'Tis the Season, and the radio is blaring, so here's a list of MY favorite Christmas songs:
1. "O Holy Night" (so beautiful)
2. "Silent Night" (so reverent)
3. "The Christmas Song" (young and old)
4. "Home for the Holidays" (The Carpenters, baby)
5. (For my husband): "The 12 Days of Christmas" (I do like the multi-musical stylings of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir version. However, I also like "The 12 Days After Christmas" and "The 12 Pains of Christmas.")
6. "Joy to the World" (nice and loud)
7. "Do You Hear What I Hear" (symbolic)
8. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (nostalgic)
9. (tie) "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and Madonna's "Santa Baby"
10. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (which we sang every Christmas Eve at our neighborhood caroling party, right down to the never-tried "figgy pudding").
Have a musical Season!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Top 10 Reasons to Run Disney
My sister Jody and I had a great time going "Goofy" (running both the Disney World Half Marathon and Marathon) in 2011, and we decided to return for more fun this January (though my husband calls this idea "punishing yourself in the 'Happiest Place on Earth'"). This year I am running only the Half Marathon, but even that requires a bit of motivation, so . . .
1. You get a trip to Disney World during non-peak traffic. No long lines!
2. Disney organizes like only Disney can. 29,000 runners ride the Monorail to a smooth start and receive great support throughout.
3. Fireworks open the run (never happens to me on training runs).
4. Running Disney makes you feel like a kid. Seriously, there were so many runners as Disney Princesses, Mickeys and Minnies, Peter Pans and Tinkerbells, and even Mr. Incredibles that Jody was prompted to say: "I never knew there were so many Disney fans [crazy people]!"
4. Blaring trumpets welcome you to and through Cinderella's Castle.
5. Candy at water stops. Sweet!
6. You can take photographs with your favorite characters right in the race. Pull out your camera, get in line, and pretend that you aren't resting. (By the way, I'm sure Captain Jack Sparrow was cheering especially for ME).
7. You get cheers and waves from Disney Cast Members, who are even enthused at 6 a.m.
8. A gospel choir in flowing robes pushes you to the finish with some loud "Allelujahs!" Amen!
9. The finish line committee includes Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy.
10. You get cool Disney medals and then get to enjoy the rest of your vacation.
1. You get a trip to Disney World during non-peak traffic. No long lines!
2. Disney organizes like only Disney can. 29,000 runners ride the Monorail to a smooth start and receive great support throughout.
3. Fireworks open the run (never happens to me on training runs).
4. Running Disney makes you feel like a kid. Seriously, there were so many runners as Disney Princesses, Mickeys and Minnies, Peter Pans and Tinkerbells, and even Mr. Incredibles that Jody was prompted to say: "I never knew there were so many Disney fans [crazy people]!"
4. Blaring trumpets welcome you to and through Cinderella's Castle.
5. Candy at water stops. Sweet!
6. You can take photographs with your favorite characters right in the race. Pull out your camera, get in line, and pretend that you aren't resting. (By the way, I'm sure Captain Jack Sparrow was cheering especially for ME).
7. You get cheers and waves from Disney Cast Members, who are even enthused at 6 a.m.
8. A gospel choir in flowing robes pushes you to the finish with some loud "Allelujahs!" Amen!
9. The finish line committee includes Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy.
10. You get cool Disney medals and then get to enjoy the rest of your vacation.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Top 10--Thanksgiving in Kauai
It's a hard job to narrow down the best things about Thanksgiving in Hawaii, but I'll do my best . . .
1. Unrestricted fun time with an awesome family. Big waves! Few fights! (though I missed missionary Cody)
2. The pool area at the Grand Hyatt. Heaven = palm trees, gorgeous flowers, waterfalls, a lagoon pool and a regular pool, a book, a hammock, and a smoothie :)
3. Yummy Thanksgiving dinner without three days of cooking (not that I would anyway, but still)
4. Hula pie at Keoki's or ice cream at Merriman's. Ok, both.
5. The start of winter season with 80 degree temperatures and light trade winds
6. The first hour of paddle boarding (until we went against the seemingly light trade winds)
7. Watching my kids and nieces on the water slides
8. Schooling everyone at pool volleyball (all 4'11" of me; luckily I played by my 6'5" son-in-law)
9. Sunsets a la hot tubs and soft sand beaches
10. This one is definitely behind the other activities: The "Get Dirty on Kauai" ATV Tour. Do people actually like mud spraying all over them? Do most drivers see over the steering wheel? Does it help to brake with both feet? (Don't worry; there is an unattached emergency brake.) Is this inland spot good for whale watching? Did a frog just jump on Ashley's leg?
Hope everyone had such a memorable Thanksgiving 2012 as we enjoyed :)
1. Unrestricted fun time with an awesome family. Big waves! Few fights! (though I missed missionary Cody)
2. The pool area at the Grand Hyatt. Heaven = palm trees, gorgeous flowers, waterfalls, a lagoon pool and a regular pool, a book, a hammock, and a smoothie :)
3. Yummy Thanksgiving dinner without three days of cooking (not that I would anyway, but still)
4. Hula pie at Keoki's or ice cream at Merriman's. Ok, both.
5. The start of winter season with 80 degree temperatures and light trade winds
6. The first hour of paddle boarding (until we went against the seemingly light trade winds)
7. Watching my kids and nieces on the water slides
8. Schooling everyone at pool volleyball (all 4'11" of me; luckily I played by my 6'5" son-in-law)
9. Sunsets a la hot tubs and soft sand beaches
10. This one is definitely behind the other activities: The "Get Dirty on Kauai" ATV Tour. Do people actually like mud spraying all over them? Do most drivers see over the steering wheel? Does it help to brake with both feet? (Don't worry; there is an unattached emergency brake.) Is this inland spot good for whale watching? Did a frog just jump on Ashley's leg?
Hope everyone had such a memorable Thanksgiving 2012 as we enjoyed :)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Top 10 Islands
It's cold, cloudy, and rainy here today, which makes it a nice time to think about island vacations. This is a tough category and demands MUCH more research, but we've been blessed to stay and play on many wonderful islands. My work-in-progress favs:
1. Bora Bora, Tahiti (most beautiful, most you-name-it)
2. Kauai, Hawaii (small town feel)
3. Santorini, Greece (the view!)
4. (doing a tie)The Big Island, Maui, and Oahu, Hawaii (different highlights of each, and still in the U.S.)
5. Castaway Cay, Bahamas (done up Disney style)
7. St. Barth's, French West Indies
8. Malolo, Fiji
9. Moorea, Tahiti
10. (ummm, hard to choose, so cheating with the numbers) Capri, Italy; Mykonos, Greece; and lots of small Caribbean ones like St. Johns, U.S.V.I.; Paradise Island, Bahamas; Grand Cayman, and Aruba.
Happy Islanding :)
1. Bora Bora, Tahiti (most beautiful, most you-name-it)
2. Kauai, Hawaii (small town feel)
3. Santorini, Greece (the view!)
4. (doing a tie)The Big Island, Maui, and Oahu, Hawaii (different highlights of each, and still in the U.S.)
5. Castaway Cay, Bahamas (done up Disney style)
7. St. Barth's, French West Indies
8. Malolo, Fiji
9. Moorea, Tahiti
10. (ummm, hard to choose, so cheating with the numbers) Capri, Italy; Mykonos, Greece; and lots of small Caribbean ones like St. Johns, U.S.V.I.; Paradise Island, Bahamas; Grand Cayman, and Aruba.
Happy Islanding :)
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Top 10s--Autumn
1. This autumn: our daughter Ashley was accepted to P.A. school today! Wa hoo! She and her husband will be moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico in January (and that's just a fun city to spell)! Congrats Ashley! Awesome news!
2. The St. George Marathon, the first Saturday in October
3. General Conference (a feast of gospel learning right in our home--pajama Sunday!)
4. Cool temperatures (St. George has some wicked summer temperatures, sometimes a fun 110 or 115 degrees)
5. Bright blue sky and yellow leaves
6. Thanksgiving (best when we skip town and avoid cooking--ok, practically every year)
7. Watching four boys play football. They're small but fierce :)
8. Turning on the fireplace and wrapping up in soft blankets
9. Big movie releases around Thanksgiving
10. Seeing kids dressed up on Halloween (when my kids were small the costumes could last for all of November . . . or even all year a la Connor as Steve Young and Wyatt as the Red Power Ranger )
2. The St. George Marathon, the first Saturday in October
3. General Conference (a feast of gospel learning right in our home--pajama Sunday!)
4. Cool temperatures (St. George has some wicked summer temperatures, sometimes a fun 110 or 115 degrees)
5. Bright blue sky and yellow leaves
6. Thanksgiving (best when we skip town and avoid cooking--ok, practically every year)
7. Watching four boys play football. They're small but fierce :)
8. Turning on the fireplace and wrapping up in soft blankets
9. Big movie releases around Thanksgiving
10. Seeing kids dressed up on Halloween (when my kids were small the costumes could last for all of November . . . or even all year a la Connor as Steve Young and Wyatt as the Red Power Ranger )
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Top 10 Sports Movies
Ok, most sports movies are cheesy, but they are still motivating and fun to watch. I biked through Remember the Titans in the cardio cinema at Gold's Gym today, so I got to thinking. Note that I include NONE with animals playing human sports like Air Bud and its countless sequels (which my animal-obsessed children insisted on watching hundreds of times):
1. Chariots of Fire
2. Run, Fatboy, Run (ah, the British humor)
3. Field of Dreams (nods also to Bull Durham, Fever Pitch, and A League of Their Own)
4. Miracle (the outfits, the haircuts, the accents, the gold medals!)
5. The Blind Side
6. Secretariat (I like Seabiscuit too)
7. The Sandlot
8. Rocky
9. (tie) Invincible, Remember the Titans
10. Stick It (super cheesy, but the gymnastic workout scenes rock).
1. Chariots of Fire
2. Run, Fatboy, Run (ah, the British humor)
3. Field of Dreams (nods also to Bull Durham, Fever Pitch, and A League of Their Own)
4. Miracle (the outfits, the haircuts, the accents, the gold medals!)
5. The Blind Side
6. Secretariat (I like Seabiscuit too)
7. The Sandlot
8. Rocky
9. (tie) Invincible, Remember the Titans
10. Stick It (super cheesy, but the gymnastic workout scenes rock).
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Top 10 Desserts
After years of exhaustive research (I often skip the entree in a restaurant to get right to the good stuff), I'm choosing some of my favorite desserts. Although I have eaten in some super fancy restaurants in Monaco and France (gourmet three-hour dinners which cost the equivalent of a mortgage payment), those desserts don't stand out in my mind like their much-larger, much-more fattening, good old American counterparts. . . .
1. Chilis Molten Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream
2. Winger's Asphalt Pie
3. Hot chocolate chip cookie sundaes
4. Iceberg's "Mini" Shakes (nothing mini about them), especially Oreo
5. Chocolate croissants from Grandma Tobler's (a local) Bakery (hands-down winners over Parisian ones with only a miniscule piping of chocolate inside)
6. Chocolate mousse pie
7. Baked Alaska
8. Italian gelato (yes, it's European, and yes, it's wonderful)
9. Christmastime sugar cookies, and, most memorable,
10. Cookies from my own grandma, homemade and handmade every Wednesday, especially snickerdoodles and and soft chocolate chip :)
1. Chilis Molten Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream
2. Winger's Asphalt Pie
3. Hot chocolate chip cookie sundaes
4. Iceberg's "Mini" Shakes (nothing mini about them), especially Oreo
5. Chocolate croissants from Grandma Tobler's (a local) Bakery (hands-down winners over Parisian ones with only a miniscule piping of chocolate inside)
6. Chocolate mousse pie
7. Baked Alaska
8. Italian gelato (yes, it's European, and yes, it's wonderful)
9. Christmastime sugar cookies, and, most memorable,
10. Cookies from my own grandma, homemade and handmade every Wednesday, especially snickerdoodles and and soft chocolate chip :)
Monday, November 12, 2012
Top 10s of My Mom
In honor of my mom's birthday, I decided to list some of her bests:
1. She is always the fun mom (now fun grandma). I actually came home sometimes and my high school friends would be visiting my mom (treats, ping pong, singing and dancing late at night . . .)
2. She is the best supporter of all our activities. She has sat through countless gymnastic meets, hiked up snowy mountains to watch ten seconds of ski races, and cheered on our kids in rainy/windy/snowy/110 degree sunny football, rugby, baseball, soccer, and softball games. And she's still going strong!
3. She finds good in people right when it would be easy to say something critical about them.
4. She took care of us kids while my dad served in Vietnam and through his long medical training (including TWO residency programs).
5. She took us on great trips: Lake Powell, Laguna Beach, DisneyWorld, and Hawaii to name a few. I'm not including pine nut hunting and geode hunting though (trips when I was banned from reading in the camper to "go out and have fun!")
6. She and my dad drove across the country quite a few times helping us move, helping us with new babies, even helping potty train :)
7. She shares her Utah Jazz season tickets!!! (But we don't want her U of U football tickets. Go BYU!)
8. She organized awesome birthday parties, Christmas Eve neighborhood caroling parties, New Years Eve parties, wedding showers, and Halloween haunted houses, to name a few. She did make me wear a parka underneath an ant costume once though, and to be an "authentic" scarecrow I had a yardstick through my arms and itchy straw everywhere . . .
9. She and my grandma hiked up a ski hill and prepared Thanksgiving Dinner at the Brighton Cabin every year while the rest of us just skied and then ate, and
10. She lives the two great commandments. Just ask her neighbors.
1. She is always the fun mom (now fun grandma). I actually came home sometimes and my high school friends would be visiting my mom (treats, ping pong, singing and dancing late at night . . .)
2. She is the best supporter of all our activities. She has sat through countless gymnastic meets, hiked up snowy mountains to watch ten seconds of ski races, and cheered on our kids in rainy/windy/snowy/110 degree sunny football, rugby, baseball, soccer, and softball games. And she's still going strong!
3. She finds good in people right when it would be easy to say something critical about them.
4. She took care of us kids while my dad served in Vietnam and through his long medical training (including TWO residency programs).
5. She took us on great trips: Lake Powell, Laguna Beach, DisneyWorld, and Hawaii to name a few. I'm not including pine nut hunting and geode hunting though (trips when I was banned from reading in the camper to "go out and have fun!")
6. She and my dad drove across the country quite a few times helping us move, helping us with new babies, even helping potty train :)
7. She shares her Utah Jazz season tickets!!! (But we don't want her U of U football tickets. Go BYU!)
8. She organized awesome birthday parties, Christmas Eve neighborhood caroling parties, New Years Eve parties, wedding showers, and Halloween haunted houses, to name a few. She did make me wear a parka underneath an ant costume once though, and to be an "authentic" scarecrow I had a yardstick through my arms and itchy straw everywhere . . .
9. She and my grandma hiked up a ski hill and prepared Thanksgiving Dinner at the Brighton Cabin every year while the rest of us just skied and then ate, and
10. She lives the two great commandments. Just ask her neighbors.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Top 10 Embarrassing Church Moments
Today is Sunday, and recently our family has only provided me with slightly embarrassing moments at church, like looking over to see four sleeping boys, changing seats to get myself in between fighting boys, or hearing stories of brothers farting in Cody's mission farewell address. But when the children were small (and my husband was often gone because of medical school, residency, and being on call) we had a host of embarrassments during church meetings. I thought I'd record some (though hopefully the actual worst moments are blocked from my memory):
1. During the quiet sacrament service, Wyatt yelling out, "I HATE JOSEPH SMITH!"
2. Connor, noticing we were sitting in the back underneath a basketball hoop, tried to shoot a basket with a bag full of Cheerios, which caused a beautiful rainfall of "O"s over several families,
3. Ashley, noticing that her mom's eyes were closed during a prayer, ran full speed trying to get to the pulpit (then mom chasing after her).
4. Ditto for Cody, but he outran his mom and ended up sitting on the Bishop's lap during the sacrament service. Mom learned not to close her eyes again for a few years.
5. Again during the sacrament, Wyatt donning a ski mask, putting out three fingers a la Spiderman, and yelling, "Go Web, Go!"
6. Dylan making his way to the light switch and expertly causing instant darkness,
7. During a late entrance one week, mom turning around to see Connor marching in wearing a swim mask and snorkel, but hopefully not fins,
8. Cody hitting mom on the head with a Tonka Truck,
9. Lots of good ones during the Primary Sacrament Meetings . . . most recently watching dad and three older brothers making faces at lone-Primary-age Wyatt on the stand, and am amusing one of
10. Three-year-old Ashley making her way directly in front of the microphone to belt out in an unintended solo the entire song of the Books of the Old Testament :)
1. During the quiet sacrament service, Wyatt yelling out, "I HATE JOSEPH SMITH!"
2. Connor, noticing we were sitting in the back underneath a basketball hoop, tried to shoot a basket with a bag full of Cheerios, which caused a beautiful rainfall of "O"s over several families,
3. Ashley, noticing that her mom's eyes were closed during a prayer, ran full speed trying to get to the pulpit (then mom chasing after her).
4. Ditto for Cody, but he outran his mom and ended up sitting on the Bishop's lap during the sacrament service. Mom learned not to close her eyes again for a few years.
5. Again during the sacrament, Wyatt donning a ski mask, putting out three fingers a la Spiderman, and yelling, "Go Web, Go!"
6. Dylan making his way to the light switch and expertly causing instant darkness,
7. During a late entrance one week, mom turning around to see Connor marching in wearing a swim mask and snorkel, but hopefully not fins,
8. Cody hitting mom on the head with a Tonka Truck,
9. Lots of good ones during the Primary Sacrament Meetings . . . most recently watching dad and three older brothers making faces at lone-Primary-age Wyatt on the stand, and am amusing one of
10. Three-year-old Ashley making her way directly in front of the microphone to belt out in an unintended solo the entire song of the Books of the Old Testament :)
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Top 10s, Crossfit
Years ago, my husband and I were driving to see his family in Florida. He mentioned some color, and I mentioned that one was my fifth least favorite. He said, "No one has a fifth least favorite color!" Well, he is obviously not list-obsessed like any normal OCD person who memorized The Book of Lists in fifth grade. So, in keeping with my reactions, ("Of course everyone has a fifth least favorite color/book/restaurant/city/movie/ _____!") I decided to go with my own Top 10 Lists for Life. Today I went to Crossfit Dixie and then to a spin class at Gold's (non-running things I can do while rehabbing an injured left Achilles tendon), so I thought of Top 10 Reasons I do Crossfit:
1. The workouts are so varied that every day is a bit of a surprise.
2. Beginning at Crossfit reminded me of gymnastic workouts from eons ago, except that
3. At Crossfit swinging pullups are allowed! (In gymnastics those were cheating!) Ha!
4. The workouts are intense. In 20 minutes (sometimes 10) I can be flat-out exhausted.
5. The trainers and other Crossfitters are fun, enthused, and encouraging.
6. It's a place where strong is a good thing ("Strong is the new Skinny" on a Crossfit t-shirt :).
7. There are mini-goals and new skills or levels of skills to work on every day.
8. The Crossfit mindset is that "quitting is not an option."
9. We do "team" workouts most Saturdays (built-in cheering, and built-in rests), and
10. The stiffness goes away (eventually).
1. The workouts are so varied that every day is a bit of a surprise.
2. Beginning at Crossfit reminded me of gymnastic workouts from eons ago, except that
3. At Crossfit swinging pullups are allowed! (In gymnastics those were cheating!) Ha!
4. The workouts are intense. In 20 minutes (sometimes 10) I can be flat-out exhausted.
5. The trainers and other Crossfitters are fun, enthused, and encouraging.
6. It's a place where strong is a good thing ("Strong is the new Skinny" on a Crossfit t-shirt :).
7. There are mini-goals and new skills or levels of skills to work on every day.
8. The Crossfit mindset is that "quitting is not an option."
9. We do "team" workouts most Saturdays (built-in cheering, and built-in rests), and
10. The stiffness goes away (eventually).
Friday, November 9, 2012
November 2012
2:00 am and can't sleep, so I'm checking out the computer . . .
We've been busy and are moving on day by day. October 3rd we took our son Cody to the Missionary Training Center to send him on an L.D.S. (church) mission Costa Rica. Well, that was an emotional time. He'll be gone for two years. No cell phones even! Sometimes it's hard to enjoy the stages of small kids with tantrums, diapers, and so on, but it turns out the "old moms" were right. They do grow up too fast! Two of our kids are already grown and gone. Amazing.
Well, Cody was supposed to be "set apart" (begin his mission) the evening of October 2, but his dad sent a message from the operating room that he'd be working late (got home after midnight), so our Stake President graciously offered to set Cody apart early the next morning. That meant Cody and his brothers got in one final Star Wars viewing, and Cody and I got in one more run together, quoting Run Fatboy Run most of the way :). The setting apart was spiritual and insightful, with President Frei promising Cody he'll be a successful missionary if he loves the people and is obedient.
We drove 300 miles to Provo (during which everyone slept except the driver, moi), ate lunch, and experienced a much-too-quick good-bye. The mission will be a great serving and learning experience, but it was an isolating feeling. At least Connor, Dylan, and Wyatt got to enjoy choosing prizes at the BYU Bookstore and then watched movies during the drive back home.
October 6th, my sister Jody, son Wyatt (12), and I ran the St. George Marathon. Worries this year were 1. Wyatt's only "long run" training was running the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon, 2. My achilles tendonitis (have been mostly water running this past month), 3. Jody's bursitis, pain radiating down the leg. Yeah baby! We were totally ready! Well, it turned out a good day; we all finished and were happy. We had a bit of tail wind, the temperature was about 10 degrees cooler than the past two HOT years, and the pain wasn't so bad. We stayed together for about 17 miles. Wyatt wowed us all with an extraordinary finishing kick (turned around about mile 20, saw his very old mother, determined there was no way she would beat him, and finished at a 7 minute mile pace)! Apparently his 12-year-old legs didn't need long runs! He finished in 4:12 and placed 3rd in 14 and under. His talk went from "just one time," and "I'm only doing this to check it off my lifetime bucket list," to (one day later), "Next year I'll train!" and "I'm going to do an Ironman!" I made the Ten Year Club (a t-shirt and an annual spaghetti dinner, totally worth it! :). The tendonitis has been really bad since, though, and I'm wearing a lovely ankle brace and trying the Celebrex/ibuprofen approach to life.
Other October highlights were getting tickets to see General Conference from about the 8th row in the Conference Center (we especially enjoyed Elder Holland's talk on the Apostles, "Feed My Sheep"), and Ashley coming to babysit her brothers while Scott and I enjoyed a trip to Europe. If we can't see Cody, we might as well not see him from thousands of miles away . . . Our first trip to London, so I made my own London Top 10 List:
1. Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" in the reconstructed Globe Theater (shocking pre-show and costuming),
2. "Chariots of Fire" at the Sir John Gielgud Theater (nice staging, track, Olympic theme for London's 2012 Olympic year)
3. The amazing relics and art of The British Museum
4. Windsor Castle
5. The Tower of London (creepy)
6. Westminster Abbey (cool but also creepy? So many gravestones there seemed hardly any room left for God)
7. The London Eye
8. Big Ben/Parliament
9. The Red Bus Tour and Red Phone Booths
10. The Chunnel Train to Paris :)
(Least favorites: bone-in fish and chips, cold, rain, fog, no empty taxis).
We also enjoyed Paris and Zurich, and Scott observed some hip and knee replacement surgeries. Then we finished in gorgeous St. Moritz, good except for a spooked horse and a now-recovering husband.
We've been busy and are moving on day by day. October 3rd we took our son Cody to the Missionary Training Center to send him on an L.D.S. (church) mission Costa Rica. Well, that was an emotional time. He'll be gone for two years. No cell phones even! Sometimes it's hard to enjoy the stages of small kids with tantrums, diapers, and so on, but it turns out the "old moms" were right. They do grow up too fast! Two of our kids are already grown and gone. Amazing.
Well, Cody was supposed to be "set apart" (begin his mission) the evening of October 2, but his dad sent a message from the operating room that he'd be working late (got home after midnight), so our Stake President graciously offered to set Cody apart early the next morning. That meant Cody and his brothers got in one final Star Wars viewing, and Cody and I got in one more run together, quoting Run Fatboy Run most of the way :). The setting apart was spiritual and insightful, with President Frei promising Cody he'll be a successful missionary if he loves the people and is obedient.
We drove 300 miles to Provo (during which everyone slept except the driver, moi), ate lunch, and experienced a much-too-quick good-bye. The mission will be a great serving and learning experience, but it was an isolating feeling. At least Connor, Dylan, and Wyatt got to enjoy choosing prizes at the BYU Bookstore and then watched movies during the drive back home.
October 6th, my sister Jody, son Wyatt (12), and I ran the St. George Marathon. Worries this year were 1. Wyatt's only "long run" training was running the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon, 2. My achilles tendonitis (have been mostly water running this past month), 3. Jody's bursitis, pain radiating down the leg. Yeah baby! We were totally ready! Well, it turned out a good day; we all finished and were happy. We had a bit of tail wind, the temperature was about 10 degrees cooler than the past two HOT years, and the pain wasn't so bad. We stayed together for about 17 miles. Wyatt wowed us all with an extraordinary finishing kick (turned around about mile 20, saw his very old mother, determined there was no way she would beat him, and finished at a 7 minute mile pace)! Apparently his 12-year-old legs didn't need long runs! He finished in 4:12 and placed 3rd in 14 and under. His talk went from "just one time," and "I'm only doing this to check it off my lifetime bucket list," to (one day later), "Next year I'll train!" and "I'm going to do an Ironman!" I made the Ten Year Club (a t-shirt and an annual spaghetti dinner, totally worth it! :). The tendonitis has been really bad since, though, and I'm wearing a lovely ankle brace and trying the Celebrex/ibuprofen approach to life.
Other October highlights were getting tickets to see General Conference from about the 8th row in the Conference Center (we especially enjoyed Elder Holland's talk on the Apostles, "Feed My Sheep"), and Ashley coming to babysit her brothers while Scott and I enjoyed a trip to Europe. If we can't see Cody, we might as well not see him from thousands of miles away . . . Our first trip to London, so I made my own London Top 10 List:
1. Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" in the reconstructed Globe Theater (shocking pre-show and costuming),
2. "Chariots of Fire" at the Sir John Gielgud Theater (nice staging, track, Olympic theme for London's 2012 Olympic year)
3. The amazing relics and art of The British Museum
4. Windsor Castle
5. The Tower of London (creepy)
6. Westminster Abbey (cool but also creepy? So many gravestones there seemed hardly any room left for God)
7. The London Eye
8. Big Ben/Parliament
9. The Red Bus Tour and Red Phone Booths
10. The Chunnel Train to Paris :)
(Least favorites: bone-in fish and chips, cold, rain, fog, no empty taxis).
We also enjoyed Paris and Zurich, and Scott observed some hip and knee replacement surgeries. Then we finished in gorgeous St. Moritz, good except for a spooked horse and a now-recovering husband.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)