love letters on the wall

My daughters love each other. I'm grateful for that really. What I'm not grateful for is how they express it sometimes...like how my 7 year old wrote a sweet letter to her 4 year old sister ON THEIR WALL IN CRAYON.
"Dear Olivia,
I Love You.
You are Pretty.
xoxo
Love,
Emily"
Notice the wall has been well decorated. They used all sorts of mediums for their art: lipstick, markers, crayons, pens, pencils and nail polish. How did they get this wonderful stuff? They took it from their 12 year old sister's room, of course! They had a great time while I was out running one day (Dad was home with them and thought it was great they were playing so quietly upstairs)! The art is mostly gone now, thanks to four Magic Eraser cleaners. I ran out and will have to get more to finish "erasing" their artwork but I wanted to keep this extra special part of their art that I hold dear in my heart.

Marathon Mama!

I did it! I ran a marathon! It was an amazing experience and I'm really glad I did it. I ran 26.21 miles in 5 hours and 15 minutes. I beat my time for my last 10K and last 10 miler (I did a half marathon in the time it took me to do the 10 miler back in June). I am not the fastest runner ( My fastest mile is about 9 min. and I couldn't do that for much more than one mile), in fact, I don't really see myself as a runner. Up until 2 & 1/2 years ago I had never gone farther than 2 miles (and I only did that once)!

It all started with a goal I always had to run a 5K. I ran two last year and decided for a 2008 New Year's resolution I would run a 10K this year. I did that in the spring with my great friend Megan. I had so much fun doing that one I decided to try a 10 miler. I did that in June with my sister Veronica and it was awesome, so much so that I decided to go for it and run a marathon.

I felt a little crazy when I registered for the marathon a few months ago. Training for a marathon takes a lot of time- it took me 4 hours the first time I ran 20 miles. Where was I going to find the time?!! I found Jeff Galloway's run/walk marathon training schedule which worked with my busy schedule (I ran 30 min. on Tues. & Thurs. and did my long runs on the weekends). My wonderful husband was so supportive and didn't complain as I left him and my four girls for hours to run.

Most of my runs went really well. It took me four hours to run 20 miles, but I was just amazed that I ran 20 miles! I wasn't even that sore the next day. Then two weeks ago I ran 24 miles and it was painful. I needed new shoes badly and I didn't have the time to break in the new pair before the big race. I had hurt my ankle and wasn't sure it would be ok in time either. The week before the race I prayed a lot and was very concerned that I wouldn't be able to finish the marathon. I asked everyone I could to pray for me. I know those prayers were heard and answered.

I ran and dedicated each mile to friends and family. I would pray for that person and their family during that mile. I prayed for my siblings, my husband's siblings, my parents, my in-laws and several of my closest friends. I even dedicated a mile to this wonderful country that we live in and prayed for the USA and all it's people. I prayed for the soldiers and for the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I prayed for the missionaries and all those suffering and in sadness to find the Savior and joy through Him.

Praying for everyone took my mind off myself and helped me to focus on why I was running the marathon in the first place. I saved my husband and girls for the last 5 miles. It got really tough those last 6 or 7 miles and when I got to the 21st mile and was dedicating my miles to my girls I started to cry. In fact, just thinking about it is making me cry now. I love my girls so much and part of the reason I did this marathon was to show them that they can accomplish anything they put their mind to. I want my girls to be as proud of me as I am of them. I started praying for my girls and had to fight back the emotions just as I was fighting the muscle cramps in my legs.

As I was running it hit me just how far I've come this year. I would never have believed you if you told me in high school that when I was 34 I would run a marathon. I thought people who ran were gluttons for punishment and more than a little insane. I ran those last few miles and held back the tears as I thanked God for sending me my family and for their prayers for me. I know the Lord helped me to run without injury. My ankle didn't bother me. My new shoes were awesome. I ached but that was unavoidable. I felt the power of the Lord helping me finish that race. I know that the Savior knew my pain (and worse) and was with me every step of the way. I knew my girls had prayed for me and when I prayed for them I felt the Spirit so strong.

Those last 5 miles were the hardest but they were the most amazing to me. I knew my girls would be waiting for me at the finish line. I came around the corner approaching the finish line and there they were and the tears started up again. I gave my girls all high fives and made it across as they announced my name and I could barely hold back the emotions as I was hit with a wave of gratitude for my Savior. I know that with God all things are possible. I know that God made this marathon possible for me.

Creche display

Here are some of the nativities on display this weekend at the Raleigh Stake Center. What a wonderful way to celebrate the season! We loved the variety and diversity of the display.

Food storage made simple...

Food storage can be baffling and overwhelming but I got this email with a link to this blog
http://www.everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/
that offers a solution to help make it a bit easier.
It's by Wendy DeWitt and here's her Top 10 Reasons Why People Don't Have A Year's Supply of Food (according to the email I received):
10. My neighbor has a 2-year supply (The problem is, actually 85% of the Church has zero food storage).
9. I've paid tithing for 25 years. The Church can give me a little food (Problem: the Church can only feed 4% of its people from the food it has stored).
8. I'm going to move in with my parents or my children (Problem: in many scenarios, people won't be able to travel anywhere once the disaster hits).
7. I have a year's supply and the bullets to go with it (Problem: people will do anything to feed their starving children. Do you want to become one of them who is using your gun to take food from others?) .
6. The boat and 4-wheelers are taking up all my space (Problem: you can't eat them).
5. Y2K ==> meaning, it's never going to happen just like Y2K never happened (Do you actually, really believe that now?).
4. The government's going to rush in and save us all (Just like they did after Hurricane Katrina). 3. I can't afford both food storage and scrapbooking.
2. I'm waiting for the cannery to sell frozen pizzas.
1. A year? I thought it was 72 hours!

Wendy's system has you choose 7 breakfasts that you like and 7 dinners, for one week, plus one loaf of bread a day. Then you figure out the ingredients that you would need for each of those and multiply the ingredients by 52 (for 52 weeks in the year). And then store those ingredients. The idea is that you eat breakfast at breakfast time, then eat dinner during the middle of the day when the sun is available to help you cook things, and then have some bread and extras for a light meal in the evenings.

merry Christmas to all

Our stake had a wonderful celebration of Christmas this weekend with over 300 creches on display. You can read more about it here: http://www.newsobserver.com/nrn/story/1318294.html
They had a children's room set up and this wonderful photo was taken of my girls and some friends. It was a great event and I will post more pictures!

The Boy Who Dared book review

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read this with my girls (ages 11 and 10) and we all loved it. It was a good one for a discussion on bravery, government, war, human rights and more. I recommend it highly. It's about an LDS boy who lived in Germany during WWII and chose to act when he knew Hitler was evil instead of letting his fears rule him.

Here's what my oldest daughter said: "The story was told as "flashbacks" and really let you understand his emotions and why he did what he did. I liked how it gave you the background story behind his life."

It's based on a true story and we all gained a better understanding of the second World War and Hitler. It's perfect for young adult readers.


View all my reviews.

W & OD Trail in Virginia

I'm almost ready for my marathon. Only two weeks to go. This last weekend I ran/limped/walked 24 miles (I was only supposed to go 23 but I'll get to that part soon). The best part of the five and a half hours was the scenery. I was on the W & OD Trail in Virginia and it was beautiful! I saw orchards, scenic barns, llamas, cows, horses, rivers, over bridges, through tunnels and in ravines and up hills. I wish we had something like that near us! I couldn't get over how clean the path was also- they must have come through earlier and blew all the leaves off the trail because it was near pristine condition!

Next time we visit I intend to run it again but I will be better prepared for it. This time I didn't realize how hard I had pushed myself the day before (it was Black Friday and I had shopped 'til I dropped - while wearing high heeled boots all day). I also wasn't getting enough sleep since I lost my ear plugs and my dear husband snores- a lot & loudly.

Anyway, I got going and halfway through I was worn out and blamed it on dehydration. I got off the trail at mile 12 and got a bottle of water at a quaint grocery store in Paeonian Springs (I started in Ashburn, VA). That little detour added the extra mile in my run but I needed the water so badly it was worth it. I slowed down quite a bit after that. I should have had more than just the one bottle I was so dehydrated. My muscles started cramping and I got charlie horses in both my calves and I couldn't run through them. I had to stop and stretch and massage the pain away until I could bear to start running again. It was so bad it took me an extra hour to finish from what it should have taken me. I would have cried if I'd had any tears but I was so dehydrated I couldn't!

The other lesson was that I desparately needed new running shoes. I had known my shoes were getting too worn out but I didn't realize how bad they were until later that day when I could barely walk because my ankle and feet hurt so badly. I got new shoes later that day at the Nike Outlet and am trying to get them broken in before the race on Dec.13. I used my in-laws' hot tub and soaked in my own tub today too and my muscles aren't as sore now. My ankle doesn't hurt anymore either. This weekend is a short run- just 10k and then I will be taking it easy for the big day!

I like to enter contests online. It's free and doesn't take much time and occasionally I win! Tonight I found out I won a $100 Macy's gift card from http://hotmomsclub.com/ and that made me so excited! I can't wait to go shopping for Christmas at Macy's now!

A few months ago I won a contest from http://health.com/ and got a $50 iTunes gift card, a 6 month supply of Skinny Cow frozen desserts and a cool credit card sized pedometer. I'm using the iTunes card to get music for my marathon running and I love the Skinny Cow popsicles and ice cream sandwiches (mint is my favorite). The pedometer was so useful when I was in NYC- one day I walked 8 miles just sight seeing!

I also won a contest from Honey Bunches of Oats and got a coffee maker and year's supply of coffee (I gave those to a friend who drinks coffee). Thank goodness it came with a year's supply of the cereal too- which my oldest daughter loves.

My aunt has a website (http://purplefromtheheart.blogspot.com) and she has contests all the time. I've won some great socks (I'm wearing them now actually), a beautiful silver bracelet that I get compliments on all the time, a gift card to Kohls (I got a great jacket that I wore in NYC- scroll down to the photo of me next to the Sphinx in the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see it), a gift card to Blockbuster and a yummy box of treats from the Popcorn Factory!

My grandpa loved to enter contests too and won lots of stuff through the years. I think about him when I enter some of these contests. Maybe one of these days I'll win a big contest with lots of money and prizes, but these smaller prizes are just as much fun too!

Last weekend I ran 20 Miles! I'm getting closer to my marathon (Dec. 13) so my runs are getting longer and longer! I have never run 20 miles before and it really was not bad. I searched the web for advice for first time marathoners and found lots of useful tips but my favorite was to name every mile. I run with Nike+ so my ipod tells me as I pass each mile. Each new mile I would dedicate to someone important to me and spend that mile praying for them. All my girls had a mile, so did my husband and all my family. It was great! I spent the four hours praying and growing closer to my Savior and those that I was praying for. I wasn't thinking of me or how I felt, but of others. I will do this from now on every time I run. A lot of running a marathon is a mental game and I think this is the way I will beat that part of the game. I don't want to quit the race on any of my girls' miles so they will be the last four. I'm doing this for them too, afterall. I want to show them that they can accomplish anything they put their mind to.

Happy Halloween!
We went to a haunting howliday party this weekend and had a great time! There were 3 Sarah Palins, 2 Edward Cullins and an assortment of White Trash couples along with the usual monsters like us. We took advantage of my DH's height and went with Frankenstein and his bride. This is the first time he was willing to wear face paint! He even shaved his beard for it (YEAH!) and let me spray his hair black for the night. He made a great Frankenstein, if I do say so myself! I made the neck bolts myself. You can find directions on the internet- thanks to all those creative people who took the time to post it online!

For my DH's birthday we went to see Bobby Flay at the NC State Fair. My DH thinks Bobby Flay is the best chef on Food Network- his favorite TV channel, so when I found out Bobby was coming we had to get tickets. Bobby was great. He answered questions from the audience while cooking up a sweet potato clam chowder, pork chops and barbequed oysters. We're not oyster fans but liked the tarragon butter they were grilled with and plan to use that for another recipe. Bobby seems like a down-to-earth guy and we enjoyed watching him cook in person.

I had a wonderful time in New York City. I loved all the sights and shows. I had been dreaming of a trip to the big city for a long time. I had hoped that my dear husband and I could go for our 10th anniversary but it came and went and no trip happened- we're on our 13th year now! Then this year the stars aligned and I got back in touch with one of my best friends from high school and found out he was moving to the Bronx. I was invited to visit and I jumped at the chance to see my good friend more and see the city that never sleeps. I smiled so much my mouth hurt. I got blisters on my feet but nothing stopped me.

The best part wasn't in the city - it was at home. My husband was amazing. He never once asked how much the trip cost us. He never complained that I would be gone for 4 nights. He even took a day off work to help out with the girls. I took a 6am flight home (which meant I had to get up at 4 am) and expected to come home to a mess- after all, I'd been gone for most of the week. I was exhausted and I walked in the door and it was clean! He'd cleaned while I was gone! I was able to take a nice 4 hour nap and he cooked dinner and did the dishes too! I have to brag about my husband because he gave me the best gift!

I love NY but I love my husband so much more!

I did it! I ran a half marathon today. When I was done, I plugged in my ipod and realized I have also run over 100 miles with my Nike Plus. Follow this link http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/v1/html/milestones/print_certif.html?id=1089886213&region=us&language=en&locale=en_us&dateFormat=MM/DD/YY to see. If you don't know what Nike Plus is, please let me share my favorite running tool with you! It's this nifty sensor that goes in your shoe (you can buy a pouch off Amazon so it can go with any shoe, not just Nike) and it sends a signal to your ipod tracking your miles, calories, time, speed and more. I love it and wouldn't do my marathon without it!

I got this email from a friend asking for one word answers- which is harder to do than one might think. You answer and send it on to other friends. I thought I would share this with my blogging friends and encourage them to do the same. One word is all you get. :)
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? Steve
3. Your hair? long
4. Your mother? talking
5. Your father? working
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? hurricane
8. Your favorite drink? lemonade
9. Your dream/goal? travel
10. The room you're in? dining
11. Your hobby? photography
12. Your fear? bugs
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? healthy
14. Where were you last night? party
15. What you're not? short
16. Muffins? berry
17. One of your wish list items? Peace
18. Where you grew up? Raleigh
19. The last thing you did? run
20. What are you wearing? cotton
21. Your TV? --- on
22. Your pets? dog
23. Your computer? addicted
24. Your life? Blessed
25. Your mood? thankful
26. Missing someone? megan
27. Your car? abused
28. Something you're not wearing? socks
29. Favorite store? goodwill
30. Your summer? fast
31. Like someone? friends
32. Your favorite color? pink
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? forgot
35. Who will resend this? everybody

Me waiting for the subway. We got lucky most of the time and had barely any wait during the day but evenings were a bit slower.

At the Yankee Stadium entrance to the subway, you wait above ground- that was unusual, most are undergrond.

They are building the new Yankee Stadium across the street from the old one! We had a good view of both on the platform for the subway.

My last view of the city- I took this one in the taxi on my way out of town at 5 am.

Israel in Central Park.

2nd on my to do list was run in Central Park. I loved this stretch near the Jackie O. reservoir. Absolutely breathtaking. I had to stop to look around several times. I LOVE Central Park. Especially in the fall.

Dean & Deluca's is a gourmet grocery store in the city. They sell truffles! I would have to order them off the web to get some in NC. I love this store. Some great stuff for sale here.

I wanted to eat all sorts of cuisines that I couldn't get at home. This was at the Dominican restaurant we ate at on Friday night. I also got Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Indian. Loved it all!

Union Station farmers market rocks! Fresh produce was cheaper there than it is in NC. I stopped and got a yummy apple for a snack. I would go here all the time if I lived in NYC.

Me at the Temple of Nabor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Israel took our photo in the reflection of a large candy heart sculptureby Jeff Koons. You can see another of his sculptures in the background- it's a balloon dog. :)

I've always wanted to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center but I had so many blisters from walking miles and miles each day that ice skating was out of the question.

The Brooklyn Bridge. We walked all the way across to eat authentic Brooklyn style pizza at Grimaldi's (Frank Sinatra used to eat there). It was not bad- but they burnt half of the pie! I complained and they gave us a discount but I wouldn't go there again.

The other Broadway show I saw was Spamalot. Very funny but not for everyone- a lot like the movie. So if you liked the movie, you will like the show.

Israel and I got front row seats to Spamalot. That is the stage in front of us. We saw Clay Aiken, a Raleigh, NC native and American Idol star. He did a great job but we weren't there to see him in particular. The lady seated beside us was though. She was a true "Claymate"- she knew Clay's schedule, details from his past, etc. At one point in the show Clay comes right in front of us and we were suprised she didn't reach out and touch him- we know she wanted to!

The TKTS booth- Israel & I were third in line. This is a great way to get discount tickets (50% off) to Broadway shows but get there an hour before they open so you are sure to get the best of what's available.

A depressing place nowadays but Wall Street will recover. There was a band playing when we went by. Ralph Nader was there speaking to protest the government bailout. There are always fun things going on in New York.

The Statue of Liberty- as seen from the Staten Island ferry- also a must see for me.

My #1 thing I wanted to do in NYC was see "Wicked" the musical! I loved it! I recommend it highly to everyone. Go check it out and listen to the songs at http://www.wickedthemusical.com - and go see it! Great story, songs, costumes, set... the best!

Lots of US flags in NYC. I loved this display of patriotism.

My girls are American Girl fanatics. I took this photo just for them. "Follow Your Inner Star" is their theme. I love that!

This was taken in one of the cathedrals in New York- very ornate inside.