*Monday Memos*

*Monday Memos*

 

dear first anniversary of the boston bombings,  I went out and did my virtual run for you.  I wore my Boston Strong shirt and with every step I felt the strength of runners uniting everywhere across the map doing just what I was doing.  Running.  Running for a purpose.  Running to prove we will not be beat.  Running to show what runners (and Americans) are made of.  Running to become stronger for me.  Running because I love to run and no one should be able to ruin that for anyone.  Running because running is something that empowers me and no one or no evil plan can change that, especially some weak terrorists.  I was able to watch a couple of hours of the Boston Marathon online.  I felt such pride for the American people and our strength in overcoming adversity.  Watching it made me excited to run my marathon that is coming up in a little over three weeks. Did I really just say that?  BOSTON STRONG!

I found this quote online and I loved how she described her feelings and so I wanted to include it here:

"At a dinner party in November, the question was about the event that affected your life this year... Boston... it was so clear for me. As I began to talk about it I started crying.  When we run marathons, we are so raw... we are so basic... we are simply us.  And at the end, we are at our weakest, and that is what they attacked.  They also attacked those who wait for us... who have waited for us day in and day out for months, or years... and the reaction was so strong.  The next day, I went out... had I lived anywhere near Boston, I would have gone out, to show them we are here, and we will be here. The reaction was so strong, and so clear... you do not mess with us.  It hit me deeply and made me realize how much I love this running life."     - shared by Beth N.

 

dear spring, once again you didn't disappoint.  Truthfully, we should be used to your bi-polar personality by now.  Hot one day and snow the next.  But still not sure I will ever get "used" to it.

dear taylor, your package arrived!  Yea!  Thanks for sending us so many fun things from Brasil!  But the truth is, I feel like I should box them all back up and save them for you!  I know you will want them once you are no longer there.  We are VERY excited to hang the hammock up in the backyard though! 

I also have to say that the letter we received this week was not exactly the most comforting letter a mom wants to receive from her missionary. After I read it, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, said a prayer of gratitude, and asked for an extra mound of faith! Here's an excerpt:

"Easter was a little different here, seems like on Friday, when Christ died, these people here were pretty chill, didn't really have parties or drinking going on, but on Sunday, haha these people started having all kinds of parties at the bars and all kinds of stuff. Right in front of our house yesterday! When we were returning to our house, we were informed that someone was shot and killed 5 mins before we got there.... Haha maybe it's good we arrived a little late! 5 bullets..these people are crazy! I'm loving it though, don't worry about me, nobody messes with the men in white;) Love you all and thanks for everything!"

I am actually very surprised you even told me. haha  Your oldest bro Skyler waited until he got home from serving his mission to tell me all the stories like that, but knowing you, it was no big deal.  And besides, I prefer to know, so I can pray extra hard! I know you missionaries truly are watched over and thankfully so are your mamas to help us get through the worry!  I believe it's your faith, trust, and obedience that gets you through with peace. And the fact that, "nobody messes with the boys in white."

 

dear mr. cat, you are my sweet boy!  I think you fill a spot that I am missing now that my boys are all grown up.  I can still talk to you like you are a baby and you enjoy it, whereas they no longer do!  hahahaha  Besides, you are irresistible!

dear friends, I am so glad we were able to get together for breakfast and celebrate a couple birthdays!  I feel truly blessed that I have such amazing friends.  Life would be so sad without good friends to celebrate with.  And it's always fun to have an excuse to eat out!

dear pup, thank you for brightening my day when I am out on my run.  I see you nearly every day at mile one and you give me the burst of energy I need to kick it in and get it going.  I love to stop and pet you and talk to you for a minute or so.  I think I brighten your day as well since it appears you don't get much attention.  I have never even once seen your owners outside playing with you or even talking to you.  I don't even know your name so I just call you "girl".  I am pretty sure you are a girl, but hey, if you're not, oh well.  You come to "hey girl" when I call you and so I hope you are. ☺  Whatever you are, you bring a smile to my face whenever I see you.  So thanks...

dear things I see while running, I really look forward to each run just to see what I will find that day.  This week I headed down to the high school track and did some speed work.  The hurdles were set up.  I had to keep telling myself, "No Jodi, you are NOT going to attempt them today! You have a marathon in a few weeks and so just ignore them!".  But every time I went around the track the temptation got stronger.  I am not sure what it is about seeing a hurdle, but when I see one, I really have the urge to just, well, hurdle!  I am happy to report that I resisted the urge.  Partly because I listened to that little angel on my shoulder, and partly because some high school boys came out to run the track. ☺

I found all these things (and many others that I didn't stop to take a picture of) this week.  

• A road kill snake (fresh! ew!)
• Another fork in the road
• Eight coins on ONE run.  Mainly because I ran through the high school parking lot.  I frequently find several when doing that.  I think the students must throw money at each other or they just don't value coins and so don't bother to pick any up if they drop them or see them.
• A starfish.  YES, a starfish laying in the road.  Absolutely NO idea!
• A blue beetle.  Not sure why I thought that was picture worthy, but I couldn't resist.  He's plastic.

I also ran a 10 miler out to Honeyville.  I always see a lot of road kill when I do that route.  That day I was almost the road kill.  Some people just don't see you.  Luckily, I saw them swerving and I ran way off the side of the road.  They were most likely texting.  Idiots.  The best part of running Honeyville is the peacocks.  They were in the mood to show off on this day.  I was even able to get a couple really good shots of them.

They make the most annoying sound.  Peacocks sound like a bunch of really loud sick cats.  But their beauty makes up for their horrendous sound.
Strutting his stuff!
 

Honeyville is also a fun route because I love to see the temple. ♫♪  If you look really close you can see it too.  ☺  You might have to click to enlarge.

It's there if you look close enough!

dear healthy eating, I am really trying to do better.  And to help me out, I found this absolutely yummy salad while I was in Costco!  And it's extremely healthy!  So healthy in fact, that if you eat too much, you will...well, let's just say you will become very good friends with the powder room. But it is very good.  I love it best heated!  It's full of quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, kale, carrots, Asiago cheese, and on and on!   Mmm...  Oh dear, just writing the Mmmm, made me crave M&M's.  Okay, I'm not quite there yet, but I am trying!

dear twin sista separated at birth, aka Dawn (aka squats with joy- haha).  It is just so uncanny how many ways we are alike and how we just keep discovering more.  You are such a blast to be around and I just enjoy spending time with you.  I honestly feel like we are sistas.  I know we throw that word around in our group of friends, but since I never had any sistas, I take it seriously.  And you are one of the funnest sistas I have.  It is so fun to have you as my sista.  It's so nice to have someone that "gets" you.  We really do "get" each other.  And that, after all, is what a real sista should do.  

 Yep ↓ ☺

I love having Kathy as my sista also.  She is a crack up in every sense of the word. She is very entertaining even when she isn't trying to be.  I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful sistas. 

While we trying out the samples at Kneaders, I grabbed one of these rolls ↓ and LOOK what was underneath it in the basket! Serious?!!!  The brightest and shiniest penny just sitting there. 

Tyson is on a roll!  No pun intended.  Well, okay the pun was intended.  I asked the cashier if she knew there was a penny in her tray and she acted so nonchalant like it was no big deal.  I wanted to say, "Do you know how many germs coins carry?", but instead I just said, "That is my penny!".  And it was.  I know it was. It was Tyson just being Tyson.  He was always doing something funny.  And, he apparently still is!  I really got a kick out of that one.

dear speaking of tyson, yes, I was just speaking of Tyson. ☺They finally planted your tree!  Yea!  The one that we planted almost four years ago died about two years later.  The city finally got around to replacing it and look what kind they put in!  I love it!  It has purple blossoms!  Now let's hope this one will survive!  I loved looking at it from down the street.  It is the smallest tree of the group...just like Tyson.  The only thing I'm not happy with is the fact that they removed the grass from around the memorial stone.  If they don't replant that grass, then we will.  But I was so excited to see a tree back in that spot! 

dear casino night, you turned out to be a total blast!  My sweet cousin Tiff invited me and my Mom to go with her to a local assisted living center for one of their activities.  She is the activity director at another assisted living and she wanted to go check this one out and since it was in my city, she invited me.  I planned on just going and eating the food and watching...but that didn't last very long.  The card dealer guy dealt me right in on a game of 21 aka Black Jack.  I had never played that before and so I was clueless (as was my Mom), all of which made it even more fun. Now calm down.  This was NOT real gambling.  I am not a gambler.  I won't even put a quarter in a slot machine when I am in Vegas.  There was no money involved, just chips.  If you were lucky, you could win a door prize at the end by turning in your chips for raffle tickets, but we sadly didn't win.  We hurried and tried our luck at Roulette at the end, but we only got the chance to do it once.  I sat by the cutest resident of the center that was probably in her late 80's and she had me laughing so hard.  She was a hoot.  I love old people!  I do have to admit I was a wee bit uncomfortable sitting at a Black Jack table in my little community in case someone saw me and said, "I saw the Bishop's wife playing Black Jack on Friday night and she was really enjoying herself!".  I guess if that's the worse thing they ever report about me, then I am good with that.  hehe