Eat more Chicken

I got this in an email today. For those of you who live in UT, go to Chick-fil-A for dinner and make a donation.
I just spent the last hour reading this sweet kid's blog, and I am so touched by his story.
You can go here to read it.

A Day for TrentFund Raiser on Monday, October 13thFor the last 15 months, 8-year-old Trent has been bravely battling AML Leukemia.To help Trent’s family with the tremendous financial burden from medical expenses, Chick-fil-A of South Jordan will be donating 20% of the day’s revenue on Monday, October 13th to Trent’s family.Cash donations will also be accepted, and anyone making a donation of $10 or more will receive a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich to be used on their next visit.In addition, Chick-fil-A of South Jordan will hold a silent auction from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Auctioned items have been donated by local businesses and community members. All proceeds will go to Trent’s family.Please help us in supporting Trent and his family! Call Chick-fil-A of South Jordan with any questions at (801) 727-2697 ******Southtown, Ogden & Layton will be giving a % of sales as well, but only the District Location will have an auction and coupons for donations.

Spread the word...and EAT MORE CHICKEN!!!

What the !@#%^?!!!

I woke up yesterday morning to this:

Yes. Snow. In October. I'm NOT happy. What happened to fall? We went straight from Winter, to Summer and back to Winter again. Half the reason I like living in Utah is because it has 4 distinct seasons. (the other half is that I grew up here, and never had any reason to leave).

What happened to those 4 seasons? For the past year, we just go from one extreme to the other.

I'm not prepared, mentally, for winter yet. I need some more 50-60 degree weather. Give me just one more month. Come on!!!!

Maybe I'll move to St. George.....

Random 10 Friday

I had all sorts of things to say an hour ago...when I was at the grocery store, with nothing to do but buy food, and think about stuff.

Now, I've forgotten all of it. My typical alzheimer's mind is at work again. Or not at work, whichever way you want to look at it.

Ok, here are some random thoughts, just off the cuff.

Taking children to the store to go birthday shopping for their sibling causes major drama. Last night we took TJ to pick out some birthday things. His birthday is next week. He going to be 5. Yeah, I know. I can't believe it either! Anyway, we got home, and KJ went into a major pout attack, because she thought that TJ was the favorite and gets everything he wants, because we didn't buy her anything. I tried to explain that he doesn't get all those things til his birthday, and she will get a chance to go birthday shopping when her birthday comes (in about 3 weeks).

Yes, I let my kids pick out their own toys for their birthday. I don't surprise them. I know, I'm lame. But at least that way, I know they'll like it, and it'll get used.

I promised her I'd take her birthday shopping just the two of us for a girl's night out (she's big on those as you can tell from her Q & A).

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Clint finally came home last night!!! Yeah! He's been in Phoenix all week for work. I got home Sunday night, he left Monday morning. We joked that we just have joint custody of the kids. So, we really haven't been together for a week. I skipped my cousin's baby shower to stay home to be with the family (that, and because Clint didn't get home until 1 hour after the shower started)

Sorry, Camille, I hope it was fun. I cooked dinner for the first time in a week. Novelty, I know.

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Has anyone ever seen this show?

I love it. It's dark, and strange, and funny, and romantic, and morbid.

I love Kristen Chenowith. She played Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. I still haven't seen it. I know.......I'm hoping to snag tickets when it comes to Capitol Theater next year. I'm sure they're already sold out. I have the music on my Ipod, and the sheet music and I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbe1m30RS8c
I don't know if that link up there is going to work. I still don't know how to embed a You tube video within a post. Any help?

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Look what Clint brought home for TJ yesterday.

He's so excited. My little Bryantman.

He also came out dressed like this the other day.

He's got a little Freddy Krueger thing going on. I had no idea boys like to dress up so much, til I had this boy. He also got an awesome Batman costume from Motherboard's Jefe the other night. Bless his heart, he watched my kids for me while we went to YW, while my hubby was out of town. Motherboard, Thank you for sparing your hubby for the sake of my kids, and thanks for the Batman costume!

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So, then we had a random Photo op.

Don't be fooled by the pumpkins on my fireplace. I DID NOT decorate. My SIL gave us three pumpkins from her garden, and this is where I put them, until it gets closer to Halloween, then the kids and I will carve them, and put them on the porch.

Here's KJ showing off her moves....

Me & Peter

TJ (Freddy Spiderman Krueger)

And now....some tunes.....

1. Seasons Change - Corrine Bailey Rae

2. Ready to Run - Dixie Chicks

3. Super Trouper - ABBA

4. Amores Extranos - Laura Pausini

5. High Enough - Damn Yankees

6. Let's Dance - Miley Cyrus

7. Dreaming with a Broken Heart - John Mayer

8. Don't Forget to Remember Me - Carrie Underwood

9. Any Man of Mine - Shania Twain

10. Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton

Bonus: For Good - Kristen Chenoweth & Idina Menzel (Wicked)

I saw this on my friend, Heidi's blog, and thought it was so cute, I just had to post it.
These are all questions I asked the kids. KJ's answers are in purple, and are straight from her, word for word.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Do your jobs.
2. What makes mom happy? Being obedient.
3. What makes mom sad? Being mean to my brother.
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Makes funny faces.
5. What was your mom like as a child? Like me.
6. How old is your mom? 30.
7. How tall is your mom? 30 feet
8.What is her favorite thing to do? Work on the computer (Ok, maybe I blog too much)
9.What does your mom do when you're not around? Play with my brother and sister.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? President.
11.What is your mom really good at? Helping me and my brother and sister
12.What is your mom not very good at? doing cartwheels.
13.What does your mom do for her job? Piano.
14.What is your mom's favorite food? Enchiladas.
15.What makes you proud of your mom? She makes her bed.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Candice, from Finius and Ferb.
17. What do you and your mom do together? Girl's night out.
18. How are you and your mom the same? cuz she's my Mommy.
19. How are you and your mom different? cuz we weren't born on the same day.
20. How do you know your mom loves you?because I love her too.

And TJ's answers are green.

1. What is something mom always says to you?Go to the bathroom before you go to bed.
2. What makes mom happy? being good.
3. What makes mom sad? being naughty
4. How does your mom make you laugh? tickling me.
5. What was your mom like as a child? like me.
6. How old is your mom? 30
7. How tall is your mom? that big (stretches his hands)
8.What is her favorite thing to do? hug me.
9.What does your mom do when you're not around? look for me.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?I dunno.
11.What is your mom really good at? working on the computer.
12.What is your mom not very good at? turning on the TV
13.What does your mom do for her job? go on trips
14.What is your mom's favorite food? tomatoes and onions
15.What makes you proud of your mom? giving me some marshmallows
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? a monster
17. What do you and your mom do together? Play.
18. How are you and your mom the same? cuz we like each other, magic.
19. How are you and your mom different? same way, except different.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? in my brain

Photoshop

Look at what I just did!

Somebody mentioned, I think it was Robin's nest, about the free version of photoshop, so I immediately went over to check out, and played around a little bit.

Remember the pic at the top of my 26.2 post of the Red cliffs?

If not, here it is:

Now look at it!

Cool, huh?! Ok, the colors are a little loud, but it's the first picture I played with.

I'm just excited to share!

Marathon pics!

I just got an email with the proofs from the marathon. Since I'm cheap, and I enjoy stealing every now and again, I just copy/pasted the proofs into my pictures.

Here they are. I don't know if you'll be able to see or not, or if they'll just be thumbnails. I guess we'll see. Here goes......

This is about mile 13-15 or so. See how happy I am? (I'm in the pink) I thought I was so funny "flashing" the camera, so they could see my bib #.

Yeah, not so happy anymore. Mile 24-25-ish.

Sprinting for the finish line.

Almost there.....

Trent, Nicole, Annette, Me, and Brant? (Trent's bro) from my running group, after finishing.

Nicole, Annette & Me

26.2: Rain, Pain and Insane!

OK. That title is lame. Sorry. I'm not feeling very creative today. Probably something to do with the fact that I'm tired and sore. And, no, that is NOT a complaint. I fully accept the side effects of such a crazy feat as running a marathon. And there are some very serious side effects after expending that much physical and emotional energy.

For instance: Immediately after crossing the finish line, you are filled with this adrenaline rush, this endorphin high, and for me, the only thing you can think about is "that was awesome! I want to do it again!" I know. I'm crazy. I get that same feeling after labor and delivering a baby. Seriously. Running marathons, giving birth, cliff diving....all items on the top of my list of exhilarating things to do.

And then there's the after effects. The soreness, the walking around like I just messed my pants because I can't get my legs to work. Walking down stairs backwards. My kids and hubby think that is hilarious. They will come and watch me walk down the stairs backward, whining and groaning as I go, just for kicks. And they like to ask me to go back upstairs to get them stuff, just to watch me go back down again. I'm on stair strike right now. This shouldn't be so hard, because my hubby is leaving today for Phoenix, and he's the troll that lives under the stairs. If he's not home, he NEVER go downstairs. EVER. He's the only reason I have to brave the dark recesses that lurk in our basement. That makes it sound like a dungeon. It's actually a pretty nice basement. Full daylight, lots of play space, and of course that's where Clint's got his big screen, so that's where he "lives".

I'm rambling. Do you want to hear about the race, instead of my basement? OK, fine.

Here's the play by play. If you don't want or need all the gory details, just skip to the end.

We caught the bus at 5 am. We happened to get a bus driver who takes his job VERY seriously. He stood up, before he would allow us to go, we all had to hush and listen to his little introduction. (Keep in mind we are sitting on a school bus). It was imperative that we all hear the safety features of the bus before leaving. So, just in case the bus catches fire, and spontaneously combusts, or whatever, we should exit through the back door. Make sure you bend your knees when you jump out, so you don't hurt yourself. And the reason we are so high is so when the cars run into us we won't feel it. At that moment, I missed my hubby terribly. I look around and could find no one to share in my dire need to seriously make fun of this person.

This is Cam & Larane (they are married) and me on the bus before the race. Yes, I'm sitting on Larane's lap. Shut up.

OK, I'm rambling again.

We made it to the start. It was already pouring rain. We stood in line for the porta-potty, while my oh-so-motivating friend Larane did a little potty cheerleading, trying to get the people in front of us to HURRY UP!!!

We were drenched before the race even started. I stood with Larane in the 3:30 pace section. While, I knew I couldn't finish that fast, I thought, why not get a head start.

Larane zoomed past me, and left me in her dust within the first mile. (She is hardcore fast, and totally admire her).

Around mile 3 the 3:40 pace group caught up to me. I thought, OK, so if I can stay with these guys the whole race, then I might actually qualify for Boston. *note: you get crazy thoughts while running in the driving rain, before the pain sets in*

I kept up with the group for about 4 miles. Then at mile 7, looming in front of us, in all its daunting glory was the dreaded Veyo hill. A 1 mile long steep climb. I slowed. I lost the 3:40 group. OK, I said, just stay ahead of the 3:50 group.

Just then, three of my friends, Annette, Trent, and Nicole from my running group, caught up to me. Annette, another running icon that I look up to, zoomed ahead. Then Trent. Nicole was kind enough to stay with me. We ran together for about ten miles. But, at mile 17's aid station, I decided I needed a snack, and a good rubdown with some icy hot. (God bless those wonderful volunteers!) So, she took off ahead.

And the 3:50 pace group passed me. OK, but I can't let the 4 hour group pass me. At mile 19, I was started to hurt, so I took my magic potion (muscle restoring drink). I felt like Popeye, with his can of spinach. Maybe it was psychological, but the pain subsided, and by mile 20, I was picking up speed. I'm sure it helped the the last 6 miles of the race were down hill.

I dumped my soaking, 10 pound (you think I'm kidding, but I'm not, it was really heavy) long sleeve shirt at mile 23 (little did I know, that would be the last I would ever see my beloved hot pink shirt).

Then, I got my second wind. I sped up, and felt great! I saw the 4:00 pace group right in front of me (when did they pass me--dangit!!). I thought, my goal is within my reach! I can do this. Then I really started to push it! For 2 miles, I was nearly sprinting, trying catch that pace group that would ensure my goal time. I caught tired, and slow down at mile 25.5. I kept saying to myself, come on, you can keep pushing. Less than 1 mile. One mile never took so long. But, I was able to pick it up again, and sprinting my hardest for that last 2/10 of a mile to the finish.

4 hours 2 minutes. Crap. 2 wretched minutes. If I hadn't walked through so many aid stations. If I had just kept pushing harder instead of slowing down.

It's OK. 2 minutes is nothing. Besides my Garmin watch said exactly 4:00. So there you go.

Next time, I can shave off those 2 minutes. And maybe another 20 minutes to qualify for Boston!

After the race, I had to go back to the park to look for my shirt (that wasn't there before). After not finding it, I started back to wear I parked my car in the church parking lot. I was on the phone with my Mom & Dad, tell them about my race, not really paying attention. Suddenly I really I had walked like 10 blocks....in the wrong direction. I had gotten myself lost. Here I am, wandering around down town St. George, on foot, 2 hours after running a marathon. And I can't find my stupid car. I probably walked around 2-3 miles, until I found it.

I know. I'm a glutton for punishment.

It was nice weekend away. It was nice to catch up with my good friend, Kristen, from high school, who met up with me for dinner on Saturday night. And who is another amazing person, who I admire for her incredible running abilities.


Now, today, I have damage control (you know, because I left the kids home with dad all weekend, so there's a "little" mess to clean up). Then I'm getting a massage! Thanks Jess for watching the kids!

These are some of my "on the fly" pictures on the freeway on my way out of town. As if driving 90 mph wasn't dangerous enough, I thought I'd try doing it while taking pictures out my window.

I will post some of the race pics after they get up on the web.

Random 10 Friday

I'm feeling very emotional right now. I don't know why....Ok yes, I do. This is a big week for me.

First of all, I'm leaving in about two hours for St. George. I should be packing and getting ready instead of on the computer, but I just couldn't leave without saying Goodbye first.
So this is it! THE marathon. Ok, not THE marathon. THE marathon would be Boston. But, I'm probably not going there. Not this year, at least. So this is MY marathon, for now. I've had a pretty good week, so there is the slightest hope that maybe I could qualify for Boston, but realistically, I know I can't run quite that fast. I'll settle for finishing the race.
I'm excited to go have a weekend away. This couldn't have come at a better time.
Good luck to Clint with the monkeys. I'm sure there will be a lot of movies and football.
Don't forget to watch conference.....

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Ok, I know I just put that little snippet at the end of my Tag post. I don't know why, but I feel hesistant to talk about it. Like maybe I'll jinx myself if I do. The reality is that my dream, the dream I've had since I was 4 years old, and have been dreaming about my entire life, if finally coming true. I don't want to get my hopes up too much, because the first thing I have to do it just get the recording done. I have a place to go, I have permission from my wonderful supportive hubby to spend the money to do the recording. And I have Greg Hansen, the Godsend, who is going to help me kickstart my career. He called me on Wednesday afternoon, told me he really liked my music, other than the fact that my recordings were on a piano that was out of tune (how embarrassing), and that I can take it wherever I want to.

He has people to help me record, to help design my CD cover, and production, to help me design my webpage, and said he can get me in with Desert Book, FM100 Sounds of the Sabbath, and he can help me book gigs, like firesides, and local concerts.

I have floating on cloud nine! Could this really be happening?

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I spent hours and hours transcribing a rough draft of sheet music for Solitude. I use Print Music, which is a computer program for songwriters. That stupid program kept timing out, over and over, and I kept losing my work. Hours of work. Gone. I got soooo frustrated. So, I sent an email to the help/support/customer service department over at Finale, and they said that the program isn't compatible with Vista, and that's why it's doing that.

Stupid Vista.

Have you seen those PC vs. Mac commercials, where the PC guy gets frustrated with his Vista? Well, it's all true!

So, I paid for and downloaded an updated version of the program, and now I can't register it to use it.

Stupid program.

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I have really got to go take a shower, pack, do laundry, vacuum, go take back the videos, and get ready before 11:30 when I have to pick up TJ from school, and get back and be ready to leave by 12:30 because I'm meeting my friends in Draper at 1:30, and then we're off!

Wish me luck!!!

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Random 10:

1. Stay - Alison Krauss

2. Chariots of Fire - Electronix

3. Thank You for the Music - ABBA

4. Plenty - Sarah Mclachlan

5. Bet on It - High School Musical 2

6. Let me In - Chely Wright

7. No One Else On Earth - Wynonna

8. In & Out of Love - Bon Jovi

9. Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

10. Galileo - Indigo Girls

Bonus:

Lucky 4 U (Tonight I'm just Me) - Shedaisy (this is my theme song)

Happy weekend!

Throwback Thursday

It's been a little while since I've done a Throwback Thursday, and I got a new scanner this week, so I wanted to try it out.

No more taking pictures of pictures! Yeah!

Here are some totally random pictures I found in my cupboard.

This is Clint and me in Key West, FL, in Feb 2007. Aren't we sexy?

This is a picture of my monkeys at Easter time, 2007. I love this picture. Those are live bunnies and ducks. I love this Photographer. She came to their gymnastics, so we signed up. I need to remember her name, and look her up, she does a fabulous job.

This is a pic that my MIL took of me at one of my piano recitals (I think last Christmas)

This is KJ's school picture her last year of preschool in 2006/2007. She looks so little.

This is a picture of Clint and me in Marco Island, FL in Feb. 2005. No, I'm not fat....I was 4 months pregnant with Peter.

We took an awesome airboat ride in the Everglades, during that trip. Here is a really big alligator we saw on the tour.

I had a picture of me holding a baby alligator, and you can see my cute little baby bump, but I can't find it. Dangit. I'll have to post it another time.

Tag

I got tagged twice for two very similar tags, so I'm mixing 'em together. So, here you go!

1. I'm always cold. Always. I sleep with flannel jammies, and an extra blanket every night. Even in the summer. I go outside to warm up because I think my house it too cold. I even have goose bumps right now.

2. Contrary to what I said on the last thing, I am a sweater. Big time. It's kind of embarrassing. After going running, I am literally dripping with sweat. My husband won't hug me, until after I shower. Yes, it is possible to be sweating and freezing at the same time.

3. I can't stand schedules. I hate to be tied down to a schedule. I despise being organized. My husband has tried to cure me of this for years, but I'm holding on to my values of flying by the seat of my pants, and doing what I feel like, when I feel like.

4. I have naturally curly hair. And I have always hated it. I usually straighten it, but I always have the little curly hair halo going on. Especially when it's humid or rainy.

5. Eating is one of my biggest hobbies. I LOVE FOOD! I'm constantly snacking. Constantly. I have a major sweet tooth. I always have food with me by the computer. And I love to eat out.

6. I am a dish nazi (according to my sister, Kat). I may have a totaly disaster of a house, but my dishes are done. Usually. I would say always, but I hate to unload the dishwasher. But, I really hate having dishes in the sink or on the counter, so I do it.

7. Greg Hansen called me today and wants to help me produce my CD!! YEAH!!!!!!!! Here I go....living my dream!!!!!!!

Ok, I tag: Kris, Jess, Natalie, Peggy, Kresta, Mandi, Holly, and whoever else wants to do it.