June 26, 2012

The Dirty Dozen

RAGNAR.

I have no idea what it stands for, but I did it.  BOOM!  June 15th through the 16th, 3 legs a piece, 6 sweaty runners per van and probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my entire life. Though I haven't tackled child birth and I've heard that's a winner. I personally ran a total of 14.6 miles over the two days, and I couldn't be more surprised that I'm sitting here today.  It is quite amazing to see what your body really can accomplish.  It makes me feel a little guilty that I don't always use it to it's maximum potential, but unfortunately that feeling doesn't last too long. :)

Our team, The Dirty Dozen, killed this relay like it was no one's business.  We finished in 65th place out of the 805 teams among our division, and 123rd place out of all 1092 total teams.  Not bad!  Not bad at all.   We finished in 30:07:27 when our estimated time was 32:14:43.  Yeah you could say I'm bragging.  Actually, I am bragging, I'll admit it.  I am so proud of everyone and for how hard they pushed themselves!  Embarrassingly enough this race was really emotional for me.   Karlie used to always talk about her experience and how she had to hold back the tears when people finished their legs.  I always thought it was a little funny, especially since I'm not a crying type of a person.  "Like a vault baby locked down."  Todd that quote was for you... haha Well I was right back then to say that I'm not that type of a person.   However after seeing how hard everyone was pushing themselves, knowing how hard it was for me to do the same, then to finally see the relief on their face after they finished - sheesh I had no chance.  I was constantly looking away to conceal the overflowing tear ducts.

On a lighter note, there were a lot of teams that were so clever in their name choice as well in their team decorations.  Example:

There were a lot off potty jokes, some not so nice, but overall I just couldn't stop laughing at every van that we saw.  I took note of a few team names that were my favorite: 
-RMFAO (Running My Fat A Off),
-Holy Cramp,
-You Better Wasatch Your Back,
-Lettuce Turnip the Beet (took me a second... had to say it out loud to get it...), and
-Just Another Manic Run-Day.

We saw a suburban that had tusks and was decorated like a Mammoth, a team that each took a sport and ran in the gear (ie: one with a mountain goat tied to back pack with hiking poles, one in a wet suit and carrying a surf board, one running in snow shoes, etc), saw a man running in a gas mask, a woman running in a viking costume and this:


This race was also very educational as well as contained a lot of firsts!  I compiled a list for you, because you know how much I like organized lists :)

   1] Honey buckets are the greatest things on the planet.  I had more fear of not having a honey bucket within 1 minute of me at all times, than I did of getting eaten by a bear on my night run. (which was a logical fear for some - ask Natalie)
   2] 3 hours of sleep is a beautiful thing
   3] Sleeping in a hotel, even if it is on the floor, will always be counted twice in my prayers
   4] Matt has a special spot in his heart for cottonelle wipes
   5] I love killing people, and I killed 38 people in two days*
   6] Having the right music can be the difference between life or death.
   7] Words/Actions like poop, wedgie, fart, sweat, pee and WATER were probably used more in those two days than ever will be in my lifetime.
   8]  It is possible for the Oakey boys to sweat.  It only takes running Avon pass, but it's possible!
   9]  Kendall's name is not Wendall. But it happens to be his new favorite nickname.
  10] No one can do the running man like Natalie can.
  11] Chocolate Outrage Gu is the best thing I've ever tasted.
  12] Road Rage is expected, Volunteers we had to pay for are idiots but Jeff is one that will always get you where you need to be -even if it takes playing chicken with the other lane aka Mexican driving.
  13] Camie makes the best chicken salad, thank heavens.
  14] I have never loved sleep more than Sunday evening after my 14 hour nap.
  15] And finally, the most important lesson I learned is this: 
                SPANDEX IS A PRIVILEDGE, NOT A RIGHT.

Now for some pictures!















*A kill is someone that you passed on your run.   No injury or violence took place in order to get any of these kills.  And yes, I can use runner terminology because after this, I am a runner!

June 22, 2012

T-O Double

Todd had a birthday shout hurray!  We wanted to sing to him yesterday!  One year older and wiser to, happy birthday, to Todd! Man I'm so good at birthday rhymes..... ;)  I would have a video of Todd blowing out the candles right below this paragraph for you to view, but due to my ridiculously bad luck, I'm trying to figure out a way to see if I really did just delete ALL of my pictures from my camera.....  I'm really hoping they are still out there somewhere because I have most of the Ragnar pictures on there too... oh geez it makes my stomach turn just thinking about the possibility of those pictures being gone. 

ANYWAYS... on a lighter note!  Todd's birthday was great! Dinner at Tucanos the night before with Kurtlyn (Kurt and Caitlyn), Dirt cake and ice cream with Todd's family then Red Velvet Bundt cake with my family, Zupas tonight, search for the perfect Lid and strawberries & cream! 

Aaahhh.  I love summer birthdays.

June 18, 2012

Happy Birthday Kar!

Hey what do you say?  I say, Karlie's birthday is today! 
What a great day this 18th day of June,  one where we can celebrate even past noon!
I hope it's grand, I hope it's wonderful; I especially hope it's splendenderful!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARLITO!!!!



Poem courtesy of Domination Studios. 

June 14, 2012

Roman Numerals

My cousin Mason and I were talking this morning about clocks, roman numerals, numbers and other mysteries of the universe.  You know, normal breakfast small talk with 9 year olds.  He asked what the symbols were on the kitchen wall clock and I told him they were roman numerals. 

Side Note:  Mason is no exception to the rest of the
9 year olds that love asking a bajillion
 million questions about everything.
I had no history of roman numerals tucked away
 in my brain so I knew I was in trouble.

Well he asked me why people would use roman numerals when they could just use numbers, if I could count in roman numerals, if I knew all the symbols, if they have enough symbols to reach a bajillion million, etc.   As he asked I did my best to come up with an answer, but all the while looking at the digital clock on the stove and wondering.....  What if we would have never had numbers and just stuck with roman numerals?  Would our digital clocks be in roman numerals?  It was weird to think about.  I could see it happening though, because if you think about it, a loopy line makes this: 6, a sharp turned line makes this: 7, a squiggly line makes this: 3.  They are still just symbols, we're just use to them as numbers.

Crazy thoughts for a crazy awesome day.  I had more thoughts, but I think I'll spare you all my thoughts when I took a trip to the loo. ;)

 

June 13, 2012

La Copa Familiar 2012

Todd's family has a few family traditions that took place last week, La Copa Familiar and International Night.  Both were so much fun!! I was happy to be apart of them this year! We got started a little later for La Copa so I didn't get pictures taken until we moved to MMHS.  Here you go!!

 The group!



La Copa 2012 Champions!!



 Todd has been growing his hair out for this occasion,
I think it turned out pretty well actually haha


 See Todd.... Proof your hairstyle is a soccer hairstyle...



Oh man now that I searched on the web for some European Mohawk pictures I can't stop finding these crazy ones!! hahaha




And finally.... I couldn't do a Mohawk post without this guy....



Next up, was the International night.  Everyone brings some native food from a country or state they have been to (i.e. or went on a mission to) and we have a potluck celebration!  For me it was fantastic because I just got to eat all the creations! Score! There were some crazy things there, like Korean Pancakes (made with octopus and other lovely things), and fried Okra.  We also had a taco station by Little Mark, loaded polish dogs, beans, fruit, steak, salads, juices, etc. Todd made Fresh Pineapple juice and Steak.  Sooo good!  It's a fun tradition they have, and just another excuse for everyone to get together.  Food tends to be at the center of my favorite gatherings, so this one fit right into my top 10.

Also, more exciting news, Kurt and Cailtyn Averett were married on Friday!!!!  They both were beaming with excitement, and it all turned out so great! Congrats guys!!

This weekend we've got the Ragnar Relay, and I couldn't be more excited!  No more training, the race is finally here!  Hopefully I don't kill over and die the first leg.  I'll be sure to take lots of pictures, maybe even some videos.  So until then, stay sweet my friends.

June 4, 2012

Craft Corner

Even I didn't think it would turn out as well as it has.  Thanks to Pinterest, I've got quite a few craft projects to try in the next little while, but decided to start with this one.


 I LOVED every second of making this wallet.  Plus I bought sooo much extra fabric so now I can make more wallets and mix up the fabric for different parts.  It was really pretty easy, and got me excited about sewing! 

I did have mom  help with the final stitch on the outside to make sure it was straight.  She is a professional ya know, can't waste that resource!

This project is what started it all. 


 Then came this one.  So simple, but soooo genius!  Hole punch your cards, put them on a key ring and throw them in your purse!  You'll never loose them, and they don't have to clog up your wallet.

I want to try these ones next......




It's going to be a fun summer :)