Run that ye may Obtain

Having made the decision way back in October not to risk injury by pushing my post-op hip into training for and running the Olympic Trials Marathon in January, the new idea on my mind was to try for another baby.  Over the past year I’ve been having this feeling that our family isn’t quite complete, like there is another soul out there waiting to come in.  Well, apparently he or she was READY and it was meant to be because it didn’t take long for the thought of, “yeah, lets try for another one” to transpire into “woah, I’m pregnant!”  And “Woah” it was.  This being my fourth time around, you’d think I’d handle it like a pro and it would be no big hiccup, but this time has been different.  I had morning sickness with my first child, puking a few times a week throughout pregnancy and feeling pretty sick all the time.  Pretty common experience for pregnancy, annoying but manageable.  The second and third children came along much easier with only mild sickness and a few puke sessions.  This pregnancy has been a whole different story.  Even before I took a pregnancy test I was turning up my nose at certain foods and gagging at the smell of Aaron’s post-run body odor.  Aaron claimed I didn’t even need to take the test because he could tell by my heightened senses that I was preggers.  And it only got more intense from there.  A week later I was having all sorts of food aversions and puking 1-3 times a day.  Over the next week  I couldn’t drink water, only lemonade, soda, and vitamin water and I was tossing it back up 3-5 times a day.

I normally like to take a conservative, holistic approach to managing illness, so I was all about the peppermint oil, ginger tea, lemon drops, small frequent meals, acupressure wrist bands ect.  My midwife recently moved to the Copper Canyons in Mexico to train indigenous midwives among the Tarahumara (the same group of native indians in the book “Born to Run”), so I emailed her to ask for a referral of another midwife in the Boulder area.  She gave me the name of Jeni Schraishuhn and I went to visit Jeni to interview her and get some more ideas on how to manage the sickness.  She told me some more natural remedies and I tried most of them but nothing helped.  Over Christmas weekend things got even worse to where I was pretty much laying in bed all day (Aaron has been “Super Dad” lately)!  I hadn’t held down anything for longer than two hours and was shivering while feeling dehydrated and very weak.  I had lost a couple of pounds in the past week and was feeling SO hungry but couldn’t seem to get more than a few bites in at a time.  Tuesday morning I called my regular O.B. in tears.  She got me right in that afternoon and did a quick ultrasound to make sure it wasn’t a molar pregnancy or twins (which it wasn’t).  Just seeing the little fetus with blood pumping right through his/her heart made me smile and feel comforted about this frustrating sickness.  My O.B. said I had  Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness and she prescribed some meds right away.  Its now Thursday and I am starting to feel a bit better.  I puked only three times yesterday and held down a lot more liquid.  I’ve slept better and no longer have the chills.  I am hoping things continue to improve and I can start to get my energy back.  I still feel pretty sick but its definitely an improvement from where I was on Sunday.

We announced our pregnancy to the kids on Christmas morning and Abe said, “Oh I just thought you were sick!  I didn’t know you were in labor or something?”  Haha, it was a good opportunity to teach them about pregnancy and labor.  Breanne and Ali were super excited and curious and ever since Sunday have been putting their hand on my bellie saying, “Baby” in the sweetest most tender way.  We invited them to join us for the 20 week ultrasound in March which also happens to be Breanne’s 6th birthday!  Right now I’m just about 9 weeks along and hoping that the morning sickness subsides a bit in a few weeks.  The baby is due August 3rd, but based on the fact that all three of my kids have  been 9-16 days early, we may get another July baby (Abe and Ali are July 15th and July 11th).

As I face the challenge of enduring the morning sickness and staying positive, I realize its all preparation and training for the additional challenges ahead, not just in pregnancy and birthing but also in raising another child throughout his or her life!  When we face difficult things in life it helps to remember that God is mindful of us and is standing by.  He will not give us more than we can bear and will not leave us comfortless.

On Sunday afternoon I spoke to my Grandma Morgan for the last time.  Mom held the phone to her ear as I told her how much I love her and what a positive influence she has been on my life.  I told her to give Grandpa Morgan a big hug for me when she got to the other side.  Thirty minutes later, Grandma passed away.  She was 88 years old.  My Grandpa Morgan preceded Grandma in death by nearly 30 years. I can’t even begin to count the hundreds of times throughout the years Grandma has expressed her loneliness and desire to see Bob again.  When my brother, David called to tell me Grandma had passed away my eyes swelled with tears as I imagined the joyous reunion between Grandma and Grandpa taking place at that very moment.

I was eleven months old when my Grandfather died and Grandma said I was always so cuddly and willing to hug her as long as she needed while she was mourning his loss.  She became a widow so young, still in her 50s.  All those hugs to Grandma when I was an infant must have bonded me to her because I have always felt a closeness to her.  Grandma was a big part of our lives growing up.  She lived close to us and watched us when Mom was in the hospital, requiring that we all work hard to clean the house before Mom got home.  She also took us out for ice cream on special occasions, helped us can peaches, pears, jam, and applesauce in the Fall, took us on fun outings, supported us in school choir concerts or sporting events, and began feeling like an immediate member of our family.  Grandma more often than not joined in on Sunday dinner gatherings, campfire dinners in Mueller Park canyon, water skiing at Pineview Reservoir,  camping in Yellowstone, and of course visiting Brigham City for “Peach Days” and stopping by to visit Grandpa Morgan’s grave afterwards.  Even after I went to BYU, Grandma came with my parents to the NCAA Championships in Furman, SC to cheer our team on to first place.

NCAA Cross Country Championships, 2001.

Dave, Grandma and I going on the Heber Creeper train through Provo Canyon in, I’m guessing 1992.

Dave returning from his mission 2005.

Holding three-day-old Abe, 2004.

Dad’s Funeral 2007.
Ali’s Blessing, 2008.

Gramdma not only supported us by being there, she was a wise counselor, a friend and listening ear, and someone to laugh with.  She taught us by example how to work hard, save our money, serve selflessly, listen compassionately, follow through with our commitments, laugh, and enjoy life.  She always used to tell me a phrase that she and Grandpa Morgan wholeheartedly believe, “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, its how many times you get up and try again that count.”  She exhibited perseverance and faith in everything she did.  She was generous and enjoyed treating people to nice things and fun memories.  I often remember she and Mom bickering about who was to pay the bill for dinner at a restaurant for special occasions and Grandma always won.  Grandma was a joy to have around.  I never once remember being bothered by her or having disagreements with her.  She was easy to love and fun to spend time with.  Without stepping on toes and only when appropriate, she humbly offered sound advice and faith-filled experiences. She and my Dad had a great relationship and Dad said he lucked out to get the best mother-in-law there was.  I suspect she and Dad have had the chance to reunite since Sunday as well.

Grandma lived a full and wonderful life and as much as I know I will miss her, I am grateful that she is relieved from her pain and infirmities and has passed on to the next phase.  I am grateful for her influence in my life and I will do everything I can to tell my children about her and teach them the lessons she taught me.  When Aaron and I went to visit Grandma in July she told us what a blessing my Mom has been to her.  Mom has been Grandma’s greatest help and support through the past many years and especially as she required more help the past year.  She was there for Grandma to help her through the last few months of frustrating memory loss, more and more dependence on others, moving into assisted living, selling her car and home, falling and having to recover from falls, requiring a walker and sometimes a wheelchair, and most importantly, needing a friend to be there and support her through life’s challenges and changes as she closed out the final chapter of her life.  After Grandma fell one last time on Saturday night, Mom stayed with her all night to make sure she was comfortable and safe.  Later on Sunday, Mom, Uncle John, Aunt Carma, and my brother Dave were there with Grandma as she took her last breath and they said it was very peaceful and serene as Grandma was received by loving arms back into the presence of those who have passed on before.  I am looking forward to flying to Utah on Friday to celebrate her life with our family and remember together what a wonderful woman she is and how lucky we are to have been touched by her.  God be with you ’till w meet agin, Grandma!  We love you!

The kids must have had a more riotous party than us on their vacation to Utah because it took them a good four days longer to recover from all the fun!  Finally after a really chill weekend, we are all feeling back on track. Special thanks to our family in Utah who helped with the kids; Mom and Owen, Dawn and Ken, Christina and Dave, and Jenni and Mike.  We REALLY appreciate you taking such great care of the kids and it was especially nice to know they were having a blast with cousins and making great memories.  We packed a lot of sights into our 10 days in France, staying in a new city every night until the final three nights in Paris. Rather than bore you with a long travel-log, I’ll just give the highlights in pictures…

First night in Nyon, Switzerland after a 26 hour day of travel.  The jet lag was quite painful and my legs felt five pounds heavier from retained water, so my run was slow and short.  We stayed with Raeburn’s friends Giselle and Pierre and were treated to kind hospitality and yummy meals!Our run along Lake Geneva.

Ready to ride on Monday morning after renting our bikes in Bourg d’Oissans

After summiting L’alpe d’heuz.

One of my favorite things about France: amazing pastries!!!
Dinner in l’Isle-sur-la-Sourge.

Soaking my legs in the river.

View from our hotel Room in l’Isle-sur-la-Sourge

Lower Mont Ventoux

Matt and Ash 3k from the top of Mont Ventoux

That deliciously expensive candy at the top of Mont Ventoux fueled me the remaining 50K (making it a total of 85K for the day) of scavenger hunt riding to our eventual destination.  Matt described it as “a sordid tale that includes ‘the roads less traveled’, an internet cafe, dad’s loss of faith in the GPS system, and a strawberry round-about.”  My favorite part was watching Aaron and Matt attempt to speak to the locals in Carpentras automatically reverting to their only non-English language, Spanish and not having much luck with that either.  Its a good thing French people understand hand gestures and body language quite well or we’d still be lost in Southern France.Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard built around the time of Christ.  Cold river below where we bathed after our long day of riding (notice the nice biking shorts tan line).

Ancient fortified city of Carcasonne.  People still live there today and there is a Best Western inside the city too in case you wanted affordable lodging with the protection of two stone walls  and a moat surrounding you.
Main castle in CarcasonneRiding toward L’TormaletOn a beautiful, misty dayMet some cool Spanish motorcyclists and last year’s 5th place Tour de France finisher, Jurgen Van Den Broeck at the summit.

Cute little castle we stayed in.Peaceful pond in the back yard.

The whole crew in front of Château de Chambord built to serve as a hunting lodge for King François I.  A mere 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, 84 staircases and more than 800 sculpted columns.  Apparently French kings were insistent upon having modest vacation homes.

Hmmmm…where shall we go running today?  Oh, how ’bout the gardens of Versailles?!  Nine miles and we barely scratched the surface.

Aaron running through the corner of Versailles, Hameau de la reine, or “The Queen’s Hamlet” where Marie Antionette went to  pretend to be a peasant…just for fun.Onto our final destination….Paris!Fresh market down the street from our Hotel in Paris.  YUM!
Of course you cant go to Paris without seeing the Mona Lisa.
After our Sunday lunch in Jardin du Luxembourg with (of course) a statue of a naked child in the background.  There must be at least one million naked statues in Paris.Fresh spices for sale in the street market smelled wonderful!

And there you have it; our trip to France in pictures.  It  turned out to be everything I expected, and more!  Thanks, Dad for planning and arranging everything for our exhaustingly fun adventure!!  It was great to spend time with family and learn about the French history while experiencing the beauty.  Good times!

Three pregnancies and births, six moves, 21 days of homeless camping and living out of our car, hundreds of poopy diaper changes, miles and miles of running together and supporting each other in races, thousands of road trip miles, tens of thousands of tears shed, a thousand MORE smiles shared, hundreds of thousands of dollars of business debt and subsequent payoff, hundreds of temper tantrums, millions of hugs, kisses and snuggles with kids, innumerable moments of pure gratitude, 3,285 days of waking up next to each other and I love him even more every day.

Its hard to believe that nine years have passed and we’ve almost spent a third of our lives together.  Back in March, 2002 after spending all of seven weeks getting to know each other, Aaron posed the question, “Do you know where this could go?” I smiled and in a moment of boldness and confidence replied something to the effect of, “Yeah, we could get married.”  Nine weeks later, there we were kneeling across the altar.  While I don’t believe four months from first acquaintance to marriage is right for everyone, I have no regrets and have enjoyed (nearly) every minute of it.  I’m not gonna lie, a great marriage doesn’t come without its struggles and set-backs but as we’ve seen those through, its been pretty darn amazing.

Nine years ago

I knew very soon after I met Aaron that I wanted to spend the rest of my life and eternity with him.  The same attributes that I fell in love with nine years ago are still making me smile today.  Probably the first thing I realized I loved about Aaron when I first met him was his optimism and carefree attitude about life.  He has such hope and faith in the act of living an abundant life.  He knows how to bring joy and positive outlook to any dreary day.  His idealism balances out my realism and lifts me to a higher plane.  He enables and inspires me to dream big and make bold moves.  I love (though sometimes I pretend to be stubbornly unamused by) his endless sarcasm and fun jesting.  He keeps it light and fun and disarms me when I get too serious.

Another favorite aspect of Aaron’s character that I’ve appreciated through the years is his persistence.  I know I’ve tested his patience on many occasions with my doubts or concerns in our endeavors but he has always been gentle and kind in hearing me out and helping me address whatever mental struggle I’m going through.  He is my Yoda.  Not every woman can say they have their own personal life Coach and guidance counselor available any day at any time of day, but I can.  And he’s not just any random counselor, he is a brilliant, God-loving, faith-guided, wise, loving husband who always keeps my best interest at heart and genuinely wants the best for me, our marriage, and our family.  What can I say?  I am one lucky girl.

Homelessness

Not only is Aaron a great husband, he is a fabulous father too.  One day I caught him cuddled up in the hammock in the back yard with all three of our kids heaped upon him.  He was telling them all about his Mom who passed away before they were born and my Dad who passed away a few years ago and how they are looking down upon us and hoping we make good decisions and live good lives.  He was teaching them about eternal families and what a wonderful blessing it is that we get to be together forever.  It warmed my heart and brought a huge smile to my face knowing that our children are being guided by such a gentle, wise, loving man.  Just the other day Abe was telling me about his conversation with Aaron as they were jumping on the trampoline earlier that morning; “Daddy doesn’t really want to work…he’d rather play with us all day.”  How lucky our kids are to have a Father (really a kid at heart) who genuinely wants to be an integral part of their daily lives and make memories with them as he teaches and guides them.

Its been an adventurous, amazing nine years.  I’m SO grateful I get to grow old with you and enjoy many more amazing years together.  Lets keep making it great!  I love you, Aaron!

Had a nice run on the East Boulder creek path with the cows this morning.  I considered playing “the ground is lava and you have to step on the stepping stones to survive.”  You know, that awesome game we used to play with the couch cushions when we were kids?  I still play it with my kids sometimes.  But this would have been even MORE awesome.  I easily could have covered at least a mile of terrain using only cow pie stepping stones.  It would have been a record, I’m sure.  Surely there is a very mediocre, very beatable record in the Guinness book for this exact thing.

Well, not today….maybe another time.  Today I decided to receive a warm welcome back home by Aaron and the kids rather than being banished due to the stink.

Speaking of the kids, here’s what they were up to this morning….that trampoline was the best Christmas present ever!!  Thanks, Santa!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Aaron and I got up around 7:00 a.m., got the kids dressed and fed, and bundled up in our multiple layered running attire.  The kids stayed at Grandma’s and played with their cousins from Fresno while we drove the 10 minutes to Farmington, checked in for the race, and jogged the course (slightly altered from their posted map online because of icy conditions on one section).  It was a very beautiful, sunny, seven degree Utah morning.  The course was mostly clear with some slippery snowpack/ice around the corners and one final quarter mile of crunchy ice chunk covered path and grass to the finish line.  We did a nice long warm-up with some strides and stretching mixed in.  The race started a few minutes late and went out fast down a slight decline for the first mile.  A bounding rabbit in baggy pants and a hoodie sweatshirt, a fit-looking man in his 30s, and a high school runner who made no sign of actual effort being put forth went out in the lead.  I stayed on their heels and Aaron was a few strides behind.  The bounding rabbit had already fallen off pace and started running backwards after the first half mile so it was down to me and two men pushing the first mile.  The less young of the two men fell off just before the first mile and I ran with the high school dude(correcting him twice for nearly turning off course) for a comfortable 5:35 through mile one.    The second mile was a gradual incline and we slowed to 5:45.  Right when my watch said mile two the course turned right and shot us down a steep decline back towards the race finish.  One loop around a neighborhood and up the chunky/icy final quarter mile and we were finished.  I think my final mile was 5:32 and the sprint to the finish was 5:20 pace for a finish time of 17:20.  The high-schooler finished 10 seconds ahead of me.  I found out he is a member of the Davis High school cross country team and they are going to a big national event in a couple of weeks.  I commented to him that he appeared to be jogging out there and he said he ran 15:50 last week so yes, 17:10 was quite comfortable for him.  He thanked me for keeping him on course.  The course map he looked at last night online was obviously not the same course they had laid out today so it was good that Aaron and I had gotten there in time to read the updated map and jog the actual course beforehand.  A few minutes after Aaron finished, we left to  jog the course one more time for our cool down and completed our day at 10 miles.  After the race we chatted with Jun and his son for a minute and also happened to bump into our Stake President from the Boulder Stake along with his wife and 5 of his sons.  It was fun to catch up with them and enjoy the coincidence of traveling all this way to end up in the same lil’ 5K.

The post race food was donuts and hot chocolate which hit the spot as we started to cool off again in the now nine degree Hawaiian Holiday we were experiencing. We went over to chat with the race director, Darrell and he gave me a prize for winning the women’s race; a $50 Chase gift-card, fresh apple pie, and some rockin’ orange “Sock-Guys” socks with a turkey on them.  What a generous race director!!  The funny part about the award was that just a week ago, I had suggested to him that he give at least $50 to the race winners and I also suggested pies for the age division winners.  Hey, he ASKED for prize suggestions on his website, so why not?  You only get what you ask for.  And you better be careful what you ask for too because you often get exactly what you ask for which is why I didn’t suggest a large obnoxious plastic turkey trophy, a free 15 lb. turkey (which would be leaking blood and stinking up our car on the long drive home), or even a 64 oz. glass beer mug (one of my favorite prizes through the years…I just don’t need another one).

The race was really fun albeit, cold.  Darrell did a great job of lifting spirits with the music and hot chocolate and I think all in attendance were happy to be there.

I was pretty happy with running a 17:20 considering where I’m at in my training and also considering the less than perfect racing conditions.

The remainder of the day was spent cooking, chatting with family, eating delicious food, playing card games, and thinking about all the many things I have to be grateful for.  I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude as I consider all the wonderful blessings in my life; my brilliant, supportive, good looking, ambitious husband, my obedient, kind, cooperative, smart kids, my good health and strength, our new home in Boulder, our many friends and associations with wonderful, inspiring people, our siblings, in-laws, and parents, as well as our Faith in God and testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We got news this afternoon that Aaron’s 96-year-old Grandpa passed away at 1 p.m.  He lived a long, full life and set forth a legacy of Faith and hard work to be followed by his 50+ grandkids and even more great grandkids.  He is a kind, gentle soul whom we will remember fondly.

Took a pleasant nap after Church while the girls napped and Aaron played board games with Abe.  Then we all went for a bike ride down to a small lake about a mile from our house.  Our five year old, Abe was riding pretty fast but says he’s still not quite ready for us to take his training wheels off.  Then he decided he wanted to put his bike in my trailer and run with his sister, Breanne.  They ran around the lake trails and of course baby Ali just HAD to get out and join them too.  They were all still pretty pumped up about their first race yesterday and just loved running around the trails.  Breanne ran about 1.3 miles and Abe ran about a mile and biked another couple miles.  Ali ran about a half mile.  She kept resisting my suggestions to get back in the bike seat even after it started to rain a bit and Abe and Breanne had left us and gone ahead with Aaron so I just biked slowly next to her while she ran up the hill in the warm rain.  Its so fun to see our kids get excited about running and enjoy doing it together as a family.

7 miles in 7:30 pace

The prarie dog near mile four perched up on his mound and gave me an enthusiastic wave as if to say “top of the morning to you!”  Finally after a year of running past his home three or four mornings a week he’s decided to be neighborly.

Around mile six I saw an older gentleman who’s sharp white and black facial hair and jaw line suddenly reminded me of my Dad.  My heart sank as I started wishing I could go hiking with my Dad, see him cheering for me at the end of a race, or just sit down and chat with him.  The last time I was able to do any of those things was three years ago before he passed away.  At least I still have lots of good memories and thoughts of him.  I miss him.

10 miles in 7:29 ave. pace

Met my team at Fairview High School track for some track intervals.

Warmed up 20 minutes, stretching, strides

4X (400 M w/ 1 min. jog, 800 M w/2 min jog, 400 M) 2 min jog between sets

400 M intervals were between 79-87 seconds each

800 M. intervals were between 2:51-2:59 each

20 minute cool down

Took a nap this afternoon and then took the kids hiking in Boulder around 4 p.m.  They LOVED being out in the wilderness exploring.  Afterwards we went to an Ethiopian restaurant for dinner just to try something new and different.  I was pretty impressed with the fact that all three of my kids actually tried and liked some of the food!

Did some push, pull, sit-ups when we got home.

Push: 4X25

Pull: 4X10

Sit: 4X50

6 miles in 8:00 pace

Went to the Bountiful Recreation Center again since it was snowing hard and I didn’t want to run on the slippy surface that seemed to agitate my knee in the first place.  Ran 6 miles on the treadmill.  Felt GREAT!  Small bit of twinging behind my knee but not the same tightness across the top of my knee as I had been struggling with previously.  SO grateful for the 6 miles of actual running I could get.  Didn’t want to push my luck, so stopped there and lifted weights for a bit.  Did a set of 10 pull ups and another set of 9.  Very happy about that as I usually just settle for two sets of 7.  Did some other lifts and core work.  The workout really lifted my spirits and put me in a good mood.  Traveling for an entire week with the kids and staying with other people throws me out of my routine and I start feeling blah because I don’t eat as healthy and my sleep is not good either.  Working out always lightens my mood though.

My reward for putting up with the blah lack of routine is that I get to visit with loved ones and enjoy catching up with my family and friends.  Sunday evening I was sitting in the home where I grew up.  My parents built that home 31 years ago and raised 5 children there.  There we all were, 5 children and their spouses, Mom, our step-father, Owen (I’m sure Dad was peeking in on us in spirit), and 14 crazy grandkids running around us.  It was such an amazing energy of love, support, and understanding in the room as we reunited one last time in our home where we all grew up.  Mom and Owen have purchased a new home together and will be selling the old family home soon so its the last time we’ll all be together in that home.  But I don’t mind.  Home is wherever we are.  Home is where family is.