A busy, busy weekend

This last weekend I ran in a race. 
"What?" you say, "a RACE?"
Yes that is right!

Robert got me a treadmil for my birthday, and I have been using it.  Nice huh!  It took a few weeks before we had it all put together and so far I have used it about 3 times or more a week.  Robert runs all these races and says it is so fun.  I keep thinking how is running fun?  Well maybe he is somewhat right?  (The race was fun, but running on the treadmill is not so much.)

I had a goal to do a race.  I signed up for a 5K in Aug.  It was a Midnight Run that I thought would be kind of fun.  I got lost so I arrived late, and was all frustrated I didn't run in it.  There was this police directing traffic, he was shining his flashlight all over.  As I pulled up by him I noticed then that my race has started and saw where I was suppose to be.  I rolled down the window and the officer said something about stopping or something.  I told him I couldn't see anything because he was shining his flashlight right into my eyes!  (I realized at this point that I was kind of rude and a jerk to him, oops!)  He then asked, "Where are you going?"  Remember it is now midnight, I pointed over to the people running, and told him I was suppose to be running the race but got lost, and now am too late.  He suggested for me to still run it.  I thought maybe I would but by the time I got there everyone was out of sight...  I was mad, annoyed, frustrated and cried back to the car.  I think maybe I was tired too.  I was looking so forward to this and then I totally blew it!  I was so angry.

I then scheduled....  a different race.  This was a 3k, it was Racing Cane by Run13.  I ran it and did really good for myself.  When I have been running on the treadmil, I seem to only be able to run a 12 minute mile (I'm kind of embarressed to even admit it because I walk a 15 minute mile).  I have tried a faster pace but I just get too tired and can't keep it up or have to slow down and walk.  I was running for 2 miles without stopping before my race.  Of course that was just a 12 minute mile.  Hey, it's better then being able to run 5 or 10 minutes. 

At my race, I ran an average of a 10 min 3 sec mile.  Which really suprised me.  I ran the whole time, I was tired but I wasn't as tired as I was on the treadmil doing the same speed.  In fact most of the time I looked at Rob's Garmin watch (keeps track of distance, pace, time) I was noticing how fast I was going so I had to slow myself down in fear that I would be worn out before I was done. 

It was a GREAT race, but it was my first race.  It is a starting point, something to measure and compare to later. I really wanted to do this Mud Dash this weekend but I didn't sign up in time... and it was 10K and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it.  It looked really fun though, it was a obsticle mud run.  Maybe next year.

Lauren and Amber also did the race with me on Saturday.  They ran the kids run, Lauren did half a mile and Amber did a quarter.  They both did really good too.  Amber ran the whole time chasing bugs she would see, and Lauren ran/walked.  She would run really fast and then tire out and walk for a few steps and then run again.  She did great.  Lindsey thinks she wants to do it next time. 

Then there was Sunday.....  I have been freeking out this last 2 weeks I think it has been, since a day after Labor Day.  I was called to be the Primary President in our ward.  YIKES!  Sunday they sustained me.  I am really still all frazzled about it, my mind won't shut off (which is why I am still awake).  There is so much to do, I keep going through my mind what I have to do and thinking of how to do this or if I should do this or this....  Our ward also was just split so we have lost many of the teachers.  I hope this anxious, nervous, scatter brained, can't seem to focus, feeling goes away soon.  I really need my head back. 

Amber says...

I think Amber is crazy enough and then she does something else...  She was all in this costume, outfit,...whatever you would call it and saying she was a dragon fighter.  She was acting more like a dragon herself, trying to bite us and growling at Robert as he took her picture.  Who knows where she comes up stuff? 

Umm, er, uhhh, I might know where she comes up with some stuff. 

Today we got ice cream cones from Artic Circle (gotta love those sixty cent cones) and after Amber was finished she said, "awww, that was the delicious-est ice cream I have ever tasted!" then she looked down at her dress, "Apparently I made a mess of my dress!"

When she said that last phrase, I could hear myself in her tone of voice and even the way she paused in certain places.  It was pretty funny!  Apparently (a word maybe I over use) she made a mess of her dress, and she was right, she did make a mess of her dress. 

I was trying to ask her again what she said to get it correct, about her ice cream. She gave me a little lesson in her vocab I. "Delicious also means yummy, it means the same word, it means it was so good to eat, you know... DELICIOUS?"

I so love this little girl! She keeps me smiling... most the time!  I would have 6 more if they could be just like her and Sam and stay at 2 and 3 yrs old!  I love being their mom!  Its times like this that erase that huge fit she threw at the grocery store because she didn't get a sucker.  How can I freeze her at this age?  I guess lots of blogging, journaling, and pictures will have to do.

Camping in Aug.

We haven't been campng in such a long time.  The last time I remember camping is before Amber was born.  I might have been pregnant with Amber but I am not for sure on that.  Robert went camping one time with the older girls when Samantha was just a little baby.  I kept Amber home because she was sick.  (It was a horrible night for me, an after hours visit to the dr.'s office where they told me to go to the ER to give Amber an IV, then after tests and a catheter for Amber, me trying to nurse Samantha in the ER room while comforting Amber ALONE.  We finally got back home and to bed at like 3am if I remember correctly.  And this was all in Robert's Mustang, where I had to put the carseats in the small back seat and have my seat pushed all the way forward so Amber could fit in the backseat.  Amber wasn't even 2 yet, she was lifeless, wouldn't walk, so I had to carry her and the carseat/Samantha too.  It was a challenge!  I remember it like it was yesterday!  Oh, the joys of Motherhood!)  As for our most recent camping trip, we all had a great time!  The girls were super excited to go.  We also met up with our friends and their 4 kids, The Johnson's.  I totally forgot my camera so I had to use my phone.  Most my pictures of the camp area came out all fuzzy and blury.  These are the best 2 probably. 

What's camping without roasting some marshmellows?

The camp chairs were such a great thing.  Espeically the little ones for the littler girls.

The first day we took a drive on Skyline I think that is what it is called.  Our camp area was called Bountiful Peak Campground I think.  We went up Farmington canyon area to get there.  We went on this Skyline drive that went across the mountain tops and through them to get to Bountiful if I remember right.  (I am so bad with names and locations of things!)  It was so pretty though!  You could look out over the Great Salt Lake and the city area below.  It seemed like you could see forever.  The girls liked it too.

Amber is always up for a good pose when I have the camera out.

There was a group of 4-wheeler riders at this stop we made.  They offered to take pictures of our family.  Amber wouldn't stand still and Samantha was asleep in the car.  This is one of the most recent pictures of our family, well minus Samantha.  The family picture we have on our wall, the twins are like 4 months old.

We drove up the road a little more and hiked up a little trail to see this view behind the girls.  Smanatha woke up too, so that was good.  But then there wasn't anyone to take our family pics.

Lauren hanging out on a rock that was shaped just like a seat.

Amber found a rock that was like a horse's back, or so she said it was.

Samantha found a seated rock too.

Emily decied she wanted to climb up this big rock area for one of her pics.

Lauren liked those rocks that Emily was on too.

Lindsey thought this would be a good picture too.  She is pretty creative with picture taking.

The girls decided this would be a great place for a picture, until they realized there was ants all around.

Amber kept asking, "Mom, is this a boulder?....  Is it going to fall?"  When we were coming back one year from WA we went to Yellowstone.  One of the roads we were taking was closed because there was a "boulder" about ready to fall into the road so they closed the road.  We had to re-route and back track a bit.  We had to back track a bit too because I left my purse at Robert's parents house.  Ooops!  The girls were talking about the boulder so then Amber was questioning every rock we would see.  They decided to get a picture with this boulder.

This was at the beginning of the trail to go up where all the big rocks were.  This was right in front of the boulder in the picture above.  

We had a really fun time camping.  We left our place on Thursday and came home on Saturday, which was my birthday.  Robert being the late planner he is, had to go to Costco once we got home.  He said he wanted to go get the tire fixed, the oil changed, and the car washed.  It just so happened that it was near Costco too I guess.  I got a treadmil for my birthday.  He always makes me feel bad in the gift giving area... he is getting a book for his birthday.  Yeah lame I know, but what do you get a man that already has bought the things he wants?