Judge Me

Tonight the only "vegetable" we had for dinner was tater tots... and I may or may not have shared a giant- and I mean GIANT- piece of chocolate cake with the kiddos as our afternoon snack.

I've worn the same shirt for two days in a row. For no reason.

I spent more time on Facebook today than I have in a week. I need a new book or something.

My idea of a healthy sandwich is peanut butter and honey on multi grain bread.

I used to think and talk about babies all the time, but now I would rather talk about running.

I want to upgrade my cable package just so I can watch Jazz games at my house.

I think Zac Efron is hot.

Even though I know my kids are running a muck and creating the largest mess in the history of the world, I still choose to wait until they are up before I get in the shower in the morning, and I stay in there until the water runs cold.

I have eaten a chocolate covered marshmallow Santa every day for 10 days because I got them for .08 cents at Smith's out of the Christmas clearance cart. I only have one more left and I'm in mourning.

I watch The Bachelor every week. And Grey's Anatomy.

The Script's self-titled album has been playing on my iPod non stop for over a week.

I'm pretty sure I can sing better than half the people on American Idol. They just don't want me because they have enough brunettes right now.

Even though it's poorly written, I still like the Twilight series.

I think brand spankin' new newborn babies are the cutest things in the entire world.

I wish I had a steaming bowl of jalapeno artichoke dip with a side of tortilla chips with me right now. Oh wait. I do.

And scene.

One Year

One year ago, today, I started running. I ran 9/10 of a mile in 15 minutes and thought I was going to pass out. I almost did. It took me a good hour to recover enough to stand up and make dinner for my family. No kidding.

Today I got up at 6AM and ran 5.65 miles in about 4 inches of snow; I was dodging snowplows, slipping down the hills, wishing I had windshield wipers for my face, and enjoying my morning at a leisurely pace. I got home, cleared off Dallas' car and switched the car seats around so he could take my jeep down to school. I made a scrambled egg and toast breakfast for my babies, ate, and then hopped in the shower to start my day.

I'm not even the same person anymore, and in so many more ways than just being able to run without fainting. I'm stronger mentally, more driven and ambitious. I set goals, and I accomplish them. I enjoy quiet moments by myself and I don't need anyone else by my side encouraging me because I've learned how to be my own cheerleader. I can do hard things.

Running has made me a better person. I'm so grateful.

Thank you, Katie Nelson, for suckering me into running the Wasatch Back Ragnar one year ago.

There's a snake in my boot!!!

Poop.

Stop reading now or forever hold your peace.

Incident #1- This was the least offending of all incidents (because it didn't involve me directly). I will spare the details and let you know that this involved a little 6 year old relative, a Chick-Fil-A bathroom, and the dreaded diarrhea. He missed. I was so grateful that I was not his mother.

Incident #2- This was the second least offensive incident of the weekend. (Did I mention that all of these things happened in one weekend? This last weekend to be exact.) Annie is attracted to toilets like a moth to a flame. She played in my Aunt's (this was directly following "Incident #1). Bad news. Another dear child had just used the toilet and didn't flush. I counted my lucky stars that it was only pee pee.

Incident #3- Saturday afternoon I'm visiting with the grandparents and some great uncles and aunt. I hear a tiny little voice that says, "Mommy, I need help..." I go to the bathroom and find my son, poor soul, naked from the waist down except for some socks smeared with something.... unmentionable... He had had an accident and tried to clean it up by himself. William. Love him dearly. We went home with Will wrapped up snug in an old green towel.

Incident #4- My headstone almost read, "May she rest in peace." Remember how much Annie loves toilets? Well she loved them again. A clogged one. In our basement. And Dallas thought it was chocolate on her shirt. Oh dear. Help me Rhonda!!!

Incident #5- (I know what you're thinking! How could there possibly be any more?!) We are at the grandparents again, saying our goodbyes to Grandpa in the back room when I hear my sweet son, voice gentle as a lark, "Mom, there's a little bit of poop in my boot." Certainly this can't be true?! Poop? In a boot? Oh, it's true!!!! It rolled, stealthily, out of the unders, down the pant leg, and into his brand new cowboy boot.

Let us never speak of this again.

Reflect

I've been thinking about 2010 a lot over the last month and have been drawing a blank about what to say. This doesn't happen to me often; I can usually find something to say about almost anything. Maybe that's not right- I can find things to say, but it isn't what I want to come out. That is more accurate. My thoughts are scattered and trying to reign them in and pick the right words to describe what I am thinking is escaping me. I was looking over a few years of blog posts when I looked to the side of my blog and noticed this quote again:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt

Dallas and I have lived this quote this past year. Whether it has been through tough classes, or tough races, we have both taken risks and won some glorious triumphs of our own. We have been able to watch some people that are living in that gray twilight that T.R. is speaking about, and I know that I would rather fail, and fail hard, than live in that place where there is no growth.

2010 was a good, hard, emotionally trying, physically rewarding, laughing, loving year.
How grateful we are to be together as we face 2011- ready for any challenges and triumphs that await us.

Have you ever wondered what I would look like with a mustache?

Well, now you know.

You might have one too if you ran a 5K in -18 degrees at midnight!

Did I mention that I bought some hair wax at the store today?