Making Time for Food Prep!

A few things I do to have healthy food ready in the fridge for meals...

I love the ground turkey meat from Costco.  (I'm starting to sound like a Costco employee.)  I cook up a bunch of it, sometimes with a can of crushed tomatoes in there, season with a little Italian Seasoning or Mexican.  My kids pull it out and roll it up in a tortilla or on chips with cheese.  They do not like ground turkey from any other store.  It's fattier and just tastes gristle-y.

This is one of my favorite things to do with the cooked ground turkey....

Slice a zucchini the long way,  hollow it out with a spoon or melon baller.  Chop up the zucchini meat and mix it with some of the turkey.  Add whatever other vegis you've got, salt and pepper the mixture and put it back in the zucchini rinds.  Top with a little Parmesan and bake until the boats are cooked to your taste.

A couple other things I like having on hand in the fridge are butternut squash and beets.  I'm really putting myself out there by admitting that!

I will use this throughout the week in different recipes.

These are yellow beets.  I've never tried them before.  My favorite part of the beets is the greens though.  I saute them with a little coconut oil and salt and pepper, then put a little balsamic vinegar on them.  So SO good.  If you've never cooked beets... this is how I do it.  Boil for about 40 minutes depending on how big they are, pour cool water over them to allow them to cool for a bit.  Then, when you pick them up the outside just peels off in your hands.  These are going in the fridge as well to be chopped up on a salad later this week.

Supplements, Anyone?

I have never been a fan of fake food.  I went to school to become a dietitian and am fascinated by what different foods can do for us or TO us.  I'm a believer that if we just learn right proportions of the right foods, we will be our healthiest.  Having said that, I realize that there are times when we need a little help getting back on a good plan if we fall into some bad habits, like I did the last couple years.  There are times when some supplements or shakes or bars with strange ingredients have their place.

While I have been struggling with having enough energy to exercise like I want to, I've been trying some other things that people have suggested to get more energy or help with my craving unhealthy foods.  Here's my experience with a few and I'd LOVE for you guys that use others to tell us about them!

Garcinia Cambogia is an appetite suppressant.  It actually worked well for me to do that.  But after a couple of weeks I started to have some water retention.  My hands and legs were kind of puffy.  I think this may be more about my vein issues than any dangerous thing about the Garcinia.  I had to stop taking it because of that.  What I do like about this one is that since it isn't a stimulant, like so many other diet supplements are, I could take it before dinner too, which is when I would normally eat too much.  I bought mine at Costco for something like $15.00

This one I'm using right now.  I like it.  It is a stimulant, and yes - is green tea, which is questionable for me within the way I personally view the Word of Wisdom.  (I have friends that drink green tea and they feel like it's an herbal tea.  Totally a personal decision and I don't think there is really a blanket right or wrong as far as I'm concerned.  I don't drink green tea - but here I am with these for a while, at least.)  What is interesting about the stimulant factor of these is that I notice that it doesn't effect me as much as a diet soda would.  For instance, if I drink a diet coke at lunch, I'm a little jittery for the next couple hours.  I'm pretty sensitive to caffeine.  These don't have that effect on me for some reason.  I still only take them with breakfast and lunch and don't take them at dinner just to avoid any chance of it keeping me awake.  The label says this has more caffeine than a diet coke has, so I have no idea why it would feel different.  I do think this is helping with my energy and calorie burn throughout the day.  I'll probably take the rest of the bottle and then hopefully have my exercise habits back on track and won't buy more.  I just got it at Costco for about the same as the Garcinia, I think.

I ordered doTerra from Miss Katie (Hi Katie!) and have been using it for a couple of weeks.  I have a few friends that use all their diet shakes too and love them.  It is an oil that you put in your bottle of water that you drink throughout the day.  It is supposed to suppress your appetite or help you feel full faster.  I 'm not sure for me it really does that.  BUT what it does do for me is force me to drink that water throughout the day, like I should be doing.  It has a really strong taste that is a reminder every time I take a sip that I am on a diet.  So for the most part it is serving a purpose.

Another friend of mine started selling Zen Bodi, which is made by a company called Jeunesse.  She gave me some samples of appetite suppressants, amino acid drinks and a protein powder.  I REALLY liked them so I ordered some more of the amino drink and the protein powder.  I really liked that I could drink something that was just amino acids between meals when I would normally snack.  And the protein is super light.  It doesn't feel like a heavy meal like the other ones I normally use.  I can mix it in water and it doesn't feel sticky and milky.  Maybe I'll post more on them later when I get my order.

I have been tempted to try the Beach Body Shakeology.  I know a few of you use that and I'd love to hear your review.  The only reason I haven't yet is the cost, and it also seems like I have to sign up for a program to try it.  I could be wrong.

Then there's Herbalife.  If anyone knows about that please share.  They seems very similar to Shakeology.

40-something

Hey.  I'm starting today to put some time into something I miss in an attempt to feel better.  My life happened over the past couple of years and I got off track.  I guess that's not true.  What really happened is that I had to focus on other things for a while, and that is really ok.  No mistakes I guess.  Also, I'm 40 freakin 2.  That's got to be a pretty good excuse.

I used to blog about running, which sounds weird, but it did help me stay motivated.  I liked sharing the beautiful views that I saw while I was out, my new favorite trails I discovered and things that helped me when I was injured.  I really don't care if I have readers so much.  It's the process of putting it out there that's helpful for me.  I promise I won't care if you don't follow or have anything to say or if you remove yourself from the group.  But if you want to be a part of the same goal, I would LOVE for you to blog and share the links in the Facebook group for everyone.  That way we can support each other.  Some of you already do this.  I'd just invite you to share the links in the group if you want.

SO...  TODAY, I made it to the gym.  Late, but made it.  I had eaten already because it was already 10:something and when I try to run or do anything up and down, like the elliptical with food in my stomach I get a stomach ache.  I did a little treadmill, a little elliptical and some bike plus some triceps machine  About and hour and a half all together of not a whole lot of effort.  Right now I'm just trying to get there and do something.  I'm still having energy issues that I'm working on.  Ideally I could run at a good pace for a whole hour.  That's where the endorphin rush is for me and what I crave.  I've been trying to go after the kids go to school, which these days I don't have time for.  So starting tomorrow I'm getting up at 5:00 AM before the rush.  I hate getting up in the dark.  It's depressing.  But it's more depressing to not be in shape, so 5:00 AM it is.  Also, Ron's a night owl and doesn't get up early.  He has to try and be quiet while I go to sleep and I have to try and be quiet while he's still asleep in the morning.  We don't like each other very much during those times of day.

I am aware that 75% of weight is dependent on FOOD and about 25% exercise.  Unless I'm going to be running 4 hours a day like I used to, I need to focus a lot more on what I'm eating.  My goal is to have vegis cut up and ready in the fridge to cook and have lean meats ready to eat so I don't reach for something on the pantry shelf when I'm hungry.  I know I crave healthy foods when I exercise and I also have more energy to exercise if I'm eating right.  They depend on each other.  I would LOVE for you guys to share recipes and healthy stuff you eat!

 This is going to be cauliflower mash.  (Not that I have a problem with mashed potatoes with no butter.  I don't do low carb really.  I eat starchy stuff and have never felt like it has effected me negatively.  I have no energy when I don't eat carbs.  What DOES effect me though is fats.  I've gotten in some bad habits with fat.  I know that is what has helped drain my energy and made me gain.)  Using cauliflower is just a way to get more high fiber vegis in your diet.  It is always good to add low calorie bulk.  You steam them till soft, drain the water, add salt and then mash them.  You can add a little Parmesan cheese for flavor but today I left that out.  (See above re: fat.)

My favorite lean protein these days is egg whites.  I buy the big box of these little containers at Costco.  It's cheap, easy to cook fast, you can flavor eggs any way you want, especially egg whites, no fat in them and they go well with anything else on your plate.  I decided not to show a pic of the finished plate before I ate it because the eggs and the cauliflower are the same color and although I put tomatoes and avocados on top, it was not a pretty picture - But believe me that was yummy.

Third thing I'm changing: I'm done with anti anxiety and antidepressant meds.  I know they were something else that made me slip into the bad habits.  I know they don't do that for everyone, so please don't think I'm saying I think they are a bad idea for everyone.  Their effect on me was that I just didn't care about my health anymore.  I was unhappy with the way I looked and felt, but I also was numbed just enough to say to myself, "Meh, whatever." I don't want to be numb anymore.  I'm going to feel it and deal with it, whatever that is.  Marriage stress, money stress, kid stress, school stress, neighborhood stress....  For a while I told myself I couldn't handle it and took some meds to help me not feel it.  I think for me that was a bad idea.  So I'm going to be working on learning how to deal with hard stuff.

So guys.  Join me if you'd like.  I'd love to hear what you are doing, what's working and not working for you!  Love you. (Serious)

Wow, I haven't been here in a while!  I read my last post and Sarah was registered for Kindergarten?  She is now done with Kindergarten and registered for first grade.  My life took a bit of a detour.  It's kinda hard to recognize it as the same life when I look back.  We've moved twice and changed so much, but a good long run is still the thing that makes it okay day to day.

It used to be that I would take Sarah in the stroller.  Then she got to an age that I couldn't really leave her for long but she wouldn't come with me for very long either, so it was hard to get long runs in for a couple of years.  Now she's old enough to leave with her brothers for several hours in the morning, so I'm back to having a little bit more freedom.  I'm not good at getting up while it's still dark.  It depresses me.  The way I get my runs in has had to constantly be modified for what is going on in my life at that time, but I've been able to keep it part of my life most of the time.  It helps me enjoy everything else there is to be happy about.  I'm grateful for where I live because it is so easy to run around St. George.  The paths are awesome and it's just very outdoor rec friendly.  I'm super happy I'm here.

This Little Peanut...

...makes me so happy.

We hit the road together yesterday for the first time in months for a jog. She doesn't like sitting in the stroller for any amount of time. So we had to stop at a beach by the river for a bit. I'm always grateful when she makes me stop and play. I know I'm going to miss doing it one day.

She's all registered for Kindergarten this fall!

Good Riddence to Winter 2011-2012!!

I normally prefer winter.  Even in the snowy parts of the state.  I like winter fashions better.  I like playing with my kids outside in the winter. I like bundling up and breathing in the cold.  I like fires and hot chocolate.  I think it's beautiful...  You get it.

I also like winter better because Summer hates me.  I hate swim suits, being hot and sweaty and my legs in shorts.

These are some reasons why St. George has been a difficult transition, but not the only reasons.  I have never fit in here.  I made a couple of pretty close friends a few years ago in our last ward, but they moved and I have never really made any others since.  There are really wonderful women in the neighborhood where I live.  I like them all and get along fine with just about everyone.   It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I'm not like them.  Ya know?  I just don't enjoy doing what they all do.  I'm not into Twilight or midnight movies of any kind for that matter.  I don't want to read or talk about what they read and talk about.
 

I've forgotten what it's like to be around people that I can hang with.  And maybe that's a silly thing to care about at my age.   I've really thrown myself into finding the fun that is to be had here.  I take my kids to the river or lakes during the hot season, I run on the awesome jogging path, and get involved in community stuff.  I really have put my heart into it and until last December I thought I was doing fine and that eventually I'd really be "from St. George."  But I'm really feeling super homesick these last few months.  I am actually having panic.  I wake up and after just a couple of seconds I remember where I am and what my life is consisting of right now and I instantly feel sick.  I'm trying to figure out if it's my surroundings, or that I'm involved in too much community stuff, or the absence of friends, or something else entirely.

Maybe it's just that because I've been so busy and stressed with everything that's gone wrong this winter I haven't had time to run at ALL or do anything that I am used to having in my schedule.   I had signed up for that Zion 100, which is in a couple of weeks, but obviously that isn't going to happen.  One nice thing that has happened with being so busy, is that I have spent a lot more time thinking about other people and things that need me instead of spending it all running.  I've realized how I really don't want to be that selfish anymore.  There are so many important things that I could be spending my time doing that would help others and the community.  I'm not ever going to feel good spending that much time on myself again, I hope.  I just need to do as much as I need to feel good and that's it.

I've been thrown in to the Chair position of a community arts committee the past year.  I had no idea how to do the job and really no guidance at all.  I went okay,  maybe even went well, but I have one more year as chair, and now that I know how to do the job, I feel like I am going to have to give it even more effort to make sure it's done right.  Even though I really love art and am happy to be involved in it's promotion, I'm not sure if this is what I should be spending my time doing.  I wonder if I feel so much unrest because it's not  what I should be doing.  We just finished the big job and are kind of breaking for the summer so I won't have that pressuring me quite so much for a while.

We are moving around the corner in the next month.  It could be that I just am feeling displaced.  Although, I'm looking forward to the change so I don't know if that would be effecting me in this way.

Here's to a fresh start, new surroundings (kinda), and new schedule.  Fingers crossed for a good Spring/Summer.

39/15

Wow, I'm 39 and have been married for 15 years.  What the heck?  I often say that I really don't mind getting older.  I can honestly say that.  I read someone ask on a FB status, "Would your 20 yr old you be proud of who you've become today?"  and as I thought about that, I realized that she would.   I had never thought about that before.  I get down on myself a ton for messing up, but if I look at my life in that light ~through the eyes of my 20 yr old naive, selfish, insecure self~ I am pretty happy with how I am doing.  I do really think getting older is great.  Ron and I will have been married for 15 YEARS tomorrow.  I can say the same thing about us.  I'm pretty proud of how we're doing.  It. has. not. been. easy.  But the fact that I love him more now than I did then is pretty telling for me that we are doing this right.

Zion 100

So I'm all signed up for the Zion 100.  I actually went and bought the map of the course, downloaded a training schedule *shutter* and started training.  I do not do training schedules very well.  I have always hated "having" to do a certain number of miles at a certain pace.  It makes it not fun for me, and I've always said if it's not fun I can't do it.  This time I'm going to do it smart and follow a training schedule in the hopes that I can finish 100 miles.  The heaviest days in the schedule for first-timers at 100 milers are 30 miles one day and 20 miles the next, then two days off, then lower miles for three days (10, 12, 15), then do the heavy miles again the next weekend.  It focuses on those high back to back mile days and then the rest to heal, instead of speed days like you would in a marathon.  I really like that about it.  It counts "time on your feet" over a couple days time rather than speedwork days and careful counting of mileage.  Every time I try to do speedwork, I get injured in some way.

Speaking of injuries...  I've been doing nothing but treadmill all summer and have developed a strained hip flexor.  I ran outside today 10 in the morning and 7.5 in the evening and didn't hurt a bit.  I guess the longer stride and faster pace on the treadmill was hurting my hips.  I'm so glad it's cooling off so that I can run outside now!  It feels so much better.  I never thought I'd say that.  I've always loved the treadmill so much.  I think getting older makes you have to constantly change the way you do things with the way your body is reacting.

Anyway, the long run days are going to be Fridays and Saturdays.  They kinda have to be, I think.  There may be Saturdays when I can't due to family stuff, so I will have to juggle on those weeks.  But for the most part, I am going to try and do them Fri/Sat.  On Fridays I'm going to try to wake up at about 5:00 AM and run for about an hour and a half until Noah needs to be up and getting off to school.  Then after the last boy leaves for the bus at 8:20, I will put Sarah in the jogger and jog her to school the 2.5 miles, drop her off, leave the jogger and run while she's in school (2.5 hrs)  and get in however many miles I can do in that time, then jog her home.  I don't know how many miles that is going to amount to.  Then I have to do another long one the next day sometime, someway.  It might be in the evenings, which requires I eat really carefully.  Big meals eaten at any time of the day don't sit well in your gut during a run in the evenings.

Fictionist - Choose the cover contest

Click the 5th star!

Article in the local paper about the race

Mischief fails to spoil race

Kevin Jenkins • kevin@thespectrum.com • Published: April 24. 2011 4:55AM - Last modified: April 24. 2011 7:39AM

IVINS - Clear skies didn't stop someone from apparently trying to rain on long-distance runners' parade Saturday by changing race signs that sent race participants in the wrong direction.

The runners in the Red Mountain 50K, a race about 31 miles long, were generally nonplussed but happy by the time they reached the finish line in Ivins, however.

"(It) is kind of unfortunate, but it's OK. Things worked out," Ari Theodore of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake City , said. "I got more bang for my buck."

Many of the race's fastest runners put in an extra half mile to four miles after a directional sign near the ninth mile was moved and chalk arrows were erased and replaced with new arrows indicating an unscheduled right turn, race director Jeremy Frehner said.

"(The race) is just such a grass-roots thing, when we have those elite runners out in front and they get (detoured) a mile ... it's just crazy," Frehner said, indicating there was no way to adjust runners' recorded times at the finish line to reflect what they had actually accomplished.

"Unfortunately, a lot of people have run a 60K today," he said. "I don't want to cast blame. ... (But) if they (the culprits) think it's funny or accomplishing something with doing something that malicious, where they put people's lives in danger, they need to change."

The course began by following 12 miles of public-access trail from the junction of state Route 18 and Pine Valley Road before joining the paved road and wending around the Gunlock Scenic Byway.

Shortly after mile 9, a pair of chalk arrows directed runners to turn down a dirt trail where horses were running. The trail eventually ended up a hill at a T-shaped junction without signs indicating where to go next, said Krissy Moehl, a Seattle resident who is one of the world's top-ranked ultra-trail runners.

While some runners turned one way and others went another, Moehl turned back toward the aid station at mile 9. Along the way she met another runner who had done a trial run on the course.

"He said, 'I don't remember crossing this river,'" Moehl said.

The runners were able to help direct later racers in the correct direction, but Moehl estimated she had passed about 50 runners on her way back down toward the aid station.

"Which is scary for a race director when you've got all these runners going off different directions," she said.

"Everyone had a real good attitude. They still finished and it was still a really beautiful day," said Bryce Thatcher, who is one of Moehl's corporate sponsors.

His wife Melanie said Moehl jeopardized her lead to help correct the situation, including the time she spent standing around discussing options with other runners. Moehl still finished first in the women's category, however, with a time of 5:04:01.

Moehl also completed a rim-to-rim-to-rim run with a friend Tuesday at Grand Canyon National Park , running 42 miles with an elevation change of 11,000 feet in 9:12:29, breaking the previous record of 9 hours and 25 minutes.

Scott Dickey of Murray was the first man to cross the finish in the 50K, with a time of 3:36:21, which would give him a pace of 4 minutes and 20 seconds per kilometer.

"I was just looking for a 50K that was kind of fast," Dickey said. "I ran a 50-miler a couple weeks ago. ... It was OK but wasn't as fast as I wanted to do. I was pretty sick about six weeks ago with pneumonia ... so I wasn't 100 percent."

Jim Magnan of Tucson, the men's winner in the 30K race that began west of Veyo, said he learned of the race over the Internet and bargained with his wife to participate in conjunction with a Santana concert she wanted to see in Las Vegas.

"We're just kind of squeezing all the living we can into one weekend," Magnan said, indicating the couple had also visited Zion National Park a day earlier.

"I'm preparing for a 50K in Yosemite the first Saturday in June, and I wanted to run something different and interesting," he said. "This was really easy on my mind. ... I carry a camera and I probably took 20 pictures along the way. ... I was just looking to run in some pretty country."

Magnan finished with a time of 2:18:44.

Tanna Bayola of St. George was the women's top finisher in the 30K, with a time of 2:36:01.

"I do a lot of cross-training," she said. "I just want to keep running, keep a smile on my face. As long as I'm smiling, I'm going to keep running."

Red Mountain Ultra

I have to be honest and tell the story behind the second place plaque. I have no idea what my time was either. It almost doesn't matter, because I don't even know for sure how many miles I ran. What happened was a land owner that lives in the mountains that we were running through apparently doesn't like this little race going through his backyard.  So, he got up early this morning and erased the chalk arrows on the ground at one of the forks and redrew them pointing to another path.  It wasn't too horrible because that path, although a few miles longer, eventually lead back to the main path so most of the people that went that way, including me, were okay.  The sad part is that once we got off on that wrong path, there were several other forks that could lead people off into the bush and far far off the main route with no way to end back up eventually on the right trail.  There was at least one other woman that was ahead of me at one point and ended up about a half and hour behind because of that disaster.  There was a professional ultra marathon woman that noticed that people were going in two different directions at one point, so she ran back a few miles and told someone that some of the runners were getting lost, then she got back on the path and started running.  She is the one that won the thing, even though she ran probably an extra 5-6 miles.  She caught up to me and passed me at about mile  24.  Her name is Krissy Moehl.  People had been telling me at the aid stations that I was the first woman they had seen pass, which made me so excited, but I was confused because I knew that I saw other women in front of me.  It still was pretty fun to have them say "Second Place Female!" when I crossed the finish line, even though I know I didn't really earn it.

I did have a great run though, and I attribute it to a couple of things.

*Advil!  2 at the starting line, 2 at miles 15,  21, 24, and 27.  I still cramped a little and had the usual fatigue, but no aches like last time.  No hip or knee issues.  Overall it made the run just completely different than last year.  Hallelujah and thank you, Ibuprofen.

* No headphones.  I know, I can't believe it either.  But it made it so much more enjoyable to be totally on the ride with the other runners and not just locked in my own head.  I was able to chat with other people and joke around.  It kept me going, I'm sure, when if I had had music it would have been much harder.

Starting line is really as miserable as it looks.  Cold and windy.  I loved the jacket I took with me, having learned from last year.  Dry-wicking wool.  I also wore Pearl Isumi sleeves, which I loved having on once the jacket got too warm for my core, but the wind was still blowing and would have been cold on my skin.  I shed them at maybe mile 14 and hung them on my belt.  No weight at all.  A great purchase.

There are several peaks on the trail that have great lookouts.  I promised myself I would take enough time to take some pictures.  These views are the highlight of this run.

Before you hit the pavement you run over three washes.  Last year there was not a whole lot of water in them.  I just jumped over without getting wet feet.  This year two of them were deep and wide enough that we had no choice but to stomp through them, getting wet up to our mid-calves.  One other woman and I spent about 20 seconds at the first big one trying to figure a way across without getting wet.  Finally I just jumped in.  It was three miles later at mile 12 that we would get to change shoes anyway. 

One other thing I did different was bring a new pair of shoes that had only been run in once, to put on at mile 12 (which for me was actually more like mile 13 since we got lost, remember.)  I think that helped.  I noticed a big difference when I put them on.  More cushion and support.

                      
                            Gunlock

                      Gunlock Reservoir

I wasn't sure if I was going to see my family at the finish because it is a really busy day with basketball games and family Easter Egg hunts.  Ron was sweet enough to swing it with all the kids.  Thanks, honey.  You rock my world.

Oh, and I saw a friend that happened to be on a bike ride on the course!  She took these photos and texted them to me.

I ran with this nice guy, Ari for the last maybe... 8-9 miles.  I know it helped to chat with someone at the end.  He's done the Wasatch 100 and actually finished.  Very cool.

I got home and immediately started to feel sick.  I was worried the whole time about the Ibuprofen making my stomach hurt.  I don't know if at least part of what I'm feeling now is so much Meds.  Blehhhh

Taking Flight

My kids have asked me many times, "If you could be any animal, what would you be?"  Most people say a bird.  That's always what my kids say.  I always say something like a horse or a cheetah that can run really fast.  They think it's weird that I wouldn't want to fly.  To me it's the same thing, and horses don't have to eat worms.

Earlier this week I was on the treadmill at the gym.  A few minutes into my run, an elite runner that I see there every once in a while showed up.  He's so much fun to watch.  (But probably only to someone that is fascinated with running.)  He is small, probably 5' 5" and always sets the treadmill on something outrageously fast, even for a person with long legs.  There was one point when he was gliding over the speeding tread at 12.5 mph, that he held his arms out to the side like he was flying.  His legs were moving forward and backward, obviously, but his body was just gliding so effortlessly like he was flying.  I'm embarrassed to say it... but it made me emotional.  I don't know what it is about running that I think is so beautiful.  I think watching a really fast elite runner is like watching a bird flying.  So graceful... and completely created by your own heart and muscles and joints and effort.  It's all you.  That is a thing of beauty.



Today I was on the treadmill again and kept that image of him in my head, just gliding effortlessly over the moving ground.  I have been convinced for a long time that so much of this running thing is mind over matter.   Today's run felt a little like a short slow flight, but a flight nonetheless.  I will carry that image with me on every run from now on.

GDO pt. 2 - The Pics

                              On our way!

                              Top of the world!

Girls Day Out!

                                   
This weekend is a scout campout, so Ron took the three boys overnight.  Just me and Miss Priss for most of the day today and most of tomorrow.  I got in the car right after they left with a couple of bagels, the baby backpack (which she is way to big for) and some water bottles,  not knowing where I was going to go.  I just knew I wanted to be outside.

We ended up in Snow Canyon.  I just parked at the first spot I saw and started off with the map.  I'm a horrible planner-aheader, and also very impatient.  Those two qualities combined make for what some more positive people would call "spontaneous,"  but it's really just bad planner plus very impatient.  Usually I get lucky on these adventures though.  Today was no exception.  I just let Sarah roam and hike on the Three Ponds Trail.  We also did the Whipple loop, which is really cool for little kids.  There's a little slot canyon to walk through that she thought was cool.  We found some secluded little caves that she played around in for 20 minutes.  She also learned the very most important survival skill for camping women...   the squat.  First try and not a drop of pee on her feet or pants.  She's a natural outdoorswoman.  I couldn't be more proud.   I finally had to just put her in the backpack and drag her out because it was getting late.  We spend the next hour at the sand dunes in perfect weather, running around on the cool sand...   Perfect day.  I would love to post a gazilion pictures of Sarah that I took with  my phone here, but for some reason they aren't going through email like they usually do so easily.   These are the ones I took when I got my real camera and sat down at the sand dunes.

These times alone with Sarah are becoming more frequent since Ron has been called as the scout advisor for the Deacons.  I really enjoy the time with Miss Priss to do whatever I want.  All day today I've felt like I am in heaven with no errands to run, no one to get to a lesson, nothing that HAS to be cleaned and nobody waiting at home for something to eat.  However, I have realized something about myself as the night started coming on.  That is that even though I am most comfortable alone, it's not good for me.  Alone with my thoughts and I can bank on ending up depressed.  I really need to stay busy and surrounded by my responsibilities.  I'll enjoy the day alone tomorrow, but I'll be glad when the stinky boys get home. : )

Sarah digs the Chariot.  It's more like riding in a convertible than a stroller.  The only problem is that there isn't a brake or a safety strap.  I have to pay more attention.  And the front wheels swivel, which make it so much nicer when turning a corner, but it turns sometimes when I don't really want it to.  Overall, it's easier to run with.

I'm debating signing up for the Red Rock Ultra again.  I feel the need to cross a finish line. 

HAIR

I have hair issues.  It makes me crazy more than anything else about me, and that really says alot.  I don't like it long ~ It's straggly and frizzy.  I like I okay short, but when it's short I get funny comments.  Mainly from men. "Why did you do THAT?"  I don't like it blonde because I have dark eyebrows and it doesn't look like it matches.   With bangs.  Without bangs.  Long bangs, short bangs... It's naturally dark blonde with some fairly light streaks throughout, but it's mostly mousey.  I just dyed it darker than I ever have.  I felt like I maybe found something I could live with, but I am getting more uncomfortable comments from people than ever before.   My family saw me a couple of weeks ago and flat out told me it's awful.   What's a girl to do!? 

These are the two extremes.  I think I like it best somewhere in between.  Although I'm convinced I'm never actually going to like it no matter what.

A walk on the Beach...

I have become such a baby about the cold that we haven't been running outside at all for months.  Today was a beautiful day, (still freezing to me when we started but it warmed up after a while) so we ventured out after the boys left for the Klondike camp out.

The flood plain is cleared of all the shrubs and Tamarisk trees that are usually there, and there is a huge beach in it's place.  Sarah loves sand and rocks, so I let her play for a bit.  I love this age (hers) and watching her discover things and enjoy the simplest things so thoroughly.

We didn't get much further before coming to the section that was destroyed in the floods.  The river changed coarse and is now flowing where the path used to be.  Grrrr..