Pine Wood Derby Time!

We had the pinewood derby again and Ethan did awesome!  He went with the wedge style again and it was a super fast car that took him through four rounds of competition!

Special thanks to our crack team of engineers who stayed up late helping him finish the car for FHE: Lacy, Jake, Tom, Tayna, Bryn, Jason, Michelle, Mom, Dad, Emma, Rory, and Bailey.  It was truly a team effort and we can all be proud!

But what made me the most proud was the amazing grace and sportsmanship Ethan showed, win or lose.  I am so proud of my son!

I think this face says it all! :) 

My super amazing new laundry robot!

Well maybe it is just a washing machine, but it seems like an amazing robot! We have always been plagued by laundry around here. I am talking like a giant pile in the laundry room that tries to eat me when I open the door.

Around a year+ ago my "expensive, top of the line, never need another one" GE frontloader just flat quit working. Lame. But to my rescue came my wonderful friend Teresa. Teresa had had a similar problem that week in her house, her dryer had given up the ghost. She sent me a message that they had decided to buy a new set and that if I would come and get it, I could have her fully functioning washer! She is amazing!

Well, we used that poor thing into the ground! (Teresa and I both tried to clean those years of stuck on laundry soap but no luck, anyone have a tip for that?) For the last few months we have only been able to fill the washer 1/3 of the way with clothes or the poor tired agitator wouldn't/ couldn't spin. So I started the search on craigslist, ebay, freecycle, etc., etc., and couldn't find anything that looked functional in my very very low price range. On a whim we decided to go see what they had at the Furniture Bowl here in town. Long story (slightly) short(er) he made us an offer we couldn't refuse! I am now the proud owner of this beautiful thing:

It is enormous! I can literally fit two completely full laundry baskets (the big full size ones) into one load! I have at least one friend (no names Chelle) who wouldn't be able to reach the clothes at the bottom of the tub it is so deep! We have finally conquered the mountain of laundry! I <3 my new washer!

They are always watching!!

So, the other day Ethan was telling us about a friend of his who "has some friends who are game testing the new Halo game." We played along and said, "wow that is cool, how did Brodee meet them?" to which Ethan responded:

"I don't know, I don't know his life..." :D

I need this!!

It is Silhouette giveaway season again and I so want to win! Go here REMODELAHOLIC and check it out!

On your marks, get set, HELP!!!

So I did it. I am excited and terrified at the same time. I REGISTERED TO RUN THE DISNEYLAND HALF MARATHON!!

I know some of what I was thinking and I want to write it down so that I can remember this process. I love Before and Afters so this is going to be my own personal "Before."

Before: I have never been an athlete. I played little league softball and my coach told me not to swing because they would most likely walk me and that was best. I always wanted to be good at sports but I was afraid to really try because I would look even more stupid when I failed if I was giving it my all. I love to play volleyball but opted to be the manager instead of try out for the team because I wasn't one of the sports girls and I would just look like an idiot. I lettered all 4 years in track by throwing the discus. I wasn't big enough to really be good at it but not many other girls did it so I could always qualify on our team and go on the away meets.

Do you see a pattern here?

Every day at track practice we would begin with a warm up lap around the track and everyday it would almost kill me! One lap. A quarter mile. And I would finish with a stitch in my side and totally out of breath. Everyday. So yeah running was NOT my thing.

Fast forward to now: last October Greg and I signed up for the gym, and then didn't go... Typical right? Our friends the Neeni talked to us about the gym and we had set them up with guest passes when we had signed up so we decided to go try it out together.

I started on the treadmill and was just going to walk. But the speed was faster than was comfortable to walk and something in my body told me it would be easier to run than to walk that fast so I tried it. And it was easier. And it felt good. So I decided to keep trying it. And it kept feeling good.

The first time that I ran a mile without stopping I was ecstatic! That is 4 times the track warm up lap that almost killed me! And I was comfortable running it; I wasn't out of breath, I could still talk while I ran, no stitch in my side... It was actually kind of easy. We had developed a plan with the Neeni to go every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday so I kept running. And I kept improving: 1.25, then 1.5, then 1.85 and I so wanted to break through the two mile mark without stopping but no luck.

I talked to my older brother who is a great runner and told him of my frustration trying to break the two mile mark. He gave me some great encouragement and advice and I felt like I could keep trying. The next time I ran I had committed to passing 2 miles mo stopping. I just kept thinking about how I wanted to be able to tell Brian I had done it. I made it to 1.75 miles and felt like my legs wouldn't go any farther. My breathing was great but my legs were wobbly. And then a car pulled up in front of the gym. It was a silver HHR, the same kind of car my brother Brian had been driving every time he came to visit while he was stationed in Tucson. I took it as a sign and kept going. That day I made it 2.1 miles without stopping and I felt awesome! I wasn't sore, out of breath, or even very weak in the legs. I did it and it was kind of easy... Over 8 times the dreaded warm up lap!! This is the beginning of a new thing for me and I don't want to stop.

A few years ago some friends of mine did their very first half marathon and we got to go down and cheer them on. It was amazing! I was so impressed by and jealous of them! I wanted to be able to do that but I knew that I never would be able to, I mean, REMEMBER the warm up laps? But now I realize that a lot (if not all) of my athletic ineptitude has come from my own mind. So I have decided to do it. I AM going to run a half marathon. You know how I know? Because I ran 2.1 miles no stopping and, for all that I believed I could, it might as well have been 20.1 miles. I SO can do this!