The Marathon...

Whew! The marathon was Sunday and it was very long, wet, cold, hard, tiring, draining and more. It doesn't even compare with one day that a leukemia patient has to go through so please don't think I am complaining. During the marathon I spent a lot of time praying and thinking about the struggles they have dealt with.

At mile 20 I was ready to break down but I looked at my bib and saw who I had dedicated miles to and realized that mile 20 was dedicated to two-year Annah who passed away from leukemia on Sept 18th. She never got the chance to experience what I was doing and it broke my heart that what she did experience involved so much pain in her short time. I took a deep breath, said, "O.K, Annah, this one's for you" and said a prayer for her mom who works with my friend, Suzie. From there I was fighting tears all the way to the finish line because every mile from mile 18 was dedicated to someone who currently is or has battled leukemia. Miles 1-17 were dedicated to my family. But knowing that mile 18 and on were going to be my hardest I completed them for Amy, Jake, Annah, David, Rick, Tonya, Curtis, Mitch, and George.

I'm much more like the tortois than the hare when it comes to putting in the miles so it gave me a lot of time with my thoughts (and the rain). However, finish was fantastic.

Thank you to each and every one who donated. The donations have exceeded my expectation. I am humbled by your support and generosity.

Kurt & Cassie's Wedding

Summer got so busy so quickly that I did not get a chance to post photos of Kurt & Cassie's beautiful wedding on May 17th in Boise.

Cassie was (as always :-) beautiful and radiant and Kurt looked so handsome and excited. It was wonderful to see the whole family. Mom and Dad you rock! Uncle Eric has a really fun computer and "cool" cowboy hat (according to Sam).

The Powerhouse was the perfect venue and the flowers, food and music were outstanding. It was great to spend time with Cassie's family - truly genuine and wonderful people.

Kurt and Cassie are now back in Boise after honeymooning on the Oregon Coast.

You know you're old when...

Yes, I'll admit it. I listened to Foreigner as a kid and I liked it. Whew! Now that's over I have to face another hard fact of life... I'm old.

Foreigner is coming to Spokane*. Hoorraayy! Right?

Wrong. Notice the disclaimer (*)?

Foreigner is coming to Spokane and playing at Northern Quest Casino AND the concert is sponsored by the AARP.

It's one slap to have 80's music played on "oldies" stations and now this? Next thing you know, I'll be saying things like, "I remember when gas was a dollar a gallon." or "You could get a large, fresh, tasty, mouthwatering Quiznos sub for just $5!" OK, the last one was a blatant marketing ploy.

Anyway, all you old people who are the same age as me, jump in your car and spend the $4 a gallon to go get yourself a mouthwatering Quiznos sub on your way to the AARP sponsored Foreigner concert at the Northern Quest Casino. If you see me there, I'll make you sign a non-disclosure agreement right after I say, "hi".

Our Bloomsday times...

The star of our family by far is... (drumroll)...
Elizabeth! She finished Bloomsday with a stellar 1 hour 54 minutes. That's 15 min 17 sec per mile. The average pace per mile for 10-year-olds was 17 min 16 seconds. YOU ROCK, ELIZABETH!

Reed finished in 2 hours 1 minute (Reed burned asphalt with Anthony Dutton)
Diane finished in 1 hour 54 minutes (Elizabeth darted through the crowds like she had wings on her shoes and I tried to follow)

Who would be crazy enough to run a marathon? Me.

You may have known me for a long time but I thought I’d give you some insight that usually only Reed gets to see…

I run marathons through Team in Training (TNT) to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I am running in honor of 5 people this year including our next door neighbor, Amy Engel (1984-2001).

In addition to raising money for LLS running marathons is important because I want be an example of strength and health to my children. I want Elizabeth and Sarah to see first-hand that a woman can accomplish anything she wants and I want Sam to see that commitment has big payoffs. Without one very important person, none of this would be possible. Reed is my rock. I would not be able to do what I do without his infinite words of encouragement and support.

Running makes me a better mother and wife. It allows me to release the day’s tension so I can focus on my family and also start the day with more energy. Running is a great boost to serotonin levels and makes me happier all around. Some of our most memorable family times have happened out on the Centennial Trail in areas I did not know existed until I began running with TNT. Running in the morning before anyone else is awake is a chance to talk with God while taking in the beautiful world he has created.

I recently found my new favorite running partner happens to be my oldest daughter, Elizabeth. She is flat-out incredible. I never expected to be able to connect and talk with my children the way she and I have out on our runs. I can’t wait for Sarah and Sam to get to the age they can run with. In the meantime, they can ride their bikes ahead of me and be my pacesetters.

That’s my motivation in a nutshell. You may still think I’m crazy but now you know why I do it.

sam wants a new baby brother

baby boom

There has been a baby boom in Sam's preschool class and apparently Sam felt left out so he decided that I should have a baby.

While we were driving home from preschool he said, "I told my friends at school that you were having a baby."

"Sam, I'm not having a baby."
Insistant, he said, "If you get big and fat you will."
"That's not how it works. We're not having a baby."
"But Mommy, I already told them."
"Well, un-tell them."
"I can't they'll laugh at me."
"Sam, I'm sorry but we're not having a baby."
Silence. "You're just mean."
"How was school today?"
"Good, we made a machine out of junk."

Sometimes dealing with a 4-year old is like arguing semantics with a drunk person. There is no good way to handle it but to change the subject.

learning to heed the warning

sarah's curls...

There are moments in our life when the warning bells sound but we just stand there and think, "hmmm, something here doesn't seem right" although it is staring us right in the face.

Sunday afternoon, Sarah decided she wanted to curl her hair and thought using my old heated curling brush was a great idea. Important note: I had previously told her not to touch it until I could show her how to use it. On this day, however, I was distracted and quickly answered "yes" when she asked but caught myself and said, "first let me show you what to do."

A few minutes later Sarah returned. Thinking I was going to show her how to use the curling iron I waited for her to hand it to me. Instead, she said,

"I like this part sticking out."
Looking up from the paper I was confused and said, "What?"
"Right here, Mom. See?"

She was standing in front of me with a chunk of hair no longer than 2.5 inches sticking straight out one side of her head and an 80's ponytail sticking straight out the other side. All I could think was, "she probably should use more hairspray to stick that down." Note: warning bells were sounding but I was not hearing them.

She kept staring at me as if she wanted me to say something. Then it hit me.

"Did you cut your hair?"
"Uhhhhhhh, no."
"Was that from the curling iron?"
"Mmmm. Hmmm."
"Did you tear the curling iron out of your hair?"
Panic. Then eyes darting, "It got stuck."
"Stuck HOW?"
"In my hair."
"HOW did you get it out?"
"With scissors."

By then all we could do was to try and blend it in. She brought be a perfect long blond curl and I just wanted to glue it back.

Sarah, on the other hand, was delighted. When I was finished blending, Sarah said, "Thanks, Mommy! I always wanted bangs!" Then she bounced off and disappeared to show Elizabeth and Sam.

Suddenly, Elizabeth was standing above me, "Why did SHE get bangs?"

What should I say to that? The truth which was, "because I was too busy reading the paper and not paying attention to her?" Instead, I gave Elizabeth the ultimate Mommy answer which was,

"Because she did."

Spring Break 2008 and more...

the big brainstorm...

I got the idea of keeping a journal from my first grader, Sarah. She brought home a stack of pages from school that she had written each day in school since September. I know... blogging isn't a new idea to most but it is to me. When the children were born people told me that eventually I wouldn't remember the cute things my children did. I didn't realize that "eventually" would mean 15 minutes after the kids did something. That works to their advantage since some of the things they think are "cute" can land them in time-out (such as drawing on the carpet with multiple colors of Sharpee markers).


spring break 2008

Spring Break was a ton of fun. Saturday, We packed up the mommy-van and headed across the Cascades. Little did Reed or I know that the "packing" part would be our mainstay for the whole week...

Pack car on Saturday. Drive to Seattle.
Unpack car on Saturday.
Pack car on Monday. Drive to Seabrook.
Unpack car on Monday.
Pack car on Friday. Drive to Seattle.
Unpack car on Friday.
Pack car on Sunday. Drive to Spokane.
Unpack car on Sunday.

Lesson learned. Next year we are going to one vacation destination where we will stay for the entire week.

Aside from the packing/driving part, Seabrook was absolutely wonderful although I'd love to keep it my little secret location. We hooked up with Uncle Brad and hung out at Seabrook for 5 days. We had stayed at the sister property, Bella Beach in Lincoln City last year and had a blast so we thought we'd try Seabrook this year since the drive is shorter (6.5 hours as opposed to 9.5 hours). If you've read about "new urbanism" then you need to check out Seabrook (www.seabrookwa.com). It's as if a Martha Stewart Cape-Cod town was transplanted on the Washington coast. (Casey Roloff is the visionary behind this amazing place). We'd love to get the family to go in on a place there together but until then we'll be loyal visitors.

The new cafe is too-die for. The food is incredible. Just ordering mac-n-cheese for the kids is a vacation in its own. Thankfully it is not the Kraft product but a beautiful presentation of white cheese perfectly cooked pasta with a delicately toasted crust of cheese on top. Fish and chips have the perfect marriage of crunch and juiciness with amazing hand-cut potatoe fries. I literally gained 6 pounds on vacation there.

Once we rolled ourselves out of the cafe we hiked down to the beach on these picture-perfect trails. The beach is beautiful (and HUGE!) Elizabeth found 32 sand dollars which is the big difference between the Oregon and Washington coast. We also were able to drive on the beach. How cool is that?! Sam had a mighty fun time digging in the sand running with his kite. What a blast. We think Uncle Brad had a great time too (we have digital proof of him flying a kite and playing the Wii).

On our last day in Seattle, we saw my parents and had a great day at the Daffodil Festival in Skagit (aka. Tulip Festival. However, none of the tulips wanted to show off their petals since it snowed that week). We also ate at La Palmera which is a FANTASTIC Mexican restaurant in Everett. Worth the drive.


one last note...

Last week Sam went into the women's restroom with me. According to his 4-year-old mind I was taking too long in there. He peeked through the crack by the door of the stall and yelled, "Mommy? Are you STUCK?!"