PHOTOS of HAWAII

Wait a minute...that doesn't say Washington DC!!!

Body surfing on Kamaole Beach II

Katie ready to do some snorkeling at Black Rock

Belle with her completed sand sculpture.
People stopped and took pictures of it.

After snorkeling with the sea turtles at Hono Cove

Stopped at the BlowHole

A little shaka from my two guys

One of the many waterfalls on the Road to Hana

Stop at "Halfway to Hana" for a shaved ice with vanilla ice cream...YUM-O!!!!

Steve and the kids after hiking down to the "Three Bears" falls

Steve showing us how to climb the coconut tree. 
Its not as easy as you would think

My awesome family at Wai'anapanapa State Park

 

Yes, we have bananas today!!!

Becky making a sea turtle

Nikki boogie boarding for the first time in YEARS!!!

Some good looking kids...can't believe how big they all are

Belle at Haleakala National Park...10,000 feet above sea level!!

My beautiful daughter, Katie, during the beautiful Maui sunset

Can't believe how beautiful these girls are

Aloha Maui....Mahalo for a wonderful family vacation!!!

KISS ME DIRTY

BEFORE the RACE, CLEAN and PRISTINE

I participated in a different kind of race this week...a MUD RUN.

My friends, Jennifer and Mikki, talked me into signing up for this cool race series named "KISS ME DIRTY".  HOLY COW!!!  This has every other race I have every done beat!!!  I was so afraid there would be a 12 foot wall we would have to scale and jump off of.  But quite the contrary, the obstacles were very manageable.  There were walls to climb and puddles to crawl through, but it was hilariously crazy.  I have to admit, having Jennifer and Mikki there to do it along with made it that much more fun.  We were chucking clumps of mud and pushing and pulling eachother into the puddles.  The little streams that we had to traverse were so cold, my feet were cramping up.  In the end there was mud all over our bodies, hair, in the shoes and even in places that were pretty well covered (that's what I discovered when I got home to take a shower). We found out there is another race in August and are planning to do it again.  Who knew physical activity could be so much FUN!!!

If you are curious how some of the course looked here are some pictures the local newspaper took yesterday.



AFTER 4 MESSY MILES of OBSTACLES on WHEELER FARM



Books, books, books

Belle and her friends had gone to the pool and Steve was enjoying spending some time with Zack.  So what was there for me to do?  One of my favorite things...TREASURE HUNTING at DESERET INDUSTRIES.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular.  I just meandered through the store and found myself where I usually end up, over at the books. 

I LOVE BOOKS. 

I love having shelves with biographies, the classics, contemporary fiction, self help, how to guides and even those large coffee table books.  I think it has carried over from the home I was brought up in.  There were always books on the bookshelf that I loved to flip through.  And my own mother would spend her "free time" reading all sorts of books.  I have become a NOOK user and actually like it.  It is very convenient to bring a whole library of e-books along with me on a vacation, but truly it doesn't replace the feeling of holding a book on your lap, flipping through a biography looking at the photos or even the sound of breaking in the spine of a new book... So Yesterday,  I managed to find seven more books to add to our shelves:

THE CENTURY by Peter Jennings:  This is a great coffee table book that chronicles the events of the 20th Century.  The photos are incrdible and fun to look at.  Loved seeing just what an incredible 100 years the last century was. ($5)

HOME by Julie Andrews: I am looking forward to reading this one.  Who doesn't love Julie Andrews?  Mary Poppins, Maria Von Trapp, who ever she was playing in the movies, you couldn't help but love her and envy her for all her stinkin' talent. ($1)

GLIMPSES into the LIFE and HEART of MARJORIE PAY HINCKLEY by Virginia H. Pearce:  I have seen this book for years in Seagull book store on my own friend's book shelves, but have never gotten it.  This was truly a treasure.  I look forward to read this one.  I thought she was such an adorable woman and enjoyed seeing her with the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley.  I often thought when Steve and I got old, I hoped we would have a relationship as sweet as the two of them. ($1)

I also managed to find some cheap paperback classic to add to the shelves...

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS by CS Lewis, AROUND THE WORLD in 80 DAYS byJules Verne, PICTURE of DORIAN GREY by Oscar Wilde, and  FALL of the HOUSE of USHERS by Edgar Allan Poe. ($.50 ea)

Not a bad way to spend $9.00.  I hope by filling the house with a wide array of books I am also instilling the love for books on my kids.

THE FAMILY THAT RUNS TOGETHER...

 Saturday, June 18th...the family was up and dressed at 6:00am in the morning and we were driving to the Pavilion at the River Trail in South Jordan.  Steve, the kids and I signed up to run in the Country Fest 5K.   We did this race with the kids a couple of years ago and had a GREAT experience and the kids have been asking to do another race.   The weather was perfect and the race started on time.  Steve and the kids began in the front of the pack while I took my usual place bringing up the rear.  I started with my friend Mikki by my side, but as soon as I began to "run" I realized I needed to start of a little slower and waved her ahead.  The sweetheart that she is, she tried to encourage me to stay with her, but I told her to go ahead and make her best time.  So I was on my own and to be honest, I don't mind it too much.  It makes me very self conscience to "run" with someone.  I don't run for long and feel like such a loser, so it is just easier to run alone and go at my pace.  I do try to challenge myself.  As the continued down the path I could see Mikki and one of my girls running together.  What an awesome feeling to know that there was someone encouraging my daughter along too.  I did not see Steve cross the finish, which told me I was doing better than I had the last time I had run this course.  I kept pushing along and began to made my way through the neighborhood.  I actually enjoy that portion the most.  I love the pretty houses we run, or in my case, wa-og by.  As I was about a half way through the neighborhood, there I saw my angel.  Steve was there to help encourage me, as he has done in all my races, through the remainder of the race.  I love to see his face.  He always makes me feel like I am accomplishing something and that I have ALL the abilities to do it.  I crossed the finish line a little after 45 minutes (my goal was 45minutes).  Mikki, who had come in 6 minutes before me and all my kids along with Steve, stood there at the finish cheering me in.  Gotta love that family of mine!!!

 We hung around for the awards.  Steve knew he was getting an award for his age division, which was a FIRST place.  He also came in FOURTH overall...holy cow that man of mine can run FAST!!!

We hung around through the other awards to see if any of our kiddos had placed and we were glad we did...

BECKY won a 1st PLACE medal

BELLE 2nd PLACE medal

&

KATIE took a 3rd PLACE medal

in their age division...They were all tickled and I must say, I was a pretty proud mama.

As usual, I am very blessed for my family, especially Steve that supports me and is my biggest cheerleader.  He makes me feel like I can do ANYTHING and has helped me to do things I would never have dreamed I could do.

RED, WHITE & BLUE JEAN BBQ

 Went to my first Republican fundraiser.  Pop was in town this weekend for the Republican Convention as a delegate and invited the kids and I do go along the night before for this gathering.  It was pretty neat.  After having taught the Constitution class for the last 3 years to fifth graders, it was fun to have my kiddos actually meet the Governor and also one of our Congressmen.  Governor Herbert was quite kind and took a few minutes to talk to my kids and told them about the making of the Capitol Building here in our state and how forward thinking the founders of our state were.  That they were preparing things for their generation.  It was quite an neat talk.  The governor even put his arm around while he spoke...kind of cute.  He was a very nice man.

 Before leaving the park, we stopped for a photo opp with Congressman Jason Chaffetz.  I was proud of how my children conducted themselves. 

My Library Find

One of my all time favorite things to do is to peruse the shelves at the library and find little gems to read.  I  especially like the organizational section and the craft/sewing shelves.  This last trip to the library with the kiddos I found this book: Vintage Notions by Amy Barickman .  This is one of the most charming books I have seen in a while.  It was on the shelf with other sewing books, so I picked it up thinking it would be about notions (buttons, snaps, decorative stitches, etc.) that had been used in the past on clothing.  And the book does touch on some of that, but it is so much more.

The book's introduction acquaints you with Mary Brooks Picken .  I had never heard of this woman, but after reading her brief biography and the rest of the book, I fell in love.   She made being a homemaker, not just what women had to do, but made it an art.  She opened the The Women's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences.   The school had correspondence courses in dressmaking, millinery, cooking, fashion design, beauty and homemaking.  There were newsletters that went out to students between 1916 and 1934.  Amy Barickman, the author of this book, took those newsletters and felt that much of the information that was still relevant for today's woman.  And I agree.  As I read some of these articles, it reaffirmed to me I was born 60 years too late.  I have been in love with the styles and trends of the 1920s and 30s.  I would have loved to have been the housewife who would find these little newsletters in my postbox.  I would have devoured the information and tried to apply it to my life.  I would love to apply some of these tips and skills to my 21st century life.

Some of the quaint things I read were on beauty: "...too  much rouge, too much powder, like chewing gum, is seldom evidenced by a woman of refinement"

Or on having a fulfilling life: "...We must measure our lives in terms of what gives us joy.  When we do that, we build up happiness in our lives out of what we do.  Then, with the advance of our years, we can say, as did Julia Ward Howe, when asked if it wasn't harder to grow old, "No, the deeper I drink the cup, the sweeter it grows.  The sugar is all at the bottom."

On becoming a little plumper in our mature years: "In the struggle to keep young, women often view the approach of flesh with something like despair.  But good, firm flesh, rightly distributed, makes a woman look younger after she has passed 35." ...AMEN, more proof that I was just born too late.

The book is sectioned by month and within each month there is beauty advice, inspirational essays, patterns, hand stitching tutorials and recipes.  I would love to spend each month trying the patterns and skills that are taught within the pages, but unfortunately I will have to return this book to the library, but I think I am going to purchase a copy to add to my own personal library.  

ARCHES

First week of Zack and Belle being out of school and the last week of the twins being off track...we loaded into the truck with the camper in tow and drove down to the southeastern Utah.  Steve found us a great site to camp outside of Moab named Onion Creek.  It was a beautiful area, but one of the best parts was the small stream that flowed behind our site.  As soon as we arrived all the kids were in the water building dams (or darns as Katie called them because she did not want to use the "swear" word).  Then once that began to get old they changed into their swimsuits and had mud fights.  So much laughing, chasing and mudslinging...so much fun to watch my kiddos enjoy each other. The wind was blowing pretty hard that day which prevented us from cooking our dinner over the fire pit. So Steve made our yummy fajita dinner on the stove in the camper and we ate inside too. Luckily the wind died down by sunset and we were able to put up the kids tent, so they would have a place to sleep.

The next day we had yummy sausage and egg muffin and then we drove back into town to start our day in Arches National Park. We decided to make the Delicate Arch hike our first one of the day. It was a little more difficult than both Steve and I had anticipated, but it was well worth it when we got there. The last time (7 years ago) we were there we only went to the viewpoint, so it was neat to actually stand under that iconic arch and get our pictures taken. I did get a nervous with the slant of the ground, but luckily I had Steve to hold my hand and reassure me that I would be ok. We made our return hike back to the truck and played silly “games”. We had a Spanish speaking family behind us and could hear parts of their conversations. So Steve and I would identify a word or two that we recognized and then try to come up with what they could be talking about, the sillier the better.

We found a pleasant spot to have a picnic lunch before going to Double Arch and The Windows. Lots of laughing and giggling went on as we walked from one arch to another. We did a lot of people watching, even made a contest out of trying to spot the tourist that was wear “dress shoes” on the hiking trail. We were disappointed to find most people had proper foot wear on, made it difficult to play our “game”. After visiting the Windows, Steve and the kids ran ahead of me (I am pretty slow when I am on the trail) and just when I started to feel deserted, they popped out from behind a bush, it was actually quite cute. I love my family for the silly things they do.

We even took a moment to recreate one of my favorite pictures from our first trip to Arches. Katie was 4 years old and was so tired from the hiking when we got to the fork on the trail and we were deciding which side to walk down, she laid her head down on Steve's backpack and fell asleep. Se was just as cute at 11 as she was seven years before. Katie wasn't the only one to be “cute”. Becky had decided to THUMB (a G rated version of giving the finger) the people we drove by. Initially it was just suppose to be the rafters, but quickly became anyone we drove by. She was so funny and enjoyed it so much. It cracked me up.

Steve and I even got in on the silliness. Not that it is really silly, but our song: “Then You Can Tell Me Good-Bye” by Neal McCoy came on and we do as we always do, Steve found a spot to pull over and we got out of the truck and began to dance right there in Arches National Park. There were a couple of people that stopped and watched us. I like to think that they thought it was cute and hopefully not that we were crazy. My cute kids even got out my camera and took a couple of pictures. I love the little things we do.

Before leaving the Moab area on Wednesday morning we went into the park one final time and did part of the Devil's Garden hike. There are a few different arches along the trail. We were pleasantly surprised by the one named Pint Tree Arch. It had a great view of the park, the arch itself was quite pretty with the shrubs and trees that were growing around the base. We then walked to Landscape Arch (which our family refers to as Becky's Arch) and took some pictures around there. Steve and the kids left me in the shade to play with my camera and they continued on to Navajo Arch. We were there early enough to beat most of the heat. We went back to our truck and left Arches.

Before beginning the five hour drive back to South Jordan we stopped into Zax Pizza in Moab (a MUST for anyone stopping into Moab) Their beer and cheese soup is delicious and their pizza bar offers a variety of pizza to choose from. If you don't see something you like, tell them and they'll make it for you. I love that the kids are growing up sometimes. There were no Gameboys or videos playing for the entire drive and we just talked, sang and laughed and the whole trip was FUN. It was a great mini vacation. So grateful for all the planning Steve puts into these trips. I am not much of a camper and hiker, but he always makes sure I am comfortable and am able to enjoy the experience, which I end up doing. Looking forward to the next adventure the Webers go on....Stay tuned!!

OGDEN HALF MARATHON, AGAIN



Steve and I after the race.
Pretty tired, but the medal makes it all worth it!!





 This was my 4th time running the 1/2 Marathon in Ogden.

Steve and I got to the "busstops" about 5:00 am.  Steve loaded onto his full marathon bus and I found my half marathon bus and boarded.  I sat around others that were as anxious as myself to begin the 13.1 mile journey back down the canyon.  I had my earbuds in my ears and was already getting "pumped up" by my playlist, but I could still hear the people who sat around me talking.  The discussed times and fuel, but the comments that caught my attention the most was one of the runners saying, "...you know what really impresses me?  The people that walk the half marathon.  That is a LONG time to walk, I'm not sure I could do it..."  I can't even tell you how much it meant to me to hear them essentially be talking about me.  Made me feel pretty good.

The message that kept me going for 4 more miles

The start was not as cold as I had anticipated it to be. It began a little late, but once we got going I began to warm up.  It was a beautiful day to be racing.  It had rained 5 days in a row prior to race day.  Spent the 13.1 miles alternating between walking and jogging.  When I came up to mile 9, I began to remember how hard the race gets for me from that point on.  It was then that I could hear my phone ringing.  I had just received a text message from my daughter, Belle.  It said, "LET'S GO MOM".  I teared up a little.  How did she know I needed that.  It was that message that pushed me the next 4 miles.

Yep, that's me running!!!

Steve passed me after mile 10.  I was still feeling pretty confidant and impressed at how my body was feeling.  Nothing ached or hurt.  Before I knew I was running the last tenth of a mile and could see the finish line that never seemed to get any closer.  I did finally get there and finished the race and got my medal.  Another half marathon done. 

NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY

Ysabelle was inducted in the National Junior Honor Society last night.  It was quite an accomplishment for my girl.  During her 6th grade year, she had a hard time balancing school work with having a social life.  She opted many times to skip studying or doing homework to hang out with her friends.  When this school year began, which happens to be her 1st year in middle school, she had set a personal goal to make honor roll.  I wasn't sure if she would be able to meet that goal after the bumps she had through 6th grade. Then the first quarter report card came out and sure enough, she had made the honor roll and this continued with the following 2 report cards.  So I was not surprised when she brought home the application to join the National Junior Honor Society.  And we were pleased when we got the letter saying she had been accepted.

 

 The program was quite nice.  The student officers each took a characteristic that exemplifies a member of the NJHS, which included Citizenship, Service, Character, Scholarship, and Leadership.   The principal, Mr. McLeod spoke for a brief time about how impressed he is by the youth that are so willing to give service to their communities.  Then the members of the National Junior Honor Society stood and repeated the pledge:  

"I pledge myself to uphold the high purposes of the South Jordan Middle School National Junior Honor Society to which I have been selected.  I will be true to the principles for which it stands.  I will be loyal to my school and will maintain and encourage high standards of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship."

Then I watched as Belle's name was called and she received her certificate and shook hands with the principal.  I am always the typical proud mama when my kiddos accomplish something.  More proud of their accomplishments, no matter how small or large they maybe, than anything I ever have accomplished myself.