Quotable Quote for August

This is Greg. He is my nephew. He is at the age where he comes up with some really funny lines. He'll show you how to make a funny "two" with his fingers...think "hookem' horns"...and tell you "This is a funny two." He LOVES Gummy Bears and will ask about a million times if you want to go for a "walk" so he can get to the Gummy Bears. If he beats you when you race he'll say "If you want, I'll let you win next time" especially if it means more Gummy Bears.

And he asks A LOT of questions,

-Carson (or Dave, I can't remember who for sure): "Man, he asks a lot of questions."
-Me: "Yes he is always curious."
-Greg (as he is walking by and overhears my comment): "Hey, I'm not a monkey."

Love that kid and his quotable quotes. I just wish he (and the rest of his family) lived closer.

It Was Almost a Wasted Summer

At the start of summer I had big plans. Plans and goals that would improve my organization, improve my health, and improve my spirituatlity. And even though I was excited and motivated at the start of summer, I failed in one important part of planning/goal setting. I didn't write the goal down and I didn't set aside specific times to accomplish the goals. I guess I technically failed at two aspects of goal setting.

I was going to eat vegetarian 5 days a week but I was unprepared for this major life change. So instead, I just didn't cook anything at all and we ate cold cereal for dinner more times that I would like to admit.

I was going to go to the temple once a week but I never remembered to call to set up a time. So instead, I let my recommend lapse.

I was going to organize my Tupperware/plastic storage containers cupboard but...oh wait, this was the only goal that I actually managed to accomplish. And while I was at it, I cleaned out two of the junk drawers in the kitchen.

So how sad is it, that the only goal that I actually fulfilled was the one of least importance? I can only imagine how fulfilled I would have felt if I had achieved the other two goals.

Fun Facts for Friday

• Today is my 22nd wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has been 22 years--mostly because that makes me sound so much older than I am; you know I'm still 29 right?
• Carson passed the written section of his drivers licensing exam today. He only missed two questions. His driving test is next Friday. How can a 29-year old be old enough to have her 2nd child be a licensed driver?
• Best thing about taking Carson to the DOL? I didn't have to do it! Dave got to have that adventure. I despise the waiting at the DOL. My interest in people-watching wears off after about 30 minutes and then I am bored out of my mind for the next hour that it usually takes before my number is called. Dave agreeing to take Carson to the DOL could possibly be one of the best anniversary presents ever.
• Katelyn's laptop came today. You would have thought it was Christmas if you had seen the smile and excitement in her eyes as she opened the box. Seriously, I'm not old enough to have a child heading off to college in 11 days.
• I had a great 8.5 mile run this morning. The first 5 seemed hard, but by time I met my friend for the last 3.5 I was warmed up and those last miles felt super easy. Guess I'm not really 29 because it wouldn't take a 29-year old that long to warm up.
• It looks like we should have nice weather next week for the last week of summer. I am so grateful for the nice weather we have had this summer.

Spokane 2 Sandpoint: The RR (race report)

We SODDO n’t Run!

What do two Bankers, an ambulance chaser, a software salesman, a stay at home mom, a concrete pumper, a cleaner, an HVAC installer, two elementary school teachers, a nurse and a juvenile corrections officer have in common? We SODDOn’t run!

But once again, we’ve come together to run for a good cause. Our team name honors those who serve at the Soddo Christian Hospital in Soddo Ethiopa.

You can identify our team through our black SODDO Shirts and our common language: Sarcasm.
And while we may act bitter during the race, we know that we are truly blessed to live in a place where we use vacation days and pay an entry fee to endure a small hardship like this race. So when we are hot, tired, hungry and thirsty maybe we’ll remember how fortunate we really are and that we are called to help others.

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2

 

That was the intro for our team as we were introduced before our 10 a.m. start time. Five other teams were in our heat and once their introductions were read, the starting horn blew and our relay adventure began.

First up was Nick. He had the pleasure of not only running the first leg, but also participating in the first contest...The Wild Wig.

I don't know what kind of clips he used to keep that wig on his head for the whole 5 miles, but he arrived at the exchange point with wig and cape on. He passed the baton off to me and I was off for the first of my 3 legs.

I also had a 5 mile run. My leg was from Bear Creek Lodge to the fire station. I was fortunate that most of my run was shaded and along the creek so even though the temperature was approaching 80 degrees, I wasn't too bothered by the heat. Of course, it did help that my run was downhill the whole way.

Feeling good and cruisin' down the mountain

Getting ready to pass the baton to Sandy

I knew I was going pretty fast (for me) but I wasn't sure how fast until I finished and realized that I had covered the 5.1 miles in 40 minutes. That was pretty sweet and the icing on the cake was that I passed two guys in the last mile. I had had one of them in my sights for at least the last 2.5 miles and steadily closed the gap. I can't remember when we picked up the other guy, but I do remember thinking that I didn't want to pass them too soon because I knew that would provide them some motivation to go faster because they wouldn't want to be passed by a girl. And in fact, one of them did pass me back after my initial pass, but he couldn't maintain the pace and I passed him again and picked up the pace just a little to put some distance between us.

Once I passed the baton off to Sandy, I was ready to cool down any way I could. Fortunately for me, the creek ran right behind the fire station and I sat down on a rock, put my feet in the water & took a few minutes to cool down. It was bliss.

Sandy had a 3 mile leg and passed the baton to Jen. Jen was amazing! She had the longest leg, 7.8 miles, in the wide open, absolutely no shade, and the temperature close to 90. But she just gritted her teeth and got it done with average pace around 9 min miles.

Jen still smilin' and killing this leg

Jen finished up and then passed the baton to Roy. We made a couple of rookie mistakes while Roy was running. First, we stayed too long at Jen's exchange point after she passed off the baton and Roy had to wait at the portage point for 3 minutes (runners are ported across Highway 2 by their support van). The second mistake was we turned right when we were supposed to go straight. Fortunately, Roy kept going the right way, but because we got off course we weren't there to keep him doused with water. I realized our mistake after about 10 minutes, but Roy covered about 1.5 miles in that amount of time. By time we caught up to him, he was pretty hot and ready to be sprayed down.

Roy finished up his leg and then it was Marv's turn. Marv not only drew a hard leg, he also was supposed to wear the "brightest outfit". By this time it was in the 90's and even though the rest of us were trying to talk him out of wearing all his garb, he was insistent that he follow through on what was asked of him.

Nick helping Marv get ready

Marv had a crazy hard leg. It was 6.8 miles of hills and heat. With 1.5 miles left, there was a couple who lived along the course and had set up a hose so the runners could cool themselves off. We insisted that Marv stop and spray himself down.

Marv was a trooper and finished up the leg with his full costume, including wig and sunglasses.

Marv passed off the baton to Van 2 after we had been racing for about 4.5 hours. We headed back to my house for some food, showers, and sleep. We had about 3 hours before we got the call that our turn was coming up again.

We started our next leg at Mirabeau Park and ran along the Centennial Trail to Coeur d'Alene City Park. Marv led the way, passed off to Jen (who ran 8 minute miles for her 3.8 mile leg), Jen passed the baton off to Nick, and Nick passed the baton off to me.

I won't lie, my second leg was the hardest one for me. I think it had more to do with the time of day (9:00 at night) than anything else. It was another 5 mile stretch along a pretty familar route. I didn't love that it was pitch black and I was running on the Centennial Trail through Post Falls all by myself. I didn't see one other runner while I was running this particular leg. I have to admit that I had mixed emotions about my teammates being able to stick close once I got on the city streets. On one hand, I was glad to know they were close and that made me feel safer. But on the other hand, I was feeling pretty tired and I just wanted to walk, but I couldn't walk with them right there. So, I just kept plugging along and finished up the 5 miles with a 8:45 pace.

I handed off to Sandy, who then handed off to Roy. Once Roy finished up (around midnight) we were done with our second set and it was time for some food and rest. We headed up to Roy's house and enjoyed the buffet that his wife had set out for us. After a shower and starting some laundry, it was time to hit the sack. We thought we would probably have about 3 hours before van 2 called us, but at 2:30 in the morning they texted us to say that their runner was only 60 minutes out. Ugh, that was 45 minutes ahead of schedule. Oh what I wouldn't have given for just another hour of sleep!

We arrived at the exchange point and it was go time again. Marv, Roy, Jen, Nick, me and then Sandy. It was so good to be done with my final 5 miles! After we finished up our final stage we headed to Jen's cabin on Spirit Lake for a little relaxing on the deck and dock.

Getting ready for my last 5 mile run

Jen, Me, Sandy, Nick, Roy, and Marv enjoying the lake.

Van 2 finished up the last 33 miles and after 26 hours 49 minutes and 52 seconds our Spokane 2 Sandpoint Adventure was completed. We finished 13th in our division (open mixed) and 19th overall. It was a blast and I would totally do it again, even though my quads were trashed from all of the downhill running I did (how crazy is it that 2 out of my 3 runs had a significant elevation decline?)

Even though the sign says "Start" it really was the finish.

Me and the 2 ladies who talked me into this crazy adventure. Thanks Jen and Heidi. I loved it!

 

Running a New Race

Tomorrow I am participating in a new race challenge for me. I am joining 11 other runners to form a team that will run from Mt. Spokane to Sandpoint, Idaho. I have never run this type of relay race and I am nervous as well as excited. My friend Jen talked me into to it.

So I have been doing some double runs, that is to say, a 4 to 5 mile run in the morning and then repeat that same run in the evening. I have also been trying to run a couple of mid-day run, which has met with little success. I just don't run well in the heat. I feel pretty prepared and fortunately I don't have any mid-day runs. I estimate I'll start my first run sometime around 10:45 in the morning. It is a 5-mile downhill run and should be pretty shaded. My next leg is another 5-mile run and should start sometime around 7:30 or 8:00 at night. I'm hopeful that it will be starting to cool off by then because the daytime temps for Friday are supposed to be in the mid-90's. Then my final leg will be probably early Saturday morning and is another 5 mile run.

The thing I am most stressed out about is actually quite a silly thing to be worried about. We are using my house as a pitstop on Friday afternoon and I'm worried about my house decor or lack thereof. How silly, I know, but nevertheless, I worry about being judged on my lack of home decor. My friend assures me that nobody is going to care about the house decor. She even joked that because it is 4 men that will be coming to my house they will not even notice the home decor. They will just be worried about showering, sleeping, and eating.

I'll provide a race report later this weekend.

Redistribution of Wealth?

This past legislative session our legislators kind-of mucked up the insurance system for public school employees. It was passed at the very last possible moment and without much time for legislators to read the bill. And there was definitely no time whatsoever for those affected, public school employees, to comment on the proposed compromise.

The law is complicated and the bill so poorly constructed that those in charge of writing the WAC's (administrative code) haven't been able to satisfactorily complete the codes. This has kept the school districts from being able to provide a clear picture of what the costs to the employees will be. There is one cost that has become clear...those individuals who only insure themselves will now have to pay a portion of their premiums. The law says that families will not pay more than 3x than the individual.

Oh how the wailing and knashing of teeth that has gone on because of that one item. Those who insure only themselves and choose a plan that doesn't go over the amount allotted from the state don't feel like they should have to pay more just to support those who have a family. Some of the arguments I have heard are:

• It's not fair
• I choose not to have children so why should I pay more?
• I've already spent 20 years paying the increased premiums when I had children at home, now it's my turn to suck off the system have some reduced costs.

But here is my take on this particular section of the new legislation...it is not that much different than socialism. The law takes money from those who have more (those who insure only themselves) and gives it to those who have less (families) all in the name of making things more equitable and fair. That sounds an awful bit like our current welfare system (and where our current president wants us to continue to languish) doesn't it? Take from those who have more (those who have worked incredibly hard to get where they are at) and give to those who have less (or perhaps choose not work because why work if the system will pay me not to).

This is probably not a very popular interpretation on the situation and maybe I'm wrong in my interpretation, but that is how I see it. I just wish I had been brave enough to share my thoughts about this today at the executive board meeting for our local teachers union--I'm a member of the executive board but definitely find myself in the minority of several political issues and it's hard to be brave when you are the only voice for that particular viewpoint.

A Charitable Moment and Changes

Ha ha, the title makes it sound like me having a charitable moment is a rarity. And I suppose in this particular instance it is. Today I drove girls to Girls' Camp and actually enjoyed the experience.

I have driven to Girls' Camp many times, but it was always out of a sense of obligation because Katelyn was attending camp. Even when I didn't initially volunteer, I still wound up either driving up or picking up girls because we had an SUV and could haul gear and girls. And even though it was mostly voluntary (self-imposed guilt if I said no always meant I would say yes), I still didn't enjoy the experience or wasn't really a willing participant.

But this year, Katelyn was not attending camp. I had no obligation whatsoever for driving, but when they asked for volunteers I found myself raising my hand. I couldn't stop myself. I wanted to drive this year because today, the day they needed drivers, I had absolutely nothing else to do. Carson was off on a wrestling retreat, Katelyn and Dave were at work, and Josie was content due to a long run this morning.

So this afternoon at 2 o'clock I picked up three 4th-level girls and headed out on the 90 mile drive to Girls' Camp. I enjoyed the drive. I enjoyed listening to the girls. I didn't care that they didn't say "thank you for the ride." I didn't care that it was 90 miles up and 90 miles back. I was just happy to serve in this way.

Speaking of Katelyn and change, this morning I got a glimpse of what my grocery shopping trips might look like next year. Today, a week's worth of groceries fit into the small shopping cart. Now, Katelyn isn't a huge eater, but without her home it will mean one less gallon of milk a week; 2 less loaves of bread; a couple of less boxes of cereal; and in general smaller amounts of prepared meals. It was a strange moment when I realized that shortly all of my grocery shopping trips will only require the small cart.

Flathead Fun

My grandparents have a beautiful lake house right on the north shore of Flathead Lake.

I have gone there since I was little.

Sometimes we make it over every summer

And sometimes there are big breaks.

But we made it over this summer

And I am so glad we did.

My brothers, Nathan and Dan,

And my sister, Rachael

And all of the kids associated with those siblings

were there.

I was so happy to spend time with all of them...

Even the lacking-of-common sense teen-age boys.

After a very late night, they all squished onto the tiny little "table" bed in the travel trailer.

Dave helped me accomplish a long-standing goal of mine...

to swim to the island.

"The Island"

The island is somewhere between 1/2 mile and 3/4 mile from my grandparents.

Dave said "Let's do it!" and I said "OK!"

The kids played on the tube

Even played on the tube when it wasn't in the water

Carson threw rocks in the water and gave rides on the paddle lounger

Katelyn rode the tube, gave rides on the wave runner and held the baby



The adults enjoyed catching up with each other

I thought it was a great time

And I'm glad we got to go.



Somebody Had a Birthday

This little boy

turned 16 on Monday!

This was his birthday wish list:

• Godfather I and II
• Shawn Kemp Sonics jersey
• Bottled RC cola
• Charleston Chews

What he got was 6,000 calories worth of junk food in the form of:

• 12-pack of RC cola
• 4 bottles of Coke because I couldn't find bottled RC cola
• 4 boxes of mini Charleston Chews
• Swedish fish
• 1 box of Twinkies

He requested I not do a birthday post because apparently I always make them too serious, giving him advice of ways to improve, and other things he doesn't want to hear. So I will honor his request and just post some of my favorite pictures of him from this past year...

Planting flowers for me

Cheering on his dad at the STP...does that sign count as "cheering on"?

Fly fishing in Yellowstone July 2011. That's a big can of bear spray!

Walking the dusty trail with Grandpa

First day of school September 2011--last "first day of school" pic with his big sis

I couldn't leave out a picture of "Colette"

Pre-op just after receiving the Versed

Post-op. Hopefully that shoulder is good to go.

Logan Canyon

Palouse Falls

Oh yeah, Tour de France girls!

Proud to wear the Red, White, and Blue

With the big sis in front of Notre Dame

It was a busy year with some fun photo memories.

Now, get busy and do what you need to do
so you can get your driver's license!