Lizzard Tales

Jamesy

2012-01-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is my Jamesy before I chopped off his beautiful red hair. Tom was kind of upset when he found out i cut it all off because he wished he could grow long hair like James.

James is my little firecracker. He chatters non-stop, never ceases to amaze me with his intelligence, and give me a run for my money. I look forward to school next year, but at the same time, wonder what I'll do without him around to entertain me.

He is all boy- Lightning McQueen, Batman, Captain America, Legos, cars and trucks, Wii and riding his bike are his favorite things in life.

He is one of MY favorite things in life.

Miss Millie

2011-12-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when you leave an 18-month old in her high chair unbuckled with a mug of hot chocolate on the counter to go upstairs for a minute. I sure do love Miss Millie.

Stained-Glass Christmas Cookies

2011-12-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

I tried a new Christmas cookie recipe and loved it. The cookies are super cute, tasty and the kids loved them. The original recipe can be found here.

Stained Glass Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
30-40 hard candies (such as Life Savers), preferably in several flavors/colors

Method

1 Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

2 In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses and vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated. Add egg and mix until light and smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed.

3 Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture. Use electric mixer to blend just until flour is incorporated. Divide dough in half and flatten into two disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour and up to 2 days.

4 Remove any wrappers on candies and separate them by color into plastic bags. Using a mallet to crush candies.

5 Place one disk between two large sheets of waxed paper and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Using a smaller cookie cutter or a knife, cut shapes into centers of cookies, reserving these center bits to add into extra dough.

6 Use a spoon to sprinkle the crushed candy into the hollowed-out centers of the cookies, filling to the edges. Try to keep the candy within the centers. Any candy specks that fall on the cookie will color the cookie.

7 If cookies will be hung as ornaments or decorations, poke a small hole in the top of each cookie before baking.

8 Bake 9 to 10 minutes. The candy should be melted and bubbling and the cookies just barely beginning to brown. Remove baking sheets from oven and place on wire racks to cool. Allow cookies to cool on pans at least 10 minutes; otherwise, the candy centers may separate from the dough. When cookies are completely cooled, remove and store in an airtight container. String with ribbon if you want to hang as an ornament.

Makes 2 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on how large you make them.

LOTOJA

2011-09-19T13:21:00.002-06:00

I had my doubts that I could ride 206 miles over 3 states in 1 day. I've been training like crazy, but being a mom to 4 is pretty crazy too. And I also had to split my training between biking and tri training. And they are not the same.

The weekend was starting out perfect. My sister decided to come to my house to watch my kids (so she could be close to my brother in ICU and his wife who was about to have a baby). Because of this, we were able to drive up with my riding buddy. We stopped for lunch in Provo and REI in Sandy and made it to Logan with plenty of time to enjoy the evening. I was a a ball of nerves checking in and getting my race packet. It was very real now and there was no turning back.

Race day preparations continued into the night. We went to a catered dinner with fellow VCBO racers. The dinner was not very good and extremely over priced. And to make it even worse there was no dessert. I was trying to carb load. Alicia and I nervously prepared our race day food and put it in bags to Jeff to give us at each stop. He and Marta rocked the support. They were cheerfully at each of 4 stops with our food ready, water bottles filled and encouraging words spewing forth. I couldn't have asked for a better team.

Alicia (one of my besties), Dan (Tom's brother), Steve (Tom'c cousin) and I were doing the fun ride portion of LOTOJA. What that means is that we got to start almost 2 hours before some of the racers and weren't officially racing it. We were still timed and still rode the same distance.

We started the race a 5:55 am in the pitch black of Logan. We were all equipped with front and rear light. The morning was perfect. Temps were in the 50s instead of low 40s. All I needed to supplement my amazing kit, were arm warmers, light vest, and knee warmers. The first 30 miles were flat. The 4 of us just took it kind of easy to Preston where our support met us. I ditched my knee warmers and vest, kept the arm warmers and fueled.

Nutrition for the race consisted of salted steamed new potatoes, gogurts, pb and honey on white, pretzel m&ms, and coke at aid stations. The gogurts were the best. They go down fast and easy and taste great. On the road I fueled on Shot bloks, Hammer gels, and a few bites of Luna Bars. I drank CarbRocket Half Evil (half strength) and Hammer Perpetuem. Both seemed to be fine on the tummy. I also took a few Hammer Anti-fatigues caps. I didn't take them every hour, but I could definitely feel their awesome effect.

Now the climbing began. The first climb was 20 miles. Yep, 20 miles of climbing a mountain. This climb was actually my favorite. It wasn't very steep, just a nice steady climb for a long time. I felt good. Alicia and I rode together. Somehow we lost cousin Steve (I think being from Boston didn't help). We regrouped at the neutral stop at the top. The descent was amazing. Twisty and fast. I loved it. Click here for a fun picture of the descent. We got in a pace line the rest of the way to Montpelier. We were cruising at 25 mph, but felt like we weren't working at all. Here we parted ways with cousin Steve. I feel bad, but my goal was to finish and he was cramping and starting to struggle. I don't think he was too heart broken. He did finish, but struggled with cramping all the way in.

The next section had 2 climbs. The first was a shorter but steeper one right off the bat up Geneva. It still felt pretty good. A very short descent followed and then the worst section of the race. It was windy, it was slightly uphill and we couldn't get in a pace line. everyone was either too fast or too slow for us. So the 3 of us worked together and slogged through.

The final mountain pass followed this section, Salt River Pass. Steep, windy, and just all around brutal. They time the last 4 miles of this climb for king and queen of the mountain bragging rights. I'm not going to lie, I pushed as hard as I could, but I was pretty beat. Dan rocked this climb and I couldn't keep up with him. Also, the fastest female racers caught me on this climb. They started almost an hour after me and 4 caught me on the climb. It's a little discouraging, but they are fast girls. I climbed it in 22:27. The fastest professional girls did it in 18s and the racing women in 19+. I'm content with my effort and time considering it is 106 miles into the race. And among the fun riders I was 70 out 536 and I think I was the 2nd or 3rd fastest fun riding woman.

We refueled in Afton and started the flat section through Star Valley. It was windy, but we were able to get in a few pace lines and the 3 of us worked well together. I was really amazed at how evenly matched we were. And grateful. I hated leaving cousin Steve, but it would have been even tougher to leave or be left by Alicia since we trained 6 months together for this. We were all pretty tired of the saddles by this point. We were all super bloated. Not sure if that is due to inhaling the food at each aid station or the dinner the night before. But we were all pretty spent. Alicia's tummy issues were the worst at this point and she struggled to hold the pace. She did a good job and holding our wheels until she got stuck behind someone with a flat. She lost our wheels and couldn't get back on. But we were able to regroup in Alpine and her bloating was somewhat relieved with GasX and mine with Coke.

The last section of the race is up Alpine Canyon following the the winding Snake River. This section is spectacular. I did wish I was floating down the river instead though. We had some good company to share the pulls. Until some crazy guys decided when it was there turn to pull to bump up the pace dramatically. I couldn't hold it, but neither could most of the group we were with so we let them go on ahead and we regrouped and continued to take turns pulling.

The last 10 miles through Jackson and into Teton Village were tough. At this point I just wanted to get done, so I just dug deep and pedaled hard. However, I soon realized Dan and Alicia were not on my wheel. I stopped and we regrouped. I wanted to cross that finish line with my team. We all just suffered through those last few miles and crossed that line together. Click here for a finish line photo.

I was so ecstatic to cross that line in 12 hours 21 minutes. We really didn't have a finish goal other than to finish. Our ride time was 11:02 and 18.4 mph. We had over an hour of stoppage. To put this in perspective Tom had 32 minutes of stoppage and that included a 15 minute break where he was contemplating quitting and a long 8 minute rest stop to refuel. We definitely can improve on our stoppage time.

I am definitely planning on doing it again and would like to race it and try to break 11:30.

Highlights of the race include: Amazing support (thank you Jeff and Marta!), Strawberry Climb, riding and finishing with Alicia and Dan, perfect temps (lows in 50s and highs in probably 70s), sitting in a jacuzzi tub after in an amazing condo (thanks Mary!), watching Tom cross the line, my bike not falling off on the way to LOTOJA.

Lowlights include: having to eat, Salt River Pass, crazy long line to get our medals (luckily Marta saved us this hassle), seriously sore bum after sitting on a saddle for 12 hours, my bike falling off the car at 75 mph on the way home. (we are still waiting to hear from insurance company, but hopefully it won't be too big of a deal and they'll get me an equivalent bike.)

FYI: Tom rocked it even after bonking hard halfway through, but came back. He finished in 11:11 and 15th place in his start pack (which were a bunch of serious guys.)

A New Endeavor

2011-09-15T11:18:00.000-06:00

I am launching new blog in an effort to help all runners, Run Cute. Check it out, and feel free to give me any advice.

Run Cute is blog devoted to cute, handmade running accessories. Currently, I have no-slip running headbands (they can be worn for so much more, though). But I will soon have available race belts that can hold your race number, gels and look cute.

What's for Dinner?

2011-08-11T17:26:00.000-06:00

I haven't cooked a good meal or tried a new recipe in a while. I know, I am pathetic, but hey on the bright side, we have enjoyed our summer.

I am itching to try something new. So for dinner tomorrow I plan to make:

Cold Sesame Noodles a new recipe. I may add chicken
Shrimp and Coconut Rolls an awesome recipe I've made once before and I have a fresh coconut I need to use
Stir Fry Veggies

Details to follow.

New Headband Choices

2011-06-27T13:34:00.000-06:00

I just got a few more options for headbands. And I am still trying to raise a little bit more money for the MS Society.

Remember they are only $7. They don't slip and they look super cute. I can make them to fit any size head. They are perfect to wear when running or just to dress up a ponytail on one of those days.

Headbands for MS

2011-06-21T22:40:00.001-06:00

We are raising money for the National MS Society. Every year Tom and many members of his family participate in the Harmons Best Dam Bike Ride, a 100 mile bike ride through Logan and surrounding towns. It is a beautiful ride and supports a beautiful cause.

Tom's mother suffers from MS so it is close to our hearts. The treatment she endures is keeping the disease from progressing too rapdily, but has its own side effects. We are so grateful for her health and her positive attitude and her everything, she really is an amazing woman.

Because she is so amazing, we want her around for a long time and we want her to enjoy being around for a long time. So MS treatment research is an important thing to us. The more that is learned about this disease that affects the central nervous system, the better the treatments, and the happier Shanna will be, and that makes us all happy.

You can help support this great cause by purchasing a handmade headband. These headbands are amazing. They don't slip and they look cute. I wore one during my last marathon and it didn't budge.

I custom make them and they come in a variety of sizes to fit a variety of heads from babies to adult.Each headband is only $7 and that donation is tax-deductible and for an amazing cause. I can ship the headbands for only $1 more.

These are the available color options. Each headband is lined with black velvet and has some elastic to keep it on and from slipping. Let me know if you would like to purchase any- let me know what ribbon you want and what size (baby, child, or adult). Payments can be made via cash, check or paypal.

Funny Man Giveaway

2011-05-25T22:42:00.002-06:00

If you want to win a seriously awesome giveaway, head over to Fast Cory. Cory is the second funniest guy I know, and writes a very clever blog about his running and hostess eating endeavors. His funniness has even been featured on Runner's World.com and inspired a cult following of jumping racers. So check him and his blog out.

New York Feast

2011-05-24T13:03:00.002-06:00

Tom recently went to New York City with his family. I got to stay home with my sweet kids and play with my sister while he was gone. I decided I wanted a taste of New York, so when he came home I made a New York City feast. The meal was delicious and I almost felt like I was there.

Reuben Sandwiches, Waldorf Salad, Sweet Potato Fries and New York Cheesecake

Now Reuebn sandwiches didn't actually originate in New York. They are actually from the midwest, but I figured any great deli sandwich is New York cuisine. I was especially excited to make the Reubens with my homemade sauerkraut (more on that in a different post).

But a basic Reuben is: rye bread, thousand island dressing, pastrami, sauerkraut and swiss cheese. I grilled the meat, topped with cheese and put on bread with thousand island and grilled the whole sandwich. Oh my goodness they are awesome!

Tom actually stayed in a hotel just a block or 2 away from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel where the salad originated. I was suprised at how tasty Waldorf Salad is.

The basic ingredients are chopped apple, chopped celery, toasted walnuts, red grapes. Toss those in a simple dressing of mayonaise and lemon juice (I used lime). Salt and pepper to taste and serve over a bed of lettuce. Super delish.

And any meal finished off with a cheesecake is amazing! I use my Grandma Brownrigg's cousin's recipe. I don't think it is actually a New York Cheesecake, because I think those tend to be dry and the Fishers like theirs nice and moist and slightly undercooked.

Llewelyn's Cheesecake

Crust

1 package graham crackers, ground finely

1 cube butter, melted

1/4 c sugar

Combine and press into bottom of springform pan. chill

Filling

2- 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, room temp

2/3 c sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 t vanilla

Blend well and and pour into crust. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. You want it soft and slightly jiggly. Let sit 15 minutes.

Topping

1 c sour cream

2 T sugar

1 t vanilla

Gently pour over top and bake for 10 minutes at 425.

Mad Science

2011-05-23T13:01:00.000-06:00

I'm very proud of my budding scientists. They both entered the science fair at school and did very well.

Porter's project was about which fruit or veggie makes the best battery. He made made a battery out of 4 fruits and veggies. He used the battery to power an LED light and also tested the voltage of each battery.

His hypothesis was a lemon would make the best battery because of it's acid content.

photo by Porter

His project was quite a hit at the fair. He took second amongst 3rd graders.

Eliza's project was about how a plant gets water from its roots to its leaves. It was the perfect project for a 1st grader. She understood the concept, was able to come up with a hypothesis on her own. And it didn't take too long to do.

She put a celery stalk in red water and observed it as the water made its way through the plant.

My cutie girl took 1st place amongst 1st graders and made it to the district fair. She did not place at the district level, but I think she had fun.

Updated Race Schedule

2011-05-05T16:29:00.000-06:00

Here is my updated schedule and results thus far. There are a few additions.
January: St George Half Marathon (1:41:54)
February: Death Valley 10K (44:52), Dam 2 Dam 10 miler (1:17:17)
March:
April: SHAC Sprint Triathlon (1:04:18), Salt Lake City Marathon (3:35:54), Hurricane Half (1:48:20)
May:
June: Utah Valley Marathon, Utah Summer Games Cycling
July: Hurricane Trails River Run (4 mile trail run)
August: Utah Half (half iron distance Tri)
September: LOTOJA (206 miles, 3 states, 1 day on a bike)
October: St. George Marathon, Las Vegas Ragnar (200 mile, 12 person relay)
November: Butch Cassidy 10K (although deep down I want to try the Snow Canyon Half, maybe next year I can convince Tom to change the date of Butch Cassidy), SHAC Turkey Tri
Decemeber: Hostess Half Marathon

There is still room for a few races. Any suggestions?

Boston or Bust

2011-04-28T11:34:00.002-06:00

Click here for all the glorious details of the Salt Lake City Marathon.

Crazy

2011-04-04T21:14:00.001-06:00

So i think I finally went crazy (or just a little crazier).

i decided to commit to a few crazy athletic endeavors this summer, and it turns out they are all very close to each other. And to make it even crazier, Tom is doing them all as well. i don't exactly know how we'll train, but I am excited.

Utah Half. Half-iron distance triathlon. Swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles. I've done this before and it's not as bad as it sounds. The bike and run courses are flat. The last 2 years have been super windy. I am excited because Tom is doing it. This will only be his 2nd open water tri.

2009

LOTOJA. 2 weeks after the half, I am going to attempt to ride my bike 206 miles from Logan to Jackson Hole. In 1 Day! This means I have to climb 3 giant mountains, face lots of wind, and probably dig deeper than I ever have. Tom is "racing" it and I am just doing the "fun ride." It's the same except I get to start earlier and don't have the pressure he does to do well. I am excited because 1 friend from down here decided to join me for her birthday and I hope I can ride with Tom's brothers as well.

Tom at mile 80 in 2009

St George Marathon. 3 weeks after LOTOJA is the marathon. I am not going to stress too much about it, assuming I qualify for Boston in the time I want at SLC Marathon in a week and a half.

I ran it in 2010 with my sister 3 month post baby.

I'm not sure what I am getting myself into, but hey I'm not doing an ultra marathon or an Ironman like many of my friends so maybe I am little more sane than I thought.

Meatless Monday: Mahi Mahi

2011-04-04T09:00:00.005-06:00

So some may say fish is meat, but for us, fish can be enjoyed on Meatless Monday (or Thursday as the case was this week).

Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Mango-Cilantro Salsa
I grilled 4 oz mahi-mahi fillets with only salt and pepper. I topped them with a mango salsa (1 mango, diced, 1/4 c chopped onion, 1/4 chopped cilantro, squeeze of lime juice). So delicious.

Orange-cilantro brown rice
I cooked brown rice and then mixed in orange juice concentrate and choppped cilantro. I think I would have preffered it with lime juice, but didn't have any.

Steamed Asapragus

Chocolate Cream Pie

It was a good meal!

Meatless Monday: Acorn Squash and Turnip Soup

2011-03-28T09:00:00.002-06:00

I received an acorn squash (which I like) and 4 giant turnips (which I don't love) in my Bountiful Basket recently. The squash sat on my counter for 2 plus weeks and the giant turnips sat untouched in my produce drawer. I finally decided I needed to use them up. I remembered a link on the Bountiful Basket Facebook page for a turnip-butternut squash soup from All Recipes. I found the recipe to get a base for my soup and then just kind of flew by the seat of my pants. I think it turned out delicious.

Acorn Squash and Turnip Soup

2 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 sm onion, diced

3 c acorn squash, peeled and cubed

3 c turnips, peeled and cubed

2 cloves garlic

3 c chicken stock

2 c water

1 t chicken base

1/2 t nutmeg

1 c cream

salt and pepper

Sautee onion and veggies in butter and oil. Add garlic. Add stock, water and base. Simmer until veggies are soft. Blend with hand mixer or in batches in blender. Add nutmeg, cream and salt and pepper to taste.

We served it with a simple spinach salad and homemade half whole wheat rolls.

Meatless Monday: Pasta Fagioli and Zucchini Pancakes

2011-03-21T09:00:00.003-06:00

One Monday morning I was running on my treadmill and I started watching the Cake Boss's cooking show. I can't stand the guy, but he was making some fun sounding meatless dishes that I happened to have all the ingredients for (thanks to Bountiful Baskets). So I decided to suffer through his annoying mannerisms to get his recipes for Pasta Fagioli and Zucchini pancakes. I adapted them a bit to work for me so here are my recipes.

Pasta Fagioli

1 sm onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 c water
1 4 oz can tomato paste

2 cans kidney beans, drained

parmesan rind ( I didn't have this so I topped with parmesan)
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb pasta, cooked al dente
fresh spinach or kale (i forgot to put this in :(

Sautee onion, carrot and celery in olive oil. Add water, tomato paste, kidney bean and parmesan rind if using. Simmer until veggies are soft. Add pasta and simmer 15 or so minutes. Add more water if needed. Remove rind. Salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach or kale and cook 5 minutes.

Zucchini Pancakes

2 zucchinis (or yellow squash), grated

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c onion, finely chopped

1 T italian seasoning

1/3 c italian cheese (parmesan, romano, mozarella)

2 T flour

2 eggs

salt and pepper

Squeeze squash of excess liquid. Combine all ingredients and sautee in vegetable oil until browned.

These were both super simple dishes to prepare, super delicious, super healthy and meatless.

2011 Race Schedule

2011-03-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

My amazing friend had a great idea to blog his race schedule. Once it's written down, you are way more committe, right?. So, i decided to copy his great idea and blog my 2011 race schedule. Mine is not as ambitious as his, but good enough for me. Cory is even more obsessed with running than I am, but his OCD running makes him funny and fit, so he has a good excuse.

January: St George Half Marathon (1:41:54)
February: Death Valley 10K (44:52), Dam 2 Dam 10 miler (1:17:17)
March:
April: SHAC Sprint Triathlon, Salt Lake City Marathon, Hurricane Half?
May: St. George Triathlon?
June: Utah Summer Games Cycling
July: Hurricane Trails River Run (4 mile trail run)
August: Utah Half (half iron distance Tri)
September: Red Rock Relay?
October: St. George Marathon
November: Butch Cassidy 10K (although deep down I want to try the Snow Canyon Half, maybe next year I can convince Tom to change the date of Butch Cassidy)
Decemeber: Hostess Half Marathon

There is still room for a few races. Any suggestions?

Shredded Wheat Muffins

2011-02-26T18:58:00.001-07:00

You know when you eat a box (or bag if you are in to malt-o-meal like I am) of shredded wheat, frosted or not, you always end up with a bunch of shredded shredded wheat crumbs. My kids like to call it magic dust and they will gladly pour the stuff in their bowls.

But my amazing friend Jenny gave me a better use for the stuff: Shredded Wheat Muffins.

I've made them twice now in two variations. I made an orange-cranberry muffin and an apple-cinnamon with streusel topping. I did have troubles with my muffins collapsing in the center. I'm not sure why. Should I add another egg? More baking powder? But regardless, they tasted great!

Jenny's Awesome Shredded Wheat Muffins

3 c Flour

1 + cup shredded wheat magic dust

2 T baking powder

2 t salt

1 c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c milk

1/2 c oil

Mix dry ingredients. In separate bowl mix eggs, milk and oil. Add to dry mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in filling.

filling and spice

Apple Streusel Muffin

2 c chopped apple

3 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

streusel topping (1 c brown sugar, 1 c oats, 1/2 c flour, 1 cube cold butter cut in, 2 t cinnamon)

Cranberry Orange Muffin

2 C chopped cranberries

zest and juice from 1 orange

Blueberry

2 c frozen blueberries blended with 1/2 c yogurt

2 t cinnamon

Spoon into muffin tins (don't overfill). Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Meatless Mondays

2011-02-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

What a great idea. Tom and I try to consume less meat. We aren't vegetarians by any stretch of the imagination, but we do try to be frugal with our meat consumption, especially red meat. I found this blog post about meatless mondays and a number of great meatless meal ideas.

So starting this week, we are going to incorporate meatless mondays into our menu planning. On Monday we had wild mushroom and cheese ravioli served with a simple romaine/spinach Simple, yet delicious. I am excited to try more meatless meals.

Hurray for Bountiful Baskets! With a fresh variety of fruits and veggies every other week (or every if you prefer), I am bound to have some great options for meatless meals.

What are your ideas for meatless monday?

Death Valley 2011

2011-02-14T11:22:00.004-07:00

We recently went to Death Valley National Park for a race (race report coming soon). What a beautiful place! As desolate and remote as it is, Death Valley is spectacular. We camped for 2 nights withmy parents and aunt and uncle. We only had one day to explore, and beacuse it is so vast, we couldn't explore much. There are some spectaular sand dunes in the park. They just sort of rise out of nowhere. We had tons of fun racing down them. The biggest one was about a 2 mile hike, and after our race and a previous hike, we just decided to have fun on a mini one. The kids loved it!

We also hiked a beautiful slot canyon, Mosaic Canyon. It was short, but beautiful. The kids loved sliding and climbing.

James especially loved exploring. He is such a firecracker.

I can't wait to go back. I think we'd like to try it out again next year. The weather was ideal for winter (60s). The campground was awesome (a little oasis in the desolate desert), the race was amazing (great finishes for all involved), and the company was grand.

St. George Half-Marathon

2011-01-30T21:53:00.005-07:00

Our first race of 2011 was AWESOME! A bunch of Tom's family, including parents, 3 siblings, and 6 nieces and nephews made the long trek to sunny southern Utah for the race. And everyone participated, as official racers or race bandits.

The course was new this year. It had to be changed because of trail construction and then again because of trail destruction, but the finish product was a nice fast course on mostly paved bike trails along the Virgin River.

Besides running with many of Tom's family, we also got to run with our best friends. I love that we have so many running buddies. It made for a fun race as we both tried to and succeeded in beating some of our best competition. And of course the fun of cheering in and celebrating with all our peeps.

Tom set a new half-marathon pr on the fast course with a smoking time of 1:24:28. He led the pack of family and friends.

I was ecstatic with my perforamnce as well. I ran close to a pr with 1:41:54 and to top it off, I beat one of my best friends, Renee.

Less than a year ago, I could beat Renee while I was 7 months pregnant. Since then she has become amazing! She has gone through some tough times, but has come out a stronger woman in all ways. I look up to her and admire her for her dedication to life and just her amazing personality. Besides, raising 4 kids on her own, she is training for Ironman St George, she qualified for the Boston marathon, and she is just super fast. And that is why I was so excited to beat her. And I do have to qualify this victory with the fact that she had a tough week and had to work all night the night before the race. But I'll take it any way I can get it, and with her speed and determination this is probably the only time I'll get it.

I started the race with Renee and another fast friend Aimee. I knew they both were probably going to run faster then I wanted to, but I thought I'd stick with them as long as I could, which turned out to be only 3 miles. My goal going into the race was to run between 1:40 and 1:45. We were right on pace for the first 3 and then these girls started to pick up the pace. I figured it was time to give up to them and to just run my own race.

My pace was pretty consistent the whole race and it just felt good. I didn't see hide nor hair of my peeps until mile 11 when I spied Renee a few hundred yards ahead of me on a switchback. I was ecstatic. I could tell she was starting to slow and I found my second wind. I even tried to warn her of my coming on the switchback, but luckily for me she didn't hear me with her ipod on.

I really turned on the heat for the last 2 miles and finally, with less than a quarter mile, I caught her. I smacked her bum and urged her to try to outkick me. I didn't look back but seriously sprinted like it was for my life. Tom's yells and Aimee's (who had long finished) encouragement gave me the little umph I needed. Renee probably would have caught me if she hadn't slowed to counter Aimee's yells with a little friendly banter.

As soon as I crossed I turned to embrace Renee as she sprinted in. We continued to cheer all of our peeps in and congratulate those who kicked our trash.

Another awesome running peep is Marilyn. Marilyn is 72 and still running strong. She is amazing and I only dare to hope I am as fit as she is when I am her age. She is truly an inspiration to all of us.

It was a great day for a great race. I love our running friends and the comaraderie we all share with our passion for running.

Can't wait for the next race.

Sun Valley

2010-12-02T14:21:00.006-07:00

Photos courtesy of Marta

We got to spend our Thanksgiving in Sun Valley, Idaho. Besides the snow storms that almost killed us in our travels, the trip was a blast.

We spent our time in 2 fun condos with Tom's family. We enjoyed the snow

the Turkey day buffetWe also enjoyed girls' shopping trips, games, runs, lots of great home cooked breakfasts and dinners, even more junk food.

and plenty of quality time with cousins and siblings.

This is a super fun tradition that i love to be a part of. Some years, they cook the turkey feast in the condo and some years we gorge at the buffet. To be honest, as much as I love gorging myself on prime rib, butternut squash soaked in butter, fruit and cheese, stuffing, key lime pie, pecan pie, and flan, I missed spending the day in the kitchen with the girls. I missed the friendly competition of pie baking. I missed the stove top vs homemade stuffing debate. I missed creating all the calories we consumed. I missed the anticipation of the feast as its aroma fills the house all day.

But nothing beats sitting in the pool-sized hot tub after the feast, whether we made it ourselves or not, with temps hovering around 0 degrees Nothing beats playing fox and geese in an unspoiled snow field. Nothing beats being surrounded by loved ones as we celebrate all we have to be thankful for.

Turkey Tri

2010-11-15T09:00:00.005-07:00

Porter just completed his first triathlon. We are so proud of him. Not just because he did so well (5th out of 22 in has age-group) but because he trained so hard and put in the effort before the race.

He has diligently been running, biking and swimming since the summer. Since the pool closed on labor day, he has only been swimming twice. But both times he swam his 50 meter workout without complaint as well as played. He takes after his parents and isn't the greatest swimmer. He basically doggy-paddled the 50 m swim, but even with being the 4th slowest swimmer, he still rocked it. In training, he always had to take a break after the length of the pool, but on race day he rocked the whole thing without rest.

His transitions were great and helped him make up ground on quite a few kids.

He is riding a bike that is way to small for him, but he still passed a few and was not passed.

He also rocked the run. I only wish it was longer than half a mile because this is his strength. He has really put in the training for this portion. There is a mile loop around our neighborhood he runs a couple times a week or he runs at the track when we do.

This was definitely a proud mama moment.Total time: 16:40
50 m swim (2:41), T1 (1:26), 1 mile bike (7:06), T2 (:28), 1/2 mile run (4:57)

Tom and I also participated in the Turkey tri and didn't do too shabby. We both placed in our age-groups. Tom took off 7 minutes off his time from 2 years ago for a time of 1:00:24.

And I took a minute off. 1:09:03.

As always it was super fun to train and participate with the family and with our friends. Porter is already excited for the April Tri and Eliza says she wants to do it, too.

For full results click here.

smile

2010-11-02T17:06:00.002-06:00

I know I haven't blogged for a while--life is crazy! but just wanted to share a link to a great post. click here for a step by step on how to genuinely smile.

i needed the reminders and the new things. i am not the best smiler or the most positive person in the world. but i will try to do better. i bet my life will seem a lot less crazy if i genuinely smiled more.

Kokopelli Triathlon 2010

2010-09-21T11:19:00.005-06:00

I signed up for this race when I was big and pregnant because they were having a limited-time promotion. And I decided it would motivate to keep moving after little Millie arrived. It worked. I wasn't well-trained for the event, but I wasn't completely out of shape.

I trained a lot with my friend Karrie. This was her second tri and first open water tri. She rocked it! and deserved to, because she really put in the hours of training.

I participated in the olympic distance tri, which is 1500 m swim, 20 mile bike, and 10K run.

Swim 1500 m, 33:53
The swim was okay. I wasn't last out of the water, but I was definitely in the back of the pack. I have decided I need to take swimming lessons. I think I have the most room for improvement here. I was almost 15 minutes behind the fastest female swimmer and 10 behind the faster swimmers.

T1 1:37
Besides my bag getting stuck on my pedals and that causing my whole set up to get messed up, transition was ok.

Bike 20 miles, 1:06:26, 18.5 mph
It is a familiar course, so I like it. But I haven't been out on the bike enough since baby was born. The nice thing about finishing the swim in the back, is you have a lot of people in front of you to pass. It was fun and I hit 43.3 mph on the backside of Nemesis. I was a tad embarassed by my bike since I was parked by super nice tri bikes, and I ride an entry level Novara. But maybe next year, I'll save up enough for a fancier bike

T2 1:05
A good transition. Just had to switch my shoes. I wore no socks, which was a mistake and probabaly not worth the 15 seconds I saved.

Run 6.2 miles (6.4 on my watch) 53:54

Hot! The run was super hot! I don't know what the exact temp was, but it was supposed to hit 99 on saturday and it was closet o noon. I dumped water on my head at every aid station and drank Heed. I was sloshing a bit, but it was worth it. The run did not feel good and I wanted to basically die by the end. The run ends on a substantial climb back into the State Park. That sucked.
All in all a fun race with good friends. I ended finishing in 2:36:54, 10th overall female and 1st in my age group by default (the top 3 overall were in my age group, so they got bumped up leaving me as number 1. I'll take it even if they were 30 minutes ahead of me.)

Click here for full results.

Facebook is the death of my Blog

2010-08-25T14:20:00.004-06:00

I am alive and kicking, but life sure is crazy with 4 kids.

And I have decided that facebook is not a good thing for my blog. Whenever I have a great thought to share, I facebook it in very short form instead of blogging about it.

We recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary!! Hip Hip! Tom took me and Millie to Zion where we hiked Angel's Landing, not quite making it to the summit on account of Mille. Just over 10 years ago, Tom and I hiked to the top and decided we were going to get married. It wasn't official at that point, but it is where our phrasing first changed from "if" to "when."

Then he took me to the bench where he proposed to me and we reflected on the promises he made to me on that night. He's doing great and has kept them all.

Then he took me to the park for an awesome dinner under the full (or nearly full) moon.

It has been the greatest 10 years of my life. I love Tom more than I did the day I married him. He has shown me what a great man he is. He changes diapers, he makes dinner, he cleans the house, he honors his priesthood, he loves his kids and he treats me much better than I deserve. I couldn't have married a better man.

Welcome to the Family Amelia

2010-07-09T15:20:00.006-06:00

Amelia Rose made her debut on her due date, Thursday, June 24 at 6:15 pm. Labor was horrible but awesome (as all unmedicated ones are) and worth every second.

I had the most awesome nurse midwife ever who made the labor more bearable. I highly recommend Laurie Hansen to anyone who lives in Southern Utah. She let me ski, we always talked biking or skiing at my prenatals (depending on the season). My only complaint is she told me not to run for 6 weeks. I just laughed at her and told her I would wait 2.

She was born healthy and weighed in at 7 lbs 2 oz and was 19 inches long.

She had a full head of dark hair and was perfect.

We did have to stay an extra day at the hospital due to her being Coombs positive and being more susceptible to jaundice. She spent a day with a bili blanket and was able to come home on Saturday.

The kids all love her And I love having her to hold in my arms instead of in my belly.

Welcome the family Amelia!

New Year's 2010

2010-06-13T20:25:00.001-06:00

I continue to catch up.

We celebrated New Year's in Salt Lake with Tom's family. We enjoyed the snow, family, and festivities. We actually let the kids stay up until midnight (I don't think James made it). They loved being with their cousins and eating lots of great food and just enjoying the festivities.

Thoughts on Being 38 Weeks Huge

2010-06-10T17:38:00.003-06:00

38 weeks along in my fourth pregnancy is a lot less exciting then the other three. Ok, maybe the other 2 were just as bad. I am excited and filled with anticipation of the arrival of our sweet 4th baby, but I am also sick of being pregnant. The heat is hard, but not that bad, all of my pregnancies have taken me into the hot summer months.

The hardest part is not being able to be as active as I like. Race season is fast approaching and I can barely run 3 miles or bike 15. But I'll keep doing what little I can until she arrives. I have already planned to bike 30 miles on her 1 week birthday.

I rode 15 miles this week to celebrate a friend's birthday. I wasn't going to miss out on the celebration.

Enough of the negative. I am so excited to be a mother to a newborn again. I anticipate great things. I am looking forward to nursing her and having that special bond only a mother and child can have. I picture quiet moments where we get to spend this quality time together. I know that might not happen with 3 others running around demanding my attention, but if nothing else, she and I can enjoy this priceless bond in the wee hours of the night.

I look forward to seeing her dressed in many of the same outfits Eliza (and even Porter and James) and I wore. I have already filled her dresser with her tiny clothes. I reminisced as I folded them and put them away. Memories of Eliza as a newborn flooded back to me. And I imagined myself as tiny newborn as I folded some of the more vintage dresses. I still haven't decided on what to bring her home in, but Tom said he won't be ready for the baby until the bag is packed, so I better decide soon.

I am thrilled for Eliza to have a little sister. I know that she will take great care of her baby sister. And I hope they will be great friends. She does such a great job with James when she isn't teasing him. The two will share a room, and Eliza is so excited.

James is a different story. He is not quite 3 and demands a lot of attention. But I am thinking positive. I know he will be jealous, but luckily the other kids will be home to entertain him. By the time the others are back in school, hopefully, James will be used to the new member who demands so much of his mama's attention.

So here's to her soon arrival. I know, I still have 2 weeks left, but I can dream she'll come early, right?

Chicken-Zucchini Bake

2010-06-04T21:19:00.000-06:00

Here is a super easy, super healthy dinner. My friend, Ty, introduced it to us and we love to make it. It is easily adapted to what you have on hand as well.

Chicken-Zucchini Bake

1 lb. chicken breasts, pounded thin or chicken tenders
1-2 zucchinis or yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 can diced tomatoes or 3 small tomatoes diced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
fresh or dried basil
salt and pepper and seasonings to taste

Spray casserole dish with Pam. Season chicken with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Layer in casserole with zucchini and onions. Top with tomatoes and basil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until chicken cooked through. Top with cheese if desired for last few minutes, but it really doesn't need it and why ruin the uber-healthiness. Serve over brown rice.

Christmas 2009

2010-06-04T21:16:00.000-06:00

The rest of Christmas.

I love Christmas and all of our traditions. Some of them we have carried on from our families, some we have started on our own. We start our festivities on Christmas Eve with a very traditional program filled with drama, music and the spoken word. All of the extended family is invited.

We act out the nativity either live or with Playmobil.

We play and sing Christmas hymns. This year, much of the family prepared special numbers. It was fun, even if it wasn't perfectly harmonious.

And of course, we read from the scriptures, the story of the birth of our Savior.

A tradition from the Fisher side that I love is the whole ritual of Christmas morning. We all dress in our Sunday best, we sit down to a formal breakfast (the Dansies do not eat the traditional oysters).

We used to always have puffy oven pancake, aka German pancake (a Dansie tradition), but we have it so often that I wanted to do something a little more special. So this year, we had crepes with all sorts of delicious toppings.

Grandma and Grandpa are always invited, but we like to be in our own home. After a delicious breakfast, the kids line up, youngest to oldest in front of the sheet covering the living room. By this point they are so filled with anticapation, it is almost painful to watch them.

Finally, after someone goes around the other way to be ready with the camera, the sheet is parted and the kids are allowed to see what Santa brought them. Santa brings our children one gift and stocking filled with fruit, candy, soda and maybe a small toy or so.

James' favorite gift this year was a littel football Santa put in his stocking.

They spend the morning enjoying all the fun before we open one gift at a time from under the tree. Again, we try not to over do the whole present thing. We enjoy a relaxing morning before heading over to Grandma and Grandpa's for a delicious dinner.

Merry Christmas! And I will soon be caught up in my blogging.

Christmas Tree Decorating and Potential Christmas Card

2010-06-01T21:42:00.000-06:00

Had we actually gotten around to printing a Christmas card, we would have chosen one of these photos, but alas, we didn't. And here it is, June and I am barely just getting around to blogging them.

Chocolate-Cinnamon Gelato Revisited

2010-05-30T20:49:00.004-06:00

I made Bon Appetit's Chocolate-Cinnamon Gelato again. Wow! It is worth every calorie. Just thought I would repost the recipe because it the perfect time to enjoy this divinity. We enjoyed ours on the patio on a perfect Sunday afternoon after we devoured carne and pollo asada. I love Summer!!

Click here for the original post and recipe. i omitted the toffee chips and used semi-sweet chocolate chips. Next time I will cut back a little on the sugar as well. And of course I still quadrupled it and put it in my big ice cream maker.

Water

2010-05-28T16:41:00.003-06:00

I have recently had reason to reflect on our consumption of water. We have always tried to be fairly frugal with our water usage (my husband is somewhat an environmentalist). We usually use 3000-4000 gallons a month, thanks in part to un-metered irrigation water (but if anyone has seen our yard and more specifically our grass, they know we don't splurge on that water either.)

Our last month's water bill came and I was shocked to see we used 10,000 gallons!!

I tried to figure out how in the world. Did we have a leak? No. Are the kids leaving faucets running? Yes. And does our new old school washer use that much more water than our old high-efficiency one? Yes.

Our HE washer broke recently and we had issues with it so, instead of spending $200 for the part, we just decided to buy a used top-loader for $200.

This week our water heater also broke. We decided to buy a tankless one since there were $600 in rebates available. And while the plumber was at it and we had money from our tax refund, we decided to get a water softener since we have wanted one for 5 years. The cool thing about the softener is that it tells us how much water we use. We check it before and after showers, doing wash, flushing the toilet, etc. It is fun to track our usage and try to reduce it.

But what shocked me the most about our usage was not that it takes 2-3 gallons to flush a toilet, but that it takes 40 gallons to wash 1 load of wash in our new machine. Yikes!!

So what does all this mean to us? I'd love a new HE washer, but I don't think it is in the budget now. So, I think we need to reduce the amount of wash we do and eliminate other water wasters. I talked to the kids today and maybe our plan will work. We plan to:

Check our clothes after we take them off, and put them away instead of in the wash if they have another day in them.
Wear our pj's for more than 1 night.
Take faster showers.
Wash our hands with faucet off.
Brush teeth with faucet off (they are already pretty good with that).
Use a cup to get drinks instead of putting face under the faucet.

What other things could we do?

Fall 2009

2010-05-28T16:39:00.000-06:00

These are just some really fun pics Tom took in Salt Lake. Grandpa Elbert saved all the leaves for the kids to rake and play in.

They had a blast with their cousin, Olivia. They are so lucky to have so many cousins that they love so much.

Does it mean I am Nesting if..,.

2010-05-27T17:04:00.004-06:00

I feel like cooking again?

I have to admit that I have been so lazy and neglectful this entire pregnancy. My family is lucky if they get 2 real meals a week. We literally eat cold cereal or eggs and toast at least once a week, each. It has been bad.

I keep telling Tom that once the babe arrives, it is all going to get better. I am going to go back to cooking 5 meals a week. I will blog regularly and post fun recipes. I will workout and actually make progress with my athletic endeavors. (Working out is the thing that has least suffered this pregnancy. I don't always feel like doing it, and I don't do it as often or as intense as I would like, but hey I am pregnant.) I will keep a clean house, ok who am I kidding, that has never really been a reality, pregnant or not.

Tom just rolls his eyes at me and says ok. He has been the best trooper. He has suffered through lack of meals, lack of a clean house and a lazy wife really well. He cooks. He cleans. He lets me sleep in every morning while he readies the children for school. I am one lucky girl and I will make it up to him, someday.

I think I will start by trying some of these recipes I have recently found (I have been so lazy and haven't felt like cooking that I haven't even been looking at new recipes, but I feel like it now.)

Pioneer Woman's Homemade Glazed Doughnuts

Pioneer Woman's Salted Caramel Brownie

Culinary Bliss's Chocolate Ice Cream

Who am I kidding? These recipes will be more satisfying to me than to him. Oh well.

Fall Soccer

2010-05-27T16:16:00.000-06:00

My kids have since played another season of soccer, but I might as well post the pictures from the fall first.
This was Eliza's second season playing. She got much better and more confident. She was still very timid, but had fun. She got to play with one of her best friends, Gus.

Porter had the most awesome coaches ever and began to really learn the sport. His coaches helped develop actual soccer skills.

He really learned to dribble the ball down the field. We need to work with him on his power shot, though.

Grandpa Dick

2010-05-26T10:02:00.005-06:00

Tom's Grandpa Dick recently passed away after a long and very fulfilling life. We were so lucky to join him and his kids, grand-kids and great-grand-kids to celebrate his 95th birthday.

I will always treasure the memories of Grandpa Dick and know the kids will too. He really had a knack with babies and children. And he was a grandpa to me since mine had both passed away while I was fairly young.Here he is with James on the 4th of July, 2009. One of their neighbors had a great party every 4th and the whole neighborhood was invited. We joined them a few times.

Grandma and Grandpa loved to dance. Here they are at Grandma Shanna's 70th birthday Bash.

Grandpa made the trek to Tucson in August to meet tiny Porter and participate in his baby blessing. Porter loved to be held by Grandpa Dick.

Here Grandpa and Grandma adore sweet baby James on his blessing day.

Another of my favorite pictures is of Grandpa on Eliza's third birthday. He held her as she blew out the candles on her colorful cupcakes and they enjoyed the Salt Lake summer afternoon on Tom's parent's porch Unfortunately, it isn't on my computer.

These are just a few of the pictures I have of Grandpa Dick, the rest aren't on my computer. I just wanted to share some images of a great husband, grandpa, and person.

Halloween 2009

2010-05-26T09:32:00.003-06:00

Seriously pathetic. But I am going back a ways. The kids had two costumes, one for school and a different one for trunk-o-treating. It was fun to dress up as always. My costume was for the gym. I can't believe I went out in public like this, but hey, I had fun.

Porter wanted to be an army guy. Simple.

James as an Old Navy mouse on clearance.

Eliza as the wicked witch from Pottery Barn on clearance.

Eliza as Dorothy. I made it a couple of years ago, and it still fits. James as a very retro clown. My mom made this costume 40 years ago. All of my kids have worn it.

Porter also wanted to be a ghost, using a sheet. Again, simple.

Happy Halloween in May!

Powder Keg 2010

2010-05-26T09:12:00.006-06:00

I am so behind in blogging, it is pathetic. I thought of just skipping everything since I last blogged anything of importance, but decided I might as well just back-blog a bit.

In March Tom and a couple of his brothers and friends participated in the Wasatch Powder Keg, a grueling backcountry ski race. The racers climb 3500 feet over 4 climbs and 6.6 miles, on skis.

The boys all rocked it as always and we had tons of fun cheering them in and playing in the snow.

Hurricane Trails River Run

2010-05-24T16:46:00.004-06:00

Click here to join the adventure on Facebook.

Click here for more info at the city website.

Final layout on Baby Girl Dansie Quilt

2010-04-23T09:24:00.005-06:00

Ok, I thought I had decided I liked the random layout, then I decided, maybe I should try more of a pattern. So I relaid the quilt out and now I need advice.

First is the original organized random layout:

Second is a patterned layout:

Which one works better?

I need to make a decision and get this quilt top done so it'll be completed by the time the babe arrives in June.

Quilt in Black and White

2010-04-20T17:24:00.003-06:00

A tip from a friend- look at quilt in black and white to see if the darks and lights work - especially because they are what cause the illusion of the tumbling block in this pattern.

She was right. There is too much dark on the right side. I need to redistribute some of the dark and lighter hexagons either more deliberately random or in a more deliberate pattern.

Jenny, you are a genius. Thanks.

Quilt for Baby Girl Dansie

2010-04-19T15:54:00.004-06:00

Here is a possible layout (without borders, yet) for my newest quilt for the newest Dansie. There are a few things that had to be included in the quilt and I had blocks leftover from a previous quilt.

First, all the red tumbling blocks come from the quilt I made for baby Benji. I accidentally made double the blocks I needed, so I had enough for whole new quilt. However, the blue tumbling blocks weren't girly enough for me so I chose not to use them.

Second, I needed to include the yellow fabric with the small red and blue flowers because it has been in all of my kids' quilts. But I don't totally love it. Luckily for me, my awesome quilter friend let me raid her stash for some cuter yellows to tie it together better and some fun bright reds because I didn't want to go buy more fabric.

Third, I also had to include some Laura Ashley fabric that my mom bought 30+ years ago in England because it is cool and is in all the kids' quilts. The bright red with small red flowers that are hexagons and the reverse that are the top on some of the tumbling blocks are the Laura Ashley.

Eliza's baby quilt also uses the bright reds with just a tad of yellow. So since they are sharing a room, I thought they would go well together.

I didn't want to make new tumbling blocks, hence the solid hexagons instead. Obviously, there will be a full white border and another fun print border and maybe even some rick-rack as suggested by aforementioned quilter extraordinaire.

Does it work? and what improvements could be done?

Spring

2010-04-09T19:27:00.004-06:00

Eliza entered her elementary school's version of "Reflections" with a photo collage titled "Spring." The theme was "New Beginnings." She took all the photos by herself and only needed a little hint from me to use the blossoming trees as her subject. It probably didn't hurt that she was using a pretty nice camera, but I think she did a superb job at picking what blossoms to shoot and how to shoot them.

And so did the judges because she won first place for kindergarten (there were 2 other competitors even.

Great Job Eliza! Mama is proud!

PS: Ignore her dirty lip. She blew a big bubble the night before at a concert and got home to late for a bath. I told her to wash her face before school, but forgot to check it.

St. George Half Marathon 2010

2010-01-27T18:31:00.003-07:00

So I decided I better get in at least one half-marathon this year and the more prego I get, the harder it is going to be. So, since Tom's family was coming down for this one, I figured I better go for it.
It was a super cold rainy week. It seriously rained Sunday through Saturday, basically non-stop. Luckily, I got in a 10-miler on Saturday before the storms rolled in. That was my longest run in a long while and it wasn't easy (even though I am not that pregnant-18 weeks makes a difference though). So I didn't really run even once the rest of the week. I intended to, but the rain and my moodiness prevented it. I attempted the treadmill on Thursday before the race, but kids, interruptions, grumpiness and lack of motivation helped me run a whopping 2 miles over an hour.

The rain continued to fall and actually turned into snow Friday night. I was not really looking forward to the race, but I had paid my 35 bucks and would do it. Tom's parent's, sister and family, and Tom's brother and family came to run and cheer. We had 10 Dansies in the 5k and half-marathon and a cheering section and they were all troopers.

Luckily for us all, the moisture subsided by the start of the race and just left chilly air in its wake--nothing layers couldn't combat.

I had plans to run the half in under 2 hours and I made my goal. I finished in 1:54. I only wish they had a prego division. Tom rocked the course, as always, in 1:28.

I love this picture, because I seriously have the most bizarre running form in the world, and this showcases it beautifully.

Here are some of the finishers: Brother Dan, nephew sam (who smoked his first half-marathon in 1:32), niece, Sophie, bother-in-law, Tom, and of course, my Tom.

Post race, we enjoyed In n Out and relaxing with the family on Grandpa's hats. It was a great race as always, and I look forward to the next one.

2010

2010-01-13T16:52:00.003-07:00

I guess it is time to publicly declare my resolutions for the year, so that maybe I will be motivated to achieve them. I have being thinking there is a lot I want to do this year and I am hoping that by doing these things I will become a better person: spiritually, motherly, physically, intellectually, etc.

Read the Book of Mormon. Last summer, I challenged the young women in our ward to do it with me. And for some bizarre reason, I was just a few chapters from the end when the deadline and ice cream party came rolling around. I got my ice cream sundae minus a cherry and whipped cream (because of the missing chapters), and promptly forgot to finish the Book. How horrible is that? So this year, we'll start again, but I will finish it. I want to read it with companion text to help me get more out of it. Seminary manual? Gospel Doctrine manual? Any other ideas?
Keep a clean house. I want my house to a place where the Spirit can dwell for freely. Tom is the nicest person and never criticizes what I do (or don't do) all day, but every once in a while hints that he would like to come home to a cleaner house. I need to be more specific about how to keep my house clean. But here are a few ideas I have: make sure the front room and kitchen are clean when Tom gets home from work. Mop my floors once a week. Make my bed every day. Do some laundry almost every day and fold 1-2 baskets of clothes twice a week (I am hoping that will help me stay on top of it, without it being an all day, horrible, over whelming task).
Spend time with each kid individually. I would like to do this weekly. Tom has started doing outings with each kid once a month. I don't need to do an outing, but sit a read a book with them, or paint nails, or drive trains around. Just something simple and fun.
Run a marathon and do a triathlon post baby. My sister is doing her first marathon this year and I thought it would be so fun to be able to run with her. So I plan to do the St. George Marathon just a little over 3 months post baby. I signed up for the Kokopelli triathlon because it was cheaper than it ever has been and anyone who knows me, knows I can't pass up a good deal. I signed up for the Olympic distance but reserve the right to drop down to the sprint if I want to since the race is less than 3 months after babe is due.
Have a healthy babe. I know I dodn't have complete control over this one, but I plan to do all I can to ensure the healthy arrival of the babe in June. This doesn't mean I can't downhill ski or eat a little bit of junk and drink an occassional Dr. Pepper. But I need to not overdue my indulgences and listen to my body.
Don't yell at my kids so much. I don't know what I need to specifically do to accomplish this one, but life is too short, especially childhood, to yell at them over silly things.
Go to the temple once a month. We made this goal last year, and failed so we'll try again. There is so much to be gained by going there, and I have zero excuse for not.

So here's to a fun and uplifting year!

Happy Birthday Tom!

2010-01-11T20:51:00.003-07:00

Tom turned 33 today!

He is by far the most awesome person in the world: the best husband, the greatest father, and there isn't anyone I would rather spend eternity with.

Here are a few, of the countless, reasons I love him:

He is the most selfless person in the world.
He is super hot on a road bike.
He has a great, albeit bizarre, sense of humor.
He is an awesome marathoner. (7 or 8 marathons to his name)
He has great work ethic.
He cleans the house.
He makes a mean alfredo and hollandaise sauce.
He is so kind to his parents (and mine).
He is patient.
He always puts his family first.
He honors his priesthood and strives to be like the Savior.
He lets me sleep in every morning and gets the kids going.
He watches enough sports to be manly, but not too much that it's annoying.
He watches chick flicks with me.
And he looks great in a mullet.

Basically, there are too many awesome qualities that this man possesses, so I won't bore you with them all.

But I just wanted to shout out a Happy Day to my rad guy.

It's a . . .

2010-01-05T17:02:00.003-07:00

. . .I have no idea, but we are super excited to be welcomimg a new one into our family sometime in June. This ultrasound was taken a month ago, when the babe was merely the size of a lime. He/she is now the whopping size of an orange.

We are all excited and can't wait for the new one to join (and proabably complete) our family.

PS: I finally got my pictures from the past 3 moths uploaded and will hopefully post some of the highlights of our life in the coming weeks.

Thump, Quack, Moo

2009-12-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

Man, I haven't posted for a while. Life has been crazy! But fun. The last thing I started posting about was Porter's storytelling festival back in November, so I guess I ought to finish the post.

Porter entered last year and won for the first grade with his telling of "I am a Seed." This year he progressed to a longer, more involved story, "Thump, Quack, Moo." He did marvelously and won again! We were so proud. He was by far the loudest and most confident second grader out there. He practiced every day and really worked hard on his voice and hand motions.

Bountiful Basket: Hurricane

2009-11-10T15:47:00.003-07:00

Bountiful Baskets has arrived in Hurricane!! I am super excited that we have our own site here and invite all my Hurricane peeps to check it out and join the co-op. Or if you are in Northern Utah or anywhere in Arizona, there is probably a pick-up near you.

Basically, Bountiful Baskets is a food co-op that distributes seasonal and regional produce at a great deal. As a participant, you contribute $15 ($18 the first time) to the co-op on Tuesday or Wednesday. That money is used to buy the produce. On Saturday, the produce is delivered to volunteers who distribute it equally amongst participants. At 9 am the produce is ready for participants to come and retrieve at the Coral Cliffs Cinema. It is all done by volunteers. Volunteers come an hour early and help distribute the food and in return get an extra piece of produce for their basket.

The co-op usually offers extra as well. This week a citrus pack can be added on: $18 for 22 lbs of grapefruit, tangerines, lemons, limes, and oranges. They also offer great whole grain bread: 5 loaves for $10.

I am super excited and just wanted to share the news. Click here or here for others who have tried and loved Bountiful Baskets.

Chile Rellenos with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

2009-10-18T21:31:00.004-06:00

So with the yumminess found in my first experience with Bountiful Baskets, I made chile rellenos. They are my all-time favorite Mexican food, but they are always hit and miss and restaurants, so I don't order them too often.

My Mexican Pack came with 4 giant, dark green poblano chiles. They were beautiful and instantly called out to me that they wanted to be made into chile rellenos. Luckily for me, I had a plethora of other Mexican produce to compliment them and an awesome friend/chef just posted a recipe for a tomatillo sauce. The pack had all the necessary produce.

I altered her recipe a tiny bit. I think I used 8 tomatillos. I didn't use the sour cream (although I might if I was using it as a dressing), I just used olive oil. I added some roasted onion. I added one roasted chile (I don't know what kind it was and I wasn't sure how spicy it was. It was yellow and about the size of a jalepeno.) Next time I'll add two. And I just roasted all the veggies, including the garlic, on my grill. The sauce was what really made the rellenos awesome.

Now for the actual Chile Relleno recipe.

4-5 Poblano Chiles (Anaheim also work well, and I used one plain old green pepper for the kids)
Filling
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. grated cheese (Jack or any mexican cheese are best, but I ended up using cheddar)
1 clove garlic, minced (I should have roasted another 1 or 2 cloves for the filling)
handful of chopped cilantro
2 T chopped onion (I should have roasted that as well)
salt to taste
Batter
4 eggs, separated
flour
salt

Roast the whole poblanos on the grill until the skin is nice and blackened all over. Place in a paper bag and close for 15 minutes. Remove skin from chiles and carefully deseed, if desired. (I left two with seeds for Tom and extra spiciness. Mine without seeds had the perfect level of heat.)

Mix filling ingredients. Carefully slit each chile and stuff with filling and fold back closed.

Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in yolks. Dip each filled chile in flour with a bit of salt and shake off all excess. Dip in egg batter and immediately fry in skillet with hot oil. Fry until golden brown on each side and filling is hot.

Serve with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce, Mexican Brown Rice, gaucamole and fresh corn tortillas.

Bountiful Baskets Rock!

2009-10-18T21:17:00.004-06:00

So if you've never tried, or heard of, Bountiful Baskets, you need to get involved. It is a food co-op that delivers great local and regional produce at a can't be beat price. For $15, you get a big box of random seasonal produce. They also usually offer extra produce (such as bushels of peaches or a mexican variety pack) for a great deal. It is super fun to see what you get and to figure out what to do with it all before it goes bad.

This was the first time I have tried it out, but I think it was well worth the money. I did have to drive 40 miles to get the stuff, but I rationalized because I was picking up 8 boxes for all my friends. I am working on getting a pick-up closer to home.

Here are the goodies from my first week. I figure the standard basket, which cost me $15, contained $20-$25 worth of produce had I bought everything on sale. Do you see those persimmons. I have got to find a fun recipe to use them up.

The Mexican pack cost me $7.50 and contained $10-$15 of awesomeness. Do you see all those chiles, three varieties?. Chile rellenos were cooked last night, and let me tell you, they were wonderful.

So if you live anywhere in Arizona or in Northern Utah or Cedar City you need to check out their web site and get involved.

Since I don't cook much anymore and rarley take pictures...

2009-10-16T13:11:00.002-06:00

Photo from www.thepioneerwomancooks.com

I will share a recipe I want to try and may get to by Christmas and if I do, I will definitely take pictures and share.

Pioneer Woman posted about yummy dark chocolate truffles with sea salt. That is two people who have posted about the awesomeness of sea salt (Her and her). I guess, I need to invest in some.

I have always wanted to make truffles because a) they are so delicious, b) they are so expensive and c) they are so beautiful and I think they would make grand Christmas neighbor gifts.

Does anyone else have a great, simple truffle recipe? Please share.

The Week Before the Marathon

2009-09-28T14:43:00.004-06:00

The St. George Marathon is a mere 5 days away. I am excited and nervous like I am before any race, but I don't have the pressure I did last year. I would like to qualify for Boston but don't feel like I have to this year.

But I think the best part of this year's race is that I have so many friends running it that it'll basically be a big giant party. I have friends from high school coming to do it, most of my best running buddies from here will be doing it. (I am super bummed that my sisters are not doing it. I was looking forward to kicking their butts) Some are doing their first marathon, others are veterans who are going for pr's. Some want to qualify, others just want to cross that finish line. Some are raising money for charity. Click here for more info on the charity team we joined. Some have spent plenty of money already on registration, shoes, energy gels, gatorade, new clothes, chiropractors and massages, etc.

But I think we are all excited to race 26.2 miles in beautiful southern Utah weather and scenery. I know I am. I am excited to push myself to my limit. I am excited to be sore the following week. I am excited to be part of the charity team. I am excited to eat lots of yummy carbs this week. I am excited to only run maybe 7 miles total this week before Saturday. I am excited to see old friends. I am excited to try to keep up with current friends. And I am super excited to cheer everyone on at the start and finish lines. I am hoping the weather stays nice and my stomach cooperates after the race so I can cheer all my peeps in. (Sorry to the speedy ones, they'll just have to settle with a good luck at the start line and Tom can probably cheer them in at the finish.)

It is so amazing to me how excited and diligent and awesome a marathon makes people. I have super enjoyed sharing 4 months of training with so many. We had organized long runs on the course. We've run (and organized) pre-race races. I've got to keep up with training on blogs and facebook and even on the traditional phone. We've talked injuries, digestion problems and toenails. We've discussed clothing and hydration and nutrition.

Even my peeps not running the race are awesome. Many have still trained with us, going long miles just to go long miles. They listen and act interested in the race. They support us. They've run other races with us or cheered us on as we ran them. They'll be cheering us on (at the finish line or from home) at the real deal. Some are even volunteering at the race expo. And hopefully many of you will be running the race next year.

It is going to be a great race and has been a great season. Thanks!

The Day After the Marathon

2009-09-20T21:41:00.001-06:00

The St. George Marathon is less than 2 weeks away. Woohoo! Just wanted to share some humor before the race. Enjoy!

Tom's Soon to Come Adventure

2009-09-09T13:33:00.005-06:00

I always blog about me and food and sometimes the kids, but I usually forget the most awesome guy in the world, my hubby.

On Saturday, Tom will embark on a new adventure. He has been preparing and training for months. And none the worse for it, he looks pretty dang hot with his toned legs.

Tom will bike 206 miles from Logan to Jackson Hole, all in one day. In the LOTOJA Classic, he will climb huge mountains (and luckily descend them too). He will ride through wind but hopefully no rain. He'll survive on pb&h, clif shots, bananas and gatorade. But he will also get to bike through some of the prettiest parts of the country. He will get to spend alot of great time with his brothers. And he will conquer one of the most grueling one day bike races ever.
I am so proud of all his hard work and diligent training. Luckily for him, he gets to ride the race with 3 brothers, a handful of best friends and be supported en route by a father, a mother, a sister and a sister-in-law. I'll support him post race with a great big meal and happy kids who didn't have to spend 12 hours in a car. And maybe I'll wave to him as we pass him on our way to Jackson.

I am excited to see Tom and his bros cross that finish line in Jackson. I am sure they will be exhausted and drained, but so ecstatic with their awesome show of endurance.

Go Tom! Good luck and be safe!

My Go To Dessert

2009-08-31T12:45:00.001-06:00

English Trifle has always been a favorite dessert of mine. I remember requesting it as a kid and bringing it to school as a treat. It is easy to make and just makes me happy.

The basic ingredients include: cake, pudding or custard, jell-o, and fruit. I love my trifle bowl, we got for our wedding, and it gives me yet another incentive to make the dessert. I just use what fruit I have and layer all the goodness in the tall, glass bowl. Make it early in the day, so it has a chance t o set-up a bit and chill thoroughly.

Here is my basic recipe for

English Trifle

2 large packages pudding, prepared according to package.
I like "cook and serve" better, but instant works just fine. Typically I use vanilla, but I have used lemon as well.
2 large jell-o, any flavor, prepared according to recipe, but don't let set-up.
4-5 cups fruit, fresh or frozen.
Strawberries, peaches, raspberries and blueberries are great choices. Bananas are good too, but get mushy after the first day.
1 angel food cake.

I layer cake, jell-o before it has set, pudding, fruit and repeat 2-3 times. You can top with whipped cream, but I usually don't. Let it chill for a few hours so the jell-o sets up.

Enjoy!

Pockets

2009-08-27T15:13:00.003-06:00

I was recently inspired by a very creative friend who is awesome at sewing and refashioning and all that jazz. So, I decided to refashion a little myself.

I have tons of running shirts and only a few bike shirts. I like my bike shirts because they have pockets to carry essentials when I am working out: cell phone, food, jelly beans, etc. But most of my bike shirts aren't great for running and are of the bike jersey variety and are loaded with brand sponsorships. I have lots of cute running shirts that are plain, but they lack the pocket. And even when I run, I need a pocket for essentials. Plus, I love to do triathlons and need something that can go from bike to run and carry all the essentials.

So, I decided to put a pocket into my running shirts. I went to Walmarts and found the loudest and most obnoxious spandex print they had (and lucky for me it was on sale for about $2.50 /yd). I looked at the variety of pockets on my bike jerseys. And with the help of my sister, I fashioned a fun double pocket on my running shirt. Now my running shirt has been refashioned into to a tri-top / long dsitance running shirt / bike jersey.

I plan to put pockets on more of my shirts in the future. I will probably use the same fabric until it is gone. But I plan to make some small pockets, just big enough to hold some Jelly Belly's for my long runs. And if I ever get an mp-3 player, an mp-3 pocket somewhere might be nice. And this same creative friend said she has put pockets on to her shorts as well. I might have to try that, too.

Layered Brownies with White Chocolate Caramel

2009-08-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

I need to make up for all the calories I have been burning working out.

My sister, Suzanne, spent the week with me two weeks ago and discovered this brownie recipe in the latest Bon Appetit.

The were not necessarily easy to make, but I think they were well worth the effort, especially since it was my sister making most of the effort. I also think the recipe could be greatly simplified. The brownie layer was simple and delicious. The white chocolate caramel was not as easy, but was divine. The caramel crystallizes when the cream is added and it took a while reincorporate all the bits back into creamy caramel. I think if you added the cream very slowly it might work out better. The ganache was simple and very good. Our pecans didn't candy very well, but were still great. I think it might be easier to just bake the pecans with sugar until they candy.

Simply moist and dark brownie plus creamy, sweet white-chocolate caramel plus rich, dark and smooth ganache plus crunchy candied pecans equals heaven on a plate.

All in all, a great recipe and an even better brownie. I am still eating a small brownie every night a week later and they still taste great.

Click here for the recipe. I doubled it, by the way.

Utah Half Race Report

2009-08-21T13:19:00.011-06:00

The Utah Half Triathlon was quite an experience. It was not easy. I wanted to quit a few times. I was almost in tears a number of times. But after I crossed the finish line, having given every ounce I had, it was so worth it.

The morning began early, but calm and cool. But as the morning progressed, the weather turned worse. The temperature dropped and the wind picked up. The cold front was supposed to move through Friday night leaving a cool, but calm morning. But the front decided to move though the morning of the race. As the athletes walked toward the lake, the wind got fiercer and fiercer. The men started to get in the lake and the rest of us shivered on the dock. Luckily, the swim was held in the protected harbor. Views of the actual lake, brought agonizing fear to me. Huge, ocean-sized waves crashed in the main lake, while smaller white caps disrupted the harbor. Race officials postponed the swim as the weather was checked, buoys were replaced after being blown away by the wind, and I shivered from cold and fear with my best friends.

Finally, after about an hour of waiting, race officials decided to start the race between two cold fronts moving through. The swim was cut in half to allow both the men and women time to get through before the second front moved through. The men started and I got in the water. The water was choppy, but not cold. The gun went off and I started toward the giant orange buoy. I was swimming directly into the waves. For every stroke I took, a wave hit me in the face. I panicked. I basically survival swam out to the buoy. I side stroked most of the way to keep my face free from the water. Many swimmers were turning around early, but I was determined to make it. My training buddy, Carol, was tempted to quit, but I encouraged her and we both carried on as best we could. Finally, I made the buoy and began the easier swim back. However, the wind was blowing at an angle and although I was swimming with the waves, I was blown way off course and had to stop to figure out where I was when I thought I should have been done. The finish buoy was no where in sight. I raised my hand to signal a kayaker to help me figure out where to go, but no one saw me, Luckily, I wasn't actually drowning. I followed an island toward the shore until I could see the buoy. I made it out, safely, and one of the very last ones.
Swim-1000m: 28:45 (pathetic, I know)

T1: 2:46
I hustled the quarter mile to the transition area, stripping my wetsuit as I ran. As I entered the transition area to almost no bikes, I was a bit discouraged. Ashley was long gone because she rocked the swim. Carol and I transitioned together. I grabbed a drink, put on my socks and shoes and got on my bike. I grabbed my arm-warmers and some food and put them in my super cute pocket (post on those to come soon). . I got on my bike and started the 56-mile windy trek. The first few miles weren't bad, because I had a tail wind, but when I turned and had a cross-wind or headwind, it was awful. I caught my training buddy Ashley close to the turn around as we tunneled directly into the wind. Luckily, the course was flat, but my legs burned from steadying my bike in the wind. The 28 miles back were all either in to a headwind or cross wind. And when I though it couldn't get any worse, it started to hail, yep hail.

It stung, but I didn't want to stop to put on arm-warmers. The hail stopped and turned to rain. I was soaked through and pretty cold. One advantage was I didn't need to drink much. And the advantage of being almost dead last out of the water, is I got to pass a lot of folks without a single person passing me. By the end of the bike leg I counted that I was in close to 20th place.

Bike-56 miles: 3:00:19

T2: 1:27 (4th fasted female, thank you very much)
I was freezing at the start of the run. I couldn't even get my helmet off because my fingers were numb. I stuck the strap in my mouth and bit the clasp open. I took off my soggy bike shoes and put on soggy running shoes. I felt surprisingly good at the start of the run. I stopped for a potty break and had to wait in line. I figured I lost 2 minutes there, but I had to go.

The run consisted of two loops and a number of little out and backs. I thought I would hate the out and backs, but they weren't too bad, because I could see who was in front of me and if I was gaining anything and if I was losing anything to those behind me. The wind had calmed and there was just light rain. By the third mile, my extremities had warmed and I was feeling great. I was pretty consistent the whole run and felt pretty good. I only had 1 mile over 9 minutes and had one right at 8 to make up for it. The course was spectator friendly and I got to see Tom at least 4 times. That really helped my morale.
The last three miles were hard, but I pushed myself harder and tried not to slow down. When i crossed that finish line, I truly didn't have an ounce of energy left.

Run-13.1 miles: 1:52:48 (8:34 miles)

I ended up in 16th place, 8th in my age-group, with a time 5:26:06

I am so ready to try another one. I am even tempted to do the full-ironman, but realize that is impossible with little James at home. But I am glad I did it. I am a little disappointed with my swim, but now have something to look forward to improving next time. I plan to work on getting my bike faster, but am content. And I am super happy with my run, I couldn't have expected to run any faster, but will still try to do better next time.

I feel like I put the training in, and got a great result. Hard work does pay off and now I get to focus my energy on the St. George Marathon in October.

Here is my good friend and training buddy, Ashley. She looks hot and rocked it!

Here is my other good friend and training buddy, Carol. She is 45 and crazy! She rocked it and will rock the full Ironman in May.

Click here for full results and click here for photos, my number is 65.

Back to School

2009-08-21T12:28:00.005-06:00

Two of my kids are in school now and it is wonderful. They both love it and are doing well. I just wanted to share my cute kids on their first day, it is one of very few days they actually look cute.

Porter has Ms. Tanner (an intern) with Mrs. Hendrickson for 2nd grade. He has many friends in his class and seems to be doing well. When I have had the chance to peak in on him in class or on the playground, he is happy, well-behaved and interacting well with others.

Eliza has Mrs. Sorenson for kindergarten. She always seems so shy when I see her in class, but she comes home happy and excited about her day.

On her thrid day of school she had a pretty major crash on her bike. Her face was scratched up and swollen, but she is back on her bike now. She just walkes it down the steep hill.

School is over a mile away, but both kids are cheerful about riding their bikes. Porter has buddies to ride with and Eliza and have a great time getting to and from school.

Happy Back to School!

A New Adeventure into the Unknown

2009-08-07T22:57:00.008-06:00

In less than a week, I will experience where my physical and emotional limits reach. On August 15, I am going to compete (I use the word loosely, I just want to finish) in the Utah Half Ironman in Provo. I will swim, bike and run farther than I ever have before. I have completed each individual distance with no problem, but put all three in a row and I just might die.

First, I get to swim 1.2 miles in the bug-infested and fairly gross Utah Lake. Two years ago, this would have petrified me and is what kept me from entering such an event. But somewhere between then and now, I have learned to swim in the open-water, freestyle and not die of exhaustion or drowning. I am confident in my ability to swim the distance, thanks to my awesome wetsuit. And I am confident that I probably won't be the last out the water, like I have in previous triathlons. And I am confident that I that I will have energy left to move onto the second leg of the triathlon, thanks to my slow methodical stroke.

Next, I will strip off the wetsuit and strap on a helmet as I mount my bicycle for 56 flat and hopefully, fast miles around Utah Lake. I like to think the bike leg is my strength, but feel it may not be this time because of the flatness of the course. I lose all my advantage when there are no hills. But at the same time, I am grateful there are no hills because hopefully, my legs will have some juice left in them to carry me through the last leg. My bike is, as we speak, in the shop, getting a tune-up. I just installed new aero bars (thanks to my brother) and I am waiting for my new tires to arrive. If they don't get here, Tom is going to let me use his new ones. So my bike should be pimped out and ready to go! And I am going to be pretty pimped out, too: cute new shorts (that are a bit more flattering then my old ones), new helmet, new bike shoes, fairly new running shoes, and I am trying to figure out how to sew a fun pocket onto one of my tanks (very few of my running shirts have pockets and i need somewhere to put my energy so I bought some wild spandex and will try to figure out how to get it on).

The last leg, 13.1, luckily flat miles, is the most daunting of the three legs. Every time I run a half marathon, I am exhausted by that last tenth of a mile. What makes me think that I can do that half-marathon after having swum 1.2 miles and biked 56? Especially, since I swim mostly with my legs (I think pigeon-toedness gives my kick a little motor-like feel to it and I don't really know how to stroke with my arms super well.) and bike almost solely with my legs.

I feel a little crazy for entering such an event, but excited to give it a try. I have always said I would do a half-ironman, just didn't think it would be so soon. I registered for it when I was still high from my Utah Summer Games Triathlon experience. I have trained some but probably not enough. My only true brick workout was a week and half ago, and I literally almost died on it. I was over-heated and dehydrated (thanks to the horrid lady at a restaurant in Leeds who refused to give a dying girl a glass of water). The last mile of the 1 mile swim, 37 mile bike and 10 mile run workout was one of the hardest miles of my life. I made it thanks to my training partner running by my side.

I guess I need to remember my goal for this race is just to finish. Of course, I have a time goal in my head and there are other competitors I want to beat, but I need to make myself happy with just finishing the race. But, this is the unknown so hopefully I can do that and do it with dignity and smile on my face. And maybe not be the last one to cross the finish line.

Porter's 7th Birthday

2009-08-06T14:50:00.000-06:00

For Porter's 7th birthday, we decided to do a track meet instead of the standard party. I think it was a great idea and plan to do every year.

There was very little pre-planning. We made simple flier-like invitations and took them to the kids a couple weeks early so they could start training. We bought prizes, a costco cake and gathered up a few supplies needed for the events. We printed time-cards that they could keep with the times and distances of all the events, so they can try to beat their marks next year.

The kids seemed to enjoy themselves. Many ran 1 mile, many of whom have never gone than far. Enough parents stayed to help the event run smoothly, which was absolutley necessary with 28 3-12 year olds. Next year, I'll ask parents before hand to stay to make sure we have enough.

We divided the kids into three groups: 3-5 year olds, 6-7 year olds, and 8+. The three groups rotated through the long jump, softball throw and 100m sprint. We kept track of all their times and places within their groups and wrote their times on their cards.

After the kids had a chance to catch their breath and grab a drink, we lined all 28 kids up for the mile-run. I encouraged all the kids to start the mile and to go as far as they could. All of them did at least one lap and 15 finished the entire mile, including my two.

This 12 year old was actually beaten by the 7 year old. First place finished in 7:23 followed by second in 7:30.

Porter's stats: Softball throw: 22', 100m sprint: 28.44, Standing long jump, 2'8", 1 mile run:12:24
Eliza's stat's include: Softball throw:10'9", 50 m sprint: 20.21 (Dansies and Fishers are not sprinters), Standing Long Jump: 2'5", and 1 mile run: 15:23. I am m ost proud of her mile. She ran every single step of the entire mile. And I even told her it was ok to only do only 1 lap. She was determined and did it, beating three kids much older than her.Here are some highlight of the mile run. We forgot to take pictures of the rest of the meet.

Eliza's Zoo and Lots of Monkeys

2009-08-05T14:12:00.000-06:00

Eliza decided to have a zoo party for her 5th birthday back in June. We only do friend's parties every other year, so I try to make them special and memorable. She has a lot of friends, so it was pretty crazy. I think we ended up with 18 kids, plus my own. But I loved the Zoo theme. It was fun to and easy to work with.

For the invitations, I used die-cuts from the library. The general idea came from my mom, and I just fine-tuned it because of what I die-cuts I had available to me.

Many kids came dressed as zoo animals. When they arrived, they made animal masks out of paper plates and paint, etc. They got animal tattoos. Then we played a bunch of animal games. We played "chase the tail", had a flamingo standing contest, a monkey bar race and a snake slither.

After games, we enjoyed otter pops and cupcakes and free playtime at the park. The biggest downside to the party was the lack of water. The drinking fountain was broken and we didn't bring any water. But the kids survived and I think they even had fun.

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Cream Frosting

2009-08-03T16:33:00.001-06:00

I just found this post half-written. I thought I lost these pictures, with the rest of mine on my computer a few months ago. Woohoo! This is a great summer cake. I have only made it once, but my sister makes it often now and even brought it camping. It is scrumptiously delicious.

This cake was so delicious and beautiful and fun to make. I got the recipe from Bon Appetit, May 2009. They don't always have the recipes online and this one is not, so you should be grateful I am sharing it.

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Cream Frosting

Frosting
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 c butter
4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c strawberry jam
3/4 c heavy whipping cream

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar then jam. Beat cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold in whipped cream into frosting. Cover, chill until firm enough to spread, about 2 hours.

Cake
3 c cake flour (I've read you can use 7/8 part all purpose flour and 1/8 part cornstarch)
3/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3 c sugar
1 c butter, room temp
7 large eggs
2 T vanilla
1 c sour cream
6 T plus 1/3 c strawberry jam (I used homemade)
2 1/4 lbs. strawberries, hulled, sliced and divided

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour (or use pam) two 9-inch cake pans with 2 inch high sides. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder and soda in a medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add sour cream, beat 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in three additions, beating to blend after each addition. Divide batter between pans.
Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes. Turn out of pans and cool completely.

Assembly
Using serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Place one half, cut side up, on a cake plate. Spread 2 T jam over, then 3/4 c frosting. Top with 3/4 c sliced berries. Repeat two more times. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spread 2 c frosting over tops and sides in a thin layer to coat completely. Spread remaining frosting over tops and sides. Spoon remaining jam on cake and swirl decoratively.

I always worry about layer cakes, because mine never seem to turn out very well. This one, thanks to the help from Eliza and tips from the magazine on how to perfect layer cakes, actually turned out prettier than I had hoped for. There was no picture in the magazine for me to work from, but I just followed the instructions and wa-la!

What I liked about this dessert is everything, but specifically I loved-

The moist pound cake with simple vanilla flavor, lots of eggs and butter equal delicious cake.
The frosting. It was full of strawberry flavor and had a nice fluffy texture, thanks to the whipped cream folded in.
The fresh strawberries in each layer added some extra strawberry yumminess and a wonderful bite.
It was beautiful and the tips really helped me make my first successful layer cake.

Sorry about the poor pictures. I took most of them at my parent's house, and I don't like their lighting.

Pickles!!!

2009-08-03T14:16:00.005-06:00

I have had a great harvest of cucumbers and tomatoes so far this year, for which I am very grateful. But I was getting kind of tired of eating cucumber and tomato salad. So, I decided I would try to make pickles, of the bread and butter variety. I am not especially fond of dill pickles, Tom doesn't like any type of pickle, and I love sweet pickles but never buy them, so i thought perfect opportunity to make sweet pickles.

My cucumbers are lemon cucumbers. They look very different from your standard cucumber, but taste very similar. I love yellow and think they are cheerful.I searched the internet for a recipe that used ingredients I already had and came up with a fun recipe. It called for salting the cucumbers, chilling them, rinsing them, making a vinegar-sugar-spice syrup, boiling the cukes and canning them. Click here for the original recipe.

Many of the recipes I was finding used "pickling lime" to help make the pickles crispy. Next time, I may try it, but I was happy with the crispness of my pickles just using kosher salt (I didn't have pickling salt, but the recipe said subbing kosher salt is fine). I didn't use all the spices the recipe called for because I didn't have them all. I did use cloves, allspice, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and then I threw in pickling spice to make up for the ones I was missing. I one and halved the original recipe and got 5 pints.

I am excited that I finally made pickles and may even make another batch with my next big harvest.

Bryce Canyon

2009-07-31T14:57:00.004-06:00

I never wrote a race report for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon because it sucked. I had a a horrible race and was very disappointed. Luckily, we still had a very fun trip and enjoyed spending time with two of my sisters and their kids and my parents.

Some of the highlights from our little trip include:

Lots of junk food, including home made English toffee fudge from a candy shop in Tropic and homemade ice cream we made ourselves with a ball you throw around.
The Bear Fiddling Festival in Cannonville which included fun fiddling from 80 year olds and 12 year olds, hot dogs, dutch oven potatoes, and home made root beer.
Shopping the clearance sale at True Value Hardware in Tropic and happening upon the Jazz Bear.
Participating in the Bryce Half with many of our good friends. I think there were at least a dozen of my closest friends who also did the race. It was so fun to see them all. Too bad they all stayed at the KOA in Cannonville and we stayed at Ruby's Inn. Maybe next year I can convince them to stay at Ruby's.
The drive home on Sunday. We took the scenic route and made a few detours. We stopped for picnic lunch in great forest near Panguitch Lake.
We also drove to the top of Brianhead Peak and saw the Civilian Conservation Corp hut built in the 30s up close. We always see it from a ditance when we ski at Brianhead but have never gotten to go inside. The peak also offered spectacular views in every direction all the way to Arizona and Nevada.

Walk as a Witness

2009-07-13T10:18:00.004-06:00

Porter Rockwell Family, minus papa Porter, big sis Larue (Caiti) and Little P.

This year our ward decided to do a Pioneer Trek for our youth conference. We have never done one before, but luckily we had awesome coordinators and the whole thing got put together in two months.

We were on a tight budget, but were able to borrow handcarts from a nearby ward.

We were lucky to have a guy in our ward who owns a bunch of land in the mountains that let us use it for the trek.

We have awesome youth who pulled and pushed those carts on empty stomachs, over steep rocky mountains, through hot summer days, all without complaint.

River Crossing

I really think this trek was "meant" to be.

I am so glad that Tom and I got to be a Mama Anne and Papa Porter to the awesomest group of kids out there. We had 6 kids and flour sack baby, a handacart piled high with bedding and clothes. We had meager rations of food that lasted (we even had leftovers) and tasted delicious. These kids ate vegetable stew (water, veggies, salt and pepper) and thought it was the best stuff on earth.Our Camp

They were awesome at rationing their food so we had the most divine breakfast on the last day: light and fluffy flapjacks, banana "jam", and brown sugar. We were fortunate to find an egg in the chicken we killed so it made the flapjacks awesome. We also got a little buttermilk and butter from fresh cream.

It was an emotional experience to watch these kids struggle to push and pull the handcart up the steep, rocky mountains and not be able to help them. I wanted to. We did get to help in one extra hard section. I think that made the trek extra awesome, because it taught the youth that they can conquer whatever challenges they are faced with, but if the going gets really tough, there will be help available to them.

The women's pull was so awesome and so hard. We had 15 exhausted girls pushing two carts up the steepest section of the trek. The young men and leaders walked beside them in silence. Many of the young men moved rocks or brought water. It is bringing tears to my eyes just thinking about it. These girls probably never worked so hard in their lives, but they did it. They were able to get these carts up all on their own.

Overall, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Pre-Independence Day Ride

2009-07-05T21:37:00.003-06:00

Tom and I rode 80 miles on July 3. It was super hot, super hard, and super fun. I didn't have a whole lot of energy so Tom had to pull most of the way.

But we got to ride through the coolest National Park in the world, I discovered Coke is awesome for energy and refreshment at mile 60, and I got to be with my favorite person in the world.

Happy Independence Day!

2nd Annual Pioneer Day 5K

2009-07-02T21:42:00.002-06:00

Hurricane Valley Pioneer Day 5K

Fun Run and Walk

Sponsored by the Hurricane and Hurricane West Stakes and

Hurricane Runners’ Club (hurricanerunners.blogspot.com)

Pioneer children walked, and walked, and walked, and RAN!

Friday, July 24th, 6:30 AM

Hurricane City Park - 200 N Main

Fun for all ages and abilities!

Registration fee:
2 non-perishable food items to donate to
Dixie Care and Share

Pre-register at Classic Sports or with
Elizabeth Dansie at 58 W 1125 N
or I can email you a form, just send me an email at edansie@gmail.com

Day of race registration from 5:45 to 6:15 AM.

Contact Elizabeth Dansie with any questions at 635-4486 or edansie@gmail.com.

My Little Dancer

2009-06-23T15:58:00.005-06:00

Eliza took dance this year for the first time and loved it. She took it at a studio called Desert Dance Theater. It focused on creative and modern dance. The teacher was wonderful and wanted everything to be very professional (which can be good and bad for 4-year-olds.)

Eliza really learned to come out of her shell and express herself creatively through dance. When she first began she would barley do what the teacher asked her to, but by the end was doing great. She became more flexible and learned some great techniques of modern dance. I will definitely enroll her in dance again, I'm just not sure which studio. I either want her to be in ballet or modern, I don't love the contemporary hip-hop/jazz stuff. I don't really want my daughter dancing to "Love Story" I prefer the classical stuff.

Instead of a recital, the teacher took out all the classes a number of times to film a high quality video titled "Dance in the Environment."

I didn't buy the video, however, because it was expensive and Eliza really wasn't in it all that much. It was a very well-done film, though. I did purchase the professional still shots, though. They are fun.

I look forward to watching as she continues to progress.

Utah Summer Games Triathlon

2009-06-15T15:49:00.000-06:00

I feel like I have been training hard for this one and I wanted to do well. I had all the normal pre-race jitters, but the morning was good. The weather was overcast but fairly calm. The temps were mild.

I got my transition area set up, fueled a bit and was trying to attach a bandage to my ankle from my bike crash last week. The gash was right on my ankle bone and gets rubbed by my running shoes. A friend gave me some water proof tape which would not stick for one second to my skin. So I had to frantically try to find a band-aid at least that I could put on after the swim. I found one and put it in my transition area.
Swim. 1500 m. 37:00. I was very happy with this time. Last year, it took me over 50 minutes in a surf wetsuit and then I did it in a borrowed tri suit in over 40 minutes. My goggles leaked big time after the start and I had to fumble with them a ton. I got them to hold for the most part. But I still couldn't see very well, and the sun glare was bad. I had no idea where I was in the pack, but just did my best. The course was a two-loop one. The only people I passed were struggling men sprinters so I thought I must be the last woman in the water, but I wasn't. I finished in the middle of the pack.

T1. 2:42. This is usually my strength, but I was fumbling with a band-aid and decided to wear socks to keep the band-aid on and didn't clip my shoes into my pedals. They all just slowed me down.

Bike. 24 miles. 1:15:47 (18.8 mph). I was happy with this time. I wanted to get in the range of 1:15 and I did. It rained a bit and the roads were slick. I was a bit over cautious because of my crash as well. But I just tried to hammer the rest. I passed quite a few men and a few women. 1 woman passed me before the big hill. I passed her back on the hill, but she caught me again after the descent. I couldn't keep up with this fast 42-year-old. I was definitley tired by the end and was worried I wouldn't be able to run.

T2. 1:15. I usually get this under 45 seconds so this was bad. Again, I was trying to get a new band-aid on. I have got to work on these transitions before the next one.
Run. 6.2 miles. 49:03 (but according to my watch 48:01). I was happy with this. I wanted to get under 50 minutes. The first mile is downhill and I did it in 7:37. I slowed to 8:00 minutes for the second mile and then stopped keeping track. But I ended up averaging 7:45s. The girl who passed me on the bike was in my sights the whole time. I caught her just after the turn around, but she picked up the pace and I couldn't keep up with her. She ended up beating me by 30 or so seconds. I was beat by the end for sure, but felt really good about my time.

I finished 17 minutes faster than the same race last year and almost 8 minutes faster than the Kokopelli last year, which is the same course. I ended up as the 10th overall woman, 7th Utah woman, and 3rd in my age group (which is funny because last year I was second at 17 minutes slower - oh well.)

I am going to do a half-ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) in August. I just have to decide which one - Utah Lake or Bear Lake.

Full race results can be found here.

Our Budding Mozart

2009-06-10T16:03:00.006-06:00

Porter had his first violin recital and I would say it was a hit. He has been taking lessons for less than a year and does a great job. His teacher is a 16-year-old young woman who teaches him wonderfully and for a great price. He is using the Suzuki book, but not really the method. He plays a little from ear, but also reads music. I am excited to see him as he continue to progress.

I don't know how to make the video not sideways, so sorry. He is playing "The Happy Farmer" and "Minuet 1" from the Suzuki Book 1.

Jazmin teaches Porter on violin and Jessika teaches Trinity on piano.

Happy Birthday Eliza.

2009-06-02T11:00:00.000-06:00

Dance, 4 yrs

I can't believe my little Liza is already 5. Time has flown and she has grown (a couple pounds each year, anyway). I just wanted to shout out a big Happy Birthday to my little girl and write a little tribute to her.

Born: June 2, 2004 Tucson, Arizona
7 lbs. 7 oz at birth
26 lbs (maybe) at age 5

brand new

blessing day, 2 months

Eliza is such a pleasant little girl. She loves to help out - she bakes with me, she cleans with me, she is the best big sister to James and really knows how to deal with his personality and charm him. She also rally knows how to tease Porter. It is kind of funny because he hates it, and she knows all the buttons to push, and pushes them.

She is learning to read and loves it. I love to sit with her as she sounds out the words, each sound distinct, and tries and tries to blend it all together and when it clicks and she gets the word, she is so proud. she is much better at memorizing books than sounding out the words, but she is getting the phonics slowly.

She is so willing to try new things, whether it be food or rock climbing or her two-wheeler. She always gives it at least one try before she decides she does or doesn't like something.

She has such a different temperament than she did when she was a baby. She was an angel from birth to about 5 months, at which point she turned into the devil until she was about 1 year. She remained a difficult child until about 2.5. Now she is such a joy and a happy, helpful girl
and I love her to bits.

2 yrs

Grand Canyon, 3 yrs

10 months

3rd Birthday

First steps, 10 months

What Eliza loves at age 5:
She loves to dance, dollies, Polly Pockets, Littlest Petshops, playing with friends, eating cake and candy, playing dress-up, taking care of James. She loves to go to friends' houses and rarely misses me when I leave, even for an extended amount of time. Basically, she is all girl and we love having it that way.

New Wetsuit!!!

2009-06-01T14:14:00.003-06:00

I got a new triathlon wetsuit on Friday and I am so excited. I got the 2009 Xterra Vortex 3 sleeveless on a great deal - half price! I got to swim with it on Saturday and I loved it. I am most excited to use it at the Utah Summer Games Triathlon on June 13.

Orange Cheesecake with Brownie Crust and Candied Orange Slices

2009-05-20T14:10:00.004-06:00

I found this recipe in April's Bon Appetit, of course and had to try it for Easter. I altered it, changing from the original lemon cheesecake to orange. Orange and chocolate sounded better to me. And it gave me a reason to try make candied orange slices. I loved it all.

The crust did not turn out to have a brownie consistency but was crunchier and still very delicious. The cheesecake was very rich and very deep. The top turns a little brown when baked. That is why it has the topping. Here is my altered recipe. The original can be viewed here.

Orange Cheesecake with Brownie Crust and Candied Orange Slices

Crust
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
5 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
juice from one orange
4 teaspoons orange juice concentrate, or more (I added until I liked the orange flavor)
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Topping
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt or sour cream
Dark chocolate curls or shavings
12 candied orange slice, recipe to follow soon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray inside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch- to 3-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in small bowl; set aside. Combine chocolate and butter in medium metal bowl; place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Add both sugars to chocolate mixture and whisk until blended. Let cool until mixture is barely lukewarm, about 10 minutes. Whisk egg and vanilla into chocolate mixture. Fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture. Spread brownie batter evenly over bottom of prepared pan.

Bake brownie crust until top looks slightly cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to rack; cool crust to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Place pan with cooled crust on rimmed baking sheet. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, flour, orange peel, and orange juices; beat until smooth. Add eggs and yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until incorporated after each addition. Beat in 1/2 cup sour cream and whipping cream. Pour filling over brownie crust in pan; smooth top.

Bake cake until puffed, light golden, and set around edges (center will still move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Maintain oven temperature.
Spoon 1.5 cups yogurt or sour cream in dollops over top of cake, then spread evenly over top with offset spatula. Return cake to oven and bake 5 minutes. Run small sharp knife around sides of cake to loosen. Place pan with cake directly in refrigerator and chill uncovered overnight (cake may sink in center). DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Remove pan sides from cake. Run thin sharp knife between pan bottom and crust to loosen. Using 2 metal spatulas as aid, transfer cake to platter. If needed, add a bit more yogurt to make it nice and pretty. Garnish top edge of cake with chocolate curls and orange slices.

Small Town Girl Conquers Boston

2009-05-18T14:34:00.002-06:00

The bliss of not knowing what is to come.

All pictures from marathonfoto.com

(This is an article I wrote about my experience in Boston. I wrote it for the local paper, thus the common person, not runner. Beware! It is long, but a heartfelt narrative of my experience.)

April 20, 2009. Every thing I had done since last October revolved around what would happen on this day. And I mean everything.

I qualified for the Boston Marathon at the 2008 St. George Marathon in pouring rain and by less than two minutes. The pressure to qualify was oppressive. My husband had already qualified. The hotel was already reserved. My training said I could do it, but the rain and my head started to give me doubts. But I did it despite the pressure I felt and the pouring rain. After I crossed the finish line that October day, I thought could relax. I achieved what I had set out to do. Little did I know that I would not be able to relax for seven long months.

I qualified for the Boston Marathon. That meant I would actually have to run another marathon. Another 26.2 miles of my heavy pounding feet on hard asphalt. Another 26.2 miles of no nourishment besides Gatorade and jelly beans. Another 26.2 miles of listening to the voice in my head telling me to stay strong while the shooting pain in the rest of my body is telling me to quit.
But before I could even get to those 26.2 miles, I would have to first train hundreds of miles on rock hard asphalt, drink gallons of Gatorade and eat hundreds of jelly beans. I would have to teach my head and my heart to tough it out while trying to ease my body into the pain it would feel.

But I did it. I ran the miles every week. I trained my body to go far by doing long runs including two 20-milers. I trained my body to go fast by doing half-mile repeats at the track. I trained my body to run up hills and down hills, by running up and down hills.

April 20 came and I felt ready. I had put in the training. I had read dozens of articles on the Boston Marathon. I talked to friends who had run it before for advice. I listened to and read the words of encouragement from my friends and family. I had given my body and legs a rest the weeks coming in to the marathon. I had carb-loaded and skimped on the junk food. I checked and re-checked the forecast. I had even driven the marathon course, visualizing me running it. But nothing I could do, could truly prepare me for the experience of running the Boston Marathon.

Patriot’s Day in Boston turned out to be a cool morning with patches of clouds and noticeable wind, but not rainy as some of the forecasts had predicted. My husband and I awoke early, rode the bus up to the start line in Hopkinton with 26,000 other runners. We waited at Hopkinton High School with all the crowds. We waited for the porta-potties. We waited for the 10 o’clock start to roll around. We waited for it to warm up a bit. We waited for the porta-potties, some more. We waited for the sun to come out from behind the clouds. We waited while all this anticipation I had building up in me for seven months was starting to explode inside me. I just couldn’t wait anymore.

The call came over the PA system that I could start walking the one-mile to the start line, but I was still in line for a porta-potty. I finally made it through the line and started the nerve-wracking walk to the start. I just sort of followed the crowd, nervous and excited. I got to my corral (a fenced off area for 1000 runners about my same speed). Luckily, I didn’t have to wait in the crowded corral for long before it was my turn to start the race. I shuffled my feet with the other 2000 feet until we crossed the official start line and the shuffle turned into a slow jog as the crowd began to thin out.

Unlike The St. George Marathon, the crowd of runners never really thinned out the entire race. I was always running among a crowd. I had to watch where I was going and maneuver around every mile.

Also, unlike St George, the crowds of spectators never thinned out either. For close to 4 hours, my ears were bombarded with yells of support. I even wrote my name on my legs and shirt so total strangers could yell out my name, and they did. “Go Lizzie” floated to my ears every few minutes. I gave an energy-efficient thumbs up every time I heard my name. But when I got to Wellesley College, close the half-way point, if they called out my name, I couldn’t hear it because thousands of Wellesley coeds were screaming at the tops of their lungs for a half-mile section. Nothing could be heard but the high pitch yells of these girls holding up their signs offering free kisses. Loud, but awesome. A definite morale booster when my legs were starting to feel the fatigue of running 13 miles.
After Wellesley, the course got more difficult. The famous rolling hills of Newton began to take their toll on my quads which were very fatigued from the fast downhill miles at the beginning of the course. To be honest, the famed Heartbreak Hill at mile 20 was the easiest of the hills. I wasn’t even sure I was on it because it seemed so small. Although it didn’t seem very big, it still hurt.

It was at this point in the race that my legs pretty much wanted to quit completely. But the even larger crowds as I was getting into Boston proper continued to propel me through the miles. Running the last 10K of the course was one of the hardest things I have done in my life (and I have had three children au natural).

The rolling hills continued, the headwind off the harbor began to pick up, technically the finish was so close, but emotionally it was so far away. I began to look for my parents and my in-laws who had made the journey out to Boston to support my husband and me. I never did see them, but just knowing they were out in that crowd somewhere helped me.

They never saw me either because the guy in the tutu distracted them.

The fatigue and pain in my legs was getting worse. My form was deteriorating rapidly to a pathetic shuffle.

The thought of anymore Gatorade was nauseating. The familiar buildings of downtown did not seem to be getting any closer. I began to get passed by more runners than I was passing, including an older man decked out in a pink tutu and leotard. I stopped looking at my watch and focused just on getting through it. But soon enough, I was on the streets of downtown surrounded by the tall building and even bigger and louder crowds. The finish line was getting closer and after a couple of turns was in sight.

The last two-tenths of the last mile were glorious but excruciatingly painful. I willed my legs to move a little faster. I willed my arms to pump a little harder. I willed back the tears of exhaustion and joy. I even willed out a smile and victory thumbs-up as I crossed the finish line in 3:48:35. I don’t know what place I came in. I don’t know who beat me. I don’t know who I beat. Because the Boston Marathon for me, was not a race against the other 26,000 runners. It wasn’t even a race against the clock. It is a very personal race against the pain and fatigue, a personal race of hard work and diligent training, a personal race made better by the encouragement of friends and family, a personal race to overcome and conquer one of the world’s greatest marathons.

Official finish time: 3:48:35.

Pioneer Woman Made My Day with Monkey Bread

2009-05-12T15:12:00.003-06:00

Photo from pioneerwomancooks.com

I remember having monkey bread as a young girl, but never at my house. I have always wanted to make it, but never knew how, and never looked it up. Pioneer Woman just posted the recipe and now I am even more excited to make it. I may need to have it for dinner, except I am off desserts today. I guess it'll have to wait until my next dessert day.

Hurricane Half

2009-05-10T08:58:00.009-06:00

Click here for a full Hurricane Half race report.

It was a great race with lots of fun friends

and really close sprint finish. I think I outleaned him at the line.

Love my arm warmers.

And my hubby. He rocked the course in 1:26 and 9th overall.

Boston was Rad!

2009-04-27T13:03:00.004-06:00

Boston was an awesome exprience. I loved everything about it except the last 10K of the marathon. The history of the city was fun to explore. I loved the subway and getting around for 15 bucks for the whole week.

I loved eating clam chowder and other fantastic seafood.

Spending time with our parents sans children was very enjoyable.

Going to the temple was a great break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The actual marathon was a different experience. It was much harder than I expected and my legs did not love it. I went out too fast and the last 10K was brutal because of it. But even though while I was running it I had doubts I could actually finish it, I did finish (a little slower than I wanted) and now that it is all over, it was a great experience. What made it even better was getting back to our hotel and finding many text messages, emails and facebook posts with words of support and congrats from all our friends. We seriously have the greatest friends in the world. I love you guys! We can't wait to do it again and redeem ourselves nad maybe we can get some of you friends to join us. Start training now.

Better pictures will follow (probably) when I get them off my camera. These few are from Tom's phone, hence the poor quality.

A full race report will be posted soon at http://www.ourroadtoboston.blogspot.com/.

Now, I get to finish recovering for the Hurricane Half-marathon on Saturday.

Whole Wheat Apricot-Yogurt Bread

2009-04-15T13:36:00.005-06:00

I had some opened canned apricots in my fridge that needed to be used up, so I decided to make apricot bread. I basically followed the recipe for Banana Bread in Betty Crocker, but used my canned apricots. The bread turned out pretty good. My kids loved it and wanted more so I decided to try to make it even better the next day.

This time, I used the banana bread recipe to get me started and then just had fun with it after that. I used defrosted frozen apricots without the added syrup. I tried to make it healthy by using whole wheat flour, very little oil and not a ton of sugar. I think it turned out great. It might have been a little bland so I am putting salt in the recipe even though I didn't use any. It could also have been bland because I am suffering some allergies something fierce.

Then I decided to enter it into a contest, so that is why I mention specific brand on some of the products. I have always wanted to enter a recipe contest and this was one that met the ingredient requirements, so I did it. Oh yea, and I didn't actually use any apricot preserves, but it sounded good and would give me one more sponsored ingredient so I put it in the recipe.

But anyway here is my recipe for

Whole Wheat Apricot-Yogurt Bread

2 cup(s) apricot, pureed

2 each Eggland's Best large white eggs
1 cup(s) sugar
1/4 cup(s) honey
1/4 cup(s) Smucker's Apricot Preserves
1/2 cup(s) plain yogurt
2 tablespoon(s) Crisco Pure Canola Oil
1.5 cup(s) Pillsbury Best All Purpose flour
1.5 cup(s) Whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1 teaspoon(s) nutmeg
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla
1 teaspoon(s) salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 4 small (4.5" x 2.5" x 2.5")loaf pans with no-stick cooking spray.
Puree defrosted frozen apricots, pitted and halved in a food processor until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine apricot puree, Eggland's Best large white eggs, sugar, honey, Smucker's Apricot Preserves, yogurt, Crisco Pure Canola Oil and vanilla. Mix with electric mixer until well blended. Set aside.
In a another large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Whisk together. Make well in center of flour mixture.
Pour apricot mixture all at once into flour mixture. Stir just until combined.
Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minute, until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Remove from oven. Cool on rack in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on rack.

1 Week to D-Day

2009-04-13T13:05:00.003-06:00

Can I tell you how excited I am for the Boston Marathon? I am way, super-duper, unbelievably, giddy excited!!

Only one more week and the day will be here.

I feel I have prepared for it with my training. I have put the miles in. My body is doing well. I have eaten entirely too much junk food, as evidenced by my recipe posts. I have the plane tickets, the hotel, the itinerary set, and even dinner reservation made.

We plan to do a lot more than just run a marathon while we are in Boston. The Boston temple, John Adams house, Freedom Trail, Legal Seafood, Durgin Park, Boston Commons, spending entirely too much money at the expo (i have my eye on an Adidas jacket), Elite milers race, we are packing a marathon plus into our week in Boston.

I can't believe that in less than a week, all the anticipation will be over. The race will be over and hopefully I will be happy with the results. I am going in with little expectations. I have been told by other Boston runners, to just have fun at your first one. I plan to, but I still hope I do well. I have trained enough and feel I am even a little faster than I was before St. George. But I don't know the course, I do know it is a slower one. And you just never know about that fickle weather in Boston.

But whatever happens, I am very excited and just will be happy to participate in such an event.

If anyone is interested in following Tom and I live during the race, you can. Click here and fill in the blanks with this info and you can receive free text messages or emails every 10K of the race and see how we are doing.

Tom: Bib number: 4280 Date of Birth: 01/11/1977
Elizabeth: Bib number: 15571 Date of Birth: 12/10/1978

Wish us luck.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

2009-04-09T10:35:00.005-06:00

A delicious twist on an American classic. This is great hot, for dinner or cold, for a picnic.

The recipe came from Bon Appetit. I love the addition of the curry powder. There was just a hint of it in the finished product. The original recipe served the fried chicken over a yummy, simple salad. I didn't make the salad this time, but I will next.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
From Bon Appetit

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons curry powder
3 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
12 pieces of chicken, drumsticks and thighs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons chili powder

Mix buttermilk, curry powder, 3 teaspoons salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat. Cover; chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from refrigerator. Line 2 baking sheets with paper towels. Mix flour, chili powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in shallow dish.

Add enough canola oil to 12-inch skillet to reach depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over medium-high heat to 375°F. Remove 6 chicken pieces from buttermilk mixture. Dip in flour mixture and turn to coat; shake off excess. Add chicken, skin side down, to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook until brown, about 12 minutes. Turn chicken over. Cook uncovered until cooked through, about 10 minutes for legs and thighs; transfer to paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken.

The original recipe called for breasts as well, but I only had legs and thighs on hand (plus they are cheaper).

This chicken is full of flavor and just falls off the bone. Make sure you have big napkins handy. And it is great served with roasted cauliflower.

Roasted Cauliflower

2009-04-09T10:19:00.003-06:00

Simple, yet divine (I really need a new descriptive word). Tom, who doesn't even like cauliflower, devoured this and even had seconds. Porter, who loves cauliflower, had thirds. My only regret, was I only made one head of the stuff. Next time, I will have to make more.

I added carrots to it because I had a few in the fridge. They added some fun color and texture.

Roasted Cauliflower
adapted from epicurious.com

1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
4 carrots, peeled and cut into two-inch pieces
2-4 T olive oil
2 t kosher salt
1 t black pepper

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and toss to coat. Place in single layer on rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 25-35 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. Stir occasionally.

Apple Brown Betty

2009-03-30T11:00:00.000-06:00

This is the last of my desserts, I will post a couple of yummy savory dishes soon.

I tried Pioneer Woman's Apple Brown Betty. She claims it is "sweet, light and yummy." She is right 2 out of the 3. It is very sweet and very yummy, but it is not light. It kind of has that over- sweetness it makes you a bit dizzy feel of her Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. It is easy to make. As long as you have apples, you'll have what it takes to make it. And we can rationalize that it is somewhat good for you because it is made with fresh apples and whole wheat bread.

I think when I made it, I used more apples and more water. But other than that, I just followed her recipe.

Ironman St. George

2009-03-25T21:42:00.005-06:00

It is official Ironman announced that the newest full Ironman event will be held in none other than my little town. How awesome is that?!?

May 1, 2010 will be the day that many crazies will gather in my town to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles, all at once. Oh, how I dream to be one of those crazies.

However there are a few factors that may prevent me from being one, at least in 2010.

The race costs $550. That is insane. But it does make me feel better about spending $110 on lesser tris now that I know what they can cost.
How could I train for such an event? I have three little kids who can not take care of themselves. Training for a marathon is hard enough but add the other two portions, and I don't know where I could find the time, at least until my kids can care for themselves for hours on end.
Is it possible to complete such an event? I have completed both a 100-mile bike ride and a marathon on their own and was so exhausted after each, I can't imagine doing both in a row.

Here is why I dream of participating in an Ironman and more specifically, Ironman St George:

Bragging rights. Let's be honest, the Ironman is the ultimate in endurance events. To complete one would give me every right to brag for the rest of my life.
No travel costs. If I travelled anywhere to do any race the cost would start approaching $550 very quickly. Boston is costing us more than that when all is said and done (well, maybe not because Tom's parents are joining us and paying for the hotel). But really many of the races we travel to, cost alot because of travel and lodging. If I raced in my home town, I am saving all that money.
I know the course. This is where I train. I know most of the course already, and what I don't know I would definitley train on before the race.
Race with the best. I race with some great athletes, but I am sure I could rub shoulders or be trampled in the water by many greater athletes.
Surprisingly, the swim would be the least of my worries. I am a terribly slow swimmer, but I have learned to swim without getting tired. I can swim a mile with little training and not be exhausted afterward. I would just be the last out of the water. When I used to dream of completing an Ironman, it was always the swim that scared me the most. I think with some training and a great wet suit, I could get through a 2.4-mile swim and be able to complete the 112-mile bike. The question is could I run 26.2 miles after?
I need a new obsession. Boston will be over in less than a month. I need something new to obsess over and facebook about and blog about and just drive everyone crazy with my talk.

So even if i don't do it 2010, I will complete an Ironman Triathlon in my life. That is my new goal. It would be awesome to do St. George, but whereever it is, I will do one. It might not be for 10 years, but who knows maybe 2011 will be the year.

Who wants to join me?

Caramelized Apple-Pecan Pie

2009-03-23T15:10:00.006-06:00

This pie was divine!! I made it first for Thanksgiving. I don't think it was fully appreciated because there were about 10 different varieties of pie present. But I loved it, so I tried it again with pecans from my brother's tree and it did not disappoint.

Alterations to the recipe included:

store bought crust
Not brushing crust with egg white
I used whatever apples I had, I don't think they were fuji or pippen.

They great thing about this pie is that it isn't quite as sweet as pecan pie, although it is very sweet, just a tad less than your standard pecan pie. The apples add a great flavor and texture, contrasting the crunch and nuttiness of the pecans. The house smells wonderful while you are preparing it, especially as the apples are caramelizing. I like using my cast iron skillet for the apples. It makes me feel kind of rustic and like I could have made this pie no matter what era I live in. And I love that it was inexpensive since I used free pecans. Pecans can be costly so living in Hurricane isn't all bad.

Meyer Lemon Souffle Cakes

2009-03-23T15:05:00.003-06:00

I have tried a few recipes recently. So, I will be posting a bit over the next few days. Hopefully you will enjoy some of them.

I thought the Meyer Lemon Souffle Cakes from February's Bon Appetit were delicious.

The recipe was pretty simple. The flavor was uncomplicated and refreshing. I will have to try these again. I loved the texture of the souffle, and I loved the smooth tartness the creme fraiche added to the sweet tartness of the souffle.

I made two alterations to the recipe : I used regular lemon juice and in place of creme faiche, I used sour cream mixed with a bit of whipping cream.

Enjoy and let me know if you try it out.

Lake to Lake Race Report

2009-03-10T14:37:00.003-06:00

Go to www.ourroadtoboston.blogspot.com for a full race report of the most awesome race ever. Hopefully, Tom will post his soon.

Btw, don't I have the most awesome running gait ever. Look at that back leg. how do I do it?

A Trendy Spot for Good Eats

2009-02-26T11:04:00.006-07:00

Tom and I deciced to use our Dixie Direct card of V-Day for a good deal and discovered a great cafe.

25 Main (located at 25 N. Main in St. George)

Great paninis, salads, pastas, and of course, cupcakes. But the cafe is more than great food. The trendy atmosphere makes it that much better. The cafe is chocolate brown and teal themed. Fun retro plates, cute tables and chairs, even the lamp shades were rad with keys glued on the inside. The display front had the funnest flannel cupcakes on cake stands and gorgeous photos of delicious cakes.

But no matter how cute the place is, I won't go back unless they have good food.

I ordered the Turkey-Artichoke Panini. The roasted sweet onions were a wonderful, flavorful addition. Tom ordered the Fettucine Alfredo and added chicken. The chicken was unnecessary and a bit dry, but the pasta was great. Unfortunately, I think they were busier than they expected to be and the 7 promised varieties of cupcakes were lucky to be one variety at a time. Tom tried the peanut butter an it wasn't great. I had the vanilla-strawberry. The strawberry frosting was awesome. I could eat a bowl full of just the frosting. The cupcakes were still hot so I looked forward to our next visit to try their cupcakes at their best.

We didn't wait long. Tom's parents came down for the Russian National Ballet's perforrmace of Sleeping Beauty and we got to go again. This time I enjoyed the White Pizza. Divine. You can tell the sauce was homemade and just had great creamy flavor and texture. The crust was thin and perfect. Shanna enjoyed the Pesto Pasta with chicken. Lots of flavor-packed pesto. Tom had the Ceaser Salad. Simple and classic.

The highlight of the evening for me was the cupcake. I was the only one who ordered one and I could have eaten six. Orange Blossom. The cupcake was moist and dense. The frosting was obscenely good. I am salivating just thinking about it. I haven't had many artisan cupcakes, but if this is what the cupcake movement is all about, count me in.

Here is the cupcake schedule:

In the future, I want to try the Salmon Pesto pasta and the Dolce Vita panini. And maybe I will take some pictures, because you really need to see it to understand how inviting and fun the little cafe is.

Anyone else been? Where do you think the best cupcakes are?

Dam 2 Dam Race

2009-02-17T10:46:00.004-07:00

Tom and I ran the Dam 2 Dam 5-mile race last weekend. We had tons of fun, always. Click here for our full race reports. Tom even wrote one. Click here for an article and video about the race.

Our next race is the Lake to Lake Relay on March 7.

The Valentine Scurry

2009-02-12T13:33:00.002-07:00

Valentine's celebrations are tomorrow and what have I done? Nothing. Now, it is raining, I don't feel like spending money on silly valentines and we need to get cracking. I guess I will just copy what we did last year and luckily, Yogos were on clearance at Costco recently and I have probably 100 + packages.

Tom and I get to spend Valentine's morning doing what we love the most: running a race. We get to do the Dam 2 Dam 5-miler. Hopefully my valentine can win the thing and I can cross the finish line less than 10 minutes behind him.

Here's to the day of Love.

Melt in Your Mouth Brownie Pudding

2009-01-26T14:16:00.006-07:00

One of Tom's favorite desserts from his childhood is now one of our favorites. I haven't made it for a while and forgot how good it was. We definitely need to make it more often.

It is a miracle of baking. Decadent, moist brownie baked in a pool of chocolatey heaven. One step, but miraculously two divine desserts.

It is very easy to make and just bakes as you eat your supper.

This is Tom's mom's recipe, I have taken a few tiny liberties and altered the recipe ever so slightly, hopefully to no one's offense.

Brownie Pudding

Brownie
1 c. flour, minus 2 T
4 T unsweetened cocoa
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c milk
1 t vanilla
2 T melted butter

Combine all ingredients and spread in a lightly greased 8 x 8 pan.

Topping
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 t salt

Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter.

Mix 3/4 c hot milk and 3/4 c hot water. Pour over entire mixture. This is what makes the pudding while it bakes. The original is only water, but the milk makes it a little richer, but it is great with just water, too.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or even just straight cream.

Bon Appetit!

Delicious Cornbread Recipe

2009-01-26T13:21:00.004-07:00

Tom made a great cornbread recipe last night for dinner. It came from a fun book my sister-in-law gave me for my birthday.

"The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life" by Jennifer Worick has 50 fun pioneer projects for the modern girl. It is divided into the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, the parlor, and the barn and beyond.

The cornbread was the first thing we have tried and it was a winner. Basic, but delicious. To be honest, I don't think I have ever made cornbread from scratch before. But this one wasn't too crumbly, nor too sweet, it was just right.

Skillet Corn Bread

2 T bacon grease
1 c yellow cornmeal
2 t sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/3 c boiling water
3/4 c buttermilk
1/8 - 1/4 c honey
1 egg, beaten
1 jalapeno, optional

Preheat oven to 450. Place grease in 12-inch cast iron skillet and place in oven until very hot. In a small bowl, combine 2/3 c cornmeal with the sugar, salt, powder and soda. set aside. Place remaining cornmeal in a medium bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir together until blended and stiff. Slowly whisk buttermilk (I used milk and vinegar) and honey into the cornmeal/water mixture, whisking until smooth. whisk in egg and fold in jalapeno. (We omitted jalapeno because we have wimpy kids, but next time we want to try it).
Fold dry ingredients into the wet until combined. Remove skillet from oven pour batter in while tilting skillet away from you. Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden on the edges and firm to the touch in center. Flip immediately onto cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes.

What makes this cornbread so divine are the edges, all crispy from the bacon grease. Next time we want to add some cream corn as well.

New Running Blog

2009-01-24T19:03:00.002-07:00

Since Tom and I have become pretty obsessed with running and training for the Boston Marathon, we decided to start a new blog devoted to our training. That way, those who really don't care how our last race, won't have to suffer through the boring details. But for those who are interested in what we are doing in preparation for the Boston Marathon, visit our new blog.

www.ourroadtoboston.blogspot .com is a blog devoted to our training and races. We are doing it mostly for our own benefit, but if anyone has interest, they are welcome to visit anytime. We plan to update it weekly with our training for the week. And the new blog will be where we post our race reports from now on. And Tom ahs even committed to posting on it.

We are super excited to be going to Boston and really need to pick up our training a bit. Hopefully the blog will help motivate us a little more.