Running Love

Can I take a minute to just brag? Who am I kidding? Ya'll are pretty much a captive audience anyway. Jenna, Kayley and I ran 13 miles this morning and we did GREAT! You better believe that I'll be tooting my own horn all day long.

There is nothing in the world like running. Of course, there is a love/hate relationship involved, but I still love it. I love being with friends and having the camaraderie of knowing that you're not alone in the pain and exhilaration. I love the independence of it too. Putting my headphones on and completely zoning out. I love being out before the sun comes up. I love the selfish boost of confidence after completing a long run.

Eric has been calling me Hero all morning and if there's anything better than my husband thinking I'm a hero, I don't know what it is.

Book Club

Last night I hosted book club at my house. It's so much fun to get together with these girls!! We met living in our townhomes, in Draper, as newlyweds. We've since all moved out of the neighborhood, but we remain close through our book club. When we get together there is little, if any at all, talk about the book. There are many in depth conversations about our kids, husbands and other friends. We have such a great time together!

The book I had chosen this month was The Tale of Desperaux. It is a children's book and I thought it would be an easy read for the end of summer. But I didn't finish it. I love books more than almost anything in the world, but for some reason when it's assigned reading, I can't ever seem to finish the book! And it was even my choice!

Our September book is Twilight. The good news is that I've already read it, so I'm already a head of the game. Our October book is A Thousand Splendid Suns and I'm already 25 pages into that, so it's looking good. If you have a good book recommendation - please send it my way! I LOVE BOOKS!

Anyway, Betty, Shanna, Emily and Valarie - Love you all! Thanks for being such amazing friends! And next month we're going to get a picture of all of us together!

Clean

What a spoiled day I had yesterday! I paid to have my house cleaned. You know, the thorough deep cleaning that nobody ever has time to do? Walls, baseboards, blinds, light fixtures, windows...etc. The ladies that I hired are, honest to goodness, polygamists. Certainly not the kind who wear dresses over their pants and braids that wrap around their heads. These ladies are the Big Love (HBO tv series) kind of polygamists. They have acrylic nails and perfectly highlighted hair. And they are, by far, the nicest, most outgoing cleaning ladies I've ever met. They also cleaned better than any that I've hired.

I've always been so intrigued with polygamists. Don't get me wrong, I know that it's illegal. But there is something to be said for people who believe so much in their religion that they choose such a hard path in life. It cannot be easy to live with such scrutiny. I've often wondered if I have the kind of faith to stand by my beliefs in the face of so many trials. Just something I've been thinking about.

Auto Flush

The other day I was at Target with Cameron just doing a bit of shopping. We'd been there for a while and had a nearly full cart when Cameron decided that she needed to go potty RIGHT NOW. Can't hold it - right now. So, feeling the urgency, I make a beeline to the front of the store, park the cart and steer Cam into a stall. Ya'll can sympathize with the 'you've got to be kidding me' feeling.

"Phew! Disaster avoided. I deserve a medal. Wow, I did all that within 20 seconds - I deserve a Coke too.... kinda sweaty, gross." I'm thinking all this to myself.

Cameron (from the other side of the stall door): "Mom? Are these the toilets that flush all by themselves?"

Me: "Probably not Cam. You're okay."

Cameron: "No. When I came in, I saw one of them flush."

Me: "Okay, then they can flush themselves - does it matter??"

Cameron: "Yea, I don't like these toilets. I'll just hold it till we get home."

Talent Show

Yesterday Eric and I taught the nursery class at church. We had done the "lesson", snack time, singing time and we were playing toys just waiting for 2:00. I was sitting, nearly comatose, on a chair trying not to fall asleep. Eric was pacing the room singing songs that he doesn't even know the words, let alone the tune. He was grooving along snapping his fingers when Elle (2 years old) started clapping uncontrollably with the goofiest smile on her face. She thought he was dancing for her! She lined up about five of the tiny little chairs, put a doll on each and sat down the enjoy the show. Eric was so excited that he had an audience! He started singing Crocodile Rock and really dancing and basically making a fool of himself all to the pure delight of Elle. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe! It was hard to say what was the funniest - Eric singing Elton John and doing the twist, Elle clapping like a proud parent at a dance recital or the other kids completely unaware of any of it. Eric is ready to start scheduling play dates with Elle because his own children don't even notice his extraordinary talent anymore.

Firing Marshmellows

Cameron: "Mom! We fired marshmallows!!"

Last night Eric took the kids "camping" in the big, bad outdoors. In Eric's parent's backyard to be exact. They set up a tent on the grass, roasted marshmallows in a little fire pit on the patio and told stories with Grandpa! How fun is that? Nothing better than 'firing' marshmallows!

Cameron (the one and only)

Last summer Cameron got invited to a Build-a-Bear birthday party for one of her friends. I wasn't able to go with them to the actual building site so Cam was completely on her own for designing her bear from the ground up. All of the little girls had chosen white, fluffy kittens rather than bears and decked them out in Hello Kitty jammies or tutus with bows stuck on their ears. But not Cameron. She has always had a very strong sense of style (or sometimes lack of). But I was not prepared for what she brought home from that party. Her bear was wearing a wife-beater tank top with a dragon on it, black wide-leg jeans with a chain going from front to back and enormous white trainers. The only thing that bear was missing was a bloods/crypts bandanna.

Yesterday Cameron came downstairs wearing her school t-shirt backwards. I immediately suggested that we fix it. She would hear nothing of it. She likes the raccoon on the front. When she came home from school I asked her if a lot of the kids were wearing their shirt (they wear them every Friday) and she said, "yes, but I was was the only one like this!"

She's just so darn proud of her individuality, I don't want to take that away from her. Probably her teacher thinks that Cameron's has a blind mother - but I don't care. I have to pick my battles and clothes is not going to be one of those battles. She wore cable knit tights, a long skirt and a hoodie on her first day of school and it was 98 degrees outside! So if you see Cameron looking a little like Punky Brewster, just know that I'm also scratching my head but very proud of her just the same.