Aloha!

There is nothing like enjoying the Hawaiian moon.

3 Years of Happy Marriage

Happy Anniversary!

3 short years ago, we were married on October 18, 2008 in the Seattle Temple for time and all eternity. We both agree it has been the best 3 years of our marriage! :) We had met at church, dated, fell madly in love, and married all within 5.5 months. 

Any ounce of regret? 

Any question of having made a mistake? 

Any worries that we went too fast? 

Not One!

We have been so happy. God put us in the right place at the right time in order to find each other. I'm so grateful to know there is a God and that he loves each and every one of us. He is real. And he has been a very real part of our marriage. It is what gives us perspective and provides us with a strong foundation for happiness and success. 

I have never been so happy as I have been with Kyan. He has been the friend I always hoped for, the husband that I had always dreamed of, and the father to Samuel that I wished for my husband to be. He's perfect for me in every way and I pray for another wonderful year with the love of my life. I love you Kyan! Happy Anniversary!

 

I DID IT!

Good Morning Leavenworth!

Kyan, Samuel and I drove up the night before to stay in a hotel in Wenatchee. I'm glad we did because I would have been a HUGE ball of nerves if we had to drive up the morning of the race. I surprisingly got a great nights sleep but eating breakfast was a different story. My stomach was in knots. I could barely joke down a half a bagel. 

We checked out of our hotel and drove to the race site. Brrrrr.....it was so cold. I never run in a long sleeve but I would have to admit I never took it off the entire 13 miles. 

These were a few of my friends who signed up for the race. Bekki is on the left and Rachael is on the right.

Kari joined us on the far right. She came to run part way as a support for one of her friends but ended up running the entire race. You go girl!

I ran into Amber and Becky before the race. Amber just had a baby like 5 months ago and she's running a race. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

The gun went off and we all began our race!

Kyan and Samuel had some time on their hands. They cheered me on at the starting line, the 10.5 mile point and when I crossed the finish line.

I DID IT!

I crossed the finish line! It was a glorious sight to see after running 13 thrilling, exhausting, exhilarating, beautiful, long miles.

You know how I wanted to finish the race within 2 hours? And, if I could push myself hard enough that perhaps I could finish the race in 1 hour 57 minutes? Well, are you sitting on the edge of your seat? I know....you can't help yourself but wonder what I got! Are you ready?

I ran this race in...

 1:52:44

Oh Yeah Baby! I ran that race in 1 hour and 52 minutes. That translates to 8 minute 36 second miles. Holy crap I was so trilled with my time. I didn't have my phone during the race to tell me my pace so I ran what I thought was my normal pace. I'm a bit competitive with myself and as people would pass me I thought I was going too slow so it kept me going at a strong pace. And little did I know I was running at a killer speed for myself! 

Wahoo! 

Keep an eye out for the girl in long black leggings and a long sleeve blue shirt. I managed to muster up a little speed at the end. It must have been an adrenaline rush to see the finish line because I was so tired. Yay for running the whole way!

This is our group of friends who ran the half marathon. We had so much fun together. I'm so proud of you all! Good work ladies and gents! Maybe this won't be the first time we all run the same race together!

5am Freak

I woke up the morning before my race and found this! A good and supportive friend had come in the early morning to plaster my car with shoes and encouraging words. It brought a huge smile to my face and lots of laughs. 

I found out the next morning that she had gone around to all of our friends who were running the half marathon and had done the same thing to their cars. That's what you call a good supporter. I love that woman.

I really liked this saying. How true..."Every day is a good day when you run!" - Kevin Nilson 

You may be wondering....how did you know who did this to your car? Well, this woman left a clue...

She calls herself the 5am Freak for a reason. Don't worry, she really isn't a freak. She is actually very very nice and extremely supportive and amazing when it comes to athletics. She has a neat story of her own but I won't go into detail.

She is the one that gets up at 5am to do her workouts. Why? I asked that question over and over until one day I decided I was going to see if I had it in me to train for this half marathon. Guess what time those long weekend runs started? Yup. 5am. Ugh, so I would roll out of bed and get my legs moving before the crack of dawn. I would have to say, after the first time running with her and other friends, it was refreshing and not quite "freakish" as I thought it sounded. Okay, so maybe it is but I just got sucked into it. I loved it!

I just wanted to say thank you to my 5am Freak friend! You're the best! I loved the encouragement you gave to me and the others!

5 Days Left

I am sooo excited. I only have 5 days left before my BIG race.

Am I ready? 

You bet I am! I have run hills, long distances, and fast runs like no other. I have gotten up early, run alone and with friends, and have pushed myself to increase my pace. 

This last week I ran 8 miles at my in-laws. There is no way of getting around those long, steep hills that surround their house. 5 weeks ago, I ran the same 8 mile course. It was neat to see how much I have improved. Within those 5 weeks I have increased my time by 1 minute 18 seconds. That doesn't sound like much but to a runner, it sounds like a lot. My goal is to finish the Half Marathon in 2 hours. This would mean I would average a 9 minute 21 second mile. But, there is a deeper desire to run it in LESS then 2 hours. A 9 minute mile would get me across the finish line in 1 hour 57 seconds.

Can I do It?

There is one major factor that I forgot to mention and that is the elevation. I have been training at sea level and the race begins at 1205 ft. Hmmm....I'm not sure how that will effect my run performance. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out.

Poop in the Water...

Samuel is young enough that I will often let him play at the base of the tub with tub toys while I shower in the mornings. But, on this very special morning as I was rinsing my hair I looked down to see brown particles rapidly spreading throughout the water. YUCK! I leaped out of the tub as quickly as I could. Gross. Luckily he was finished with his job so that I could rinse both him and the tub out. Once the tub was clean we proceeded to give us both a good sudsy scrubbing. 

I'm always complaining to Kyan about changing so many poopy diapers during the day. I guess I have learned my lesson. Changing the poopy diaper is soooo much better then being POOPED on. 

Swim Home

We had a full day of fun today. I have just started taking Samuel to library singing time. This was his second time going and I think he's warming up. He is going through this bashful, clingy stage but despite that, he participated in many of the songs. His favorite song by far is "If You're Happy". He will clap his hands and point to his face at the right times. If only I could capture it on video. It's adorable. 

After library time, we went to the Fish Hatchery to meet up with some friends. I didn't think Samuel would take much interest in the fish but he surprised me. We spent at least 30 minutes watching the fish swim up stream and attempt to jump the man-made dam. He walked from one side of the bridge to the other, pointing to the fish and excitedly talking up a storm (a nice mix of baby language and real words).  

 

Welcoming Fall!

We were in Rite Aid the other day and as we were walking down the isle, Samuel grabbed a hold of a plastic pumpkin bucket. Hmmm, it must be October. :) We proceeded to fill this bucket with things that we needed from the store. By the end of our short shopping trip, Samuel had grown an attachment to HIS pumpkin bucket. So, it came home with us. And, he still loves that silly bucket.

He filled his bucket with rocks, green tomatoes, and his animal cracker that we had bought from the store.
 

If you will look closely at the picture below, you will notice that Samuel is holding a good size rock. He went from filling his bucket with little rocks to the biggest rocks he could fit through the opening (or perhaps the ones that he could lift). 

Who knew so much fun would come from a plastic pumpkin bucket. I love that kid!

Saying Goodbye to Summer

Before the fall rain approached us, we got a warm week of weather toward the end of September. This particular day seemed warmer then usual so I filled up the pool one last time for Samuel. He still asks for the wa-wa.

After dumping the water onto our almost dead grass, Samuel proceeded to play in whatever water he could find. He found what I'm sure he thought was the coolest-stick-ever to play with while stomping around in the sopping grass.