A great moment

In the eternal scheme of things, I hope I cross that finish line the same way!

How to...enjoy your half-marathon (or marathon)

I did it! I completed another half-marathon. 2 hours and 2 minutes. And except for the feeling that I wanted to throw up after I crossed the finish line, I had a really enjoyable time. Here is what I have learned about running an enjoyable race.

1. Make a sign for your friends and family to brandish as you race past them. I designed this one myself.

2. Watch an inspiring sports film the night before. I suggest "Rudy" or, preferably, "Chariots of Fire."
3. Actually do the training prior to the race. 13 miles feels a lot better when you have actually done a little running beforehand. No matter how awesome you were at cross country in high school, the memories of athletic skill gone by won't help you finish without limping (or hurling).
4. Try not to eat too much roughage the night before. As attractive as port-a-potties are, you do not want to make one your best friend in the middle of the race.
5. Imagine every spectator is personally cheering you on, and give them a high five or fist pump as you run by. Alternatively, imagine that you are the star of a documentary about yourself and how awesome you are!
6. Prepare an awesome music set list to run with. I recommend Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" to both start and end a race (on a side note, I just learned that the lyrics say "and the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night..." I always thought it said "...sticks his bread in the knife." I realize that my version didn't make much sense, but it still pumped me up)
7. Take a short walking break during each aid station-- about 15 seconds or so. It gives you something to look forward to and will help you run faster miles in between.
8. Remind yourself that you get to eat whatever you want once you finish the race. Like 4 donuts and some Ben & Jerrys!
9. Enjoy the interesting people around you. Racing is great people watching time. I was running for a short time with a woman who was running her 120th marathon! There are some great stories to be discovered if you pay attention.
10. Have a beautiful baby waiting for you at the finish line. Now that is worth running for!

Our Pseudo Vegetarian Life

About a year ago, I approached Richard with a radical idea: why don't we make half of our meals meatless. I was inspired by some good friends of ours who live a mostly vegetarian lifestyle. Richard was shockingly enthusiastic. I was perplexed until he divulged to me that he has had a secret "weirdness" about meat ever since he was a child.

We made a few insipid attempts at first, but a few months ago, we committed, in a big way, to being "Pseudo Vegetarian." What this means is that we eat fish twice a week, meat once a week, and the remaining 4 meals are vegetarian.
The library has been a great resource. I have been checking out so many books about cooking vegetarian. My favorite is the one on top: "Vegetarian Cooking for Everybody." Everything we make out of it is fabulous.

We just made some new friends from India who are vegetarian, and it is nice to be able to confidently cook for them. We cook with a lot more beans.
But we don't feel we have sacrificed any flavor what so ever. The photo above is one of our favorite meals: black bean burgers with roasted corn and baked sweet potato fries. It was the runner up for Richard's father's day meal.

But yes, we do eat meat. The meal that won out for Father's Day was steak fajitas. And we can't give up buffalo chicken pizza on Friday nights. The point for us in choosing to eat more vegetables is to enhance our health and well-being and not to be fanatics. We just feel better when we eat less meat. And the things we have been eating are so colorful and flavorful.

WE made this lifestyle change for me...
...and him...(I had to include one of Richard's beared pictures from last summer)
...and especially for her! We want her to be healthy and to have an appreciation for a wide variety of foods.
But it is not for her
...or her
...and especially not for her
So far we love our vegetarian meals and I have not even come close to running out of things to make.
So open wide, and get ready for some great recipes!

And an update on Rachael and Richard

So last night I cut Richard's hair again, and except for going a bit heavy handed on the bangs, I think I did a "bang-up job" with the rest of it. Richard looks pretty handsome, and part of that is his natural good looks of course, but I like to think I just helped to enhance it.

Richard is doing a lot of studying right now. Sometimes he studies for real stuff (he just took the exams and became a "certified fraud examiner") and sometimes he does stuff just for fun (he took a practice LSAT once and got a better score than me). I think he really misses school. He watches Jeopardy almost every night. He thinks it should be called "Easy-pardy" because he gets almost all the questions right (except for the sports questions). So studying helps keep him sharp.

I am running my half marathon this Saturday. Rock on! I am aiming for just over two hours, but we will see how it goes. My 12 miler went pretty well a week ago, so I am hoping for the best. It feels good to race again.

We are continuing to rock "Friday night buffalo chicken pizza and movie night"-- our date night tradition!

It has been the same weather/temperature here in Seattle since January. mid 50 degrees is fine for winter weather, but WHERE IS MY SUMMER? We are both so turned around-- we don't know what time of year it is. I just know that when my sister Carly told me that she had recently gone swimming in St. George, I asked her if it was warm enough for he to be going swimming so early in the year. Its JUNE for goodness sake!

When good library trips go bad!

It started out innocently enough....a normal trip to the library...

then Anna saw something she wanted...

"Excuse me...Hey! Can you help me reach the books on the top shelf? Help a baby girl out!"

...and then Anna took things into her own hands.

Soon she was terrorizing the entire library. Poor books were being taken from their homes and tossed carelessly aside. Then Anna really started getting into trouble...literally.


"...uh, mom.....could use some help here!"
"no wait...I got it...just need...to get...my foot..."
"Whoops! Nope....that didn't help"
"maybe I can eat my way out..."
"I don't know how I got myself into this!"

New Blog: My Supreme Court Project

Hey all,

I just wanted to let you know that I have started a new blog, chronicling my attempts to stay legally sharp while remaining a stay at home mom. It involves reading one Supreme Court case each week (the lengthy ones can top 80 pages) and sharing my thoughts and struggles as I try to understand the Court and the shifting directions of the law.

If you want to check it out, my blog address is http://mysupremecourtproject.blogspot.com/

Dentist office....or spa?

I just had the most amazing dentist appointment of my life!

I picked Cooley Smiles because they were only two blocks from my apartment, but I stumbled upon a true treasure. Gone are the days when I will dread dentist appointments.

The office was furnished more like a spa than it was a dentist office. Plush furniture, a huge magazine selection, and a huge flatscreen T.V. of fish swimming (much more impressive than a real fishtank). My hygenist, Jeannie, proceeded to offer me juice, water, or coffee along with an assortment of snacks prior to my appointment. She then took me around and introduced me to everyone in the office, including both dentists. I felt like a visiting celebrity. When we made it back to the my room she asked me if I would like a complimentary paraffin wax treatment for my hands during the appointment.

While I reclined with my hands double dipped and wrapped in mitts, my hygenist then introduced me to Katie who would be administering a complimentary foot massage during my cleaning.

Then she asked if I would like to watch T.V. on the screen right over my head with headphones while she completed the cleaning.

So there I was, hands softening with paraffin wax, watching Oprah (could not change channel as hands were in mitts), getting a lengthy foot massage by a licensed therapist, and also (almost as an afterthought) getting my teeth cleaned at the same time.

While it was all going on, I kept asking Jeannie, "are you sure this is where normal people go to the dentist" (I kept having crazy thoughts that maybe I had gotten things mixed up and had scheduled an appointment with an elite movie star dentist, and I wanted to make sure they knew I was neither famous nor wealthy....yet)

So I am a convert. They have set the bar pretty high. I told them I was going to schedule dental appointments a lot more often from now on.

"that't the point" they said "that's the point!"

A day that would ricochete throughout history...

One of my first roommates, Megan, once had a dream about the man I would marry. She told me that he would have sandy hair and be so tall that he would have to stoop under doorways.

Four years ago today I was playing Monopoly at the home of a young, handsome, and very tall returned missionary named Rich. He had invited me over on a Sunday afternoon to play games (board games), and in typical girl fashion, I brought over some food, or at least, the promise of food. I tried to make homemade cinnamon rolls at his house while we talked, and instead of luring him into submission over ooey gooey rolls, I burned them terribly.

But I completely dominated the game and won by a landslide. Rich wasn’t use to losing.

After a few hours of talking (and a little flirting, I have to admit), I came to the conclusion that I would not be at all disappointed if this young man asked me out on a date (despite the self appointed dating sabbatical I was on at the time). We enjoyed a good evening and I told him that I would be leaving for England the following Thursday for a six week internship.

And then I went home…not a little perplexed that I had no return appointment (maybe I had just been imagining the chemistry…oh well).

When I got home, I realized I had forgotten my rolling pin (and YES, I did really forget it). So I called Rich and he graciously offered to bring it back to me. He pulled up to my apartment, returned the rolling pin, and left after just a few minutes. Again, I was a little perplexed.

As he drove away, I sent him a text message which read:

“that was a long way to come just to deliver a rolling pin…you could have extracted a lot more from me than that”

And then I went inside, said my prayers, and got ready for bed. In my prayers I asked, or rather informed, God that if HE wanted me to pursue something with this Rich fellow, that HE should let me know. And I left it at that (the aforementioned dating sabbatical).

Well, I underestimated the power of that text message, because when Rich got home and read it, he turned himself right back around and drove back to my house.

I was already in bed when I heard a knock at the door. I could hear his voice outside talking to my roommate. She of course let him in, and then she hid behind her bedroom door to listen.

He told me: “I couldn’t wait six weeks, or even ten minutes to see you again”

And then he kissed me…

And then he asked me out!

And the rest is history. June 11 is when Richard and Rachael officially began.

Transitions

Last Saturday was prom for many of the teenagers in high school around here. Per tradition, many of the youth in our congregation wore their prom gown or tux to church on Sunday. Some of them wore their corsages or tried to keep their hair in the same coif as it had been the night before. Some of them will be graduating this week and are talking about which colleges they will attend in the fall.
Although much of high school was a time I would not like to repeat, I remember that along with all the feelings of anxiety and insecurity, there was also a sense of excitement and exhilaration. There was so much to be explored-- so much to do, to see, and to become. And my world really did revolve around me. What I wanted to do, where
I wanted to go to school and live, and who I wanted to spend my time with. I lived for me!

The lesson in Sunday was about transitions and turning points in life and handling them well. The teacher asked me to share a few thoughts on making the transition to motherhood and moving across the country at the same time. So here are my few thoughts:

The moment I had Anna, I had to stop living for me. It wasn't just about what I wanted to do or become-- everything I did involved another person. It probably should have been like that when I got married, but I believe I was still a little self-centered and selfish some of the time (probably much of the time). I was finishing law school and taking the bar exam and earning paychecks and running marathons. The pursuit of my own happiness was completely without obstacle.

And then I had this little person enter my life. And now instead of shining my own star, I try to make hers a little brighter each day. It is her accomplishments I boast of and whose happiness I pray for. My life is measured by her life.

Now, this is not to say that I don't still do things for me. I am running a half marathon in two weeks. I am mastering the art of meal planning and creation, and I sing...a lot. The difference is that I realize that I just don't matter as much I thought I did-- at least, not in the same way.
I always wanted to be important, and I thought I would achieve that by earning a lot of recognition doing great things. And yet, since having Anna, I have become so much more important than I have ever been. Because I am important to Anna. And if my world doesn't revolve around me anymore, her world certainly does. Maybe from now on, when people ask my occupation, I should say "full time human maker and character developer"

I have never been given a greater responsibility than this and I have never felt quite so inadequate to a task. I call on God, and my mom quite a bit. Anna seems to be doing just fine. I, on the other hand, am a work in progress.

videos of anna for those obsessed

the above is a video of anna talking to herself.



this one is of Anna crawling towards her daddy.



this is just pure crawling. Anna just converted to crawling on her hands and knees from the army drag and I guess we are a little enthralled by it.



and this is Anna fighting with her dad for the pajamas right after a bath.

Enjoy!

All Anna at 10 months

This is a post all about Anna-- her cute, her crazy, her curious, and her curl!

Dear Anna: thank you for looking at the camera at least 2 % of the time. You have such a lovely face, but not just in profile as you crawl away after your next conquest.
thank you for having a sense of humor and putting up with me as I figure out this whole "mommy" thing, and for forgiving me when I don't change your poopy diapers quite as quickly as you would like.
thank you for being so playful and happy. It makes my job a lot easier.
thank you for having such a wide stance! This is the same way your father stands. Maybe it is so you don't intimidate the shorter babies as much.
thank you for making it so cool to be a baby. I know I should have popped your collar for this picture and rolled up your sleeves in a "baby without a cause" kind of fashion, but you put up with my lack of style so tolerantly.
thank you for only eating the medical related toys out of respect for your vast array of relatives with medical training.
thank you for your concern over whether these ducks are "dolphin safe" and were caught using ecologically responsible methods.
thank you for your perfectly curly hair.
thank you for being the best doll at the toy store. (this pictures reminds me of "Where's Waldo?")
thank you for mastering the art of crawling up stairs. I respect the fact that you could have taken the elevator to the top of the slide but you made a healthy choice instead.
thank you for thinking everything is worth exploring.
thank you for expanding the influence of babies on the playground. Your focus, initiative, and persistence do your generation credit.
thank you for not biting me anymore...
thank you for embracing bath time, eating time, and reading time.
thank you for trying Indian cuisine and whatever else I throw at you. Sorry about the peaches episode...
thank you for waiting patiently for at least 3 minutes after you wake up before you start trying to pull the curtains down...
thank you for being my wonderful little girl.

My Twilight Mecca

Here it is, my photo documentary of my Twilight Mecca. This post is as much a testament to Richard's tolerance and compassion as a good husband as it is my ode to my inner pre-teen.

Richard was so good as to put up with us listening to "Twilight" on tape as we drove on our vacation. It was kind of cool to see so many of the things talked about in the book and portrayed in the movie. And it allowed us many hours of laughing at Bella's expense. Richard agreed that Edward is much cooler in the book and that Robert Pattison's ugly, emaciated mug doesn't really do him justice.

We did eat at Bella Italia, the famed restaurant of mushroom ravioli fame (now titled "Bella's Mushroom Ravioli" on the menu-- though we did not order it). And I have to say, it is one of the best meals that either Richard or I have ever eaten. It was anniversary meal really good, and had some nice ambiance as well. And to their credit, they have not turned the restaurant into a Twilight museum.
Do I want Anna to read books like the Twilight saga?
hmmmm.....
only if she finds herself in graduate school having lost all love of books and reading.
You can't read it, but the sign above says "Bella's First Aid Supplies sold here"
A beautiful sunny day at La Push beach. There is a part in the novel where Bella wonders what is the yellow orb in the sky (apparently because it always rains in Forks....).
So I admit, I got a little giggly and girly at times during the Mecca. Mostly associated with images of Taylor Lautner (which made me switch from camp Edward to camp Jacob-- well, that and the fact that Robert Pattinson seems to be actually decomposing)

This was the sign welcoming us to the reservation at La Push.
And this was the back of the sign. Apparently the wolf tribe endorses Pepsi.

It was a lot of fun. And again, I have to thank my wonderful husband for being so tolerant of my desire to see some of the signs of the Twilight times. They were merely pit stops on our family vacation, but it made me really happy. Richard says that he would have been the same way if we had been staying on the planet of Tatooine (Luke Skywalker's home).