run forest run

I ran the 10K today. So fun. Definitely going to do it next year. I ran the whole thing--slow and steady but I did it. Now I get to slow down and train for the 5k in September (easy but it has a brutal hill). Christy and kids come tomorrow. We're going to have a week at the pool and playing with puppy (still good, still no cussing), and having a dance off playing Wii Just Dance. (so fun with kids...not so much with Aaron. He doesn't like to get his groove on that much.)

Bailey's: so creamy and beige

So we've had Bailey for 4 days now and still no cussing. I'm more patient than I thought....and she's just a really great dog. It is the honeymoon period, of course. But she's only 7 weeks old, so she hasn't got to the I'm-a-crazy-dog stage. Plus, I've been reading a ton on how to train her and it is actually working. Crate training is going well. We've only had three accidents in 4 days. Not bad. The kids are scooping the poop and with all the walks the kids are wearing down too. (An unforseen bonus.)

But let me reiterate this is the honeymoon period, so I'll probably be cussing in a week or two. But maybe not. She's a lover. Not a nippy hyper dog.

dog

"Ahhhhhh! Mom, she licked me in the boogers."

true sadness

When Aaron worked at Ogio, there were (and still are) many Mormons that worked there. Aaron learned quickly that there were two types. Good and Jack. Most of the Jack Mormons paraded to be good in front of their families, but when they went on the road...well, they went on the road. Aaron worked with a bunch of non-members there too (good guys) but they had awful morals and habits: drinking, drugs, porn, strip clubs, etc. Aaron and the other Mormons were surrounded by it. And one of Aaron's co-workers took pleasure in taking down a perfectly good Mormon and turning them Jack. Why? To prove that Mormon men were just like all the other dirtbag men out there. And sadly, sometimes I think he's right.

One of the victims/Jacks (because he did make a choice to do it) was Crapo (pronounced: crape-o). Aaron watched Crapo go on the road, get drunk, and live it up. Then after months (maybe even a year) of catching him, Crapo's wife and kids left him. Crapo had chosen his new lifestyle (the one he perceived as cool) over his family. Then he spiraled: drugs, porn, women. He was accused of sexual harassment at work. We watched him self-destruct. He was eventually fired and floated between jobs and his new hard lifestyle. We were sad for him, for his family--all because of some stupid choices and a need to be accepted by people he thought were cool.

We just found out that Crapo committed suicide this week. My heart aches for his children and his ex-wife and his family.

the final countdown

In less the 24 hours we are going to have a dog...and it will be named Bailey. Which I guess is a fine name. Just not what I would name it. Cobra is a better name. I know, random. But at least it isn't a person's name. I struggle with naming animals with people names and vice versa. Sorry Max. And Uncle Rex.

I thought there was a chance she would be named Jealous. No luck. Maybe I can sway the kids toward Mamba.

silly rabbit, tricks are for kids

So we're having a few friends over on Saturday for a Jersey Shore party. Fun, huh? It backfired. None of our friends know what Jersey Shore is. I had to explain and then feel stupid because I can't look away when the show is on MTV. I have to stare. It takes my breath away.

Anyway, we're going to have a night of ridiculousness. I'm playing a ton of pranks. My toilets will be snapped. There will be a Mexican horse race. Victims all. They'll probably never come back but I will have had my fun. Moo hoo ahhh ahh ahhh.

I'm passing out Jersey Shore Name tags to all my victims. I found a sweet Jersey Shore Name Generator. My name: The Rack.

If you have any good gag games, send them my way.

scientists believe the first person to live to 150 yrs has already been born. I'm that person.

I'm obsessed with acai fruit bowls. We ate them in Santa Cruz and it was almost too easy to replicate.
What's in it: (bottom layer to top)
acai puree or acai juice frozen then slushed. I have to slush, none of the stores carry the berries.
granola.
strawberries, blueberries, bananas.
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Then when you have it beautifully in your bowl, you mix it up with a spoon and enjoy. I've got Morgan and Ava hooked too.

perfect for breakfast or lunch.

it's a dead end

but it was the best weekend. Thursday night Aaron dropped me off at the airport. I boarded a plane kid-free and headed to Oakland to meet the Birch girls. (Corene, Toni, Shari, & Heather. We excused Heidi because of morning sickness.) Corene picked Shari, Heather, and I up and we drove to Corene's mother's house. Corene had little gift bags of goodies waiting for us on our beds, which included a cd of all the songs that reminded us of college. Soo cute. Then we talked for hours waiting for Toni and then we talked some more.

Friday, we spent the day in Santa Cruz and Capitola (my favorite NorCal city). Highlights: Acai fruit bowls, a picnic on the beach, getting pooped on (Oh yeah, a seagull nailed me in Capitola--it brought back memories of running from seagulls in Jr High during lunch.), the smell of eucalyptus, and just being with the girls. Old friends are a wonderful thing.

Saturday we went to San Francisco. We shopped in Chinatown and the mall, ate fish & chips on the wharf, browsed Ghirardelli, avoided a terrible bathroom, saw Coit tower and Lombard street, and finished the day off with delicious Indian food. After we went home, Corene needed to feed her baby and the rest of us decided to head to the store for some thank yous and such. That's when we got lost. That damn dead end that diverted us to outer Mongolia. After a short phone call, we found our way home.

Sunday, I flew home at 6am. It was a completely satisfying weekend. Two years till Phoenix.

In nature, fathers often eat their young. Is it because they're delicious? No.

It's because they are straight crazy. I can't wait to get outta here and leave Aaron to the banshees. It's going to be thunder dome: who will still be standing when I return? My money is on the kids. They took me down this week.

Just what I always wanted

4 inches of snow today. Seriously? Yeah.

SF sidebar: In just over 24 hrs, I will be headed to NorCal to hang with the Birch girls while Aaron battles it out with the kids. I so excited.

brava sidebar: yesterday while I was running on the treadmill, Ava opened a box of brownie mix and dumped it all over her bed. The best day ever.

no, lemon, my present is that ensemble you're wearing

I let Lauren dress herself for school, so she picks out her own outfits. Last week, she came into my bedroom wearing a striped polo (thick stripes of pink and navy) with bright thinly fruit striped leggings. She was a sight to behold. At first glance, Aaron said, "No Lore. Those don't go. Pick out a different shirt." Not trusting her dad, she asked me and I told her the two pieces didn't work. She wanted to wear the fruit stripe pants. So I told her to pick out a solid color shirt. The leggings are rainbow red, orange, blue, green, black, maybe yellow. She returned wearing a lilac dress over the leggings. With her red hair, she looked like pippy long stocking. Aaron and I exchanged looks again, but decided to let this ensemble pass.

It wasn't until I took Bryn to school later that day when I realized: it's class picture day. And of course Lauren will be on the front row. So I did what any mom would do. I ran money down to the school to make sure Lauren's project runway would be preserved in pictures.

Then I went home and called my mom. When I was in the 5th grade, I had demanded to wear a plaid shirt with a mismatching argyle sweater for class picture day. It's was hideous, but I was smiling with pride on the front row.

And now you just pulled landscaping duty

My children never tire. They don't take naps. They run, run some more, then run faster. They play at parks by themselves and with friends. They do not, under penalty of time out, ever stop. And then at the end of the day, they still have time to fight me on bed time. Lore & Bryn are great about going to bed, they just talk to each other all night. Last night we busted them at 9:30p. They now have a long list of chores for tomorrow. (Today was just too busy to fit in chores. Yeah, that crazy of a day.) And Ava & Morgan are little escape artists that don't give up till around 8 or 9p every night. We had to shut off the circuit breaker to their room (zero light) and reverse lock their door. At first Ava needed a "magic key" to pick the lock. Magic keys are an assortment of flat toys she finds in her room. Now she can do it with her mind. Seriously, there's no stopping her. Between her computer skills and mischief, she would make a great hacker or spy. Ava Rae, child spy. It has a nice ring to it.
Maybe I should list her services on Craigs List.

I need the pool to open. 4 more weeks. The pool is their cryptonite. They saw logs after 2-3 hours in the pool. Almost there. almost there. (Pull up, there's too many of them...yeah, I've been married to aaron too long.)

you're going to break us like wild horses.

Some days, I don't know who is more in control: me or the kids? One thing I do know is that I'm tired all the time, which is an indicator that the kids are ruling. Or do I just have a ton going on, and so naturally I wipe out. I can't decide.

I know this: it is the last week of soccer. Hurray. I made it. Mostly due to a lot of cancelled games and practices. Thank you Colorado weather.

I have exactly a day to figure out what to do for my mom and mother-in-Law for Mother's Day. Again, Aaron is zero help. Sometimes, a lot of times, I want to do nothing to help him realize he does nothing for these sorts of things. When did birthday/holiday/anniversary/special day thoughtfulness fall solely on me? Bryn's birthday is on Mother's Day too. I token-asked aaron for help. "I don't know," was his reply.

This Sunday, the YW are taking over Primary to let the teachers have a Mother's day break. It is one of the girl's personal progress goals. I hope it doesn't stress her out.

Oh, I hear the water running in the bathroom which is never good with Morgan and Ava. peace out.