Resolution Check-Up

Another month come and gone and it's time for my monthly day of accountability regarding my New Year's Resolutions.

Lose Weight - I am losing...losing this battle, that is. Not doing well at all. In fact, I gained. Must. Quit. Eating.

Read Jesus the Christ - COMPLETE! Yea!

Climb Mt. Timpanogos - Dangit! I decided that for safety's sake this one must go on the shelf until next year. We have late snow which prevented me from going up early and then a wedding that kept me too busy to go up. Once I cleared my schedule early this month, I determined that the Timpanogos Emergency Rescue Team had declared the season over and had disbanded. Not that I planned on needing rescuing but I don't feel a solo climb of Timp is a smart idea outside of the normal climbing season. I will re-try this goal next year. For now, I'm replacing it with going snowshhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifoeing for the first time (again, assuming the weather cooperates. I will need snow before year-end to do this one).

Run Ragnar - COMPLETE! Yea! This was a lot of fun! For more info, see here.

Write My Grandma's Life History - No progress this month.

Do family search indexing - I did do some indexing.

Attend 5 Temples that I've Never Been to Before - No new ones this month. I took McKayla to the St. George Temple and it was her first time being there but I've been to that one before so I can't count it.

Overall - failure on losing weight and my grandma's life history but good progress or complete in other areas.

loss of stress

I have now had a headache for 48 hours. Nothing is working to get rid of it. I've tried a nap, pinching the area between my thumb and forefinger, massaging my neck and shoulders, drinking extra water, etc. I even resorted to taking Ibuprofen. Still, the headache persists.

I blame it on my lack of stress. For most of September and October I had WAY too much on my plate. Life was extremely hectic. I tend to hold all of my stress in my neck and shoulder muscles.

Over the last week or so, life has calmed down considerably. I have been able to take a deep breath and relax a bit. I am not running on overdrive. Thus, my body is also trying to relax so now I feel the high tension in my neck. Ouch!

Anybody have any great headache relievers?

calling

I LOVE my calling to serve in Special Needs Mutual!

I must admit that when I was called, I wasn't overly excited. I deal with Special Needs nearly every day of my life and have for almost 19 years now.

However, I LOVE love LOVE it! Greatest church calling EVER!

AWARDS

A few awards for the kiddos this week:

Wednesday night was the RHS soccer team banquet. It was quite fun and, being catered by Costa Vida, it was also yummy!

The long-standing tradition is that the Seniors determine the awards for all of the underclassmen and the coach then selects the Seniors' Awards. Usually the underclassmen awards are inside jokes requiring some explaining.

McKayla's award was "Just Keep Pace with Mickey - NOT!" (Her soccer team calls her Mickey) The story behind this is that the coach was requiring the girls to run a mile in under 6:30. Most of them were very stressed about this. On the day of the time trial when the girls were expressing their fears to the coach, he told them to "Just keep pack with Mickey and you'll be fine". The Seniors related that the team tried to keep up with her and couldn't even do it for one lap around the track. They said, "We were practically dying trying to keep up with her." They said she ended up lapping a lot of the girls on the team. Thus, the award.

The Senior girls also gave Alec an award for being their best fan! They gave him a mini soccer ball, a picture of him at their game, and a thank-you card. He was so pleased. Of course, he kind of strutted up to the front to receive the award. Then, on the way home, he kept randomly bursting into giggles. When I'd ask him why he'd say, "I just so happy!". That made me happy!

Thursday night was Pack meeting. Chandler was award his Webelo! Yeah! He also earned several activity pins. He is now one team sport short of having earned every single activity pin possible. That last pin should be his by December.

no good at night

My mom and I are alike in many ways. However, we have a couple differences. For instance, I never remember her going to bed without leaving the house clean -- no dirty dishes in the sink for her.

I, on the other hand, am usually worthless at night. I am tired (and generally a bit cranky). It is all I can do to help kids with homework or wait up for them to get home.

It is not the least bit unusual for me to leave my dirty pans in the sink. I am much more able to face them and deal with them in the pre-dawn hours.

I don't wake up to cleanliness but on the bright side, I get to enjoy it ALL day while my kids are at school before they come home to mess it up again!

HOPE Squad

After there was 3 suicides during one year at Riverton High, Hope Squad was formed. Hope Squad is a group of students who, under the direction of the school counselors, are trained to talk to those in crisis. (and then direct them to real help)

A little over a week ago, the 734 members of the sophomore class were each asked to write the names of 4 students who they would want to talk to in a time of need. The top 15-20 were named to the Hope Squad.

McKayla was one of them.

I think it is an honor and McKayla was happy to be chosen. My only concern is that all the training takes place in 4th and 8th periods (the last periods of either A or B day). Those are the same periods she consistently has missed for her sports. Not to mention those periods are Chemistry and Spanish 3 - not the easiest things to miss.

It might be a minor miracle if McKayla can manage to keep her grades up while still missing so much class time. I worry a bit for her but I am so glad she has gotten so involved in school activities. She is really loving high school and is certainly not getting lost in the huge number of students.

RAGNAR!!!

First things first, we had to get the Suburban all decked out and ready to roll. Tonya's kids Josie and Curan as well as Phillip's wife Apple did the paint job.


The scenery was not very pretty. Desert landscaping. Maybe it was just hard to appreciate it in the blistering heat. I love to run in temps in the 60's not high 80's.

Our van load before the race - Karen Goins, McKayla, me, Tonya Cole, Jacobson Cole, and Phillip Adamson. Our race gear was supposed to include the plaid boxers and a plaid bandana but we soon got to hot for any extra clothing.

All of us at the finish line (not looking a lot worse for wear but maybe feeling it!)

The entire team at the finish - Alex Adamson, Josh Harker, Danny Adamson, Phillip Adamson, Jake Cole, me, McKayla, Tonya Cole and (front row) Kristine, Rose, Carina, and Karen Goins.
McKayla and I at the finish.

Our impressive number of "kills".

191 miles (lost runner so we did 3 extra)
31 hours
12 runners
2 1/2 hours sleep
85 degree temps
2 vans
over 140 "kills"
dozens of tired muscles
HUNDREDS OF MEMORIES!!!

Ragnar Relay

McKayla and I are heading out today to start our Ragnar adventure. 188 miles. 12 runners. Hours and hours with no sleep. Blistering Las Vegas heat (I'm a huge heat wimp). What were we thinking?

I am excited and nervous. Anticipating and scared. Curious and dreading. Confident and unsure.

My legs of the race aren't terribly difficult (McKayla has the hard ones) but I'm not sure how I'll handle the heat and the sleep deprivation.

All I really know is that I can't wait to be able to say I've accomplished this goal!

Go Ragnar team!

awesome coach

I have been so impressed by McKayla's cross-country coach. I couldn't tell you if he is the best coach as far as the actual running is concerned but he is fantastic as a caring, dedicated individual.

He really gets to know all of his runners. He knows who they like, what other hobbies they have, etc. He has attended several of McKayla's soccer games (he has 3 other runners on the soccer team as well). He is encouraging and positive.

To top it all off, yesterday he gave each of his 10 runners who qualified for State a personal letter. I don't know what anyone else's letter says but McKayla's is complimentary and motivating and it is obviously not a generic form letter of any sort. I can hardly imagine a coach taking the time to do this. Especially one who is not only a teacher but is currently taking classes to obtain his Master's Degree, doing an administrative internship, fathering 3 kids, and fulfilling church responsibilities.

Very impressive indeed.

Gingerbread Scones

This recipe is a favorite of my family:

2 C flour
3 T brown sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t ginger
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon

Combine the above ingredients then cut in 1/4 C margarine.

Mix the following in a separate bowl:
1/3 C molasses
1/4 C milk
1 egg yolk (reserve egg whites in another bowl)

Stir into dry ingredients and mix just until moistened.

Turn onto floured surface and knead 6-8 times. Roll into an 8-inch circle. Cut into wedges and place 1" apart on a greased baking sheet.

Beat the egg white until frothy and brush over scones. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees.

the big reveal

Life with Alec is so very entertaining!

He came upstairs last night and announced he'd cleaned his room and he wanted us all to come see. Kevin went down immedicately (I was loading the dishwasher...). Alec wouldn't let Kevin in because he wanted the entire family there at once.

So, we gathered everyone outside Alec's door. He made us all close our eyes before entering his bedroom. Then with a big TA-DA he told us we could open our eyes.

All of us were double over laughing but we made sure to ooh and aah over his clean room.


now if only my girls got that excited about a clean room....

training

I attended a huge, state-wide, 5-hour Special Needs Mutual training session yesterday at the U of U Institute. This was for my calling as a YW Advisor in the Southwest Region.

I wasn't overly thrilled about going because I figure I have almost 19 years of Special Needs training (it's called ALEC).

However, it is always wonderful that even when you don't necessarily get anything from the speakers, the Spirit can always tell you something. I believe when you faithfully attend your meetings, you put yourself in a situation where the Spirit can teach you what you need to know regardless of what the speaker is actually saying.

I came home with some great inspiration for my calling. And, as an added bonus, I came home with some inspiration specific to Alec as well.

Just another example of the Lord's tender mercies in my life.

moment of the week

The winner for most uncomfortable moment was:

(I will be intentionally vague just in case...) I was sitting in a meeting at a school when we were getting ready to elect a leader for the year. I knew very well who the principal wanted and as I really like this person as well (and have known him for years), I was all prepared to nominate him. Someone else beat me to it.

I was thus all prepared to settle back and watch him be elected when the obnoxious, know-it-all bore next to me leaned over and asked me to nominate him.

Yikes!

I just don't have the personality to tell him, "I'd rather not because I'd sooner give birth again than have to listen to you at every meeting."

Nope. Couldn't do that.

My name will forever be in the records linked to his nomination.

ramblings

I can't post anything coherent today. My mind is just a jumble of thoughts - mostly centering on the still-swirling debate on whether or not Mormons are Christians.

I get that we Mormons don't believe in the exact same Christ as evangelical Christians. What I don't get is why that is so bothersome. Members of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints believe there is a Savior who came to earth, who suffered bled and died for us, and who will return again. We worship Him. We honor Him. We love Him and we strive to be like Him.

Many "Christians" do the same. Does it matter if some believe He has dark skin while others believe He is fair? Does it matter that some believe He speaks to us today? Why are we so afraid that everyone is not exactly like us or doesn't think or believe in exactly the same way we do?

Is that a good enough reason to call Mormons a cult?

I struggle to wrap my mind about where all the controversy even comes from. Please, people, let's just respect others right to believe and worship the way they want and just find joy and comfort in knowing we're all doing the best we can to live Christ-like lives.

just a poser

I got a chuckle out of this last night at McKayla's soccer game:

Her cross-country coach came to watch and was cheering her on. At one point I heard him yell, "Did everyone see that kick by my cross-country runner posing as a soccer player?"

It made me laugh!

all PTA all the time

or at least, that is how it seems!

Last week I helped with teacher dinners on Tuesday and Wednesday nights (plus all the cooking and prep work most of Tuesday and Wednesday). I also had a school advisory committee meeting at the high school and a PTA meeting at the middle school.

This week I have an early morning breakfast for Student-of-the-Month at the high school. I have school calendar committee meeting with the District, a school community council meeting at the high school, a council PTA meeting, and a PTA meeting at the high school. I am also spending Wednesday morning at the middle school doing vision screening.

None of this includes the time spent on emails, agendas, paperwork, etc.

It keeps me really busy but I do have to admit that I like the benefit of getting to know what is going on at the schools. I know the teachers, the administrators, the counselors, etc. I know so much more about how things work and what is going on than if I weren't involved. I have also met and served with some really great people and I love the friends I've made.

So, maybe it's all worth it in the end...

(now if only my house didn't look like I'm never home to clean)

SMILE

Yesterday the RS President reminded us that Pres. Hinckley asked the YW to do 3 things every day:
1) read the scriptures
2) pray
3) smile

I was reminded that smiling really is a good idea!

My first year at Ricks College I noticed this super-cute guy in the cafeteria. I always smiled at him. Then we started exchanging "hellos" and before you know it, we were making small talk. That was followed by him asking me out which started us dating until he left school (very long story). While dating, he told me it was my smile that first attracted him to me. He said I was always smiling.

So, smiling really does pay off!

sports recap

It was a little quieter on the sports-front this week. McKayla and Chandler each only had one game.

RHS had their final regular-season game on Tuesday against their biggest rival, Bingham High. McKayla got to start varsity and played the entire 80 minutes. RHS won 1-0 thus making them Region Champs (for the 2nd year in a row)!


On Friday McKayla's RHS cross-country team did not fare so well. It was the Region Cross-country Championships and Riverton girls' took 5th. That means they did not qualify for state as a team. McKayla, however, did qualify on an individual basis by virtue of finishing in the top 10. State championships are Oct. 19th and we're certainly hoping for warmer weather than at the regional meet.

After watching McKayla's cross-country meet on Friday, we headed to Salt Lake Community College to watch Brakston's Utah Valley University team face them. That game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Chandler's soccer team had a game on Saturday. His team has only won one game this season. They are at the bottom of their division and were facing the number 2 team in the division. I expected a rout. However, Chandler's team played great and the game ended in a 2-2 tie (with Chandler scoring one of those goals). It was nice to see his team finally improving.

We ended the sports week by watching the BYU-San Jose State football game. Yea! A win for BYU!

coming up roses...

You know it's going to be a GREAT day when...

*you sleep in until 4:30 am (only 20 minutes before the alarm was set to go off instead of the 2 hours before that you've been waking up for the past 11 days)

*none of your children have school so you have plenty of time to make them one of their favorite breakfasts (and the added bonus of not having to make them a sack lunch)

*the temperature is cool enough that you can really enjoy your run

*you have fun plans for the day (including Itty Bitty Salt Lake City, watching McKayla run cross-country, watching Brakston play soccer) and NONE of those things are at the same time (meaning that for a WHOLE day you don't need to be in 2 or 3 places at the same time - I am NEVER good at that)

*it is your favorite (and only) husband's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEVIN! I love you!

Life's a Peach!

Over the weekend I bought 80 pounds of peaches. On Monday, Tuesday, and today I managed to freeze 20 pounds each day.

I used some to make a peach crisp and we ate the rest (my family LOVES their fruits)!

I thought about making peach cobbler for the teacher dinner tonight but I just can't face one more peach! (except to eat, of course! One can never get sick of fresh, juicy, sweet peaches!)

And I will enjoy peach smoothies all winter long!

missing "MY" kids

It is amazing how fast I can get attached to people!

I have subbed for one of the teachers at Riverton Seminary for 11 school days. Since RHS follows an A/B schedule, it means I had one set of classes 6 days and the other set 5 days. I really LOVED my classes! After that many days, I started feeling like they were MY students. After all, school has only been in for 25 days and I had them for 11 of them - almost as many as their regular teacher.

Today was my first day back at home and while I enjoyed it, I really missed many of the students that I've grown so attached to.

Maybe it's because instead of the creative energy needed for teaching, I spent the day in the mindless task of blanching, peeling, pitting, and freezing 20+ pounds of peaches. Peaches or people? Is it any contest?

I want my peeps!

conference to-do

I have been subbing for seminary for the past 2 1/2 weeks. I gave all of my students (yes, after 2 weeks, they are MY students) an assignment. They were to listen to conference and report back with something they plan to DO as a result of conference.

For me, the choice was easy.

When President Monson stood to announce the new temples and then reported that there are still those who can't afford to travel to the temples, it honestly made me cry. I love the temple so much that I feel so badly for those who don't have the blessing of attending frequently let alone not even able to attend once.

Therefore, I was excited to hear about the General Temple Patron Assistance Fund.

What will I DO as a result of conference?

I will be donating an extra tithe of my earnings every time I substitute seminary to the General Temple Patron Assistance Fund. I hope and pray someone's life is blessed by being able to obtain the magnificent blessings of the temple. I honestly can NOT imagine my life without the fruits of regular temple attendance.

all sports, ALL the time

Another active week.

McKayla had high school soccer games on Tuesday and Thursday. She played 40 minutes of Varsity on Tuesday and then 60 minutes of Varsity on Thursday. Her team won both of those games. McKayla is the one in the purple getting sandwiched.


Shanley had dance on Monday and Wednesday.

The kids and I (including Brakston and Whitney) all went to the Real Salt Lake (pro) soccer game on Wednesday night. They lost but we enjoyed ourselves.

McKayla had a cross-country invitational on Friday (so she skipped soccer practice). She won! That was pretty exciting. She beat the next fastest runner by 20 seconds.

Here they are with their medals lined up in the order of finish (McKayla is on the far left).


In addition, the RHS girls won the team title as well! Shown left to right with their overall placing is Breeann (3rd), Alli (6th), McKayla (1st), Erin (13th), Marci (33rd), and Courtney (8th).


Chandler had soccer games on Friday and Saturday nights. His team lost on Friday but he had an assist. His team also lost on Saturday but he scored a goal.

Brakston had a soccer game Friday night. His UVU (Utah Valley University) team lost to the University of Utah team by 2-3. He had some amazing saves (he is the keeper)!

Kevin and I just did LOTS of running.

Resolution Check-Up

It's time for my monthly day of accountability regarding my New Year's Resolutions. Do these months fly by or what?

Lose Weight - I am down 1 pound. Certainly not one would hope for. The killer for me was the 27 hours we spent in Spokane. How is it possible to gain 4 pounds in a single day? Yes, I know, I ate out every single meal (4 of them) and I didn't get even a minute of real exercise but still....

Read Jesus the Christ - COMPLETE! Yea!

Climb Mt. Timpanogos - My plan was to get this done by the end of September. However, I spent 12 of the weekdays teaching seminary full-time. I am teaching this coming Monday and then am cooking dinner for 100 teachers so next week is out. I am truly hoping that good weather holds through the 2nd week of October.

Run Ragnar - At this time in 3 weeks, I should be able to mark this one as complete. We've held a team meeting and I got to meet most of my team members. I have done a couple days of multiple runs (including a 9.5 mile run this morning followed by a 3 mile run that I'll do in an hour). I have done some hill work - I actually ran the 3.6 miles up Suncrest (and then back down). It killed me but I DID IT! Now if I can just stay well-rested and well-hydrated.

Write My Grandma's Life History - No progress this month.

Do family search indexing - I did do some indexing but am not sure how many names.

Attend 5 Temples that I've Never Been to Before - Got one! We went to the Spokane Temple while we were there for Brakston and Whitney's open house in her hometown.

Overall - progressing