I'm a Cross Between Kip Dynamite and Dudley the Wild Hog

I own an iPhone.  I'm also one of those people that LOVES my iPhone.  Granted, I'm not going to take it out and showcase it or knock your phone.  I LOVE mine.  More than you should love an inanimate object!  It's my calendar, my music, my eReader, my game center and my source for news.  I think that Steve Jobs fellow is a genius and akin to a drug dealer.  Simply because I love my Apple and I need my Apple!

Now that we've established my love for all things Apple, I'd like to tell you a sad tale.  Last week I was at church helping my mom prepare for a funeral.  Our gym floor is a rubberized floor.  It looks like "wood" but it feels like the surface of a track or a gymnastics floor.  That is to say it's soft and flat.  I bent down to pick up something off the floor, when I must've leaned too far over and my cherished iPhone fell out of my purse and did this slow-motion free-fall onto the gym floor.  It landed face down.  My protector didn't pop off, so I didn't think anything of it. 

Until I looked at it.  It was like a windshield getting hit with a rock at 50 mph.  That is also similar to the feeling I got in the pit of my stomach. 

I went to the Apple store with my tale of woe and the Genius bar didn't have an openings.  The sales guy who was helping me was very condescending and rude.  I'm sure he thought I was making up my story and he was all powerful Oz. 

I made an appointment for the next day with the Genius guy, not very hopeful that I could get it replaced.

The next day I went in and met Jason the Genius.  He gave me the lecture that it's not covered under warranty because it was an accident.  That rock feeling to my stomach returned.

Then he said, "but."  That's one of my favorite and least favorite words in the English language!  He offered to replace it because it was the first time that had happened.  I got a new phone, for free.

I could've hugged Jason the Genius, but I'm pretty sure he'd freak out a little bit.  I almost walked out of that store and pulled a Dudley!

Maybe next time.  I do love technology and Apple.

We're A Few Bikes Short Of Being A Gang

Sunday was a big day at our house.  It was not only church, but the first daddy-daughter ride...ever!  D finally convinced her mom she could ride daddy's bike.  She spent at least 90 minutes that morning primping.  She had perfect bike make-up, the perfect biker outfit and a pink bandana.

After church, she got to ride with daddy home.  Look at those smiles.  I'm positive daddy did just as much primping for the big ride!

Getting ready to take off.

Here they go!

While on the road.  I'm positive she smiled so much and so big that she got bugs in her teeth.

She cannot wait for the next ride.  Daddy complimented her on doing really well.  He's ready to take her again.

Not to be outdone, a certain 4 year old said, "me next!  Me next!"  Of course Daddy can't say no to his girls when they ask like that.

We could hear her giggle echo off the houses in the neighborhood. 

I think it's safe to say, we're likely to be buying two more bikes in the future.

When The Sun Comes Out, We Sweat

This weekend was gorgeous.  It seems that La Nina or whatever her name is has made for an unseasonably cool spring.  So cool in fact that we've had more rain than our rivers can handle.  We've had flood warnings for much of the last couple months.  I've been battling slugs like no other this year.  I've gone through one container of Morton's salt already and my marigolds were still lost. 

When we saw the forcast for the weekend and it was just yellow circles with no rain, clouds or lightening bolts!  We ordered yards of bark, borrowed a truck and went to work. 

The pile-o-bark was a bit overwhelming, but smelled heavenly.

This picture doesn't really do it justice.  It was almost taller than Zoe.

Here's the side of our house that requires the most work.  It's a huge bed that is edged with weeds.  Technically our property doesn't extend beyond the fence.  So all that green you see that "looks" like grass is actually weeds that have grown in so much the HOA just mows them now.  This side of our house needs constant weeding and is really the japanese clover in my side.

D was with us this weekend and offered to help, bless her heart.  I moved the bark, she spread it out and N took pictures!  In his defense, he offered to help, but I told him I had to work on my guns.

Now look at the bed.  Isn't it so pretty?  It's also been heavily sprayed with weed killer.  The super concentrated kind that kills all vegetation for a year.  I'll tell you, that stuff is my new BFF.

What do you do after you take care of the pile-o-bark?  You do back bends against the wall.  Duh!

You also have a little girl who wants to help, so she takes the empty wheelbarrow up and down the sidewalk so she can help too.

Then you rehydrate, take a minute for some lunch and then you wash the motorcycle.

You jump in the bubbles, clean the pipes and get all wet and soggy.

Because tomorrow, that shiny, gorgeous bike is going to be your ride. 

Mash-ups

Zoe's new thing, that she learned on TV, is to do mash-ups with words.  For example:

Awesome + bodacious = awescious

She thinks it's hilarious to make up her own words.  Last night we were getting ready for bed and she was laying in bed with daddy and Toby waiting for me.  They were playing.  Zoe grabbed Toby's paw.  She's always grabbing him and he's so fabulous with her.  I think she could jump on him and he'd just lay there.  N and I are afraid it might scare Toby and he'll nip at her.  N told her to stop grabbing Toby's paw because he might bite her.

At that moment, Toby licked her.

Her newest mash-up is:

bites + licks = b*tches.

She has absolutely no clue that's a bad word and she kept saying it over and over.  N and I were cracking up because her mash-up actually is a word, but not one we say.

N politely told her, through giggles, she should stick with bites and licks!

Running Trails

 I love when the weather gets warmer and I can get outside for runs.  This is the path I took recently.  Isn't it pretty?

Only 1/2 Crazy

My resolution this year was to run a 1/2 marathon.  I've been training since March, since January and February are known as The Great Illness of 2011.  I'm loving running.  My friend Linsday has been training with me and we planned on doing the Coeur d'Alene Half Marathon. 

Because I'm also a huge planner, I called on my friend Brooke to help me with my training.  She's a professional walker and has done more marathons and 1/2 marathons than I even know.  She put together a training schedule for me and I stuck to it as much as I could.  She even flew up here from Portland to do the 1/2 with me. 

I've got two, crazy friends who like to torture themselves just like I do.  It's also nice to know that your kind of crazy has company.

Here are Lindsay and I before the race.

We run at about the same pace, we've trained together on our long runs and have found some beautiful country that we never knew existed around here.

The Cd'A half is a fairly flat course that ebbs and flows along the lake.  We figured this would be a great event for us because we can run flat, we aren't so found of hills.

Linsday and I ran it, while Brooke walked it.  We ran the first 6.5 miles will absolutely no problem.  We walked for a bit to drink water, but beyond that, we ran.  It felt great.  Right after the 1/2 way point, we were coming back and seriously 10 minutes behind us was Brooke.  Apparently she either walks at a jogger's pace or we run at a walker's pace.  I'm not sure which it is!

Around mile 10 my knee told me it hated me.  Literally.  I think I heard it scream.  I needed to walk for a bit and stretch it out.  Lindsay ran on because we have a rule to not hold the other person back.  I stretched out my knee, saw Brooke was only 8 minutes behind me and started doing my fast walk or as I like to call it, "my spring training with Oprah" walk.  It's mainly because when she was training with Bob Green for her marathon, she talked about walking once. 

Thanks to God, Oprah and my Powersong I finished.

Like 9 minutes later, so did Brooke.  She got a personal record of 2:57 for walking 13.1 miles.  She walks a 13:51 mile.  Linsday came in 9 minutes before me.  Aren't we sweaty and cute?

I even had my own personal cheerleader.  She came in her cheerleading costume, with pom-poms and everything.



If you had asked me on Sunday if I would do another one, I would've told you that my marathoning career was over.  By Monday, I was ready to sign up for the next one. 

Brooke informed me that by doing a 1/2 marathon, I'm now considered an endurance athlete.  I can't even tell you how excited I am to be considered an athlete, let alone an endurance one!  It's like getting an extra medal at the finish. 

I'm thinking September or October sound good for the next one.  Anyone else crazy enough to do it with us?

Our Family is Expanding

I wanted to share with you all some exciting news. Our family is growing!  Do you see these beautiful people?

This is N's younger sister and her family.  For years they struggled to have a child.  Then they were blessed with that adorable girl, H-J.  I can tell you from first hand knowledge that she's all personality, smiles and drooly kisses.  Even though she was only 8 months, I'm positive she said, "love you Aunt Kelly."  Memories, they are funny things aren't they. 

She's going to be a big sister!  To these two:

That's right folks, there are two.  I'm so excited for them.  Not only because I get to be an Aunt that loves on them and spoils them rotten, I'm also excited because I know Amanda and Brian will be amazing parents to twins.  Actually, when these two arrive, they'll have three kids under age 2. 

In all honesty, that kind of math is like trying to write the number infinity.

I'll also be doing much praying and sending of Starbucks gift cards to Amanda and Brian. 

Congratulations Amanda and Brian!  I've watched you from newlyweds to becoming parents.  You've kept your humor and wit and yet turned into such an amazing couple.  N and I are so thrilled for you.  We know God has given you this overwhelming blessing because of the parents you are to H-J.  He has heard the desires of your heart and answered in multitude!  We can't wait to celebrate with you.  Not to mention let you catch a couple naps while you're here.  We think you're going to need to store some of that rest.

We will be praying for you on this journey to becoming a family of 5.  You've finally caught up with us, at warp speed.  We love all 5 of you.