A dream come true

Proof of just how close we were! Row 8, baby!
Our seats were right by the camera guy. It was fun to watch him work.

The names on their jerseys. The sheer mass of their shoes. The size of the Bear's tail. Jimmer Fredette. These are all things that you can see from our seats in the lower bowl that you can't from our regular seats upstairs. Ben and I decided we wanted to spring for lower bowl seats for our anniversary and it was the best thing ever. I really didn't know how to act down there. Most people just acted too cool for school. They didn't really cheer all that much and were more interested in their beer and yelling at the refs than watching the game. I was way excited and probably embarrassed Ben with all my giddiness. You could actually see the plays unfold and you could totally see every foul. We even got to go under the stadium where the players go to use the bathroom. It was really fun. The only thing that sucked was that Deron Williams didn't play. He's my favorite. Oh well, maybe next time? Now I just hope Ben doesn't become a seat snob and complain about our upper bowl seats. I don't care where we sit, I just love the Jazz!

One Proud Mama

Every year I do a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning so I can feel better about stuffing myself silly later that day. My sister and I decided to try the Bountiful 10k for the first time. This year I asked Wilson if he wanted to race with mom. He surprised me by saying yes. Now, I don't know if you remember how butt crack cold it was on Thanksgiving (18 degrees or so) but I thought for sure he wouldn't want to go. I left early and then called Ben to see if Wilson still wanted to and HE DID! I was so amazed. My race started about 5 minutes late so I was scared I was going to miss the start of the 1k. Wilson's bib was locked in my sisters car and she was behind me with a friend. I got done with my race and saw all the kids lined up, but I thought Wilson and Ben were in the parking lot. So I just kept running to the front of the rec center and they weren't there. By the time I got back to the starting line all the kids had already left. Still running, a nice lady pointed me in the direction of the race and I caught up to them! I grabbed Wilson by the hand and we just kept going. He ran the WHOLE TIME! He was even going onto the snow to get around people. I was so proud of him. I hope he got my dad's freaky running genes because I had so much fun with him and the whole family. He got his first racing medal and enjoyed his first free gatorade and fruit at the end of the race. It was definitely a Thanksgiving to remember!

How long was I out for?

A friend of mine asked if I forgot I had a blog. I basically have to say um....yes. Life is nuts, but if my sister Heidi, who just had her fourth child can do it, I can post a little something here and there. I don't really have any super new pictures, but can post some of my favorites from the end of the year.

We went to California on vacation in September 2010 and it was the best vacation ever. We went with Ben's sister, Jennie and her family and Ben's parents. The hotel was perfect, the beach was perfect, the park was perfect, the weather was almost perfect and I would go back tomorrow if I could. To this day, Wil's favorite game to play is vacation. We pack up all our stuff(ed animals that is) and get on a plane, usually to Disneyland. It was awesome and probably the highlight of the year. Here are just a few pics to show you how much fun we had.

Astro Blasters was by far the winning ride. Second was Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise.
Save the Batteries!
Outside the Tiki room, it was the best 1/2 hour of the day in an air conditioned room when it was 100+ degrees outside. Thank you Tiki room!

Wilson was our map guide. This was at Sea World. Man was that awesome. Too bad my camera died shortly after so we have no pictures to remember it by!
Bennett loves Buzz!
Huntington Beach....cheese and pretzels and sand are a lethal combination.

I love this picture. I think it captures what Disneyland is all about.

Wilson and Parker playing in Goofy's backyard.
Bennett was sleeping, so he missed out on meeting the Big Mouse himself.
We lucked out here. Most of the lines to meet the characters were ridiculous, but we just happened to be leaving the dog pound when Goofy came out.
Now that is a strong boy!
On the train around Disneyland. I don't remember it being so fun, but the boys wanted to keep riding it over and over again. It must have been the dinosaurs!
Huntington Beach, I highly recommend it to any who have the means! (name that movie)
Bennett kept yelling at the waves because they just wouldn't leave him alone. "Mommy, the water just keeps coming."

Utah State Fair 2009

I know I say it every year, but it must be repeated.....I LOVE THE FAIR! We went as a family one night and Wilson ate it up. I remember last year we had to drag him through the little farm. This year he was telling me to come on and hurry up! He was so excited to plant, harvest and sort the vegetables and couldn't believe he got a dollar for his efforts. He savored his cheese crackers like they were manna from heaven! We saw the shark show and he got such a kick out of putting his hand in the sharks mouth and going in and out of the shark cage. He loved all the lights and sounds and all the animals. I got to take him down the banana slide this year and it was so fun. He even liked the butter cow and understood what it was.

We went again with Lisa, Parker and Perry. The boys had to endure the quilt building and the scrapbook section, but they had fun. They had some Japanese students doing children's names in Japanese for them. We got all the kids' names done and they each got an origami animal or game to take with them. Parker and Wil loved sitting on the RVs and the huge cow. It is such a fun time and I hope we never stop going!

Sisters and Swiss Days

Of course I forgot my camera, so these are all camera phone pictures.

Look at those hot stems!

How did I let them talk me into wearing these?

We were going so fast the camera couldn't keep up! Lighting fast!

Heather finished like a second before me. Darn these short legs of mine!

Yeah for sisters and Swiss Days!

A long time ago I planned a girls' weekend in Midway for Swiss Days, one of my favorite events to attend. But, everyone baled but Heather and me. We decided to go for it anyway and booked at hotel in Park City (for $65 on priceline, go me) and signed up for the 10k race. It was such a fun time. We saw a chick flick and stayed up way too late just because we could! We got up early for the race and took pictures in our butt flap shorts (which Heather looks way better in than me). Heather and Ben both told me how much better it would be to run in these shorts, but I didn't believe them. Of course being in Park City, we had to stop at the outlets and they just happened to have a good deal on them, so I bought a pair. Let me tell you, the verdict is still out. Whatever you gain in comfort of running, you lose in self consciousness of people looking at you in your short shorts. The race course was beautiful and the weather held up great. I finished in 56:34 which is 6 minutes faster than the last time I ran it, so I am getting better! I actually finished 8th in my age group and 74th out of 500, so it was not bad at all! Heather's brother-in-law was so kind to bring his camera and take the after pics for us. Thanks, Robert!

Ben and the boys came up and we watched the parade. Wilson loved all the tractors and, of course, the candy. It was not even crowded so he got his fair share. We walked around the shops and I had a knockwurst sandwich with extra sauerkraut for good measure! Mmmmm. Sauerkraut. It was another great weekend and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the means!

13.1.....done.

This is me at the final 10th of a mile. Do I look like I'm ready to pass out?

The race started 20 minutes late so the boys were really early. To pass the time Ben was teaching Wil to clap when he saw the runners go by.

Unfortunately, but the time I got there, Wil was all clapped out.

Bennett has one of his faces going.

What a happy boy for gettin up at 6:45!

Still waiting for mommy.

My good friend Rachel. Bennett is her secret boyfriend.

I was so happy when we finished!

My cute supportive family.

Wilson really liked my finishers medal. He calls it my running necklace.

I guess I did learn something in YWs. You know that whole setting goals, creating plans and carrying them out thing? Well, I did it. I don't normally brag about myself or my accomplishments, but I think this deserves a shout out. At the beginning of the year I decided I wanted to run a half marathon before I turned 30 (which is rapidly approaching). So, I set the date and began training. A short 10 weeks later I found myself heading up the Blacksmith Canyon at 6:00 am in a crowded bus full of runners thinking to myself, "Am I really going to do this?" My saving grace was that my ultra amazing more experienced and faster running friend Rachel was by my side the whole time. She pushed me hard down the canyon (not literally, ouch!) and kept me going at a pretty quick pace. By mile 9 I could feel myself getting fatigued, but she kept me going. I was so excited to see my boys at the finish line. That made the experience complete to have my family there rooting for me. My final time was 2:00:30 which is about 15 minutes faster than my original goal. It is probably one of the hardest and funnest things I have accomplished since Bennett was born. It will probably take me about that long for my body to recover from this! I am so grateful for a strong body and mind that helped me do it! While running I kept saying to myself, "Just finish and you'll never have to do this again." But once I was finished and was back at the hotel I was ready to do it again! Running is so addictive and I hope I can keep doing it as long as possible. It has been a good weekend that oddly enough was all focused on me! That like never happens, but it felt wonderful.