Syracuse for Sight 5k

My good friends and neighbors put together a 5k run/walk to benefit one of my friends little boys. He was born with a vision impairment called Ocular Albinism, a rare eye disorder. This race was put together in order to provide special computers in the library, as well as a large print book section. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to support such an amazing little boy, so I signed up.

This race was a lot of fun. I had tons of friends running and volunteering. Those involved did such an amazing job! It was well organized and very professionally done. Hats off to all of those who worked so hard for such a great cause!

I ran the race in 29:15. I had set a goal to run it under 30 minutes, but was really hoping to make 27 minutes. Although I accomplished my goal, I was pretty disappointed in myself for not finishing quicker. About 1/2 mile into the race, my shoes began bothering me. They were too loose. I thought I could make it through, but quickly decided I'd be better off stopping to re-tie them. I continued on my way, and they were way too tight. I had to stop again! Lesson learned... test my shoes BEFORE I start racing. I probably only lost about a minute, but in a 5k, every minute counts.

Next up, the half marathon on October 9th :)

Happy Birthday Dear Cari

My sister celebrated her 40th birthday last week.

I had to add this picture of my cute niece, Lexie. She and her friend bought these cat shirts, and she is so proud of hers. You'll notice in a few pictures down that she's in a different shirt. That's because Cari made her change her shirt before she'd be in a picture with her. Too funny.

Grace picked out a princess crown for her mama. A pretty fitting gift ;)

Bree made Cari the cutest card I have ever seen. I wish that I would have thought to take a picture of it.

Lexie made a purse for her mom. What a bunch of talented girls!

Guy threw Cari a surprise birthday party last night, and what a party it was! She was truly surprised! I was disappointed that I had left my camera in the car, so I didn't get a picture of her reaction.

Guy hired a band, and they did a fabulous job. They even got all the girls involved! Bree and Grace played the tambourines, and Lexie and her friend played the maracas.

The fam.

Front (L-R): Lexie, Cari, Grace, mom, Ty, Bree, Aunt Sharon

Back (L-R) Steff, Roy, Janice (Guy's parents), and Guy

Me and my siblings.

I loved this video. All night long, Bree sat and watched the band. Towards the end of the party, she went in and got her guitar. A few minutes later, she returned with her amplifier. The band invited her up for one last song. I love the stars in her eyes. She was in heaven, and it was a great performance!

Happy birthday, Cari! Thanks for being such a great sister!

My Addiction

Hi. My name is Steffanie, and I am addicted to new school supplies. I swore this year that I wouldn't buy more because we still have plenty of new supplies left over from last year. But when I went to Walmart, I couldn't find the strength to resist.

When the kids got home from school, I was SO EXCITED to show them their new supplies for home. Somehow they just weren't very excited. Tyler said, "Mom. I don't need any more scissors." They just don't appreciate a new box of crayons like I do.

Here's what I ended up with:

• 6 notebooks
• 3 pair of scissors
• 10 boxes of crayons
• 6 boxes of markers
• 6 boxes of colored pencils
• 400 index cards
• 2 pink erasers
• 14 gluesticks
• 10 pens
• 106 pencils

I've only made one trip to Walmart, so I'm sure there will be LOTS more to come. Oh, and, uh, if you wouldn't mind, let's just keep this between you and me ;)

Back to School

The kids started school this morning. I always hate to see the summer end, but they were ready to start. Tyler and Emily were really excited, there was no anxiety this year, which made it so much easier to send them off.

We started the morning with the traditional sweet rolls.

Emily was so excited to pick the best looking roll to frost.

Tyler, on the other hand, a little sleepy.

I think he stayed up too late last night reading.

I love the back to school pictures.

New shoes.

Good luck to the both of you. I will miss you, but I know that you will do great this year!

Nuts!

Kids say the darndest things. Especially this kid...

Mom: "Gavin. Can you PLEASE stop complaining?"

Gavin: "Mom. I'm not complaining. You have to have nuts to complain."

Mom (a little confused and maybe a little concerned): "What? What kind of nuts are you talking about?"

Gavin: "You know mom. The nuts like squirrels have."

Mom: "Oh." Whew!

I'm still trying to figure out exactly where he came up with that one!

I wanted to add one more thing to this post. The boy's on a roll today! Gavin's Wii Sports game is pretty scratched up and it wouldn't work today. I asked him to bring me the game so I could try to fix it. Here's the conversation that ensued:

Mom: "Gavin, bring me the alcohol."

Gavin: "MOM! YOU DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL. YOU CAN'T!!!!!"

Hmmmm. I guess he is listening :)

Jack Johnson

Travis surprised me on Mother's Day with tickets to see Jack Johnson. I could not have been more surprised. The long awaited day finally arrived on Friday. Our 15th anniversary was a few days before, but due to crazy schedules, we weren't able to celebrate. We decided to make the concert our big outing for our anniversary. We met in Salt Lake for dinner at David's Kitchen, the best Chinese food around. We had pot stickers, hot and sour soup, chicken, ham fried rice, and my favorite, walnut shrimp. After we had gorged ourselves, we made our way to Usana Ampitheater. Travis offered to buy me a T-shirt, and I jumped at the chance. I think he may have been a little embarrassed when I put it on right then and there, but I wore it with pride! The concert was AMAZING! By far the best I've ever seen. He sang for two hours and I was totally entertained the entire time. I was sad to see it end. Travis isn't quite as big of a fan as I am, but when I asked if he like it, he replied, "I can see why you like him." In other words, even Travis liked it. I look forward to when he comes again. Thanks, Travis, for the awesome date night! Happy anniversary! You are the best :)

Preston Rodeo

The Preston Rodeo was as good as ever this year. It's always fun to get together with grandma great, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. We definitely don't get to see them nearly as often as we would like to.

Here's our little Buckaroo. I bought him a pair of Wranglers to complete his cowboy get up, and I have to say, he makes a good looking cowboy. He insisted on modeling for me. He wears his cowboy boots everywhere he goes, but gets a little nervous to wear his hat outside, fearing that it might blow away. I hope he always wants to be a cowboy :)

This picture was taken after the parade on Friday, before the rodeo started. It was a fluke that I actually caught him smiling!

There were skydivers this year. It's been a long time since I have seen skydivers, and I'm not sure that the kids have ever seen one before. They were delighted!

Kate loves her grandpa. This is the only picture I got of Kate where's she's actually happy. She cried through the entire rodeo. It was WAY past her bedtime, and maybe a bit loud for her? She was NOT a happy girl.

Gavin enjoyed every minute of the trip. He is always in heaven when we visit Preston. He wants a farm and a horse of his own. Someday buddy, someday.....

Emily was in heaven this trip. She helped Uncle Jeff move hay, and took care of the horses as often as she could. She is a hard working little girl. She enjoyed her time being pampered by the big girls, but her highlight was riding the horse all by herself. She was a natural. She was, however, a little disappointed that I wouldn't let her go a little faster.

I was a little surprised with Kate. She made a couple of new friends this trip. Kate will not sleep anywhere except her crib, so when Marlin got her to sleep, I was a little shocked!

She also fell in love with Ashley. Quite unusual for this little girl to leave my side for a minute to make new friends, but she was certainly glad she did! She couldn't have found better people to make friends with :)

She also enjoyed the parade. I loved this video of her clapping. They sure do make me smile :)

New Running Shoes :)

Paulette called me this morning and asked me if I would like to go to Striders with her. She knew I was needing some new running shoes, and she was in the market for some walking shoes. After trying on several shoes, we each found the perfect pair. I picked the Mizuno Wave Rider 13. When we got to the counter to pay, she snatched the shoes out of my hand and despite my protests, insisted on paying for them. I was speechless. I didn't know what to do or say. She said that I always put everyone else's needs before my own, and that she would like to do something nice for me. Wow! What a surprise! It is beyond me what I did to deserve such a great mother in law. I am truly grateful for such a great family. It's amazing! I ran my first 4 miles tonight, and I love these little beauties! Thanks again! You're the best :)