Our Canadian Family

I opened my messages late last week and there it was:

"Becca, we're getting in the car next week and just driving.  We think West Virginia sounds good!"

Darren and Lesley came to see us!  The timing could NOT have been better.  I had such an awful week with all the home repair stuff.  I NEEDED this!

They arrived late on Wednesday night and stayed until Saturday morning.  We went to the gym, ate omelets, Fran and Darren bonded, we toured the Capitol, ate lots of steak, watched movies and just had a really nice time visiting and laughing together!  It was really just what I needed to boost my spirits!  They may swing back by on their way home from Mississippi later this week.  And then DeAnn and her kids come next week!  Yay!

It was really cool to explore Charleston a little.  I seriously fall more and more in love with this place with each passing week.  It's so beautiful, calm, quaint and feels like home.  I cannot believe that after all we went through, we were so blessed to end up here!  

October Life, Part 2

Pretty much a repeat post from two weeks ago.  Still no job, enjoying pumpkin patches, running and trying to increase my spirituality.  My dad and I attended the Provo Temple together last week.  I needed that!  I haven't been to that temple since I've been married, so it was nice to go there again.

Cam and Nate ran the Salem Witches 5K on Saturday.  My dad went and ran with them.  They did great!  Cam told me he wants to run a half marathon with me one day.  I am so excited that he loves running!

I ran the Howloween Half marathon on Saturday night.  I've decided that I will NEVER do a night race again!  They are terrible!  I just prefer mornings.  But I ran with Shaylee, and we helped each other finish.  Our time wasn't great, but I told her I wasn't going to leave her behind.  There was this sweet deaf man who we kept seeing along the course.  Whenever he would see us, he'd give us a thumbs up, to "check in" that he was doing well.  Shaylee signed with him afterwards, and turns out he was all alone.  No one to cheer him on.  I'm so grateful we could be his support.  Sometimes races have NOTHING to do with yourself.  Sometimes you are meant to be there for someone else.  I am grateful I could do that for Shaylee and this nice man because I can't even count how many times someone has been there for me. When he finished, he came up and thanked us and wanted a picture.  Made my night!!!

I also spent some time with Cathy this week.  We always laugh when we get together because we have 8 kids between us and it's just nuts.  I love this girl.  She is a blessing in my life right now!!

AF Canyon Run

On Saturday, I met up with Cathy, Hilary and Robert Merriman for a run down American Fork canyon.  It ended up being one of the best runs I've ever done!  So fun, and best of all, I felt strong and fast (ish).  :)

We drove in Hilary's car to the top.  It was a GORGEOUS view.  I couldn't believe I'd never been up there before.  I'm so in love with Utah.  And watch, we'll probably leave now....

We averaged a 9;15 pace for 8 miles.  Wow!  That's SO NOT normal for me.  And I felt good!  Granted, it was all downhill, but I remember when I couldn't hold a 10:00 pace downhill.  Progress!  Robert and Hilary were good running partners for Cathy and me.  They are a tad faster than us, so it was a good push for us.  It was a really fun group.  I hope we can run together again soon!

When we got back to the mouth of the canyon, we had left a batch of cinnamon rolls that Cathy had made in Robert's car.  They were divine!  Hit the spot perfectly!  And we had no utensils or napkins, so we were somewhat barbaric as we dug in.  Even using RM's knife to cut them, ha!

I'm so grateful for my running family.  These people have been a big part of my life for the past year, and I love each one of them so much!  Hilary and Cathy are like sisters to me, and well, you all know how I adore Mr. Robert Merriman.

Trail run in the DARK

We move next week!  Crazy.  Been packing up and selling things.  I am excited to live with less stuff and clutter, for as long as that lasts anyway!

Allie went to a birthday party this week, and it was a Frozen party, so they made snow out of cornstarch and shaving cream.  That's one brave parent!  Well, she brought some home, and Claire ended up playing with it for over two hours!  Easy entertainment right there!  Luckily it's a cinch to clean up!

So I decided to hire a fitness consultant for the next 12 weeks to help me lose a few lb and tone up.  I signed up on Saturday and have already lost 2 lb!  He just holds me accountable to my plan of eating less and moving more.  I love it.  I am learning how to control portions, and I can't believe what a difference that makes!  Feeling good!  We start FaceTime workouts next week.

Last night I took Missy and Megan on their first trail run up Pipeline Trail in Millcreek Canyon.  Janet came with us, which of course made me happy!  I was SO excited to show Missy and Megan one of my favorite trails!  BUT....I'm kind of stupid and we started too late in the evening and had to walk back in the DARK!  Luckily we had our phones to help us see!  But before it got dark, we had amazing views and the fall colors were so gorgeous!  And of course, great company!

Proof of how DARK it was!  I was holding my phone over us while Janet took the picture.  I felt so bad!  I'll have to take them on another trail run where we plan a little better!  

Life Update (LONG post!)

Okay.  I have been slacking on my blog, and I don't like that!  This is my family journal, and I need to do better.  I'm going to try and sit down every evening and write down our day.  That's the goal.

So here's a quick recap of what I haven't blogged lately.

1.  The kids are doing great in school!  Cam had a field trip to Silver Lake yesterday and said it was a blast.  He's learning multiplication and division, and it feels like yesterday he was in Kindergarten learning addition!  Roo is loving Kindergarten.  I love her little homework worksheets.  She LOVES riding the bus, and I'm sad that the chances of the kids riding a bus wherever we move to are pretty slim.  Bear and I always have fun at home together.  She misses the older kids, but I'm loving have that time with her.

2. Still no job.  Trust me, you'll know when we get one.  He's had a few interviews though, and the IHC job is still in the running.  Our official move-out date is September 27, so the plan is to move to Salem if nothing else happens by then.  Sigh.

3. I have started a new workout program and clean eating, so be ready for that update each day.  I LOVE it!  The goal is to workout an hour a day, NOT counting running.  I alternate arm/ab day with leg day, and I feel so amazing already!

4. Nate did his 2nd Triathlon on Labor Day and rocked it!  SO SO proud of him!  He wants to do a half ironman next.  Woot!  Such a stud.  And hot, might I add...

5. Yesterday, I met up with my friend, Cindy, at City Creek for lunch.  She is part of our running group, but we had never met, since she lives in Southern California.  She came to Utah to run Big Cottonwood this weekend.  It was such a treat to meet her.  We walked over to Temple Square, since she'd never seen that before.  I hope she had a nice time and felt something special there.

6. My awesome running friend, Ty, invited our family and Joshua over for dinner last Sunday.  It was SO MUCH FUN.  We seriously laughed for like 3 hours straight.  I don't think I've seen Nate laugh so much!  Also, I got to snuggle baby Ginny.

7.. Nate is HOT.  That's all.