Ouch...That One Hurt

So the other day I was taking Katelyn to CDA for tennis lessons. I had invited a friend to go with me so we could check out the new Croc center and make a Costco run for contraband dishwasher soap. On the way home, my friend was chatting with Katelyn. Here is an excerpt from that conversation. Friend: So Katelyn what is it that gives you the most teen-age angst? Katelyn: Not having a cell phone. Friend: Really? Not having a cell phone bothers you more than anything else? Katelyn: Yep. Friend: So have you reached the stage when it is embarrassing and really not cool to be seen with your mom? Katelyn: Yesss said with a huge, exasperated sigh. I knew this stage would come sooner or later, but it still hurt to hear it verbalized. Especially since up to this point, Katelyn was always the child I could count on to not just acknowledge me when out in public, but she would always give me a hug. I guess I haven't reached "cool mom" status. And maybe that's OK. I'm really not sure what I would need to do to improve my coolness and I don't really think it is possible since every kid thinks their parent is the least cool. Sometimes it is hard having your children grow up and reach these important developmental milestones. It is a reminder that they are here with us only for a short while.

Fore!

Whew, what a day today was. I golfed in a BYU alumni tourney with my dad, hubby, and brother. So much fun! I started the day off with a great drive--one the boys could actually use. For the next, I don't know how many holes, I couldn't hit anything. Well, except for the group that was in front of us, ON THE NEXT TEE BOX. I did that twice. Dad said that was OK because they brought me along for my putting. Not sure why today was the day for putting, but I was on FIRE! I think I one-putted most of the greens today. And we didn't have one bogey on a hole, Thank you very much. Eventually I did manage to get 2 more drives that were worth something. That made me feel better. I was a little stressed about not getting another good drive, let alone 2 (we had to use at least 3 drives from every player). We didn't win, but we also weren't the worst team out there. And I forgot to mention, there was only one other lady golfer and she was a golfer, not some weekend wanna-be like me. Guess what. Her team was last. Not sure if I should be so happy about that because it would have been nice to have both co-ed teams make a good showing. Anyway, Go Cougars.

Not That Kind of WalMart Shopper

Background: At mile 5 of my race last Saturday I felt the liberally applied BagBalm wearing off. By the end of the race I knew I had a monster chafe, but I didn't know how bad it was until Katelyn said "Mom, are you bleeding?" Um, yeah. Consequently all this week the bra has come off as soon as I get home from work and doesn't go back on until the next morning. Conversation at dinner tonight: Hubby: Carson and I are going to WalMart to get some construction paper for his project. Let's make it a family outing. Me: Um, no thanks. I'm not putting a bra back on. Carson: That's OK, you don't have to. Hubby: Yes, she does! Carson: No, it'll be OK because we are going to WalMart. Thanks, son, but I'm not that kind of WalMart shopper.

Goal Achieved

Yesterday I met my goal for the 1/2 marathon I ran. I wanted to run in under two hours and my official time was 1:58:afew seconds. I am very grateful that I was able to reach this goal and I absolutely could not have done it without my Heavenly Father's help.

Sure I had the training under my belt and was feeling mostly confident in my training. But I had a couple of things beyond my control that were stacked against me. First, the last few long training runs resulted in a foot injury. On these runs, my foot started hurting pretty bad around mile 6 or so. The pain was such that there were a couple of times I wasn't sure I would finish the training run. Second, the pesky monthly clock was set to go off yesterday morning. This leaves me feeling completely drained and sidelined with some gnarly cramps. Friday night I prayed that these two issues wouldn't be a factor in keeping me from achieving my goal. And they weren't. The foot felt great the whole race and the clock waited until this morning to go off.

Now some may attribute the foot not hurting to the good rest program I initiated last week (a couple of short runs, lots of ice, and ibuprofen). And the delay in the monthly clock I suppose could be attributed to ramped up training miles and some anxiousness about the race. But I know that it was the tender mercies from my Heavenly Father that rained down on me yesterday that helped me achieve my goal. I know that it was He who pushed me the rest of the way in when I totally bonked at mile 9. I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who cares for me enough to bless me to fulfill my totally worldly goal of finishing in under 2 hours.

I also am grateful to cheerleaders who got up early to see us off at the starting line

I am also grateful for an excellent training buddy whose stride matched my stride (although in this picture we both look like we are fast walking instead of running).

And I am especially grateful for a wonderfully supportive family, who I neglected to get a picture taken with when I crossed the finish line. Without their love and support I would not be able to get in the training time that I need. I so appreciate that they found me along the run and cheered for me. And knowing that they were waiting for me at the finish line kept me putting one foot in front of the other.

Oh, and I can't wait for my next half marathon. This one was a pretty good experience, with the exception of bonking at mile 9.

Superstar Siblings

My mom sent me a Mother's Day card, which in and of itself is awesome because, hello, she's my mom and she is sending me a card. Anyway, on the card she wrote "We are amazed by all you do." This phrase has given me a lot to think about over the past couple of days. I don't think that I do anything above and beyond what other working moms do. And the things that I do, do, I'm not sure that I do them well enough to be amazed by them. This is especially true when you put what I do into perspective with what my siblings have done, gone through, or are currently going through.

• I have never had to suffer the pain of a failed marriage and losing two children. But my brother has.
• I have never had to suffer the uncertainty/stress of having a husband who hasn't worked since February and has trouble finding work because we live in an industry-barren community. But my sister has AND she has a life-threatening chronic condition.
• I have never had to try and manage two different life-threatening conditions while suffering from a learning disability that makes just managing every day life difficult. But one of my brothers has.
• I have never had to try and balance going to medical school with providing for my family. But my youngest brother has.

This sounds so cliche, but my siblings have learned how to make lemonade out of the lemons they were given.

My divorced brother re-married and has 3 beautiful children with his lovely wife. His ability to rebound has been remarkable and I am in awe that his faith never seemed to waiver through all his years of turmoil with his ex-wife.

My sister's versatility is amazing as she finds ways to make ends meet while her husband waits for his work to pick back up. She calls herself a "one woman temp agency". She cracks me up and her positive, "things will work out" attitude is truly remarkable to me.

My brother with the life-threatening conditions probably has the hardest draw since his learning disability really does hamper his critical thinking skills. Yet, each day he wakes up and has a new plan for how he is going to support his family. He is currently attending the local community college to improve himself and his job skill set.

My brother in medical school just welcomed his 2nd child into the world early Monday morning. He and his wife are fabulous parents. I know that he takes his job as student very seriously. But he also takes his role as father just as serious. He does home improvement projects when he has time, spends quality time with his 2 year old, faithfully fulfills his calling at church and I'm sure will help as much as he can with the new little guy.

My siblings are the every day heroes and I am amazed by all that they do. Growing up I always heard, "you are the oldest and need to set the example for the younger kids." Well I can tell you that I often look to my younger siblings as examples because of all that they dealt with and continue to deal with.

Mom, I hope you let my sister and sister-in-laws know how awesome they are and that you are amazed by all that they do.

Happy School Nurse Day

Yes, it's true. There is such a thing as School Nurse Day. It is buried in the middle of Teacher Appreciation Week and today is the day. It has been a great day. The secretaries at one of the schools I work at gave me a beautiful little rose plant, I won a $50 Starbucks card for participating in a survey that I filled out like in March, and I got to have lunch with my nursing peeps. Oh and I wrote a little song in honor of school nursing.

Here are my nursing peeps:

We are dining at the fine Vin Rouge establishment. Now here is a picture with me and my peeps

And here is a picture of our very patient waiter:

The song: well it's just to special to share--not really. It's really just kind of silly and my kids are completely embarrassed that I wrote it and then SANG it at the restaraunt. But it is School Nurse Day and I felt entitled to disrupt everyone's dining experience by sharing my little celebration of School Nurses--even though I don't really think I disrupted anyone but the other school nurses since we were in a room by ourselves, separated from the main dining room. All in all, a fun day and today I like my job. Actually all this year I have really enjoyed being a school nurse. I do it because I enjoy children and believe that helping children stay healthy goes a long way in helping them to be better learners. This year has definitely been more than applying band-aids and doing lice checks. It has been challenging and rewarding.

Loved and Appreciated

There is nothing like travelling to remind you of all the things you love and appreciate. For me, travel reminds me how much my family, both extended and nuclear, means to me.

This past Monday through Thursday I was in St. Louis visiting my brother, his wife, and daughter. It was a wonderful visit. I loved being in their home and absorbing the Spirit that is felt there. My brother and his wife are great. I wish I knew enough adjectives to describe my delightful little niece. She is two and I so enjoyed being able to bask in her 2-ness. We played toys, did art projects, took walks around the botanical gardens and zoo. We went shopping. I loved it all. I did get a little wistful in remembering when my children were 2 and somehow I don't think I enjoyed their 2-ness nearly as much as I enjoyed Charlotte's.

When I got home, the boys picked me up from the airport. I asked Carson if it was good to have mom home and his first response was "Yeah, Dad never fed us." He then said, "It was almost like I was already out of the house. I had to get myself up, get to school, walk home and study. The only thing I didn't have to do was pay the utility bill." Aw, it's nice to be missed. I guess making the time to cook dinner and being home to get him up for school, drop him off, and most days being home right around the same time as him really does mean a lot. I love you too, buddy.

Yes, travelling does remind me of the things that I love and appreciate. Apparently, it also keeps me in the forefront of my family's mind because they realize all that I do behind the scenes. Even though the hubby thought I was away for too long, I thought it was just right. I think it was because I got to spend time with my stinkin' cute niece and her awesome parents.