Oh What a Day

With all of the products on the market that offer to 'cleanse' your system, one can hardly know which one to choose!

Well, ladies and gents, I have the perfect cleanse! Here's what you do.

First, you sign up for a race. Any one will do.

Then you start training.

The night before the race comes, you gather all your gear, and put it out, ready for the following day.

Try to get a good night's rest. Don't worry - waking up every hour on the hour is NORMAL.

When morning comes - Wake up. Eat a wholesome breakfast. Oatmeal with honey and cinnamon is great, along with a banana, but not green ones - they don't open very well. If you're really hungry, have a piece of toast with peanut butter and honey.

Drink plenty of water.

Allow your nerves to go crazy - and the cleanse will naturally begin.

There you have it. It doesn't cost much, just your time, and there are no harmful chemicals.

Now that we have that settled...

Today was a great day! I woke up every hour on the hour last night, and then at 5am my eyes popped open and they were not interested in relaxing and going back to sleep.

At 5:30am I decided that I had just better get up. I took a nice warm bath, read my scriptures, said a few prayers, had breakfast, and by 7:13am I loaded my gear into the van and headed to Salem.

I got to Salem just before 7:30am and walked my bike to the transition area. I was actually surprised at how many people were there already. The bike racks looked fairly full, but I squeezed my bike in on a rack and started unloading.

I went and got my body marked - Number 61 on each arm, and then 31 on my calf (I guess they wanted to know how old I was.)

After body marking, I took my place in the restroom line. Hmm, 600+ participants and 9 restrooms, combined with lots of nerves (refer above to the cleanse steps) = a very long line. The race director actually apologized for not having enough restrooms - as he should have!

I saw a few people that I knew and chatted for a while, a long while, got a few pictures and put my wet suit on. Those things leave NOTHING to the imagination.

I entered the swim, and finished in 16:14 - an improvement from last year. Hey - not the fastest time, but progress is progress.

My bike time - 47:00 - You get to see this picture because it cuts out the blueberry (muffin).

My awesome husband wrote this in chalk on a killer hill, and someone spray painted it - COOL

I'm showing this photo because you see this girl on the left? Well, I passed her at the very end - Go me! She might be prettier, but today I was faster :). My 5k time - 27 minutes. Again, not the fastest, but it was better than I had expected. I have much to work on for sure, but my over all time was 1:34:03 (transitions included), and I got 16th in my age group out of 57. I'm pleased with my time.

Oh What a Day!

New Route, New Terms

This weekend I will participate in a triathlon. I don't know what it is about the sport, but I love it. Don't get me wrong, I complain about the training, second guess my decision to compete EVERY year and then it happens.

Race day gets closer and closer.

I get out on the course.

...and I fall in love again with the sport.

This year there have been course changes. First they changed the course to be different than previous years. Then this week, they changed the course to be different than the changed course.

I went out and rode my bike today and was surprised at the newer course, but enjoyed getting up to 30 MPH on my bike going down a hill. With that kind of speed, you really can increase your average MPH which is great for overall time.

So, to the new route - bring it on!

Now for the new terms. Even with padding in my bike shorts, I still feel a little of discomfort when getting down in an aerodynamic position. It goes back to the 'sitting on my package' deal. Anyway, I was doing a little research on new saddles for my bike and read an article on 'sit bones' and my new term 'soft tissue'.

That's it. My soft tissue hurts. Now you have it. A little anatomy lesson, and a new term that is less offensive than that 'V' word.

A Tribute

I believe that people are put into our lives for a reason. I just wanted to honor a man that our family loves.

He was put into our lives after much fasting and prayer, and we honestly believe that he was the answer to our family's prayers. Over the years I have relied on him to encourage me when I have feared the worst possible scenarios. He has educated me, and calmly given me strength as a mother.

He works endlessly to give his patients and their families light at the end of a sometimes VERY dark tunnel. Recently he lost his own wife to cancer. When this happened, my heart broke for him as he spends every day helping patients overcome their own battles with cancer. How do you even cope in such a situation?

So, to Dr. Ken Weinberg, we love you. Thank you for being a part of our lives.

Sweet Minutes of Prayer

Sydney was praying tonight and was thanking Heavenly Father for EVERYTHING.

She thanked Him that Ryan was learning at school and helping her to read.

She thanked Him that Brett works so hard for her family so we can get more money.

She even thanked Him that her mom is willing to lose some weight.

The Principle of Forever

Recently I was able to go to BYU's Women's Conference. I received a LOT of spiritual enlightenment that I will share, but since I wrote like 20 pages of notes, I thought I'd start with the Principle of Forever.

My first class was entitled "I love to see the temple."

Since I have stewardship over the little ones at church, I thought I would go to this class to hopefully gain an insight on how I can better serve the children in our ward, and my own children with regards to the temple.

Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women General President, spoke. It is her remarks that inspire my writing tonight.

Whether or not you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, Sister Dalton said "Everyone wants the principle of forever."

Isn't that true?

We don't know when the time will come that we or someone we love will pass from this life.

When it does happen, the pain is real.

Sometimes unbearable.

It is a physical pain.

Sometimes it is hard to describe.

Some days it is a little bit duller than others, and then some days the event flashes before you and the feeling of loss is all encompassing.

As Latter Day Saint Members (Mormons), we have a belief that God wants our families to be together forever.

A love without end.

Not till death do us part....Eternity....Forever.

This principle is made possible through the temple.

Sister Dalton said "We become refined as we prepare to enter the temple."

This is also true.

The temple is a place for those who are striving to live a good life. While we are not perfect, we work to become perfect as we live the covenants that we make while in the temple.

Temples are not new. They existed in biblical times as well in our day.

Today as we drove home from St George, I began singing a song that Hilary Weeks sings called "If I Only Had Today". In this song she talks about what she would do if she knew that she only had one day left to live. Part of the chorus says "Then I'd remind you of Forever, and how our love would never change. Because I have today."

I looked up to the beautiful Azure blue sky and felt FOREVER.

Of course this may be crazy, but my sister is in heaven.

She is my sister FOREVER.

I am bound by sacred covenants to my family. We are a FOREVER family.

This my friends is the Principle of Forever.

It's Mother's Day. I can have my family FOREVER!

The Reason

Well, Saturday May 9th finally came and the reason we went to California arrived. (I have posted the other events of our vacation as if they were posts on that actual day)

We went to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at CHLA. It is always good to see the doctors and nurses that cared for us during our stay in Los Angeles.

After a couple of games the kids were able to make a Build-a-Bear compliments of our dear friends David and Tracey Buelow. They have a foundation that funds a portable Build-a-Bear machine that can go directly to patients rooms and allow them to make an animal while they are being cared for. This operation is a part of their foundation Max of a Million Dreams that was started shortly after they lost their son Max to cancer. We love Tracey and David and have very fond memories of the time that we spent as next door neighbors as their oldest daughter was undergoing a cord blood transplant to cure her leukemia.



We were grateful to Dr Ken Weinberg for making the trip from Palo Alto, CA to go to the reunion. He is a very dear person to us. We are grateful to the other doctors as well, but Ken was the first doc attending when we arrived and he has educated me personally for years. Brett made the comment that we should adopt him as a grandfather to the kids. I agree. He's wonderful. Now we just have to convince him :).


The disappointment of not getting anything 'big' at Disneyland was quickly diminished as there were carnival games galore at the reunion -- complete with free cotton candy, face painting, snow cones and BAGS of prizes.




Thanks to the committee who planned this wonderful event, and to all of the sponsors who make this possible. There were adults there that were transplanted as children. It was very rewarding to see. We were also able to talk to a couple of families who are right in the thick of things and share the hope of our son. Those moments are priceless.

Vacation - Day Five

Well, today was our last day at Disney. We visited both parks to ride some rides for the second time, and to hit some of the attractions that we missed this week. Ryan was not thrilled that we made him go on the ferris wheel. That's ok. It builds character to ride on rides that scare the crap out of you for no reason. Just ask my sister Lori. She'll tell you all about how strong my character is.


We watched the fireworks at Disney tonight. They were fun, but the crowds were crazy. I am SO glad we went during the off season, and that the crowds weren't so bad all week. I take back being uncomfortable taking my kids out of school for a week.

Ryan was so determined to buy something with his money. The only problem was that everything was so dang expensive. At the end of the night he finally found an artist that would draw a picture of Stitch. He was so excited until I asked the man what it would cost for him to sketch this character. Uh...$500 if I wanted it in color and $300 if I wanted it in black and white. Hmm...nevermind. Needless to say we went home empty handed.

Vacation - Day Four

Today was our early day at Disneyland. We decided to hit the Nemo ride first thing. They had a few mishaps with the submarines, so we waited a little longer than we thought we'd have to, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as we would have waited if we had gone later in the day.

I'm not sure why Disneyland is called the 'happiest' place on earth. Don't get me wrong, I think the kids had fun, but Sydney cried on MANY of the rides because she was scared. I was really concerned about how her memories were going to be formed, so we went to Fantasy Land today. It looked a little more kid friendly. We rode Casey Jr's train, and the Dumbo ride. Both kids rode the tea cups - they were on their own with that one. Then we took them on the Pinocchio ride. Holy Crap! That scared Sydney too. Who wouldn't be scared that the whale came out to eat you at the end.

I think the highlight of the day was that we got to see the Princesses! We stood in line for about 30 minutes to see them.



They have a little boutique at the end where you can buy all of the princess gear. Dresses, crowns, gloves, jewels, all of it. They will even do the girls' make up and hair. I took a look at the price tag of the dresses and they were $65. We decided we would pass.

After Disney, we took the kids out to dinner at the Olive Garden. Who knew that soup and salad and Mac-n-cheese could cost $40. I'm not sure that we'll do that any time soon.

We then went to the beach. It was a little bit chilly, but it was great to have the experience. We even got a high tide and every one of us got our shoes soaked and filled with sand.

Vacation - Day Three

Today we spent our whole day in California Adventure, and boy did we have some adventure!


When we got to the park we decided we would hang out near the front as the High School Musical 3 parade was set to begin shortly after opening. We sent Brett and Ryan to get fast passes to Soarin' Over California as both of the kids wanted to ride that one again.

The weather was quite a bit hotter today than the other days so we tried to stay in the shade while we were waiting. Brett also took the kids into the gift shops and Sydney found the perfect stuffed animal that she wanted to spend her money on. We talked her into waiting until later in the week to make sure we couldn't get it cheaper at a local Disney store, and to make sure she didn't find something else. I was surprised, but she readily agreed.

As the parade crowd started to line up I was sure to get the kids right up front.


The music was starting to get loud and I bent down and started singing in Sydney's ear. She started clinging to me and asked me to be quiet. I asked her what the problem was and she told me I was embarrassing her!

Oh brother! For heaven sakes she is not even 6 years old!

After the parade was over we took our fast passes and walked right on to Soarin' Over California, then we headed over to Paradise Pier and picked up fast passes for California Screamin' - an extremely fast paced roller coaster. While we waited to be able to use those fast passes, we went to Toy Story Mania. I have to say that this was by far one of my favorite rides. You sit in a little car that moves you right in front of some 3D movie screens that you are able to shoot at video game targets.

By the time we finished the Toy Story ride, we had just a few minutes until we could use our fast passes again. We hydrated ourselves, then Ryan and I decided to go on the ride. Ryan wanted to ride EVERY ride, and Brett was afraid of getting woozy, so I was the default co-rider. Sydney was just about an inch too short to ride this one, so Ryan and I went on it first.

As the ride ended he put his hands up in the air and said "That was awesome!" Then he leaned over and told me that he thought he was going to puke. I encouraged him NOT to puke and told him that he would be fine in a bit. I then reminded him that if he didn't ride the roller coaster again then Dad wouldn't be able to ride it. - Oh, I'm such a good wife and mother!

Well, we got back to where Brett and Sydney were waiting and Ryan said he felt fine, so we sent Brett and Ryan to ride it again. This time Sydney and I waited for Brett and Ryan, and Sydney whined the whole time.

Brett and Ryan were gone for quite a long time, and we watched as the yellow roller-coaster cart off by itself. I thought that was strange, but figured that they must do that from time to time.

Well....they probably do that from time to time for a reason! Brett came over and said - I need your help - Ryan threw up on the ride. So, I went over and sure enough - poor Ryan was pale, and had puke ALL over himself. I felt so bad.

My wonderful husband took Ryan into the restroom and stripped him down and washed his clothes in the sink. I was so grateful to him for doing that. I don't know too many dads that would do that.

After our adventure there, we took Sydney to A Bug's Land and let her get soaked in the water. By that time Ryan felt better, but we knew better than to let him ride on another ride that would make him want to puke again.

Vacation - Day Three - Continued

As if the puking incident wasn't enough adventure for one day, Ryan managed to leave his beloved new Stitch key chain on a ride and he lost it. We weren't off the ride 2 minutes when he realized it was gone, so we ran back to see if it was at the ride. Much to our dismay it was gone.

We talked to the man in charge of the ride and he said that they would replace it. WOW! Sydney and I went on a little ride while Ryan and Brett waited for guest services to arrive with our voucher to replace it. I couldn't believe we were so lucky. I figured we were out the $6. On top of getting a voucher, they also gave us a pass to get on a ride without standing in line. Double WOW!

We decided to head out of the park and get some dinner. After dinner we went back to Disneyland so we could watch the parade. We were in a perfect position to watch it and the kids were even asked out on the street to dance with the characters. It all ended up being a pretty good day, even though we had more ADVENTURE than we had planned.

Day Two - Safety

We arrived in Anaheim close to noon. We tried checking into our hotel early and they told us to give them 30 minutes. So, we went to the grocery store and picked up some lunch meat so we could make sandwiches. We then went to Target to get Ryan a toothbrush. Apparently I don't know what is Ryan's and what is Sydney's as I packed two of Sydney's toothbrushes. Who knew that Puss 'n Boots was a girl's toothbrush?

After our visit to the store we returned to the hotel and checked in. Ryan made another comment about the hotel only this one had to do with feeling safe. The atmosphere change was amazing.

We ate lunch and waited until right after 2pm when the local transit was done with lunch and we headed to Disney. When we got there we saw that California Adventure looked like it had fewer people, so we opted for that park for our first day in California.

Ryan wanted to ride the Hollywood Tower of Terror, so we headed there first.

We're retarded.

I didn't think that Sydney would ride, but at the last minute she decided she wanted to go. So, good for us. We felt woozy after the ride and the kids were scared to death.

Go us.

After that wonderful ride, and resolving not to be as stupid next time, I took Sydney to Playhouse Disney, and Brett took Ryan to an interactive thing with Crush, the turtle from Nemo.

I took Sydney shortly after that and was amazed at the animation.

We rode a few other rides, and then the park closed at 6pm. Who knew.

We walked over to Disneyland with the rest of the crowd. Then we rode autotopia. We enjoyed that ride with the kids.

After we were done at Disney we went to IHOP for dinner. We went on the recommendation of a friend because kids eat 'free' after 4pm. Well, thank heavens they eat free! I got a burger, Brett got breakfast, and our meal with tip was $34. Yikes!

Day One - The city that NEVER Sleeps

Today we started our trip to California. We decided that we would go part way and stop in Las Vegas.

I'll be honest.

I have never been a fan of Vegas. Ever. The first time I went to Vegas was a year after I got married. We went for a technical conference and I wasn't impressed then. I'm still not impressed.

We got a hotel room at Circus Circus. As we pulled into town Ryan made the comment that he didn't feel safe. We all felt the same sentiment. As we rounded the corner to the hotel, Brett told the kids to quickly turn their heads. We had forgotten that Porn is free and rampant on the streets.

I checked in, and our room was changed from 33 to 220...something something. It was across the street from the main tower, and in a dive section of the hotel. Ryan said again that he didn't feel safe and was worried about where we were. I reassured him that everything would be fine, hoping that it actually would be fine.

Our room was scary. We could hear EVERYTHING....all night long.

Needless to say, we decided that we wouldn't sink our money into the Vegas economy again.

Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover

The other day Ryan and I were driving to the Payson hospital to get his blood drawn for some long term follow-up labs. As we were driving our conversation went something like this:

Ryan: "Mom, do you know the saying Don't judge a book by its cover?"

Me: "Yes, son how come?"

Ryan: "Well, Brayden told me that my Pinewood Derby car wouldn't win because it wasn't aerodynamic. Well, you can't judge a book by its cover"

You see....judging by this...


"You can't judge a book by its cover"