September Races

Jackson competed in his first triathalon ON HIS 10TH BIRTHDAY, no less. He smoked 'em, especially on the bike leg. He came in 8th in his age division (9-14)...not bad!! I think he really enjoyed it. It was well organized and fun to watch all the kids compete.

Last Saturday I ran a marathon relay with four of my friends. It was such a fun morning! The weather was perfect, although it got a little hot by the end. I was glad I was third. The chill was gone from the early morning, but not nearly as warm as the last leg of the race. Thanks to Jeanette, Karen, Stephanie and Raphael! We really were the Hot Holladay Mamas! Can't wait to do it again next year! Maybe we really can attack the Wasatch Back next summer! As long as I don't get Ragnar at 2 a.m, I'm in for it. In any case, if this race had been a Boston qualifier, we'd be in. Too bad that one isn't a relay!

Gateway Fountains

Kaitlyn and Luke were driving me NUTS yesterday! "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom, can I..." "Mom, will you get me..." "Mom will you do..." "Mom" "Mom" "Mom"!!!!! BAH!!!! I had to get out and do something with them so we went downtown to The Gateway to play in the fountains. Actually, I planned on riding the Frontrunner train, but halfway downtown changed my mind. That's why they didn't have swimsuits or towels to get wet with. They still loved it. The fountains are so fun because you never know which ones are going to go off. They also had fun music playing. Every hour there is a sychronized "explosion" choreographed to the 2002 Olympic theme. I've seen it so many times and still think it's spectacular! Our own local version of the Bellagio fountain show in Vegas.

We did it--and lived to tell!

Saturday was an eventful day at our house. I got up at 3:45 a.m. (I think that's still considered the middle of the night) and headed to Utah County to run the Provo River Half Marathon. It was AMAZING!!! We ran down the canyon along the paved trail next to the river. Wow! Bridal Veil Falls were huge that close. After a summer of training, it was probably my best run and I felt great. Okay, so I was a little sore, but not more than I expected. Scott did the ULCER ride around Utah Lake. He planned on going only 60 miles, but once he got there, decided to go for the whole 111--way to go babe! It was a fun day, and yes, I got a massage today--a very deserving one! :o)

San Diego 2009

We just got back from San Diego and I really think we brought back half the beach, given how much sand dropped out of our bags onto my laundry floor! Despite the souvenier, we had a great time. The weather was perfect, except for one day at the beach when it was a little cloudy. This is where we spent most of our time--playing in the really big waves, digging in the sand and soaking up the rays. We also got to spend a lot of time with Papa and Linda, which we loved. Of course, the food isn't half bad at their house either--thanks Linda! And thanks Papa for the golf games. Scott and Jackson loved playing with you! We spent our last day at Legoland. It was really fun this year, given Luke was tall enough to go on all the rides but one, so we could all go together! He and Kaitlyn were a little wary about going on the dragon roller coaster, but once on it, their little hands went straight up in the air the whole ride. Again, our favorite part was Miniland, with all the recreations. We will forever be amazed and impressed at the detail! It was a fun day, and of course we couldn't leave without some Granny's apple fries. For those of you who have been to Legoland, you know these are not to be missed!

Summer

Okay, so I haven't been the best at posting ANYTHING since April. It certainly doesn't mean we haven't done anything. We've been to Lake Powell in June and just got back from San Diego, both fabulous trips. I have nearly 600 pictures between the two, so I'll give you only the highlights. Although, I think the entire trips were "highlights", so it's hard to whittle them down.

My garden is also growing. I got a ton of peas and enough raspberries for FOUR batches of jam--yum! I also have TWO ears of corn. Wow, I know. But consider, I have only three good short rows and I'm told you need at least a quarter acre to grow corn. I didn't think I'd get anything but some stocks to decorate the porch with come Halloween. There are also lots of tomatoes which I'm planning on stewing, making into sauce and then freezing. We should have at least half a dozen big pumpkins too. Yea!

I've only got a week left until my first half marathon. I've been pretty anal about my training schedule, so I hope it pays off. Tomorrow I'm running 11.5 miles, the longest I've ever gone. Last weekend I ran 10 and felt really good afterwards. That's the goal. Not to bonk all next weekend after the race. If I can finish and feel good and beat my three hours worth of music on my iPod, it will be a success.

5k and Bike Tour

Yesterday was my 2nd annual 5k run at the Salt Lake Marathon. Again, it was a great race, despite them changing the route that took you up hill on State Street. The turn onto South Temple was nice, since it was sort of down hill and you could see the train station, which was near the end. However, I had a side ache at that point from the hill and got passed my what seemed like a gazillion other runners. I also thought I beat last years time by a whole minute, but after looking up last years results, realized I beat it only by six seconds! Dang! I'll blame it on the side ache. Actually, the goal was not to get passed my 80-year-old men and 10-year-old girls, like last year! You think I'm joking! Scott did the bike tour. He actually started at our house--at 5:25 AM, in the dark--so he totalled 31 miles that day. It was fun to meet him at the end of the race. It gets me in the mood to train for a 10k. I know some of you hard-core runners think this is cake, but considering two years ago I couldn't run three house-lengths, I'll shoot for that.

This picture is just before we started. I'm with Julie, Scott's sister, Jennifer, Tanya's sister, and Tanya, our sister-in-law. Notice how happy we are, with hair in place, no heavy breathing and no side aches?

Scott and I after the race. Doesn't he look hot in his biking duds? Tee hee

BTW...the eggs in our nest disappeared. It's weird. The nest isn't torn apart, no egg shells, nothing. They were there one day and the next they were gone.

Last weekend's happenings

So a couple of birds built a nest in the wreath on our door last weekend while we were at the cabin and a couple of days ago laid eggs in it. I put a big sign on the pillar on our porch asking visitors to honk or call us instead of knocking on our door. Part of me is excited to watch the process, but another part is a little angst I can't use my front door. Besides, I love this wreath, but may not be able to put it up again next year if it means being so paranoid something is going to happen to baby birds on my porch!

Here are pictures of my boys shooting Jackson's BB gun at the cabin. It's a real Red Ryder, just like in "A Christmas Story". Yes, I've warned him he'll shoot his eye out! Tee hee! Jackson and his cousin built also made these targets out of paper plates and pieces of wood and stuck them in the lawn below the deck where they were shooting. Pretty ingenious, I thought.