Mother Racer

We came home from our family trip to lots of chores (and the girls did really well with not complaining too much)… mowing, cleaning, taking care of the dogs and their wastes 😳, etc.

… and to 2 coaches from Brazil. We had so much fun this week with them. Very nice and respectful people. We went to an indoor soccer arena to play a couple of soccer games with some local teams (my sister works there and my brother met us there to play). It was fun to watch the guys play (and it was so fun to see my niece and nephew). What was neat was the team that needed extra players had a couple of guys from Brazil (they moved here a while ago) and another player that went on his mission there. Corom took the guys to the lake one night and we all went bowling. 1st time bowling for them. We had quit a few laughs. We did say goodbye to the 2 as they headed to a new host family in Colorado.

Saturday June 24th: I woke up to the alarm at 3:15 a.m. I was asked on Thursday evening if I could pace the American Fork half… the 1:30 pace (6:52 per mile pace). I couldn’t say no. 😉 I do love pacing and this race was especially special. All proceeds go to cancer awareness… it’s the race against cancer. I met so many wonderful people, heard so many of their stories and saw many of my running friends. There were many that pr’d today…. so fun. The rest of the week… running for the girls (I told the girls if they were to run everyday… well 6 days a week and then do their 20 min of school work in the morning, I would pay them $100 at the end of summer). So they get up every morning and do what they need to do. We helped our good friends move (Fullmer’s and still close by). We’ve had friends over (some I have not seen in years… so good seeing you, Hanchette’s). And then high school cross country practices in the morning and bike riding even in the heat. We’ve also been hanging out at the library and participating in their programs… it was reading and learning about ponds and then pick up trash day around the pond. It’s been nice having Corom around for the summer (with his school job). It’s been really good for our family. Lots more to come this summer!

Trek (June 29 – July 1)

Corom and I went on our own adventure… Trek. The definition of trek: to travel or migrate, especially slowly or with difficulty.

Trek is a church activity that happens every 4 years for our youth (ages 14-18). We reenact some of the events our ancestors/pioneers had to go through as they crossed over the lands to come to Utah.

Corom and I were asked to be “moms and dads” to a group of teenagers on pioneer camping trip. We had an awesome “family”. Sorry Bri… the person taking the picture accidentally cut you out (the bottom one). It was a 3 day trek with pulling handcarts with all of our belongings in it. The 1st day we walked 9 1/2 miles through hot wind, major dust in some areas, heat and people getting blisters…but we sure had a fun time with everyone around us! The 2nd day, we walked 7 1/2 miles, through more heat, more dust and more people getting blisters… and it was still fun! we played a few pranks on the other “families”

We played games that the pioneers would play and made different stops along the way to hear “actors” tell stories of the pioneers. On the 3rd day, we walked a little over 5 miles. We did the women’s pull and this is what another lady wrote about it. She said it perfectly and I’m just not good at writing, so I’m going to put down what she said. She starts off saying 6 women per cart but I had the privilege to pull a lady who was unable to walk but wanted to be a part of trek. Very humbling experience…       “With six women per cart, the half-mile trip was very doable. But as our feet sank into deep dust and we worked to keep the handcart wheels turning, I imagined the women who traveled such paths alone, sometimes with empty stomachs, sometimes through snow and rain, sometimes with the added burden of a wounded or ill family member on the cart. I felt so grateful to have the power of sisterhood and unity. There are journeys we sometimes have to take alone, but oh, how wonderful it is when we can help share each others’ burdens and enjoy each others’ friendship along the way. About half-way along the path, I looked up through thick clouds of dust and saw the men standing in two long lines on either side of the trail, hats lowered to show their respect.  I saw the emotion on their faces as they struggled to accept that this was our journey to take and they could not step in and rescue us. And even though they couldn’t help us physically, I was buoyed by the love and concern on their faces. I can not begin to describe the comfort I felt from their presence, the gratitude I felt for the bond we all collectively shared at that moment, and the longing in my heart that each of my young sisters would wait for a husband who would show her the respect I saw in the eyes of many young men on the trail that day. As I’ve been thinking back on that scene, the veil feels very thin to me. I think the scene on that trail yesterday is a good metaphor for our true relationship with our ancestors. They are with us more than we know. They stand ready to strengthen and comfort us. They honor us for every good decision we make and for every act of courage we embark upon. Likewise, I suspect we were with them, stengthening, comforting, and honoring them when they made their difficult trek westward in our behalf.”

And then the crossing of the river… the men carried majority of the ladies across the river. This, too, was so amazing to experience. I knew I could cross the river and I even wanted to because it was so hot… but I allowed myself to let my husband have the experience of what these pioneer men had to do as they crossed the plains. It was humbling! And as I looked up at Corom, a overwhelming sense of love rushed through me.

We finished our trek experience shortly after the river crossing, with all of us (about 350-400 people; youth and leaders) gathered around for our last meal. We were dirty, hot and tired but all so happy for this time and experience we shared.

While we were at Trek… my 3 younger girls were with their G-goat (grandma Sarah). She put them right to work. 🙂 They did have a lot of fun there…

and my oldest went on her 1st overnight camp out with all the other 5th graders. They went up to Shadow mountain. 

4th of July Fun: We went to Yuba Lake with the Boothe’s, Fullmer’s and Thompson’s before we met up for a BBQ and fireworks. 

We had 4 boys from China come stay with us for a couple of weeks. They were so fun and had fun playing with our kids. They were a younger bunch. We had s’mores, went to the bean museum, went to a carnival…

Went kayaking, went off of rope swings, had many nerf gun fights, etc.

A good group of boys!

Cross Country Camp

We (the high school cross country team) had our annual camp up at Shadow Mountain. Always a fun experience with these kids. Lots of fun games, team building activities, running, eating, clinics, goal setting classes, traditions, swimming, etc…

My girls came up for the last night and spent the night. The last morning we packed up, played volleyball and then ran the 3 miles down the mountain to our bus. My girls ran with the high school kids. My youngest didn’t last too long on the bus. 🙂

Corom’s Fam Time

All of Corom’s family came into town to see the oldest cousin (our nephew) Eldon. He is leaving on a LDS mission this next week. He is going to Chicago. We went hiking up at the hidden waterfalls, went to Salem pond…… then we went swimming, played games and watched lightening storms…

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… We had a family/friend lunch-on… and then Eldon was off to the MTC to serve his mission! He is going to be a great missionary! 

Our house flooded a couple of times this summer. 😬 With all the construction (with the school and City) going on the pipes were put in wrong. They were so good and took the blame but still very frustrating! At least the girls had fun. 😉

We drove/stopped through 20 states in 2 1/2 weeks. We hopped in our big sprinter van and made that our home. (We did stay at many of families houses along the way but there were nights we slept in the van.) We were able to see and visit so many wonderful places here in our country… I am so grateful for the opportunity that we had as a family to do this. (The rest of our time around is in earlier posts as you scroll down.)  We did have the spin bike in the back of the van so I was able to get a good ride in on the days we drove a lot (tried to ride at least 2 hours each time I rode the bike while Corom was driving)… and then of course, I ran on the days that I could! We are also blessed that our van made it the whole way… the last 6 hours of our trip (as we left Colorado) our back tire popped. A stranger pulled over shortly after we got out of the van and helped Corom change our tire! I was so grateful for this young man. We decided to drive the last 500 miles on a spare. 😳 Yes we did make it, but the last 3-4 hours of our drive, the van started to run hot. The needle would get extremely close to the red zone… we ran with the heater on for a good chunk of the time. We were all anxious to get home.

As I mentioned earlier… we were able to stop in Colorado for a couple of nights to spend time with Corom’s brother and his family. The kids had so much fun with more cousins. It has been a wonderful trip just watching our kids play with cousins. They all went for a run together, played basketball, BBQ’d, goofed off, rode the dirt bikes around… went swimming…   and just visited and played around. It was fun! It was hard to leave, knowing we were coming back to reality but we were ready to be home. At home, 2 Brazilians were waiting for us. They are here coaching soccer and needed a place to stay for the week… I will write about our time with them at the end of this week. 🙂

June 14th-17th: We arrived from Washington D.C. to Virginia Beach on Wednesday. So beautiful here! I was able to get an 8 mile run in on Thursday morning (58:43)… the best part, Corom cane out with me. He ran a little over 5 and I just ran back and forth. My sister lives here with her family (my brother in law is in the military). My kids have not seen my sister’s kids for at least 5-6 years! Way too long but they were in Spain for a few years. It was so great hanging out. We, of course, had to go to the beach… (Corom and my bro-in-law went surfing a couple of times; well I should say he went surfing and Corom tried 😉). I was able to go onto the navy military base. I absolutely loved it. The ships (of all sorts) are huge. I’m a sucker for anything military. 😳 And then, of course, the kids played  the entire time. I wish we lived closer. We celebrated my nephew’s  birthday the night before we left. He is so dang cute! On Saturday, we packed up our stuff and headed out. We were sad to leave but next time we will plan to stay longer. It was great for my sister and I to spend quality time together. 

June 17-18th (Father’s Day): We drove a lot these past 2 days! We made it to Colorado Sunday evening. We did make a few stops on the way, but now that we are heading back home… there is more of an urgency to get back. We had the best rain-lightening storm these past 2 days.  I do love how green it is on the east coast. (And the fireflies are amazing!) We drove through a tunnel that took us under water… I didn’t like it (too eerie for me). Oh, I didn’t take the pic of the fireflies. Mine didn’t turn out that great. 😉We stopped of in St. Louis to see the Arch… it was huge!! As we were heading out, we came across the St. Louis Temple. We were passing through Columbia, Missouri this morning (Sunday) and saw that there was a LDS church service about to start. So we threw on some clothes and went to just sacrament meeting. I’m so glad we were able to go. It was a good meeting. We also made a stop in Liberty, Missouri and did a little tour of the Liberty Jail. It was a little detour but I’m glad we went. Other than that… it was just getting through the long car ride. From my sister’s house in Virginia to Corom’s brother’s house in Colorado (our next main stop)… it is a 26-27 hour drive. 😳 Happy Father’s Day to you, Corom!! We love You! Here is a special traveling dinner for you. 😉 (It actually was really good pizza!) 

It’s been so fun watching the girls get along and play. They are “stuck” together with no distractions of friends or personal space. I’m not saying they haven’t fought because they have had some pretty good fights… but they have gotten along really well, too. 5 pictures of the 6 are of our KOA campsite in Washington D.C. It was a really fun place to camp. We are staying at the KOA for 2 nights. (Monday June 12th and Tuesday night, June 13th.) Monday… I went out for a 7 mile run. It was so pretty the trail I hooked on to. 

June 13th & 14th: We got up early And headed out to tour DC. ( I didn’t get a run in On the 13th. 😬) But we did walk a total of 12 miles today (the girls, too). It was 95 degrees with a 45 % humidity. It was hot! There was lots of complaining today and lots of museums visited (free of course 😉). We started of with a tour at the Capitol. The best part… we saw a statue in there that my grandpa 👴🏻 made. He has 4 in there, but there are so many statues, it was too hard to check them. We just happened to stop next to the Utah statue and it was 2 away. (The bottom right is the Utah statue of Brigham Young.) 

It was neat to take a tour of the Capitol and we learned so much. We stood in the center of Washington, we found out that there was a fascination with Pocahontas during the time period of the mural being painted (for the big dome room), the Capitol has its own Subway, the statue that’s sits up top is called “The Statue of Freedom”, the statue faces East ( and the main entrance) to symbolize peace, etc. We hit up a couple of museums… the Natural Museum of the American Indian and the Museum of Modern Art…

We headed down to the Washington Monument… … before heading over to the Lincoln Memorial.  Next stop was the World War 2 memorial, the Korean War and pictures of the White House. Loved all 3 of these places! Everything is so beautiful here! There is so much to see that I knew we weren’t going to fit it all in. 😬 I did love the saying of “Freedom Is Not Free”. This memorial made me think and feel of the gratitude I have for all the men and women serving for our country. 

The one place I wanted to go to today was the Arlinington Cemetery. This was my favorite place  out of everything today! It is hard for me to describe the feel of entering the cemetery. I was sad to see so many tombstones all lined up (there were thousands of tombstones everywhere), yet I felt love and gratitude and pride towards the service men/women. We live in an amazing country and we are so blessed to be here. We watched the changing of the guards… guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soilder. It was great to be there and watch the procedure of what they do. I learned that the tomb is guarded 24/7 all year long no matter the weather! Pretty awesome.  On Wednesday (the 14th) I woke up and went out for a 7 mile run, then finished off with a bike ride (well on my cycle bike). I felt better today with my run. I even did a few pick ups along the way. It’s been a long time… so out of racing shape!! I got back from my run and rode for a mile or 2. Yeah… I probably Looked funny riding in the middle of our campsite. 
After playing around at the campsite… 

we headed to D.C.’s LDS Temple. My grandpa made the Moroni on that temple. It was beautiful! We are now headed to my sisters house in Virginia Beach. 

Yesterday my youngest was walking along the sidewalk and wasn’t paying attention… she ran right into a sign. Yeah, it was painful.

June 9th: I woke up this morning with horrible allergies. My eyes were swollen and itchy, my throat and nose were itchy and I couldn’t stop sneezing. It was no fun. I will admit, I was a little grumpy and wanted to get moving… we left my allergy pills at my sister-in-law’s place. So as soon as we were done with Palmyra, we were going to head to a store and grab some more.  I hurried everyone along with getting ready in the morning and quickly made their oatmeal. There was a nice place to eat before heading out on “self-tour” pathway.

We spent a little more time in Palmyra then what I thought we would when we 1st started… my sneezing was out of control but I absolutely loved walking through the Grove. It was so peaceful and beautiful… I just wanted to keep walking along the pathway. It was great being able to talk with the girls about the spiritual and important things in life. 

We headed to the Palmyra temple and walked around there for a few minutes before we headed over to Hill Comorah. The girls and Corom had a blast rolling down the hill. I sat up on top just watching, enjoying the sound of their laughter… and yes my allergies were still horrible (thank goodness for sunglasses 😎 because I was not looking pretty). We left, picked up some allergy medicine (at Costco) and headed on our way to Connecticut. We will be staying with our cousin’s Ryan and Megan (and their little one) for a couple of nights. On the way there… I was able to get 1 1/2 hours of riding the bike. Corom used some of my rungum to help him through the drive. It works wonderfully! We arrived and went for a walk with Ryan and his family and the girls. They warned us about ticks everywhere and sure enough, Megan found a tick on her when we got home. 😬 Creepy little buggers!! 
June 10th: I went out for a 7 mile run (55:19). Still not feeling the greatest-a little sluggish but it felt good to get out. It is so beautiful here. So many trails and trees and it’s so green. But I’m not going to lie… I am a little freaked out about the ticks around here so I stayed on the roads. I did come onto a dead end road with a small cemetery. It was a little eerie but cute (if that makes sense). 

Then it was off to New York!! It was great having Ryan with us to be our tour guide! We were able to see so many places in the 9 hours that we were there. And better yet… everything we did go to was free (well the museum of Natural History was $2 for all of us). 😳 

We started with 9/11-Ground Zero. It was a very somber experience. My heart was full for the men and women and everyone involved on this dreadful day. This was one of the main things I wanted to go to. My children have a better understanding of the events that took place and how we need to come together as a country and help each other out. I just realized as I was putting my pictures together that I took a picture of the fire department Ladder 10 (as they were out on a call) and then I took a picture of the fire department 10 and their fallen men memorial. Anyway… I am not good with putting my thoughts and feelings down on paper but I had so many different feelings as we were there. There were so many people around us yet everyone seemed to feel the same way as I did. There was a lot of love and respect. 

Statue Of Liberty: Another absolutely amazing thing to see! The Statue of Liberty is beautiful. We took the free ferry ⛴ that passes past the Statue and that was perfect for us. Then it was off to the Museum of Natural History. Corom said he would go get tickets for the museum while I took the girls to the bathroom. I’m so glad that the girls had to go to the bathroom… I guess the museum was by donation. Corom donated $2! I’m not going to lie… I’m glad he did just that but if I were in charge of getting the tickets, I would have donated more than that because I would have felt bad. It was fun to walk around… We walked around Central Park for a while and then took the girls on their first subway station ride/experience. The park is huge! And the subway is so filthy! I swear my girls had to touch everything, everywhere. Our cousin, Ryan, was constantly taking out his wet wipes and wiping their hands down. It made me laugh but I was grateful at the same time. 

We took the Subway to Chinatown. My girls were in heaven with wanting to buy everything!! We went out to dinner at a really good Vietnamese restaurant (in Chinatown) and just walked around to see the sights of it all. And on our way out to the carport… we walked the Brooklyn Bridge. So beautiful!! We were all tired but it was worth the walk on the bridge. (We ended up walking 10 miles total today! My kids were troopers.) 

June 11th: Today was a very nice down day with lots of relaxing. We hung out with Ryan and Megan all day. Started off going to church, then napped for a while, played games, BBQ’d, did s’mores… … and went on a nice walk up a tick infested nature trail (but I guess many states around here are having the problem with ticks). It was actually a very nice hike. We saw a beaver, beaver dams, frogs 🐸, etc… It was so nice being able to hang out. We leave in the morning for our next destination!