I Love to Run!

 "Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"

My ideal morning is when I get the kids out the door to school,  put on my running clothes, and go out into a beautiful sunny day for a run.  It is a luxury I enjoy as a stay-at-home mom.  It is my prozac.  It keeps me in balance, reminds me of the beauty of my surroundings, and makes me feel strong, like the quote above. 

However, my mood starts out, it is always improved with the run.  I guess it is a gift your body gives you for putting in the effort.  It is a euphoric feeling once you hit your stride.  Combine that with some good music and it’s a great way to start out the day.  Lately my favorite songs to run to are ABBA’s “Momma Mia,” and “Human” by the Killers.

I’m not a professional and can’t boast any marathon finishes (yet-?).  I have run a few races and hope to do more.  I am slow.  I don’t care who beats me.  I am my own competition.  Here is my favorite trail.  It runs just behind my house! 

There is a retirement community nearby and in the morning the trail is full of older people walking their dogs.  There is one old man who walks his dog who gives me a high five in the morning and says, “hello trail buddy.”

My dad got me running.  We would walk over to my high school track and run around the track.  He was slow and steady.  I ran in college.  Provo was my health club.  In the snow, I could be found at the Smith Fieldhouse.  Kirk and I’s first “dates” were there, running together.  Kirk first told me I was beautiful on a run through the streets of Provo.  We enjoy running together.  Maybe someday we will run a race together? 

Here is another run I like to go on.  It has a couple of big hills.  I try to run these hills at least once a week.  When I complete the run, I feel strong and ready to take on any challenge.  While I am running up the steepest of the hills, I say to myself, “I am 41, I can do this!”  When I get to the top, I celebrate by raising up my arms and cheering to myself (I check to make sure there are no cars close by).

It doesn’t look too steep, but for a 41-year old—it is!  Once I get to the top, I am rewarded with a beautiful view of my city with a nice, flat span and then a gentle, downward slope around a golf course.

 

 

 

 

 

 "There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open." – Nike

And, she's down!

Congratulations to Claire for getting down in her splits!

One leg down, one to go!



Ouch!

The Education of the Year 2008

Kirk asked me this question a couple of days ago. "What has this year taught you?" I couldn't really give him an answer right then so I've been thinking ever since. Then yesterday, I had a morning news program on where they were interviewing a psychologist about New Year Resolutions. She caught my attention when she said that you need to review what you learned this year before you make new goals for 2009. Kirk is so smart!!!



Here's some things that I've learned in the year 2008:

• We have a responsibility to the people who surround us, whether they be neighbors, friends, church members, or those we involve ourselves with in the community. Not only to be a good example to them, as we always think, but also, to learn from them. This year has taught me that when we are judgemental and critical of those around us, we limit ourselves from learning FROM THEM what WE need to learn. When we only notice negativity in others, we will not see the positive things about them. We all have different strengths. As we notice and "emulate" the strengths we see in those around us, we become more than what we could have become otherwise.


• Taking time to recharge my batteries is vital for me and my family. Sometimes this year I would not be ready to walk out my door until 11:00 a.m. By the time I worked out, tidied up the house, did some personal scripture study and reading, it was almost lunchtime. At first, I felt very guilty and "lazy." Then I realized with the hectic afternoon and evening schedules that currently occupy our family life, it was my only time to "fill up my reservoir." This year has taught me that investing some time in myself and my needs allows me to be a better mother and wife for the rest of the day (and night).


• Teenagers still need a lot of structure. Now that Cole has also embarked into the teenage years, we feel like our family life has morphed into another dimension. What "dimension" that is, I cannot say. I only know that we are only at the beginning and it will probably, at times, be a rough ride (for us and them). This year has taught me that if parenting weren't a full-time job before, it definitely will be now. As parents, we need to be diligent in "filling up our children's spiritual reservoirs" everyday as well as helping them to see through the many worldly deceptions around them. The tricky part is slowly letting them do this themselves more and more as they get older. It is not easy and I may need medication as to avoid them having memories of a crazy mother!




• This probably goes along with the above point, but this year, especially, has taught me how quickly my children are growing and how little time I have left to raise them. I guess we never really know how much time we will have here on earth, but most of us will have approximately 18 years of "exclusivity" with our children, to teach them how to have successful lives. This year I have realized that one of the main things to try and teach my family is how to incorporate spiritual habits and truths into their everyday, very busy lives. As I have learned, perhaps the hard way, the sooner these things become habits, the more a natural part of your life it becomes.
  
• And, finally, this year has taught me AGAIN, that the more I give my will over to my Savior, and do what HE wants me to do, the happier I am. I find I am more in tune with spiritual needs of myself and those around me. I hope that this last year I have gotten better at this. It is hard to gauge because I know I had some highs, but also some lows.

I guess if I look at this past year in terms of what I was taught, it was a successful year. I hope I learned all that was meant for me to learn. Good thing there's another year just ahead. I need the time to have another go at it. One other thing that morning show psychologist said about New Year Resolutions: She said to call them "intentions," instead of "goals." She said to ask yourself, "what do I INTEND to accomplish this next year?" I like that approach and plan to follow-through with that line of thinking.

Stay tuned for my "2009 INTENTIONS"...

Christmas 2008

I think if you asked the children they would say they had a good Christmas this year. We did all the normal "stuff" that they enjoy doing. We had Grandma and Pap Pap come and stay for Christmas week, which we all enjoyed. For me, Christmas felt a little bit rushed and I have to say, I didn't enjoy it like I wished I would have. I think Lauren's soccer schedule cut into my preparation time more than I thought it did. Maybe that's how we, as moms, always feel. But, next year, I'd like to enjoy my month a little bit more.

Here's some highlights that I managed to take pictures of...

This year, instead of letting the kids do all the sugar cookie decorating, I had a little fun myself and made sugar-cookie likenesses of each of the children. They all guessed right away which one was them. They were gobbled-up quickly, some faster than others. Lauren decided she did not want a picture taken with her sugar cookie look-a-like (party-pooper).

Here we are ice-skating.

Grandma was very brave and looks very happy and relaxed

in this picture (we were actually holding her up).

And, this is really all we saw of Evan, a flash of red followed by a terrific crash landing...

He would love ice-hockey!

Favorite gifts: Claire's video camera so she can record her "Crafting with Claire" episodes. Lauren read "Reunion" all day. Cole displays his new ipod, computer game, and Ironman video. Evan's marble tract.

Lauren and Pap Pap rocking out!

The kids received a turn table (record player) from Grandma and Pap Pap

and we got out all the old records! They were fascinated with such an "old fashioned" contraption!

They must've been good little children this year because Santa treated them very well!

WANTED...Lost Christmas Spirit, Please return!

So, this will be a random post about what is on my mind at 3:45 a.m. on a weekday in December. What would be on a mom's mind at such an hour in the month of December? Well, I know you're dying to know, so here it is:


-Family Christmas ornaments, got to do them, and get them out.
-cards, need to write the "letter" and mail them
-need to schedule traditions on the calendar
-cut-out Christmas cookies, when to do them?
-Family Sleep out under the tree, need to plan and schedule (cutting into teenager weekend time, should be interesting this year)
-Costco for jam, looking for jam to give with my homemade bread, should have made strawberry this summer from Brentwood strawberries.
-Gifts for friends (homemade bread? Cookies?)
-Gifts for neighbors, soccer people, teachers, oh my!
-Finish up gifts for family that need to be mailed (like yesterday)
-Pictures for Grandma, take some individual shots of the kids (help Denae)
-Food shopping, menu planning, make list
-Fold laundry
-waiting for on-line shopping items to arrive-hurry up!
-need to go out shopping with Kirk, this weekend? Yeah right. Got to finish up kid's gifts.
-need to take kids out for Kirk's gift. WHEN?
-Claire and Evan, work with them on Silent Night for ward Christmas party, it's still sounding very scary right now, only 2 days left to make it sound better (can you say squeaky violins?)
-Speaking of violins, order new violin for Claire so Evan can use hers. His fingers are too big for the one he's been using. What size? I think 3/4 now, how do you tell, they all look the same to me...
-FINISH ornaments on tree, get Lauren to get hers up
-keep watering the tree EVERYDAY so it doesn't dry out.

oh, and lest I forget:

-Get Christmas spirit oozing out of me again. What happened? I had it. Why can't I find it now? I think it's buried in my brain somewhere...

And finally, some cute pictures of the family. I know it's not Denae quality, but it was the best I could do with 15 minutes of daylight left on a Sunday afternoon. Only 1 crying fatality this year, and it happened toward the end (lucky me).









And, now that I see this cute family I think I feel a bit renewed and ready to tackle the tasks of the day.
I'll grab that Christmas Spirit by the horns and move forward!

But for now, I think I'll try and go back to sleep. There's 2 more hours before seminary...
Good night!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

This one's for you, Mom and Dad...

You can hardly go through a stack of old photos at my house without finding at least one "hunting for a Christmas tree" picture. When my family moved to California when I was 4, we began a tradition that, little did I know at the time, would continue well beyond our little family. From our home in San Jose we would drive on Highway 17 until just before asending the Santa Cruz Mountains. There's a very curvy road and after about 20 minutes, you find yourself in Christmas Tree HEAVEN! There's probably a dozen different "farms" from which you can select, after hours of joyfully trudging up and down the mountain, the PERFECT tree to adorn your home for Christmas. Okay, there might have been a few years, as a teenager, when the trudging wasn't done "joyfully" (right, Mom?). This was a much-looked forward to tradition that ALWAYS happened in our family. Mom took MANY pictures and to date there are probably hundreds (right Dad?) of pictures of us selecting, cutting down, tying to the car, my brother finding various mountain "creatures," and driving home the tree. Kirk was introduced to this tradition shortly after our marriage. I'm not sure how much attention he paid to the "fatherly duties" associated with this tradition.

Then one day six years ago, my own somewhat larger family, left Arizona for the Bay Area and something else was left behind--our artificial Christmas tree.

Yesterday, we left this dreary Brentwood FOG behind...

Did you know that fog can stay all-day long and you can go days and weeks without seeing the sun? I didn't, until I moved to Brentwood. I have issues with it.

And arrived HERE:

The beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains... SUNSHINE and some JOYFUL trudging in search of the PERFECT tree! Isn't it beautiful here? I secretly shed TEARS of JOY while listening to Yo Yo Ma and James Taylor sing "Here Comes The Sun" when we approached our favorite hunting ground:

These same farms have been here FOREVER, or at least since I was a child (no comments about my age, please).

At last we arrive and I religiously offer my thankfulness for beautiful weather:

And then begin our hunt...

The boys immediately whip out the walkie-talkies and become one with the trees. The girls search with me for THE tree. We use children as markers for the possible choices. I am the ultimate picker. When we had vaulted ceilings, we would try and find the tallest. Now, much to Kirk's relief, we are somewhat limited in height, so we look for girth. Anything's possible on the mountain. The best part? All trees are $45.00 no matter the type or size! Everyone had a happy day and we look forward to many more years of this great tradition.

Anyone want to join us next year?

We'd love to share our F-U-N !!!

Claire's Christmas Dance

After months of practicing, Claire's dance group (unnamed as of now) performed this past Saturday at Temple Hill for the Tree Lighting Program. She has been VERY excited and her expectations were fulfilled. She enjoyed performing, and especially wearing A LOT of make-up.

Here's the clip of the performance:

Here we are afterwards. If you look closely you can see the remnants of Evan's tantrum, and also the parent that had to deal with it (Kirk). It was a great night!!!