Hitting the Wall

It's a running term.  When running a long distance race, runners often describe the point where they 'hit the wall.'  Meaning they feel like they just can't go any further, their body is giving up, they want to quit.  But in most cases, mind over matter works and somehow, someway, they just keep going.  They push and cry and wince in pain, but they get over that wall and cross the finish line.  Victorious.

This story is a little different.  No proverbial wall of which you can mentally break through or climb over.  But an actual wall.  One made of bricks, real... cinder block...bricks.

November 17th

Doug and I had just got back from our amazing Hawaiian get a way and I was floating through the cold Washington air smiling.  We got home around 2 am Wednesday morning still covered in the salt of the Pacific Ocean.  That night I headed off to mutual sporting a cute little Hanauma Bay tshirt and a tan!  It was a combined activity night and Wiffle Ball was the game of choice.  We divided into teams...boys against girls...decided where the bases would be in our little gym and started things up.  We got through the first couple of innings and us lovely ladies were up by a few runs. (Yes we were boys...no arguing.)  The boys were up to bat and somehow I ended up being the pitcher for this inning.  I'm not sure how many boys had been up to bat when my little 'accident partner' came up.  He hit the ball right back to me, I got to it pretty quickly, snatched it up and  took off running at a full sprint.  I was pretty determined and had a little internal battle with myself 'throw the ball to the person on 1st base, or continue to chase him down to tag him out'.  Well, I decided to chase him down and tag him out.  I was almost there, I saw him...reached for him...and that was the last thing I remember.

What had happened? Well, apparently just before I got to the youngin he tripped and fell to the ground...then I tripped over him sending myself flying head first into the corner of the brick wall. I dropped to the floor (or rather on top of the poor chap) unconscious.  From the reports of those there it was...scary.  One of the leaders (Mr. Andy Marshall) got to me first.  He rolled me over and was pretty surprised at the growths that had immediately formed on my forehead and right eye.  He was a little freaked out at one thing in particular.  There was a strange round formation just above the outer corner of my eye in which he feared was the result of my eye being out of the socket.  (It wasn't)  Accompanying that was a yellow brownish liquid leaking out of my eye.  I was also making some very strange grunting and snorting noises. They cleared all the youth out of the gym and ushered them into the Relief Society room, where, with no leader to prompt them, they prayed for me.
Another leader, Ben, who happens to be a State Patrol officer bypassed 911 and called his buddies at dispatch and my friend Jill made the call to my husband and got an ice pack.
My Bishop and Andy were at my side, trying to get me to answer questions and after coming to, they tried to keep me that way.  I can't really describe what I was feeling.  I remember coming to and seeing my Bishop to the left of me and hearing  my name being called in the distance. In a way it felt like I was dreaming.  I had no idea what was going on and I just couldn't figure it out.  The harder I tried to figure it out the more scared I became.  Nothing was making sense.  In those moments, I did the only thing that did make sense...I started to pray.  I didn't know what was going on, but I knew that I needed my Heavenly Father.  And those men kneeling beside me knew that I needed Him too, so they gave me a blessing. I can't tell you the actual feelings that everyone was having in those moments.  But from what they have told me, what I have heard, they were scared for my life. 
The paramedics arrived, got a neck brace on me, strapped me to the stretcher and rolled me out to the ambulance.  A few minutes later, my husband was there.  When he got the call from Jill, he had just put the kids to bed.  So, he got them back up, loaded them in the car and did about 95 to get to me 15 minutes away.  By the time he got there, things were making a little more sense.  I heard him call my name when he got into the ambulance and I couldn't help but cry.  It was such a relief to have him there with me, to feel his hand in mine.  I needed him. 
My friend, Jill, took my kids home and Doug and Bishop followed me to the hospital.  The next few hours were spent vomiting (which is extremely hard to do with a neck brace on) getting catscans and waiting.  The strange round thing on the corner of my eye had by this point gone away. Text messages had been sent out to several of my friends who rushed to my side.  I don't remember a lot of the conversations that were had, but I remember being so thankful that they were there.  So thankful that I had them.  I love them.  I was also so thankful to have Bishop there.  I remember seeing him at the foot of my bed and it bringing me a lot of comfort.  I think he even squeezed my toe at one point, maybe just to let me know he was there.  I love that man. 

Doug wasn't shy about taking pictures with his phone and told me I would thank him later.  Which is true.  Who wouldn't want to document this??  He also teased me about looking like a Klingon. 

The results of the catscans were that I had 3 facial fractures (eye socket, sinus and cheekbone).  No bleeding or swelling on my brain and my spine was fine.  Along with the fractures...a pretty severe concussion.  The doctors there felt it necessary to transport me to Harborview hospital in Seattle, 2 hours away because of their excellence in facial injuries.  So, they prepared me for transport. (Which meant another uncomfortable neck brace) Let me tell you...I was locked and loaded. They strapped me in so tight, I wasn't budging for the biggest bump we might hit on the way.  Back into the ambulance I went.

Doug headed home to grab a few things and to check on the kids and then started the drive up to Seattle. (It was now about 2 AM) My friend, Heidi releaved Jill of her kid watching duties and ended up staying the night with them. 

To say that I was uncomfortable on this little ride would be an understatement.  I was in pain, and they were still giving me pain meds and anti nausea meds, but my body was hurting.  Being strapped to a stretcher for 2 hours stinks!  I started complaining to the paramedic about my spine and tailbone and he had pity for me.  He ended up tilting the stretcher on its side, taking the pressure off my spine.  Oh, sweet relief.  The next few hours consisted of doctors and interns coming in and out of my little curtained room asking me the same questions over and over checking my vision and giving me more and more medicine through my 2 iv's.  I felt miserable and so cloudy headed.  The doctors informed me that they were pretty sure that I was going to need surgery to repair my cheekbone.  I was to come in a week later to talk details with the surgeons.   

 They cleared me to go home but I couldn't really lift my head off the pillow from the dizziness and Doug wasn't ready to drive back.  He was absolutely exhausted having had only 4 hours of sleep the night before.  So, they let us sleep for a few more hours, even bringing my hubs a small somewhat reclining chair in replacement of a plastic one.  A bit later, I got checked out, wheeled out and headed back home.  I made sure that I had a container to vomit in...just in case. 

As we drove I tried to wrap my head around what had happened.  Tried to remember the details.  It was too much for my dizzied brain.  I had no idea what to expect from all this.  And I had no idea that this was only the beginning.


To be continued...

Another Halloween...Even More Pictures

October 30, 2010

There really isn't a whole lot to say about Halloween that can't be said in pictures. 

Payton as a Pokemon Trainer...

Savannah the Cowgirl

Jillian the Fairy

Isabelle the Fairy

Yep...I even dressed up this year.  I'm a pretty tough pirate, so I wouldn't mess with me!!

We did the same thing that we have done for the past 7 or 8 years and went to the Trunk or Treat.  A little hectic but the kids got candy and were therefore satisfied.

A CUT ABOVE...

the shoulders that is.  Jillian has been begging me to let her get her hair cut short ever since we chopped off Savannah's.  Well, after dealing with gum, tree sap, candy and a myriad of other things in her long golden hair for the past year, I finally said YES!!  About a week ago, I took her down to the local salon to my friend Tanda.  I feel bad because Jilli isn't a sit still kind of kid.  So Tanda's back was feeling it.  But she endured and did a great job.  I didn't agree to letting it be as short as Jillian wanted it (chin length) but I was good with just above the shoulders. 

BEFORE

AFTER

(I tried to load a pictue of the back...but for some reason it didn't work)

So here she is, in all her glory.  I must say that we (especially daddy) love it.  It does make her look older and a tad more sassy!!  Which matches her personality perfectly!!

CLARISSA the CONQUEROR 

I dub myself that today because I conquered something that has been weighing heavily on my floors for several months now, and that is no exaggeration. 5 (over flowing) baskets of clean laundry have been sitting there...haunting my dreams...crying out "just put us away!!" for 3 or so months now. It has tormented me every day, but there was always something else that was more important to do, like exercise and catch up on all the shows I am missing on hulu.  The guilt stared me in the face, every time someone had to dig through those baskets to find something to wear.  It got even worse when my husband came home and told me that he had had a conversation with a lady about laundry that day and he had told her that he and the kids practically live out of laundry baskets.  REALITY CHECK!!  Well, today was the day.  I put every single article of clothing in its proper place, and my heart and floors are singing 'Aleluha!'  I forgot that we even had some of those clothes.  It's quite pathetic, I know.  But laundry is just something that I totally stink at keeping up with.  Some people rock at it...get out every stain...have every item of clothing organized...fold and put away each load as soon as it's out of the dryer.  Oh, how I envy those with such talent.  Sometimes I keep up...wait, no.  That actually only happens when my mom is here taking care of me and the house just after I have had a baby.  It's almost magic really, when she is here.  We put a piece of clothing in the dirty laundry and then it reappears in our drawers or closets almost instantly.  It's a beautiful thing.  I just don't do that.

I will say though that I took a load out of the dryer after putting all the other clothes away and folded it and put it away right then and there.  YAY ME!!   Doing this today, I did realize something.  WE. Have. Too. Many. Clothes!! 

So, my accomplishment of the day...I conquered the baskets of laundry.  Sounds so small and silly.  But I'm proud of myself and I will take even the small victories in life.  And I do consider this a victory.

Perfect Conditions

The moment I got out of bed this morning (which took me forever to do) I was dragging.  I felt so...blah!!  My stomach has been acting up again the last week and as soon as I put something in it...it said "Hi-yah."  I was also super tired!  So, I just kind of moped around the house all morning in my pink polka-a-dot robe.  The hubs decided to work from home so he got to hear me complain.  I knew that my feeling of 'blah-ness' wouldn't go away if I didn't start doing something.  So I did a little...very little...house work.  Then ate some delicious lunch made by my personal chef Douglas.  After the food settled, it dawned on me, "My husband is home.  I can go for a run!"  It was almost like a shot of adrenaline.  Just thinking about going running, totally changed how I was feeling.  I haven't been able to do much running the last couple of weeks and was a little scared because I believe I have shin splints (ouch!).  But I was going for it.  I tried out an interesting new outfit (sorry, no pics).  I wore leggings for the first time for a run.  Which in and of itself don't make the outfit terribly interesting, but the stuff I wore with it did. (gray shorts over the brown leggings, long sleeved brown shirt, short sleeved Spider Man shirt over that, and an orange Bondi Band).  Sounds awesome, huh?

Anyway, I walked outside and OH MY GOODNESS!!  It was so beautiful out there.  I was expecting some chill in the air, but there wasn't.  It was about 65 degrees, no breeze, clear skies...perfection.  I almost skipped to the car with the excitement of my 4 year old when she hears a Michael Buble song!! 

 I just chose to do a little personal 5k (which actually ended up being 3.54 miles) around Onalaska.  I figured out a good little loop that's just shy of a mile.  I parked, did some stretching and breathed deeply.  It smelt so lovely out there, it felt so lovely out there.  I was ready to run.  And run, I did!!  I had my handy dandy rhythmic companion with me that just put even more skip in my...stride!  Last time I did this course, there were two little mangy mutts that kept running and barking and nipping at my ankles when I would run past them.  As I rounded the corner where I was expecting them to be...not a single bark.  They were no where in sight.  I sort of giggled and sighed in relief.  Having dogs chase or bark at me raises my blood pressure a little. 

I was feeling great!!

My shins weren't bothering me and I ignored the pain in my hip, I just ran!  I enjoyed every single moment.  Every hit of my size 9 1/2's to the pavement. It was pretty exhilarating. Some runs are brutal and long and painfully painful.  This was not one of them.  It was perfect.  I didn't really want it to come to an end.  I could have run further and I wanted to, but hubby was waiting for me at home getting things ready to take the older two kids riding.  So a little cool down and I was back in the car with the windows down.  I just thought about how good I felt.  So much better than I had this morning.  I do believe I smiled the whole way home.  It's amazing what a little run can do for you some days!!!

"He's gonna be a soccer player...he is...he is!!"

~Billy Madison~

You know those annoying parents that are on the side-lines yelling and screaming at their kids and how you wish they would just calm down and relax and stop making such a scene??  Yeah...that's me and Doug!!

Don't worry, we aren't yelling or screaming out of anger...it's pure excitement and encouragement.  It's hard to not do it.  People have been pretty surprised to see 'laid-back, cool guy, Doug' yell so loud.  They thinks it's pretty funny.  We have calmed down a little since the first few games.  But only a little.

This is our first year of soccer, and we are loving it.  Payton and Savannah have great schedules that have been super easy to work with.

Payton really loves this game.  In most sports and activities that he does, he hasn't been very aggressive and loosing hasn't seemed to bother him too much.  This time it's different.  He is getting more aggressive (still not aggressive enough for his crazy parents) and he really gets effected when he does something wrong in a game.  He plays goalie a lot...and when the other team scores on him, he is not a happy goalie!!  Since this is his first year, he is still has a lot to learn about dribbling and positions.  But he really is doing a fantastic job.  I love seeing him out there.

And then there's Savannah.  Ummm...yeah, she's pretty much a natural.  This girl is a little short for her age, but man, can she move those little legs of hers.  She really gets aggressive and isn't afraid to kick like mad and throw a few elbows!!  Her games are less intense than Payton's and they really are out there having a great time.  But does that keep us from being the annoyingly loud and obnoxious parents??  Nope, sure doesn't!! 

(Hair ribbons courtesy of Veronica!)

So, I'm thinkin' that I dig soccer!! I am a proud momma of Payton and Savannah.  I will absolutely be encouraging my little soccer players to sign up again next year.  And I have a feeling that we will only be louder!!

*COMMUNITY*

I think this word describes this weekend perfectly.  The first thing I think about when I hear the word 'community' is, of course the hilarious TV show, that I probably shouldn't admit to watching.  I kid.  Anyway, I think of where I live.  It's a small place with no stop lights and a lot of good people.  This Saturday was the 2nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival.  There was talk last year of a run to start off the all day festivities...but it didn't happen.  But the tides changed a bit and they had one this year.  I decided on Thursday that I would do this 8K jog through picturesque Onalaska.  So, I went for a little 3 mile run and had second thoughts about doing it.  But Saturday morning rolled around and I was up and dressed.  We got a call from our good friend, Ron Lambert (who, by the way, is training for a half marathon) saying he had also decided to do the run and was pretty insistent that Doug do it as well.  Well, there went my babysitter.  Thankfully, Ron's wonderful wife, Jill was willing to wrestle my kids while the rest of us....ummm...ran.

One of the main reasons I decided to do this run, on this day, was because it was officially LiveSTRONG Day.  With my mom having had ovarian cancer and now still undergoing after effects and testing for thyroid cancer... I wanted to do this for her.  LiveSTRONG is a 'community' of people who have been effected by Cancer in one way or another.  I wanted to share that with the people that were there and passed out some wristbands. I am wearing 6 of them along with my LiveSTRONG shirt.  No...I didn't over to it.  I probably should have been decked out head to toe in yellow!!

My friend, Kim was there to run as well.  Hi, Kim!

Always the joker, Doug had to break the incredible nervousness by being silly.

The course was...interesting and a little confusing at times.  Several people went the wrong way and ended up running further than expected.  Oops!  Doug and I were together pretty much the entire time.  Except I decided to ditch him so I could use my last bit of strength and energy to sprint to the finish.  My official time was...54:51 and Doug's was 54:56.  I felt a little bit better about that time when we found out it was 5.3 miles, instead of just 5.

Who has two thumbs and won 1st place overall???  THIS GUY!  Jesse was speedy mcspeederson and took the coveted Apple Plaque for the guys.

I think one of the reasons Ron wanted Doug to run is so that he could beat him and then tease him about it! 

 Ron did so amazing, finishing 8 minutes before us.

And what's that in our hands you ask???  Why, they are 1st place ribbons.  That's right, sister (or mister) we all got 1st place in our age divisions!!!  OK...so there wasn't that much competition, but you know we will brag about this for a while.

Yep...KIM TOO!!

After waiting around hoping to win some of the cool raffle prizes after the race (where Doug, did indeed win something...a coffee mug!  I know, you're all envious), we ran home for a hot second so Doug could shower and then hustled back for the parade. 

 The kids enjoyed all the candy that was thrown at them.

A camel???  I guess so.  His name is Curly.

After the parade, we wondered around the town a bit.  The kids insisted on going to the petting zoo.  Doug went back for the car and I took all the kids with me.  There were a few baby cows, chicks, Curly the camel, guinea pigs, alpacas, one nice goat and two mean goats that I wanted to punch.  Isabelle and her cousin Gabe were the first to reach the furry bullies.  As soon as they got there, it was like bumper cars goat style.  They started head butting them!!  I was not happy and bolted the 5 feet distance to kick me some goats.  I picked my belly up and her blood curdling squeals were intense and drew in every one's attention.  Thankfully it scared them more than anything and there was no permanent damage done.  Isabelle, however was very timid around the other animals the rest of the time.  "But they will beat me up!"  Poor thing.  After that we headed into the schools for some craft browsing and song listening.  This A' Capella group (above) was so good.  I got super excited when they started singing Rag Time Cowboy Joe...a song that my Grandmother taught to me and I now sing to my kids.  I have never heard it anywhere else.  It made me smile and of course I sang along.  It was a good morning in Ony and felt good to be a part of something like that.  I look forward to it next year.

We made it home in time for me to shower quickly and head up to Rochester.  I think another part of 'community' is supporting friends.  My fabulous friend, Traci informed me that her daughter was in the play Wizard of Oz.  I didn't think we would be able to make it, but it worked out.  We went to the 3 o'clock showing and witnessed Raquel being a cute little munchkin!!  Unfortunately, Traci had decided that her husband would go to this showing and she would go to the 5:30 one.  So, I didn't get to go be with her, but it was a cute play and my kids have been singing the songs and reciting the lines from it for the last 2 days.

After a quick bite to eat at DQ...chicken basket with gravy and Texas toast, yummy... I headed back home to drop the kids off at my sis-in-laws and change into some fresh running clothes (which included killer tube socks) and I went right back into Centralia for another run!!

I think 'community' also includes doing things for people you don't know.

Tressa and Jesse (whom I DO know) organized a 5K run (3.1 miles) to help raise awareness for Joubert Syndrome.  A fellow blogger they know has a son fighting it.  

 After driving around Borst Park for a while, trying to find everyone I was beginning to think I was in the wrong place.  Soon my friend Heidi showed up and we were lost together.  Thankfully we received a phone call and were lead to the starting line.  Apparently my vision is worse than I thought.  They had been there the entire time.

Anyway, all was well and we were happy.  Tressa had put together some fun swag bags complete with glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets so we could be seen running in the dark, a whistle...just in case you got lost (and I'm surprised no one did, cause it got pretty dark out), some FunDip and awesome hand stickers for our rear ends.

The course was sort of a loopy back and forth thing.  I was a little sore from my run that morning but soon fell into 'auto pilot' which usually happens around mile 2.  I will admit...I am afraid of the dark.  So when the light really started to fade and the path became harder to see, I got a little nervous.  I took careful strides and hoped to not trip over the speed humps!!

Heidi's son, Drake was a running machine.  He kept up with the big boys the entire time and ran the whole way.  I was super relieved to cross the finish 'light' (car headlights) and got the time of 38:something and waited for the rest of the awesome people to come in.  As Raya came in, she informed us that the course was actually 6.2K, so just shy of 4 miles.   Everyone else came in and stellar awards were handed out.  I'm glad that I decided to be a part of this great little event.  Thanks Tressa and Jesse.

Yeah...we are all awesome!

~

And last, but certainly not least...our church 'comminity'  It was General Conference weekend.  What more can make you feel like a part of something then that?  It still floors me when I am sitting there singing or listening to those amazing speakers, that millions of other people are doing the same thing...at the exact same time.  Community, indeed.

ISABELLE GRACE = 3

How's that for an algebra equation?  Our little Belly Cakes turned 3 on the 13th.  She has been acting like a 3 year old long before it was official.  For those who know her, you know how stinkin' adorable, temperamental, spunky, hilarious, feisty, stubborn and sweet she is.

She copies everything Jillian does and gets angry at the drop of a hat.  She loves, loves, loves to sing and dance around.  She has been 'shakin' it' since she could stand up.  Her hair has a personality of it's own and reminds me of the crazy snake hair of Medusa at times.  I love her little chubby buns and can't help but pinch them...at which she giggles and runs away.  She is Payton's little buddy.  She loves it when he gives her piggy back rides and gets upset when we won't let her sleep in his bed with him.

She loves books, my little ponies, dress-up, and attention.  She is not afraid to get dirty and her stained clothes and dirt filled finger nails prove that.  She tries so hard to keep up with her brother and sisters and wants to be included in everything.  "Guys...wait up."  "Guys, don't go without me."  And she is absolutely, "a big kid."

(She is 'twirling' in her new ballet outfit)

Happy Birthday!!

We love, love, love you... miss Isabelle Grace.

diligence;

I heard this poem read today under the topic of being more diligent.  I've heard it before...but it was different for me this time. So, I now share it with you.  You can thank me later.

THE RACE

They all lined up so full of hope,
Each thought to win the race,
Or tie for first, or if not that,
At least take second place.
~
And fathers watched from off the side,
Each cheering for his son;
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he would be the one.
~
The whistle blew, and off they went,
Young hearts and hopes afire,
To win, to be the hero there
Was each boy’s desire.
~
And one boy in particular,
Whose dad was in the crowd,
Was running in the lead and thought,
My dad will be so proud.
~
But as they sped down the field
Across a shallow dip,
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped.
~
Trying hard to catch himself,
His hands flew out in brace,
And mid the laughter of the crowd,
He fell flat on his face.
~
So down he fell and with him hope,
He couldn’t win, not now;
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished
To disappear somehow.
~
But as he fell his dad stood up,
And showed his anxious face
Which to the boy so clearly said:
Get up and win the race.
~
He quickly rose, no damage done,
Behind a bit, that’s all;
And ran with all his might and mind
To make up for his fall.
~
So anxious to restore himself,
To catch up to win,
His mind went faster than his legs
He slipped and fell again.
~
He wished then he had quit before,
With only one disgrace;
I’m hopeless as a runner now,
I shouldn’t try to race.
~
But in the laughing crowd he searched,
And found his father’s face,
That steady look that said again,
Get up and win the race.
~
So up he jumped to try again,
Ten yards behind the last;
If I’m going to gain those yard,
I’ve gotta move real fast.
~
Exerting everything he had,
He regained eight or ten;
But trying so hard to catch the lead
He slipped and fell again.
~
Defeat: He lay there silently,
A tear dropped from his eye;
There’s no sense in running anymore
Three strikes I’m out, why try.
~
The will to rise had disappeared
All hope had fled away;
So far behind, so error prone
I’ll never go all the way.
~
I’ve lost... so what’s the use he thought,
I’ll live with my disgrace;
But then he thought about his dad
Who soon he’d have to face.
~
Get up -- an echo sounded low,
Get up and take your place;
You were not meant for failure here,
Get up and win the race.
~
With borrowed will, get up, it said,
You haven’t lost it all;
For winning is no more than this,
To rise each time you fall.
~
So up he rose to run once more,
And a new commit;
He resolved that win or lose the race,
At least he wouldn’t quit.
~
Three times he’d fallen, stumbling,
Three times he rose again;
Now he gave it all he had,
And ran as though to win.
~
They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed the line first place;
Head high and proud and happy,
No falling, no failing, no disgrace.
~
But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race.
~
And even though he came in last
With head bowed low unproud,
You would have thought he won the race
To listen to the crowd.
~
And to his dad, he sadly said,
I didn’t do so well;
To me you won, his father said,
you rose each time you fell.
~
And now when things seem dark
And hard and difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy
Helps me in my race.
~
For all of life is like that race
With ups and downs and all,
And all you have to do to win
Is rise each time you fall.

One DOZEN!!

There are a few things that come in dozens.  Eggs, for example...and doughnuts.  And now, our marriage!!

(I guess it doesn't actually come in a dozen...we've had to work for that.)

Doug and I celebrated our anniversary on September 11th.  The song you hopefully hear playing is the song we had our first dance to.  "To Make You Feel My Love"

Awe...sweet memories.

Yes, I can easily be all cheesy and say that these have been the best 12 years of my life.  That I am incomplete without this man beside me.  That he is my very best friend and my partner in crime.  He makes me laugh so much and makes me feel beautiful every single day.  I could go on and on.  I love being married to him.  I love the life we have together.

Here is just a short list of why...

A DOzEN of my FAV'S about BEiNG MARRiED to Douglas

1.  Comfortable Silence

The awesomeness of no pressure to converse with each other all the time to try and make ourselves seem more interesting or impress one another.

2. Telepathic Messages

Doug and I have this one joke (and he knows what I'm talking about) where we can just look at each other and know exactly what the other one is thinking.

3. Butterfly Moments

Yep...even after 12 years those butterflies in the tummy and chills up the spine still happen. This makes me smile.

4.  Quick Forgiveness

I don't know why...but Doug can never stay mad at me.  Maybe it's my sparkling personality, or the fact that if he doesn't just forgive me of my silliness and move on it would be much harder to live with me.  I do think this is finally wearing off on me though.  I tend to let things go faster and not hold a grudge as long.

5.  Brutal Honesty

Even though it hurts a little, we can ask the dreaded question "Do these jeans make me look fat?"  And answer honestly without the other one freaking out.  Truth is, we don't want the other one looking terrible, so we are going to tell each other if we do.

6.  Exchanging Favors

Well...I'm not sure if I should go into details about this one.  Let's just say it's sort of like "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine." 

7.  Athletic Supporters

Nope...not that kind. 

To me, Doug is the best dirt bike riding, Wednesday night basketball playing, fast running male around.  And to him, I'm the best running, duathleteing, yoga, pilates twisting woman around.

(In all actuality we are not.  But why would we think any differently of each other?)

8.  Sharing the Load

Most people know that Doug does the cooking in this household.  A long time ago we just decided that I would keep the house clean and he would take care of the dinner.  (Because apparently I am not a normal housewife that can do both.)  Most husbands that hear this think..."Dude, that stinks."  And most wives that hear this think, "Umm...are you serious?  That's awesome."

The only problem with this is when I don't get or keep the house clean...we still have to eat.  So Doug comes home to a messy house and he still has to make the dinner!!

9.  Love Languages

Knowing each others love languages is key in our relationship.  My love language is Words of Affirmation.  I love Doug to tell me how wonderful he thinks I am.  I love for him to notice when I have gone out of my way to do something and then have him say something about it.  Let me tell you...he is excellent at fulfilling this.  His love language, on the other hand is...Physical Touch.  He's a guy, enough said.  And I'm sure that he could tell you that I could be better at this!!

10.  Communication

We talk on the phone several times a day, text each other, leave each other little notes.  How mushy is that?  I don't care.  Bring on the mush. 

11.  Parental Control

This whole parenting thing is hard.  I'm glad that I have someone more level-headed then myself to figure this out with.  And I can't imagine figuring it out with anyone else.

12.  L.O.V.E.

I love being loved.  I love loving someone as much as I do Doug.  We have had some rough spots and challenges in this little relationship of ours.  But we have got up, brushed off the dirt and kept going.  And we will keep on going.  At least for another 12 years. 

Doug told me that he is ready to sign up for the next 12.  I said that he better be ready to sign up for more than that.  His response..."I am.  But I'm only signing up for 12 year terms.  That way I can renegotiate my contract."

Hmmm...maybe I should start cooking more often.

"But You're Here Doing It!"

Says the girl with two braids in a ridiculously chipper voice...every time we passed her.  She was obviously feeling pity for the girls in last place!!  I know she was trying to be encouraging and supportive, which is so awesome.  But hearing those words while you're barely able to pick your feet up off the ground is more like a swift kick to the seat of my padded cycling shorts!

"Oh you're last. You poor things!"

But, yes...we were there doing it.  And we finished.

Rewind to the beginning.

Me and miss Rachel.  Duathlon buddies!

ELMA, WA.

LABOR DAY DUATHLON

2.13.2

So we got there and we were nervous and it was cold.  It was our first duathlon and neither one of us really knew what to do.  Our mechanics (Doug and Greg) set up our bikes while Rach and I made a pit stop and I squeezed into my super hot padded cycling shorts.  Doug kept telling me it looked like I was wearing a diaper.  Thanks honey.

Rach gets frisky when she's nervous.

At the starting line.

The course was a back and forth course.  This is us on our way back from the first 2 mile run.

There was a triathlon going on at the same time.  The peeps that were doing that were out of the water and  passing us on their bikes before we were even to the half mile mark!!

Out for the 13 mile ride.

Back from the 13 mile ride.

Going out for the second 2 mile run.

(I had my pants on over my cycling shorts cause I was so cold!!)

This was the hardest part.  Trying to pick up my legs to run after riding on a bike for 13 miles was insane.  I felt like they weighed an extra hundred pounds each.  There is no exaggeration in saying that.  It may be different for other people and they may handle it better, but not for me or Rach.  It was difficult...to say the least.

But we kept going.

(and so did this guy!)

Back from the second 2 mile run.

Just about to cross the finish line.

All done.  And very tired.  It was hard.

And very touching.

Even though is was harder than we thought it would be and we finished last with times of  (me) 1:41:30 and (Rach) 1:41:35...we are so doing it again.  I still can't get over the feeling of accomplishment when I am done with any sort of race.  I worked hard.  I trained, I sweated, I doubted, I hurt.  But I did it.

WE DID IT!!

Thank you RR for doing this with me.  You rock sister!!  You know I love you!

So, on to more intense training. More sweat, more soreness, more pain, more adrenaline...I LOVE IT!!!  I can't wait.

P.S.

Olivia and Isabelle were having a little moment...

I stayed after...just in case...I were to receive something.  (Which actually makes me chuckle a little).   Low and behold,  I did.  But I assure you it wasn't because I placed.  I believe that they had some medals left over and they were just giving them out till they were gone.  I got the very last one.  But...a medal is a medal and you bet I ran up there like a giddy school girl and put that sucker on right away!!

P.P.S

Big shout out to Greg for letting me use his bike.  I promise that I will be getting one soon, so you will only have to loan it to me a few more times!!  ;)

And somehow those homemade chocolate chip cookies and package of Oreo's don't seem like a big enough 'thank you.'  I will have to come up with something else.