Easy Livin'

Gershwin wrote a song that was sung in the opera, "Porgy and Bess". The words are:

"Summertime and the Livin' is Easy"

I don't know about you but Summertime isn't always easy livin'.  Between gardening, mowing lawns, teaching summer school, planning a wedding, sewing 7 dresses, training for a half marathon and the myriad of activities that accompany summer, I hardly have time to blog! :)  But I love it!

Here are a few activities that took place over the weekend.

Some of the grandkids were in the Lehi Days Parade on Friday and Saturday.  Since this picture was taken with my phone, it's hard to see the details, but you get the idea.

Ad is playing T Ball this year...  

...and so is the Corbanator.  

A sprinkler under Grandma's trampoline makes for a fun activity for Em, Cy and Kels...

...especially when the temperature is over 90.

Here are my new shoes.  They're called Altra - Zero Drop.  Notice how much lower the heel is compared to most brands of running shoes. The heel and toe are the same distance off the ground which means less heel strike and allows the foot to land soft and natural, similar to barefoot.  

The toe is round to allow more room.  If you remember the shape of my foot, you know I need more room in the toe.  I'm supposed to alternate between this shoe and my old shoe for the first few weeks so my foot and body will get used to the difference.  I went for a 3 mile run yesterday and shaved 2 minutes off last week's time.  Was it the shoe or was it all in my head?  Not sure but I'll take it!    

If you're familiar with this shoe, let me know your thoughts.  Oh yeah, I also signed up for a running class.

Summer just keeps getting better!

Dancing For Gum

What lengths would you go to for a stick of gum?  These 3 princesses danced through 4 songs to get a stick of "spicy" gum!  Pay no attention to the bantering between sisters.

WHY?

Saturday I ran my FIRST 10 miler!  After the run I decided that knee caps, hips and the little toe on my right foot are over-rated!  Who needs 'em anyway?  It's a good thing I'm slow.  I can't imagine how many more things would be hurting or gone if I ran fast!  I'm sure if my neighbors look out their window while I'm going past their house, they would wonder why I'm running in place!  Every marathon training book or article I read indicates it's good to throw away your watch.  Don't time yourself while training, just get out and go at a comfortable pace.  For some reason, I have to set the stopwatch on my phone, place it on the piano, then begin my run. 

 I must enjoy beating myself up physically AND mentally!  After my 10 mile run I asked myself,  "Why?"  Why am I doing this to myself?  I must admit I do feel a sense of accomplishment at the end but would I feel the same sense of accomplishment if I forgot about the running and just took a ceramic class?


Speaking of ceramics...it's my high school reunion this weekend.  When the letter to "save the date" came in the mail, I said to myself, "Hmmm, these 30 years have gone by fast!"  At that moment I realized it wasn't 30...it was 40!!  GAAAHHHHH!  I don't want to party with a bunch of OLD people!  

The last time we met was at our 20th reunion.  I got a prize for being the "most changed" because I was 8 1/2 months pregnant!  I wonder how I'll be different than everyone else this time?  Will I be the only woman who has stopped coloring her hair?  Do I really want to go?
High school reunions and running...WHY?

"Old" Friends

I spent a wonderful afternoon with Ann and Janet.  We have been friends since grade school and have been through a lot together!   Even though we don't live close to each other, we try to get together once a year for lunch and to get caught up on each other's life!  Denise, our other friend, is MIA.   Denise, we missed you!! 

I just saw someone take a picture of our mailbox.  We were told that the missionaries in the area like to have their picture taken by it.   So I decided to take a picture and post it here.  Do you want to open the box to see if the sword goes all the way through?  Most people do.  (It doesn't)  Sometimes I actually get something good in this mailbox! 

Hope all of you have a great weekend.

I want this in my back yard!

We have a new park in town.  On Friday, K8-E and T-Roy spent the night with us.  We went to the park and had tons of fun at the splash pad.

It didn't matter that we had no swimsuits or towels.

They didn't mind that it was getting late...

and cooler...

...they LOVED it!

Since that outing turned out so well, we went again the next day with C8 and Ad!

We were a little more prepared with swim suits.

The weather was hot and the water inviting!

Mom got involved in the fun by helping C8 "jump" over the fountains.

Yes, this would be a fun activity in the back yard!

Happy Birthday - Twice!

Thirty six years ago today, two little girls came in to this world.  They were the first two of eight to call me Mom.

I've been thinking about that day and going through pictures of their life.  Bear with me as I reminisce. 

I asked my doctor several different times during the early exams if he thought I was having twins because I was getting so big. He told me that he could only hear one heart beat so not to worry.  At 7 1/2 months, he  finally sent me in for an x-ray - yes, you heard me right, an x-ray - to verify my suspicion. 

 The x-ray showed two babies, one head down, the other feet down.  Other than my regular checkups, that was the last time anything was done to check on the status of the babies.

The last two weeks I was put on partial bed rest and took phenobarbitol because of toxemia.  
The morning of the 9th, I had a doctor appointment.  My mother took me because I wasn't supposed to drive because of the drug I was taking.  Besides, we didn't have a tilt steering wheel on the old Chevy and I had a hard time fitting in the driver's seat.  

When I got to the office, I was having labor pains.  The doc checked me and said, "Yes, you are in labor and you're dilated to a 3 so...go on home and when the pains are 4 minutes apart get to the hospital!  WHAT?  Being naive and trusting my doctor, I went home.  My mother was wringing her hands and telling me I needed to get to the hospital but I insisted I was OK. 

At 1:00 in the afternoon, Mom called Andy at work and told him to come and take me to the hospital.  Andy finished typing up a report, cleaned up his desk and then came home.  By the time he got home, I was having pains pretty steady and my water broke.  We got in the car and sped the 15 miles to the hospital.   

By the time I got to the hospital, I was dilated to a 9 and Candice's foot was already out!  Yikes!  Both babies were delivered breech.  Candice was born first.  She weighted 7 lbs 4 oz.  Camille came 7 minutes later at 7 lbs 14 oz.   It was quite the day!

Today was a good day.  We took C & C to lunch at Macaroni Grill.

Both Candice and Camille are strong, talented, beautiful women.  They're good mothers and fabulous daughters.  I'll end with a video of a Happy Birthday song sung in Italian at the restaurant.

Happy Birthday Candice and Camille!  We love you!

Video of Mass Destruction

I came across this video of the tsunami in Japan.  I know this happened two months ago but the devastation is still affecting the residents of Japan and even around the world.  It was shot from higher ground at a high school but toward the end you can hear the panic in the people's voices as the water and debris get closer to them. While watching it, I was in awe and horrified at the same time.  I found myself yelling at the people to run!  Don't look back!  Just keep going!   Very emotional scene.

What Was She Thinking?

Miss Em called her mother from school on Monday to let her know she wasn't feeling well.  Her Mom, Candice, buckled one-year-old Aly and three-year-old Kels in car seats and drove to the school to retrieve sick Em.  As they pulled in to the driveway and hit the garage door opener, Em asked if she could just get out and run in to the house to lie down because she  didn't feel well.  Candice consented and watched while Em ran in the garage and threw-up on the floor.  Candice opened her door and told Em to, "Get in the house!"  (There's a bathroom right off the garage) Em launched again in the same spot and Candice ran to help her get in to the bathroom.  After a few more times of emptying the contents of her stomach, Em felt better and Mom helped her lie down on the couch then hurried out to the garage to rescue Aly and Kels from car seats.  What she saw next was shocking and unexpected.  Kels had gotten out of the car.  She was jumping in the puddle of vomit as though it were a spring puddle. With her back to Candice, she used her arms to propel herself up and lifted her knees high before splashing down in the thick muck. 

(Google Image)

 Candice yelled, "What are you doing!"  Kels turned slowly around.  With chunks between her toes and with her legs covered in the splatter, she viewed the fruits of her labor on the walls, freezer, the family's shoes, and anything else in the garage within reach of the splash.  She saw the shocked look on her Mother's face.  She gave her Mom a bewildered look and said, "I. Don't. Know!"

I won't be posting a recipe with this post.