That's In My Book

a bit more trek

I had too many photos to post all in one day (I can't waste all that material on one day), so here are some more...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

trek

I have been noticeably absent from the blog lately. At first it was because I was getting ready for/recovering from the Trek. Now it is because I am trying to find my way out of the pile of Trek photos I still have to edit. They are due April 10th (which is just eleven days away, in case it seemed like a long time away to you as well) and it is taking WAY longer than I anticipated. I am not editing them to much at all, but resizing them and then saving that many photos takes forever.

The Trek ended up being a great experience. I was a bit of a flip-flopper when it came to the Trek. When I first heard about it, I totally wanted to go. It sounded like an interesting and fun experience. Once I got more details (i.e. no bathing for four days, sleeping in a tent, only pioneer clothing allowed, no cell phones or Diet Coke, etc., etc., etc.), I wasn't sure it was the "thing" for me. I have never been a big fan of camping. Then we started having planning meetings and more planning meetings and more planning meetings. I hate meetings. My attitude was pretty stinky by that point. As the Trek came closer, I was nervous about the unknown, but glad that I would be there to support the boys (and super glad that I had forced Helmut to come along as my assistant/tent putter upper slave).

The Trek is a difficult experience to explain to someone who has never been on one before. I took lots of pictures as they pushed a handcart and walked and walked. And somehow along the way the world melted away and it became easier to feel the spirit. I thought of my great, great, great (not sure how many greats) grandmother and the difficulties she must have encountered on her way to the Salt Lake Valley. Burying a husband and carrying on with eight children must have been a true test of her faith in the gospel. I thought of other pioneers in my life. Those close to me that are the only active church members in their family. It must feel so lonely and difficult at times to move ahead when it seems you are doing it alone. But most of all, I reflected on my relationship with my Savior. I thought of the blessings it has brought into my life and reflected on the things I need to do to make it more of a priority in my life. I am so grateful for the chance I had to go on this Trek. I will remember it forever.

It was hard to find a few images I took on the Trek that I felt comfortable sharing on my blog. I don't have a personal release for most of the trekkers, so I had to find ones with just my family. So it may appear that I was Sarah's personal Trek photographer. But the truth is, she and Helmut and Jordan were part of my area of responsibility. Anyway, here is a small glimpse into what our Trek was like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

home

My parents are putting my childhood home on the market today. And for some reason, I am having a really hard time with it. The other night when I couldn't sleep, I started thinking about all the things I experienced in that house. These are a few of the things I came up with.

It’s the Place…

• Where I grew up
• Where we would all surround the TV on Sunday afternoons to watch the Dallas Cowboys play as a family (and where I first fell in love with football).
• Where my boys and I sought refuge from SARS and even accomplished some home-schooling in the process.
• Where I took a bath in oatmeal, seeking relief from the intense itching from chicken pox as a second grader
• Where I learned to drive a lawn mower and quickly drove it right into the fence.
• Where my parents taught me right from wrong and how to live the gospel.
• Where I always felt safe and loved.
• Where I spent my last night as a single woman, before my life changed forever.
• Where my boys washed Grandpa’s truck in their underwear, and he didn’t mind one bit.
• Where I awoke every Saturday morning to the smell of fresh cut grass and the sound of my dad mowing the yard.
• Where I came home from Singapore pregnant with Sam and suffering from horrible morning sickness and my mom took care of me and my boys for three days while I lay helpless on the couch.
• Where I dreamed all during church about the amazing Sunday dinner my mom would prepare every week
• Where my mom would make her famous chocolate chip cookies (I can still hear the clink of her wedding ring against the glass bowl of the mixer as she scrapes down the edge of the bowl).
  
• Where I enjoyed so many wonderful Christmas Days (even when my mom tried to warn us that “it wouldn’t be a very big Christmas this year”).
• Where my dad would come home from work every day and set his briefcase by the hutch.
• Where my parents taught us to do chores.
• Where we brought baby Katie home from the hospital and fought about who she loved the best for years
• Where Jenny and I ran string from her room to mine so we could “communicate” after bed time
• Where Matt and I fried a turkey for Thanksgiving (and maybe a Snickers or two)
• Where we all redecorated Mom and Dad’s room in one weekend.
• Where all the youth came over for the bishop’s firesides and played spoons
• Where we buried numerous pets, so many I can’t remember them all
• Where my mom was always waiting for me when I came home off the bus
• Where Mandy and I shared a room when she was just a baby
• Where I brought my babies to visit Grandma Jana and Grandpa Robert

race

Helmut and I traveled to Beaumont this weekend for a race. Emily, Sarah, Jennifer and Lynn were there for the fun/torture as well. We sought out the best restaurants and enjoyed some tasty food in the process. Frankie's Italian Grill was perfect for our pre-race carb up. Their garlic butter rolls were good enough to inhale. The homemade tiramisu was divine.

Sarah and I ran the half marathon together and finished without throwing up or passing out, a victory for sure. Helmut ran the full marathon and did great. Emily smoked her first half marathon ever and ran it in around 2:06. Jennifer and Lynn took off and never looked back, way to go girls!

We finished up the trip with a delicious burger and onion rings as big as your head at the Hamburger Depot. Super tasty! It is a bit sad when you have to start dieting again after a race weekend...

how much is too much

When I saw this line-up in my bathroom, it gave me pause. I figured it was telling me a few things...

1. I need to pick up after myself a bit more often. When I was growing up, I was a major stacker. By that I mean, when my mom would ask me to clean my room, I would neatly stack all the junk around the room. My mom would come into my room and do one of two things. Sigh and walk out of the room unable to fight with me about my sloven ways yet again. Or she would begin to list off all the junk on the floor that needed to be picked up naming it one by one. I love my mom to death, but this used to drive me nuts. I would think, Okay already...I get it...this isn't clean enough for you...I will clean it up better. Now that I am a mom, I get it. This was her way of getting me to clean my room without stringing me up. (I get it now, Mom!) It seems I may be falling back into my old ways. Evidently a weekend marathon of Hoarders hasn't even snapped me out of my ways. I am going to have to find another way to motivate myself. Possibly a reward chart with stickers is in my near future.

2. I am drinking way too much Diet Coke. I never really drank soda growing up. We just didn't have it in the house. Once I got married, I developed a bit of a Dr. Pepper habit. That lasted until I realized a few Dr. Peppers a day was not the friend of my waistline. So I joined my husband and switched to Diet Coke. Now I enjoy all kinds of diet drinks...Diet Sunkist, Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper, Diet Barq's Root Beer. I love it all.

3. I should buy stock in Sonic. Obviously the best economic choice here would be to drink less soda. I could even drink it out of a can (which I do quite often). But there is somthing so tasty about a Sonic Diet Coke with extra lime. Their mix is perfection as is their ice. I can't stop. Help.

her thing

Sam has been trying one sport after another looking for her thing. She has tried tennis, dance, cheer and soccer. So far she has enjoyed some of them (and hated some of them) but hasn't loved any of them. So when I heard her school buddies were signing up for volleyball at the Y, I figured we should give it a try. Low and behold, Samantha LOVES volleyball. She loves going to practice and she loves the games. She loves the uniform and she loves the funky tall socks. She wasn't too happy when her team had their first loss last week, but she still loves the game. And to top it off, she is pretty darn good at it.

atlas and jack

These two adorable standard poodles belong to my friend/running buddy/morning-comic-relief Jennifer. Atlas is the newest addition to their family. Jack has been with them for a while and is the wise calm one.

 

 

 

 

 

green thumb

Helmut has started his spring/summer garden. He likes to start from the beginning...ya know, seeds. This year he bought a self watering mini-greenhouse to turn his seeds into seedlings. Once he got them all planted (and meticulously labeled on a corresponding graph), he set out to find a well lit place in the house to put it. The windows in our house don't allow for a ton of plant growin' light, which is great for keeping the house cool in the stifling Houston summer but not for growin' stuff. So the only place we could find was in our master bathtub. I would hate to smother his hobby, so I allowed him to take over my bathtub for the next couple of months. I am sure it will be worth it when I am snipping up fresh basil to go adorn my home grown tomatoes.