Birthday Surprise

Wow, talk about a surprise party! It was a week ago tonight and I still can't believe he did it. My sweet husband planned a huge surprise party for my 40th birthday. We are talking the works! I still can't believe how much work it must have been to put something like that together. There were 2 huge sheet cakes, ice cream, balloons, display table of my life accomplishements and memories, and best of all, over 100 of my friends and family. It was like being on the show "This Is Your Life". There were friends there that I hadn't seen for several years, friends from high school, friends and family who drove over an hour to be there, friends from by neighborhood and near by, and of course my awesome family. To those who came - THANK YOU so much! To my dear husband - thank you just doesn't seem like enough. I don't know what to say other than thank you and I LOVE YOU!

One Down, One to Go!

One big race down! It was the Od Half Marathon last weekend and it was so much fun. I ran it with my sister Julianne again and we did great. Last year I busted my but training and ran really hard to see how fast I could do it. I felt good about my time and was glad I pushed myself, but I was so sore for days after and it wasn't near as much fun as the year before when I stuck with my sister. This year I decided I wasn't leaving Julianne again. We paced ourselves and ended with tons of energy and I never even got sore one bit!

My daughter, Britney, ran it as well. She finished in 6th place in her catagory! I am so proud of her. It is so fun to have something like this in common with my daughter. The girls who placed 3, 4, and 5 in her catagory were her friends. I think that is so cool.

Here are our times:

Britney - 1:51:05

Me - 2:39:36

Julianne - 2:39:37

I think we are going to try the relay next year. It's the only way we are going to get our husbands involved. :o)

Next big race? Ragnar! Less than 4 weeks away. Also with Julianne this year and my husband driving. Yea!

Shameless Self Promoting . . . again.

I hope you don't mind, but I thought this is a great way to beg for help.

I am a Supervisor/Coordinator for a company called Compass USA. I am responsible for finding homes for about 20 students who are coming from France to Utah for an American Experience this summer. Speaking from experience, this is a great opportunity for students and their families to learn about another culture while teaching someone else about ours.
Over the past 2 years, I have placed or helped place over 30 kids. Most families continue to have close relationships with their students to this day.
The student ages vary from 14-19 yrs old. They generally stay anywhere from 3-6 weeks at various times throughout the summer. All the students speak English at some level, but most students are here to improve their English speaking abilities.
Host families are volunteer (unpaid) and are asked to provide:· A bed - The student can share a room, although not a bed, with a same sex, same age sibling.
· A loving home · Three meals a day · Excitement about hosting.
I am hoping you would be willing to help me publicize the need for host families. If you or someone you know would be interested in doing something like this, PLEASE leave me a comment with your email address and I will forward some detailed information to you.

Mrs. Utah USA here I come!

Not as a contestant, of course silly. Just an audience member. My dear friend, Jessie, was the contestant and did a fantastic job! I had no idea how much work it was to do a pageant like that. I went to a workshop with her in February and left awe struck with how much the contestants were expected to do. And I was so impressed by her courage to walk the stage in a swimsuit after giving birth to 3 kiddos. She looked great! Her hope was to use the title to spread her passion for Emergency Preparedness. Although she didn't win, she will always be a winner in my book!

Pictured: Me, Megan, Jessie, Jen and Linda (Jessie's mom).

Shannah's First Prom Date

Shannah went on her first prom date. Her date, Christian, is just a good friend. They had a great time. I just thought it would be fun to include a picture. I spent an hour on her hair and it turned out great. She looked so beautiful!

Another Birthday Boy!

Brandon just celebrated his 6th birthday last month! Boy, what a character. He is constantly saying the funniest things and making us laugh. I love the time I have in the mornings with just him when the kids are off to school. I love that he will ride his bike for 3 miles so 'mommy can get her running done'. I love that he will sleep through being packed from his bed to the car and from the car to the couch nearly every morning without waking up when we go to crossing guard. But don't let that fool you, he is full of enough energy to power a small city. I (kind of) love that he is an expert at Lego Star Wars. I love that he has the longest eye lashes I've ever seen. I love that he is my son!