Disappointment

Disappointment has a flavor. A salty, bitter, and hard to swallow taste.

I've been training for the last couple months for the Butch Cassiday 10K in Springdale . This morning I went out for a quick and easy two miles, just to keep my legs fresh, but still have them ready to go on Saturday. We have awesome trails near the house and this morning was perfect. An ideal fall day for a run, cool and crisp and lovely. I was halfway through my run, and had just turned around to head back when I stepped into a leaf covered hole and pitched forward. Immediately I knew that my ankle was sprained. I also knew that I was .9 miles from the car on a trail where it wasn't likely that I'd encounter any help. So, I stood back up and hobbled as quickly and carefully as I could back to the car. I knew I had to get there as fast as I could before I started to feel my ankle and before my body used up it's adrenaline supply.

So, I'll be taking pictures this weekend. Brian, his mom and the girls will be running/walking the 5K and I'll just have to smile and enjoy the scenery. Happily disappointment also tastes like pistachio gelato from one of my running buddies...thanks a million L.!!

Ten

10 for Ten

Yesterday Em celebrated her 10th birthday! Here are 10 things about her.

1. She loves to read. Not just a little, but A LOT. If she ever needed to be punished we would do it by taking away her books not her TV time!

2. Blue is her favorite color. The color of her eyes, her walls, her clothes, etc...

3. Her heart is kind. Even as a little girl Em was always very aware of those around her and wanted to make sure that everyone was happy and included.

4. Friends come easily. Em makes and keeps friends, lots of friends.

5. Perfection is in the cards. Em didn't even learn to ride a bike until she was 7. I realized later that she was afraid of falling. If she can't do it right, she's not interested in trying. I'm afraid she gets that from me...we're working on it together.

6. Imagination lights her world. Books about dragons, princesses and other worlds are fascinating to her, and all of her reading adventures carry over into playtime with her sisters.

7. Science is fun for her. Her school curriculum this year covers rocks and on a recent trip to Moab I watched her point and explain to all the other kids the stuff we were looking at. Currently one of her favorite things to do with friends is pound open rocks with hammers to look for 'crystals' inside. She also asked for a microscope for her birthday.

8. She is very coordinated. She plays the piano very well and with expression-which is hard to teach. She is also an awesome swimmer, this summer she started learning to butterfly.

9. Boredom isn't in her vocabulary. She always finds something to do! We could fill her entire closet with boxes and it would be perfect for all the little things she likes to do. She will grow up well rounded because she likes lots of different things.

10. Happiness is being with her. Em's smile lights up a room, and she is one of those people you just love to be around. She is a blessing in our lives and we are so grateful to have her in our family!

Happy Birthday!

It just got interesting

Until tonight:
...I was lukewarm about voting for John McCain for president
...I've never really cared about a vice-presidential candidate, and
...I've scoffed at all the ideals lobbed around at convention time.

And then Sarah Palin stood up and said "No one expects us to agree on everything. But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart. " After listening to her talk tonight:
...I will defend my vote for the republican ticket.
...I will follow closely this vice-presidential candidate, and
...I support the ideals I heard about tonight, and the candidates who hold them are the ones I will vote for.

10 minute list

So, what would you take if you had 10 minutes to grab whatever and get out?

Yesterday afternoon I was talking to my friend Lisa down in Draper as she picked up her kids from school. She was giving me the play by play of a fire in the foothills and I thought, we'll have to check it out when we head over the mountain later. Just after hanging up with her my neighbor called and asked if I was packing...I walked around to the front of my house and about dropped the phone. The way the smoke was billowing I expected to see flames creeping down the valley any second. Brin and I jumped in the car and drove up to the top of the mountain to see how close the flames actually were. Thankfully the fire was in the foothills a couple miles away. We picked up Emilee and Sadie at the bus stop and they were worried. Their bus had been delayed while the school made sure it was safe to send them home, but as they came up the mountainside it really looked like the fire was in our valley.

From our front porch

"Mom, what do we do?" they asked. I had each of the girls pack an overnight bag with a few changes of clothes and some of their "special treasures". But then I found myself wandering through the house...what should I take...

From the top of the mountain

The fire never got closer and I never really did pack. But I've been thinking a lot about what I would have thrown in the car. This week I'm constucting my own 10 minute list. I'll post it later. Yesterday was just the practive run, I'm sure there will be more scares in the future and next time I want to be a little bit more prepared, but honestly as long as my family was in the car, who cares about the kitchen table?

Kitchen Therapy

No, as much as it needs it, kitchen therapy at my house involves no kitchen cleaning, because kitchen therapy is not for the kitchen...it's for me. Give me an hour or two with no time limits in the kitchen and I will come away happy. I've never made blueberry pie before, Brian's not a big blueberry fan. But, this might have to be a repeat recipe...we had it with homeade ice cream and it was awesome!

A Piece of History

Of the original 200 copies, only 25 are still in existence.

In 1989 this copy was found in a flea market, the buyer paid $4 for a frame he was interested in and found the document underneath the picture.

It was most recently sold for 8.14 million dollars.

There is a handprint on the bottom left corner and writing on the back (but no secret treasure maps).



It is a Dunlap Broadside. One of the original 25 copies of the Declaration of Independence printed on the night of July 4, 1776. It was on display in the Utah State Capital last Friday and the girls and I went with Grandma Diane to see it.

I struggled a little to explain the significance of this very old piece of paper that we waited in line for 2 hours to see. Our freedoms had their groundwork laid with this document, these were the thoughts behind the value of the individual and their right to self-determination. And America has lived up to the Declaration's promises and taken it's high-reaching ideals and implemented them for everyone. There have been failures to live up to the promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all, and yet we've done a pretty good job. Even when we haven't quite lived up to the assurances provided the Declaration has stood as an ideal, as a better way, and as a hope for the future. And it is one of the reasons that our country is great!

I Give In

It’s been building for a while, my THIRST. Everyone asks if I’ve PARTAKEN yet…after all I am known for DEVOURING them. But I was afraid, of the subject, the hype, and the audience, how could anything live up to this buildup of MYTHICAL proportions? And the fallout, you finish SATING your THIRST either OBSESSED or indifferent.

Well, I started CONSUMING them this weekend during our family vacation. I began at TWILIGHT, when Brin informed me it was time for bed. I tucked her into her sleeping bag and read by the light of the NEW MOON (and the tent light). It was a little COLD outside, and I found my arms falling asleep from loss of BLOOD as I rolled from side to side. But I…I was SLEEPLESS. I did eventually SURRENDER to the NIGHT but continued my HUNT the next day. It took me all of 72 hours to PREY through all 2444 pages, I read through the ECLIPSE (ok, so it only visible at the North Pole) and into the BREAKING DAWN—not really.

It took me a day or two to recover from the reading FRENZY. The DAZED look has finally faded from my BLOODSHOT eyes. And now I feel…QUENCHED.