A Lesson From Italy

My son, Jared, has always been a slow eater. When he was a toddler the doctors were worried because he stopped gaining weight. We finally realized that we were taking him out of his high chair too soon and if we let him sit there for an hour or so he would eventually get full. The other day I was trying to hurry him through dinner so that we could get on with the ten other things that needed to be done that night and my husband said, "Let him be a little more Italian." If you have been to Italy you know exactly what he meant but if not let me tell you about our first day in Italy.

We arrived in Venice in the afternoon and then had the adventure of finding our way to the island by public transit and then spent an hour wandering the streets lost before finally stumbling on the small alley where our hotel was located. We were feeling extremely jet lagged but decided to try to stay awake until night. We went to the restaurant below our hotel and had some delicious Italian pizza. (American pizza will never taste the same again!) We had the restaurant to ourselves since it was between meal times. When we were done eating we expected the waiter to bring us our bill but we waited, and waited... We were anxious to get out and see some of the sights not to mention we thought we might fall asleep if we sat any longer. He certainly wasn't busy and was right in sight so he knew we were finished. We finally had to get up and ask for our bill. This seemed strange enough but was repeated every time we went to eat. After a few days we realized that when Italians go out to eat they don't just quickly eat their meal and leave. They stay for the whole evening and enjoy their food and the company they are with. No one would ever think of asking you to leave the table. This was a little frustrating when we were trying to get a quick bite to eat before heading to the next attraction but we really enjoyed it when we found a scenic restaurant and when we met up with my family in Rome.

So my goal for now is to be a little more Italian and find time to enjoy life and the people I'm with. The only problem is that Italians are also notoriously late and I hate being late! Now if I can just find the right balance...

Family Pictures

We were way overdue for a family picture so we had some taken last weekend. I have been waiting all year to have pictures taken with the fall leaves. We had scheduled it a couple months in advance and I was worried because most of the leaves still hadn't changed last weekend. It didn't feel much like fall either with temperatures still in the 70s. Our photographer found a great place down by the Ogden River that was pretty though. The kids loved catching the grasshoppers (and I include Jason in the term "kids"- he even liked making me scream by putting them on my shirt!)

The river was a great location for the kids. I'm just glad Jason wasn't trying to fish! There were huge rocks that were a perfect for throwing in the river. It took a lot of self control on the kids part to wait until the pictures were done to throw the rocks. Unfortunately after they had all splashed mud and water all over themselves the photographer realized some of the pictures had been lost and had to retake some!

Pumpkin Patch

Kaitlyn's preschool class went on a field trip thismorning to a pumpkin patch. They went to the same pumpkin patch last year and there is a man that dresses up with a pumpkin head. I wasn't able to go with her last year but when her teacher dropped her off afterwards she said she was terrified of the pumpkin man to the point of tears. She hadn't forgotten about him and was nervous about going back. She kept asking me if I was going with her this time. She stayed pretty close to me when we first got there and kept her distance from the pumpkin man when he appeared. I kept reminding her that she didn't need to be scared because she knew it was just a man in there. She warmed up to him though and even agreed to get her picture taken next to him before we left! (She passed on wearing the pumpkin head herself though, but I think I would have too! - It was a real pumpkin!) At dinner she told her dad that she was very brave today.

Scouts, Fishing and Field Trip

Jared went to his first den meeting for cub scouts this week. He had the biggest grin plastered on his face the entire afternoon! He was so excited to put on his uniform when he came home from school. When I picked him up after scouts his first question was when did he get to go again! He was thrilled when I told him he gets to go every week.

My Scouts!

I went with Jared's class to his field trip at the Ogden Nature Center. They had a great time catching bugs and playing hide and seek in the field. We had the perfect fall afternoon and you can see how excited Jared was to catch the only praying mantis.

Jared went fishing with Jason on the Weber River on Saturday. They had a beautiful fall day and even caught three fish. Jared was doing pretty well with fly fishing and only got a few tangles and snags. Jared's request when he got home was for me to post the pictures of him on facebook so he would be famous!

Jared's 8

Jared turned 8 on 10/10/10! Of course that meant we were having cheesecake. A few days before his birthday he told me that it was strange because he was more excited about starting cub scouts and getting baptized than he was about his birthday. He couldn't believe there could be something more exciting than his birthday! He had a lot of fun except for when we launched his rocket that he was scared of! Things I love about Jared: his imagination, his sun bleached hair and dark skin in the summer, he's thoughtful and likes to share with others, and he works hard and doesn't give up on things. Things Jared likes at 8: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Ironman, pizza, football, action figures, cookies and cheesecake. Things Jared doesn't like at 8: getting up in the morning, homework, milk, and getting his hair cut.

18 seconds!

Seconds don't mean anything in a marathon. When people ask me my marathon time I don't even tell them seconds; it's either a 3:11 or a 3:08. A little over a year ago I was at a family reunion and my uncle asked me if I thought I would ever be able to run under three hours in a marathon. I had recently run the Ogden Marathon and tied my PR (personal record) of 3:11. I told him no, 12 minutes was too much time to take off of a marathon but I thought a sub 3:10 was within reach.

It has always been a dream of mine to run the Boston Marathon so last fall after Jason and I had both run qualifying marathons I signed us up for the 2010 Boston Marathon. I had met several runners in the area who were being coached by Paul Pilkington, the Weber State coach and elite distance runner in the '90s, and decided if I wanted to do my best I'd try working with him for a while. I trained harder than I had in years, doing track workouts, tempo runs, and 3 hour distance runs through the cold winter months and it paid off with a PR and top 200 finish on a difficult Boston course. This was enough of an accomplishment but I realized at that point that on the right course in perfect conditions I would have a chance at running a sub 3 hour marathon.

I knew that the St. George Marathon was my chance but was disappointed when Jason and I didn't get picked in the lottery. I trained hard all summer and through persistence I was able to earn a spot in the elite division. I was frequently asked what my goal was and was always careful to respond that I wasn't set on breaking 3 hours, just running my best race.

As race day approached the weather forecast seemed to be working against me with record high temperatures in Southern Utah. At the starting line it was announced that it was the warmest start in the history of the marathon. I ran a conservative first half knowing I would get a lot of steep downhill in the second half. I came through the halfway point at 1:32 and started to think maybe I wouldn't have a shot at under three hours. After several steep downhill miles in the 6:20s I realized that it was still within reach. I was passing a lot of people and getting closer with every mile. With two miles left glycogen depletion and the heat caught up with me as temperatures climbed into the 80s. I turned the corner to the last stretch, looked at my watch and realized it wasn't going to happen. I finished in 3:00:17.

I can't say I'm disappointed even though I missed a sub 3 hr marathon by only 18 seconds and a top 10 finish by 30 seconds. My goal all along was to run the best race I could. I've taken 11 1/2 minutes off my marathon time in the last year and come so close to something I never thought was possible. I have sacrificed a lot to do this: time with my family and friends, countless hours out on the road early in the morning when I would rather be in bed, and a significant amount of money paying my coach, registering for races and buying running gear. My husband and kids have been so supportive of all of this and I could never do it without them. I had the best cheering section in the world (with cowbells and signs) when I was hurting so bad with two miles to go! I've learned a lot the last year but most importantly not to doubt myself. Hard work goes a long way and after all, I'll give it another shot and next time I'll answer yes, I can do it!

Andrew's 11th Birthday

Andrew turned 11 yesterday. He was born on conference Sunday and we enjoyed a relaxing day at home watching conference. We had a party with Jason's family and even got to enjoy one last summer-like day outside! He got lots of books and his only request-real walkie talkies.

Here are just a few things I love about Andrew: his excitement about life, his energy (as long as it is going toward something productive!), his smile and dimples (they are still cute at 11), he's smart and a great student, and he's a lot of fun to do things with (running, biking, hiking, skiing, etc.)

Things Andrew likes at 11: being with friends, playing sports, watching football, reading, running, riding his bike, school, science, pizza, backpacking with his dad, and visiting his grandparents.

Things Andrew doesn't like at 11: being alone, going to bed, trying new foods, writing and shopping.