*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!