Stuff and Things

This is life according to my iPhone pictures. Sometimes I remember to capture life moments on camera, but I really should focus on it more. This is very random... but so is life. 

Here is Daniel stating his political views. I cannot speak of politics without getting worked up about it. It is absolutely crazy and ridiculous how things are playing out. That is all I can say for now. I have no desire to get worked up at the moment. Breathe, just breathe.  

Sammi has been running with me sometimes. It is always nice to have her with me. I need to practice running with other people for race day, my sister will be by my side, and running with someone is very different then running alone. Sammi has been a great companion. Her longest run has been 8 miles so far. The only problem is, now she is way faster than me! In gym class she has improved her mile run time a lot. She went from a 9:29 minute mile, to 6:40. Awesome! It is so fun to see her improvement. She was the fastest girl in the class. 

This is my pondering place. I have a hammock hanging in the tree in my backyard, and it is like a little piece of Heaven for me. I will often go out there in the morning with the scriptures, and a blanket. I rock, and read, and ponder. I have received some pretty powerful answers by reading my scriptures, and then listening to the Spirit. There is something really soothing about swaying in a hammock. 

I run a lot. I am so grateful for so many different places to run. I love to run by the river, especially when it is hot, it is always a bit cooler by the water. 

 I am so grateful to have such beauty so close by.

We have had so many music concerts and activities. Sammi went on an overnight trip to Washington to compete against other schools. Their choir did awesome and took first place in various categories. Sammi got an award for being a great pianist. She was thrilled about that.

I dropped her off super early in the morning. I was surprised when I started to cry as I drove away. It was just for a few days, but man I am going to miss my Sammi when she goes away to school. She only has 3 years left! Eek!

 She, of course, was not crying, she was SUPER excited, and she had a fabulous time.

 We have had some pretty good rain lately. Check out the lake that forms in our culdesac...

One of the great things about running is all the different weather that is encountered -- you never know what you are going to get. I have run in pretty much every weather. My least favorite is rain, because I do not like wet feet -- that is awful.

 I have seen some really beautiful skies

 One night, the sun was setting and it was such a powerful moment as the light filled the sky.

 It was awesome.

 The light just kept getting brighter and brighter...

 And on the other side of the sky was a rainbow. I started to jump for joy I was so happy.

 It makes running worth it.

Running is one of the most powerful ways I connect with my Heavenly Father.

I have had to start running with the stroller more lately. It just gets too busy in the evening sometimes, and so I venture out with Henry during the day. I don't mind it too much, I used to push the double stroller running all the time, but it is considerably more of an effort. I make sure and stop so Henry can get out and throw rocks, or play at the park. I just have to remember it is making me stronger.

 This stroller has seen a lot of miles.

 William has moved up in Scouts. He is doing awesome, and he loves it.

 He got some awards at a meeting they held at the Nature Center.

 He is getting so big, I can hardly believe it. He recently turned 9 years old! I am proud of all his hard work in Scouts, and I am especially grateful for his awesome leaders who have done so much!

 Here is Sammi after a long run...

 Because she is naturally faster, she pushes me harder than I might normally go -- which is nice, and not so nice.

I did another 20 mile run on April 30th. (The pic is fuzzy.)

This time I did the run-walk-run technique that my sister recommends. You run 2 miles, and speed walk for 45 seconds. I was not eager to try it, because it seemed silly. But she said it would save me if I would just do it. So I tried it. The result was I shaved an entire 15 minutes off of my last time from a month ago! It was crazy to watch my running times improve with the walking. It didn't make sense. And the last time I ran 20 miles I was completely dragging after mile 15, and by the last mile I could barely move, I think I did a 13 minute mile. This time, my final mile -- mile 19 -- was under a 10 minute pace, and I felt pretty darn good. Overall I kept a 10:03 pace with the added speed-walking. The math does not add up, but it worked! That is the plan for marathon day... the aide stations are every 2 miles, and so we drink, and walk fast through them on purpose.

 My last time was 3:35... so BIG improvement.

 Taking a rest after the 20. Whew!

 I forgot to wear sunblock...

 Sometimes Henry likes to join me on the hammock. He likes to swing and talk to me.

 We sat out at night and watched the sunset together.

 I am grateful for Henry, and his hugs, and snuggles.

 He can be so full of energy, but if I snuggle with him, he calms down and is peaceful.

 Here is Henry waiting to get an ultrasound for his kidneys. It was a follow-up after his UTI.

This was one of many concerts. It was a band concert. Sammi and Daniel are both in band. Sammi plays the piano in Jazz band, and Daniel plays the trumpet. Daniel also plays the French Horn in the 7th grade band. Daniel had a trumpet solo, I will get video of that later. He did awesome. It is so fun to watch him play because he loves it so much.

I felt a little emotional watching Sammi play the piano for the last time. She graduates and is moving onto high school next year.

Both Sam and Dan love music. I am happy about that.

We got stuck out in a Thunderstorm. We were about 3 miles out, and had to take cover in an outdoor bathroom. It was pouring rain, and the lightning was directly over us. Other runners took cover at the bathroom too. It was pretty crazy and exciting. At least we had front row seats for the storm. But it was just not safe to run with bolts flying around so close. We were so wet. It was the maiden voyage for my new marathon day shoes. Nice way to break them in.

 Hanging out in the bathroom with Sam... good times.

After the lightning passed, we continued running in the rain. It rained all the way home, and then the clouds broke, and a huge rainbow appeared the moment we got home. The timing could not have been better. A moment sooner, or later, and we would have missed it.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow... HOME!! 

At the follow-up appointment for Henry, the doctor discovered that she had left a stent inside of him. He had an X-Ray to verify for sure, and it showed up as clear as day. He will have to have a procedure done to remove it. That means another day at the hospital, being knocked out with anesthesia, and getting that thing out of him. It has been there for over a year... it was not supposed to be missed. His recent UTI and ER visit was likely caused from this stent being in his body. Aargh. My poor Henry. 

 Henry was so good, he laid super still, and was calm and peaceful for the X-Ray, and the Ultrasound.

Hmmmm... can you see the stent? I have been told they can cause a lot of discomfort, and that sucker has been in Henry for a long time. Back to the hospital we go. I was so hoping not to be there so often  this year after all of last years visits. I am getting way too familiar with that place.

On to better news... the kids are just bursting with concerts this time of year. The month of May is always crazy with the end of school. I cannot wait for summer! But all the concerts are fun and exciting. I do love to see all their performances.

Here is a little clip that Sammi did for the United Junior High Choir, performed at the Taco Bell Arena. She introduced the choir, and her clip played on the Jumbotron. I missed the performance, because it would have been crazy with Henry, but they said it was fun and wild with so many people.



 It is kind of funny, because Sammi did not want to do choir. At the junior high orientation 3 years ago, I walked her to the choir room, just to take a look. They happened to be playing a performance of Les Mis from a previous year -- she loves Les Mis. She met the teacher, and she made a choice to join choir. It is a choice that will likely shape the course of her future... and not only her future, but Daniel's too. He was not going to do choir either, but after meeting the teacher, and going to a few performances, he wanted in. Now Daniel and Sammi are totally hooked and they sing their choir music all day and all night. I remind Sammi of this pivotal choir moment, when I need her to trust me. Sometimes I know what I am talking about. :)

Sam and Dan in their choir robes -- not the normal costumes, but they were required for the United choir.

I got to take pictures of a wedding. I was there with my friend, Rachelle, and we were able to get different angles at the same time. Weddings are kind of scary because you only have one shot at it. I don't really do weddings, this was a first, but it was pretty fun. Since there were two of us, it took the pressure off. It helped that they were a really beautiful couple. They are very clearly in love. 

This post contains only a portion of all the activities going on. With all the crazy, I am also in my final month of marathon training. There are times when we all just crash and burn around here. I am ready for some summertime fun!