They are having this awesome giveaway over at Love Stitched and I want to win so badly. It's a silhouette cutting machine and it is so awesome. It is kind of like a cricut but instead of buying cartridges it hooks up to your computer so you can use any font you find or buy others for much cheaper than cartridges. LOVIN' it. The giveaway ends tonight so go over and enter.
Does anybody love to pack... if so you should come and help me. I am actually procrastinating it so long now that I am going to be up until midnight doing it. I actually don't HATE packing, I am just NOT in the mood tonight. The one thing I really hate about taking a trip is UNPACKING. If I don't do it the day I get home the bag sits in the middle of the floor for a week or two. If you ask my husband he will tell you the honest truth that it has sat there for a month a couple of times. I just dislike it. Maybe one day I will have a change of heart and learn to tolerate the unpacking portion of a trip. Who knows, it could happen. It happened with the Utensils. I used to HATE HATE HATE unloading the dishwasher particularly the utensils. Oh MY GOSH it plagued me. But now I totally have a system and when I do get around to the dishwasher I go for the utensils first.
Do any of you have packing or unpacking tips for a trip challenged girl?
This week has been crazy crazy crazy. I have done hair like a mad woman (apparently everyone wants to look good for the holidays... whatever). We also had a huge activity for R.S. tonight that I was semi heading up. Tonight actually rejuvenated me though.
I ran 5 miles this morning (my first 5 ever besides a 10k I did once when I first got home from my mission which I was totally unprepared for). I have never run like I did this morning. I got to my 3 miles that was my original plan and said to myself, I bet I could run one more. So I did. Once I did that I thought to myself, I could probably run another. So I did. At 55 minutes on the treadmill I had burned 763 calories and I was TIRED and also feeling a little weak from it being so early in the morning with no real food in me. So I stopped. But when my sister asked me today on the phone if I think I could have done one more I said... I think I could have. Crazy I feel like a runner and I think I AM GOING TO DO THE HALF IN JANUARY. Scary. But exciting too. (also I shaved 30 seconds off per mile today). I am really not trying to brag, I just never thought I would get to this point and need to document it.
I don't know what it is about running but it entices me. I cannot run fast, I am not very strong mentally when I run, in fact I often convince myself to walk, but for some reason, I want to be a runner. I actually like doing it and kind of crave it. Sometimes I lay in bed when I can't sleep and wish that it was a safe enough world out there to just go for a night time jog. My sisters are doing a half marathon in St. George in January and I really want to do it with them. Actually what I really want to do is a 10 K but that is not available that day. It's either a 5k or a half marathon. UGH. I only have 10 weeks to train (I sort of started this week) and I am really slow. The most I have ever run on my own is 3 miles.
So I guess I need a little input. What should I do. My mind might get the better of me on this one and convince me that I am too weak and don't have enough time to train. HELP.
Kevin "earned" this garbage truck finally.
It has been at least 2 months since Kevin saw this garbage truck at Costco and begged me to buy it for him. Every time we went to Costco he said that he wanted to see "his" Garbage Truck. This boy has a lot of motorized things just like this and it was NOT Christmas nor his Birthday so I told him he would have to buy it with his own money. He got excited, which really worked out well for us too because at the time he was on a mean streak with Katie and not minding us very well. We needed something to motivate and encourage him to be nice and do the things we ask of him.
My sister Collette set up a Marble system with her kids and Kevin really liked that so we started right away.
He would get a marble for simple things and two for big things (and sometimes Mom was lazy and forgot to emphasize the marble earning) but 200 marbles later he finally got to open his garbage truck. He played with it for 2 hours straight and was very very sad that he had to say goodnight to it. I think this fascination with Garbage trucks all started when Aunt Mandy bought him a little Matchbox garbage truck. We go out every Tuesday and Wednesday morning whenever we hear the trucks coming and watch as he lifts the big can and dumps all the trash out. It's the highlight of his day. I just love him.
Today Adam and I were able to go to the Temple and do Sealings. I must say I can't believe how much it rejuvenates me to do that especially with my husband. Just looking at him makes me happy and I know he is commited to me and the Lord for all eternity. We had a great time and feel reconnected with eachother and the Lord.
We lay the kids down at my friend Rachel's and when we returned we found out that niether of them really ever slept... BUMMER. So they went to bed SUPER EARLY tonight. I literally came home from picking them at 4:45, made them dinner, washed Katie up and put her to bed. Then it was stories and bed for kevin. By 6:20 they were OUT cold. THANK GOODNESS. They were both cranky and ready for sleep.
I feel like I haven't really hung out with them a ton because we have had busy busy busy days, but it won't be calming down in the next few day since we have the Gilbert Groundbreaking dedication and Stake Conference this weekend.
I went running this morning specifically to time how fast it takes me to run a mile. I ran 3 and finished at 34 min. 30 seconds which makes my miles 11.30 minutes. I was gestimating 12 so I am pleased with my numbers. I would however like to be able to run 10 min. miles by the end of the year and I don't even know if that is at all possible so I guess we will see.
Adam and I also went to a Cirque Dream performance last night for date night (He has a 4 day weekend). It was SO COOL. I am still thinking about all the tricks and crazy stunts that happened. What was even better was that Adam WON the tickets on the radio so we didn't have to pay anything for our night on the town. When we came out I couldn't believe how cold it was, I needed a jacket... CAN YOU BELIEVE IT... a JACKET in AZ... I was meant for this weather FOR SURE. If I am dying in the "COLD" weather of ARIZONA how did I ever live in CEDAR where you FREEZE just by walking on your tile.
I am going to bed now... sorry for the random post.
We have a major cheeser on our hands with miss Katie bug. She is so freakin' cute I just want to eat her up. So I usually grab the camera instead of taking a bite out of her cheeks. This is the result... a HUGE CHEESY SMILE.
This particular experience really cracked us up. We had pancakes and eggs for dinner and she must have really enjoyed them (or discovered just how yummy syrup is) she sure went to town licking that plate clean.
Here she is just so proud of herself. I personally am loving that there is a bit of egg stuck to her head. Good thing it was bath night.
Speaking of Katie and eating, we had to drive down to Mesa yesterday to exchange some tickets and then we planned to go to Taco Tuesday at Cafe Rio. The kids were both hungry and ready for food so the drive was not too pleasant. The back seat eventually got quiet and this is why... You can't really tell what she is doing so I will illustrate. Apparently there were some snacks in her seat, i.e. goldfish crackers, fruit loops and golden grahams (what can I say she is happy and content when she is eating so she gets snacks a lot when we are on the go). So this is her digging for "gold" so to say.
OOOh Almost got it...
Aha I got it...
YUMMY, an appetizer before dinner. (She ate a ton at dinner too)
Here's her cheezer smile once again.
So life has been pretty basic and boring over here in Endsley land. We are enjoying our kiddos and their cute little personalities and just basically going from day to day.
A friend of mine gets her husband back tomorrow and it reminds me of the times when my husband and I didn't live in the same house, city or State. That is really hard, but this friend of mine didn't even have her husband in the same country... for 6 WEEKS. Ugh!!!
I have come to really rely on Adam. He is a really reliable guy and always makes me feel so safe. He is sort of like clockwork. He comes home, backs into the garage, sits for a minute while catching the last of Glenn Beck or some other mad person, then goes for the mailbox. As soon as he's in the door its kisses and hellos and then he just needs to relax in his chair. Sometimes he goes up and changes into more casual clothes but I think that is only when he has the energy to climb the stairs before getting a bit of a break. He is a basic guy who could eat my simple ground turkey McCormick Tacos almost every night and love it, yet he is so incredibly smart and loving too. He cracks jokes and teases us all the time and I really don't know where I would be without my wonderful, eternal, handsome husband.
I am sorry you all didn't end up as blessed as me!!! (Of course I'm sure you feel the same way about your blessings).
