Worse than crack!

Okay, now that I add it up I've consumed well over 100 ounces of pure unadulterated cool refreshing diet coke today!! It's bad! When I think about weaning myself off the stuff I just think, I'm not a quitter!! What a viscious cycle, I get one to help me get through my day and get my stuff done, one with lunch, before the kids get home--you know how it goes, before I know it I'm exhausted and definitely need one to get me going first thing the next morning. Especially if I've been awakened at 4AM with my mind thinking of the endless responsibilities I have. I've done it before but I detest the second day headaches and frankly I'm a real witch for about a week (I know, just a week huh?;).
School's going well, I send in my graduation application this week. After my shift in the NICU my other clinicals seem so boring. We're starting adult ICU soon so hopefully that will be better.
The Capn was supposed to be on shift today but ended up coming home after a visit to the doctor about one of his black toe nails (infected) from last weekend. I guess he had it drained and seemed okay earlier but is now writhing in pain.
I got the bathroom painted yesterday and for such a tiny room it sure was a royal pain. Tomorrow I will find a storage place for 1/2 our crap so it doesn't look like the 7 of us are so crammed in here. But with the Capn out of commision who knows how much I'll really accomplish. I'll have to just make sure I get a big drink early so I can make it. Cuz you know I'll probably try to quit after my next final!:)

I can do 26.2!!

Wahoo! The Capn and I ran the Top of Utah Marathon in Logan on Saturday. It was awesome! I was worried when we got up at 4:30 in the morning and it had rained. It's hard enough deciding what to wear. We met some friends (Capn's cheif and his wife) and hopped on the bus to take us up the canyon to the starting line. That is an intimidating ride. First, you have all the jittery talking excited runners just babbling, the experienced collected runners giving advice to the newbies but the most excrutiating part was the length. That bus ride was probably close to an hour long. It just kept going and I kept thinking--"are we there yet?" (it's only 26.2 right?)Anyway, we got to the ranch up the canyon and filed out and into the potty line. It was surprisingly warm and sprinkling occasionally (much like me most of the race:). The run was gorgeous, the colors were changing and of course it was mostly downhill. It only rained on us a couple of times and we even had a rainbow! The first 15 flew by, the last couple were sooo long. I was huffin and puffin like a freight train--but I didn't stop. Capn' and I stuck together and it was good. Of course the people we came with finished like 40 min ahead of us, but for me it was about finishing. If you must know a time, our chip times came in at 4:27 and some seconds. It feels weird saying this but even though it was hard, I was expecting worse. I guess that's just cynical me--expect the worst and anything else is a pleasant surprise!! We spent the night both Fri&Sat and the kids were with the inlaws. I missed them. It was a busy week and I had worked 12 hrs Thursday (in the NICU-very cool) and was in school until I picked J&J up, then they went with grandma. It was nice to come home. Thanks for all the love and support, we did it!

Hijacked! (again)

For some strange reason I think I can have grand plans about all that I will accomplish on any given weekend. They invariably get hijacked and I end up being taxi or worse yet, babysitter. For those I haven't told we're listing our house which means my list of "to do's" just quadrupeled! I thought I would atleast get our normal weekend chores accomplished but no such luck. Soccer games started at 8am to 10am. Primary activity (I was called to help) from 10am til noon. Thought we'd walk down to the station to see the Capn' (on duty) and check out the Heritage festival. About this time I had just about had it with people and noise and keeping track of my kids. Then the mother in law called she had the other cousins and thought it would be fun to take them mini-golfing (code for: I have the cousins, no parents would you come let your kids entertain them and you can stay and help). There is not enough excedrin that would make me think this was a good idea, but there is always plenty of guilt.

So I did learn a few other things-there's a reason they don't charge for the 2yr old. Watch where your standing when others are swinging--4yr old got a nice goose egg from girl cousin. When an 8 yr old hits his ball into the bushes it doesn't matter if the ball he finds isn't the same color as the one hit. A 17yr old CAN text and golf at the same time. An afternoon with grandma isn't complete without high fructose corn syrup! Of course we finished about the same time as the BYU game. I thought to avoid traffic (and making dinner) I would run by Costco. Guess where all the BYU fans went after the game on Saturday? You guessed it--Costco. I appeased myself with one of the 7lbs of bliss chocolate cakes and finally headed home. After the baths for the littles (I was still wet from being splashed) the cubmaster dropped off some stuff for the cub committee meeting I was in charge of. The near overdose on chocolate was averted by dropping the rest of the cake by the station. Not the weekend I had planned but the 'to do' list will still be there tomorrow (i.e. early out day...okay it will be there for a while!:)

You got me! Tagged again!

My own personal FEMA director, Shaunana has tagged me with : Six things that make me happy.

1. Endorphins (naturally...or any way I can get them)

2. When Colbs rubs his tummy and pats his head and says: "Yummy in my tummy!" (taught this trick by older punks)

3. Hawaiian Burger (see #1)

4. Listenning to the boys read to eachother (even if it is Calvin&Hobbes)

5. The thought that some day (soon?) we won't be living so on top of eachother

6. Knowing that I have such a fabulous network of friends and fam that keep me afloat and love me and my family and go out of their way to keep my head up. I am "seriously so blessed" teehee--oh yeah, that's another one, blogs that make me laugh outloud!

I know this sounds cheesy but it has been a crazy week and right now without too much cerebral effort this is how I feel. Now it is time to TAG soooo (drumroll) : Angie/Chris, Steph and Kris You're it! Post 6 things that make you happy and then tag 3 more. Thanks guys!

Happy 17th Keyan!!

Monday our Special-K turned 17, wow. I haven't known him from the beginning but it sure feels like it sometimes. He was just 4 when I met him, same age as our little K. That's just weird. Same age as his dad when he was born, even stranger. I am so proud of the young man he's become--before this get any sappier suffice it to say I know I am one lucky stepmom to have such a great boy, and example for the other yahoos!
Monday Ang and I got up early (after listening to the rush of the rain gutters all night) and pounded out 20 miles. I kept saying how this was the perfect weather to do this--I shut up about mile 18 when it started getting really dark. We then mentioned things like "as long as it doesn't hail" , "I just hate the wind", "as long as my shoes aren't sloshy" and, "we can do anything for 2 miles". Well, mother nature must've been listening and she must have a sense of humor because not only did it start raining but blowing sideways into our faces, then came the hail, I was lucky to have on longsleeves, Ang wasn't so lucky. We were drenched and cold and my legs felt like bricks. We were lapping a nearby park because we were short 1/2 a mile. There was no way I wasn't going 20. I would just be disappointed if we hadn't finished so we sloshed and shivered and okay, Ang thought I was crazy but I actually laughed my way through the last of it and we pulled up in front of her house just as her Garmin beeped 20!! Horray for us!
Of course this was just the beginning of a marathon day--Capn was on shift so I took all of the punks to lunch (brick oven, yum) for K's birthday. Then it was time for his makeover, he already had the shoes but we went to the mall and got him a haircut, new jeans, shirts and a belt. Talk about a marathon! The young punks managed to fight enough through the mall to get grounded from the Xbox for a week. Finally it ended with cake&ice cream at the atation with capn and crew!

Well, I had to get them dirty!

Saturday Special-K had a XC race so afterwards the Capn and I went for a run. We ran to the shoe store and K met us there cuz he needed new shoes in a bad way. Well, my new shoes got bit of a hole in the toe when I took them on the trail. Funny thing, the guy at the store asked "do you run downhill a lot?" My reply:, "whenever I can!" (duh!). At any rate Capn said I could go ahead and get some trail running shoes, so I did!








Then we went for a hike up to what Capn refers to as "Cluff Falls" (what his dad called them)

All of them hiked pretty well, even Mr. Stinky pants! Cute huh? Even cuter with a bit of dirt on them--the shoes too!