Liz's Aims

I've been feeling a lot like a teenager lately . . .  strange I know, working with the young women at church I'm constantly surrounded in their lives and such, not to mention being mistaken for one of them (not sure that's a good thing).  Plus I'm reading Catching Fire, have had an acne breakout on my neck(gross), and I'm back to my freshman ok maybe sophomore weight from high school (not complaining or trying on that one).  Did I also mention that my vision keeps improving, I think I'm aging backward or something.

Anyway today we wrote down My List, a list of things also known as goals we want to accomplish.

Mine include:
oh wait Hudson decided it was nap time and tried to get comfortable on me while whimpering and laying a big smacker on my lips and I didn't write anything down but here's what I would have written

• having at least one more baby
• running a marathon in 3:30
• use my free time to serve others
• get my masters still in nutrition I think
• hike the Maroon Bells area
• run the Pikes Peak Assent or the Mt Evans Assent maybe both
• buy a home with hubs
• travel the world with hubs
• 5 year anniversary with hubs in Hawaii
• pay for someones groceries
• learn how to play the guitar
• get a nice camera
• sew the ideas in my head
• do a triathlon maybe an Ironman

I told myself I'd go to bed at 10:30 so that's all I'll add for now but I also pulled out my goals from 2007 to compare, here they are:

• bring out the best in everyone, focus on the good for life
• maintain a positive, optomistic, & hope filled attitude and life
• study my scriptures and pray daily for the rest of my life
• learn Greek
• share Christ's gospel always

2007

•  be a steady stable 125
• run a 10K
• act like a daughter of God a Queen in attitude and deed
• offer service daily
• conduct a personal study on covenants in The Book of Mormon
• read Jesus the Christ
• have a schedule

2008

• graduate with my BS
• run a marathon
• straight A's (oops)
• run Pikes Peak Assent
• move far away, do internship for government or UN
• travel to Italy, Sweden, and England
• get married in the temple for eternity

2009

• masters program in Salt Lake (nutrition) which thanks to our now friend I could never get my last pre req but hey it worked for the best see this post
• buy chocolate lab
• buy home
• go snowboarding weekly in winter

Anyway for the most part I feel like I'm doing pretty great, a lot of my goals aren't ones I can ever really cross off because they are life time objectives but it is fun to have ones to cross off, now I need to find my goals from high school, I know I have them somewhere, that should provide some entertainment, I know even though I was super boy crazy it included getting married at 25 which I could have if I wanted to but it was finals so I got married 3 days after my 26th birthday, not bad right?

Osage Gardens

Crossing the Irrigation Ditch to get to the Colorado River

trying yummy flowers that only grow under stress cool right

our pumpkin

Huds really likes eating pumpkin, did you read my last post?

Huds first walking stick

the owner (holding Hudson) of Osage Gardens gave us a tour, turns out Huds also loves raw basil and her daughter helped me find the race course when I got lost a couple weeks ago

Huds likes chickens too

The Patch

Candid Shot

Huds loved the wagon too

I think these dead sunflowers look cool, TJ thinks I'm weird

We decided to try out a pumpkin patch in New Castle on Saturday at Osage Gardens, it's an organic farm in the area that mainly specializes in herbs.  I had met the daughter, Molly of the owner a couple weeks ago at my race she is a fine citizen who just returned from the peace corps and headed to work in DC for the agriculture department, kind of my dream job, well telling people what to eat is.  Anyway I was way ahead of her in the race till I got lost and looped around twice and then she was the guiding light to get me back on course, we ran together for a while till I was motivated to retake my lead.  Anyway we had talked before the race and just so happens they have a pumpkin patch and we just so happened to decide to go pick a pumpkin this weekend, it was a great experience and we learned about plants that only flower under less than ideal circumstances (kind of like people right?) and than ate them, we also learned about organic farming and that Hudson loves fresh basil.  We might have to keep more of that around for him so he gets his greens!

15 going on 16 months

This little dude is GROWING! He's still rocking the 98% for everything but weight, where he is in the 80th. He's getting streaks of independence and loves to open the fridge and choose what he wants to eat. His latest fave is plain pumpkin, no sugar or seasoning just plain-o pumpkin puree, kind of like his dad. He loves cars and balls. We were at a friends home on a golf course and he kept gathering and gathering golf balls even though he kept dropping them, if there is a ball in a 100 yard radius Huds will find it! He loves hugging, one of my favorite things to do is leave so that when I get home I get a big hug. He really isn't much for talking yet but understands a lot and and knows who Jesus is so we're ok with that.  I think he's up to hi, Jesus, ohh (dog), dada, momma, all (ball), and a few others, he imitates us well but I'm not always the best at picking up what he's saying.

He's still a favorite among the kiddos especially the little ladies and if I'm anywhere without Hudson, the ladies ask all about him.  Case in point Huds napped through church today.  I had a 3 year old ask me for a full hour where Hudson was followed by about 5 others where's Hudson all from ages 11 and under.  He was also napping when we arrived at a bonfire today and I turned around and there were 6 little girls all looking in the windows and opening the doors waiting for Hudson to wake up.  It's hard to have a bad day with this guy around and to me 17 years left with this kid seems like far too short of a time, but ask me that again when he's 16 years old and I'll let you know how I feel.

Glorious Autumn Monday

Monday morning was going to be a lazy day at home when my friend Natalie invited me to a Corn Maze. We couldn't say no to such Autumn revelry, so here you have it. It was absolutely beautiful and educational and no chainsaw kids (those kids freak me out!) We made it through, we may have made our own path a couple times but it was totally worth it! Each turn had a question about health/food/agriculture etc depending on the answer you chose which way to go.   It was nestled next to the mountains kind of like everything here is.  Unfortuantely my camera died so this is all I got pic wise.

 Did I ever tell you about the time I talked TJ into going to the Haunted Village at This is the Place Monument? Well one time when I was just barely pregnant a friend of mine who was a hostess up there gave me free tickets. I thought how scary can it be? Before we walk into the first building a sign says no hurting the staff members. We walk in and scary man is corning me into a wall, I want to deck him or kick him where it counts but I can't. So I run out the door where I hyperventilate and start running around the building where I'm not supposed to be, a creepy dressed woman/girl breaks character and says it isn't so bad, whatever, I think let me out of here before I claw your eyes out, and that was it, I'm done with scary haunted anything.

Up to Date!

Sunday my little man

My men!

Huds saw the kids shoveling leaves into piles so he dragged a shovel out of the foyer

Anyone else love when little kids comment on their outfit/grooming.  For example today we were sitting by one of Hudson's friends at church, she is 3 and quite perceptive.  She pointed at my red lips puzzled and said to her dad "what happened to Hudson's mom's lips" I quickly offered her some lipstick to which she declined.  It reminded me of a few years ago when I wore glasses to church and a fiery red head who was also about 3 was like to sum it up, why, why would you wear those, terrible idea.  Then there is the opposite of the spectrum when you wear big pearls and ruffles and all of a sudden you must be a glamorous princess.  Can't please everyone all the time I guess especially in the 2-5 year old age range.

My week in Review

Huds hasn't touched a binky in months

Red Mountain 6 at 6am with the Lions and Bears

D

Storytime on the Bus

Huds has been stacking things to climb on a lot lately

how many balls can you carry at once?

Daddy's shoes

this is a new one

Lots of time watching these kids, they have too much fun together!

Glenwood Shuffle AKA The First Race I Got Lost On

The hill right before finish line from the top

Here I Come!

I got 2nd in my division

This guy's smile always gets me to the finish line!

So I set a PR (Personal Record)for my half marathon last Saturday, I hadn't run a road half in a couple years so I decided I had to get one in this season.  I started out with the front of the pack, there was one other lady and 4 guys.  I felt like I could even pass those guys in the beginning.  Then my GPS starts to inform me I'm running a 6 minute mile awesome, so I try to pace myself even though I'm not feeling winded or strained.  I finally slowed down to a 7:30 min/mile and than an 8 min/mile which is what I was expecting.  I played passing games with some other people for a while.  Then the next thing I know I'm running up Grizzly Creek, and I know Grizzly Creek does not take me to No Name, I yell at an Asian tourist, "WHERE IS THE RACE?" he tosses his hands in the air, this is bad! 
First of all this is Glenwood Canyon, this is a bike path, how did I get lost on a bike path next to the river?  (You should also know Glenwood Canyon is one of my favorite places in the world, always has been, always will be)  So I start heading back I see two runners and think oh I'm heading the right way and start booking it again, I turn around to be sure and they are gone, so I loop back through a parking lot around a bridge and see another runner and run with her and see the turn I missed.  (The 3rd place runner also got lost in the same spot).  I yell at the aid station "YOU NEED TO HAVE SOMEONE BACK THERE I GOT LOST!!!)  and try to make up for lost time.  There was only 2 miles to go and I had a 1/4 mile to make up, it didn't happen.  Thankfully my GPS told me my half time and I added 30 seconds for the hill at the end.  Which makes it 1:49:30.  I know I can go faster, so tempted to do another half.

Apple Orchard

Highlights of our trip:

• "That boys got a set of peepers!"
• Hudson wanting to pick his first apple and than immeadetly sit down and eat it
• Hudson crying when we left behind the apple picking lacross stick
• Loosing a $10 bill in the orchard and than finding it after saying a little prayer in my mind, it was a big orchard and on the complete other side!
• Fresh apple cider mmm, should have bought a whole jug!