a million and ten things we did in utah

So we did kind of a lot of things in Utah. With a lot of people. We traveled up with my family and their 500 children (not really but close) and stayed in a big fat cabin with a bunch of people. We stayed in an area that was half way to the ski resorts and half way to downtown Salt Lake. Speaking of downtown Salt Lake, I'm kind of in love! I haven't been there in years but the new City Creek and the overall urban vibe was awesome! I really couldn't get enough of the mall. And you know what else I couldn't get enough of? Kneaders! This reason alone I would go back for a visit to Utah. hint: try the chunky cinnamon french toast (it's endless!). I went 4 times out of 5 days I was there.
We had a so much fun playing in the snow and sledding, visiting with friends that just so happen to be in SLC at the same time, going to this kind of funky yet fun Fun Center for roller skating, and of course a few stops at Target for stuff... and whatever cute boy clothes they had because their Target's kids selection in Utah rocked. Seriously. Saw some awesome Utah hair while out to dinner, ate thanksgiving dinner and leftovers, and visited the beautiful Temple Square. They're not kidding around when it comes to Christmas lights, are they?! Beautiful!
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. (minus the fact that my child would not sleep)
...and I swear Cameron was there, he somehow only made the snow pics.

a winter wonderland

While in Utah, the day before thanksgiving we had the chance to head up to the snow and play! Krew's first time in the real snow! The pictures explain themselves. It was like a winter wonderland heaven with my family. We went sledding and Cameron and my brothers made a pretty intense jump which sent them all flying (note: Brad doing practically a back flip off the jump)! And I got sooo many Eskimo kisses from my little boy. Krew and dad made this adorable snowman and Krew was sure to include a hair on its head!

 

 

^ we caught Krew getting a taste of mr. snowman :)

mama bear, papa bear, and baby bear go snowboarding at Brighton.

Over thanksgiving break, we went to the mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah and went snowboarding at Brighton Resort. It was so fun to get in a few days before the season started for us in Southern California. Can I say that I think we both got the snowboarding bug again? We are already planning our next trip. :)

On our last day, we were debating if we should try to take Krew for a half-day and get some rentals for him. I was just planning on having him ski but Cameron insisted that he should snowboard first. The lady at Brighton Rentals assured as that they had his size and so off he went! Never did we expect Krew to love it as much as he did! He loved riding the lift up and carving back down with his dad (with lots of help). He was so good! And when we would set him down to stand by himself, he would try to jump to get moving again. So we started sending him down the hill by himself for 15-foot spans and one of us would catch him at the bottom. Everyone on the slopes was asking how old he was because he truly looked like a doll on a board. We were so proud of our little snowboarder! (get ready for an overload of snowboarding cuteness...)

the Neverland Clan

The best part of Halloween was seeing Krew's face light up when he and his parents became his favorite characters from his favorite movie, Peter Pan! He still reviews with us that mom is Tinker Bell and dad is Captain Hook and every once in a while he still likes a good Captain Hook/Peter Pan sword fight. He loved being Peter Pan the entire night! And Cameron was exceptional at playing the part of Captain Hook! Along our trick-or-treat route, Cameron even laid under this huge blow-up spider that some person had as a decoration in their yard and pretended to be stuck so that Peter could save him! And look... my Peter Pan even gave me kisses. :) Pretty much the night was full of pretend and lots of sweets! How awesome is my brother's Napoleon Dynamite costume? And little Merida (Mo) with Krew. Can't wait until next year.

cottonseed hills and the stemless pumpkin

To catch up on life, Krew and I went to the pumpkin patch before Halloween where we slid down cottonseed mountains (which were actually really fun), saw lots of cows and goats, picked out pumpkins and enjoyed being with our friends. And out of all the pumpkins Krew could have picked, he chose the one without a stem-- most likely because it was most ball-like. And how do you like that Cowboy that photo bombed the first picture? Pretty sweet. Until next year pumpkin patch and cowboy photo bomb.

half marathon in Santa Barbara

You would think after running a half marathon once before that it wouldn't be such a big deal but I still managed to work up some nerves the day before the big run. I knew that I would finish, I just was scared something wouldn't go right like maybe I might forget to pack socks or eat something the day before that wasn't right. It's funny how sensitive you have to be towards those things like running in clothes you've previously trained in, eating right so that your body works the way you want it to or just drinking enough water the week before. I was nervous that everything wouldn't go as planned-- scared that 10 weeks of training might turn into one big unfortunate event.

me at mile 7

With a rough 5.5 hours of sleep under my belt due to a late arrival in Santa Barbara, I left my sleeping family in the hotel and walked to the starting line. I ate my breakfast I had planned out for the last week and even wore an extra hair tie just in case mine were to break (that would be devastating!). Really, I had gone over everything at least 3 times. It was freeeeeezing in the morning and I was ready to get my blood warmed up! I started the run, trying to keep up with my dear friend Kate. Miles 1-3 were hard, in any run they always are for me. It takes me at least 2 miles to get into my zone. Mile 4 was great and I started to get more energy and less nerves... Until bozo boy from behind me decided to clip my foot causing my body to fly forward and luckily catching myself before I crash landed onto my face. I turned back with a glare and bozo boy said sorry. Mile 5 and 6 I was feeling like super woman. Mile 7 I realized I was making great time and even sent a text to Cameron. Mile 8 was good, but mile 9 was tiring. And then, mile 10. The dreaded mile, the mile that was uphill that had my calves hurting and my mind questioning if I should walk the hill... No, never stop running, that was my goal. The last bit was me battling with my mind to keep up my pace and push hard. I seriously played Beyonce's "Countdown" 15 times because I knew if I ran on the beat it would keep me at a 6.0 on the treadmill. A mile left and there was my husband and my little boy waving to me and cheering me on! Krew had the biggest smile on his face and yelled, "Go mommy!!"! The last stretch seemed like forever and how grateful I was to see that finish line!
I found out I had knocked 15 minutes off my last time and was extremely happy with my time!

In the end, I realized that the race was a big deal but the amount of miles I had completed in training over the last 10 weeks was the huge fete I had managed to finish.

It felt awesome, it felt great. But I did tell Cameron two things: don't ever expect me to do a full marathon and I don't know if I'll ever get that time again on a half. :) just so we're clear.

And the rest of the day was spent eating out with my wonderful friends and shopping. I was so much fun training long distance with Kate and Natalie. And my dear friend Angela came down to see me! On the drive home I told Cameron that being in Santa Barbara with friends and my family and just having a wonderful time seriously felt like my birthday (minus running 13 miles). :)

a belated halloween!

A belated happy halloween!! This year we were the Neverland clan: Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and Captian Hook! (I promise I'll get a clearer photo up here once I get my internet up and working) We had a fabulous night full of trick-or-treating, a fun halloween party, eating white chili, a little bit of Hocus Pocus (the movie I was terrified of when I was younger) and lots of treats! It was so much fun to watch Krew and his cousins. And Cameron and I have had plenty of Krew's candy stash! nomnom... :) Such a fun halloween night!