June

I love June, it means summer is really here, and it happens to be when TJ and I first started dating, June 3rd to be exact.  I had invited him along with a couple other guys I was interested in and a bunch of other people to a croquet party. I was throwing that weekend.  TJ couldn't come and through a series of intermingling texts, I ended up accepting a dinner date with a guy, and agreeing to meet up with TJ for a concert with some friends that the date and I were going to go to after dinner, I had to decide, ditch my date who I knew really liked me and jump out on a limb for this guy that I didn't know if I had a chance with.
Quickly I asked my date if I could bring a guy along.  He was mad and well as you can imagine he didn't show up for our "date".

After that first time we got together, we went out 3 more times before he left town for that weekend.  He would send me texts and pictures and voice memos.  At my croquet party I had undivided attention from the other two guys I really liked before I met TJ, but I just couldn't get TJ out of my head.

I'll have to back up a bit here though.  I almost didn't go to class that day, I thought going home to take a nap would be a better idea, but than I realized that wasn't like me, well not for religion class anyway.  In the door walked my twinkly eyed husband.  The first time I saw TJ I knew he was for me, I wouldn't really think about it too much except for when I saw him and then I would be mesmerized.  There was one time TJ walked into a large church meeting and my roommates and I were against the back wall in the last row, I couldn't stop starting at him.  My roommates told me that I was obviously staring, to which I said "I'm going to marry him", to which they said, "you said that out loud", but I didn't care.  I didn't think too much more about him.  But the next time I saw him in our class "Teachings of Isaiah" I decided I should at least talk to him, although I had previously resorted to making him come to me.  It was the last week of class, and I had been through so much heartbreak before, I thought, what do I have to loose.  So I used the planned conversation from the first week I saw him, luckily he was wearing his highland rugby sweats again, so I could.  Then I played my cards the best I ever had and said (in a southern accent, not really) "I'm not from around here, and I sure do like to hike, do you know any good hikes" to which he got my phone number.  First and Last time I played my cards so well, I guess I was saving it for the right guy.

That night I went home and told my roommate, "institute boy got my number!"  Then just as I put on my glasses to head to bed, I heard a knock on the door and my vibrant roommate yell "institute boy!" I popped my contacts back in and ran downstairs in my jammies, only to have him ask me on a date for his friend.  My roommate was mortified and worried she had embarrassed me but as previously stated I could handle anything, and honestly I wasn't mad or uncomfortable in the least, so I thought maybe his friend is hot?

We went on a triple date, he had this bubbly blond cheerleader, I thought great they're going to go get married, live a perfect life, good for them!  My date was kind of nerdy, kind of cute, but it didn't go anywhere.  I managed to give TJ "the look" and moved on with my life.

Randomly TJ would call me now and then, I didn't know why, he had the blond bubbly cheerleader.

Finally I went home to visit my mom and run the Boulder Boulder , I decided I was going to join the Air Force, become a pilot and do something exciting with my life if I wasn't going to be a wife and mother like I really wanted to be.  I prayed and told God all my feelings.  I decided I was going to focus on my running and school and not give any guy much of a chance till I was where I wanted to be.  I also decided I was going to move on and not long after that heartbreak that I let obliterate my soul for a year hurt me anymore, always hoping he was going to wake up and realize he wanted me as much as I wanted him.  Just at that moment I got a text, I was certain it was from the one I loved, but it was from TJ, I didn't think much of it, I was in CO, he was in UT, not happening.


So then when I planned my croquet party I almost didn't invite him, I didn't want to be this older lady chasing after this younger guy, but you know what it worked and now look at us. More in love than we've ever been.

Here's an overdose of pics from dating . . .

croquet

4 years later

church activity

TJ meeting the in-laws in Mapleton, UT

playing in the fountains at Gateway on the 4th of July

4th of July Sugarhouse Park

random parade we stopped and watched in Heber, on our way to a reception in Duchane

circa Park City, bishops cabin

my awesome house I lived in, so many good memories

Pumkin Pancakes

the temple at night

Dave Curtis' Cabin

Mt Timp temple, Christina's endowment

TJ ran part of ragnar with me, one of our fist dates

That's our story well the start of our story together.

Whole Milk and 100 miles

Today was wonderful, Hudson woke up and started to chew on me, I said owww, he cried and refused to eat anymore, so I warmed up a bottle of whole milk and walah, happy baby, happy momma.  I forgot to mention how sensitive little Huds is, if he accidentally scratches us (or chews on us) and we say oww, he is mortified.  Anywho I called my pediatrician to double check that it wasn't too early for whole milk and she said it's fine, no more than 24 oz a day, today we did a total of 16 oz. , we brush his teeth, and give him a multi-vitamin.  You may say big deal, but to me this means LET FREEDOM RING!!!!!  I love my son but knowing I can leave him with Yia Yia for my girls trip just sounds like too much fun, I know I'll miss him but I'll be all the better for it when I come back.

Incline from the bottom

Incline from the top 2010

Next on the blogging agenda.  Once upon a time when I was a girl, I heard about the Leadville 100, I thought yep I'll do that someday, along with my goal to beat Matt Carpenter's incline goal, and win the Pikes Peak Ascent.  (For those of you not familiar, the Leadville 100 is an ultra race that goes up and down mountains (no exaggeration) for 100 miles, through cold and rivers, and mud etc, one of the hardest 100's if not the hardest.  The incline is an old railroad track straight up the side of Pikes Peak (a 14er) it has a grade that averages 41% but goes up to 68%.  It's actually "closed" to the public, however apx. 500,000 people a year hike/run it.  It's under negotiations of becoming legit, however a high school friend's mom just went into cardiac arrest and died on it this month, so I'm not sure how that will go.  Here's a deep dark secret of mine too, once I had a boyfriend whose lungs randomly collapsed, both of them at separate times while he was in Hong Kong, on a mission for our church, I remember hiking the incline the day I found out and thinking, I'm not sure I could marry someone who's lungs might collapse, anyway he's a great guy, even a pilot for the Air Force but I couldn't marry a man whose lungs might collapse on the incline, hence why I married TJ, have you seen him lately, hot, tough stuff I've got coming home to me everyday, he puts those bachelor characters to shame)  Anyway, I grew up, moved away from the incline and the ascent and thought running more than 26.2 miles is crazy and stupid.  My bestest friend Joy told me she did a 100 and I said NEVER.  She asked me to be her pacer and I said heck yes!  Guess who's signed up for the Leadville 100?  Not me, but someday I hope to be.  After my knee incident on my last trail marathon, I'm questioning if my body can do it.  But you know what I believe it can.

topo for Leadville 100

In other running news, speed work, don't forget to do it, I was getting slower and slower, putting in miles, after one speed work session my next run was 1 min/mile faster.  Also I'm running a 10 miler on Sat wish me luck, it's a good course that I thrive on, can't wait!

T- 1 month

sleepy boy Grizzly Creek

Self-made Gladiator Man Cuff

mom's turn

Colorado River, circa Grizzly Creek

Grizzly Creek

Pumping Iron

One of my favorite things

With Daddy and the Aspens

"the future is as bright as your faith"- Thomas Monson

me looking 15

that's my boy!

Little Huds turned 11 months today. I want him to grow up and have a normal life but I want him to stay my baby all at the same time. Sometimes I randomly cry realizing he's going to grow up and leave me, other times I think maybe I will finally get some sleep, but I wouldn't trade Hudson for sleep EVER, well unless TJ was with him. Anyway, for his 11 month birthday he slept in till 10 am, 11 months going on 17 years I guess. He measured in at 31" long and about 21 pounds from our rough measuring. He's lost weight but growing straight up. He's not really interested in walking, he tried on his own a couple times and fell and is thoroughly convinced crawling is much more efficient and safer. He does climb up on everything and likes to stand and has great balance but we aren't pushing him to walk. On one of his attempts to stand he grabbed onto a 13 month old and climbed right up him bear hugging him, and was so excited, the 13 moth old was not so excited. He loves people and other kids, seriously the most social being I have yet to know, but what do you expect from TJ and me right? He gives the sweetest smiles, especially to me and will initiate peek-a-boo. He also loves to growl. His vocab doesn't seem to be expanding past dada and growling lately, even though he has said hi and momma in the past. He likes to point at things and move our fingers to point at things in books. He likes to wave when people say hi, and will often wave at people to get their attention. My favorite is when he waves and then cocks his head to the side trying to get someones attention. Hudson has already learned that the grocery store is the place to pick up ladies and we usually can't get through without at least a few oohhs ahhs, cheek pinching, etc. I even had a lady offer to take him home just for a little bit and give me a break. What kind of mother do I look like right? He is a celebrity at church and has had many a 2 year old yell, Hu-son, while pointing to Hudson, their parents not having any idea what their child is saying, till they convince their parents to go to the bathroom and Hudson gets a visit instead. Hudson now has his 4 front teeth they all came in, in less than a month and he didn't seem too bothered. He eats about every 3 hours and can put down quite a bit of food. He LOVES yogurt and puts down a quart a week of plain Greek yogurt. He also loves sweet potatoes, sounds kind of like TJ, yogurt and sweet potatoes hmmm. He's not so interested in cheerios anymore. He loves making loud noises and rolling balls and trucks. He's due for a second hair cut, I'm considering letting him have the shag but don't tell TJ. Today we went and looked at our dream home, it's in the middle of nowhere but it's on 5 acres with a creek and bridge. It was on the market for 1.5 million in 2007 and is down to 450K, it needs some work but it's so dreamy, I have to stop thinking about it and or hope it stays on the market and keeps dropping till we meet a happy medium! It's not showy but it's this little farmhouse that's been revamped, well it's 6 bedrooms but it doesn't seem so big, hopefuly someday we will own it and you can come visit us, I keep telling myself that my happiness doesn't depend on that home but TJ and I call it ours, maybe in the next life right? We are a bit nervous about some of the repairs, no one wants to but the money pit right, and we are pretty sure that's why it is still on the market and dropping 100K every 3 months, give it 6 more months at this rate and it may be ours right? I'm tempted to put a picture but I don't want anyone else to buy it, so until it's ours or sold, you are just going to have to live in suspense, even though I doubt anyone has read this far. Here come some pics.

Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam

This song fondly reminds me of being 11 or 12, I give credit to having two older brothers, I have no idea what the song was/is about, but I love it, so enjoy, and I hope this takes you back to some fond era of your life!

Hudson's first movie

I know, I know you can all judge me, I know babies aren't supposed to watch movies, but can you blame me. I took Hudson to the 5 Point Film Festival in Carbondale a few weeks ago. You should have seen his face, especially during the spinning stars, he really did not know how to process it poor kid and he did loose it, but I stood in the back with him and eventually we watched some of the children's presentation and one on Jane Goodall, although he slept through most of that I think this video is so fun to watch and parts of it are filmed right here where we live, you might have to come visit us to figure out which ones. The entire festival really motivated me and I would guess most in attendance to a) be an environmentalist and conservationist and b) you can do anything so follow your dreams and your heart, ahhh I love it, we so belong here!

 PS Hudson is into doing gross things like licking the trash can and growling at us, ( I should probably lighten up on reading him Where the Wild Things Are he also enjoys watching other kids wrestle and beat each other with foam baseball bats, I feel sorry for the day he realizes these things hurt he's still just as sweet as ever though.

PSS I haven't worn normal people clothes since Sunday and it feels great, it seems I go from pj's to workout clothes to pj's, rough life I know!

 PPSS I may have cried the first few times I watched this video, something about nature and overcoming my self and fears, and following my heart has been healing my soul, I know Jesus is the master healer of our souls but sometimes we (well at least I) need His creations to help scale back the muck out of our lives and rediscover what really matters so He can enter our hearts

PPSSS Did you know I was once a tree hugging free-spirited hippy? I miss that girl! It's true ask my family!

I want Ambien

I realized when taking this picture that I spend more than a third of my life in my PJ's and probably another third in my workout clothes.  I don't think I am going to buy regular clothes for a long time.

It seems that I should have stuck zelously with the missionary schedule of going to bed at 10:30 every night.  However after living the single life and always having something fun to do 10:30 was out the window soon after.  Now I am a sleep deprived mom, I can't sleep when I'm tired or ever more than 6 hour increments.  Granted I really don't notice till someone asks me something that I know I know but it won't come out. 

When Hudson was first born the nurses had to turn off the lights after me being up for something like 48 hours to make me go to sleep, I was just wired, and you know those early months you don't sleep much.  After he started sleeping I started partying all night just to get some time to myself.  Now I am so tempted to get some Ambien and start taking it at 10 every night, wear some ear plugs, Huds sleeps through the night, but TJ wakes up at 4:30 for work and it seems if I happen to sleep through his alarm Hudson wakes up at 5.  I really don't notice it except for when I talk to people I seem rather brain dead and can't pull up facts and things I know quite well.  Also some days my running sucks and I blame it on sheer exhaustion, I usually fall asleep after 11.  Well before I get the Rx I'm going to try and read in bed till 10:30 hopefully I have the self control to close my book.  I'm reading The Host,  I know another book made into a movie, but a friend handed it to me and told me to borrow it, how could I resist!  Plus she moves in June so I gotta get finished I'm only 300 pages into it and I think it's about 700. 

10 months

My baby has been out longer than he has been in!  He's growing into quite the charming, independent, funny little man.  He has two bottom teeth growing every day and his top two look like they might break through any day.  Hudson loves to be apart of everything.  He loves chasing bigger kids around while crawling and growling as well as playing nicely with babies his age. For a while he wanted only solids but after another gag induced throw up episode he will tolerate baby food.  He is addicted to cheerios and water!  I think he goes through at least 2 cups of cheerios a day, if not a cup a meal.  As you can see he likes to throw and roll the ball.  He also likes to stand up and sometimes he doesn't realize he isn't holding on to anything and just stands there, he'll even crouch down and pick things up.  As you can see he also likes to drink water himself although it often ends up everywhere, but we don't really care.   He's integrated in BaBa, Dawooo, and a rare Mama into his vocabulary of mostly dada, ehhhh, and ahhhh.  As of late I've discovered he loves the Beatles and greek olives.  That's my boy, could he be any cooler?