This is Halloween!

As my kids continue to get older, the holidays just get better and better! This Halloween was no exception as we got to experience the events with some new traditions.

Will's preschool had a costume parade. The children were ecstatic walking around the block with giant smiles, waving, and saying "Happy Halloween". Things only got better when we went to their classroom where they sang some festive songs, and fed us doughnuts and Pirate Juice (homemade root beer)- "Drink if you Darrrrrre!" I was so proud to see Will sing with his classmates and to watch him interact in a different setting. He is so big!
Will was "Deadly Nadder" the dragon from How To Train Your Dragon this year.
Halloween evening was exceptionally rainy in Heber City, so luckily the annual Trunk-or-Treat was moved inside. There were chairs set all around the gym and the children walked around in a circle collecting their goodies. Will walked around by himself with his friend Grace, and Annie stood by Dallas and I shamelessly attacking the candy bowl. When we ran out of candy we walked Annie around to collect a few pieces, and then we were off to a little party at my friend Tracie Garcia's. Tracie stuffed us with goodies to give us energy to go door to door.
Unfortunately, it was just too rainy to Trick-or-Treat. We made it to 4 houses before we were drenched and headed to Grandma Kaiserman's for a game of Klondike Rummy and some pumpkin sheet cake and hot cocoa. We let Will eat candy to his little hearts content, and then we headed home- totally exhausted!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Hard Core

Hard Core (adjective)- Running 5.25 miles in a blizzard.
Crazy (adjective)- Running 5.25 miles in a blizzard.
The winter running had to begin sometime.

Survivor!

Five kids on a Friday morning... and I lived to blog about it!
2- 4 year olds
3- 1 year olds

McKenzie, Annie, Kyla, Will and Morgan

Whiskey Springs

Can't it just stay fall forever?

The only thing better than a summer picnic is a fall picnic with chilli.

Did it!

I won't go into too many details, but for now just know that I....

• Hit my goal exactly with an 8:25/mile pace, and 1:50 finishing time.
• Nursed a dang side ache between miles 6-8; those side aches will get you every time!
• Cried when I finished my hardest race to date. So grateful my family was there to see me accomplish my goal. It made victory even sweeter!
• Finished 7th in my age group and 36th overall. The winner finished the 13.1 in 1:20 with a 6 min/mile pace! Amazing!

I love running because so many people are able to win- in their own personal and fantastic way.

Mindy and I at the finish. Mindy ran an awesome race too, hitting a personal best and nearly catching me in the end!

That girl's an assassin, too...

I run my half tomorrow.

I would be totally lying if I didn't say I had butterflies in my stomach as I sit in my basement typing this post.

I've worked really hard to get to this point; many long runs, sprint work outs, eating better, mental preparation, memorization of the course... I couldn't be any more prepared to run this half than I am right now.

I've set pretty high goals for myself. I want to finish the race with an average of 8:25/mile. That would mean running the 13.1 in just under 1 hour and 50 minutes- the Boston Qualifying time. I barely hit my goal by the skin of my teeth last time (8:28.mile), and I honestly would love to finish in about 1 hr 47 min tomorrow, but I'm trying to be reasonable. And not too hard on myself.

I just finished putting the songs on my iPod that I will be running through- Black Eyed Peas, Miley Cyrus, All American Rejects, Glee, John Mayer, and with hopes of finishing the race with "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train. As I was listening to them the words from Empire State of Mind sung by the Glee Cast really hit me- "In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh, there's nothing you can't do now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you. Let's hear it for New York."

I may not be in New York, but maybe that pavement is where my dreams are made right now. I'm doing it. I'm out there running hard and doing good.

And I'm gonna kill this race.

Richie & Ashleigh Wilson

One of my closest cousins, Richie Wilson, was sealed to his high school sweetheart, Ashleigh Miller, on October 9, 2010 in the Salt Lake Temple. Words can't express how tender my heart was to see Richie walk in holding his sweet fiance's hand as they entered the sealing room, anticipating the ceremony and their lives together. So many eyes were wet from the second they entered; you can imagine how it was once everything got started! (Dallas leaned over to me at one point and said, "I've never seen such a bunch of babies." It's true. I blame it on the Wilson "cry gene". It's horrible). The sealer talked about so many beautiful things~

• It's our Savior that made it possible for us to be sealed together as families, forever.
• The Proclamation to the World is one of the keystones to our religion because it discusses the importance of the most sacred unit- the family. We are to read it often, teach it to our children and spouses, and to display it in a prominent place to remind us of its importance that we may never forget how sacred our families are.
• Hold hands with your spouse- it's the simplest way to tell them that you love them, and to show others that you are in love and care for one another.
• Have family prayer with your babies in your arms so that they might remember to turn to the Lord for help. Our Father in Heaven hears a child's simple prayers, just as he hears ours. Family prayer will help your children grow strong, and feel safe in your home because it is a place where the spirit dwells.

I'm so proud of Richie and Ashleigh and all the hard work, dedication, patience, and love that it took them to go to the temple. It was a perfect moment; pure and simple.

The reception at The Grand America was gorgeous and so much fun. We were so thankful to be a part of their day and wish them the best in their lives together.

Laura and Tyler McAllister

Aunt Sue Lantz and my Mom, Sandy Wilson

Sweet Annie

William Bentley

Ashleigh and her Dad, Bart Miller

Leslee, Clayton and Kenny Wilson

Baily Boaz and Uncle Scott Wilson

Annie and Dallas

Me, my sister Cami and nephew Alex Hansen

I almost forgot my favorite part of the night! We were talking to Will about how one day he will grow up and can get married in the temple. He told us that he was going to marry Annie one day. We tried to explain to him that we don't marry people in our families and he almost started to cry! I'm glad my kids love eachother.

Bath Time!!!

Ready

13.1 miles
5 bugs stuck to my lips, one in my eye, and many many more stuck to my forehead
600+ feet in altitude gain
180 bpm average heart rate
1:50 total time; which is exactly Boston qualifying time
1 t-shirt made that says, "This One's For You, Lola!"
11 days until I run the PINK Series Half Marathon in Park City for breast cancer awareness

I'm ready to race.

Yes, he's going to be a mechanical engineer!

How our conversation played out...
After much talk about General Conference mixed with some educational chit-chat regarding letters to Will:
Will: When is the wire going to be on?
Dallas: You mean the choir?
Will: Yes.
Dallas: Soon. Hey, Will, did you know that choir is a special word because it starts with the letter Q?
Me: ?!?!
Dallas and I laugh hysterically for a good minute...
Dallas: I was thinking that it was spelled Q-W-
Me: Q-W????? Ba ha ha ha!
Laughter continues...
Dallas: Attempting to explain through laughter... I was thinking it was spelled Q-W-I-R-E!

Oh yes, my friends, the man is going to be a MECHANICAL ENGINEER one day. I'm just praying the degree doesn't require much spelling.


***Photo was taken when Dallas helped my Dad and Clay put up his woodworking shop in his backyard over Conference. Dallas is always willing to serve others.