Striders Winter Racing Circuit 2011

I run so many races that I figure it's probably not worth posting about all of them.  The Striders Winter Racing Circuit is a five race series so I figured it deserved a post.  This is by far the toughest series of races I have ever run.  Most race directors are looking for fast PR courses to attract runners.  This one takes the opposite approach.  They pride themselves on having a great training series to get runners ready for spring marathons.  I think they try to throw at us courses so hard that no matter what marathon you are training for it can't be as bad as the training series.  It consists of a 5K, 10K, 10 miler, half marathon, and 30 K all two to three weeks apart.  It goes from February to April so along with the tough courses the weather is usually terrible conditions to run in.  The first three races are run right in my neighborhood, which is convenient.  The only problem is I live in an extremely hilly part of town and all three courses go straight up the hills I usually try to avoid in my training runs.  The 10 miler has a climb of over 900 ft between mile 4 1/2 and 7 (straight up to the top of 36th and 46th streets for those of you familiar with Ogden!)  The last two races are in Ogden Valley so even though they are later in the year, they are at higher elevation and it's still really cold.  Last Saturday when the 30K started it was 25 degrees F.  I hate the courses and they make me feel horrible.  My times (like everyone else) are pathetically slow.  They have even caused me to suffer from a strained calf muscle three years in a row but for some reason I keep running them.  I'm really not sure why.  Maybe I just love pain or maybe it's because Jason's clinic sponsors the races and I'm too practical to turn down the comp spot I've been offered.  There were some amazingly fast runners in this year's series.  Other years I've been able to win some of the races but this year I had to settle for 4th or 5th in most of the races.  It is always a challenge to try to beat my times on the course from previous years (some I did, some I didn't.)  Luckily for me, some of the runners ahead of me missed one of the races.  Since you have to finish all five to be considered for the awards that put me in 2nd place and I even came home with a cash prize.  It wasn't a huge one and considering it was over 6 hours of running combined, not worth the time or effort, but I definitely wasn't going to turn it down.  I'd like to say I'll never run it again but I guess we'll just have to wait until next year and see...

Easter

It was a fun Easter weekend.  We started with a party at our house with Jason's family Saturday afternoon.  We ended up with an indoor picnic since the weather was chilly but were glad the rain held off so we could do an Easter egg hunt outside.

Saturday night we dyed Easter eggs.

Sunday morning the kids woke up bright and early to see what the Easter Bunny had brought.

For breakfast we had our traditional bunny rolls and eggs.

One of the best parts about having a little girl is buying an Easter dress!  Kaitlyn is old enough now that she doesn't let me pick anymore.  This was her choice and she was adorable!

And my boys are pretty handsome when they let me dress them up too!

For family scripture study this week we read about the last week in Jesus' life.  The kids had a hard time understanding why people would want to hurt Jesus.  Frankly, it's not that easy to understand as an adult either but the beauty of Easter is that the tomb was empty on the third day! Jesus lives!  He really did triumph over everything and because of that, we can too!

Science Club

When the new elementary school was opened almost two years ago the PTA wanted to start a science club.  I volunteered to help but ended up being put in charge.  It's been quite a bit of work the last two years making all the arrangements for the monthly meetings but it's been a lot of fun too.  I've taught a few of the meetings but mostly I've relied on guests from the community who are willing to come in and share their expertise with the students.  We've had Weber State professors, the Dinosaur Park, the Ogden Nature Center, and Hogle Zoo come in just to name a few.  Last year several of the physicians in Jason's group came and dissected cow's hearts with the kids.  I've been so grateful for so many people who have been generous donating their time and talents.  Last month we had Scales and Tales of Utah come.  This was one of the few activities we had to pay a fee for but it was worth it.  Kaitlyn enjoys going to science club with the big kids.  I was shocked when she was petting a giant albino python!

Spring Break in Moab

Moab is nature's biggest playground...

for little boys...

and big boys!

I was planning a fun family vacation for spring break this year and was disappointed when Jason told me he was going to take the varsity scouts on a Jeep trip to Moab.  Then my friend Kelly (whose husband was also going on the trip) suggested that we go too.  So while our husbands camped and jeeped with the scouts we stayed with the kids in a hotel and found lots of fun rocks to climb on.

Nick, Ben, Andrew, Will, Kaitlyn and Jared in Arches National Park

Kelly's boys are close to my kids' age and they had so much fun playing together!

Moab is usually the perfect place to go this time of year for sunshine and warmer temperatures.  We didn't get quite what we expected with a storm system moving into the state for the weekend.  It was cool and really windy but at least we escaped the snow that fell all weekend in Ogden.  With the threat of a government shutdown closing all the National Parks we tried to fit in as much hiking in Arches National Park as we could the first two days.  Luckily the budget was passed last minute and the parks stayed open.

Notice the fossilized dinosaur tracks on the rock.

We climbed up to look at tons of petroglyphs on the cliffs.

Kaitlyn was a trooper climbing over all the rocks with only one good hand.  Here she is by the Windows in Arches National Park.

We found this cool trail on Mill Canyon Road with dinosaur bones in the rock.

I love that we are less than a five hour drive from some of the wonders of the world!  Delicate Arch is one of those things that pictures just don't do it justice.  Unfortunately we hiked there on a super windy day.  It sits up on top of a plateau and when we came around the corner where we could view it we felt like we were going to be blown off the cliff behind it.  The kids didn't like that at all and stayed wedged between these rocks.  We took a few quick pictures and then turned around to hike back to the car.

Double Arch

Saturday afternoon the scouts went home and Jason was able to join us for a couple more days.  Monday the sun finally came out and we had a few hours of warm weather before getting back in the car to head home.

Canyonlands National Park

The kids loved earing their junior ranger badges at the national parks.

Hiking to Double O Arch

Double O Arch

More Bad News

Yesterday was supposed to be a fun day.  Jason was planning to leave before the crack of dawn for the Green River on a fly fishing trip.  I was preparing to host book club at our house in the evening.  Jason's plans were spoiled when the weather turned nasty but it ended up being a blessing in disguise.  He stayed home and we took Kaitlyn in for a quick dressing change on her thumb.  I was worried before we went in because her pain was getting a lot worse and we had a couple of sleepless nights.  I wasn't prepared for the ordeal we were about to go through.  Getting the dressing off was the most horrible experience!  She was screaming and shaking with pain.  It was so heartbreaking to watch!  The doctor found a nasty infection in her thumb (probably staph).  An x-ray found that the infection had worked it's way into the end of the bone (as well as discovering the end of the bone had broken off when the door was slammed on it.)  To get rid of the infection the doctor had to surgically remove most of the graft that he put back on last week.  Then we were sent downstairs to radiology to get a PICC line put in so we could start IV antibiotics.  This was supposed to be a short procedure but it ended up taking three hours.  They had a hard time finding a vein big enough and it took three times before they got one that would work.  When we thought they were all done the x-ray showed that the tube was going the wrong direction and they had to go in with a wire and fix it.  The staff at McKay Dee were so wonderful with Kaitlyn!  They kept her busy and happy the whole time and I was amazed again at how brave she is!

After 8 hours at the hospital the pharmacy sent the antibiotics and a nurse came to our house to show me how to administer the medication.  It ended up not being as hard as I thought. She's feeling much better today and we finally got some sleep last night.  The hard part now is trying to keep her mellow while she's got the PICC line when she's feeling so much better!  We take her back again on Tuesday to see if the antibiotics have cleared up the infection.  I wish the worry and pain was over but staph is a bad infection to have.  Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers.

Tragic Start to Spring Break

Last Wednesday the kids got home from school and were excited for a 5 day weekend for spring break.  I was trying to finish up packing and cleaning the house to get ready for our trip to Moab.  Jared came home and quickly packed his things and did his work so he could go outside and play with his friends.  I was busy in the kitchen washing dishes and Jared didn't see Kaitlyn following him as he ran out the door.  I heard the door slam and Kaitlyn's cry and I knew something was seriously wrong.  She ran into the kitchen and her thumb was dripping with blood.  I grabbed a towel and as I reached over to stop the bleeding I realized in horror that part of her thumb wasn't there.  Andrew and I ran to the front door and found the tip of her thumb and her whole fingernail stuck to the door frame.  I just about passed out and if I wasn't in shock, Andrew was.  We were both crying as I tried to call Jason but he wasn't answering.  At least I was thinking clearly enough to throw the tip of her thumb in some ice before jumping in the car to take her to the hospital.  Jason finally called me back when I was pulling into the hospital parking lot.  I asked him whether I should go to the ER or take her to the clinic.  He said to bring her up to the clinic.  Kaitlyn hardly cried at all on the way to the hospital.  She didn't really cry much until I mentioned on the phone to Jason how much it was bleeding.  Then she started to cry and asked if she was going to bleed to death!

One of Jason's partners, Dr. Callister, is a hand surgeon.  He had already gone home for the day and was getting ready to leave on his own trip with his family for spring break but came back in to the office to stitch Kaitlyn's thumb back together.  She was so brave!  The only time she really cried much was when Jason numbed up her thumb.  Laurie, one of the clinic managers, came in to talk to Kaitlyn and keep her mind off things while they worked.  Kaitlyn talked non-stop!  Of course she has always loved to talk to anyone who will listen.  She was so good and let Dr. Callister work the whole time without any complaining.  I think I was more traumatized by the event than she was.  I really can't think of anything worse than watching my child suffer.  For the next couple nights every time I tried to sleep I kept reliving it, trying to think what I could have done to prevent it.  Jared felt terrible.  No matter how many times I told him it wasn't his fault he still felt bad.  When we rushed her back into the exam room Jason sent the boys to his office.  Later he found Jared laying underneath his desk crying.  One of the office staff was nice and took them to a room with a t.v. and gave them some cookies to eat while they waited.

Now we have to wait a few weeks to see how much of her thumb will survive and if the fingernail will grow back.  It's hard to think of blessings when a tragedy like this happens but we felt fortunate that the bone wasn't damaged.  We were so grateful to Dr. Callister for giving up his time to help us.  It saved us a lot of time in the emergency room and it gave me so much comfort to know she was in the hands of such a skilled surgeon who we knew and trusted.  I was grateful that we were still in Ogden with a good hospital close by instead of on our trip in Moab at a rural hospital. (I'm sure they don't have a hand surgeon.)  It was also touching to see how much Andrew and Jared care for her.  Sometimes we don't see it with all the bickering that goes on between siblings but these boys were devastated to see their sister suffering and it touched my heart to see how much she is loved.

She loved the pink cast and whenever she is asked what happened she says, "My thumb got slammed in the door and I had to get stitches for the first time."  Let's hope it's also a last.

April Fools!

I've decided there are two kinds of people.  Those who love April Fools Day and those who hate it.  I loved it when I was a kid.  I thought it was so much fun to trick people.  I had lost my enthusiasm for it the last few years due to lack of ideas.  The other day I stumbled across some ideas on the internet and I started giggling just thinking of all the fun I would have.  The day before I found a picture of a parking ticket online and I altered it with our info and a ridiculous reason, such as parking crooked, and was planning to put it on Jason's car while he was at work.  I was disappointed when we woke up to a beautiful spring day and Jason decided to ride his bike to work.  So it was time for plan B.  I grabbed Jason's cell phone while he was in the shower and changed my name in his contacts to "Darth Vader".  After he was off to work I sent him a text message that said, "Luke, I am your father!"  I had some other Star Wars quotes in mind but he figured out it was me pretty quickly.  It gave him a good laugh anyways.  I figured he would be on high alert after that and I wouldn't be able to trick him again but I was wrong!

I thought there was no way my kids could resist a plate of donuts when they walked in the door from school.  Kaitlyn was my accomplice in this joke.  We sucked the filling out with a straw and used a syringe to fill them with ketchup instead.  Kaitlyn couldn't wait for her brothers to get home and I was a little nervous she would give away the trick.  As soon as they walked in the door she ran up to them, "Do you want a donut?!"  Jared was carrying a chocolate covered donut in his hand and said he had gotten one for a birthday treat.  Andrew looked at them and said he didn't really like the filled kind.  Kaitlyn was pretty sad but didn't give it away.  She was going to her grandma's to spend the night and I told her to take it with her and trick someone there.  She was very sly about it and managed to trick both grandma and grandpa.  Jason came home from work and saw the donuts.  I told him the kids had saved one for him.  We went to dinner and the waiter asked if we wanted dessert.  I was too full and Jason said he would just go home and eat his donut.  It took a lot of self control not bust up laughing at that point.  I wish I had the camera handy when he ate it!  It took about three bites before he got enough of the filling to notice.  He pulled the funniest face!  He was a great sport about it!

I was talking to my sister yesterday and she mentioned that she didn't play any April Fools jokes because they are all mean.  Of course I was probably always the one trying to trick her when we were kids.  Maybe she's right.  Maybe I am mean-but only one day a year and it was a lot of fun!  All in all it was a great April Fools day.  I pulled off several pranks and didn't get tricked once.  Of course, I better be on the lookout for revenge next year!