Up, Up and Away

Thumbs up signal means that it's go time!!

Half way!

Hammock trick!

Not Running a Marathon

To all those who have been telling me to "get over myself" me via email, phone call or comments on my blog about my devastation...THANK YOU!! I wallowed in a vat of self-pity for an entire day and then woke up the next and was over it thanks to a couple of you for making suggestions that ultimately helped me to make the decision not to run a marathon!!!

Yep, I will be running TWO marathons!!! Thanks to Stacy H, I plan to participate in the Green River Marathon that is FREE on June 6th. Our team consisting of 4 members will split up the race into a relay and get a little practice run under our belts. It is a full marathon of 26 miles so the need for team members is essential...at least for me.

Thanks to my cousin Beth H who informed me that Sunriver, OR has the Pacific Crest Marathon going on the same day as the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon on June 27th. I can still compete on my birthday!!! Yeah!!! I will be entering the half-marathon down there and thanks to the awesomely high rate for a resort room, we will be making a plush campsite at the local campground.

I am devastated!

My neighbor called me this morning and let me know some bad news. Turns out, the Seattle Marathon has SOLD OUT. Ironically, this has never happened before and the June 21st deadline is no longer an option. They sold out two months early yet others across the nation that are happening sooner are not. I am completely DEVASTATED! I have been building myself up mentally, training and trying to raise the funds for months, all to find out that the only way I can get in is if I sign up through a charity. Even though my goal was to run this for ME, I could handle the idea of running to help out a charity...however, the catch is that I have to raise a minimum amount with any of the charities. They are selling out fast too and I have decided to make up my mind within the next 24 hours. The American Cancer Society is the only one I can get a hold of thus far and they require a $1,000 donation. If I can't earn that by the deadline, I have to pay the rest out of my own pocket. I was already barely making the $100 fee let alone 10 times that.

I am so disappointed that I can't even think right now. Does anyone have any suggestions? Would you all be willing to donate on my personal ACS website if I agreed? Does anyone have any words of wisdom? Fundraiser ideas? They won't even let me transfer someone's cancellation to my name. I am feeling very anxious and emotional right now and scared that this little life goal of mine could come back to bite me in the end.

Am I going to have to quit before I have even begun? The thing that frustrates me the most is that I wasn't even dragging my feet with this. I was doing everything I could to be proactive and yet I still get hosed.

Sincerely,
Hopeless in Seattle

A Fun-Filled Post---lots to brag about!

It seems as though I need to post about a few proud accomplishments around here.

I will list them in no particular order.

#1 Olivia got a much needed haircut. The mop is gone and a pixie has emerged. It is so grown up on her. Before...

After...

#2 Rob and I slaved over pinewood derby cars for the Adult Pinewood Derby race last night. Funny thing is...only one other person showed up. So, in that case, Rob and I both placed in the top 3. My pencil car was carved from a piece of driftwood I found on Alki Beach. I was pretty excited about my find.

#3 I made a quick trip to Rexburg, ID to see my brother Kyle graduate from BYU-Idaho this month. We packed, cleaned, ate, hung out with family (included my darling niece Daylin) and attended graduation ceremonies and then it was back to the airport all within about 56 hours. I promised Kyle a couple of years ago that I would come and I was blessed enough to be able to. I was completely blown away by the expansion of that little college since I was a student there in 1999. My parents and I even did the unthinkable and dove in the dumpster for a few cans of food outside Kyle's apartments. I love my dad.

My parents and I outside the Rexburg temple.

#4 Olivia is POTTY TRAINED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, sweet freedom! Goodbye pull-ups, hello money normally spent on thos darn pull-ups, goodbye changing table, hello underwear! I am so emotional today about the whole thing that I can hardly keep my eyes dry. She is so proud. Although she was potty trained earlier than Eden or Indy, she was the hardest.

#5 April Sunshine! It was warm enough for a neighborhood pool party in our front yard yesterday. I think it is time to get a bigger pool. You won't see Indy or Olivia in this picture however. Indy had a bad attitude and went inside and Olivia decided she would rather be running a surprise fever and throwing up all over the shag carpet instead. Long live wet vacs!!!

Easter on a budget

Didn't go crazy this year on Easter. Kids wore what they already had and their baskets had miscellaneous thrift store items or candy I had leftover from Christmas. I'm terrible. They loved every minute of finding them anyway!

Rob's mom even came up to make an appearance to sugar-up the kids and leave (she is a professional in that area.) She is out of the kid raising stages but took the time to bake a bunny cake for the kids.