up and I was definitely pushing them. Towards the end of the race Madeline was tired--so tired. She hit a point where she was fading and she wanted to walk and slow down but then, she saw that finish line and she took off in a dead sprint. I have to give the girl credit. She was quick and she was great. She crossed that finish line and the look on her face made it totally worth it. Of course I was sad to have missed the look on Andrew's face so the next item on our agenda was to see how he did. He had seen us cross the finish line and ran out to meet us. He was grinning from ear to ear so I knew he felt fantastic about what he had done, but then when he thrust his wrist that was sporting my Garmin into my face I broke out into a matching grin. His time:
Seriouslly! Who does that on thier first 5K or when they are 9 years old? I was shocked. He set a goal to run it in under 30 minutes, but 24:14-I couldn't believe it! That is a minute and 14 seconds shy of my 5K PR. I was beaming, and to be honest I still am. I love that my son loves what I love. I love that he knows how to push himself. I love that he has a bit of a competitive edge to him. But most of all I loved having a moment to share with my kids and I look forward to doing this again. Madeline also met her goal. She wanted to finish it in under 40 minutes. Her time: 35:55. My time: 35:59. (yeah, I let he beat me!) For Andrew the icing on the cake was placing 2nd in his age group--he was beaming again as soon as they read the 3rd place time.
So while I might have just run the slowest 5K since I got serious about running, I will have to say that it might have been my favorite race ever. To share something I love with my kids and to see them push themselves to do their best totally made my day and made me look forward to when we get to do it again. But next time, I'm wearing my Garmin!

Remember this post...about the pet bird?
Well just in case the bird catching plan comes to fruition, I have a back up plan! All I have to do is pull out this picture and remind everyone that Andrew has had a few issues with birds in the past!

After all, who would want to give that kid a pet bird?

I can't even tell you how excited I am for school to be out on Friday.

I can't wait to jam to School's Out with my kids Friday as soon as they get home.

I can't wait for the lazy days of summer where bedtimes drift away and mornings are filled with pajama clad fun.

I can' t wait for lack of lessons and schedules.

I can't wait for this.

I can't wait to spend the summer in grandma and grandpa's pool instead of at Seven Peaks.

I can't wait for my sister and her kids to show up soon for their two week visit.

I can't wait for our annual trip to Newport Beach.

And while there is all this, and so much more that I can't wait for; the thing that has got me the most excited tonight is the fact that starting next week we no longer have to start our runs at 5:45! That's right--I CAN"T WAIT for that extra 45 minutes of sleep!

I have a new theory.
It involves suffixes.
Want to hear it?


Case in point:

I haven't been feeling well at all this weekend. It started Friday afternoon. Walking through Target completely wore me out. Depressing, I know! The whole time I was there I kept getting chills and just wanted to get out and sit in my nice warm car. Once I got home, I used every ounce of energy I had to get the groceries in and unloaded. Then I promptly turned my kids loose with the remote and laid on the couch to "supervise." I knew I had to get up and get my girls ready for their dance recitals and it was a challenge to make myself do that, which probably contributed to the stress of us getting there sanely. Sitting through the recitals was fairly theraputic and by the time I got the girls in bed I was feeling good enough that I thought I'd be OK to run in the morning. Boy was I wrong. After about 3 miles I contemplated turning back, but felt OK so I decided to keep going. By mile 6 my body was protesting. And the last three were some of the hardest miles I have ever run. My run ended up being my slowest pace in as long as I can remember. All I could think was "Keep going, this is really great training for Wasatch Back!" Thankfully I have the BEST running friends and they kept me company and helped me finish my last mile--I even picked up the pace! After I got home, I showered and tried to lay around, but let's just say that didn't work to well. By now I kept alternating between chills and hot flashes. And I really felt like crap. Getting the girls ready to dance again made me want to cry, but I also knew that once I got them to their recitals, I had an hour to just sit and relax. It totally helped. But I was still wasted. (I guess that's what I deserve for thinking running 9 miles with a body that can't even control it's own tempeture is a good idea). Today was a little better, but not much. We had a homecoming to be to at 11 so thankfully we got to sleep in. However, the morning was more of the same. Hot flashes....cold sweats... chills....coughing fits...just plain crappy. Basically I have felt totally drained all day so when dinner time rolled around, I felt like crying. Just the thought of making food sent me into another hot flash, complete with body sweats and everything. That's when I got the great idea to turn dinner over to the kids. And do you know what! They loved the challenge. They wouldn't even let me in the kitchen. (I had to lie to them and tell them that I'd take a picture with my eyes closed.)

They were so cute. They made a plan and a mess and they didn't even have one fight during the whole process. As they served me dinner--picnic style--outside. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for kids who love me enough to take care of me when I need it. Of course Madeline made me smile when she said, "WOW, this is a really great dinner!"
And she was right...it was FANTASTIC!

Here are the video's of my girls at their dance recitals. They are really for family that is far away so feel free to just skip this one if you want.

Today's to do list included a dress rehersal for Sarah's dance recital. It was at 11:50. I made arrangements for Ben to go home from preschool with a friend. I made sure all costume pieces were ready and secure. I made sure that bows on shoes were double knotted. I made sure that I bought the glow sticks our dance teacher asked me pick up. I was ready. I was on the ball. Sarah was excited. We left a bit early so that we could take our time browsing the mall and looking for new stuff for me (no luck there) and lime green boys oxford shirts (no luck there either) . We left the mall in plenty of time to make it to the practice. We even brought sticky back velcro to share with the rest of the class for that pesky flower necklace. We got there and got ready before the rest of the class even showed up! We were on the ball!
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To bad the dress rehearsal was yesterday!

I love Wednesdays! They are our kick back and relax day. I can't even tell you how nice they are. After scheduled Monday mornings and busy Tuesday afternoons, Wednesdays are a nice change of pace. The kid's don't have anywhere to be. (OK anywhere except piano, which doesn't count because they walk there.) I don't have anywhere to be or anything I have to do. Normally, we just have a nice and slow paced day. Our van usually doesn't leave the garage and we are typically all happy. Today was no exception and it just reminded me that I really need a day like this at least once a week!
Happy Wednesday!

Craig had to wait forever to open his presents. First I told him that I would give them to him at the family party the night before, but I hadn't figured out how to wrap his present, so I bailed on that idea. Then on Saturday, his real birthday, we had a super fun surprise graduation party for a good friend of mine who just finished nursing school! (Yes, she's amazing!) And finally when that was over and done with, I started to think about wrapping his presents! Due to lack of appropriate wrapping paper, I decided to have all the kids hide their presents. And that of course turned into a scavenger hunt.
The kids had fun watching him open--and try out/on their presents.
Somehow, Ben's was the most appropriate! (yes, it's a LOCKING doorknob and he only thinks its for his door!)

And then it was my turn. After much thought, I decided to plug all the game days into his phone and let him find the dates.

His face was priceless when he figured it out! He actually gasped! It was great! He was so excited and totally 100% surprised. He couldn't stop talking about it. And just in case you're wondering I made sure that the date of the UTAH game already show's me as his designated date. . . much to Andrew's chagrin.

It was so fun to get him something that he was so excited about. He is such a great dad and husband and he deserves the chance to have a little bit of fun that's just for him. He works so hard--at his job and in our home--and we are all better people because of it! He is our kids best friend, and he brings out the best in me, when I'm not to stubborn to let him.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRAIG!
WE LOVE YOU!

One week ago, we celebrated Craig's birthday.
I WAS SO EXCITED!!! I couldn't wait for him to open his presents--especially the one from me!

Let me tell you why--with a story. A few years ago, we went to a small seminar where the speaker talked about the 5 love languages. When the group was finished taking the quiz, the speaker named the different love languages, and asked the participants to stand up when he named their love language. My results were pretty evenly balanced, there was a tie for first, and a tie for second that was only two points off from my first place. So basically, I had to choose which language I wanted to be associated with. I decided to stand up on the one about gifts. I was the only person in the whole room standing. Throughout the seminar, I had many people refer to me as "The gift girl." Totally embarrassing! I'd be lying if I didn't say that part of why I picked to stand up on that one was so that Craig might take a hint and buy me something! But another part, a big part of it is that I LOVE giving people things. Whenever I hear about something good, bad, happy, sad...you name it that has happened to someone I know, my first thought are "What can I give them so that they know I care?" Then I think of something really great. Then I realize that my bank account can't really support my desires, so I usually leave just leave it at that. But...when birthday's and Christmas rolls around, you can be sure that I spend my time thinking about and working on the perfect gift--especially when it comes to family!

So back to the birthday. This year, I really truly got Craig the PERFECT gift! I have been dying to give it to him for months--yes, I said months. I've also been telling him that I have the perfect gift for months, making the build up even more exciting for me and more torturous for him! The gift--BYU Season Tickets. He has been saying for years that he would love to have season tickets but has never done anything about it. Last year he went to a game with some friends of ours who happen to be long time season ticket holders. When he came home, he said "It would be so cool if we could have season tickets right by the _____. It would be so fun." So I walked in the other room picked up the phone and called my friend and requested that she give me a call when season ticket renewal rolled around. She did. And I got the best gift ever for my hubby!

Don't worry, just because I bought that tickets doesn't mean I've changed my status as a UTE fan--I don't care if I graduated from BYU or not!
Stay tuned for the rest of the story! And if you didn't care about this one, just click mark as read on my next post!

I just opened my email to check it for the first time today. Monday's usually find my Inbox filled with all sorts of junk mail from all sorts of crazy places. But today, there were only two pieces of junk mail and 7 emails from people I know and love that were in there. It's definitely shaping up to be a good afternoon!

OK, so I totally have soccer on the brain lately. But I have an question and I need some advice.
If you read my last two posts you probably know that soccer wasn't the easiest thing for us this year. One of the main reasons was that Andrew felt like the odd man out. He didn't know anyone and he joined up with a group that wasn't all that welcoming. Towards the end of the season, he was finally accepted as part of the team, certainly not the most popular part, but definitely part of it. Now here comes the dilemma. We have to decide what to do for soccer next year.

Here are my two choices

1. Play U-10 soccer again.

Go through the whole tryout process again. Start up with a whole new coach and team where he likely won't know anyone and where he likely will have some of the same issues to deal with. But he will be one of the oldest kids, and with a year of experience under his belt, he will definitely be better than he was this year which might just help with some of the other issues.

or

2. Play up a year.

He's been invited to move up with 8 of the boys on his team and play U-11. He will still be the low man on the totem pole, but he will have the opportunity to be with the kids he knows and more importantly (for me) be coached by (what I think will be) one of the best coaches he'll ever have. She is the mom of one of the boys on our team and she is a former USA national soccer team member who has played in the Olympics (in Seoul) and really knows her stuff. She is also a high school PE teacher who teaches seminars around the country for what she has implemented at her school. Basically, she's really good at what she does. She was our assistant coach this year, and we played better when she was there in the fall than we did when she couldn't be there in the spring. Not only does she know her stuff, but she's great at working with the kids and knows how to build them up even when they make mistakes and when she's correcting them. I also overheard her talking about coaching at one of our last two games, and from what she said I know she would give Andrew some of the structure that was lacking this season. But on the other hand, he will spend an entire season playing against kids who are older, bigger, and have more experience than him. If she wasn't coaching, I wouldn't even bat an eyelash at the decision, but she is...and now I don't know what to do.


Craig DOES NOT want Andrew to play up because he wants him to have a chance to be one of the better kids on the team so that it can build his confidence. For the most part, I agree with that, but I also know that having a coach like that doesn't come along that often and I wonder if we'd be crazy not to jump at the chance.

I'd love some advice and opinions if you have a minute!
Thanks