I saw these on my friend's blog.  Let me know if you want to figure out yours.

ROCK STAR NAME:  Eddie Ranger

GANGSTA STAR NAME:  Praline Pecan Chaco

NATIVE AMERICAN NAME:  Blue Tiger

SOAP OPERA NAME:  Sharee Salt Lake

STAR WARS NAME:  McCer, or Cooer

SUPER HERO NAME:  Red Raspberry Lemonade

NASCAR NAME:  John Hamilton

TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME:  Richards Riverton

SPY NAME: Summer Dahlia

CARTOON NAME:  Strawberry Sweatpants

HIPPIE NAME:  Oatmeal Magnolia

I love my cousin!

Megan, my cousin tagged me.  So, here are my 8's.

Rules:

1)  Post Rules on your blog

2)  Answer the six "8" items

3)  Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 favorite TV shows: I don't have TV now, but I thought I would go back in time to my fav's over the years... kind of geeky on some of them!

1.  Thundercats

2.  Heman and Shera

3.  I dream of Genie

4.  Saved by the Bell

5.  Highlander

6.  Quantum Leap

7.  The Cosby Show

8.  Out of this World

8 things I did yesterday:

1.  Made crockpot stuffing for the first time.  Not bad

2.  Ate apple crisp for breakfast... great thanksgiving breakfast eh?

3.  Talked with my sister while getting dinner ready and loved it.

4.  Got my girl ready for the day and read her some books.

5.  Played TACKLE football with Isaac and my twin brothers, Stuart and Scott.  I think I have a few bruises.

6.  ATE AND ATE AND ATE AND ATE oh yeah, then I ATE MORE!  I really enjoyed my food.

7.  Played Bingo and won some hazelnut hot chocolate

8.  Sang "chapel doors" and "I am like a star"  to Cyprus.

8 things I look forward to

1.  traveling to fun places (with Isaac for sure, with or without kids:)

2.  having more kids

3.  self-cleaning dishes... not sure those will ever exist, but that would be nice.

4.  my first triathalon - don't know when, but I look forward to doing one

5.  Christmas

6.  when Isaac gets home from work

7.  left over pie

8.  being debt free with a good savings set up!

8 favorite restaurants

1.  I don't know if fast food counts, but I love Taco Bell.  Cyprus loves their "bitos"

2.  Carls Junior (6 dollar burgers  YUM)

3.  Ruby River Stake House

4.  Olive Garden

5.  Glacier Pizza (in Alaska, Smokehouse Pizza in Utah is good too.)

6.  Chili's

7.  Sweet Tomatoes

8.  Mamma's Home Cookin (I love to go to mine or Isaac's parent's houses for great dinners)

8 things on my wish list

1.  more time and & to make cool books with all my photographs in them

2.  A fun vacation to a tropical beach with warm water.

3.  to be a better mom and wife... I guess that one just takes hard work.

4.  A Gap wardrobe... A Baby Gap one for Cyprus too.  I love those clothes.

5.  Curtains

6.  To be able to run sub 7 minute miles... at least 3 to 5 in a row.

7.  To go to Logan more often

8.  Learn Spanish

8 people to tag... 

FEEL FREE TO DECLINE.  NO OBLIGATIONS FROM ME, IF YOU FEEL LIKE DOING IT, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR 8'S.

Ryan

Heather 

Heidi

Cheryl

Leisha

Leslie

C'Anne

Chelan

Happy Halloween!!

Cyprus and I went to Logan to visit my parents for Halloween.  She did a pretty good job of trick-or-treating.  She wanted to do it all by herself.  This is actually her 3rd halloween.  Her first, she was a stick of pink bubble gum (we just put her in a pink sleeper dress), then she was a little cat, check her out this year!

Yes, this post is LATE!!!  But here is my Fairy Princess.  She still reminds me that she is a fairy princess often!  I love fall colors!
Go Cyprus!  I have a picture of me when I was 4 or so as Sheera Princess of Power holding up my sword, just like Cy is holding up her "wand".  The wand is actually a wooden spoon with a hair tie around it! 

Funny Lady

She is flexing here!

Cyprus still amazes me at how quick she picks up on things.  She came out the other day saying, "Mom, I go swimming.  Here are my goggles."  

She also learned how to ask for things nicely, "Please may I have a some hold you? Please?"  That means "Mama, please hold me."  We are still learning grammar!

Cyprus has the biggest hair.  It grows in all different directions in the back and gets all wavy and crazy when she sleeps on it wet.  Kind of like her Mama!

In loving memory

MY PAPA
All of these photos were taken a few years ago at my wedding
I love this one.  He is laughing and I just really see his true laugh in this shot


My Papa passed away Friday morning. My mom didn't know if she should call me before my race, but I am glad she did.  There was one sign up during the marathon that said, "We love you, Papa!!"  I burst into tears and started hyperventilating.  I had to really focus to calm myself down and breathe properly.

I am sad, but thankful that he is released from his ailing body.  I never knew any of my other grandpas and I felt that Papa was really involved in my life.  I have so many good memories of he and Grammy and am so thankful for my relationship with him.

Georgia said that maybe he was there with me on Saturday.  I am so blessed to have had so many fun times with Papa.

26.2

I look like a deer in the headlights!  Before... then 1 day after!!!

So, I Saturday morning, I woke up at 3:15 am, got dressed in my moisture wicking shirt and shorts, put vaseline on my toes to decrease blisters, put on my warm-up sweats and went out the door.  Isaac's dad, Dan, his sister, Chelan, and her husband, Jeff, and I all left for the shuttle busses.  We got there in time to meet Becca, Jeff's sister, and to ride the 4 am bus the 26.2 miles up the highway.  

The temperature felt very warm for it being before 4:00, so we were pretty sure that it would be a warm rain if any.  Boy were we wrong!  By the time we got to the starting line, the wind had picked up and the rain started to fall.  We were greeted at the start with gloves and trash bags to wear.  As we waited the 2.5 hours before race time, we sat by the fires and tried to keep warm and dry.  The lines started to build up outside the row of 100 port-a-poties a little earlier than normal and as I waited to use the bathroom, I realized there were some that never opened up!  They were being hogged by other marathoners trying to stay dry and warm.  Seems pretty boring to me, but I am sure they had their cell phones out, texting or playing games... or maybe there were 3 or 4 people crammed in there playing poker! 

We started to run at 6:45.  It was still very dark out.  I have never seen so many people in trash bags!  I have never seen so many people running all at once!

It was so cold.  We had ditched our warm-ups, but kept our bags and gloves.  It rained the entire run.  The sun never shone.  My entire body was soaking wet the entire run.  My shoes were completely saturated with water and weighed at least an extra pound each!  Needless to say, there were no problems with overheating!  I felt great through the majority of the race.  I ran by myself and just kept up my own pace.  After running over 2 hours, I realized that my legs were really getting tired and that I still had at least 2 more hours to run.  I thought, "That is a really long time!"  Duh.  Luckily, as I started to wear out, a pace-setting runner (sponsored by a company to run and keep a certain pace for the entire marathon) came by.  He had to run the entire thing with a stick with balloons on top with the finishing time written on them!  I figured if I could keep out in front of him, or at least with him, I would do ok.  

The last little bit in the city was very tiring, but all the people cheering really helped me.  I kept running!  I saw Isaac's mom, sister and cousins and my baby girl Cyprus on the side of the road a few hundred yards from the finish line.  I got a little emotional but kept running and pushed it hard all the way into the finish.  I got 4 hours and 31 minutes!  I am so happy with the whole experience.

If any of you want to run a marathon... I say go for it!  You can if you want to.  One warning, it is a very LONG time to run!  I have a photo of myself after that Jeff's mom took... I havn't seen it but I probably look like crap.  This photo is of me 24 hours later with makeup on and after a good nights sleep!

I am happy I did it.

RETURN OF THE TWINS!

Scott is on the left, Stuart on the right!   Stuart said it was like looking in a mirror when he saw Scott:)  How can they tell themselves apart?!

Happy family!
I love my boys...  Cyprus met them for the first time.  She had not quite warmed up yet.  She was born ONE WEEK after they left.  Scott said, "Wow you're skinny!  Last I saw you, your belly was out to here!"  he then stuck out is hand a foot and a half out in front of his belly.  I thought it would have been funny to look the same when they returned, but I am not that ambitious!;)

Scott and Stuart have returned from their 2 year LDS missions to Argentina!  They actually both were in Buenos Aires (Ryan went to Cordoba) but served in different areas!  They lived 1 hour away from each other for 2 years only contacting via email!  

Luckily, Scott's new mission president fixed their travel plans so they were able to fly home together!  Their travel plans were changed, but no one bothered to tell my parents, so we were waiting in terminal 1 looking for their American Air flights.  Meanwhile, they are waiting in terminal 2 after their Delta flight!  We made some calls and figured out where they were!  Poor boys, they had to sit there for an hour and a half.  They said the pay phones in Argentina are much more user friendly.

I love my twins.  Though 6 years younger, through college, they were my palls.  I can say that out of my 4 missionary brothers, I did ok keeping in touch with these 2 on their missions.  Email helped with that.  Sorry Ryan and Gareth!!

We had a wonderful afternoon in Salt Lake at Ginger's house.  We ate 3 kinds of yummy soups and visited with cousins and other family. 

The boys may work in Salt Lake and live with Ginger, then they will be attending BYU winter term!