Las Vegas Ragnar 2012

 My last Ragnar!

We competed under the name "You've Been Chicked!"

Terrible winds and cold temperatures made my legs of the course less than enjoyable.

Still, the company made it worth it!!

Women's Half 3:44

     On November 4th, I ran the Women's Half Marathon from downtown Scottsdale to Tempe Town Lake. With Boston in my sights, I've been really focusing on getting faster. Months ago, I shed the Garmin and started letting my body tell me how hard and fast to run. I joined a running group which has pushed me beyond what I would ever be willing or able to do on my own. So, going in, my goal was to PR. In the end,  I shaved 2 minutes off of my last half marathon time and I'm totally happy with that. 3:44

24 Hrs. of Fury

Last weekend, Lance competed with his 3 buddies in 24 Hrs. of Fury Mt. Bike race at McDowell Mountain. 

 

Each team was made up of 4 riders and they took turns taking laps throughout the 24 hrs.

 

His team impressively defended their title!

 

Halloween 2012

Oh, Halloween seems to get extended longer and longer every year around here.

The amount of candy gathered over the several days of trunk-or-treating, trick-or-treating, and church/school/family parties is obscene.

My three kiddos managed to finally come up with costumes at the last minute (Max alternated between two).

 

 

Utah Getaway

In September, Lance and I made our way up to Utah for one of Lance's best friend, Tim's wedding.

 

We didn't waste any time and got in our fill of biking and running.

 

I even met up with an old high school friend, Brandon. And, we did a gorgeous trail run along the Utah mountains.

 

Some Day

Today it's been 5 years since I lost my mom to cancer.

This year she would have turned 63.

I miss her everyday, but the anniversary of her death always seems to bring about more pain than all of the other 364 days of the year.

I wish she were here.

I wish she could see how my kids have grown.

If she were here today, she would be sitting with them and gushing over their progress reports, explaining how important school is, and surprising them with treats and rewards for their hard work.

If she were here today, she'd be in the stands at the boys' basketball games cheering louder than anyone.

She'd be able to see the loving mothers that my sister and I have become because of her.

She'd be able to know my husband and be happy I finally found a really good guy.

I know she knows these things, but I want to see her joy and I want to see her smile.

Some day.

Some day.

Friday Favorites

I just finished a substitute Kindergarten job. It was 2 1/2 weeks with some little cuties.

But, I'm tired and ready for some r&r. I have a weekend to look forward to including a nice trail run, basketball games, and dinner with my husband, who I haven't seen enough of lately.

 

Time for some of the things I'm loving right now...

 

Friday Favorites

These are new and amazing! The blueberry graham cracker is yummy, too!

 

 With all the trail running I've been doing, one of these has become necessary!

 

 

The conventions! I love everything politics and American History & national conventions are a significant part of our election process. Whichever side I'm sitting on, I watch it all.

 

Educational websites! I love the endless number of school help websites out there today. I used handwritingworksheets.com to make personalized practice sheets for kindergarten and love mathaids.com to help my kiddos with math concepts and test preparation.

 

I have limited my soda intake, but I'm not a water drinker. So, how do I get several glasses down a day? Lots & lots of ice and splashes of unsweetened juice. R.W. Cherry juices and Fresh & Easy unsweetened juices are my favorites.

Someone really should save me from InSession. I am convinced I should have been a prosecuting attorney! ...or Constitutional Law attorney! Hmmm.

 

I loved these as a kid and unfortunately picked up a box over the weekend. I have been through 3 boxes this week. Darn all-American candy.

 

Happy Weekend!

I'm Subbing!

I'm doing a long term substitute job right now in a kindergarten classroom.

I have 21 of the most adorable, precocious little 4 and 5 year olds.

The thing is, I'm exhausted.

My legs hurt from standing all day

and

my throat is raw and sore from talking for six hours at a time.

I've said it before and it's worth repeating...

TEACHERS HAVE ONE OF THE HARDEST JOBS IN THE WORLD!

Lunch Box Jokes

I have found several school lunch box notes online and love to hide them in the kids' lunches. I came across these cute lunch box jokes to drop in their lunches as well.  Here they are...

To get them, click here!

Winning Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

Artichoke Spinach Dip Stuffed Mushrooms

I found this recipe on Thin Eating Well, Living 's website. Lance and I are serious mushroom fans and probably eat a few lbs of them a week, so I was immediately drawn to a recipe that paired cheese (another favorite) with mushrooms!

I altered the recipe a bit and the results are so yummy!

Enjoy...

20-25 crimini or white mushrooms
4 ounces (1/2 pkg)  cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup mayonnaise
One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, squeezed to remove excess liquid and finely diced
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (not shredded – the powdery fresh from the deli-cheese case)
Pinch cayenne pepper

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wipe mushrooms clean; remove stems and gently scoop out the gills to make room for the filling.

-In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, mayo, diced artichoke hearts, spinach, garlic, sugar, Parmesan, and cayenne. Fill each mushroom cap with 1 tablespoon of dip mixture. Place on a baking sheet (with sides, as the mushrooms will release liquid) and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and the filling is golden. Serve warm. Makes approx 10 servings of 2 pieces each.

They're Back

These three were ready to go back to school.

The boredom had set in.

The patience was wearing thin.

Their new shoes and school supplies were set out by their bedroom doors.

Yes, it was time.

And, on the first morning of the new school year,

these three were up by 5:00.

And, by 4:00, Elle was like this...

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites
Yay, Friday is here!
The kids have only been back in school for a couple of days, but they are in need of a break already.
This school thing is really wearing them out!
So, today for my favorites, I've chosen a few things that I've either eaten or used in the last few days...

Here goes-

Ni Marcos Pizzeria in Flagstaff, AZ- So cute and cozy! We had some amazing pizza and they

these strange bleu cheese, crunchy cheese sticks that are pretty dang tasty!  

GU Peanut Butter Energy Gel- I can barely get these down during a run, but this

flavor is actually pretty good!



Political Animals- I am hooked on this new show on USA. It's a little scandalous!

Diana's Banana Babies- These sticks of awesomeness are all-natural and delicious! The perfect dessert without all the guilt. They come in milk or dark chocolate,

but of course, for me, there is only one way to go.

Sterling Silver Bracelets- Hoss Rogers designs these gorgeous, simple bracelets to your specifications. I wear mine ALWAYS. You can even get them in kids' sizes. HossRogers.com



Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub- I'm obsessed with this stuff.

Mostly, because it smells like heaven and you can get it at Walmart.

Have a great weekend!!

Flagstaff Getaway

 Last weekend, I took the kids up to Flagstaff for a last minute getaway before school starts.

As we drove up into the mountains and I watched the car thermometer slowly decrease in degrees, I became little girl giddy.

Going from 115° to 75° will do that to you.

We immediately stopped at NAU to take in a Cardinals training practice. The Cards put on a good show for fans, but this crew of mine is definitely more of the basketball kind.

We took in a movie (the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid is really cute), went on a hike, visited the Deer Farm in Williams, and ate at some pretty cute and tasty restaurants, including our new favorite-
Ni Marco's Pizzeria in downtown Flag. We also made more than a couple of stops at Flagstaff's Sweet Shoppe & Nut House for fudge and caramel apples.

Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday today to my beautiful, kind-hearted Elle.

I

love

you.

♥

For her big day, Elle invited some of her sweet friends out for a movie and lunch.

A Boy's Dream

 My two boys got to spend the last 5 days in the Prescott Pines at the Suns Basketball Camp. The camp is led by former ASU basketball coach, Bill Frieder. Each day the boys were coached through drills and played in tournaments.

There was some fun down time when they could let loose and play ping pong, pool, and mini golf. Their highlights were visits from the Gorilla and hanging with big names like Mark West, Tim Kempton, and Eddie Johnson.

Calvin brought home the League Champions Award and Max brought home the Lay-up Award.

Shooters

So, as  far as what I love watching my kids do,

basketball tops my list.

Every summer, we spend hours a day at the high school gym

where they sharpen their skills on the courts.

This year, Elle is the only girl in her group.

Today, she won a game of speed against the boys and

as we walked out of the gym, she said,

"Mom, one of the boys made fun of another boy and said, 'Ha, ha a girl who doesn't

know how to play basketball beat you!'"

So, I asked Elle, "What did you say?"

She smiled and explained, "I told him, 'What are you laughing at? I beat you, too!'

THAT'S MY GIRL!