Hawaii Bound

Ahhh, we made it on the flight. I shamelessly over-packed. But we made it. We are sitting on the plane heading Maui.

Here is the happy man:





Away we go!!!

Memorial Day 2009

We had a lovely weekend. Most of it was spent at the AVP tournament watching Casey and Ty rock the AVP - they placed 5th on Sunday morning and we couldn't be more proud of them. 

Sunday night - we (me, Sara, Corey, Baker, Darren, Jenny, Lexi, Casey) had a pasta party to prepare for our half marathon. A pasta party and sugar cookies - thank you Jenny!

Memorial Day morning we got up at 5:30am (on a holiday I might add), and prepared for our race. It was. So. Much. Fun. I saw my cousin Tiffany Brown at the race - we have cousin's everywhere! I found out from her Facebook status that she was running a half marathon in CA over the weekend, and it was the same race - what are the odds? Probably high - there are a lot of us :) It was so fun to see her and all of her cute friends. Thanks Facebook for the connection!

I didn't have a great time, so that won't be posted, but I will post Darren's. He did the half marathon in 1:35. He is so awesome. He was aiming for his previous time of 1:28, but maybe next time? 

After the race, we went to a ward picnic and then to Terminator Salvation - which I really liked.  But I like Christian Bale and the Terminator movies - so it was a great combination.  By about 7pm, the early morning was starting to catch up with me, so I was out by 9pm. Sad but true. 

Today I am a little sore (not bad) but glad we did the race.

Here is a picture of me and my cousin Tiffany - I stole it from Facebook. Luckily she is more organized than me and was taking pictures - I had no photographic proof I was even in the race! Thanks for the picture Tiffany!

To our Half Marathoners - Darren Harris, Corey Cooper, Baker Morphy, Adam Koch, Tiffany Brown and Co., Me, and Sara Spilsbury - thanks everyone for such a fun race - it was a great Memorial Day!

My Mother's Daughter

There are times in your life where you catch yourself doing something and realize that your actions are not new. The actions are learned. Such a moment occurred last week when I was using a sharpie (one of the greatest creations ever) to color in my black sunglasses frame. I love nice sunglasses but I have a tendency to break or lose them so I have been purchasing cheap pairs from Target. They protect my eyes and I am not bugged when I break them. It seems like a win-win situation. As I was coloring in my frames with a black sharpie (which is really bizarre, I know), my mind suddenly went back to memories of my Mom. 

As my Mom grew older, she became far sighted. This was a problem because my Mom was a reader. Compulsive reader. Being far-sighted was very inconvenient. She bought some prescription glasses only to break them a shortly after. Then she realized that she could buy a 6 pack of reading glasses at Costco for a bargain. But she continually broke the glasses, whether it be one temple or both temples. the temple padding, the nose guards - it was a common sight to see my Mom reading something holding up a pair of mangled glasses - it got the job done - who cares what they looked like? And she keep adding more glasses to her collection. We teased her constantly and all over the house there were glasses tucked into drawers, on dressers, in her car, purse, dining room table. She really didn't mind what they looked like - only that they worked. 

The most memorable moment with glasses came when I came home late one night and found Mom reading in bed. She wasn't holding up a pair of glasses and the frames were on straight which told me that she had found one unbroken pair until I realized that she had TAPED the glasses to her head. Both of the temples were missing, so she literally put 2 long pieces of scotch tape (which she thought wouldn't hurt as bad when she removed her makeshift glasses) and taped them to her temples and hair. Our own little Benjamin Franklin. As I laughed until I cried, she was completely non-plussed. She chuckled but could hardly acknowledge me, she was reading a book and didn't have to hold up her glasses like a monacale - mission accomplished. 

As my chipped black sunglasses were "fixed", I realized that this makeshift attempt was actually something my Mother would do. I would like to believe I would never use tape to make my sunglasses work but I can't say never. Ten years ago, I never thought I would actually use a sharpie to color in something (think toe nails, sunglasses and millions of other uses). But here I am. With a rainbow of sharpie colors and a lot of imagination. He-he. I think my Mom would be proud. 

The funny part is that when she passed away, I didn't really want any of her belongings.  She didn't wear jewelry and her clothes didn't fit me. What I wanted most was a pair of those silly reading glasses. Preferably a broken pair. Isn't it funny that our most valuable possessions are sometimes the little things? Like a broken pair of glasses that makes you chuckle when you see them? Or the fact that I proudly realized that my desire to use a sharpie to fix things is probably something genetic that my Mom passed on to me?

This is my Mother's Day tribute - very late but I am always late - it is another gift from my Mother. And taped glasses?  I am actually sure my Mom is chuckling right now. It was one of her finer moments. What can I say? I am proud to be my mother'sdaughter. Sharpie and all.

 

Mom's glasses. Please note the missing temple on one side and temple padding replaced with a band-aid. Klassy. 

AVP

The AVP is fun for a few reasons. It is a good reminder to lay off carbs - as we watch tall bikini clad women diving in the sand. And it reminds me that I really am not that tall. BUT the most important part has been watching my brother in law Casey play with his partner Ty. We spent the day at the beach - watching games and cheering. Lexi is literally getting a blister on her hand from all of the clapping. 

This weekend was the AVP tournament in Huntington Beach and it has been so much fun to watch. Casey and Ty have been playing so well.  This morning Casey and Ty beat Mayer/Nygaard which is the 3rd overall ranked team. It was a huge win. Casey and Ty are currently ranked 5th place in the HB tournament and will be playing for 3rd place tomorrow morning. If they win, they will have a place in the semi-finals! They had one loss today (it is a double elimination tournament) and it was against Dalhausser/Rogers -the gold medalists. That was a fun match to watch. Very exciting. 

All I can say is this - I am related to him!!!! Good luck tomorrow Casey!

Actually forgot my good camera today - this is a shot of Casey's jump serve at the Riverside tournament. 

7-11

Although 7-11 deserves a post of its own, 7-11 was part of my morning. I had a late night. Which translates into to a long morning. As I as trying to drag my booty out of bed to go running, I get this text from my sister,

"Manny from Ryan Secrest is at the 7-11 on Bushard and Garfield giving away AVP tickets and Amex gift cards! Go down there!"

There is something about a contest/anything associated with Ryan Secrest/ free stuff that can make me move quick. It is like a sport. Free stuff!?? At my 7-11 just down the street? Whaaat? So I threw on contacts, running clothes and a hat. Didn't brush the teeth or comb the hair - no time! Run out the door and jump in my car right behind our neighbor Baker (his wife Jenny is a Ryan fan/7-11 soul mate). We speed down there to see a lot of people with little slurpees. Manny was apologetic. 40 people made it before us. He consoled us with a free slurpee. Boo. I don't just leave the house like this for anyone.

It could be the first time 7-11 has ever let me down.


( no clue who owns that car, just took this from my car window as I drove away)

Halfway Point

We are halfway through the year and this is how I am faring with my goals:

1) Half Marathon - Running another half marathon on Monday. Done and Done. Note: This will be a SLOW half marathon but 13.1 miles is 13.1 miles. 

2) Triathlon - Hmmm, so far, I haven't really progressed on this goal, but I might replace it with the St. George Marathon that Darren and I got into!!! Whoo-hoo!

3) Learn Spanish - Okay, I am actually doing really well in this department. Better than before. I can somewhat be understood (because I am surrounded by kind hearted women who understand why I am TRYING to say). But I can always improve. A lot. 

 

4) No Soda in 2009 - I am almost done with May and am happy to report I have not fallen off the wagon (though there have been some temptations). I do and always will love carbonation. I think it is a Hatch thing - all of that Mexican soda or something but it really really makes me happy. So 6 more months, I can survive and then I will get a HUGE big gulp to reward myself. 

5) De-clutter - This comes in waves. In some ways, i am way more organized. Not so much in other ways. I am getting a little more organized but the paperwork! Why is there always papers around? Ones that I can't throw away?

6) Photography - I haven't done much in this department. I am signed up for Wendy Schultz class but the assignments have not started yet. I need to take a photoshopping class BEFORE I get into Wendy's class. Hmmm, I might just need to bite the bullet and take another class. 

7) Reupholster -  I am actually looking at various thrift stores for such a chair. One I can recover. And not be bitter because I wasted a lot of money. It is a start. I am not finding a community class that has a 4 week course. That would be ideal. Not expensive and short. My kind of class. 

8) Slow down - This is a work in progress. I have been gradually just been letting things go. Oh well, they don't get done. That is hard for me to do. I try to do EVERYTHING. But lately I have been happy with things the way they are. And slowing down gives me more quality time with the man friend. I like that. 

9) Travel Somewhere New - Okay so we are going to Maui in 2 weeks. That is someplace new and it is like a foreign country because we have to go across an ocean to get there. Haha! I am so excited.  I think we are staying in the US for our travels this year. We are headed to Dallas and Austin in September (I have never been to Texas, sad but true). And there is talk about a New York City trip in the fall. So I can wear a cute coat and pretend I am a local. Not sure about foreign travels but Darren and I are always on the hunt for a new trip. 

10) Family time - I don't think I can make it to the reunions this year but I have been seeing a bit more of the family. I think an AZ trip needs to be on the horizon. See all of my peeps down there! But i have seen a lot of my family. In Utah, Vegas and California. And of course, I see Darren every night. It has been lovely. 

11) Spiritual Health - I think the thing that has helped the most in this department has been slowing down. It has been nice. Something that has helped has simply been not watching TV on some nights. Which is easier in the summer, I don't have as many shows. :) I feel like I am making progress. Temple, calling, personal, family. It has been a nice year. 

12) Piano - Due to a territory change, I haven't been able to take lessons, but I have been able to get a uber- simplified hymn book and practicing a few times a week on the keyboard that Stephanie and Jon lent us. I actually don't have to play for church because they called a lovely woman to come and help us. But it is nice just to practice reading the notes. It has been fun. 

See? I am making progress. Maybe not as much as I want in some areas but I still have 6 more months. 

Lexi's Shower

This little gathering has taken up a chunk of my time! And it wasn't really that little for a few reasons:

1) there were a ton of people there

2) some of Lexi's volleyball friends were there and they were some of the prettiest/tallest girls ever

Here is a sneak peek:




Here is a special shout out to the ladies how helped put this thing on:

Jenny Morphy, Nicole Barnes, Linny Terry, Kalei Watt - thank you for the lovely house, food, helping set up, decorations and having to drive over a bunch of chairs!

And to the salad girls: Kay Jones, Beckie Imboden, Box-Morphy, Heather Warren, Nicole Barnes - you ladies were life-savers.

The party was a hit! Baby Cash can come anytime!!!

I will post more pictures later.

-- Post From iPhone

On a scale of one to ten - what is my awesomeness level when I use a red sharpie to color in my chipped toenail polish because I am in a hurry?

Before:




After:


-- Post From iPhone

Belated Mother's Day

I have a nice long post regarding mother's day but I will save that for a little later. I can post it whenever I want.

I wanted to share with you my favorite Mother's Day present so far. (I am not a mother yet, but I will accept a present anytime they are offered).

While I was slaving away at a medical conference talking to doctos about drugs, Darren was making the garden look wonderful. It looked something like this:





I know, scary - right? I had put some plants in containers - mostly tomatoes, japelenos, and herbs but had not even had the time to attempt weeding the patio space. I hate weeding, it is blah.

I came back to this back patio space:








I know - huge difference, right? Ahhh, lovely. Thank you Darren for the best present. Ever! And sorry you got a sunburn while you were weeding. And thank you for to sacrificing a chunk of your day to make our patio a liveable.

-- Post From iPhone

Working on Saturday

My weekend has not felt like a weekend - working on Saturday has me all turned around. And being on your feet all day loses the fun factor after 1 hour.

Ellen Show Swag

The Ellen Show was so generous! Here is our swag:

- crib and mattress
- frigidaire dishwasher
- butler bag
- baby bjorn
- calendar necklace
- complete line of mrs. Meyers baby products
- infant car seat carrier
- zooni hat
- Chloe style baby booties
- baby blanket
- uppa baby stroller
- digital baby monitor
- digital camera
- $100 gift card to shutterfly
- 6 months diapers
- silicone bottles
- Dwell studios baby bedding

It was amazing!!! So happy to be invited. Thanks Lexi.

Here we are unloading our gear - most of it will mailed to us.





Our swag:




The best part is that as we were driving home, we found out that Stephanie is at the hospital ready to have her baby! Good luck Steph!!

Ellen Show

We are waiting for the Ellen Mother's Day show. I was lucky that Lexi invited me as her guest. However I should not have worn the loose fitting shirt because everyone keeps on asking how far along I am. If I am surrounded be 200 pregnant women, their fertility will rub off, right?

I will write later with a recap of the show. It is going to be so much fun!!!





Lexi - she is good to stand on line 7.5 months prego. Thanks for the invite Rexi!






Don't worry - we are VIP. No big deal!!!

-- Post From iPhone

Princess

This was how she dressed up to greet me at the airport. Please note that she is wearing the Sleeping Beauty pink Princess Aurora dress, while holding the matching doll. I will be honest - I felt pretty special.

Rainbow

Seriously- when was the last time anyone has seen a rainbow?

I was driving with mi padre and we saw this enormous rainbow. There was acutally 2 rainbows but my camera phone was not able to capture to second one. Maybe the next iPhone will have zoom on it?