By the Way

I haven't had a chance to post it yet, but I did run in the Speedy Spaniard on Thursday, and... I made it! I finished my first 10k which was also my first race, ever.

So, 6.2 miles is a lot further than I thought. I am so grateful for my running buddy Emily who kept my mind off of how bad my shins hurt and how long we were taking. It was fun to run with her and enjoy the beautiful morning. She had never run farther than 4 miles and I had never run more than 5 so when we got to those milestones we cheered for each other. Just as we came up on the last mile the children's race started. Her son was running in it and she really wanted to see him so we picked up the pace. He ended up finishing just a few people before us. Sorry Emily, I'll try to go faster next time. Next time?

Ryan also ran the race, along with some friends from the neighborhood and a few hundred other people. I had no idea it was such a big race. I felt a little silly being so far in the back but Emily and I managed to keep a steady pace and run the whole way. I can't really call myself "Speedy" but I'm proud to say I'm not a quitter either.

I feel a real sense of accomplishment at finishing a goal. It was a challenge and I did it!

Happy Birthday Austin!

It finally came! Austin's birthday, yeah! After swimming at the new Payson pool we had a BBQ at our house. It was a great party with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and even a fiance.

The best part was when Austin opened his presents which had been taunting him on top of the fridge all day. Of course the gift that stole the show was the vacuum that Dallin spent hours looking for on line. Austin is pretty attatched to that vacuum, no pun intended. He got some other great gifts too, that he may discover in the coming weeks if he can ever set that vacuum aside to look at them.

New Music

Yesterday I took the kids to see Speed Racer and during the credits this song was playing. I loved it! So I bought it today and wanted to share it with all of you. Lucky you. I'm not always a fan of the playlists but this song just makes me smile. Maybe it helps that I saw the movie and loved it. Anyway, feel free to turn down the volume if you don't like it.

I love getting music from movies that I enjoy like Transformers. So that song is on the playlist too. There is also another one from a movie called Step Up. It might be a little strong but it's great to work out to. I may keep adding songs that I like to work out too like New Soul, cause they make me smile and I've decided running is a lot easier if you're smiling.

Someone's Excited!

Austin's birthday isn't until next week but he's already super excited. We were driving the other day and I heard him say something about "Happy Birthday Austin." I think it may be a result of several older siblings getting excited and singing Happy Birthday to him every day for the past couple weeks. Dallin decided almost a month ago what to get him after spending a couple of hours on Amazon looking for toy vacuums. My job is definitely getting easier.

Happy 2nd Birthday Austin. We love you.

Day 6 Home Again

First stop, Arches National Park. C'mon guys, just one more, you can do it.

"Mom, why did Jesus put these stairs here?"

"I don't think Jesus made these stairs Eden, probably a man did."

"Oh, so Superman made these stairs?"

"Yeah, he probably did."

(A little hot, a little tired, but still thinkin'. )

This is what the kids were doing while we drove through Canyonlands. The last National Park we tried to squeeze in before a mad dash home. This is what they missed.

Day 5 Mesa Verde, Spruce Tree House and Cliff Palace

So, you have to buy tickets to see the more difficult cliff dwellings. They are guided tours at specific times. We had tickets to see The Balcony House at 1:30 and then The Cliff Palace at 3:30. We figured we had enough time in between to see this Spruce Tree House that was only a mile round trip. Well, we were running a little short on time so I put Austin on my shoulders and Ryan put Eden on his and we hoofed it back up the trail. At 7,000 feet elevation my lungs were screaming and so were my calves. But we made it, barely.


By the time we were done with the tour of Cliff Palace Eden was a master of these wood ladders. She says, "take my picture mom, these ladders aren't so hard anymore."

Our opinion of Mesa Verde. Cool. A must see, but be prepared for some death defying climbs and impressive views.

Day 5 Mesa Verde, The Balcony House

We had to climb this 35 foot ladder, and it didn't start on ground level! It started on a cliff ledge that was already a couple hundred feet up.

Ranger Paul. He was just funny.

Look real close. No Wall! Yes, we are still several hundred feet up. And yes, I have all four of my beautiful children with me. And no, they didn't get anywhere near that ledge!

Austin finally gets out of the backpack to crawl through this tunnel. The highlight of his confined afternoon.

We made it. This was the most terrifying climb of all. Especially since I had to half push, half carry Eden up a sheer rock face. Nope, not fun. But worth it, somehow.