*Monday Memos*

*Monday Memos*

 

                           (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge -if print is too small, you need glasses! ☺)

dear 9 miler, I ran out of water and so I stopped by the pool to refill my water bottle at the Pioneer Park fountain (you have NO idea how bad I wanted to jump in!).  When I got to it, there was a beetle that looked like the one in the picture below.  He was stuck by the drain and couldn't get out.  

I filled my bottle and didn't think much of it and then turned and started to run away when I had an impression to go back and help him out of the drain or he would be stuck and die there.  But then I thought it's only a stupid bug and there are millions of others in the world dying this very minute and why would I save one bug?  But the story of the man and the starfish (found here) kept popping in to my head and the words from it, "You made a difference to that one!"  Even though the beetle really had no meaning to me, I felt it was a living thing that God created and He cared about it.  It only took me less than a minute to help him out and I only screamed once. ☺ It was no big deal but I felt better for doing it.  When I got home (as often happens lately) I found this Message from God on my Facebook feed:

Today, Jodi, we believe God wants you to know that ... your kindness makes a difference. Even if it is a very tiny act of goodness and you think no one notices, God notices. Always remember that one little act of kindness can tilt the balance of an entire situation. One little act of kindness can ripple out in countless ways that you many never know about.

What are the odds?  I know it was God's way of telling me that I did the right thing and His way of thanking me for listening.  It was really kind of cool!

dear pie dave made, one word... Mmmmmmmmmmm!

dear new recipe, two words... Mmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmm!  This was an enchilada casserole and the recipe can be found here.  It was definitely a hit and the fam all gave it a thumbs up and a do again request. 

dear elder wilding, happy birthday! Wow, I can't believe you are 21 and have been away for TWO of your birthdays now!  Seems crazy!  I do miss you and hope you have some kind of celebration for it.  I am planning on making a cake and singing to you anyway!

                   It looks like this is the cake your friends made for your birthday! ↑

 First haircut by a companion

dear mona, I have made it to visit you a few times in your rehab center in Ogden, but really wish I could go more. I know you get lonely spending all that time there.  You will be there almost a month by the time you get out.  I am glad you went to the nicer place even though it's much farther away from visitors.  You are healing well and seem to be feeling pretty good.  I'm just glad all is going well.

dear manic manican, whoa!  A bikini this week.  Must be getting hot! hah

dear fun before the misery, Jen and I headed to SLC on Wednesday afternoon to go to the race expo for the Deseret News Marathon.  I was running the half and she was crazily running the full.  I say crazily because Wednesday was the hottest day of the year!  We picked up Robin on the way and had a great time.  We checked in the hotel after a good laugh with Siri and getting lost and then went to the expo.  That is if you can call it that.  It was the lamest expo I've ever seen.  Maybe three booths.  The race shirts were cool though and so I was happy about that.  Then we headed off to shop at Trolley Square and find Jen something to wear for the race.  She didn't have a tank and really needed one for the heat.  I brought three outfits with me because I wasn't sure which to wear.  haha  We went to LuLuLemon and then to Whole Foods, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, and then to some old bookstore.  We made reservations at The Old Spaghetti Factory (my FAVORITE place in the world to eat!) and waited for Grant to come.  Once he arrived we were seated and oh my, the food was great!  Perfect for carb loading!  Their son joined us too.  As we headed to the car, Jen and I couldn't resist going in another store and trying on the hats.  So fun!  We headed to Dan's grocery store for some other necessities and then to the hotel.  We stopped at Robin and Grant's room and talked to them about transportation the next day.  We had to get up at the crack of insanity and so 8 pm was our goal bedtime.  Didn't happen.  hah  We eventually got ourselves in bed by about 10:30 or 11:00 and I of course could not sleep because I never can the first night away from my own bed.  Oh well.  It was a short night, so no biggy. 

dear deseret news half marathon, I got up at 3:15 am.  Crazy I know.  No need to tell me.  I went and got Robin at her room and we headed to Rice Eccles Stadium to catch the bus for the half.  Jen and Grant had left a half hour earlier for the full.  It was UNBELIEVABLE how HOT it was while waiting for the buses. The temperature at 4:15 am was 86 degrees!!!  Unreal!  We loaded and headed up Emigration Canyon and got out in the dark and had to wait for about an hour.  It was hot and muggy.  Not like any start of a marathon or half I've even been to.  We are usually freezing and have on jackets and gloves. We talked to a guy from Texas and as we complained about the humidity, he told us we had no idea what humidity was.  True.  We did the porta potty thing a couple times and then lined up. I lined up with the pacers for the 1:50. 

I wanted a new PR and thought I could do it since I heard the course was mostly downhill.  Wrong!  I started out with them and kept up with them for about 6 or so miles.  I was really struggling to keep up at that pace.  I think it was the heat.  Then I saw the 1:55 pacers and started to stay with them.  I did for as long as I could and had to kiss that goal goodbye.  My new goal became to finish a sub 2:00.  I am here to say the course was not all downhill!  Sheesh - there were some steady ups and some wicked ones too.  Not like what I expected.  About mile 9 I could hear a pacer behind me (they are usually the ones that are talking because the other runners are just trying to survive!) and I KNEW it was going to be the 2:00 pacer and my goal of a sub 2:00 was starting to fade in my head.  I sped up and got ahead of him, but he caught back up on a hill and when I turned and saw him right there, I said, "CRAP!"  He just laughed and said he was up by 50 seconds and so I would be okay if I was feeling good.  Feeling good?  Are you kidding me!  Once I could, I sped up again and tried to keep going at that pace, but then another hill came and he came up on me again.  Have I mentioned how much I hate hills?  I stayed with him for another mile or two and then once we turned onto the parade route and the spectators were there, I just could not maintain that pace. He got a little ahead of me, but I thought I could still catch up and finish a sub 2:00 until we turned the corner for the last mile and it was all uphill.  I was feeling like crap and wanted to be done SO DANG BAD!  Even though I was running in front of the parade spectators, they weren't helping all that much. Some were cheering others were just sitting there watching us like we were part of the parade.  I needed lots of cheering at that point.  I was SO glad I wasn't running the full!  Oh my, so glad!  I kissed my goal of a sub 2:00 away when the pacer took off for the finish line.  Nothing worse than seeing that finish line a mile away and feeling like you want to die.  But I made it one foot in front of the other and finally crossed it!  Happiest I'd been in a week!  It was tough.  I finished in 2:02.  Not bad, just not what I was hoping for.

I finished 10th in my age division out of 35. 184th woman out of 500. 400th out of 847 overall.

The winner is on the left.  He told me it was the toughest course on his body he has ever ran.  He was fast!  The others in the ice bath are just some random runners.

 OH YEAH!  There is nothing like a massage after a long race!  And even better, there wasn't a huge line to get one!

 Free personalized Coke cans for finishers!
We got to pick two.  I chose me and Tyson. 

 With Robin and our coke cans.

I ended up getting one for each member of my family!  I was so excited!  Notice how Tyson's is the only one that is turned that way.  Coincidence?  I don't think so... 

Some shots of the parts of the parade that I got to see while waiting for Jen to finish.

 I LOVE PARADES!!!!  They are one of my favorite things in the world but I rarely get to watch a real one.  I used to always be in them (majorette, drill, clogging, or with my dance studio when I taught), and then I had all boys and a husband that isn't a big fan and so I have to watch them on TV or miss out.  Even at Peach Days I am usually the only one in my immediate family there.  I just go join Dave's fam.   Seriously LOVE a parade!

This parade is the biggest one in Utah and it had SO many amazing floats!  I wish I could have seen the entire thing.  

 

 Jen and Janice almost to the finish line.  Jen had a pretty miserable race.  The heat was just brutal and it took it's toll. But she finished and even with a smile on her face!

When we got off the shuttle bus and were walking to our car, we were walking with this young guy who had quite an accent.  Not sure why I even asked him where he was from, but I did.  He was from BRAZIL!  It was so cool!  I told him my son was in Belem and he said, "Oh the rainy part!".  I grabbed the Coke can with Taylor's name and got our picture.  He's the one in the photo on the left.

 The photo on the right is us with a man we ran into at the hotel who also ran the race today and it was his 60th marathon on his 60th birthday!  He had a strong accent but told us he was from Oklahoma.  I asked him where he was originally from and he said Africa.  Pretty cool!  60 marathons!  Wow!

 Some views of us at our hotel before we checked out.

We hit FIVE GUYS BURGERS (a first for me) on the way home and also SWIGS (another first!).  YUM!  We earned those cookies!  hehe  And YES, we wore our medals proudly!  We earned those suckers!

 All in all it was a tough race for me, but I'm still happy with my time considering I ran on tired legs.  I did a 19 miler just a few days before and so that really didn't help.  It's hard to get PR's in races when you are in training for a full because you always are running on tired legs.  I really liked the environment and getting to run the parade route for a bit.  It was fun to run down Emigration canyon knowing the pioneers had come down the exact route on the exact day so many years ago.  The thought of them gave me some inspiration when I needed it most.

And the medals and shirts ROCKED!

dear pioneer day, it was kind of a strange pioneer day for me. I usually watch the parade on TV and this year I got to see it in person - kind of.  Not much, but some!  At least I was there!  The boys and Dave just worked all day long and I was beat when I got home and so it was not a normal holiday. I do have a renewed sense of respect for my pioneer ancestors who walked across the plains and sacrificed so much for me.  Going on trek a couple of years ago helped me to understand just how hard it really was.  It also made me very grateful I was not a pioneer and that I didn't have to walk across the plains or down Emigration canyon.  Instead I chose to run down it and inflict pain and torture on myself.  hah  Mine was only 13.1 miles compared to their journey of thousands of miles.  I have a much deeper respect for them and I'm so appreciative of all they went through so I could be where I am today.  What a blessing!

Here are a few pictures from our Trek a couple years ago.  I never did a post on it and so I wanted to add a few pictures. (click to enlarge)

We went to Deseret Land and Livestock in Wyoming

You don't have to push a handcart to be a pioneer...

Great experience!  Pushed and pulled handcarts and walked about 32 miles total in the heat of July.  

 Pioneers sang as they walked and walked and walked....

 

You don't have to push a handcart,

Leave your fam'ly dear,

Or walk a thousand miles or more
To be a pioneer!

You do need to have great courage,

Faith to conquer fear,

And work with might for a cause that's right
To be a pioneer!

We are marching, ever marching.

We are marching, ever marching,
Marching onward, ever onward.
We are pioneers; we're marching...

dear sky, you are looking quite ripped and healthy.  I am so grateful for that.  The fish you catch are looking really good too... if you like fish. (bleh!) Just not sure how you ingest those things every. single. day.  Probably because you can make fish taste like paradise as well.  You have a knack with cooking.  But I am glad you are enjoying life in paradise.  I still need to find a way to get over there and visit before it's too late.

dear date night, we went to Wingers and I had a Teriyaki Rice bowl.  YUM!  Dave had a burger and was disappointed.  The bun tasted yuck and when they asked how everything was, he told the waiter and he said he would take care of it (the bill) which was a nice little surprise.  Dave didn't eat much of it and so I'm glad he didn't have to pay for it.  After, we headed out to the country and marked a route for me to run the next day.  I thought it was going to be one boring run, but it proved to be rather awesome.

dear 10 miler on saturday, I was only planning on going 9 miles today and I wasn't really sure that I would be able to even do that after my killer half marathon two days before.  I figured I would end up walking most of them or just calling it good at 6.  But once I got going, I was surprised how good I felt.  I wasn't feeling sore or like I was dying at all.  In fact, I ended up going 10 at a good pace (instead of 9) and was sure I could have gone even farther.

This is my favorite picture of the run.  One single sunflower in the midst of all that corn.  But there it is poking it's little head through as bright as the sunshine.  There are so many analogies I could use with it, but I'm just going to keep it simple and enjoy the beauty of it instead.

The roads were long and it was tiring, but I was loving being in the country so much that it passed quickly.

Airplanes flying overhead made me happy (I was near a small airport).  The goats were a riot, and I'm glad the snake in the road was dead.  The sign on the bottom right cracked me up!  It said Grant BULLivard.  Quite appropriate for the country.

I broke in my new Altra Ones for the first time and I LOVED them.  They are a zero drop and very light.  And, of course, the color doesn't bother me much. hah  I have been told they look like bowling shoes.  Yes, I believe they might.  But that's okay because they make me smile! 

 I was a little sore after, but nothing like I expected.

dear ss lesson, sometimes I wonder why I do better when I wing it than when I prepare for days.  I sure do love teaching the kids that I do though, even if they do make me giggle when I should be serious.

dear feeling behind in everything in my life, I just can't seem to catch up with it all.  I have so much that needs doing and it seems my to do list just keeps getting pushed into the next week and then the next week and the next.  I feel like I got more accomplished when I had little ones!  I probably did.  I didn't run then or train for big races and there was no internet. Hah!  I used to be a pro at time management and lately it seems time is managing me!  But...I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and hopefully someday I will catch up! Sigh......   

dear blog, sometimes I wonder why I spend my time on you recording my weekly events of my life.  I wish I had more time to really make it sound good (or write inspiring posts like I used to do), but the truth is I seem to have to fly (and quick) when I write just so it gets done.  I need to keep reminding myself: Done is better than perfect!  I often wonder if it's all a big waste of time.  Living life is so much more important than recording it.  Or is it?  I think recording it has great significance because someday I hope someone will actually care about an average wife and mother of five boys who lived in a small town and was trying to just do her best and to live her life to the fullest.  Will they though?  I really don't know, but even if I am the only one that ever reads my blog, at least I will have many wonderful reminders of the life I did try and live to the fullest.  And as my header says:  May this  shining beam of light and hope help brighten those stormy days of life...

At least it brightens mine... because I think I live a pretty wonderful life!  I am so blessed!

*Monday Memos*

*Monday Memos*

 

                           (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge - if print is too small, you need glasses!☺)

dear killer 9 mile run down the canyon, you were supposed to be a piece of cake run today since you are almost all downhill, but you kicked our trash!  I guess we didn't realize we were both going to be running on tired legs from our 18 mile Ben Lomond Trail Run on Thursday and we were just not fully recovered.  The entire run was miserable!  Even when going downhill, it felt like we were going UP!  We even had a tail wind (which never happens down our canyon!) and that didn't even help!  I can definitely chalk this one up in the books for one of my most miserable runs!  Speaking of chalk...it looks like a chalk line should be drawn around our nearly dead bodies!

dear shauna, I love this tradition that we started a few years back.  Whenever you come into town from so far away in Maine, we get together with our moms and just go have a good time at lunch.  Both of our moms are just so cute and they have known each other since we were roomies at Dixie College so many years ago.  It's nice because they talk to each other while we catch up.  We went to The Greenery at Rainbow Gardens and it was yummy as usual!  We have the kind of friendship where we just totally pick up where we left off.  I am really wanting to go visit you sometime soon in Maine!  If I can just qualify for the Boston marathon, then I WILL make it back there hands down!  Or should I say feet down?  Running feet that is...

dear tyson, wow how time flies.  It's so hard to believe you would be turning 26 this week!  TWENTY- SIX!  Just wow!   We have always celebrated your birthday with a party to celebrate your life and we focus on the amazing life you lived while here for those 17 years.  I really try and make it a happy and special day and not a sad one. This year, however, I made the mistake of going through some pictures of you.  I was trying to find one of you on your 17th birthday.  Instead I found a lot of you when you were so very sick.  I was pretty shocked how sick you looked in those pictures the last couple of months of your life.  They were very hard to look at and brought back some really tough memories for me.  And they made me realize how sick you really were.  I mean I knew it at the time, but going back and actually seeing it in your eyes and in your face was tough.  After that, I was really struggling.  When Dave got home for lunch, I had a little bawl-fest and I really just didn't even want to have the party.  I finally bucked up and told myself that this party wasn't for me, but for you and for everyone else who comes who does so in need of remembering you and your incredible life.  I knew I couldn't disappoint them.  So I got myself together and got the show on the road.  We got a lot of pictures for this party and so I am going to do a separate post on it.  You can go HERE to read that.

dear midweek run, I was not really in the mood to run at all on Wednesday, but I forced myself outside.  It was so hot and humid I just was not enjoying it much.  As I was running down the road I saw a sign that said: Run Happy =).  

It's amazing how that little sign totally shifted my attitude and I told myself that I was going to run happy!  It totally turned my run around and I ended up having a great run!  I knew that my running friend Jen had put it there because she has been doing a random act of kindness challenge and she mentioned she was going to do that.  The crazy thing was that when I got home from my run, I saw I had a Facebook message from God.  Sounds weird I know, but it's something I 'liked' on Facebook and so I get them once in a while.  I opened it up and this is what it said today:  "Today, Jodi, we believe God wants you to know that ... today is a big day for you. Yes, today. Keep your eyes open for a message. It might come in a shape of a bird flying overhead, or a graffiti on a wall, or a phrase said by a passerby, or... Whatever shape it has, this message has been trying to reach you for years, and today is finally the day. Keep your senses open."

Haha, I just had to laugh at that one!  It's been trying to reach me for years?  Not sure about that part, but I do know it was a much needed message because I am devoting so much of my time and life to running right now because I am training for another full marathon in hopes of qualifying for Boston.  I was grateful for the reminder to Run Happy!  Thanks Jen!  And God!

I also saw this very interesting pole and it made me smile as well.  Did someone do this or was it a natural phenomenon?  And if someone did it, how?  Whatever it is, it was pretty amazing and crazy! The things you see while running!

dear shopping trip with jen, this was kind of a spur of the moment trip, but it was a lot of fun.  Jen had to get some stuff for her son's birthday party and invited me along.  I'm always up for shopping and lunch and so I totally agreed to go.  We had some fun at Target and a couple other places and even hit Striders. I tried on several different pairs of running shoes.  I really need some new Altras for the marathon.  I ended up getting some lightweight Altra Ones. Did I need them?  No. I needed something I could wear for the full.  But I really loved these because they felt like I had no shoes on and I thought they would be really good for my shorter runs.  Yes, I totally indulged myself. 

 

Yes they are purple. No that didn't have anything to do with why I bought them.  I swear!  Well, okay, not THAT much!  They really are super cute though and feel so good. I can't wait to break them in!

We then ate lunch at Kneaders.  It was so yummy!  We shared a sandwich (turkey, bacon, artichoke) and dessert!  It was Hawaiian days and so I got the Haupia Pie!  It even had a chocolate layer!  It was good but still couldn't compare with Ted's Bakery Chocolate Haupia Pie on the North Shore.

dear peeping tom (aka mr. squirrel who lives in my backyard), my son Bryce got this photo of you trying to check out what was happening in our pad.  Either that or you were scoping the place for some nuts.  Pretty cute even if you are a peeper.  I love it when I see you outside. I will stop whatever I'm doing and just watch you.  I think you have a partner in crime too, because I'm pretty sure I've seen two of you. 

dear long run of the week, oh how I was dreading you!  Seriously dreading you.  This heat has really been tough for me to adjust to this year.  I used to love the heat!  But since I got heat exhaustion last year, I have just not been able to handle it as well.  I got up at 4:45 a.m. to beat the heat on Thursday so I could get in 19 miles.  19 miles sounds like a long way and trust me it is.  Especially alone!  Jen is tapering because she is running the Deseret News full marathon next week and so I knew I wouldn't have a running buddy for it.  I am running the half and so I am just going forward with my training for my full in September.  She only needed to run about nine miles but she offered to go with me those nine so I wouldn't have to go the entire thing alone.  I jumped at the offer!  Then she had a great idea to take her bike and lock it up near the dam and then she could bike along side of me while I ran.  I didn't just jump at that offer, I did a triple back flip!  Well, at least I did in my mind.  So that is what we did.  We ran four or five miles down the canyon and then I went around the dam twice while she biked.  That was another almost nine.  Then we locked her bike back up and she ran another four or five with me home.  As soon as we got home we headed back up and got her bike.  So it worked out perfectly!  My running app said it was 18.70.  I was happy with that!  And even though this was a very long run, I felt great the entire distance!  I was still feeling good by the time I was done and felt like I could have gone even farther.  I loved THAT feeling, since I don't get it that often! 

As we were coming down the canyon we saw this sign.  We did not approve and so took it upon ourselves to "clean" up the garbage so to speak!  haha 

As we were heading towards home, look what we saw!  And yes, Jen did this one too!  She did several across town and I was lucky enough to see three of them.  Of course, I could NOT pass up an opportunity to pose for a picture with this right in my path...especially during a long run.  I was even able to get back up after!  hah

dear date night, lucky McKay got to come along with us to our stop at Longhorn Steakhouse and to the mall.  He had never been there and so it was a treat for him. I do like that place!  We also ran into the mall to see if we could find any World Cup shirts with Brazil on them.  We found some, but not what I was looking for.  I did get Dave a Brazil hat and the green shirt though.  I will have to get on line and see if I can find the ones I want.

dear dam race, I survived you.  I mean I survived the dam race. I just really like to say that. hah!  It is the first race I ever ran and also my first race t-shirt.  I only ran it for the t-shirt since it says I Survived the Dam Race. 

It is a five mile course that goes around the Mantua Dam and I have run it every year that I am in town.  It used to be a 4.7 race, but they lengthened it out to an even five the past few years.  It's a beautiful course and since I run it a lot in my training I was hoping to have a good time this year.  Because of that, I missed seeing two, yes TWO hot air balloons that were right out on the lake.  I was so focused on catching a particular runner in front of me that I didn't even look out on the lake!

Seriously!?  How did I miss that?!  And to make matters worse, not only did I miss them, but I never caught the runner either!  Thankfully a friend let me copy her pictures of the hot air balloon.  I did see a bunch of people on the side of the course looking out into the lake, but at that point in my race, I was too focused and drained of energy that I didn't even care to check out what they were looking at.  It taught me a valuable lesson though.  I need to enjoy the journey... not just the destination!  I usually try and do that, but when I get focused on something I tend to forget.  Good reminder!

With Robin (far left), with Marci (middle and bottom right).

I was pretty sure the runner I was trying to catch was in my age division.  I have taken first place in my age division in this race for several years and I really didn't want to lose that this year.  But it was a record year for numbers of racers (325!) and I knew the competition would be stiff, but I also knew my legs were stiff from my 19 mile run two days before! I knew my time wouldn't be close to last year's time either because I am deep in marathon training this year and my legs are usually tired from all the miles I'm putting on them.  But, I wanted to race anyway. 

TRYING to do some jump pictures with Robin.  Dave couldn't capture them mid air! Funniest jump shots ever! haha

I finished it in 44:31.  Last year I finished at 41 something.  Three minutes doesn't seem like much, but in a five miler, it is huge.  The runner I tried to catch WAS in my age division and she beat me by about 30 seconds.  There was another woman that beat her, so I ended up with third place.  I guess I should be happy with that since my legs were shredded from my 19 miler and I really tried to push it as fast as I could and my legs gave me what they had left in them.  At least I still got a medal!  And I got told that I was the fashion queen of running. haha  Next year I will be faster since I won't be training for a fall marathon!  I better not be!

Dave came to support me and he takes great pictures too.  The shirts were cute this year and on the back they said, "I survived the dam race!" so I was happy with that!  Fun little (getting to be huge) race!

dear heart shaped rocks, I forgot to post a picture of the ones I found on my Ben Lomond Peak run.  I found THREE really good ones, and one is actually purple!!!  And Jen was sweet enough to let me put them in her camel-back pocket.  I love them!  Some of my faves!

Once again Blogger decided to rotate my pix!

dear mr. cat, you are so irresistible to me, I wish I were to you!  I'm lucky if you let me pet you for a few minutes.  I have to force my kisses on you and even to your great disdain, but I do anyway!  So there!

dear relief society lesson, my friend Dawn asked me to teach for her because she would be gone.  It sounded like a good idea at the time and so I said, "Sure!"  But as I was standing up there in front of everyone, I was rethinking it!  Too late then!  I had worked on the lesson and gathered a lot of quotes and had them all stored in Microsoft but when I went to finish preparations, the entire document was gone!  I tried to restore my computer to three different spots but it would not come back!  I was not happy, but just figured there must be a reason for it and started back at the drawing board.  We were going to go to the fireworks in Mantua Saturday night, but instead I ended up staying up late trying to get it put back together.

The lesson was on the Holy Ghost in this year's manual and it was a really good lesson.  I learned so much in the preparation of it.  I was just praying I could present it in a way that I could touch the sisters to understand what I was supposed to be teaching them.  I had an experience with the Holy Ghost just before Tyson died that I was throwing around in my head trying to decide if I should share it or not.  For some reason, that was weighing on me and I was having a hard time just being me when I first started the lesson.  But the ice broke over a few minutes and then while someone was making a comment, in walks Dave!  He tends to do that to "support" me when I teach or give a talk, but I really wasn't needing that kind of "support" at that point. haha  After the comment, I teasingly said, "There's an elephant in the room... that just walked in."  And I think most of the women got it, due to the laughter, but not sure! haha  Anyway, I told them he likes to come and make me nervous and make sure I'm not teaching false doctrine.  Not true, but still!  Just after that, I had them look up a scripture and I said, "Please look up Helium 5:31."  I saw some confused faces and so I repeated it again.  "Helium 5:31."  Then I heard some chuckles and giggles and I realized what I had said!!!  I quickly said,
"HELAMAN, not HELIUM!!!!!!!!!!"   
Oh. My. Goshness. 

Speaking of hot air balloons....hehe

Dave took that as his cue that he was making me nervous and left!  lol 
The rest of the lesson went pretty smoothly. I shared my experience with Tyson and there were a lot of leaking eyes and sniffling noses so I felt like I did the right thing.  I had a lot of sisters come up to me and thank me for sharing that experience and told me they learned a lot and that I did a good job.  But deep down I just didn't feel like I was really able to be myself.  Maybe I am out of practice with teaching or something, but I was glad to have that over even though I enjoyed the preparation and all that I learned.  One of which was I learned that the Light of Christ is something that will never leave us - ever.  The Holy Ghost will and does if we are not worthy, but not the Light of Christ.  And that it is a totally separate entity from the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can work through the Light of Christ but they are not the same thing.  
I must say I will be happy to go back to teaching my 16-17 year old Sunday School class!  ☺

dear missionary elder wilding, THREE months from THIS week and you will be in my arms to hug!!!

dear manic manican, ooooooooo...very stylish this week!

Another week in the books!