Despite my week this week, I went out and ran this morning...

It was good for my soul and I think I really needed it.



But now I think I REALLY need a new pair of running shoes...

The X-Rays have been taken & the verdict is in...

Big surprise! I need a Root Canal. What fun! :/

I feel like Alf Alfa...

... with a terrible toothache... Dr. Tom has been put on notice!

Facebookin'....

This is Carter's Facebook entry from this morning and the responses she got from friends. (If you click on it, you can make it larger and it will be easier to read... at least you can on a Mac, not sure about you PC users...) I am so proud of her! Before the school year was over, she made a list of things she wanted to accomplish this summer, and boy did she ever! 103 community service volunteer hours, over 1000 pages read, etc.... Again, I am sooooo proud! Way to go Carter! You are awesome! :)

A Day at the Races!

So yesterday was the Park City Marathon, and since I didn't run it, we decided it might be fun to go over and volunteer. Carter, Macy & I were assigned the finish line area where we all took turns calling out bib numbers and times as the 1/2 Marathoners & Marathoners crossed the line, relieved the runners of their timing chips and handed out finishers medals. I made a mental note that from now on, I will remove my own timing chip from my leg - those things were so sweaty and disgusting to remove! And even though I know a majority of the runners appreciated the help, I won't put a nice volunteer through that with me from now on.....

We had a fun time, and I think I've decided to run the marathon next summer... but don't hold me to that yet... :)

The finish line!
We even got to volunteer along side Bonnie! She's running the Mid-Mountain Marathon next weekend!
Carter calling out runner bib numbers...
Macy pulling off the sweaty chips, and dodging any runners who looked like they were going to "blow chunks" after stopping.... hehehehe...

So what's for Breakfast?

Carter & Macy's trees, that's what!

These were our 6:00 a.m. visitors the other morning. A mother and her baby. They proceeded to try and strip all the leaves off Carter and Macy's trees (planted in honor of their births), before moving on to the next yard for more food. They are quite the sight to behold up close and personal!

And I'm pretty sure these are the two moose I encounter almost every morning on my runs and have to keep changing direction for so as not to come in between the two. I've come close, but haven't had to outrun a moose yet... :)

This is where we will be on Saturday morning!

Volunteering at the Park City Marathon! Wish I was running it though... maybe next summer!

Today

Today was a tough day.

Today I am grateful for a friends hug.

Today I am grateful for children who make me smile.

Tomorrow the sun will rise again.

And for that I will be grateful.

CHA-CHING!

So a new school year means lots of registration fees & school supply purchasing - exactly what we did today. We traveled over to Ecker Hill Middle School, got Macy's locker and class schedule, and turned in all her forms (and I paid the fees). Then we traveled to Treasure Mountain Middle School and dropped off Carter's binders for the school year (I paid those fees last week). Then we went and purchased all the required school supplies (another fee). Then we went to Dance Tech where we registered for classes & purchased the required dance uniforms (and paid even MORE fees). Can you say "Ramon for dinner" for the next two weeks?!!!...School supplies purchased....
Macy testing out her new locker combination....
I must say that Carter was invaluable today at Ecker! I can't tell you the number of kids that came up to her and asked her to explain their schedule, tell them when they have lunch & open their lockers for them because they couldn't... it was hilarious!
Getting everything ready for the 1st day of school....
A look at the new leotard and tights which will be worn this year...

I'm not spending any more money for the next few days....

At least that's the plan...

We'll see how it goes...

A Hike up Ecker Hill...

A beautiful Sunday, a beautiful day for an easy hike up Ecker Hill mountain. There was a definite chill in the air and you can see that the leaves are starting to change (say it ain't sooooo!!!!) But we made all the way up to the flag, actually it only took about 15 minutes, but we were pretty proud of ourselves just the same!

A pic of me and my girls - (I have actually posted a picture of myself - a very rare occasion!)
A pic of Drew and his girls... and on a side note, if Trisha knew what we've been doing with Nico while she's been away, she'd be none too pleased... :)

She finally got them!!!!

Macy is FINALLY going on Pointe and she got her shoes today! Bring on the Band Aids!

This is what happens...

... when you barge in on the Bedford family dinner...
You get to wear the "Dinner Napkin of Shame"....

A MUST See!

Everyone should see this movie! So much fun! Another Oscar nod for Meryl Streep I'm sure!

Loved it!

Grass Burger....

Okay, sometimes it doesn't pay to be a vegetarian... this was my dinner last night. Drew kept calling it a "Grass Burger" and said to really enjoy it! I have to admit that's pretty much what it looked like, and tasted like for that matter... Actually, it probably tasted more like a grass-booger...But......


At least I got to end the meal with a very small taste of this! It was truly delicious!

The Past 10 Days.....

I have been doing nothing but projects. Here's a look at my list of accomplishments:

Clean out, scrub & organize kitchen cupboards & drawers
Move furniture
Had carpets cleaned
Move furniture back
Mopped floors
Planted flowers
Scrubbed 4 bathrooms from top to bottom
Loads & loads of laundry
Dust, dust, dust
Sprayed basement for bugs (twice)
Spackled, painted & touched up dings in walls
Vacuumed (too many times to count)
Sewed new duvet cover for Macy's bed
Painted door trim on basement doors
Re-painted walls in dining room
Clean out & scrub fridge & freezer
Washed all windows inside & out (twice - thanks to the wildfire ash rainstorm we had... :()
Sewed 1 & 1/2 skirts for Carter & May... (need to finish that one...)
Mowed grass (twice)
Clean & organize mudroom
Organize bedroom closet
Purchase school supplies & fill out registration forms
Dog-sitting Nico

All this while still working, driving kids back & forth several times a day from camps & activities, cooking meals & trying to stay sane by running each morning.

I'm tired...

But at least my house is more clean & organized!

This is cool! You should check it out!

The Longest Way 1.0 - one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.

You Too Can Look Like This....

If you volunteer at the summer camps with the NAC, and one of the campers grabs the red crayon out of your hand and goes to town..... :)

(For a moment there I thought it was Halloween as Carter walked towards the car, then I had to remind myself it's the middle of August.)