FRIDAY- super cranky preston allll daaaay long * quick trip to the library to pick up more books (hooray for reading!!) * Walk with Kylie & Layla * much needed nap for Preston * Starting "The Walk". It was good, but sad. * Getting pep talks throughout the day from Krissa for Saturday's activity * Time outside with Preston looking at birds * Drinking water like a camel * Quick grocery trip for diapers & ingredients for Sunday's dinner * More reading * More pep talks * Going on a 1 day Michael Phelps carbo load diet: macaroni & cheese for lunch, chicken parmigiana/spaghetti for dinner * Game night for Patrick * Fun Run episode of The Office to inspire me * Chatting with Rox on the skinny camera * More reading (yeah, my chores were neglected last week) * Trying to get to bed early, but failing when I couldn't sleep * dreams about missing my alarm *

SATURDAY- Participated in my first (but not last?) 10k - no, thats not 10,000 miles. * Tripping before the race even started * Wishing I could run in a snuggie due to the cold * Finishing the 10k * relaxing * Bruce's birthday party! * Cleaning * Patrick hacking our wii * Dinner * Reading * Bed at like 8:30 *

SUNDAY- ooooooohhhhh the sorenesssss. I shall complain for days no doubt * church * visits with friends * Reading when I should have been napping and then regretting it * Playing Family Feud on the wii * A most delicious dinner * Mapping out my garden * Preston time * Enjoying the outdoors * More reading * Bed

This week we don't have too much planned. Patrick started a new shift. He now works Mon-Fri 9:30-6. Good for Mon-Fri, bad for the not getting off till 6. Means he wont get home till around 6:45 & Preston goes to bed at 7:30. So we'll be pushing Prex's bedtime back a bit to accommodate. Besides that not too much! Bruce a few days, walks, birthday party, and a new Glee on Sunday. F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.

"I was runnin"

Sometimes your friends talk you into stuff.
Like running a 10k.

And sometimes you try to talk yourself out of it, and into it, and out of it again because your not a runner and obstacles got in the way of your Rocky Balboa training schedule.
But then sometimes you decided your just gonna do it.
Because it's for a good cause.
And because it's with a good friend.
And because you just wanna show people and yourself that you can do it.

And thats how I came to participate in London's Run Saturday at Schnep Farm with Krissa and her mom Becky.

It was a really really pretty day out.
Freezing cold that morning though.

(You can't see it, but there was a look of fear in my eyes hidden by sunglasses)

Our goal was to finish in 1:45 (thats 1Hr 45Min).
MY goal was just to finish.
We ended up doing it in 1:29 (Krissa's mom finished in 1:20!!!)

We could have been faster but we had to take a bathroom break 1/2 mile in.

TOP 5 HIGHLIGHTS

5. Seeing cotton on the trail and realizing it wasn't rabbit tails/feet, but just regular old cotton.
4. Beating the 2 guys who kept trying to pass us.

3. "We Can Do Hard Things": This was the motto of the race, and we tried to repeat it while we were running, but we had a hard time remembering it. Most of the time we just said "We're doing hard things".
2. Passing water stations and acting like a true runner by grabbing the water, drinking it and then throwing the cup. I don't think I actually drank much water, I just wanted to throw the cup.
1. The finish line. I could have cried. Not just because it was over, but because I did it. There was such an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.

Will I do another?
Probably.
I think we can do it faster.
No, I KNOW we can do it faster.

Plus I give in to peer pressure easily.

You should come to dinner sometime

I love having people over for dinner!! Gives me a chance to make fancy food instead of our regular staples. Last night Patrick's dad came over and we had a great dinner. Check it out

HERE

And let me know anytime you wanna come eat with us! For reals!!

"Your waiting for a train. . . "

Dear Leo.

I'm sorry you once again got snubbed by the members of the Academy. You should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Inception. After all, how can a movie be nominated for Best Picture when it's main star (or director for that matter) isn't nominated?!
I'm taking it very personally.
In your honor I shall post this "Truth is" list that my brother John once created.
Maybe next year will be different.
I'll never let go.

The truth is: Leonardo Di Caprio Edition

When I wash my hands I spell out Q-U-A-R-A-N-T-I-N-E.

I heard a news host once call him Di-Craprio and the name stuck ever since.

I have no Idea whats eating Gilbert Grape...

I thought the movie Aviator was about a war, or airplane fights, or Sunglasses... I was Wrong!

Rose Killed Jack! There was enough room on the door/raft she was floating on.

Is it possible? Is it possible to improve on perfection? YES.

I only part I remember from Marvins Room is when the Garage door opens and closes when the old lady turns her pain-killer machine. . . I think it was a sad movie.

FRIDAY- Went with the MIL and SIL (plus kids) to the park where my child tried to eat as much sand and sticks as he could. This is the same child who refuses to eat veggies and other such goodness but has no problem trying to consume his shoes, or anything he finds in sand or grass. * Was asked where he gets his red hair from (eye rolling followed) * block towers * nap * light cleaning * Patrick hurting his back as he leaned over to pick up his shoes (what an old man!) * mustard pretzels * Practicing my dance moves * Krissa, David & Natalie and Rylie came over for some pizza/wings and delicious things * Best cheese ball EVER!!!!! * Laughing till I cried * Just Dance 2 * Peanut butter cake (moist & decadent) * Staying up past my bedtime * Preston switching from formula to Whole Milk and being ok with it *

SATURDAY- Windy, blustery day * clean and recovered from dance party, and being super tired all day* cheese ball & pizza for breakfast * Reading These is My Words and loving it * trip to the fruit/veggie store * creating a cauliflower and cheese grilled sandwich for Preston and being amazed when he ate it * nap/more reading * chilling with Prex outside looking for birds and airplanes * hotdogs & french fries for dinner * finishing These is My Words * Preston just casually taking 4 steps like it's no big deal but then refusing to recreate it *

SUNDAY- 8 am church. Cool * Raviolis & the end of the Candy Grahams (sad) * nap!!! * reading * making the most delicious salad ever. Avocados, cheese, cucumbers, onion with crutons was delic * Driving to Maricopa * Deciding next time we go on a road trip we'll travel at night when Preston is sleeping otherwise we may go insane * Trying to impress and entertain Preston with singing (badly) to "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" * Aerosmith sponsoring our road trip as more of their songs came on the radio on the drive * Talking gardens with the FIL * Enjoying family * Preston in a good mood * Home * In depth discussion of 2001: a Space Odyssey * More reading * The end.

Busy week this week: Trips to Target, 1 yr appointment for Preston, Dr Appt for me, Feeding the Missionaries, Bank, Bruce, Gym, Birthday party, Working on the garden and much much more!!

Reading Rainbow

Books I'm reading right now:

Title: Do I Look Fat in This? Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds from now
Author: Jessica Weiner

Why I'm reading it: Because one of my goals, not a new years resolution, but a goal for life is to feel good about myself no matter how I look.

Favorite part/Things I've learned so far: Fat isn't a feeling, but there are a few translations for what you could really be feeling when you say "I feel fat". They are: I feel scared, I feel angry, I feel excited, I feel sad or I feel unworthy.

Title: These Is My Words
Author: Nancy E. Turner

Why I'm reading it: Honestly it's because some blog I came across out there mentioned it and I'm all about reading books that are recommended to me.

Favorite Part/Things I've Learned so Far: I haven't started this one yet, but so far I've learned that the Mesa Public Library has 25 copies of this book and that 12 are available to be checked out. Make that 11. I did look it up on Amazon before checking it out of said library, and it seems interesting enough. "Based on the real-life exploits of the author's great-grandmother, this fictionalized diary vividly details one woman's struggles with life and love in frontier Arizona at the end of the last century. When she begins recording her life, Sarah Prine is an intelligent, headstrong 18-year-old capable of holding her own on her family's settlement near Tucson."

Title: Parenting with Love and Logic
Author: Foster Cline, MD & Jim Fay

Why I'm Reading it: Because I want to be a better parent. And I don't want to have to check out those other books at the library on dealing with a headstrong challenging child in the future. Plus Patrick and I are going to take a Love & Logic parenting class someday and I want to have a head start and know all the answers to the questions they ask.

Favorite Part/What I've Learned so Far: The 2 rules of Love and Logic. 1. Adults must set firm, loving limits using enforceable statements without showing anger, lecturing or using threats. 2. When a child causes a problem, the adult shows empathy through sadness and sorrow and then lovingly hands the problem and its consequences back to the child.

Also, the "Uh-Oh" song. The "Uh-Oh" song is simply another way of saying "Oh, what a sad choice you just made."

Anytime I have a reason to sing, I dig it.

Title: The Goose Girl (series)
Author: Shannon Hale

Why I'm Reading it: I dunno. Peer pressure?? Everyone else was doing it. I heard all these rave reviews, and I thought hey, why not?! Plus I like geese.

Favorite Part/What I've Learned so Far: Hard to say. I'm not a huge fan. At first I thought I didn't like them because they were too fairy tale/magical. But then I remembered I like magical. (i.e Harry Potter....Disneyland...). But I just wasn't a huge fan. Will I read the other 2 books in the series? Yeah. Might as well. Maybe they will get better. Sorry if your The Goose Girls biggest fan.

"If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you'd have invented Facebook."

Last night I de-friended Justin Timberlake.

It lasted about 5 minutes.

It was no one's fault really.
I watched The Social Network and he just played his part too good.
And I hated him.
So I decided we were un-friends.
But then the movie ended, and I decided we could be friends again.

Oh JT. How far your acting has come since Model Behavior.

Also, I didn't think it was possible for anyone to talk faster then my friends Rory & Lorelai Gilmore, but Mark Zuckerburg (the genius behind of The Facebook), you win the gold in fast talking.
I was going to put subtitles on because he was talking so fast, but then I realized I don't think I could read that fast either.

Good movie

Oh and Andrew Garfield, your hair looked awesome. We'll be seeing you in Spider Man for sure.

I dreamed a dream. . .

Today I spent a lot of time doing this:

Because today is MLK day. And MLK knew what it was like to have a dream (I would know because in 2nd grade I had to memorize his speech & recite it in front of the whole school). My dream is different though. I want a garden. It's actually one of my 3 New Years Resolutions/goals.

Thank goodness the Mesa Public Library still lets you check out books when you have late fees otherwise I might never be allowed to check books out. So last week I checked out about 4 books on starting a garden.

Now all I need is for someone t0 come over & show me where to put my garden, what to plant, the difference between a weed and a plant and of course teach me to like the things I grow. Like carrots.

The day was also spent doing things like wiping The Orange Ones nose over and over because he has a cold/cough. I doubt anyone dreams about that.

p.s Don't you LOVE my new background & header?!? Webmaster Krissa is awesome at stuff like that!

So the truth is - I don't know what to do with this blog! Any suggestions?? Do I keep doing weekend updates and Truth Wednesdays? Should I incorporate other things? More pictures? More stories? More Preston? Give me ideas!

And while your brainstorming I'll share these 2 truths with you....

The Truth is- One year (when it was just me & Andrew living here) we were watching the Superbowl. But then it got boring and we ended up watching a marathon of Ghost Hunters instead. Then we got scared and didn't want to go to sleep. Bet the Superbowl wouldn't have given us nightmares. Lesson learned NFL. Lesson learned.

The Truth is- One time I had a Johnny Depp birthday party. And by one time I mean like maybe 5 years ago. There were eyepatches and pirate hats, a pirates drinking game (dr. pepper & mtn. dew of course), and I even made a black pearl replica out of cardboard that people could take their pictures with. Oh yes, I invited guest to the party. It's how Johnny would have wanted it. I even made myself a shirt. It said "I love Johnny Depp" on the front and on the back it said "savvy?" Maybe this year we'll have another one. Save the date- June 9th.

Seriously, I need input on the blog thing.