The Dance Recital

Last Monday night Sheena and Kris had to perform for a room full. It was their dance recital. I'm glad we didn't miss it. Greg, Kota, and I had just gotten back from the grocery store. BJ came over after failing to find his car keys and wondered if we'd take him and the kids to Kris' recital. We decided to make it a family affair and all went together. It was really hot in the rec center that night. When they turned on the fans, we couldn't hear the music. So, they turned off the fans, and we all suffered together.

Sheena and Kris did an awesome job though. They were the best of the whole group. I'm not biased. I'm just glad we could all be there to see them - two years in a row! Good job you cute girls!

A Woman of Steel

After months and months of anticipation and preparation, it finally arrived - my first Sprint Triathlon. I signed up in January, excited and scared. What was I committing to? I, along with 36 other (approximately) other women from our neighborhood decided to go for it.

Getting to the gym every day for me was the easy part. That was my routine. I loved biking, running, and lifting. Swimming was my downfall. I'm a terrible swimmer, so I hated "practicing". I avoided it like crazy. I did at one point try to get a trainer to help me with my technique, but the two appointments we had fell through. Then it was just too close to the actual event, so I gave up on trying to improve my swim. What a mistake that was. Cute Beccy Martin and I stood together waiting for the swim. There she gave me a mini lesson. But, it didn't help. I joked that I was the comic relief in the pool. I wore black (unlike at the left in the photos) hoping no one would recognize me in the pool. I had a pink cap and goggles on just like everyone else. Surely I would blend in. Then I heard Colby's voice - GROTHE! Crap, he recognized me. And I'm sure he laughed as he watched me struggle in the water. I swear I swallowed half the pool.

After 10:47 struggling minutes I finally finished, climbed out, and jogged (they wouldn't let us run - not that I'd be able to with jelly legs) to the transition area. There was my 2nd mess-up. Transition #1 was awful - 3:05 minutes. All I had to do was secure my helmet, put my socks and shoes on, grab some gum and my bike, and run. But, I took my sweet time (obviously).

Once on my bike, I soared. It felt great. The hills were easy. I passed person after person steadily. While others waivered from side to side, I climbed the hill. I picked up my pace once at the top and biked like I'd never biked before. I finished 11 miles in 38 minutes. I'd cut off 10 minutes from our bike ride on Tuesday. I'm sure adrenaline played a part, but it probably didn't hurt that I'd had my bike adjusted to my height and body the day before. Whatever it was, it worked.

My second transition went much more quickly. I took just over a minute to drop my bike off, take off my helmet, throw on my team "pink" shirt, cram some shot blocks in my shirt, and run. I was on my way. On the hill I was winded and slowed to a fast walk for about 30 seconds. Now I regret doing that. I normally don't stop when I'm running; why did I then? But then I picked back up and ran. I was chasing #59. We all had our ages on the back of our right legs, and I was following some lady who was 59. She had a steady pace. About 2/3 into the run, I picked up my pace, passed her, and then ran as fast I could from there. I ran my fastest 5k yet - 25:05.

I crossed the finish line at 1:18:25. I'd estimated it would take me 90 minutes to complete the entire race, and I'd beat my goal by more than 10 minutes.

Our entire team of "pink" did really well. The majority of us finished within 3-4 minutes of each other. The fastest of our group beat me by 2 minutes. You can only imagine how I analyzed my race. What if my transition would have been faster? I could have easily been in and out of the transition area in 90 seconds. What if I wouldn't have stopped during my run? What if my swimming didn't suck so bad? These are things I will remember for next time.

And oh yeah, there will be a next time. Em, Sara, and I have already signed up for the PG Tri on June 14th. There I will have to swim 400 meters (yuck - I'll probably drown), only bike 8 miles, and run another 3. It's going to be an adventure.

My hero for the race? Sheena Brown. With the flu, she competed. She knew she shouldn't. She'd been sick the day before and the morning of. Yet, she said a little prayer, had Darrin give her a blessing, and she went for it. She is such a trooper.

My other hero? Rebecca Schow. She kicked butt. I remember when we first signed up, she was completely reluctant. She didn't want to. Yet she did amazingly well - beating almost everyone in our ward. Her time was around 1:17:55. That turkey beat me! I'm so proud of her.

This will be a Tri to remember. Never again will we have so many ladies participate, train, and compete together. It was an amazing experience!!!

A Nauseated Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. Greg and Dakota have taken extra special care of me today. They made me a yummy breakfast omlet (it tasted better than it looked - it was Greg's first attempt ever at an omlet). Then Dakota surprised me with a cute pen flower that rests in a pot along with a homemade card, and Greg picked me out a new perfume that I'd mentioned to him recently after finding it in a magazine. How thoughtful and what a good memory!

All in all it started out to be a great day. Something wasn't quite right though. My stomache was unsettled. I went to church, led the Primary through a couple of Mother's Day songs, and then it hit me hard. I felt nauseated, had a headache, and needed to lie down. So off to home I went, got back into my comfortable bed, and went to sleep. It's just been one of those "not quite normal" days.

I have the best home teachers in the world - Colby and Curtis. They brought me delicious popcorn from Simply Splendid (Colby and Sara's store). The three of us (Greg, Kota, and I) have already downed it all. I didn't share the pretzels though - they are by far my favorite. I've decided today is my FREE day. I am eating anything and everything in my site. Tomorrow is a new day, and I'll start fresh, but for today, I'm enjoying whatever I want.

I am so thankful for a loving husband and a wonderful son. I could not be luckier. I love my family, and I am thankful they love me - through everything. Today I just feel lucky to be a mom!

We Ran for Vicki!

This Saturday we ran for Vicki at "Race for a Cure for Breast Cancer" 5K downtown Salt Lake. We headed out bright and early - leaving our homes at 6:30 a.m. The race was at 8:30 a.m. We anticipated a huge turnout. Everyone had warned us. We arrived with plenty of time to walk around, check out the boothes, get a few freebies, and use the por-a-potties before the race. With just a few minutes to spare we worked our way up to the front of the group. There were literally thousands of men, women, children, families, strollers, and people from all walks of life already lined up in the streets ready for the gun to go off. I'm guessing a solid two blocks were full of people running/walking the race. We nudged up near the front, and when the gun went off so did we. The sun was out, the breeze was brisk, and the run was incredible. I think this was my favorite 5k so far. It was electric. I felt like I could have kept going. It was so energizing to see how many people turned out and how many people were along the sides of the streets cheering us on. The finish line was right in the middle of the Gateway shops. Companies donated yummy fruit, water, and Great Harvest had wholesome bread slices for each of the runners. I'm not sure exactly what my race time was. Like last time I didn't see the clock when I ran through. Sara was around 5-10 seconds behind me, and she clocked at 26:19, so I'm guessing I came in around the same time as my last 5K. This time was better though. Everything about it was better. We were running with a purpose - for all the ladies we know and will come to know who have struggled with breast cancer or any kind of cancer for that matter. We ran for one very special lady in our lives - Vicki Poelman - an incredible sister, woman, leader, mother, wife, and compassionate service leader to everyone she meets. We love her dearly, and we are so thankful to know her. She is in our hearts and in our prayers - always!

Dinner and a Movie

The other night Greg had plans to host a "cinema" night. He'd printed tickets, bought movie food, and thought it would be fun for the family to watch "Zoom" together. He built it up and told Dakota he needed to work for his ticket by helping me out around the house. Dakota totally got into and was anxious for "cinema" night. (BTW - thank you Colby for telling Greg about the idea).

Later Ry came over to play with Dakota. I made dinner, and Dakota kindly asked if Rylan could stay and have dinner and watch the movie with us. It was so cute, and it actually made me flash back to all the times that I as a child used to do the same thing to my mom and dad. No matter what they had planned, whether it was meant to be just the family or not, I would ask if a friend could come over. Or it would be the other way around; my friend and I would ask "her" parents. For a moment I remembered what it felt like to be a kid again and just how exciting the feeling was to have a friend over for longer than just a two-hour playdate.

Needless to say of course we wanted cute Rylan to stay with us. The boys ate really well (I'm not kidding), and then Greg turned on the movie. We got permission from Doug for Rylan to stay late. The movie didn't end until 9 p.m. on a school night. From the kitchen as I was cleaning, I could hear little giggles coming from the family room where they sat watching their movie. It's just hard for me to believe that we are already beginning "that" stage. Friends are so important.

A Western Affair

Tonight was the Gold and Green Ball at the church. What a blast. We had a huge turn-out. The activities committee did an awesome job. The theme was a Western Hoe-Down, so everyone put on their best "West" and turned out for a fun night. We danced, ate yummy cookies, enjoyed a program, some singing, and celebrated the seniors who are graduating in our ward.

I even managed to get Greg out on the floor - willingly. I'm not sure how that happened.

Dakota ran around with the kids - pretending to be "outlaws".

Us women enjoyed the dancing, and of course I took as many pictures as I possibly could.

All in all, it was a really fun night.