The Stairs-It's A Miracle-Pants

Yes, it is a funny title, but it sums up our family's weekend at Catalina. We went there so that I could run in the Catalina Marathon, which, for those of you who don't know, the main reason why I signed up was because it was a winter marathon on a Saturday that was close enough for us to go to, plus, I have a budding marine biologist who jumps at any chance to be near the ocean. I didn't look at the course profile until after I signed up. Gulp. A lot of hills. Oh well. I finally talked myself into it being like an upside down Grand Canyon.
One of Kevin's client's (who is in the opening credits to M*A*S*H. She is the blond nurse running toward the helicopter), her ex husband has a condo on Catalina and they generously let us stay there. It was so beautiful and away from the main part of Avalon, so we got around on a golf cart. The first time that we took it out for a spin, Kevin and I took Olivia and Blake. Olivia sat in the front seat next to Kevin and as soon as we started going, she sang "In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room" over and over until we got to our destination. Who needs a radio when you've got Olivia? The trouble that I saw immediately with where we were staying was: the stairs. 51 to be exact. That's how many we had to climb to get in, and then once inside, there was a couple of steps going up and down in the condo to each room. I knew that I would be feeling it after I ran.
Chloe was our photographer, so all pictures that you may see are from her. Dillan was in heaven and wanted to be at the beach all day and checked on when the low tide would be so he could go in the tide pools to capture whatever he could get his paws on. Kevin went snorkeling and came within 20 feet of a sea lion. He said that it had a lot of brown teeth, so he hurried and got out of the water.
So here is the race report, which, the most interesting part was getting to the beginning. I was told to purchase my race day boat ticket because that was the ONLY way to get to Two Harbors on the other side of the island where the race started. I bought my ticket with my registration, planned to be there at 5 am for a 5 am departure time, and planned out when we were leaving the condo with Kevin and went to bed in my own bed (that's what serious athletes do. I guess. Or ones that will use any excuse to get a night of uninterrupted sleep). Kevin and I left at the previously determined time, and got to the dock at 5 am. Just in time to see the race day boat leaving the dock. I ran down to the end and started yelling "I'm still here!!!!!! You can't leave without me!!!!!!! That is the only way to get to the other side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Right then, another couple pulled up in the same predicament. I was told later by the fella that Kevin turned to him and said "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her to the starting line. She'll be too mad if she doesn't run." The Harbor Patrol officer came by. We asked him what to do and if he could help. He said we could try a taxi, but we already knew that they didn't open until 7 am because we had asked them on the first night we got there. We drove over to where the race planners were setting up the finish line and told a guy our troubles. He looked stunned that this could have happened and didn't have any idea what to do to get us over there. Kevin said that maybe he could call the race director and see what could be done. That's when he said he was the race director. We went over to the grocery store that had a couple of people in it getting ready for the day. Kevin asked them if they knew anyone with a boat. They looked at him like he had three heads and said "We aren't hoity toity people who have boats. We work in a grocery store." I told Kevin that I wanted him to pinch me because this was a nightmare and this kind of thing doesn't happen to me!!! I plan for things like this NOT to happen. Kevin thought we should go back to the Harbor Patrol and see if he knew ANYONE that had a boat to take me and the other two (BTW, the girl had a potty mouth and started swearing at people. I didn't think that it was a good time to tell her that she may get a better response if she acted like a lady instead of a sailor) to the other side. He called one person, but they couldn't, so he suggested that we find the sheriff to see what he could do. As we drove over there, I started praying as hard as I could that we would find a way. We saw the sheriff at a stop sign and told him what was going on. He said he didn't know anyone with a boat (who owns all those boats in the harbor????), but that he could see some people that looked like runners getting into a van a few houses behind him. How he even thought that these people looked like runners is beyond me because it was two ladies in there 50s that didn't look like they were in exceptional shape. We hurried over there and Kevin asked them where they were going. Two Harbors. Tears started welling up in my eyes. Kevin asked if I could hitch a ride. They said of course. I hugged everyone I could in that van. There was the couple and a woman and her two boys. Kevin gave the man some gas money which he tried to refuse, but I think at that point, Kevin was so relieved that I wouldn't be mad (not at him, of course, since I should have known better), that he insisted and told him gas was expensive. I have no idea how much he gave him. We had lost the other two a little while before, but Kevin (the do gooder that he is) tracked them down and was able to get them in the van as well. It turns out the driver was the community pastor and they were going to drive over the night before to take the two ladies to the starting line, but were unable, so them even being there at that time was a last minute thing. My prayer was answered. And, yes, Mom, I did thank my Heavenly Father that I was getting to the start. This meant that I got to drive through the interior. which was beautiful, and get a sneak peek at the course. Hilly. We got there in time to take a potty break and walk to the starting line and then start. The course is so amazingly beautiful. Waves crashing on the rocks below, wildflowers everywhere, green hills, a few buffalo, and ocean air. I knew by mile 10 that I would be doing it again and again because it was my kind of course. It really is like hiking the Grand Canyon, but there's more up than down and it's all mixed up. I was so grateful that I had hiked the GC so many times with Kevin because he flies down the trail, which is harder for me than going uphill, so I had enough experience of keeping up and not trying to put on the brakes that my downhill running didn't suffer. Plus, the aid stations were fully stocked with peanut M&Ms, Swedish Fish, pretzels, cookies, and Twizzlers. I told Chloe this and she said I should have taken my number off and gone back for more, and I told her it didn't matter! I could have had as much as I wanted, there was no limit to what I could take. She may sign up for the marathon next year. And then, as promised, the last three miles are at such a decline that you could roll down. It was super fun. I ran through the Botanical Gardens, which was funny, because all of the sudden you see beautifully manicured plants and shrubs that are identified, and it took me a second to figure out that I was in the Gardens. Kevin and the kids caught up to me with a couple of miles left to go while they were in the golf cart yelling words of encouragement like "Go faster, Mom!" and "He touched me!" and "Mom, I'm hungry". It was a glorious sight to see the finish line, and get my FINISHERs t shirt, pin, and medal. I loved it. And I am still sore from running and I can truly say it is my favorite course I have done.
We went to church the next day in the bank building, where the sacrament service was held in a small room. Our family made up 60% of the congregation. Dillan passed the sacrament. Olivia asked me where her Primary class was, and then during "Gospel Doctrine", she had ALL of the answers. Kevin kept giving me the eye to get her to stop raising her hand, and I tried to get her to tell me her answer first so I could screen it, but then she would change the answer she gave me. And, it is very funny when the prayer is being offered and the two year old goes to the bathroom and chooses that reverent time to flush the toilet.
I'm sure there is more to all of this that I can say, and if there is something that I forgot, I will put an addendum, because I know there are many of you anxiously awaiting this report. Thanks to all of those who cheered me on in your hearts. At one point during the race, I swear I heard someone say "Kim!" but then looked around and no one was there. I'm sure it was either my sister, Jen, giving me encouragement, or Emily yelling at me to keep running.
I almost forgot about the "Pants" part of the title! Blake discovered that he loved saying the word "pants", so if there was any break in the conversation or a dull moment he would say "pants" and it would put us all in to giggles. Then on the ride home, the kids were watching a Veggie Tales movie and a song about, of all things, Pants, comes on, and, well, you can imagine the laughter.

Just Married!

I know you have all been asking me "When do we get to see your wedding video? How come you haven't posted your wedding video?" All right, already. It's only been almost 16 years of bugging me, but I've FINALLY got it on DVD (thank you Costco!). Now for your viewing pleasure, four hours of our wedding day!!! All right, I decided to actually have people watch it, so I condensed it into a less than ten minute video. I apologize for the lengthy cake cutting, but I didn't edit very well, and the shot of me and Cathy outside in their backyard cutting our open house cake is in the middle, because, again, poor editing skills, but please notice the cake and cookies. The cookies had "Kevin and Kim" written on EACH one and were tied with a ribbon, and the cake! The cake was so beautiful and was made by Cathy's friend.

Now, some of you may be embarrassed at how silly you were (Jake and Adam), or how young Kevin looks, and how I STILL look the same. Ok, except for the fact that I stopped dying my hair brown and it is its natural shade of dark blonde with highlights and lowlights. I love the shot of my dad looking exhaustico. That shot should have been after my sister's wedding two months before when they put on a luau for her AND we had to go to Hawaii for her open house. That was exhausticating. The shot of my dad should have been jumping and shouting for joy that he had gotten rid of me! A special thank you to Uncle Bruce Merrill. The Merrill's may have a reputation for always having a camera or recording device handy, but I am so grateful to have this momentous day recorded forever. Let's hope I stay looking that young forever, too.

What It's Like to Live Here in January

I hesitiated putting this video on my blog because I didn't want to upset anyone that was living in a frozen tundra, but then I remembered that ALL of my followers live here, so I needn't worry about upsetting anyone. This video is from January 31st in Tempe Towne Lake, which is in Tempe, AZ about 20 minutes away from our home. I don't have it on this video, but I said that Dillan is not with us because he chose to have an Air Soft War with his friends instead of hanging out with us. Enjoy the show!

Happy President's Day!

This post should have happened yesterday, but we were celebrating too much yesterday and didn't have time. I assured my children that just because they had the day off of school, it did not mean that they had the day off of learning. I asked them to pick a president that they didn't know much about and to research that president and write a few paragraphs about their life and read it to me. Chloe chose William Taft. I don't know why either. She wrote out her three paragraphs and then ended it with "He was the Fattest President" just like that in multiple colors. She got an A+ for creativity. Dillan was not involved in this assignment as he was doing hard labor with his dad at different properties, so he did have the day off from formal education, not a day off from real life education. I asked Olivia which president she would like to research. She said that she wanted me to write down who her favorite presidents were and then she would decide. Here is the list: Abraham Lincoln (she already wrote something for school about him. It was the fact that his son died in the White House, and then he got shot in the head while he was watching a play. ), Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, and Barack Obama. I have no idea where she came up with those names, except the first and last one. We chose Andrew Jackson, because he is on the $20 bill. Later in the day, she went to gymnastics, where she comes easily to her, as she was somersaulting at age 2 and does a far better cartwheel than her 10 yr old sister. I told her how proud I was for her hard work and how when the coach would give her correction, she would try her hardest to do it. She said; "Thanks Mom for supporting me." Heaven help me.

Marathon #3

I participated in the Rock and Roll Marathon for Phoenix this past Sunday. There is no picture here because I was so fast no one could capture me. Ha. Kevin had to wrangle the kids and my designated photographer was busy keeping bees off of herself, and my pit crew was running beside me to see if I needed anything. So I will not go into the gory details of what went down, but I will say this: I am learning from each marathon. I hope to get FASTER at each marathon, but unless I run as a port a potty, that may not happen soon. I learned that salt is key. They passed out salt packets at mile 20-ish, and I felt a second wind almost instantaneously. I learned that my sisters make it so much more fun, and that includes my spiritual sister, Emily. By the way, you may notice that she has updated her profile picture on Blogger. She's still trying to pass my abs off as hers. That picture is from the marathon, where she missed her PR by one minute. ONE MINUTE. That really hurts. But she'll smash it before the end of the year. I learned that I can finish strong. I ran the last two miles stronger than I thought I could and even got a high five from a marathon coach at the end. It was the only high five I gave out during the race, well besides the high fives to Blake and Chloe. I learned that I need to train outside. Kevin told me this morning that there are no indoor marathons/ triathlons. He quickly retracted the statement because he knew I would find one. I learned that having your daughters dance recital the night before does not allow one to carb load or hydrate well enough. So the next marathon is in seven weeks. I know. It's crazy. But this one is a "destination marathon" where the family will enjoy a vacation and Mom will be gone for a few hours. I'm running the Catalina Marathon. Dillan is beside himself with giddiness. This is his element. The Ocean. Marine Life. Snorkeling. Surfing. Swimming. I hope we can get him off the island once we're done. Olivia thinks that the ferry ride to the island will be like a cruise ship and wants to throw confetti off the side. I will have to give better directions to my photographer. And I will have to get my pit crew to focus and NOT get distracted by the ocean. I'm looking forward to this one as it has been described as a "long slog uphill" by Linda Esplin. I know how to do a long slog uphill. BTW, I told my favorite brother about what the siblings are doing for my 40th birthday, and I told him that we are hiking the Grand Canyon, and he asked me if I knew what it was like to hike uphill for nine miles. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? was all I had to say. I referred him to this here blog about my numerous GC hikes, including rim to rim, and soon a rim to rim to rim. My favorite SIL did tell me that he suffers from narcissism, but I didn't realize how severe his case was. So there you have it.

As Seen on TV

You may have been watching TV since the beginning of the year. I know my sister, Nikki, had been. If you have been watching, you may have seen me in a commercial for Nutrisystem. That is if you have good eyes, know that I am in a commercial, or recognize my living room (that's how Stacey recognized me). This is one of my commercials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EGGvyOIztM . That one is the most recognizable one of me. Here is another one where you must watch closely in the first three seconds or you will miss me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZjrZ_vGe6g . I lost 55 lbs on Nutrisystem. It was super easy, although the first week was bordering on torture. That was two years ago and it is still gone. I am sooooooo happy that I did it. So, if you see this commercial, you can tell your family and friends that you know someone famous. Of course, it was bound to happen that I get famous since I live in a famous ward/ area. We have Laurie Kauffman, mom to Benji and Lacey Schwimmer of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars fame (she teaches my daughters dance, and she means business!), Stephenie Meyer grew up in our ward and her in laws are still in our ward, Misty Hyman, Olympic Gold Medalist, is my children's swim coach, and now me, famous actress.

Sock Envy

This is one of my dearest friends, Alison. She used to live in Utah, but that was not cold and dark enough for her, so she moved to Norway. As of today, December 2, they had 6 hours and 26 minutes of daylight. I will NOT be visiting in the winter. Compared to Phoenix, where we have 10 hours of daylight right now. But it has been chilly. These are the words that have been used to describe the weather recently: Chilly, Brisk, and (my favorite) Crisp. "We are expecting Crisp weather today in the Valley of the Sun. The high will be 61." So my feet have been cold. Not to say that I have cold feet, because that is something different, entirely. Alison turned 40 the first part of November. Since she moved to a frigid land, and called me in August to ask if our Costco had any deals for bulk wool socks. There was a long pause as I let it sink in what she was asking me. Wool socks are NEVER found in bulk in Phoenix, let alone in the middle of August, when no sane person is thinking of wearing close toed shoes until December. So, being the thoughtful friend that I am, sent her a gifty for turning the big 4-0. Forty wool socks. There were forty other things in there, like forty pieces of gum, and cosmetics with the number 40 in the product description, but I knew she needed those socks. So when the weather turned, I started wishing that I had kept some of those socks for myself. I dreamt of having cozy feet in wool socks walking around in shorts and a jacket. So imagine my elation when I opened my sock drawer and realized: I HAVE WOOL SOCKS!!!! I had forgotten about them, but this is a bonus to all of those treks down and out of the Grand Canyon. It appears that I got new socks for each trip (and maybe more, now that I think about it), because wool socks are essential to preventing blisters that pop in your other dear friend's vehicle just as you have sat down for that long trip back to Phoenix. All right, so it doesn't always work out like expected, but I am soooooo happy. Now that my feet are warm, the rest of me has magically warmed. Or is it because the weather people are no longer using the term Brisk to describe the weather? Now they are saying: Warm, Lovely, Enviable. I still miss Alison, though.