Two Peas In A Pod

It's hard to predict how much your children will get along when they are small.  I think most of us secretly hope that they will turn out to be close, but that's not always the case.  Fortunately these two have been the best of friends since the moment Weston would interact with Luke.  Luke is the responsible big brother who is looking out for Weston at all times.

Now, don't get me wrong they are siblings and with that comes fighting from time to time not to mention some tears being shed.  Luckily boys don't hold grudges and are quick to forgive so the tempers tend to cool off pretty fast.

Luke and Weston have are a great team.  They do most things together and do them well.  Just look at these future stock boys shelving water.

While they do get along they do differ on some things.  They both are avid sport fans. I can attest they boys are all boy. They love football, basketball and soccer, however they each have their own favorite team they support and different favorite player.

They both LOVE soccer.  Weston has been spunky from the get go and very aggressive. I think this picture speaks a thousand words.  He is my competitive one and doesn't settle for 2nd best at anything. He also doesn't have any problem telling everyone how "AMAZING" he is at everything he does.  A little conceded?  Perhaps this is the typical "baby" of the family.  Luke on the other hand, needs to warm up with things.  When he plays something he likes to be sure of it, and needs to build his confidence.  The one thing that was frustrating for Doug and I was when Luke started playing soccer he was very passive and timid.  Once it "clicked" and he became confident at doing his position he became determined and very good at it.

Having said all of these things about Weston's personality you can imagine the sadness and disappointment he had when Doug explained he had to wear a brace for 2 weeks.  The sad face doesn't come from pain.  It was because dad told him no playing football at recess.  Apparently Weston is a "key" player at school, according to him that is.  You would have thought it was the end of the world. The x-rays showed his thumb was broken.  How? Not from playing soccer or any other sport, but horsing around in our basement.  It was a sad, sad day for little Weston.

Broken thumb

Luckily we have someone that can get him in to the office and fixed right up in no time at all.

This same day Luke was injured as well.   I received a phone call shortly after soccer practice started.  Luke had collided with another boy on his team which resorted him to dad having to fix him up. Head injuries always look worse than they are.  The blood was pretty nasty.  Thank heavens for derma bond glue!

It's a good thing they have each other because my injured two ended the day cuddled up on the couch. Weston had brought up Luke's blanket (which he has at all times).  They definitely look out for one another and are two peas in a pod.  I am so thankful for their friendship and the love they have for each other.

Plant A Seed

Most of the memories I have as a little girl are blurry.  I do remember highlights thanks to pictures and family reminiscing over such events, but one particular event seems to stand out in my youth life. My baptism.  I was baptized as a young adult at the age of 19 nearly eighteen years ago today.  Most of my memories of this day are from within, or how I felt. I vaguely remember interviewing with my bishop or any of the new member discussions. Many ask how I converted to the church or what brought me to it.  Most of my connections with the church started at a very young age.  I met my dearest, oldest friend Courtney at the age of 9.  I had no idea of her faith and we really didn't discuss much about it.  However, her example of striving to be a good person intrigued me.  She always had a positive outlook on life and had a glow about her.  I always think of Courtney as my first planted seed of the gospel.

Courtney and I 

1984

As I grew older, we ended up going to different elementary and junior high schools, but for the most part would stay in touch now and again. During those years I had different encounters with members of the church and was even invited to girls camp, church, and youth activities.  Some I did attend and even recall going to a youth dance when I was 14. Missionaries were sent to my home time after time.  My family was always polite and would invite then in for a glass of water but nothing ever came of it. In 7th grade I had a friend flat out ask me if I would ever consider being baptized.  I simply shrugged my shoulders and replied, "I don't know, maybe."  At that time I asked my parents if I would be "allowed" too, because lets be honest I wanted to fit in and being Mormon was "cool."  They weren't comfortable with the idea of me being baptized and gently declined the idea of me having any part of it.  I shook it off as really being no big deal, until my sophomore year in high school. Christmas formal was a girls ask guy dance and I desperately wanted to go.  My parents were fine with the idea of going on dates before the age of 16 so I creatively asked one of my close guy friends to the dance.  Unfortunately, another girl beat me to the punch and I was rejected. My second attempt didn't seem to result any better.  I had a particular crush on this guy and knew it was a long shot, but decided to go forth and ask him. Again, he politely declined due to the fact his birthday wasn't until the end of December and he wasn't going to be 16. Hurt, discouraged and broken hearted I walked away feeling sad, but still was determined.  My third attempt ended up having a better success. This boy happily accepted my invitation.  I document this not to feel pitied, but this particular dance in an odd way paved my way for the rest of high school.

Mike Jones, me, Jenny Daley, Gage Randall

 Christmas Formal 1991

Fast forward a year later and the boy that hadn't reached 16 became my date or "boyfriend" for the remainder of my high school years. One Christmas formal dance turned into attending every other dance together until our prom senior year.  It was definitely a roller coaster ride, when I look back and reflect on such events.  I know his parents weren't fond about their only son dating a non-mormon girl.  Despite my high standards, I never seemed to live up to their household standard of being a member of the church. As everyone knows telling a teenager to do something when they are not in favor of it never goes well. It got to the point where his parents forbid him to spend time with me anywhere and everywhere.  Stubborn as we both were, this never seemed to stop us from meeting at friends homes, or even hiding his car in my garage.  My parents were fine with it, it was the other side that didn't agree.  Over time his parents caved a little and I did go to some church functions with their family, which included the San Diego Temple open house.  But, the non-accepting factor of what I felt was not good enough for their son left a bitter taste in my mouth.  I can honestly say that I didn't join the church during these years because of these simple facts. In fact, I distinctly remember making the comment that I would never want to be baptized because of how his family treated me.  However, as we all know the Lord works in mysterious fashions and seems to put people in our path for a reason.  Perhaps this was a time in my life I needed to find out who I was and not just jump the band wagon because being a Mormon was "cool." The Lord wanted me to believe and gain a testimony of my own, not based on others.

Jason Hildebrand,  his date? Steve Milius, Courtney, me and Nate

Prom 1992

What I thought at the time was a curse ended up being a huge blessing in my life. I sent Nate on a mission to Canada, he lasted 2 weeks. He called me from an MTC pay phone expressing his misery and that he was coming home.  I talked for what seemed several minutes trying to talk him out of such a ridiculous thing. I knew he needed to be there, and I wasn't going to be the one holding him back. Not more than 3 days later, he returned back home. Things never were quite the same between us after that.  I felt as though I was under a microscope with his family. It was awkward period.  I am most certain fingers were pointed my way, but I knew it was deep down it wasn't because of me.  We dating on and off for a few months and then parted ways.  All for the better.

That summer was sort of a wake up call for me, I turned 19 that July. I was trying to get involved in different things to keep busy not to mention to move on.  The previous year I had been on the dance line for ASU and decided to go ahead and try out to be a Cardinals cheer leader.  Tryouts were brutal, long, and exhausting. I made it all the way to the final cut (which was 4 weeks long) and don't think it was an accident that I didn't make that final cut. If I did, my life most likely would have been very different. That summer I spent dating different people and realized I wasn't the unworthy non-mormon girl my old boyfriends parents had so vividly painted me as.  I started to feel more of a respected young girl who deserved something better than what I had before.  I started attending church on and off and became more interested, but not enough to meet with the missionaries. Courtney never did push the church and religion was discussed now and again.  I distinctly remember making the comment to her family that I did and or would love to get married in the Mesa temple someday. Courtney's mother's ears perked up immediately and said, "well do you want me to invite the missionaries over?"  Being the age that I was (19 and the boys being 19) I politely said,"no thank you that would be weird having boys teach me the discussions that were my age."  She sensed I was a little freaked out and dropped the subject. Fast forward a few weeks later and Courtney had expressed her excitement that some new Sister Missionaries were now in her ward and she thought it would be great for me to meet them.  Ok, I said, but, just "meet"  she agreed.  The appointments were set the following week, and I walked in feeling a little timid at first and slowly relaxed after their sweet smiling faces greeted me.  The rest is history.  The spirit no more than a few minutes sucked me in and it was so strong.  I remember looking forward to the next 6 discussions with these eager sisters who were so excited to share the gospel. By the 2nd discussion I had set a date to be baptized, September 27, 1994.  Growing up in a LDS community I was familiar to many beliefs and principals, which is probably why the process was so rapid.

Sister Taylor and Sister Berget

Thankfully my parents were in full support of whatever it was I decided to do.  I remember the process being so smooth.  I finished up the discussions, met with a bishop I had been working with and I knew what I was doing was right.  

Me, Fred Woods (Courtney's dad)

The day itself it much of a blur which I am sure most everyone's is.  However, I remember as I stepped into the font feeling such a warm feeling inside of my bosom.  It is a feeling that no one can describe. I was confirmed a member that day and my life has never been the same.  I often think back on my life what led me to actually enter into the waters of baptism as a member of the church. I can't pin point one particular event or person.  Most definitely Courtney planted that first seed and from there I truly believe it is all those whom I came into contact with that left an impression upon me.  I am thankfully for the many examples that led me to the woman I am today.  Reflecting on high school years, I could look at those years as such a waste of time, but really what would that do? Things of the my past made me who I am today.  I am thankful for all of those individuals who befriended me over my life, I think that each person had their own special seed for me, especially my parents.   They are still not members of the church, and may never be, but they have shown me through love and acceptance they respect my decision on becoming who I want to be. I am so grateful for that.   This path has also led me to meeting my eternal companion, having the opportunity to raise four wonderful children and so many other big and small blessings in my life.  I still do make mistakes and often am not the person I wish to be, but that is the beauty of the atonement.  The greatest gift of all.  As I sit and reflect over these past 18 years, I haven't become the scriptorian that several individuals are, my prayers are still not up to par, and I still have a lot of things to over come and work on.  That's okay.  Because I am doing the best I know how.  One thing I do know for certain, is the church is true, Christ lives and I am so thankful for the gospel and knowledge that we have on this earth.

How appropriate to spend the afternoon with my best friend who planted that seed, Courtney. Happy 18th Anniversary to me!

The Gift That Kept Giving

My husband is a rock star, seriously. Not only because he is a great husband, dad, physician, athlete, the list can go on....but because he is a man who makes promises and keeps them whether or not he would like. A few years ago after the running bug hit me I approached him and offered to run a half marathon with him.  He cringed at the thought, and told me he had no interest in even going 6 miles let alone 13.1.  But, after nagging, begging and pleading he agreed to register and run one.  We trained separately due to schedules, and when race day came he ran.  And lets just say, he did it for me.  It was a race that didn't tickle his fancy and he was more than glad to check that off of his bucket list.  Deep down I was secretly hoping that he would get the runners high and actually like it, but running isn't everyones cup of tea.  

Fast forward to Mother's Day this year and after running several half marathons and a couple of fulls I was ready to give another sport a try.  I grew up competitively swimming year round and just recently took up cycling, what better thing to do than a tri?  I did several searches on triathlons and found one not to far from home, in San Diego.  It had several good reviews and the course looked doable.  I mentioned it to Doug, and asked if he wanted to do another race with me.  I saw his wheels spinning at the idea, and he replied with a maybe.  I really didn't want to do the race alone since it was something new and unfamiliar to me.  Mother's Day came and you can guess what I opened, a confirmed registration for the San Diego Classic Triathlon. Not just for me, but Doug too had registered. Most mothers probably would hate this gift, but I found it rather thoughtful and sweet.  He registered us for the Olympic size which consists of a 1500 meter swim, 40K bike ride and 10K run. I was beyond excited, we trained together swimming and biking.  As far as the running portion we both decided it was best we do that on our own.  Doug isn't a big "talker" when he runs, so I knew that I would annoy him to no end. For 12 weeks, a few vacations in between, we managed to pull some training off.  Unfortunately, 3 weeks before the race Doug's work schedule got crazy and he came down with the flu leaving him feeling not fully prepared for race day. But, that didn't mean he would quit, ready or not he was going to finish.

Downtown San Diego

We left our littles behind and headed out on the road to San Diego.  The night before the race we went over to the gas lamp district to eat delicious mexican food at La Puerta.  A gem that we found a couple of years ago.

People watching outside at dinner, fascinating I must say.

Surprisingly, my anxiety levels were nothing compared to the ones I have running marathon races.  Perhaps because I didn't have any sort of expectation other than to finish under 3 hours.

One thing is for certain, you definitely have a lot of stuff when preparing for such an event.  Wetsuit, cap, goggles, towel, tri-shorts, try-shirt, spy belt for your number, cycling shoes, tubes, co2 cartridges (in case of a flat tire), helmet, running shoes, Garmin watch, visor, and then of course food fuel (gels, gu's or cliff bars). Oh, and you can forget iPods, running gloves, or padded shorts.  Triathlons are so different from individual races such as cycling or running.

Doug and I rode 4 miles from our hotel, arriving around 5:30am to set up our stuff. The transition area was obviously new to me, bikes were lined up and we were packed next to each other like sardines. We all looked like a bunch of frogs getting our wetsuits on.  Definitely a new sight for me.  

Over view of area to the left is the transition area (photo courtesy of website)

It's critical if you want to be efficient to set up your equipment in a orderly fashion to grab it and transition as quick as possible. Volunteers came around with sharpie markers to body mark your number on your arm, age on your left leg and either an "o" for olympic or "s" for sprint on the right.  I was 703, 37, and O.  

Once that was done they herded us out of the area to the sandy beach area to prepare for the swim.  Luckily the people such as myself doing the olympic size event started off in waves.  They had us color coded by swim caps and each wave was 2-3 minutes apart. I was navy blue and began my swim at 6:15am.  Doug didn't begin until 6:25am. I feared the swim portion the most since it was my first open water experience. Murky, dark, ocean water just seemed frightening to me, not to mention I had never swam in a wetsuit before.  They called my group over and I set foot in the water.   The water was 74 degrees and with a wetsuit on, it was a perfect temperature. I was a little relieved, but still felt a rush of nausea come over me, knowing I had to swim a mile with hundreds of people around me kicking.  

(photo courtesy website)

Unlike running, you can weave through crowds with a clear vision.  Swimming, you must find a pocket and swim quickly to get to it before someone else claims that open area and it is not easy to see. I however managed to do that and my nerves finally calmed as the cannon went off and I saw paddle boarders/life guards  every several feet to keep everyone safe.  I used them as my land marker and with the buoyancy of the wetsuit I felt like I was gliding in the water.  It wasn't so bad after all. I managed to reach the shoreline around 30 minutes.  

Running up the stairs wasn't as easy as it looked on those videos I watched people online doing, I felt a little dizzy but ripped off my wetsuit and ran over to the transition area to put on my socks, shoes, helmet and grabbed my bike.  I never thought I would be able to manage not drying off before mounting on my bike, but I didn't care.  The bike portion was beautiful.  They had the course set up to ride around the Naval base which is off limit to civilians.  It was a closed course so no cars were allowed.  There was a pretty challenging 1 mile climb (which ended up being two because it was a double loop), but once you reached the top you could fly down.  At one point I looked at my Garmin watch and I was doing 32 miles per hour.   Crazy!

Ironically, my least favorite portion of the race was the running at least until about mile 4.  No one can ever explain to you what your legs feel like after dismounting from a 25 mile ride.  It plain just sucks.  Your legs feel like a thousand pounds and I felt as though I was shuffling like I had never ran before in my life.  The first part of the course they had us run around the USS recruit ship and then up over a rather steep bridge. The loop continued for 3 miles and which took us around through a park and adjacent to the finish line.  Once you ran parallel next to the finish line, the loop began a second time to get you to 6 miles. Mentally this was the toughest part of the race, running right by the finish line and seeing people cross the finish line, despite you having to run another lap.  Once I looped back around I felt a runners high and felt like I could finally run. My legs no longer felt like lead.  I would imagine this would be caused by my long distance endurance marathon training. At any rate, by the time the finish came I had a surge of energy and felt great. I ran in obnoxiously with my arms flying in the air. Yes, now I am hooked and I for see a half ironman in my future.

 Adam did the sprint distance (Doug's business partner), me and Doug

The finish line!

Now, onto the rock star business......Doug not only signed up for the triathlon with me, but trained with me for 12 weeks.  I quote him, "It was the Mother's Day gift that kept giving." I couldn't agree more. He not only knew how much I wanted to do this, but agreed to train and finish it with me. Doug finished the swim and bike portion ahead of me and lost it on the run.  I knew would kill me on the bike portion, but because of the flu that shut him down a few weeks ago he wasn't able to train as much as he wanted on the run.  This just may be another check off of his bucket list items. He didn't love it, although I secretly hoped he would.  I am sure he could do a play by play of his version of the race, but I can say that he quoted: Swim was okay, Bike was AWESOME, Run was Hell.  At any rate, I wanted to thank him for allowing me not only to experience this race, but have him at the finish line with me. I admire him in so many ways, but especially at trying things he wasn't very keen on. I would highly recommend this race to anyone, it was very well organized and had several helpful volunteers.

We spent the rest of the weekend, eating, lounging by the beach and just having a great time.  It makes me realize how much I really enjoy having time with just him and I.  Perhaps I just may have to convert to cycling races in order to keep up with him.  Tour de Tucson century ride may just be our next even together in November, until then....

Results: 

Jenny 2:57:19

Doug: 3:09:11

New Seasons

It's never a proud moment in life when you look back and have regrets on things you may or may not have accomplished.  Or just flat out feel disappointed about something. Life does change and I thing with change there comes new priorities and things we used to love evolves into new obsessions or passions.  Blogging used to be something I was so good at and yet loved as well.  I enjoyed the connection with the people I made while staying home being a mom with my littles. I made sure that I took time out of my day to document the things that was often self talk in my brain or just on my mind.  Now that my children are self sufficient and are all in school I find myself staying home less and less. I don't make it my priority to document our family and truthfully, that has made me sad, not to mention guilty.  Time is so precious in our busy lives, and blogging has definitely taken a back seat and shelved for,.....and entire year! It dawned on my while looking through old photographs on my computer how many adventures we had in the past 6 months alone and not a single documentation of any of it.... Gasp! At this point it is what it is and there is really nothing I can do about past mistakes or regrets.  So I am choosing to move forward the best I can. Each photo really could be a post within itself, but realistically that isn't going to happen.  After all, I am only human. Truth be known I do sense a bit of giddiness as I type in blogger, I really miss it....

At the end of LAST July we broke ground on our back yard.  It was 3 months of pulling out hair, but we survived and I am thrilled with the end result.  We LOVE spending time back there and it beats playing in the dirt and mud.

We rang in the new year with our friends and neighbors.  Set a few goals, mainly to get out of debt, but I have a feeling that will be the new years resolution for a long time.

We decided to throw a huge Super Bowl party with prizes and all.  Lots of good grub, laughs and good friends.  We feel blessed to be surrounded by so many good people.

Jared received the Aaronic priesthood and turned 12.  He now passes the sacrament.  It's a proud mom moment when you see your boy reverently pass the sacrament in church.  We are so proud of Jared!

Dad took him on a father son trip to celebrate his big birthday. Skiing in Utah.

Took the boys up to Sunrise, AZ with Jill and Mitch for the day for snow board and ski lessons

 I tagged along with Doug to the orthopedic conference in San Fransisco, CA.  It was such a blast. We biked, ran the streets of the city and ate delicious food.

 We even managed to hook up with some old dear friends in Walnut Creek, the Wises.

Went to my first political rally to support Mitt Romney.

 Ran a half marathon in March with my first running buddy Tiffany.

Had a big scare with Weston.  He rode home on his bike and had a terrible fall causing a bad concussion.  Luckily his MRI showed no damage and was sent home with a terrible golf ball sized bump on the side of his head.  Lesson learned, wear a helmet!

Spring break was full of excitement, 5 of us (Wahlin's, Hatch's, Mann's, and Braswell's) decided it would be a great idea to rent a beach house for a few days, did I mention there were 17 children (only 5 were girls)?!!  It really was a fun trip filled with rambunctious boys and a trip to Knotts Berry Farm.

Doug met up with us after the beach house to spend the remainder of the week in San Diego,  

we ended with a trip to Disneyland

Doug decided to grow a beard to appear mountain mannish for scout camp.  As you can see it was a success.

 Ogden, UT Marathon I trained with Marisol and Courtney, the course was beautiful.

I ran my 4th marathon.  Of course because I am highly competitive about my time, I didn't get the PR I wanted but it was a great sense of accomplishment to have finished all four under 4 hours.

Here I am with my friend Jill and boot camp instructor, Julie.  I was roped into a bootcamp with my friends, dieted for the first time in my life.  Yes I lost some inches, but walked away not fully wanting to change my horrible eating habits.  I just love crap food too much for me to give it up.  Lame yes, but enjoying life is important too right?? Don't even ask about the costumes....

Taylor has been working super hard on personal progress.  Yes, we are mean parents and won't allow her to get her permit until this task is accomplished.  She spent several hours making her quilt, and it turned our darling.

Weston turned 7 and he is as active as ever.  I can't seem to keep this boy busy enough with all of his energy.  Hmmm I wonder where he gets that from.

Luke received his first official cub scout award and is now a wolf.

Luke also celebrated birthday number 9 this year.  He was lucky enough to spend it in Utah, yes once again.  He reminded me this is the 4th year in a row we were on a road trip for his actual birthday.

 Jared did his first over night basketball camp at BYU for a week

 Taylor did her 2nd year at EFY at BYU and loved it!

For our summer vacation this year we decided to take the plunge and rent a house boat for a week with some good friends from our days in New Orleans.  The Matern's, Dahl's, and us had a great week playing in the sun, eating to our hearts content, and soaking up the beauty around us.  We had a few minor hiccups with the boat, but over all it was a success and we are booked for next summer!

The whole crew

Since we live in Chandler, summer break only lasts for six weeks.  The kids started school this year in the middle of July, which seems so crazy.  Taylor started her sophomore year in high school.

Luke 4th grade, Weston 2nd, and Jared 7th grade.

At the end of July we took a trip to Carlsbad, which happened to be our last hurrah in a mini van.  I know Doug wasn't at all sad to get rid of it, but I have to say I miss the gas mileage and trunk space.

Rode 37 miles Carlsbad to Torrey Pines and back in honor of my birthday.

Claim jumpers for my 37th birthday.

These two continue to be inseparable, I love that they are so close.

 A few weeks ago Jared made the soccer team at his school.  Jared discovered he enjoys soccer and tried it for the first time last year.  And finally my life feels some what caught up or at least I am at the end of any recent photo documentation.  Stay tuned for more soccer reports and Taylor's new adventure in club swim team. It's uncertain when I will actually discipline myself to sit and update. I can't promise a time or date, but I know that I will make a better effort, I am at a new season in life, a good one at that.