Half Marathon in My Town

Last Saturday I woke up at 6 AM and realized I would not be able to fall back asleep, and since I new of a half marathon at Thanksgiving Point just down the road that started at 7 AM, I figured I might as well run it. So I headed over to Thanksgiving Point, figuring if I couldn't finish the 13.1, it would be no big deal since the route passed my house at mile 6.5 and then again at 10.5. So off I went, no stress, just the beauty of the morning and hundreds of other runners enjoying the same thing. What a beautiful run. Starting out weaving our way on to the golf-cart path at Thanksgiving Point gold course, running all through the Gardens at the height of the Tulip Festival, along the Jordan River Trail, past my neighborhood park where Ben and Mariah cheered, "Go Mommy Go! Go Mommy Go!", down to Willow Park, and back up through my ward and neighborhood (where my cheering section met me again:) ), past Mariah's elementary school, and weaving our way back to the Electric Park at Thanksgiving Point. Thankfully, due to my pregnancy-necessary slow pace, I was able to finish the whole run. What a great morning! I am so lucky to live where I do and participate in such fun things.

FINALLY

So here's the thing. Ben and I have been trying to get preggars for over 2 and 1/2 years. We tried all the infertility stuff short of in vitro with no success. When we found out in January that we weren't pregnant again, it was especially hard for both of us because we were almost certain I was. Needless to say, we gave up. No more medicine, no more tracking ovulation, nothing. And we got pregnant the very next time I ovulated!!!!! Hurray!!! So I know most of you already know this at this point, but I figure that now I am 3 months (13 weeks to be exact) along, it is safe to put it out there to the world. We have seen our baby twice by ultrasound so far, and everything looks great up to this point! Luckily I have never miscarried, just couldn't get to that point. So we think this one might be a boy since I have been pretty ridiculously exhausted and not feeling normal, which I didn't experience at all with Mariah. So I will keep ya all posted and in the meantime, hopefully I can rejoin the land of the living!

Oh to be a kid again...

So last night was a rough one for me. I was awake from 12:30 until about 4 unable to sleep. So this morning when Mariah woke up at 7 or so, Ben got her out of bed, made her a bowl of Kix, turned on cartoons, and climbed right back into bed with me. So 8:15 rolls around and I finally felt rested enough to get out of bed. I called Mariah into our room, and to my dismay, she had something all over her face, and her tongue kept running all over her lips. My contacts were not yet in, so I couldn't tell exactly what the mess was all about, so I called her in closer only to find she had something brown ALL over her face and in her hair. "Mariah, what is all over your face?" I hesitantly asked. "CHOCOLATE!" was the immediate and joyful reply. I followed her into the kitchen to find an untouched bowl of Kix sitting right next to a once almost-full and now almost-empty bag of chocolate chips. "Riah, why didn't you eat your cereal?" "It was yucky so I just got some chocolate! Yummy!" Oh, dear heavens, we keep the chocolate chips locked in a child-proofed drawer which apparently Mariah figured out how to get in to! She wouldn't let me take a picture before she cleaned herself up. Oh to be a kid again....

Catching Up

It seems like FOREVER since I have posted, and though I have been waiting for Ben to get pictures off our camera so I would have something for you all to look at as I write (yes, I STILL can't take pics off the camera and put them on the computer), I decided I am just going to go ahead and catch up on the life of me and my girl and man. So a couple weeks ago, Ben, Mariah and me all headed to Ogden to go "fly" in the indoor air tunnel. Bethy's man Davy works there and so my Mom got gift certificates for most of us kids for Christmas. Ben and I were excited to try this out and we walked into the tunnel place to get set up. Mariah was with us since Aunt Katie was coming and couldn't fly (do to her 9 month pregnant little body), so M and AJ and Bethy's boy Logan were going to play while the non-pregnant adults flew. As we were checking in, the tunnel worker asked us if M was going to fly too. We said, "No, she's only 3." To which he replied, "They can fly as long as they are 3." Oh, okay then...Ben's mind starting racing and he thought, "I don't really want to try this anyway, but Mariah probably would..." Thus, Ben decided to give his gift certificate to M so she and I could fly together!!!!! What a Dad!!!! So turned out all 3 of us got to fly together. (Davy had extra minutes that he was nice enough to give Ben)M was very nervous, but not enough to stop her from trying something new! (Although the ear plugs were almost a deal breaker.) So fun! What a brave little girl we have! Kid will "fly" in some loud air tunnel with no ground under her, yet I can't even get her to try mac and cheese! Oh well. I have never been prouder, and though she only wanted to do her 1st of 2 minutes, saying, "No thanks Mom, just once" when I tried to get her up for her second session, I just think she is even awesomer than I ever knew! Thanks Mom for giving us the BEST experiences together. We Love You!

Unforgettable trip to Walmart

So I, like most of you, HATE Walmart. The people are unfriendly, it is ALWAYS crowded, and it just is the type of place you wanna get in and out of as quickly as possible but usually can't. Well that all changed for me on Monday. Mariah and I were doing our typical shopping for the week with an even bigger shopping list than norman due to the holiday break. We had been there for more than an hour, and Mariah was being surprisingly good. We were almost through, at the botton of our list and in the hair care aisle. Riah was just dancing around and singing "Jingle Bells", in her own little Riah world, when she suddenly stopped, looked straight into my eyes, and said, "You are the best Mommy ever!" I said, "Thanks so much!" To which she simply replied, "Your welcome!", and continued singing and twirling. Mariah my girl you made not just my day, but probably my whole 2010. I won't forget that moment, and just so you know, YOU are the best kid ever! I "luff" you so much My Girl. Thanks for being you!

Dang Treadmill Again!

Okay okay. I will stop delaying the inevitable. I will get off this dang computer and start my treadmill run. Though let me back up...This morning I left my house in all my winter running gear, my dog by my side and the clouds overhead, driving up to the start of my favorite trail run. Not 1 minute into the run I realized that 8 degree weather is actually NOT warm enough to go trail running with ANY exposed skin, including face and nose and cheeks. Oh my gosh I was going to die! Needless to say my trail run never even made it to the trail head, sorry Max dog, since I had to turn around 6 minutes into my run for fear of facial frostbite! So 11 minutes and 44 seconds later I was back in my truck. When I looked in the mirror to check the damage, I looked like I had been outside in 100 degree weather in Arizona without sunscreen for 3 hours straight! So naturally I started to cry. Oh it hurt! Sometimes you have to forget that you are 28 and a half and resort to the actions of your 3 year old! And then even worse, my face started to thaw and you know that horrible tingling you get when your fingers have been numb and are finally getting back the sensation? That SAME unbearable feeling actually happens in the face and (more painfully) the nose! Thus, I am about to finish my run on the treadmill yet again. Oh I long for warmer weather! Just double digits is all I ask! I miss you my trail runs!

Happy Seventh Ben!

Wow has it really already been seven years of marital bliss?!?!?! Well, maybe not quite all seven were so blissful. (I will explain in a minute.) Ben and I had the wonderful opportunity (thanks Mom!) to go to The Roof for dinner on Saturday and spend the night at the Marriot downtown for our anniversary this year (on Dec. 20). I think Ben and I both agree this was our best anniversary yet! We had the most perfect view of the Salt Lake Temple from our seats at The Roof, where we enjoyed wonderful food and an even more stunning view of the Temple which was wrapped in a beautiful foggy haze. It was really a sight to see.

Now for the explanation. During dinner we decided to remember something about each of our 7 years of married life. It didn't take long to recall year 1, when I worked at the girl's gym room at BYU at 5 AM and I "requested" Ben wake up with me every morning just to warm up my car and keep me company. He did this willingly even though he too was in school and working full-time selling Living Scriptures at the malls. (And he is the last person in the world who would ever be considered a morning person.) In hind sight Ben, this wasn't really so fair or necessary. Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I started out a little narotic, tis true.Though during our conversation, Ben actually said it was sort of fun for him to wake up with me...
After dinner, we walked around Temple Square and enjoyed the lights and atmosphere. Ben teased me because I had on 2 winter coats and black ski gloves. But he wasn't teasing when his tootsies were frozen and mine were nice and toastie! We all know toastie tootsies are much happier than frozen tootsies! Plus I didn't want the cold to be the factor in us leaving Temple Square...

After we finished our time at Temple Square, we walked back to our hotel and went exploring. We came upon a company Christmas party with the music banging and the employees a-bumpin'! It was very "The Office" I must say. There was one man chugging his bottle of beer with several scantily clad girls dancing around him. Oh, we just had to laugh...So then we just made it up to our room that had an awesome view of the Gallivan Center Skating Rink and played the quitar and sang and just enjoyed spending time without our little girl (who I actually missed terribly!) Mariah had so much fun spending time with Grandma Nancy, Aunt Katie and her "notty little cousin" Annie. Apparently all the girls were together at the mall and Annie wasn't too thrilled about being there and was therefore throwing a bit of a tantrum. To which Mariah looked up to Aunt Katie and said, "She's a notty little thing isn't she?" I suppose we all are at some point Little M, you included!
Sunday morning we headed to Sandy to pick up Mariah, who had been to church with Grandma. In my rush to leave on Saturday, I forgot to pack a dress for Mariah to wear to church, so my mom took the liberty of buying her a gorgeous Christmas dress, dressy coat with matching hat, 2 nike sweatsuits, a "soup case" (otherwise known as a suit case), another dress with a shirt to match, new pjs, church shoes, white winter boots, a red hair bow, and I think that is all. Needless to say, I am going to forget Mariah's church dress more often! Mom you are the best! When we pulled up to my mom's house, Mariah went crazy running around Grammie's front yard in her new clothes.

Then she finally went inside and sat down (alone) to the piano and started singing. I went in to join her and started harmlessly singing "Jingle Bells", to which she quickly responded, "Mom, you can't sing at my concert!" Oh how I missed my hilarious little girl:)

Anyway, here's to another 77 Benji, I promise I will continue to mellow out...Hopefully...