Day 1 Week 1

For some crazy reason, I got it in my head that I should run a half marathon this fall. So I signed up for the US Half Marathon in San Francisco on Nov. 1st. What was I thinking? 13.1 miles. Running for hours. Why?

I have never ran in a real race before. Sure I ran track in high school (sprints, never long distances) but I have never done anything official since then. I googled training programs for half marathoners and found one that I think might work. It's a 10 week program from marathorookie.com. It believes that your body needs ample time to rest and repair in order to build strength and endurance. It also says that on the days where you rest you should be treating your body well by eating very healthy. You never run more than 2 days in a row. This week I will run 13 miles; Monday-3, Wed.-3, Th.-3 and Sat.-4. Anyway today was my first day. 3 miles...check!

House update

This is what our house looks like this week. They painted the stucco and all the interior walls. They even installed all the cabinets. Before we move in I want to paint the kitchen cabinets white and the walls in the kitchen, dinning room and family room a silver sage color and the den some other color-still undecided. I think I want to paint the island in the kitchen a bright green color, like avocado green or perhaps green apple. Anyway, here it is thus far.

An Idaho Summer

I have been going to Idaho for my summers ever since I was 3. It is a tradition I want to continue with my family. This summer has been a tough one for my family but the tradition lives on. We enjoyed swimming, bonfires, shooting, paint balling, yummy food, horse back riding, hiking, fishing, and playing cards late at night. My brother Isaac got married and it was a beautiful wedding. We are all very happy for him and my newest sister Jenn.

Daniel and my brothers went paint balling. They went through 4000 paint balls within an hour. All my brothers were there except Isaac who was on his honeymoon.

Shooting clay pigeons on the hill at the ranch.

Isaac and Jenn's wedding.

Isaac secretly bought her a giant art deco ring that she really wanted but told her he couldn't afford. He switched the rings right before the ceremony. Her face was priceless!

My dad with Marston and Remmy.

For a wedding present, one of Isaac's good friends set up a photo booth for all of the wedding guests. It was so cool. They took pictures of all guests and gave one copy to the guest and another copy they glued into a photo album to serve as their guest list. It was really fun.

Marston had a really hard night that night and cried just about the whole time. Yeah-not fun...we have proof here.

Marston and his cousins taking a bath right before the wedding.

1st Week in Idaho

It's been a busy week. Marston and I got to Idaho about a week ago and we've had lots of fun. I'll write all about it when we get home.

Day at the beach

Dan's brother Ben and his wife Telia are in town so we decided to spend the day at the beach. We drove out to Bodega Bay and found a beautiful beach about 2 miles outside of the bay. It was a wonderful day. Marston loved crawling around in the sand and letting the waves hit him. People would stop and watch him as he crawled back and forth with sheer joy on his face.

Fire Place

I have been throwing around ideas about this fireplace for a couple of months now. I had Daniel draw me up some plans for the mantle and I have been visiting tile showrooms looking for the perfect tile. I love the mantle Dan created and I think I may have found the right tile. I love the colors but am not totally sold on the diamond shape-I was looking for 1x1 square tiles. But it might work. Let me know what you think...I could use all the help I can get. I have to order within the next couple of weeks.

p.s. I colored the tile in Dan's drawing just for the mantle to stand out. The colors are to oceany and blue for what I want.

Random Adventures

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Here's a few pictures to show what we've been up to.

Eliza Jeanne's (my new niece) blessing.

Making strawberry jam.

Jet skiing at Folsom lake.

Spending another beautiful day at Lake Tahoe.