Big Snort!

Last weekend my Dad had the crane at his house to help put in his new driveway.  And Gabe loves cranes.  He calls them "Big Snorts" and goes crazy when he sees them.  So after all was said and done Grandpa let Gabe sit in the top cab and "run" the crane.  Gabe got to pull some of the levers and push some of the pedals.  He loved it so much!  So a BIG thanks to Grandpa Chad for letting Gabe in on the fun.  Much love!

My Journey Begins

I have been the way I am since I was in the 3rd grade. I have always been big. I know it and I am not so blind to know that everyone who sees me doesn’t see it too. I have tried off and on for the past 16 years or so to change but have never had success.

I don’t mind so much the way I look but I do mind that I am not as healthy as I could be. I HATE to exercise. I really hate it! My husband remarked recently that it isn’t that I eat poorly because he knows the way I eat. I agreed and told him it was because I hate exercising.

But a few years ago I set some goals for myself that I have kept very private-one of these goals is to run a 5k and finish it in a decent amount of time before the age of 30. I see so many of my family members who run and as silly as it seems, I feel left out of the party. Like I show up in costume with snacks and am not allowed in the door. And I have decided that I really do want in this time.

I have started a running program that is what Ryan calls “Interval Training” and I am, so far, committed to achieving my goal. I have set a goal for August to enter into a 5k and cross that finish line in a time I can be proud of. I know this is not going to be simple and I proved that fact to myself last night.

I went out with Ryan on the Jordan River Trail and started my training. I couldn’t jog as much as I wanted because after a little bit, my side felt like it was going to explode. But I did manage to go all 30 minutes of the program and got in about….1 ½ miles. I know this distance is nothing for most of you but for me, it was the Grand Canyon.

I cried and they were not tears of joy. I was not happy with my performance last night at all. I felt like I had failed myself and told Ryan I didn’t want to do anymore. But then he said something to me that stuck. He said, “I don’t know what to say to make you feel better Rach but a quote keeps coming to mind right now. It says: The journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step.” And then he grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.

He is right. This journey may seem so far away for me, but it began last night with my very first step. 1.5 miles down…998.5 miles to go.

Baby Face

When he is throwing shoes at me and demanding that I "HEEELLLLPPP" him, I have to take a step back and look at pictures like this. He is growing up so fast but at times, I still see my precious baby boy. But then I made the mistake of taking my eyes off the target and get a french fry up my nose. Ahhh...motherhood. Much love to you all!

Give Me Liberty

A couple weekends ago we spent the first decent Saturday we’ve had this year at Liberty Park. The kids played at the playground and ran up and down the many sidewalks. Ryan and I tried to keep up with them and also enjoyed watching the groups of people who were beating each other with foam swords. (Side note: Ryan spent a lot of time trying to explain to me why these people aren’t as bad as the people who play D&D. WASTE OF HIS TIME!)

We also took a loaf stale bread down to the pond and fed the ducks and geese. Well, we tried to feed them but the seagulls kept swooping in and eating the bread before the ducks could get to it. Dumb state bird.

After the park we went to dinner and Gabe had a great time sitting next to Becca and eating oranges. Becca teaches the kids such lovely things!

I have been having a really difficult time recently in my personal life and I find that I often get wrapped up in my emotions and forget the focus on the important things-mainly my family. I need to remember days like this and be happy. I need to remember that it gets better. So I hope you will all forgive me if I haven’t been keeping up on my posts. I am making the commitment to myself to try to blog more because it helps me remember all the reasons I have to smile. Much love to you all!

Not a Marine Biologist...Yet

You may be wondering why I have taken a picture of Gabe eating his Gogurt and watching his morning cartoon. It is because of the stuffed whale sitting in his lap. This is a toy that was given to Gabe and he has not shown any interest in it until recently. I believe it is supposed to be a North Atlantic Right Whale and if you squeeze him he makes a whale noise.

Gabe calls it a dolphin and has named him “Legs.” Yes…Legs. Does anyone else see the irony in naming a whale Legs?

Lately he is constantly asking, “Where is my dolphin?” anytime we have to leave the house or if he has to go to bed or if he loses sight of that thing for more than a minute. This morning as he was carrying the “dolphin” downstairs he threw it and said, “I threw Legs! Legs in the sky.” I don’t know what it is about this toy but it is his new favorite thing and it is so darn cute.

Much love to you all!