Charlotte Racefest Half Marathon

My first race post broken leg and babies!  It felt sooo good to be running with others that share my passion- even if I didn't know a soul.  I didn't train nearly as well as I would've liked, and I hope to never race that unprepared again. I was so anxious beforehand, but I love feeling the adrenaline  and excitement that comes when you get a few thousand people together to run the same course.  It was nice to be with a crowd again where farmer blows and logies are the norm. I want to give a shout out to the 2 girls I stalked for 10 miles.  I found them almost immediately on the course, and liked their pace so I stayed right with them without their knowledge (creeper!).  They pushed me harder than I would've pushed myself, and even announced how fast we did each mile (yes, that's how close I was). I couldn't keep up with them in the end, but I attribute my 2:04 time to them.

Traffic was so bad and Devin was trying so hard to get himself and our girls at the finish line to see me cross.  When he finally got in the vicinity, he slapped the girls in the stroller, and sliced his head on the trunk, poor guy.  Unfortunately he didn't make it in time and the camera was left in the car, so we couldn't even recreate the moment.   It was so great to have him there to support me though and I was grateful to give my girls sweaty kisses afterwards. Cambers kept throwing her hands in the air and saying, "Yay!!" followed by clapping.  I think we'll keep her.

We got to stay with Uncle Lindz and Aunt Lil again for the weekend.  They were so gracious to make time for us, feed us, and take care of us.  I forget how nice it is to be somewhere besides our own house and feel at home.  The kindred spirits Lindz and Vienna got some quality time together. I'm sad this pic is a little blurry, but she had a great time snuggling with him and jumping on his lap.

Cambry had a great time exploring the house and not being touched.

V pulled Lil in close to get some grandma-like love.  She's missing her grandmas and Lil is missing her grand babies so it was a good match. We are counting our blessings that President and Sister Thomas serve only a few hours away from us, and are not looking forward to July when they leave.

Spring Break

I knew we had a fire department close to our house, so I decided to put V in a stroller and walk over with C to it to check it out, not knowing it was almost a mile away. Seems closer when you're driving 50mph haha. We made it there just fine (the way back was a different story...).

Cambers gets so giddy whenever we see a fire truck drive by, and she was beside herself being so close to one. The firemen were just leaving, but they stopped, gave us a tour, and got Cambers a little firefighter in training sticker.  If only she liked attention from strangers...

Inside, she was very apprehensive (She looks like- Why did you put me up here, and what is all this crap?)

She was loving the big tires, hoses, and standing up on the back of the truck.  She wasn't loving that fireman touching her. V was just happy to be along for the ride.

Sporting her little sticker

Devin had spring break last week and we spent some time trying to find our back yard under all the leaves. Love a little manual labor. We have big plans for back here. With little wallets, we'll probably only get a little of it accomplished.

Yard work is a whole new ball game with babies.  Devin was a good sport carting V around with him.

I also had my Birthday and was pampered all day long! Since Devin was home all day, I got to sleep in till 8, go to the temple, not change a single diaper ALL DAY, work out without tripping over a child, shower (I never realized how big of a luxury it is with kids), go for a family trip to the park, and go on a date with my wonderful husband.  It was a perfect day.

YUM! Mellow Mushroom

Happy Birthday, Joslyn!

Today is Joslyn’s birthday - her special day. A lot things make birthdays special - presents, cake, parties, etc. - but most important to me today is the person. So let me tell you how Joslyn makes this day special for me.

• Joslyn is really smart. She double majored in sociology and psychology. She knows the scriptures really well and can quote many scriptures in all the standard works. She learned to speak German after her mission. She really understands people and how to relate to them. She has a lot of wit, which I don’t have. She frequently has to tell me: “Babe, that’s a joke,” before I finally grasp the wittiness of it. She is such a joy to talk to because she is well-read and brings insights that I have never thought of before.
• Joslyn has a very strong spirit. She really understands how the spirit speaks to her and listens. She has been criticized many times for choices she has made based on the impressions of spirit and can’t fully explain to others. Regardless of those criticisms, she has remained resolute in heeding the promptings of the spirit.
• Joslyn is strong. I came to a full understanding of this when went to my family reunion. Just 4 months after breaking her leg, she was water-skiing. The boat that was being used was sort of goofy (it was basically a raft with an propeller attached to it) and really hard to climb into. My uncle said that he had only seen two people able to pull themselves into the boat. I forget who the first was, but the second was Joslyn (he said that to me as I was being helped into the boat). This past year, Joslyn has displayed that strength by carrying two kids and handfuls of groceries up three flights of stairs, giving birth, running and holding Vienna until her arms are about to fall off (what a little snuggle bug).
• Joslyn is selfless. She is going on 2 years of disturbed sleep, dirty diapers, and crying babies. Despite all this, her love for her two girls is so evident in the way she interacts with them. For the time being, she has sacrificed an undoubtedly successful career for sake of her daughters and her husband. I’m grateful that I can study and work towards my degree with an assurance that my girls are in the best of care.
• Joslyn is beautiful. I don’t know how to do this without getting all sappy. So if you want to spare yourself the puke fest, just skip this one. Joslyn doesn’t have to do much to look stunning. Her eyes are so vibrant. I love how they take on a different color depending on the color of her clothing. Her smile is warm and flawless despite taking a blow to her front teeth from my elbow (whoops!). I’ll stop there before I make myself puke.

I love you, Joslyn. Happy Birthday.