a MARATHON trip

We went on a long, super fun trip. Max and Kelly saw every single cousin, aunt, uncle and grandparent. There was lots of playing, tons of messy rooms to pick up over and over again, family bonding, good food...so much happiness packed into a two-week trip!

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A play date with my Vegas friends! There were so many babies I hadn't met/hadn't seen in a long time. So many dear, dear friends. I loved being able to see everyone, but I wish that I could have had a little more time with each person. These trips are just never long enough. I want each of you to know that I really love you. I am grateful for your incredible friendship and feel lucky to have kept in touch with so many amazing women these many years. Thank you for meeting me at the park - thank you for your friendship. I love you, ladies.

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THE MARATHON...it's over! I finished. I am so, so proud of myself. And so glad it's over! :)

I am thankful for prayer and for a priesthood blessing that helped my knee to be a non-factor during the run. Not that there wasn't pain, but I was able to push through it. I am thankful for all of the phone calls, prayers, thoughts, cards, comments on this blog. None of you know how important your words and votes of confidence were to me, especially during those last three or four miles. I thought that part would be relatively easy since it meant that the darn thing was almost over. Not so. It was so tough mentally. My body was just kind of carrying me, but I so wanted to stop.
I love the picture below. I cried when I saw it for the first time...and the second. My sweet husband came and ran with me for the last mile and a half. I feel bad because it was kind of similar to how things are during childbirth...I'm in pain and he wants to help and there's really nothing that he can do, but having him THERE is so important for me. And during my training runs, even though I was alone, I could feel his love and his absolute support. I couldn't have accomplished something like this without him as my husband. I really believe that. He is doing just what an eternal companion should do - helping me to reach my potential and to "dig deep". Not just in the physical aspect - marathons and triathlons - but in life. I love you, Tyler Michael.A not-so-brief synopsis of the run:

A beautiful, sunny day at the Valley of Fire. Warmer than I would have liked, coming from mid-50's during training, but not too hot. It was a small race, only about 115 full marathon runners. My momma signed up for the 10k and planned to walk it. She's never done any type of a race and she didn't have much time to prepare, but she bit the bullet. I found out afterward that she had run about half of it - I am SO proud of her! It was a tough course, especially for a first-timer. We started out on this pretty big hill *look closely at the picture below right to see the beginning road* The whole course was pretty hill-y, but I was feeling pretty good. I got to the halfway point - 13.1 miles - and knew that would be my moment of truth. Would I really feel like I could keep running or would I want to stop? I got there and some of my family had shown up *see middle row of pictures*. I gave a few kisses and felt pretty good about things when I totally felt like I could run longer. About mile 15 or 16 I started to feel it. The hills were getting to be a little much and I felt a blister forming. One of the aid stations had mole skin that I put on my "hot spot" and that seemed to help. I had read the course description about the "BIG HILL" at mile 20-ish, but I had no idea it was going to be THAT big! It went from about mile 19 almost all the way to mile 20. I wish we'd gotten a picture of it. There was a guy named Dave who I basically ran with/near for the last 7 miles and halfway up the hill another runner coming down the hill told us that we 'only' had about a half mile to go. Dave muttered an expletive that totally gave voice to how I was feeling! But once we hit mile 20 and then made our way back to the top of the BIG HILL, it was downhill from there. Thank the heavens. The last few miles I didn't stop at the aid station for water or anything because I knew that if I stopped there wasn't a very good chance that I would be able to start again! Dave was heaven-sent. He and I talked and he helped to keep my mind off of the pain. He is 58 and this was his 82nd marathon! He made me feel better about my slow time (I finished about 1/2 hour slower than I'd wanted to) by telling me that this was his 2nd worse time in all 82 marathons and one of the hardest courses he'd ever run. I was so grateful for this friendly and supportive runner...if you read this, Dave, THANK YOU! As I came to the finish line, there was my entire family (minus a few) with posters and everyone was cheering so loudly. I wish I had a picture of THAT. When I saw them I got that shot of adrenaline and ran my heart out to the finish. It felt so good to be done - to cross that finish line. Endurance has a whole new meaning in my life. I sat for a minute while the volunteer removed my timing chip and then went to be with my family. I felt elation at the finish line and then my mom hugged me and I started to SOB. I can't really explain how emotional and builiding and trying this whole experience has been for me. Sure it's a little bit about the running, but it's mostly been about accomplishing something hard and reaching deeper within myself than I ever thought I could. SO many gospel applications. I felt closer to my Savior and my Father in Heaven. I felt love and support from so many. What a trip! I'll probably do another someday, but for now I am grateful for THIS marathon and THIS experience and for all that I gained - and lost in the process.

I told my dad that I needed some serious protein - preferably his stuffed hot dog - shortly after the run. (If I don't eat protein soon after then I run into major stomach problems the rest of the day - maybe because of my hypoglycemia?) So my daddy loaded the grill in the back of his truck and had lunch waiting for all of us right after the race at one of the camp areas in the Valley of Fire. 'Thank you' just doesn't suffice, Dad. I love you so much!

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After the marathon, we came home, packed up and went to a cabin (Worthen's cabin for those Las Vegans who know) at Mt. Charleston for some serious family bonding. That night we slept 23 people in one big room with tons of beds. 5 of those people were 18 months and younger...so you can imagine how much sleep we got that night! Tyler and I walked back into that room the next morning after everyone had been awake for a while and Ty said, "Here's the torture chamber." That's exactly how it felt in the middle of the night when Kelly and Delaney were taking turns waking each other - and the rest of us - up. But what's one night? It was so fun during all of the awake hours. We had Thanksgiving dinner and our family Christmas party the next day. It was perfect family time.

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Mak took Tyler and Max on a hike at Red Rock. Well, me, Adri, Kelly, Jack and Lily were all on the hike for the first 20 minutes, but two days after a marathon isn't the best time to hike. The heart was willing, but the knee was weak...and in pain. They had a great time, though, and it was a beautiful day!

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COLORADO!

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving we flew to Denver and got to spend a really wonderful week with the Fosters. It's always a good time when we get together. We had a turkey trot, a temple sealing session, some nintendo tournaments and lots of fun! I was really bad about pictures, but did manange to get a few...

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My grandparents were visiting my Aunt Sheri who lives about 20 mins. from my in-laws in Littleton, so they got to meet Kelly Anne for the first time.

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These were the only pictures of Thanksgiving dinner, which we did on Friday instead so that Ty's brother who is doing his residency could be there. We had two Thanksgiving dinners, neither of which were on the actual holiday. Both were fabulous. *Isn't my hubby handsome?! You can see where at least half of his good looks come from...such a handsome father-in-law*

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Maxwell and Callahan - the self-proclaimed "SAVERS" (complete with theme music - see videos below). They saved us from great big scary bears and a few sharks. They were oh, so cute together. This was their best bonding visit yet. So sad to live so far away.

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A few of the Colorado cousins...I forgot to take out my camera until like the last few days. Lame. But I did get some cute shots of a few of the very cute kids we hung out with all week. We're up to 8 grandchildren, with one just announced to make his/her appearance in June!

Tyler, Mick and myself put together this crazy LOST puzzle - very complicated. -----------------------------------------------------------

An incredible couple of weeks. We're glad to be home. Kelly was awesome in Vegas, NOT herself in Colorado, and back to being our little charmer back at home. That wasn't my favorite part of the trip - hopefully all of the Fosters will get to see her cuteness next time. Now we'll get ready for a Christmas at home. Decorations to come this weekend!