I did it!!

5 months of training, many, many hours of hard work, a WHOLE lot of support from the best husband and kids in the world and I did it!!!  I ran my marathon and I survived!!

Saturday May 19th 7:00 am, a day I look at and get a little teary eyed.  Who know 5 months ago I would walk away from this experience with so much self esteem and confidence.  This experience has shown me that I can do hard things and I can improve at things as well.

My last marathon, 6 years ago, did not go down as well and I walked away feeling that I would never run another marathon again.  It was hard, I was injured and pregnant!!  I was defeated!

I found that I really enjoyed running half marathons and got pretty strong at them.  A lot of it has to do with finally finding awesome ladies to run with!  After having an amazing summer last year of 7 half marathons me and my friend Shannon looked at each other and said lets do it!!  Let's run a marathon!!

Well, we did it!!  I couldn't have done it without Shannon and her help in getting me out on our LONG, EARLY runs.  Those were the funnest times ever.  I think that did a lot for me and my outlook on this marathon.  I looked forward to our long runs, I looked forward to all of it and I know it is because of the awesome support I had.

7:00 am the gun goes off, I am watching my watch to make sure that I don't take off too fast.  I want to finish this race feeling good and I know I can do that if I run it right.

Miles 1,2,3,4 I am feeling great, took some GU at mile 4 with water and feeling strong.  I look to my right and see this lady and she says something to me and before ya know it we are talking each others ear off.  She has run this race 3 other times so it was really nice to have her there to give hood advice on the course and what to do.  She made the race for me.  She got me through what I knew would be the hardest part of the race for me.

Miles 5, 6, 7, 8 still feeling awesome.  I am taking my Gu every 4 miles and I have popped some Ibuprofen because I feel a hit os soreness coming on.  I am still running with my new friend , I wish I had asked her name but I didn't.

Miles 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 still feeling strong!!  I was really worried about getting to this point!!  My last half I killed myself and thought there was no way I was going to make it in my marathon, but I am at mile 13 and feeling awesome!!  We stop to go to the bathroom I get  some oranges and right there handing out oranges is one of my cute neighbor girl Mary!!  That lifted my spirits so much.  To see someone I knew, it helped a lot!! I gave her a hug and off I went.

Miles 14, 15, 16, 17 I'm surprised at how good I am feeling!!  At mile 16 I left my new friend.  She needed to stop and I was feeling so good I kept going.  I was on my own now, with my own thoughts!!  I got a text from Greg telling my they were going to meet me at mile 17!  I was soo excited!!  I got to 17 and they weren't there.  I missed a text from him saying they were gong to have to meet me at the opening of the canyon because it was impossible to get up it at all.  All I could think about was seeing him and the kids.

Miles 18, 19, 20  WOW!!  I am still feeling great!!  I am really doing this!!  The joy and happiness that is going through my body right at that moment was unbelievable!!  I knew at this point that I could finish this and feel good!  I couldn't hold back the tears!  I couldn't help by feel overwhelmed with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with a body that is able to do the things I want to do.  I said a pray of thanks to Him that I was able to do this.

this is mile 23!!  I see my fam and that brings a huge smile to my face!

There's the fam waiting for me to come at mile 23

Mile 23....stop for a quick picture, drinks, a few hugs and I'm on my way.

Miles 21, 22, 23  the course from 19 on was down hill and it felt great!  I was still feeling awesome and feeling tired too.  I kept up on my GU and water and eat oranges.  Mile 23.....there's my family!!!!  That was awesome!!  Their smiles and hugs and encouragement was what I needed!  I thought I would cry but I think I took care of all of that back at mile 20 :)

Miles 24, 25, 26....the end!!  I really started to feel tired!  I took my GU but I think my body was done with that!!  They were handing out cookies but I couldn't bring myself to eat one.  My guy was starting to not be happy.  I tried to drink as much as I could but my gut started to really cramp up....I think it was from all the GU.  I have to say though, I wouldn't have done it any other way.  I knew the end was near.  I knew I could do this!! I was not going to walk at all!!  I have to say it felt like an eternity to the finish once I hit mile 25.  You could see it, but it seemed to take forever!!

The end...I did it!! I crossed the finish, I did it, I'm alive and I can't believe how much i loved it!!  I couldn't see Greg right away so I grabbed a water, a bag of ice and sat down and cried.  They were tears of joy, relief, fatigue and my gut still hurt.  This sweet lady next to me asked me if I was ok.  She said we did it.  She was right, I DID IT!!!!  

At the end of the race.....I'm still standing!

So grateful for my family and all their support!!

I DID IT!!!

Love is in the air!

I  LOVE Valentines day!  My main reason is because cute Sarah bear was born on the big love day and I love how excited all you kids get with all the handing out and the receiving of the valentines at school.

This is our second year of doing our Family Heart Attach for FHE.  This is one of my favorite FHE's we do.  This year I had you all write what you loved about every person in the family.  It was so fun!!

Some of my favorites:

Isaac is 5!

Isaac, you have reached the old age of 5!!!

What a fun year it has been with you!  I thank the Lord everyday to be your Mom.  You are so thoughtful and loving to all around you.

You are always very concerned with people's feelings and you are a wonderful listener.

I really enjoy watching you with your bother Josh.  You two are awesome friends and you really care about him and his happiness, (even though you like to push his buttons).  You guys can play for hours with each other and your imaginations are endless.

You love to go to primary and I am grateful to be able to watch you in there and see your smile.

You try your best to do what is right and you are always full of sweet comments and love for everyone.

You idolize your big brother Ben!!  You look to him for reassurance and you will copy anything he does.

You love to go to preschool and are learning so much!!  I have a really hard time thinking about you going to kindergarten this year.  Both Josh and I will be lost without having you around.

I feel so every blessed to have you in my life and love watching you grow into a sweet little boy and look forward everyday to see what we will do together and what hilarious thing you will say.

I love you with all my heart!!!

Josh!

A big huge Happy Birthday to my ever so sweet Josh!  Ca't believe that he is 4!  Where have the years gone.

I have a really hard time watching him grow up, and I think it is because he is my last.  I find myself looking at everything he does with a little sadnesses because I know that everything he does is a last for me.  The last to do preschool, the last to learn to ride a bike, the last to do nursery!!  That was a big one for Greg and I!!  We are officially done with nursery at church.....never to have a child in there!  I never thought I would see the day!

It was really fun to see Josh come into primary and be a "big kid".....I just got called to work in the primary with the 6yr. and love it to death......so I get to see Josh and Isaac in there and that alone is worth it.  I love looking over at them and having them give me a wink or a thumbs up.

Josh is in preschool and is finally enjoying it.  I was thinking I was going to have to pull him out because he was getting sick ALL the time.  Hoping now that we are back that he wont get sick.

If you had asked me 5 years ago if I was going to have another kid I would have said no with a little hesitation only because Isaac was so much younger than Sarah.  But having another exactly 1 year after Isaac.....NO WAY!!!

It has been a true testimony builder for me that Heavenly Father knows me soooo much better than I know myself.  He knew I needed Josh and I am reminded of that daily.

Josh is there to help me laugh more, be more gentle, to talk more softly, and to cuddle more.

Each one of my children help teach me and are beautiful reminders to me of the things I am capable of doing and becoming.  I think that is one of the greatest gifts of being a mother.

I am eternally grateful for my Josh and all my kids!!

Happy Birthday Josh!!!

  

"I love it when..."

I love it when I get to see my children develop their testimonies and see the journey they go down as they work on making it stronger.

It is awesome to see how each one of them are so different in how they do this.  It helps my testimony grow as I watch this and really testifies to me how important it is to be teaching, living, sharing and grow in  the Gospel together as a family.  I am so grateful for family home evening, family prayer, family scripture study, and being able to go to church together as a family.

Megan has been a wonderful example to us as she has really taken to heart the challenge of being a missionary and has reminded me that we can all be a missionary at any time in our lives.

She has 2 friends in her class this year that are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She has been really wanting to introduce them to it.  She has brought her on friend to church and she was full of grate questions.  She has another friend that she is very excited to bring to church as well and to share the things about the Gospel that bring her so much peace, happiness and joy to her life.  She is our little missionary.

She has helped remind me that just by trying to live the Gospel and trying to do the things that the Lord has asked us to do we will have a light that others can see and will want to have.  We talked about how we have promised to Heavenly Father that we will stand as an example and take his name upon us and because of that what we say and do is so very important.  We need to be trying to think and do as Jesus would.

I am so very grateful for these awesome kids that my Heavenly Father has trusted me with and the beautiful blessings they are in my life.

I love it when....

I love it when I get to spend the whole day with my family without all the extra stuff.  No outside influences, no TV, no running around, no work, no worries of a schedule, the list could go on.

I cherish my Sundays and the beautiful day that it is and the wonderful times I have with my family.  I am grateful for the knowledge that my family can be together forever and I am grateful for the journey we share as we try to reach that goal.

I love it when....

I find myself frequently saying to myself, "I love it when...".  I am going to try to document those "love it" moments as best I can....so I wont forget the joy in the journey!

"I love it when I am in the other room and Josh is all by himself and he is singing a song that he has made up all by himself.  He likes to be on his own a lot and when he is he is really good at entertaining himself wonderfully.

"I love it when I can see my children set a hard goal and watch them do all that they need to and have to to be able to accomplish it.  At the beginning of this new school year Megan came to me and said that she wanted to run for student council.  I had to take a deep breath and I have to admit I was not too excited about it.

I was so amazed at how hard she worked.  She had to do 8 hours of service, 4 at home, 4 at school, she had to make 2 posters and she had to stand in front of the school, grades 4-6 and preform.  She was amazing ( will post more on that later) .  There were 30 kids that ran and only 12 spots to fill.  After 24 hours of a very long wait, she called me from school and in her sweet soft voice she told me she made it!!  I love being able to share those moments with my kids!!