Merrell-Thon

My family is awesome. Last year we (by we I mean my crazy sisters and little brother) did a half Marathon and called it the Merrell-thon. I ran about 5 miles of it and called it good. We continued the tradition this year and decided to do a much more fun, laid back Merrell-thon and went with the 5k. My sister Cindy can tell you All About It.
It was fun and I'm hoping next year I can beat my slow, but steady 10 minute mile pace.

(A More Real) Love Story

My brother in law posted this video on our family website. Doesn't life feel like this sometimes? I love it!

Jake's 25th

Jake turned 25 years old today. His golden birthday- 25 on the 25th! Oh how I love this man!
25 things I love about Jake:
1. His burning testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. His dedication and devotion to his family
3. His contagious laugh
4. His urge to share a drawn out, detailed, scientific explanation for the most simple questions
5. His hardworking nature (you'll never find a guy that works harder!)
6. How he wrestles with Tyler everyday
7. How Tyler cries "Dadda, dadda" every day he leaves for school (Jake's boy loves his daddy!)
8. His desire to always have a strong, faithful, playful, romantic, marriage
9. His back and foot massages
10. His humble nature
11. His love of fishing, sports, water, geology, and anything outdoors
12. His desire to provide for his family
13. His granny driving
14. How he reminds us to pray every morning and night
15. How he so readily serves others
16. His support to help me reach my goals
17. His love of games- yahtzee, farkle, and boggle to be exact
18. That he loves crossword puzzles, that we get excited to find them in our weekly ads, and set aside time to do them together that evening
14. That he'll sit and watch HGTV or Food Network with me (even though a more exciting ball game might be on)
15. That he still gives me butterflies and makes me shiver (sorry Mom... you're probably blushing)
16. His love of school and learning
17. That he tells me all he wants for his birthday is for me to be happy (really? who is this guy? I love him!)
18. That he'll help with Tyler when I've been up with him in the night, even though he has class early in the morning
19. That he can laugh when hard things happen- especially when it comes to diaper explosions
20. His complete honesty
21. That he loves my cooking and encourages me to try my own twist on recipes (he's a brave man!)
22. That he tells me I'm beautiful everyday
23. That he drives whenever we're in the car together
24. That he's handsome, strong, and darn right hot
25. That he married me in the temple and has followed his promise to my dad to take me there often

Oh there is so much more about him I love, but there's a little snapshot for you. And apparently in my world- 14 comes after 18. So i guess that was 30 things I love about Jake. For his birthday we got together with both our families and had a little swim fiesta. The water was freezing, but the kids enjoyed it. We had enchiladas, 7-layer bean dip, fruit kabobs, and boy was it yummy! I love you Jake! Happy Birthday!

The Help

My friend Megan has started a book club and invited me to join. I've never considered myself as much of a reader, but apparently I LOVE it! This was the first book we read. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This book was amazing! I loved every moment of it and had a hard time putting it down (ask Jake!). I read it in less than a week (which is super fast for me- especially when I was working 2 of the days in the week). The characters became my friends and I loved being brought into their world. The author did an amazing job of giving each of the characters a distinctive voice. The story takes place in the 1960's in Jackson Mississippi and is told from the perspective of 3 different ladies: Miss Skeeter, a young Ole Miss graduate who is pursuing a career in journalism; Aibileen, a black maid who is raising her 17th white child; and Minny, a plump black maid that has a lot of spice and a mouth that has gotten her fired from numerous jobs. These 3 ladies "will come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed." If you are looking for a good book to read, go get it... now! Good luck finding it in the library though. Last I checked there were currently 109 holds on the book at the Mesa libraries. Let me know if any of you have read it or decide to read it. You will love it!