Jorgenson Adventures

A Little R & R

2012-01-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, it's hard to take a vacation with the kids and come home feeling relaxed and ready to conquer the world. Well, we managed to do that in St George last weekend. We rented a house with our friends and it was so much fun. There was air hockey, ping pong, and pool inside the house. But the best part was the back yard. Talk about a paradise. It had a beautiful pool with waterfalls, a hot tub, swings, playhouse, and enough grass to play an intense game of soccer. The pool was heated so we were able to swim outside in January. Heaven! The only time we left the house was to drive around the corner (literally) and hike in Snow Canyon. It was truly the perfect vacation. The kids were happy and entertained so the adults were able to relax too. We were also able to get some good playing in with the kids. There was good company, good food (a must on vacation), and just an all around good time. The kids are already asking when we can go back. It was such a good vacation that we just might have to make it a tradition.

Death Is Not the End

2012-01-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was two years since my mom passed away. I think this video clip says it all. Can't wait to see you again Mom!

Christmas Happenings

2012-01-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas is gone. Holy cow! Still no snow. Craziness! We had a great holiday season this year. We had lots of fun just playing together, seeing the lights at temple square, and just enjoying the season. Zack got so many tracks to put together that he spends all of his time playing in his room. Jake made Kate and Sage the ultimate kitchen. They love it (and they'd better for all the time it took)!

On top of all of that my sister Alicia got married. It was so great. They're so happy and we love her husband Dan. I got a picture of the girls carrying her train, but of course didn't get a picture of the dress. She was stunning, you'll just have to take my word for it.

So here are a million pictures for your viewing pleasure:)

Christmas Tree Adventures

2011-12-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

We embarked on another Christmas tree hunt yesterday. I love this tradition. There's always something to laugh about. This year the good times were my fault. There's no snow at our house, so I didn't really think there would be much snow when we got our tree. Silly me. When will I learn? You'd think it was our first year living in this winter wonderland. Anyway, not only did I not take snow pants, etc. I didn't grab mittens for the kids. Yes, I'm awesome. We really didn't have to walk far to get our tree. But we were in snow, pretty deep snow at that. It took one fall for Sage and she was crying so hard I had to take her back to the truck. So, in keeping with tradition, Jake and Zack continued in the quest to find the perfect Christmas tree. They definitely found it. After a year of being made fun of for his tree last year, Jake got the biggest tree he could find. He was so proud of himself. He even used a regular saw, not his chainsaw, truly sticking it to the man. I have to admit, they did well this year. Good times. This is what tradition is all about...stories to tell over and over every year:)

Pictures

2011-11-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

I hate to leave that last post there forever. So here are some random halloween photos. I didn't want to give anyone a heart attack by taking really good pictures, so here you go. Good thing my kids are so cute... Obviously Sage was loving the candy. Jake said she tried to take whole bowls of candy rather than just one or two pieces. How embarrassing.

Believe

2011-11-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

My heart has been aching lately. I'm not sure why. You'd think its been enough years since Linz and Mom have been gone that it wouldn't hurt so much. There are definitely times where the hurt is less. I'll think "yes, this is finally getting better." But then an unexpected knife goes through my heart and the wound opens wide all over again.

I wish I'd realized how good I had it B.E. (Before Everything). I had no idea. I thought I understood loss and heartache. I had no idea. In my heart of hearts I know that I've learned much I would have never learned otherwise. I'm grateful for this, really I am. But some days I just want to shake my fist at the heavens. Why does God think I can handle this? Why did we have to lose both of them? Why can't it just be like it was before? I would give just about anything to walk into my parents' house and see my mom standing behind the counter, excited to see me. I would love to see my kids play with Linz. These are not big things I want. They're simple really.

So I'm here, A.E. (After Everything) trying to figure things out. It seems that just when I feel I'm making progress I take a step backwords. So I'm going to rally. I must pick myself up, gather my faith, and take a step forward. This is me rallying:

I'm grateful. I'm grateful for compassion. I'm grateful that I know how to cry with someone else in their heartaches and understand a little of what they feel. I'm grateful for perspective, an eternal perspective really. I'm grateful to be a part of a church that teaches that eternal perspective. I'm grateful for family. So grateful for family. Jake and my kids keep me going every day. I'm grateful for how close my siblings and I have gotten through all of this. I'm grateful to now be related to 60 people who I wouldn't even know if Jake and I hadn't lost parents. Most of all I'm grateful for my Savior, who loves me and cries with me. Even though I don't understand, I can still believe. So, to end this uplifting post (sorry, sometimes I have to let it out) here's a scripture that's been helping me a lot lately. Its in the Book of Mormon.
Mosiah 4:9
"Believe in God. Believe that he is and that he created all things both in heaven and in earth. Believe that he has all wisdom and all power, both in heaven and in earth. Believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

Fall!!!

2011-10-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

I love fall. I love the crisp feel in the air. I love sitting in front of a fire. I love watching football. And I especially love the beautiful fall colors. It doesn't get better than living in Midway in the fall. The leaves are amazing just from our front yard. Then we take a quick drive to the mountains and it's so beautiful I can hardly stand it. Why more people don't live in Midway is beyond me. I hope we live her for forever. These pics are from a Sunday drive a couple of weeks ago. You should all come visit in the fall. Love it!

Just For Fun

2011-08-15T14:34:00.001-07:00

This is what Sage does when I'm not paying close enough attention. She's crazy.

Camping!

2011-08-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

My posts are so amazing. For all two of you who look at this blog, I'm sure you get great enjoyment. I have way too much going on to figure out how to make these look good. Oh well...

Anyway, we got away for a night of camping. It was so good to get away and spend some good quality time with the kids. We all needed it. We camped at a place just outside of Hanna (an hour from our house). It was beautiful. Its now one of my favorite places we've camped. We'll definitely go back there. The kids loved it. We played in the river, hiked, and played all kinds of games. So much fun and so good to get away.

Birthdays!

2011-08-15T14:11:00.001-07:00

We made it through our birthday month. Somehow we outdid ourselves and got less pictures than normal. We're so good. I chalk it up to a couple of highly stressful weeks.

Zack turned 7, Kate turned 5, and Sage turned 2 all in one month. Let's not forget Jake's birthday in the middle of all that. I attempted a Jolly Roger cake for Zack. Not one of my better attempts. Kate wanted a Candy Land cake like her cousin Megan. It was a hit. I was caked out by Sage's birthday, so she got a cupcake from the bakery. Poor youngest child. I can't believe how old they're all getting. Craziness. They're the best kids ever. Now they just have to put up with their mom:)

The O.C.

2011-08-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the Oregon Coast! It was so much fun! My kids got to see the ocean for their first time and loved it. My siblings and I were all together on vacation for the first time in like 15 years. It was great times. We ate lots of icecream at the Tilamook Creamery, played on the beach for hours and hours, had lots of pirate adventures, and all kinds of other fun. The kids explored all day with their cousins in the campground. They were endlessly entertained and super happy. Every night they would collapse exhausted to bed. Perfect. I caught my first wave on a boogie board, and all was well. We even survived the drive. There were so many cute pics that I couldn't choose, so hopefully I can get the slide show to work. Enjoy!

Festival Days!

2011-07-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

We love Farmington Festival Days. So much fun every year. Unfortunately this year I have no pics. Why? Because our camera lens is broken. Not to worry though, a new one is on the way. So I might just have to copy a couple of pics from my sister.

Every year at least a couple of us run in one of the races. This year Toby and I did a new race to Flag Rock. And oh what a race it was. A 10K (actually it was 7.5 miles not 6) straight up the mountain. The route actually took us up the hill my dad lives on. That's right, I ran all the way up that hill. Feel free to be impressed. It didn't end there though. Once we got on the mountain we ran (walked) up switchbacks that were pretty much straight up. I thought I was going to die. Running down was super fun though. We were still running on switchbacks though and a couple times I almost ran off the trail because I couldn't slow down enough to turn. You might wonder why I'm telling you about this race. Well, it's because I got first place. Well, really second place technically. But the girl who got first place took a short cut. So I like to think that I got first place. Not just first place in my age group, but first place for all the girls. That's right. I've gotten second place, third place, and everything else before. But never first. Toby (my brother-in-law) took first place overall. That's right, the Spjutes rocked the house! By the way, when we plotted the route on our GPS it said there was 2000 feet of elevation gain. That's right folks, 2000 feet up in 3 miles. And it was a lot of fun I might add. I'm really loving trail running. Love it!

Anyway, back to the parade. I'm sure you're sick of the race by now. The kids loved the parade as usual. Sage was a little timid with the candy at the beginning. By the end she was grabbing huge amounts of candy. It was all I could do to keep her from shoving them all in her mouth. She's pretty much our bottomless pit. Apparently she ate like 6 hot dogs Friday night. I apologize to Kathy for that diaper:)

After the parade we had my dad's famous breakfast casseroles. So good. Then we decided to hike to the mine with the older kids. For some reason we decided to do this in the middle of a super hot summer day. I thought I was going to die. I was impressed with the kids. They did awesome. Then we topped the night off with a BBQ, fun in the rain, and a birthday celebration for Jake and Zack. It doesn't get better than festival days. Well, maybe next week it will when we're on the Oregon Coast:)

I'm Back

2011-06-29T09:52:00.001-07:00

It's been a while. I guess I've been on a blogging vacation, or something like that. We've been busy finishing school, and playing hard. We go to Seven Peaks once a week, so we can practice jumping over waves for our trip to Oregon. One of the kids' chores is weeding every day. They love it, let me tell you. Just keeping my dad's tradition of child labor through weeding alive.

So, I've finally been organizing all of our pictures so I can put them into books and print them out. I know, will miracles never cease. In doing so, I've realized how much Kate and Sage look alike. Apparently we only make one kind of girl. Poor things have to look like their mom. Anyway, I thought I'd post a picture of Kate and Sage at the same age to see what you think. See if you can tell who is who. Yes, they're wearing the same coat. Got to love hand-me-downs. Good luck, and happy summer fun!

Three Years

2011-05-10T13:06:00.001-07:00

Missing you tons Linz. I can't believe its been three years. It feels like forever, and we still have so much longer. I wish my kids knew their Aunt Linz. I wish they could play and have fun with you. I wish I could run another race with you. I wish lots of things and I know some day they'll happen. Sending my love up to Linz today! "It will never be Zion without you!" Or something like that. From the Legacy movie. Linz was always way better at quoting movies than I am:)

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T12:45:00.001-07:00

I think Mother's Day will always be bitter sweet. I hope one day it's more sweet than bitter, but right now it feels more bitter than sweet. Jake and the kids do a great job making part of the day sweet. Jake understands that its a hard day for me. I feel bad not just enjoying the day, but it's hard.

I miss my mom. I miss her all the time. I miss her when something great happens and I want to share it with someone. I miss her when something hard happens and I want to cry with someone. Life has been hard lately. A little harder than normal, and boy have I missed Mom. I want to go visit her on Mother's Day, just like everyone else. I want to take flowers to her house, not to the cemetery. I know I'll see her again. I know she knows what's going on in my life and helps me as much as she can from the other side. But I'm selfish and I want her here. So, on this Mother's Day, and this week of my mom's birthday, my heart will be with my mom even more than normal.

To all of those who have been without their mom for a while, I feel for you. Its hard. I can do hard things. I can do hard things. I am so blessed:)

Easter and Stuff

2011-05-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't written for a long time. Life has been crazy busy. I've been working tons to help pay the bills while Jake's business is slow. I'm so grateful for my job and the income it brings. But I have a new respect for working mom's. Its so hard. I miss my kids. Suddenly I'm supposed to work and do everything I usually do, all in a lot less time. Some things have to go, and blogging has definitely been one of those things (not that I was super good at it before).

Anyway, Easter was great. I love celebrating the resurrection. Sometimes it seems as though half of my family is on the other side, waiting for that day. I can't wait. I'm so grateful for a loving Savior who made it all possible.

So we did the usual easter egg hunts, and yummy food. The kids actually looked cute thanks to Tracy. They loved their new Easter clothes. Kate was excited the next week when I told her she could wear her new dress on other days besides just Easter. Poor girl thought she could only wear it once a year:)

Zack had his first grade program. It was so great. He worked hard all year to learn all the songs. He even did a dance with a girl. Too bad he never learned the girl's name:) I was so proud of him. I can't believe I'm about to have a second grader. Crazy! How is that possible when I'm only 26?:)

Hope

2011-03-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Jake and I were able to go to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU. Amazing. Definitely an inspired man. My favorite painting was this one entitled 'The Daughter of Jairus'. So beautiful. Its been on my mind ever since I saw it. So I thought I'd share my thoughts. Lucky people:)

The detail in the painting is beautiful. I wish you could see the full size. The mother is weeping over her daughter who just died. This comes, I would imagine, after a long night of struggling and praying. I'm sure at this moment the mother feels grief and despair at having lost her daughter. But then you look to the right corner of the picture and see Hope. The Savior and a disciple walking into the house, the morning sunlight shining behind them. So beautiful.

This is what I think of when I'm having a rough day. When the night seems so dark. When it seems as if morning will never come. Just when you think you can't take it anymore, the Savior is there to lift us. I admit that I lose sight of this often. Its hard to remember when I'm in the middle of it all. Sometimes it seems as if the clouds have gathered above me and the light will never come. But it does. It always does. I like to think that if I have faith, one day, just when I think I can't take it anymore and all is lost, the Savior will arrive. The Light will come. There is always Hope.

Happy Birthday Linz!!

2011-02-21T11:08:00.001-08:00

Wish you were here to celebrate!

Winter Fun

2011-01-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

Winter is not my favorite time of the year, but doing some winter activities definitely makes it more enjoyable. In fact, I've decided it's necessary to do some kind of winter sport to keep your sanity through our long winters.

Jake and I used our Warren Miller passes to ski at the Canyons on Monday. Tracy was super nice to come watch our kids so we could play. It was so much fun. Pretty much my favorite ski day ever. The snow wasn't awesome, but the sun was shining. For me a sunny ski day is a perfect ski day. Jake and I have both transitioned from snow boarding to skiing. I'm really liking skiing. Two feet facing forward is a good thing I think. I'm a solid blue skier, and totally happy with that. I'm pretty sure I don't care to ever do any blacks. That might change when my kids and husband take off on the blacks and leave me alone. Zack's been taking ski lessons this year and loving it. Best thing we ever did. He's totally in control now and really enjoying it. Love it. Hopefully all of our kids will grow up skiing. How can they not when we live so close to like 5 different ski resorts?

We also took the kids out to the lake to walk on the ice. They thought it was pretty cool. So did I. Very cold though. I don't understand fishing on a beautiful sunny day. Ice fishing I'll never understand.

How many of you can drive 5 minutes and walk on top of a lake? Yet another reason to live in Midway. If you come visit maybe we'll take you out too:)

The Bingham-Spjutes!

2011-01-21T12:57:00.001-08:00

Our family keeps growing and growing. Its great. The more the merrier right? My dad got remarried to Kathy Bingham last Saturday. I'm so excited for him to not come home to an empty house with hot dogs for dinner every night. This will be a good thing.

Jake's mom is also remarried. The grand total between Jake and I is: 2 parents, 2 step-parents (they're not evil as portrayed in movies by the way), 9 siblings and siblings-in-law, 20 step-siblings and siblings-in-law, 8 nieces and nephews, and something like 25 step-nieces and nephews. I think that totals like 66 in all. Holy cow. I'm still figuring out names. I'm kind of old so my brain doesn't work like it used to. Our poor kids I think just figure they're related to about everyone. They don't question us when we tell them they're related to someone, they just nod and smile.

Anyway, the wedding was great. They were married for time in the Salt Lake Temple, and the sealer did a great job. Then we did pictures and had some yummy food. It was a good day. Somewhat bitter sweet, but mostly sweet. My dad and Kathy have been in Hawaii for the last week. I'm hoping my dad will like it so much that he'll want to take us all some day. Well, that would have to be after he wins on Minute to Win It (I was going to say the lottery but there is zero chance of that happening...and it made me smile to picture my dad on minute to win it).

Here are some pictures of the grand event. Ok, mostly they're pictures of us waiting for Dad and Kathy. I dropped the ball on getting actual pictures of the happy couple... Maybe I'll steal some from Mel's blog:)

PS At the dinner Kate told me that she thinks our new grandma is really nice. So my kids give her two thumbs up!

Christmas, Finally

2011-01-21T12:36:00.001-08:00

Finally putting something on here about Christmas. Better late than never, or something like that. Christmas was good. We had fun. The kids of course loved it. Good times. Can you tell I'm lazy with this post? I can't figure out how to do the pics the way my sister told me. So here they are. The one of Zack in jungle attire is our nativity reenactment. Got to love our costumes. The rest are Christmas morning. I love having kids at Christmas. They make it so much fun.

525,600 Minutes

2011-01-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

One year without Mom. About 525,600 minutes. That song has been going through my head all day. Last year I didn't know how I would make it. I couldn't imagine life without Mom. Here I am a year later, amazed that I made it this far.

I'm reminded again that I can do hard things. However, I can't do hard things on my own. This year has been one of those hard things I've done, but I definitely didn't make it this far without help. I've felt my mom close by to pick me up. I know she's there often. What I wouldn't give to have celestial eyes for a day. I've had Jake and my kids to help me smile. Poor Jake who's had to put up with random moments of sadness and tears. He's done it with great compassion. I've had my dad to help. He's trying so hard to fill the hole my mom left, and he's doing a pretty good job if I do say so myself. I've had my sisters and brother. We've managed to pull together and not apart when things have gotten tough. Family is everything. And last, but certainly not least, I've had my Savior by my side along with the assurance that because of Him my family will be together again. I don't believe I could have made it this far without that hope.

So I look back at this last year with relief that I made it this far, and gratitude for what I've learned and the people who have helped me get here. I CAN do hard things...but not on my own.

Love you Mom!

Oh Christmas Tree?

2010-12-01T19:33:00.001-08:00

We got a permit to cut down our own Christmas tree this year. We did it a couple of years ago and it was pretty fun. This year was a little different though with all of the snow. Seeing as we live in Midway you'd think we'd know how to be prepared in the snow. Apparently we still have a lot to learn.

Sage was super excited

Because of all the snow we couldn't just drive right up to the trees. We drove in as far as we could and then ended up walking in about a mile. We at least were all in our snow clothes. We got that part right. But Jake was all excited to take his big chainsaw that he got this year. Chopping down a tree the manly way. So he carried the chain saw and I carried Sage on my shoulders. I mean, why would we bring a sled to get a Christmas tree? Zack and Kate were troopers walking, but of course Kate complained the whole way. She should have been born into a family that does nothing but watch movies.

Redneck Convention

About a mile in we came upon a whole bunch of trucks and people. Why? Because some genius guy decided to pull his huge snowmobile trailer all the way in and of course it was stuck. They had like three trucks trying to get it out. Explain to me why, if you have snowmobiles, you wouldn't park outside the snow-packed road and ride your snowmobiles in. Seriously. So I stopped to watch all the fun with Kate and Sage and sent Jake and Zack to get the tree. When they came back I thought to myself that the tree didn't look very big. I hoped it would look bigger in the house. Probably good it wasn't any bigger because Jake carried the tree and the chainsaw out while I again carried Sage on my shoulders. Another example of when a sled would have come in handy. I should have worried more about the size of the tree when on the way home I heard all about some wild hen thing they saw and would have loved to shoot. What probably happened: They followed the bird around for a while and then remembered that they still needed a tree. Didn't look at any trees but the one right in front of them because they were still mostly focused on super cool bird. Thus, the small tree.

Angel Kate

Boys with super small tree

We got the tree home and into the house. Unfortunately, the tree doesn't look any bigger in the house. It's about 6 feet tall with pretty sparse branches in a room with a big vaulted ceiling. Can you say Charlie Brown? As a further example of the size; two strands of lights was plenty to cover the tree. The poor branches are sagging with the weight of the ornaments. Might I add that it's a good thing we had the chainsaw to cut through that one-inch trunk. That would have been quite the workout.

Moral of this story: Take a sled when getting a Christmas tree. And most importantly, don't let boys pick out the tree.

Memories

2010-11-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

I've been remembering a lot lately. The holidays do that to you I think. I've decided that the first year after you lose someone is the hardest. I mean, they're all hard, but especially that first year. I'm constantly thinking, "last year at this time...". I've been doing that a lot this year about my mom. It's still hard to believe she's gone. Lately though, the memories of last year are getting harder. This is when she started doing worse. What a blessing and miracle that she did so well for so long. When she started getting more sick, it got bad really fast. Again, I'm so grateful that the hard part was over so quickly so that she didn't have to suffer. But at the same time, it's a bit mind boggling how fast it happened. So now the memories I conjure up from a year ago are getting harder. I don't really want to remember them, but I think they're forever etched in my mind.

Now I think about this holiday season and I have to go through it without Mom. Crappy. What are the holidays without the one's you love, and two of the ones I love aren't here? Our family has some great traditions on Christmas Eve. I know Mom and Linz will be there. But I want to see and talk to them, not just feel them.

I've been thinking about Linz lately and how much it stinks that my kids don't get to play with her. She was always so much fun. Kate's hair reminds me of Linz's. Straight and beautiful golden. We always called Linz's hair her "one true beauty" (Little Women). I hope Kate's stays this way. Kate's also started saying 'oo-da-la-lee' all the time. I have no idea how she got it, but Linz used to say it all the time. I like to think that Linz whispered it in her ear.

So I'm moving forward, I really am, this holiday season. Ready and excited to create new memories with my family, but missing the family that's not here. I'm again reminded of the phrase President Monson quotes frequently:

"Memories are June roses in the December of our lives."

I'm especially grateful for those June roses this year.

Happy Holidays Mom and Linz!

It Is Done!

2010-10-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just call me Martha Stewart. Or something like that. I actually sewed something. For reals. I know, it was months ago that I posted about figuring out how to thread my machine. Baby steps right? I finally took the leap, and actually made something. A quilt. A rag quilt. Probably the easiest kind of quilt to make. See? There is a method to my madness.

First I went to my friend Lisa for some starter tips. Thanks to her I had the courage to move forward. Then I went to the fabric store, with my kids. This was a momentous occasion. I am scarred from memories of fabric stores when I was little. Now I'm doing it to my kids. The circle of cruelty continues. Anyway, let's just say that I felt a little out of place in the fabric store. So did not know what I was doing. But I pretended.

I thought cutting the fabric out would be easy. Well, for most people it probably is. Not for me. I have issues, I know. Then I made my square sandwiches (as I like to call them). It took me one full hour to sew my first diagonal line. In spite of Lisa's best efforts to teach me, I for the life of me couldn't figure it out again. Once I got that first line done things moved a lot faster.

So now it's done. My first ever sewing project. I for reals have never sewed anything in my life. I think my mom just figured I was a lost cause. I am. The quilt is for Kate and Sage. No way am I going to give away my first quilt. Don't look at it too closely. The corners are so not lined up. How in the world do you do that anyway? There are too many mistakes in it to count. But there was no way I was going to undo that much sewing. Kate and Sage think its great.

Will there be other projects? I believe so. I really enjoyed making something all on my own. The frustration came in not knowing what I was doing and not being able to make it look the way I wanted. Hopefully this will come eventually. Years probably.

There were so many times I wished my mom was around to help. I'm quite sure she got a good laugh. I'm also sure she shook her head in amazement that I was actually sewing (I use the term loosely). Miracles do happen!

Dinosaurs and Bikes

2010-09-28T15:21:00.001-07:00

A somewhat random post of what we've been up to of late. We had a day o' fun a week ago when we took the kids out and about. We went to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point for the first time. It was a lot of fun. The kids really liked it. Very kid friendly. I definitely recommend it. After we went up American Fork Canyon for fishing and a picnic. So fun. My dad and Kathy met us up there and the kids were in heaven. We did some dog dippin' and had s'mores. I figured the picnic and s'mores with the camp fire all together are almost the best parts of camping. But the great thing was we didn't have to take all of the gear! I never thought I'd say that. I love camping. But with 3 kids I question whether 1 night camping trips are worth it. So much gear for so little time. I think I've decided if you can't do 2 nights of camping its not worth the effort it takes. We have had some good 1 night camping trips though, so maybe it has more to do with how lazy I'm feeling at the time. :)

In other news: We seem to be raising a biker extraordinaire. Zack is amazing. I already did a post about him making it to the top of Memorial Hill. Well, this time Jake took Zack for real mountain biking. On single track trails. On the same trails we go on. He's better than I am, which isn't saying much. But still, he's only 6. He had a hard time on the steep uphill, but mostly because he's still on such a small bike with no gears. Once he made it to the top he took off and did awesome. Jake said he wasn't scared at all. He went crazy on the downhill. He even wiped out pretty good, but just got back on and kept going. He says he wants to go more. I asked him if he was scared when he fell and he said, "Nope, not a bit." So there you have it. Our future pro-mountain biker. Pretty crazy!

26.2 On A Trail!

2010-09-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

We did it! Jake and I ran and managed to finish the MidMountain Trail Marathon in Park City. There is a trail that goes from Deer Valley all the way across and down to the Canyons. Its a single track trail and beautiful. Couldn't have asked for better weather.

Let me tell you though, a trail marathon is a whole different beast. I knew it would be harder than a road marathon, but I didn't think it would be that much harder. Holy cow. Constant up and down, rocks, tree roots, mud, etc. I know it was beautiful, but I couldn't enjoy it much because I had to constantly watch the trail and the person in front of me to keep from killing myself. I did see a couple of people actually hit the ground. Apparently not uncommon in a trail race. The last few miles of the race were good downhill, which I looked forward to. However, by then my legs were so tired that the downhill was actually pretty challenging. It was all I could do to hold myself up. I was really careful not to trip, because I knew if I did at that point my legs wouldn't be able to catch me.

I finished almost an hour over my road marathon pace, if that tells you anything. I finished in 4:35. Jake finished later, but I was just glad he made it. He's hasn't had time to train much and he keeps having knee problems. He did manage to finish all of the Triple Trails races and get the super cool jacket. So worth it, I guess:)

What I learned: People who do hundred mile trail runs are more amazing than I ever realized. And crazy. Trail running requires some major leg muscle, so lifting weights would definitely be beneficial to training. Trail running is definitely less monotonous than road running, but a lot harder. And I am not one of those people who can do a marathon every few months. Usually I enjoy the first part of my marathons and then grind out the end. This time, right from the beginning I wondered why I was doing this again. My brain was yelling at me along with my body. "Why are you doing this to me again??!!!"

Moral of this story: Marathons are hard. Trail marathons are even harder. But I did it. I can do hard things, and I like that...

Good Times

2010-08-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

We got to go to a cabin in Idaho last weekend. It was a Spjute Family party. I loved it. It was so nice to get away and relax. The kids were in heaven. There was hiking, 4-wheeling, slip-and-slides, games, pirate treasure hunts, campfires, s'mores, and more. So much fun. Here are some fun pics of the weekend...

The pirates with their treasure

Campfire fun

Sage loved the slip-and-slide

Princess Kate and Megan

Conquering Memorial Hill

2010-08-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Memorial Hill is one of the landmarks of Midway. Its a random hill that shoots up in the middle of town. Can't miss it. Zack's been wanting to ride his bike to the top. No easy feat, let me tell you. It's 2 miles to the top of the hill from our house, and its all up hill. Pretty decent climb too.

We went on a couple of bike rides to get ready. I told Zack it was going to be hard, but we can do hard things. I told him his legs would get tired, but not to give up. So off we went, to conquer the hill. Jake thought I was crazy to take him. He didn't think Zack could do it. We showed him though. Zack did awesome. He didn't complain once. He just kept pedaling and talking about how he could do it even though it was hard. He was so proud of himself when he got to the top. I was proud of him too. I just hope he remembers this lesson: We can do hard things, and we don't give up when it gets hard.

Beautiful Wyoming

2010-07-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

We got to spend the weekend with Jake's family at Grandpa Greg's cabin in Wyoming. I have to admit that I was skeptical that Wyoming could be beautiful outside of the Tetons. I was proven wrong. It was beautiful and green with a river winding through everything. Picture 'A River Runs Through It' and you'll be pretty close. It was pretty much a fisherman's paradise. Jake was salivating as we drove up and got on the river to fish as fast as possible. I don't fish, but I still enjoyed myself. The kids loved it and can't wait to go back.

We got to spend the weekend visiting with Jake's aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was fun to catch up with everyone and share some good laughs. We're definitely hoping this becomes an annual adventure. Jake's trying to figure out when he can go fish up there again. Zack enjoyed fishing, Kate enjoyed watching. I have to admit that Kate's not so much the outdoorsy person. She'll spend a few minutes hiking or fishing, but that's about it. If it was up to her she'd probably go shopping. Not sure how she's my daughter. Sage loved petting all of the dogs. I've never had a kid who loves animals like she does. There's no fear at all, she just gets super excited and wants to play. Its great, and again definitely not inherited from me. Come to think of it, what did my kids get from me?

My Boys

2010-07-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love my two boys. They're the greatest. I especially love them at this time of year because its their birthdays. Zack's birthday is today and Jake's is on Friday. I can't believe I have a 6 year old. Crazy.

So, these pics are from their recent backpacking trip. Have I mentioned that Zack is a hiker extraordinaire? Because he is. He can probably out-hike most adults, and especially most kids. He's amazing.

So they went backpacking to the Uintahs. Zack carried a 15 pound backpack in for 4 miles on the first day. They set up camp, cooked on their little stove, fished, and had a good time. Zack had a tough time on the way out, but overall he was a trooper. I love that he's getting old enough to do things like that with Jake. And I love that he has a dad who can do those things with his son.

I love my boys!

p.s. Sorry about all the pics. They were too cute to leave any out:)

Farmington Festival Days

2010-07-13T13:14:00.001-07:00

We just experienced our yearly tradition of Farmington Festival Days. Love it. Love the parade, love the races, and mostly love hanging out with the fam. This year we started the festivities with a BBQ at the homestead. Early the next morning most of us ran a race. Mel and Toby did the 10k, Jake did the half-marathon, and I did the 5k. I managed to get 3rd place overall in my race. Seeing as I'm not that fast, obviously nobody was very fast this year. My trophy is proudly displayed in the office:)

Then the parade. The kids love it. They end up with bags full of candy. Good times. The pics are of the annual sitting at the parade and of the races the kids were having before the parade. Love it. After the parade we got treated to some of my Uncle John's delicious omelets. So good. Then we got to cool off in the pool.

All in all, a successful festival days. Can't wait for next year. Tradition!

Lake Powell

2010-06-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Another successful Lake Powell trip. Successful in that there were no serious injuries and no major boat problems. Add to that the fun and relaxation and you get a successful trip.

We went with our good friends the Slacks (hopefully they're still our good friends after being stuck with us for so long:). We camped in Knowels Canyon (or something like that). Our campground was a 2-story in that the boat was down on the beach and then we had to go up a steep hill to get to food, tables, and shade. So we still got our exercise.

We did lots of skiing, some wake boarding, lots of knee boarding and tubing. Obviously most of our pics were taken on the tube. The kids love it. Zack always wants to go slower, Kate asks to not go on the 'big waves' and Sage just fell asleep. This year Zack went on the knee board all by himself. He's starting to get old enough to do more of this boating stuff. He's actually a pretty good help now when we go. I thought I had figured out how to get up on a slalom ski, but for some reason I struggled. I managed to get up a couple of times after lots of tries. Really annoying. Jake of course, was his normal amazing self on anything he tried. He enjoyed skiing on the smooth water that's hard to find anywhere else. Zack caught his first fish. He was so excited. It was a catfish, which he says is his favorite fish because it has whiskers. We hiked up to see some super cool indian ruins. I've never seen anything like that. Pretty amazing.

So this was my second time doing the Lake Powell thing and every year I learn lots more about how to do Lake Powell. I grew up doing mostly mountain camping. This hot beach camping is a totally different beast. This year I learned about the importance of having good coolers and packing them well with ice. That didn't happen so well this year, so the majority of the trip we had warm drinks. Let's just say that warm drinks at super hot Lake Powell are not so good. Big lesson learned. I remembered what things are important to bring and what things aren't so important. And I remembered that its really hard to camp at Lake Powell, in the sand, in the heat, with kids. I've never experienced Lake Powell with a house boat, but I'm pretty sure I would enjoy it. In fact, I'm thinking maybe we should try Flaming Gorge trips for a few years until we accrue a house boat. We'll see. That heat was killer this year. Loved being able to just swim in the water when it was hot, but really wanted somewhere to go to get out of the heat. I am definitely of swedish ancestry. And I live in Midway. Moral of the story: I don't do heat.

Despite the heat, we really did have fun. It was nice to get away, relax, and enjoy the beauty of Lake Powell.

Anyway

Christmas Meadows

2010-06-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun weekend camping in Christmas Meadows in the Uintahs. I love camping in the Uintahs because its so beautiful. I also love that it only takes about an hour for us to get to campgrounds in the Uintahs.

So we packed up Thursday and took off after dinner. Holy cow. It takes so much stuff just to go camping for a couple of nights. The truck was full to overflowing. Anyway, we set up camp when we got there and didn't do too much else. It got cold that night. Sage ended up in my sleeping bag, but Zack and Kate were troopers. Zack is a born camper. He does not get cold. He was half out of his sleeping bag and totally warm all night. He can also hike forever. Its great.

Friday morning we went for a fun hike. There was tons of run-off from the snow melting, so it was a wet, muddy hike. We were actually surprised at how much snow was still up there. Mirror Lake and all the campgrounds around it were still totally covered in snow. Luckily our camp site was at a lower elevation so we were fine. In fact, the weather Friday and Saturday was perfect.

Our friends came up to camp Friday afternoon and we had lots of fun. We took the kids fishing. Unfortunately, the fish didn't show up. Even the big boys tried their hand at catching us some dinner, but no such luck. That night we had s'mores around the campfire. So much fun. That's about my favorite part of camping. The kids loved it.

Saturday morning we had some good pancakes and bacon for breakfast. I love a good breakfast in the mountains. Then we played softball with the kids. We packed up and headed home after that. It was so nice to get away. Very fun and relaxing. We all loved it.

I did it!

2010-06-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

I made it through my third marathon! I ran the Utah Valley Marathon through Provo Canyon and finishing at the Provo Town Center. I'm in much pain, but glad I did it. The weather was perfect. We got rained on a bit, but not too much. I so do not run well in the heat, so I was very grateful for the cool weather.

Other than my aching body, it was a great experience. I got to meet some great people and push myself to my limits. Overall I felt pretty good, but those last 6 miles are always so hard. I didn't walk at all other than at aid stations, but I have to admit that the only thing that kept me going the last few miles was that I just wanted to get it over with and not prolong the agony. I finished at about 3:47. I was hoping for a little faster, but that was the best I could do today. I'm ok with that.

Jake was a trooper and dragged all three kids out in the rain to watch their mom run. It was good to see them a couple times during the race. My dad and sisters also drove all the way down just to watch me finish. I'm feelin' the love. Thanks!

In the post-race picture if it looks like I'm at deaths door, that's because I was. Not really, but I was definitely hurting. Immediately following the race I told my sister never to let me run a marathon again. However, now I'm thinking more clearly and, let's face it, it will probably happen again. Yes it hurts, but there's something to be said for working so hard towards a goal, and then pushing yourself to accomplish it. Definitely something I feel good about.

Special shout out to Linz, who was definitely on my mind today. The last marathon I did was with her. I'm hoping they do celestial marathons so we can run together again. Love you Linz!

Kindergarten Graduation

2010-06-09T14:23:00.001-07:00

Zack finished kindergarten! He was so excited for the program they did. They sang some great songs and Zack did an awesome job. Now we get to play for the summer and then on to first grade. Crazy!

The Puke Mobile

2010-05-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

We had fun plans for this Memorial Day weekend. We were going to swim, and then partake of my Aunt's famous BBQ ribs and some of Mel's yummy cheesecake. Good times I'm sure, but not for us. We did get to play a bit with the cousins and do some barbecuing with Jake's family, but then things went down hill.

We literally pulled up to the pool and Zack threw up, all over, in the truck. So we turned around amidst Kate's screams that she wanted to swim and went to my Dad's to clean up. We hosed Zack up, hosed the truck off, and decided to head home. By this time Jake and Kate were complaining of bad stomachs. So I drove. We were smart enough to grab a couple of buckets from my dad, and its a good thing too. Zack threw up (in the bucket this time), then Kate threw up, then Jake threw up. Meanwhile I'm driving down the freeway thinking it's a good thing I have an iron stomach, while chuckling to myself. I did refrain from laughing out loud, which for a Spjute is no small feat. The quote that kept running through my head, which I believe is from Sandlot, is, "I've seen a lot of things in my life, but that was awesome".

So now we're home and we've had no further puking episodes. The three sickies are sitting on the couch watching tv. I resigned myself to eating leftovers for dinner, trying not to think too much about what I could be eating. If we were around you this weekend and got you sick, I apologize. It was definitely unintentional.

The moral of this story; being a mom rocks!!

Celebrate?!!

2010-05-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

We are approaching what is now becoming my least favorite time of year. Sunday is Mother's Day, Monday is the two year mark of Linz's passing, and Friday would be my mom's 55th birthday. All of those days, all together at once. I want to curl up in a ball with some chocolate and feel sad for two wonderful people who I miss a lot. But I'm trying hard not to do that. I did allow myself one pity act, and that is volunteering to work all day on Mother's Day. I just didn't think I could take the whole happy moms at church thing this year. So I will gladly be at work and maybe Jake will have some chocolate for me when I get home (hint hint).

In memory, I'd like to share a bit of what I miss most of Linz and Mom.

Linz was the greatest. Everyone's best friend, for reals. She was so much fun to be around. I was so excited for her to come home from the mish to play with me. She was the one who loved playing outside as much as I do. I miss all the fun we would have had hiking, camping, climbing, boating, and anything else fun. I miss watching my kids play with the most fun aunt ever. I miss the fun and laughter she brought to every gathering. I just miss her. A lot.

Mom. Where to even begin? The numbness is wearing off and sometimes I miss her so much I gasp from the pain. I would give anything to talk to her one more time. Hear her voice, feel her understanding, listen to her advice, and feel her love. What I wouldn't give. I hate that when my kids talk about grandma now there's only one. I hate that Sage will never know her namesake. I miss her goodness, her laughter, her service. I miss being able to pick up the phone and tell her when something wonderful has happened and I miss being able to pick up the phone and cry to her when something awful happened. My new life goal is to live every day in a way that would make my mom happy. If I can somehow figure that out then I will live a great life. Because of my mom.

In case Mom and Linz are reading this from heaven: Thanks for the help and influence you continue to have on me and my family. I've felt you both close many times. Its comforting to know you're both up there pulling for us. I love you both! Happy Mother's Day Mom!!

Now We Can Die

2010-05-05T15:46:00.001-07:00

I finally took my kids on the world renowned Heber Creeper Train. They were so excited to go and kept talking about how they'd never been on a train before. This morning I must have grabbed hold of Zack's neck for something. He said, "You can't hold onto my neck too tight or I would die. I don't want to die right now before I get to go on a train." So yes, our lives are complete. We can now die happily. Good to know.

Anyway, good times were had by all. As we wound slowly (thus the name 'Creeper') through Heber Valley I was amazed at how beautiful it is here and how blessed we are to live here. I hope we never leave. We saw sand cranes, a fox, horses, and of course cows. All in front of beautiful Timp. Feel free to come visit any time to enjoy what we see every day.

St George!!!

2010-05-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Jake and I had a fabulous weekend in St George. Why was it so good you ask? Well, the number one reason is probably that we had no kids with us. Don't get me wrong, we love our kids, but everyone needs a break once in a while. Jake's family kindly agreed to watch the kids, (thank you!)so off we went.

I had to practically drag Jake to get him away, but once I got him there it was great. The weather was perfect. I'm not a hot weather person, so the mid-60s that we enjoyed was perfect. We went mountain biking and I got to try out my new bike. I've got lots to learn, but it was super fun.

We went shopping for a whole afternoon. Rare for me, but I've picked up a bunch of extra shifts so I was saving my money for a good ol' shopping spree. Very fun. Shopping's definitely more enjoyable when you have money to spend:)

Don't feel too sorry for Jake. He had his own shopping spree at the golf store where he bought new clubs. Lucky boy. So then of course we had to use them. First to the driving range where I tried for my first time to hit a golf ball. The next day I actually golfed 9 holes (is that how you say that?). This was definitely a first for me. I picked up my ball frequently so as not to be there all day, but I don't think I did too bad considering it was my first time. I actually enjoyed it. Might have to start doing that more.

It was so nice to have time with just Jake. I have to admit that I wondered if I'd be able to think of anything to talk to him about besides kids and work. Sometimes it seems like that's all we have to talk about. I was excited to enjoy talking to him all weekend long with a rare mention of the kids and no mention of work. Wahoo!!

All in all, a great weekend. Definitely a reminder that we need spend more quality time together. Also a good reminder of why I love my hubby:) We took a couple of pics, but I'm too lazy to get the camera, so you can enjoy this lovely pic of St George.

Spring 2010

2010-04-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't put pictures on here for a long time. So now you get to see a bunch. I'm sure most of you have noticed that neither Jake nor I are great at taking lots of pictures. We don't snap pictures of every little thing we do. We need to do better so our kids' lives are somewhat documented. My goal for the winter (because I know I won't do it in the summer) is to get pictures organized and printed into books. We'll see if it happens.

There hasn't been anything too exciting happening of late. Probably the biggest thing we've been working on is landscaping. Yep, weather gets warm and we start working in the yard. You'd think it would look better considering how much time we put into it. So lots of pictures are from last Saturday when we ripped down the old fence (yucky barbed wire) and put posts in for the new fence. The kids loved the tractor. I loved the warm weather. Jake mistakenly let me put the posts in, which meant I had to line them up straight. So we ended up pulling two out and doing them over again. Maybe next time I'll get to drive the tractor:) This weekend we'll be pulling wire for the fence. I have no idea how that works, good thing I have Jake.

I pretty much have no pictures of Easter. Like I said, I'm really good at taking pictures. We didn't do Easter clothes this year in the name of saving money. If we had I'd like to think I would have gotten the camera out.

Sorry about all the pics of Sage, but she's so cute how could I leave them out? We finally took some pics of her, so I thought I'd share. She's 8 1/2 months. Crazy how time flies.

Anyway, that's about all we've been up to. I'll try to post pics of the finished fence before too long. Maybe this year we'll actually plant some flowers!

My Mom Would Be So Proud

2010-03-30T15:08:00.001-07:00

Those of you who know me well know that I am not domestic. At all. Ok, so I've learned to throw together a meal or two, but Martha Stewart I will never be. I've never enjoyed 'crafting', probably never will. And that's never really bothered me. I'm ok with not being a crafter. When I go to Super Saturday Craft Days I socialize with friends and eat some good food. I never come home with a craft. Enough said.

My mom was a super homemaker. She did everything well. Crafting, cooking, sewing...most especially sewing. She tried to get me to learn, but I had a deep aversion to the sewing machine growing up. I think it's genetic because Mom said when I was little anytime she took me to a fabric store I screamed the second we walked in. Lately my aversion to sewing has diminished and I've wanted to learn. Probably has something to do with the beautiful quilts I see my mom and sister make. A few months ago I picked up a sewing machine for free. I took it to my mom and she showed me how to thread it. Holy cow. I had no idea it was that complicated. I brought the machine home and its been sitting unused on the counter.

Well today, miracle of miracles, I got the sewing machine out. I figured I could teach myself to thread it. It couldn't be as hard as I remembered, right? Two hours later I finally figured it out. Thank goodness for the internet. So I'm on my way. Baby steps right? I'm not focusing on the fact that I stupidly wasted years of opportunity to have my mom teach me. Instead I'm moving forward in hopes that some day I might make something my mom would be proud of. Martha Stewart here I come!

To those of you who can sew: Now what do I do? :)

I am not Stressed!!!

2010-02-11T19:13:00.000-08:00

"I am not stressed!" My mom said this once when she was obviously very stressed, and we still laugh about it. This is what I feel like shouting lately. I've been working more, life is just busy, and stuff. Thus, my brain has decided to quit working. I used to pride myself on functioning well with stress, not so much now. I left my keys at the bank and forgot Zack at school all in one day. I cannot remember anything.

Jake asked me if I'd heard of something before.

"I don't know," I said.

"How can you not know?"

"Well, right now it doesn't sound familiar, but that probably just means I've forgotten it."

So if this post makes no sense and you see me looking frazzled, just remember, 'I am not stressed!'

Grieving

2010-01-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

I'm still here, in case you were wondering. I keep thinking about writing, but then I don't know what to say. Every day is a roller coaster of emotions. Rather than look at life by the day, I go by the minute. I'm grateful for every good minute but have realized that a good minute can quickly be followed by a bad minute. Countless times during the day I think of something I need to tell my mom, and then remember that I can't. Then I feel the pain and sadness. I try to not let it consume me because I don't want to be a sad, bitter person. So I keep going and put a smile on my face for my family. And then at night I let some of the sadness out.

I've been thinking about grieving and friends/family. Before going through everything with my sister and mom I had no idea how to support someone who was grieving. I didn't know what to say or do, so more often than not I didn't say or do anything. Now I know better. In fact, I think my family could offer grief support classes. So here are some of the things I've learned that help. A lot of these things I learned from people who did them for me. Some people are natural at grief support. I've never been one of those people. So if you're like me and need some help here are some pointers:

1. Don't just ask, do. If you ask me if there's anything you can do I'll say no, because I don't know myself and I don't want to be a burden. But if you just tell me you're going to do something I won't turn you down.

2. Don't avoid the subject. Acknowledge what happened, say your sorry, anything. If you're willing to talk to me about it then I know I can talk to you when I need to.

3. Send something. It doesn't need to be a gift or flowers. Just a card or even an email. Something to let me know you care.

4. If possible attend the viewing and/or funeral. I've learned even more that funerals are for the people grieving, not the deceased. It means a lot when friends and family go out of their way to express their sympathy.

5. Stop by. Come visit any time. Bring by some good comfort food, a box of kleenex, or don't bring anything at all. Just a listening ear is nice.

6. Listen. So important. If you ask me how everything is, don't get uncomfortable and change the subject when I start to talk. Just listen.

I could go on, but that should get you started. Thanks to everyone for your friendship and support. I know grief support isn't easy, but its definitely appreciated. To finish up, this has become one of my favorite quotes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. It will all work out. Put your trust in God and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers." - President Gordon B. Hinckley

Legacy

2010-01-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

My mom passed away yesterday afternoon. She was 54 years old, and in that relatively short time she managed to leave behind an amazing legacy. She left behind a legacy of unconditional love, service, and any good quality you can think of. I look at my life and realize that I'd better start working a lot harder because I want to leave a legacy like her's.

I'm happy my mom isn't suffering anymore. The last few days were hard to watch. But I miss her. Almost every memory I have includes my mom in some way. Everything I look at reminds me of her. I know I'll keep doing my best, but it will be a lot harder without my best friend and mentor.

I'm happy to think of my mom and Linz together again. I'm sure mom was so happy to see her. I know that even though I won't see my mom again for a long time she'll still be a big part of my life. I'll still try to do what I know would make her happy. And I know that she'll do everything she can to help me from the other side. I look forward to seeing her and Linz again.

Snow!

2009-12-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been filled with fun snow events. Up until last week we had no snow. Now we've got a couple feet and it's still coming down. We probably got about 18 inches just this weekend. Craziness! But fun too. I love good snowstorms. We didn't make it to church because they never plow our circle and I got stuck. I guess there were only like 10 families who managed to dig out and make it to church. Snow day!

On Friday Jake and I went skiing at Sundance. We decided the winters are so long in Midway that we need to start having more fun in the snow, so we got season passes. Good thing because it's going to take me all season to figure out how to ski. Friday was pretty sad on my part. Poor Jake is probably wondering why he married someone who is so untalented in snow sports. Oh well, at least I try:)

On Saturday we took the kids to watch a ski race at Soldier Hollow. It was the olympic qualifier for the event (not sure what the event was called). Super cool though. There were people competing from all over the world. It was fun to hear all the different languages. Those guys are crazy good on skis. Fun.

Poor Jake started shoveling snow today at 7:45 and didn't finish until 10:00. Poor guy. I don't feel too bad for him though. He refuses to buy a snow blower because he just wants to get a 4-wheeler one day. Although even the snow blowers had a hard time because the snow is so heavey. I can only lift like half a shovel at a time. We had to play in the snow because how can you pass up snow like this. The piles are so high from our driveway that the kids have their own sledding hill in our front yard. Very fun. Jake is currently using a 4-wheeler to plow the street in front of our driveway. The city came and did two passes in the circle and then left, leaving a huge pile of snow still in front of our driveway. Got to love what our taxes pay for. So yes, winters are long in Midway, but at least we have fun.

One Last Push

2009-12-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

Every mountain climb has its challenges, but the hardest part is usually the push to the summit. It's usually the steepest, but its also hard because you're already tired from the rest of the climb.

My family and I have been climbing one of our biggest mountains yet, and I believe we're now starting our push to the summit. The cancer is taking over in my mom. The pain is becoming greater and we scramble to find the right drugs to keep her out of pain.

As we begin this last push we all gather together, for we won't make it alone. We climb, one foot in front of the other. When we become too weary, "the handcart pushes us", as angels help us to the top. For my mom this is her last summit, at least in this life. The rest of us will have more mountains to climb, but for now, this is our Everest. I know we will make it because that is what our mom taught us to do. When we reach the summit with the beautiful view below will it have been worth it? I say yes. Yes if we can climb with courage and grace, able to say that we came closer to God in the process.

"Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, and on, on to the victory!" D&C 128:22

The Attack

2009-12-02T07:30:00.001-08:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but I could definitely use some more humor in my life. For this reason, I'll share my unfortunate incident with you.

Our back yard neighbors have a horse and chickens. They've had some bad health, so we've been feeding their animals for them. Most of you know that I am not an animal person. I feed the animals with the smallest amount of interaction possible.

Well, the chickens have been out of food for a couple of days. Don't worry all you animal lovers, they'll have more food tonight. This morning when I got to the chicken coop I noticed that they all seemed bunched up around the door more than usual. Oh well, I thought, they're just chickens. What can they do? Big mistake. Obviously I don't have a lot of chicken experience. So I opened the door to get the water buckets to fill them up. When I reached in the big black, scary looking rooster attacked me. He flew up at me and pecked at me. Luckily I was wearing my big puffy coat and leather work gloves, so the damage was minimal. I screamed of course, and having not dealt with chickens before my first instinct was to kick it and teach it that I cannot be pecked at. That works for dogs so why would chickens be any different (not that I've ever kicked a dog:). Well, just an FYI, don't kick chickens. Or maybe you can kick chickens, but definitely not roosters. It started attacking me. More flapping wings, more pecking. I kicked back a couple of times and then I realized that I was at a definite disadvantage and started retreating. The rooster chased me all the way to the end of the barn before it decided I was no longer a threat and left. I finally calmed down and stopped screaming just in time to look over and see the rest of the chickens escaping the coop. Blasted chickens. Do you think they had this planned? The great chicken escape. Needless to say, I wasn't about to get them back in the coop. So they will enjoy a day of freedom until Jake gets to them (supposedly they'll re-enter the coop at night).

Moral of the story: keep chickens well fed and if one attacks you DO NOT fight back. Play dead.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T15:54:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was good. Not as relaxing as in years past, but good all the same. I got to make thanksgiving dinner with my Aunt Barbra. Good thing she was there or I probably would have had a panic attack. I was in the kitchen all of Weds. afternoon and Thursday morning. Jake kept watching me go crazy and shaking his head as to why I would put myself through all of that. Right now I'm not sure it was worth it. That food I spent hours slaving over sure disappeared quickly. But I'll probably be ready to do it again by next year. I am proud of myself for pulling it off. The only minor problem was that the turkey had to cook 30 minutes longer than we planned, but other than that everything was perfect. My mom was there in the background giving much needed advice and saving the gravy.

On Friday we headed to Boise for my grandma's 80th birthday party. 80 years is a long time. I hope I look like she does if I live to be 80. My cousin Jen was super nice and let us all ride her horse. The kids even got on and seemed to enjoy it. They know what they're doing on a horse more than I do.

All in all, a good weekend. I'm grateful for all of the good memories I can get right now. They keep you going when times get tough.

Onward and Upward

2009-11-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

William Palmer talking about the Martin handcart company:

"We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism?...We came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.

"I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it... I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there.

"Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay."

I love this quote. I could never phrase it better than that. The angels are with us. Onward and upward.

Tender Mercies

2009-11-11T15:35:00.001-08:00

This is truly a time and a season of thanksgiving. I didn't think I'd feel that way this year. You shouldn't be able to when your mom has terminal cancer. But I'm definitely feeling grateful today. My mom had her stomach scoped today. Honestly, I was expecting bad news. O ye of little faith. Her stomach looks no different than it did in June, almost 6 months ago. That is amazing. That is unheard of. The doctor said he was surprised that she was still around and even more surprised at how good she looks.

I think of the holidays last year and remember how we were in mourning. Mourning for a lost sister and mourning for the future loss of our mom. This year the holidays seem to be ones of rejoicing and gratitude. Is my mom cured? No. Is she going to stay this well forever? No. But it is truly a miracle that she is doing so well. I will be forever grateful for the time we've been given with her. When I hoped for time before I thought it would be time with a sick mom and trying to take care of her. Instead, she continues to do more in a day than I do. How is that possible? One answer. Only through the tender mercies and miracles of the Lord. So rather than spend this holiday season in mourning, I choose to rejoice, and hope to spend the holidays next year in continued awe over the tender mercies of a loving Heavenly Father.

Halloween Fun

2009-11-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

We made it through another Halloween. I must be honest and say that this is not my favorite holiday. Just call me the Halloween Scrooge. I do like seeing the kids excited and dressed up. But that's about it. I must admit that I'm probably feeling even more like this than normal because I spent the night awake with Zack while he threw up. Super fun. Now I'm waiting for it to hit Kate and praying it doesn't hit Sage. Anyway, despite their scrooge mom, you can see that my kids did get dressed up and have fun:)

Fall Colors

2009-10-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

The leaves were soooo pretty this year. Bright red and yellow. These pictures definitely don't do it justice. It was also a little smokey that day so some of the colors didn't show up quite as bright. I would like to point out that this is what it looked like about five minutes from my house. Feel free to move here. We'll never move back to the other side if we can help it:)

Rest and Relaxation

2009-09-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

I finally got what I've needed for so long - some real true rest and relaxation. Most people would say that's impossible to get with 8 kids five and under running around. Yes, there were plenty of moments of chaos. But the rest and relaxation came from being able to get away from the every day grind, spend some time in the beautiful outdoors, and most of all, be together as a family.

My entire family got to go to a cabin in Franklin, Idaho. We will be forever indebted to our good friends the Shipleys for letting us go. Its the first time we've all been together in a long, long time. It just felt good. We ate, rode 4-wheelers, ate, played games, ate, did a super slip-and-slide, ate, and just spent good time together. It was just what I needed. Now I'm back to the grind, dealing with every day life, and trying like mad to cling to the happy memories of the weekend. I love making memories!

Finally

2009-09-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

All right already. Here are some pictures. I've been a little busy with three kids and a husband who always works. Geez!

Actually, Jake always takes the camera to work so it's hard for me to wrestle it from him long enough to get pictures off of it. We're doing well. Three kids seems like ten kids sometimes, but we'll make it. How did my mom do it?

Sage is super cute of course. A bit fussy because she has some reflux. But she's so cute I don't hold it against her. She smiles lots for my mom and a little bit for everyone else. Guess she knows she and my mom share a name. Smart cookie already.

Disclaimer

2009-08-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

I realize I didn't give credit to anyone for the poem entitled 'Great Lessons' in my last post. I don't know who wrote it, but I do know it wasn't me. Sorry I wasn't more clear on that. Still a good message though, would be even better if I had thought of it:)

Great Lessons

2009-08-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have been taught by precept and example
to search the scriptures for the lessons...

Often, when weighted down with the challenge of today;
and my mind wanders from the page,
I am drawn back by thoughts somehow familiar:

"And having seen many afflictions in the course of my days..."
My path, also reflects the struggle to win against despair.

"If fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness..."
I, too, have seen hours and days that seemed so black that time no longer moved.

"Nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days."
Peace begins to seep within my weary spirit,
"Know this, that all these things shall give thee experience..."
Truth brings solace, and with it hope.

Yes, great lessons to be learned.
Great Teachers, who have learned before, and now teach others...

"Therefore treasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and diligent...
and I will encircle thee in the arms of my Love.
Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

Great lessons.

Here's to my mom, who has taught, and continues to teach me great lessons. Its from her that I learned the importance of scripture study. And its that habit that is getting me through these trials. We haven't been blessed with the miracle of healing, but we have been blessed with the miracle of her continued good health despite what tests say she should be feeling. So we enjoy every minute that we have together. Thanks for being such a great teacher.

Introducing....

2009-08-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

Sage LuAnn Jorgenson! She's finally here. Born on August 10, weighing in at 8 pounds 7 ounces and 22 inches long. Yes, she's a good size baby. She has blond hair, super long fingers and toes, and Jake's mouth and nose. She's super cute and we're so excited to have her here.

For those who want some details... I went in to be induced at 6:30. I was of course still a 1. At 1:00 I was a 2. Then my body started moving. The contractions picked up, but I thought I'd wait as long as I could stand it for the epidural because I didn't want to slow anything down now that things were happening. Big mistake. I didn't realize that the anesthesiologist wasn't in the hospital. It took 45 minutes for me to get my epidural. It seemed like an eternity. Right before they put the epidural in they checked me and I was complete and ready to push. Only problem was I was still dying of pain. Anyway, they finally got me numb and gratefully I was able to push without dying. I only had to push for 30 minutes this time!

So the pictures definitely aren't great. I'm sure we'll get some better ones on. But just so you get the idea, here you go. Enjoy!

Gloom and Despair

2009-07-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone to the hospital to have a baby and come home with nothing? I have. And let me tell you, it's not enjoyable. I went in to be induced today. It's 4 days before my due date, but my doctor's going out of town tomorrow for a week. So I went in even though my cervix wasn't really dilated. My cervix never dilates. I have a broken cervix. But that's how it was for my other two and I managed to pop them out. Well, after 12 hours on pitocin my cervix hadn't changed at all. How's that for enjoyable? Sitting in a hospital bed for 12 hours for no apparent reason. So now I'm back at home and I probably won't have a baby for a couple of weeks. Depressing. Anyway, that's all I have to say. Sorry about all the mentions of my cervix. I'll post pictures of the baby next. After she's done being grounded for not coming out.

Backpacking and Birthdays

2009-07-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I got anything on here. We had birthday week at our house this last week. Zack turned 5 on the 13th and Jake turned the big 30 on the 16th. I'm a slacker and didn't get any good pictures of either event. I know, I should not be allowed to be a mom. Zack had a great birthday though. I can't believe he's 5. On Sunday our family was nice enough to drive up for festivities. Nothing big, but we're always happy for an excuse to get family up here. On Monday Zack had his first birthday party. He loved it, and that's what matters. But let me just say that I'm not a great party thrower. Guess that's probably why I don't do them tons. You know you did a great job when some of the kids leave early:)

On another note, Jake and Zack went on their first backpacking trip together. Zack was so excited he even chose to do that over going to Grandma and Grandpa's. They went to Wall Lake in the Uintahs. It was just a mile hike in. Zack carried his own pack and everything. He's such a good little hiker. They had a great time. They fished and Zack got to reel in his first fish. According to Zack the best part was sleeping in the tent. The only bad part of the whole thing was that there were so many mosquitoes that they almost got carried away. They used bug spray, but they both still got eaten alive. Zack got so many bites on his face that his face was all swollen. Poor kid. Jake asked him if he wanted to leave because of the bugs, but he wasn't about to go home early. Anyway, I'm so glad that Zack has a dad who will do things like that with him. What great memories to have together. I love my boys!

2009-06-11T13:30:00.001-07:00

Lake Powell Anyone?

2009-06-11T13:02:00.001-07:00

I finally made it to Lake Powell! We had lots of fun. It was so nice to get away and Lake Powell is so beautiful. We headed down Thursday afternoon and camped at the marina. Friday morning we went to find a beach. We ended up on a perfect beach in Forgotten Canyon (I think). The water is rising so fast that we kept having to move our camp and the boat anchors. We had tons of driftwood in our camp because of the rising water.

The kids loved playing on the beach in the sand all day long. They were troopers the whole trip. The weather was pretty good. Not too hot, which is definitely nice when you're super pregnant. We had some windy days, but it wasn't too bad. No rain which seems to be rare this month.

Saturday morning we were able to do some water skiing. I say we, but I mean everyone else was able to ski and I got to drive. Oh well, someday I'll get to ski at Powell. I definitely learned a new definition of glass with the Lake Powell water. It was great. Jake and Zack hiked up to some indian ruins. Zack is a little mountain goat. He did a great job hiking.

On Sunday we battled the waves of the channel and drove to Hole in the Rock. Apparently the pioneers cut stairs in the rock to bring their wagons down. The hike was pretty tough, so the only ones to actually see the stairs were Jake and Zack. Zack had no problem scrambling up all the rocks.

Monday morning we had more good water for one last ski. Then we packed up camp and headed back home. I wish we were still there. It was so nice to be able to get away and relax. Hopefully this will at least be an annual tradition. Anyway, there are a million pictures in the slide show. Enjoy!

The Girls

2009-06-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

Mel came to visit for a week over Memorial Day. The whole fam came up to Midway for a BBQ. It was so much fun to have them all here. Of course we had to get some pictures of the girls together. And especially of Mel and I pre-baby. We're due on the same day. She's having a boy, we're having a girl. How fun is that? Sorry for the close-up belly pictures. Just had to do them:)

Preschool Graduation

2009-06-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

So I'm late as usual, but I had to give a shout out to Zack for his preschool graduation. Huge milestone that it is:) I took a lot more video than pictures, but he did a great job. He loved his teacher and really learned a lot. I can't believe he's on his way to kindergarten. Crazy!

Capitol Reef!

2009-05-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Zack and Tucker

Cutie Kate
Zack loved climbing sideways on the rocks

Zack and Aubrey

We finally made it out of town! We went to Capitol Reef with our friends the Calderwoods. Jake and I hadn't ever been there, so it was fun to explore and see new things. It was really nice to get away and have some good old family time. The kids loved hiking until they got tired, but they did really well. Their favorite part was sleeping in the tent. They love sleeping in their sleeping bags.

Anyway, we went on a few hikes. Nothing too strenuous due to small kids and a pregnant person. Now you can all see how I look hugely pregnant. I know I look like I'm due any day, but I still have ten weeks. So you definitely won't be seeing pictures of me right before I'm due. I'll probably hide out in the house to save further embarrassment:)

I hope you're all going lots of fun places this summer. I definitely recommend Capitol Reef for a couple of days of fun!

One Year

2009-05-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

It will be one year on Sunday. One year of missing my sister. One year of wishing she was here. One year of trying to move forward, not backward. One year of trying to really believe she won't be coming home in a few days.

Humor me while I share some of my memories of Linz. She had a love for life that I've never seen in anyone else. Nothing got her down for long. I remember her complete acceptance of everyone. She saw the good in everyone, no matter what. She somehow managed to make everyone feel loved and like they were her best friend. I remember how much fun Zack and the cousins had with her. She loved to play with the kids and would drop anything to do so. That's definitely a lesson I need to learn. I remember when she would call me at random times from school just to talk. I remember running the Ogden Marathon with her. Neither of us had a very good race that day. We vowed we would run it again after her mission to redeem ourselves. I'll be running it next year and hopefully Linz will be next to me. I remember water skiing with her. She was always ready and willing to come out on our little boat. I'll never forget skiing with her in the early morning in northern Idaho. The water was glass and it was a beautiful morning. Linz managed to get up her first time ever on one ski. So not fair:) I remember riding bikes with her when she asked me what I thought about her serving a mission. I encouraged her to go, and I'm glad I did. I remember her letters from her mission. She always took the time to send something extra for the kids. She was such a good missionary. Still is.

I miss her. This has definitely been a rough year. But its been nice to know that she's pulling for us on the other side. I know she still lives. I've felt her close by many times. I'm so grateful for the Savior and the atonement. I would fall into a ball and never get up again if I didn't have that hope. I look forward to the day when I can run into her arms for a much needed hug.

Remembrance:

I won't forget my days with you
Your memory will not leave my view.
For you have changed my life, you see;
And in my heart you'll always be.
Your friendship is my greatest prize,
It warms my heart like summer skies.
In darkest moments of the night
Your friendship brings a guiding light.
And now I see through all my tears,
I'll never lose you through the years.
No matter what, we'll never part,
For I have locked you in my heart.

Painting and Organizing the Trailer

2009-04-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

As some of you may be aware, my new trailer got used a bunch of times before I had a chance to organize it at all. After several jobs and the trailer starting to becoming little more than a pile of tools, one on top of the other, I decided to undertake getting the thing organized. It took the better part of this weekend as I had to do a couple of coats on the floor paint and had to build all the shelving. Much better! I think I can now actually find the tools I'm looking for without digging through piles of random fasteners and small tools. I did a flake finish floor on this with paint that has sand mixed in so it isn't slippery and then built all the shelving out of CDX plywood so it should last a really long time. Future plans for this are to add a bench/desk area above where the saw is sitting, add more lighting inside, and add an area for a small heater to keep the glue and compressors warm on the way to jobs and microwave for lunch.

Anyway...for those if you who haven't checked out my latest website, please take a look at it (link is on this page). The site is now up and running. I have a handful of photos I still need to put on there of some recent jobs I'm just completing and will get them on there soon. Check out the links and the different sections that show the range of work that I do. Thanks for those of you that have helped keep this business running.

If any of you are considering doing any construction related work, now is the time! It is really inexpensive to build or remodel right now so let me know if you are interested in me working with you on your project. - JAKE

Easter and stuff

2009-04-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

We had a great easter with major candy overload for the kids. They got to do an easter egg hunt in Farmington. Zack informed me before he started that I was not allowed to help him and he could do it just fine himself. Fine then. He loved it though and both he and Kate got plenty of eggs. Then we had a BBQ at my parents followed by an indoor easter egg hunt due to weather. The kids shoved their mouths full of candy as fast as possible. Actual easter Sunday was spent at home in Midway because I had to work that night. We had a nice quiet day with more candy left by the easter bunny.

The other pictures are from the fishing activity we did for family night. Zack was so excited to go fishing and so mad that we didn't get any fish. Kate dressed herself for the occasion: black shirt, pink pants, red cowboy boots, and a purse of course. You never know when you'll need your purse fishing. How did I have such a girly girl? I'm going to need major help raising her because a girly girl I'm not. Anyway, if anyone ever wants to go fishing Zack will be happy to accompany you.

By the way, my pictures will apparently always be out of order. They always come in just as words and I can't see them until I preview it. By then I'm too lazy to fix them. Oh well. Also, in Zack's easter picture he was doing some kind of dance. He cracks me up. Another side note; at church Sunday Zack started saying all of the colors with an 'o' after them (orange-o, black-o, white-o, etc). After he finished he said, "I said all of the colors in spanish mom!" I love it. He'll be happy to teach spanish to any of your kids who haven't quite mastered it yet:)

It's a...

2009-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

It's a girl! Another little pink thing! We're excited. Well, I should say, everyone's excited but Zack. He keeps insisting that its still a boy. So sorry. Time to get out the girl clothes and start thinking of names. We've made it halfway!

Miracles

2009-03-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in miracles? I know I do. I've seen many in my life, both big and small. We saw a lot of miracles in our experience with Linz. The big miracle of Linz being saved didn't happen, but that doesn't mean we weren't blessed with a lot of other miracles. These miracles help us get through our days. These miracles are what we focus on when things get tough. And when things get really tough we hope for future miracles.

We've also been blessed with many miracles since my mom has been sick. Our lives will never be the same. Our testimonies and understanding of the gospel is forever changed. While we've been grateful for the miracles we've seen, we've continued to hope for the ultimate miracle of my mom being healed. We've prayed, fasted, and hoped with all of our hearts. I know many of you have joined with us in those prayers and even fasting, and so you're also a part of our latest miracle. Is my mom completely healed? No, but I would say that she's halfway there and I see no reason why she couldn't be completely healed at some point. She had her latest round of tests this week. They looked at her stomach and saw that the tumor is 50% reduced. A miracle? Yes. That rarely happens and pretty much never happens that quickly. Then they looked at her liver. The liver is the real kicker in all of this. Liver cancer doesn't go away. It pretty much never gets smaller and if some of the cancer is killed it just turns into scar tissue. In other words, when you're looking at CT films you're always going to see the same amount of spots. With the liver you're just happy if you don't see any increase in spots. Unless you're my mom. Her doctor called the second he got her CT results because he was so excited. Why? Well, a lot of her spots are gone, and the ones that are still there are smaller. That doesn't happen, not without a miracle.

So to those of you who have been praying, fasting, and hoping with us: Thank you. Please keep it coming because it's working. We're 50% of the way there. Why not go all the way?

And most of all, my gratitude and appreciation to a loving God who hears and answers prayers. Thank you for your compassion. Thank you for giving us more time. Thank you for loving my mom.

He's Home!

2009-03-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

My brother's home from his mission! Okay, so he's been home for almost two weeks now, but since when do I post anything on time? He served in the Ohio, Cincinati (I just realized I don't know how to spell that, how embarassing) mission spanish speaking. He spent two years teaching illegals as much as he could before they headed back to their home land. Missions are tough either way you look at it, but he had an especially tough mission dealing with Linz and my mom. He's definitely a trooper for sticking it out the full two years. We love having him home!

And yes, we believe he's adjusting quite well. The day after he got home he was working and two days after he got home he was on a date. One of his first questions was, "Do I get a cell phone?". And then my mom decided to give him the ultimate welcome home gift. She's had yet to actually throw up with all of the chemo, just lots of nausea. Well, she and Greg were eating a nice quiet dinner together and, you guessed it, puked all over Greg. Needless to say, neither one of them finished dinner. Welcome home Greg!

Here are some pics from the airport. So sorry that they're in reverse order. I'm too lazy to do it over. Also, please note how dutiful Zack and Megan were in holding their sign up. I believe it said, 'Hola Baby'.

Also, please note that the bum didn't come down the escalator. No, he had to find a sneaky way down and just walk through the airport. How rude of him to deny us those beautiful escalator pictures:)

Spring Fever

2009-01-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to look at that picture of Kate anymore, so I had to put this one up. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm dying for spring. I just keep thinking about what it's like to walk to the park with the kids in warm sunny weather. Ahhh. To those of you who live where it's warm right now, we'll see who's laughing in the summer when you're melting to death:)

Poo Party

2009-01-22T15:48:00.000-08:00

I had one of those experiences today that every mom dreads. Kate woke up from her nap, but wasn't screaming so I just let her stay up there. The fact that she wasn't screaming should have clued me in that something wasn't right. When will I learn? The first thing that hit me when I walked in her room was the smell. No big deal right? Just change her pants. Wrong. I looked at Kate and she was covered in poo. It was caked all over her hands, on her face, legs, and feet. Not to mention her crib, blankets, and stuffed animals. Yes, apparently she had quite the party. Blowouts are bad enough, but your kid purposefully playing in poo? Not ok.

Fine, you spend the next 30 minutes cleaning up. The problem was that I had to leave right then to pick Zack up from preschool. I actually thought about just leaving her there in denial that she existed. But I decided that probably wasn't the greatest idea and I'd somehow end up with an even bigger mess (if that was possible). Of course I took time to take a picture so I can get some sympathy. Then I threw her in the shower and scrubbed her off. I put her in a diaper and pajamas and ran like mad to get Zack. I broke numerous laws and managed to get there seconds before Zack walked out. Zack wondered why Kate was in her pajamas, so I explained the situation to him. He said that Kate smelled like a gerbil (they have gerbils at his school and they stink so this is not a compliment).

Anyway, things are scrubbed off and in the laundry as we speak. Why do I want another kid?:)

Exciting News!

2009-01-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

For once I have some good news! We're expecting our third baby. Yes, three. I'm due August third so I'm almost 13 weeks along. I swore I would never have another baby in the summer, but here I am again. Let me just give you a rundown of what July and August are like in our family: July 13, Zack's b-day; July 16, Jake's b-day; August 2, Kate's b-day; August 3 (or somewhere around there), new baby's b-day; August 28, anniversary. Yes, it's a birthday marathon at our house during July. By the time they're all over I'm exhausted. I feel like I don't make them as enjoyable as I would if they were spread out. Oh well. Maybe we'll just start having group birthday celebrations.

Anyway, I had my first doctor's appointment last week. We heard the heartbeat and everything looks good. So we'll keep our fingers crossed like you always do when you're pregnant. The fatigue and nausea were pretty nasty this time, but luckily I'm starting to feel better. I can't wait to enter the second trimester bliss portion of the pregnancy.

Do we want a boy or a girl? Either one I think. Now that we have one of each it doesn't matter so much. This time we're guaranteed to have clothes for the baby. Yes!

I have to tell you what the kids said when we told them. Then I'll stop my rambling. Jake told them I was going to have another baby. They both starting jumping up and down because they were really excited. Kate said, "I want a pink one!" Zack said, "Babies aren't pink Kate, they're kind of white." So there you have it. We will not be having a pink baby.

Big Time Catch-up

2009-01-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little behind (definitely an understatement). I've got a lot of catching up to do and was debating how to do it. I thought about doing a separate little post for each event, but that was a bit overwhelming. So this is what you get. A super long slide show of random pictures from the last couple of months and a brief commentary about those events. I know, if I did this more often it wouldn't be so hard. I'll try to do better, but no promises.

Let's start off with St George the weekend before Thanksgiving. Ahh, blissful, warm St George. Every time we go we have a harder time coming back to the cold. Jake's mom and step-dad own a house down there and are nice enough to let us go play with them. I think they might get sick of us by the end of the winter. I'm pretty sure when I grow up I'll have a house in St George and will reside there every winter. Anyway, we had a fabulous time. We managed to go mountain biking and I managed not to kill myself. Very fun.

Next we have Thanksgiving. Fun times had by all and of course lots of delicious food eaten by all. We descended upon my Aunt Barbara and Uncle John's house for dinner. They might be wishing they still lived in California after the chaos we brought. Loved the food though. Delicious!

Christmas was fabulous. We were all together minus the missionary brother. That doesn't happen very often so it was nice. We did the traditional dinner, caroling, nativity, and testimonies. The nativity was interrupted by a zone full of missionaries caroling to us. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. We like to think that was Linz's Christmas present to us. Thanks Linz! Anyway, kids loved the presents and loved playing with Grandpa as usual.

We managed to make a trip to see the lights at Temple Square. Beautiful as usual. We also made another trip back to St George. Lovely warm St George. We came home to zero degree temperatures. Talk about shock to the system...

Well, there you have it. The holidays in a nutshell. Happy to be done with 2008 and praying mightily for a wonderful 2009. Please...

Gratitude

2008-12-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, I must admit, found me with many different thoughts than I've had in years past. It's been quite a year already, yet it seems we're just beginning. But I find that I'm still grateful, even more so probably. Interesting how adversity helps you to recognize your blessings.

I'm grateful more than ever for family - Jake and the kids, and the wonderful extended family I have. I'm grateful for parents who have taught our family so well that when adversity hits we pull together and keep moving forward. I'm grateful for the gospel plan. Remembering God's plan and His love is what gets me through the moments that otherwise would be impossible. I'm grateful for memories, both past and future. I know future memories doesn't make sense, but I'm grateful for the memories that I know we'll be making and for the chance I'll have to look back on those in the future.

This year I'm also especially thankful for the power of fasting and prayer. Thanks to so many of you who fasted this past Sunday for my mom. It meant a lot to me and my entire family. Many of you who fasted barely know my mom, but were still willing to join in. Thank you so much. That means a lot.

And finally, an update. Since so many of you have been so helpful and supportive I feel like I should let you know a bit more of what's happening. My mom is officially diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer that has metastasized to her liver. They are going to do at least two rounds of chemo to hopefully help decrease the stomach pain. My mom finished the first one last week and she was a trooper. I think she's made it through the worst of it this round, and I know she'll continue to do well, thanks in large part to everyone's prayers.

So we continue to climb our mountain. We learn and grow every step of the way and appreciate all of the helping hands pushing and pulling us to the top. Together we'll make it!

Give Me This Mountain

2008-11-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

Life has lots of mountains to climb. Sometimes they're more like hills, sometimes it's like climbing Everest. Sometimes you get a rest in between, sometimes you only make it back down to the saddle before you have to start climbing again. There are times when I climb, times when I sit and rest, and times when I turn around because the mountain's too big, only to try again the next day.

At times I say to God, "No more mountains!" or better yet, "Take this mountain away. I'll climb any mountain but this one." Most days I don't feel like I have the faith that Caleb did. At 85 years of age when faced with fighting giants to inherit the promised land he didn't turn around, he didn't even sit down and rest, he said, "Give me this mountain" (Joshua 14:12). I don't think my faith is strong enough for that, especially today.

Our family's been climbing the mountain of Linz's death. Pretty hard mountain, definitely an Everest if you ask me. I think we've been doing better. Maybe we finally got down to the saddle, but there's no time to rest. There's another mountain ahead and it's bigger than ever. This mountain is my mom's terminal cancer. How does that happen? How can we be expected to climb this mountain when we're still so tired from the last? And then I know. We're not. We're never expected to climb life's mountains alone. There's no way we can do it alone. We climb with the Savior. We climb with Linz and everyone else we love who isn't with us anymore. Sometimes we walk next to them, and sometimes they have to get behind and push. But together we can do it.

How do I live without my mom? She's not just my mom, she's my best friend. I tell her everything. She listens and gives good advice. She laughs and plays. Someday, in my wildest dreams, I'll be a mom like her. So right now I don't know how I'll live without her, but I know I will because I have to. Because at the top of every mountain waits my Savior, my mom, and my sister cheering me on. I have to keep climbing so I can make it back to them. So I will. In faith I will climb on.

This scripture is my testimony and I think the testimony of my family. This is what we believe.

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." Mosiah 4:9

So because we believe, we will climb this mountain. It might not be pretty, but we will make it to the top. Because that's what our mom taught us to do.

Another Witchy-Poo Party?

2008-10-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

My kids loved the witchy-poo party so much that they decided to do one of their own. This is how it happened...I got a phone call saying that I had left my wallet somewhere in Heber (smart, I know). I didn't want to load the kids in the car for such a quick trip, so I called Jake who was at the house he's building down the street. He assured me he would be home in "two minutes". I should have known better seeing as that house is a black hole that won't spit my husband out once it sucks him in.

About ten minutes later I got home to see Jake's truck still down the street. That meant my kids had been alone in the house. Not good. I walked in the door and followed a trail of white into the kitchen. My kitchen was covered in flour, my kids were covered in flour, and there were various baking utensils on the counter. The kids excitedly informed me that they were making witches' brew. They were sooo proud of themselves. Kate was so excited she was jumping up and down. I don't think it ever occurred to them that they were doing something wrong. What could be wrong with making witches' brew? They got flour from the containers in the pantry into some bowls on the counter. They were in the process of adding water to the flour. They had wisks and measuring cups out. Zack also got four paper cups out so we could all have some brew. After I cleaned up I asked Zack if the brew tasted good. He said he didn't know because he didn't get to finish it. Duh! Of course it would have been good. This was witches' brew after all:)

Witchy-Poo Party!

2008-10-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is documentation of the third annual witchy-poo party. My parents do this every year and the kids love it. The kids get to dress up in their costumes and my dad dresses up as a witch (I didn't know men could do that). They sing halloween songs and eat more candy than any kid should eat in one night. The highlight of the party is the witches' brew. This is made from dry ice and the kids love it. They take their jobs stirring the brew very seriously. A good time was definitely had by all. We're already looking forward to next years party!

Zack and Kate are wearing costumes Jake wore when he was little. Super cute!

Good looking pirate.

Very focused on stirring.

How cute is that?

England!

2008-10-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

I finally got pictures of my trip to England. Now you get to hear all about it! If you come to my house I'll let you watch the twenty minute movie Alicia made:)

It was the trip of a lifetime. Definitely bitter sweet, but more sweet than bitter. This was my first trip to Europe. It was beautiful. It was amazing to see such old, beautiful buildings. Here an old building was built in the 1800's, there an old building was built in the 1100's. Pretty amazing history. I loved the trimmed hedges and trees and the beautiful flower gardens. The little town of Stroud was the best though. I must be a country girl at heart. Beautiful green rolling hills with sheep grazing and narrow cobblestone roads. We toured London in a day. Only Spjutes can see London in one day. The best part of London was seeing Wicked. Amazing! I loved it more than I thought I would ever love a musical. They did an amazing job. Loved it!

Even with all of those wonderful things we saw, the best part of the trip was feeling close to Linz and meeting the people she loved. What an amazing experience to be able to take part in a little bit of her mission. We were able to see where she was running when she passed away. I'm sure Linz couldn't have picked a prettier spot if she'd been able to. That will always be a sacred grove for our family. We saw where she lived, and met wonderful people and families. The Virchande family in Coventry truly found a place in our hearts. They are wonderful people and friends for life now. The Turners and Holly in Stroud went out of their way to make our visit enjoyable. The acts of love people showed us will never be forgotten. We spent an unforgettable night in the mission home with the Mofets. All in all the trip couldn't have been better. The Lord truly poured out his blessings upon us. I know Linz was with us and loving that we were meeting so many people she loved. It was hard to come home. Hard to try to move forward, feeling like we were leaving Linz in England. I will be forever grateful for the memories we made. They will last a lifetime and bring comfort in the days ahead.

Hard-Working Hubby

2008-09-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

I just had to send a shout out to Jake, the hardest working husband ever. I always thought I was a hard worker until I married him. He works me into the ground. His dad definitely taught him how to work.

Here's an example of his hard workingness. We have a lot of wood siding on our house. Looks nice, but requires upkeep. It's been needing a new coat of stain, but I was secretly hoping Jake would put it off until next year. Painting is one thing I really, really don't like to do. Well, no such luck. He started working on it a couple of weeks ago. On Saturday he really tackled the project. He worked a little bit Friday night and seriously all day on Saturday staining our house. We were using a bucket thing to lift him up to be able to reach the top, so only one person fit. (I'll put pictures up later - Jake has the camera) He got the whole front section of our house done in one day because he worked so hard, all day, in the hot sun. Get the picture?

Not only that, but he works super hard at his regular job and then comes home and works on the neighbor's house that he's building on the side. The poor guy never gets a break. In the middle of all of that he manages to spend time with the kids and help me out too. So I just had to write this so he knows how amazing I think he is and that I really appreciate everything he does that makes it so I can be home with the kids. What a man!

Fetch

2008-09-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

No, we didn't get another dog. We don't need to, we have Kate.

Jake and I had to run up the street for a second, so we left the kids playing outside. When we were walking back I saw that the kids were pretending to be dogs and playing fetch with one of Nestle's old toys. Kind of funny, just figured I would wash their hands. Then I saw Kate get down on her hands and knees and pick it up in her mouth. Ahhh! I was too far away to do anything but think about the millions of germs that just entered her mouth. Maybe I need to get them their own bones:)

Princess Kate

2008-09-03T14:32:00.001-07:00

I couldn't resist. I had to buy this dress for Kate at Swiss Days. She loves to wear pretty clothes and walks around all day saying, "I'm a princess." She did look cute if I do say so myself.

On a side note, the excavator Jake's using came by to get his check today. I left Kate outside with him while I ran inside to grab it. After he left Kate said, "That guy's cute." That's right, my two year old is already calling guys cute. This is not a good sign. Hopefully the next one will at least be closer to her age.

Crap!

2008-08-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know Zack, he is super smart. Like already smarter than I am smart. He's four years old and can already read. This is not because he has a mom who spends hours every day working with him. No, he pretty much taught himself.

Well, apparently he also knows how to write now. He came downstairs yesterday and told me he wrote crap. I said, "I want to see...show me." Sure enough, there on his etch-a-sketch is the word 'crap' obviously written by Zack. This brings conflicting emotions. Amazement that he was able to sound the word out and also able to write letters that I've never taught him. Shock at the choice of the first word he ever decides to write (other than his name). Why in the world did he decide to write 'crap'?!! I wish I could know what was going through his head. He really doesn't say it much, but apparently I do. Anyway, let's hope the next word he writes is not a four-letter word. I love kids!

Our Own Backyard

2008-08-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

We are blessed to live in beautiful Midway. The most beautiful valley you could ever live in. Anything you like to do in the great outdoors can be done within about 5 minutes of our house. If you feel so inclined to make a huge long drive of, oh, an hour, then you can be in the Uintahs. Yes, we live in paradise. I tell Jake that there's nowhere we could ever buy a cabin that would be better than where we live. Anyway, I digress...

This weekend we went camping in the Uintahs. We met the Browns and some of there friends up there and had a great time. It was so, so beautiful. Going there is soothing to my soul. We set up our huge tent, and then Jake was off to fish. This just in...Jake Jorgenson, of Midway Utah, caught a fish! He actually caught multiple fish. As much as he loves to fish, he's usually not too lucky in catching fish. Hopefully this will be a turning point for him:)

We had fun around the campfire. The kids love eating more than their share of marshmallows. The night was super cold, but we all survived it quite well I think. The next morning we packed up and headed to Cliff Lake. The kids love to hike and really do quite well. I carried Kate in the backpack and she informed me that she was a good hiker. Right. We got to a beautiful lake and broke out the climbing gear. Yep, we got to rock climb while looking at the beautiful lake and mountains. It doesn't get better than that. The kids loved climbing around on the ground and the adults loved climbing up the wall. A great time was definitely had by all.

PS If this plug for Midway fills you with longing to live here, please talk to me and I'll be happy to help you out. The more the merrier.

Locks of Love

2008-08-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

So, I did it, I chopped my hair. And I do mean chopped. I've been thinking about doing it for a while now. Jake tried to talk me out of it, but obviously he wasn't successful. I decided if I was going to cut that much off I might as well donate to a good cause, so I gave most of it to Locks of Love.

It's still a little shocking to have hair this short. I've had short hair before, but not this short. I think I'll like it more when it's grown a couple of inches. I wanted short, but not quite this short. I don't blame the hair lady though. My bangs were still growing out and this was my longest front layer. Kind of exciting though. It's really nice not to have so much hair always in my way. I think I'm going to like it.

I'll tell you all what I told Jake. If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all:) Jake didn't say anything when he saw my hair. I think he's warming up to it though and he's admitted to having somewhat of a love-hate relationship with it. I think I like it, but if I look to close at the back then I start to hyperventilate. Change is good, right?

By the way, sorry I look so retarded in this first picture. Oh well, you get the idea.

Boating

2008-08-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Our family loves to go boating. We got a boat last year. It's nothing huge or super nice, but it works great for our family. The kids love going fast in the boat. They also love tubing- even Kate. Zack's decided he likes going over bumps on the tube, but only if he doesn't get water in his mouth. Jake's good at everything you can do boating. I finally figured out how to get up on one ski. Now I'm just trying to figure out what to do once I'm up. We live super close to Deer Creek and Jordanelle, so we just hop in the boat a couple of times a week when Jake gets home from work. If any of you ever want to go boating just let us know. We'd love to take you!

Kate's Birthday

2008-08-11T14:15:00.001-07:00

The Terrible Two's! I guess it's official. Kate's now two, but she's been acting like a two year old for awhile. She got some fun presents. She's very into Dora and princesses. She loved walking around in her dress ups and told me she was ready to go to church. Maybe if I let her wear what she wanted to church she would act better...probably not:)

Terrible two's aside, I love having Kate in our family. She oozes personality. You can't be around Kate for very long without laughing. She's always had her own, very distinct personality. We love it. I can't wait to see what else this crazy girl will bring us.

Camping at Strawberry

2008-08-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went camping at Strawberry Reservoir. It was our first time there and we had a lot of fun. The kids loved making and eating s'mores and we all had fun sleeping in the tent. On Saturday we spent a few hours on the boat while Jake tried to catch a fish. No luck in the fishing department, but we all had fun. It's a really pretty lake and quite big. We'll definitely go back.

PS Sorry about all of the slide shows. The pictures from our camera are such big files that it's way faster for me to upload them to a slide show than to try to do each picture one at a time. So sorry for all of the moving pics.

Rock Climbing

2008-07-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

First, a side note. It's been awhile since I wrote (obviously), but I'm finally catching up. Now that girl's camp is over I can focus on other things. There was so much to write about that I decided to talk about each event in a separate post. So keep reading. There's plenty to read about.

On to rock climbing. The first date Jake and I went on was rock climbing. Most of our dates consisted of rock climbing and we did it tons when we were first married. Then we had kids, and things just seem to get in the way. We've finally gone climbing a couple of times this summer. I love it! We definitely need to go more. These are pictures of climbing in AF canyon with Matt and Mandy Brown. We also used to climb with them in college. Now we climb with all of our kids. It's great. We found a perfect spot in the shade and the kids had fun climbing and running around. Jake didn't climb because he hurt his hand earlier that day. He was very supportive though:) Zack had fun climbing and swinging on the rope. It was fun to watch him trying something we love.

Cowboy Kids

2008-07-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

We went to the traditional Oakley Rodeo with Jake's family. Of course I had to dress the kids up. Cost way too much money, but it was well worth it. Memories last a life time right? Kate wasn't exactly cooperating for the pictures, but she's still cute.

Girls' Camp

2008-07-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

I made it! Girls camp came and went and I survived! Actually, it was a great experience and I loved every second of it. I admit that I was nervous beforehand, but once I was there it was great. The girls are amazing. I love working with the young women. Everything turned out really well despite the efforts of a bear to stop our camp. We started out Monday at Camp Aerie in Marion, and by midnight that night we were in a cabin in Midway. You can't stay at a camp with bears around. Especially not when you're responsible for everyone. Even with the change of location everything worked out wonderfully. The girls had a great attitude about everything and fun was had by all. I think I would stay with this calling forever if I could. I loved it!

Zack's Birthday

2008-07-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

Zack's four! I can't believe it. Time flies. Zack requested a pirate cake for his birthday. He's way into pirates thanks to Grandpa Spjute. We had some friends over for cake and ice cream. Weeks ago he walked into the office and said, "Mom, I want a better batter baseball". Chalk one up to the advertising pros. They had Zack hooked. Even Kate talked about better batter baseball. So of course we had to get him one. It's actually a pretty fun toy and Zack loves it.

I love having Zack in our family. He is wise beyond his years and was blessed to have a sweet, sensitive spirit. I love that he can build better houses with his lincoln logs than I can. I love his curiosity about how things work, even though he ends up breaking everything because of it. I love his contagious laugh and I especially love his hugs. You haven't had a good hug until you get one from Zack. I can't wait to watch him learn and grow through the years.

Farmington Festival Days

2008-07-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Farmington, and festival day events are becoming quite the tradition with our family. We do the 5k in the morning, followed by breakfast and a parade. We definitely kept the tradition alive this year. I ran in the 5k along with my sister Alicia, my dad, and my brother-in-law Toby. I managed to pull off first place in my age group. Not too bad for a *& year old:).

After the race we added a new part to festival days. This was the kids bike race. It was great. Zack got to ride in the race with training wheels on his bike. He was so proud to have his own race number. He got off to a bit of a rough start when someone crashed in front of him. He had to wait for them to move before he could get down to the business of racing. It was great fun to watch and Zack loved every second.

The kids race was followed by a delicious breakfast compliments of my mom. We stuffed our faces in true Spjute style. Then we headed to the parade. The kids took home a huge bag of candy, which means the parade was a success.

Then we ran home, did some yard work, and headed out on the boat with the Browns. Super fun as usual. Jake took a crazy tube ride and loved every second of it. The grin on his face was so big he looked like a little kid again. He was super soar the next day, but said it was well worth it. Quite the full day. Play hard, work hard...that's my motto. Even better when there's more play than work.

4th of July

2008-07-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

We hung out with our own little family for the fourth. We ended up going to Cabelas (Jake's idea). Cool place for an hour, definitely not cool for three. The one store where men shop and women sit on the benches.

After our Cabelas adventure we drove up AF Canyon, over the mountains, and home to Midway. We had a fun BBQ with our friends the Seitters, and then of course we did fireworks. Zack was so excited for fireworks this year. He couldn't wait for it to get dark. All in all, a good day with the fam.

Ragnar Relay

2008-06-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Jake and I ran the Ragnar Relay. It was so fun. I love it. Seriously one of my favorite races to do. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, I'll give you the low down. You get in teams of twelve and run 180 miles from Logan to Park City. Each person runs three legs varying from 3-9 miles each leg. You're split into two vans and each person in your van does one leg and then you get a break while the other van goes. It takes most people over 24 hours, so you can imagine that you're pretty tired when you're done. Run, sleep, eat, repeat. That's pretty much what you do. Although the sleep part is minimal.

Last year we ran the race with all of my sisters. I'm so glad we did it because I have so many good memories from it. Linz was definitely on my mind during the race. This year we ran it with some old friends, the Shipleys. Our team was called Ship's Wreck. We finished in the top 15% overall and fourth in the corporate division. Great times were had by all. I totally plan on doing it again next year.

VikingMan 1/2 Ironman

2008-06-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Well, this is Jake writing this one because I don't have my own blog and I wanted to write this entry...See the video before if you don't want to read the blog. (The music is a song entitled "Dream Big" by Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band.)

Ever since I was in high school, I've had a goal to complete a long distance triathlon. This past weekend I accomplished one of my goals in this by completing the VikingMan 1/2 IronMan in Idaho.

One of the biggest steps in triathlon is racing the 1/2 Ironman distance. It is the longest distance other than the full Ironman that is competitively raced in triathlon. The race begins with a 1.2 mile swim in an open body of water. Upon exiting the water you immediately head for your bike and ride a 56 mile bike ride (or in this case it was almost 57). After finishing the bike you get off and change your shoes to run a 1/2 marathon length of 13.1 miles.

The road to the race...The road to even get to this race can be grueling to say the least. Living in Midway with a race in June you can only imagine the challenge the winters bring. This winter brought 5 feet of snow to the yard (that didn't melt until about 3 or 4 weeks ago) along with -20 degree F temperatures. Living behind Timp also brings challenges because you don't get much daylight in the winters either. The training process begins years before this race as you take time to build up by doing smaller races and a lot of building muscles and bones to avoid long term damages to your body and about 6 months before the race you start your full race specific training, putting my timing right in the middle of 2 foot snowstorms and utter darkness.

Typical training days included running through blizzard conditions wearing mountaineering head socks, two layers of tights, two and sometimes three coats, thick gloves, and listening to lots to music just to keep your mind off the freezing cold temperatures. Biking was long and tedious as a lot of it was on an indoor fluid trainer. Swimming was in abundance during the winter at the local pool and consisted of many workouts nearing 2 mile swims about two or three times a week.

I was more than excited for the temperatures to start rising and be able to ride and run without 5 layers of clothing. Needless to say, it still is only getting up to about 60 degrees most days and has been raining nearly every other day. That still left time in the dry days to get out on my bike though.

The Race...June 7th, 2008 was the date that was set for the VikingMan 1/2 Ironman Triathlon in Burley , Idaho. The race start was only about 35 degrees air temperature. The water temperature was only 58 degrees (mandatory wetsuit on this race). The wind was probably about 25 mph. For the start of the swim, I had to slide down a really steep bank into the water from a vacant lot between two houses. Once you're in, you're in and there no turning back!

The Swim...the swim was a brutal swim with white caps all around you. When I would look up, I got pretty disoriented because the waves were so large in all directions and if you tried to breathe you were just breathing in the water. I tried to keep my head down and that seemed to be the best strategy...like Dora in Finding Nemo, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" After a while I seemed to get in a rhythm and it really felt pretty good.

The Bike...Ahhh, the incredible bike ride. The most ugly ride of all time!!!! The winds were absolutely incredible. The first 23 miles of the ride were a headwind that would nearly stop you in place at times. I'm guessing 25-30 mpg right in your face and just a tiny bit uphill. Most everybody was rolling at only around 10 mph because it was so brutal. (One thing about triathlon is that you can't draft or you get penalized 4 minutes the first time, 8 minutes the second time, and a DQ for the third.) Taking 2 hours to go the distance I'd planned on only taking about 1:20 was pretty emotionally taxing. I noticed I wasn't the only one that didn't plan to be on the bike that long as towards the end, most of us were out of our nutrition (taking food with us on the bikes). I can now say that I understand when other long distance triathletes say you go from an emotional high to low and back as at one point on the ride I actually said out loud to myself that I was totally high. 10 minutes later I thought I could totally die! The ride back was really nice in places though as it was pretty fast. Every time you had to hit the cross or head winds it was a really drainer on the energy though.

The run...Wow! I'm not feeling too bad right now! I think I may actually finish this race! That was easy to think for the first 7 miles or so. After that first loop I realized I had yet another loop to complete at the other end and the first part of that loop was straight uphill on gravel.
All in all, I ran until about mile 7 and hadn't stopped at any aid stations for anything longer than to grab water. From mile 7 to mile 13.1 it was a complete mental game. Anybody who has done this length of race can attest to that. You are ready to be done at that point. Your stomach says so, your legs say so, your head says so. Then you just start ticking off a block at a time. Then you start ticking off a few steps at a time. Then you get to mile 13 and realize you have enough in the tank to run hard to the finish from somewhere deep inside of you!

All in all, it was a great experience! I smiled most of the way and just tried to enjoy the race. Will I do it again? Laura says no but I think so and I think I'll still plan for the even bigger eventual goal of full IM. Lessons from this race...eat better for several months prior to the race for optimum nutrition and body weight, lift weights for better strength into the wind, train more!

Good luck to anybody out there trying this race distance in the future and thank you to all the volunteers and race staff that made this race possible. Most of all, thanks to my family for letting me do this as it takes a ton of time away from family.

Much Needed R&R

2008-05-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

My family got to go to St. George over the weekend for some much needed time away. Alicia had some friends who were super nice to let us use their house. We hiked, ate, swam, ate, played games, ate, and then ate some more. Who says food doesn't offer comfort? Even with not the greatest weather, we had a great time and I wish we were still there. These are the kind of memories I like: happy fun ones. I know Linz was proud of us for having some good ol' Spjute Family fun.

After the trials come the blessings

2008-05-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

I title this post as such to strengthen my faith. I know this is true, and as a family we've seen many blessings, but that doesn't mean it isn't still hard. We have definitely been blessed in the midst of our trial. The acts of kindness from family and friends are pushing us through this experience. A big thank you to all of you for your kind words and gestures. They truly mean a lot.

The funeral was wonderful (if you can use such a word to describe a funeral). It felt like we were surrounded by angels. A local newspaper wrote a pretty good article summarizing the funeral if you want to take a look.

So now I'm back home doing normal things, but life isn't normal. It's different. I'm not quite sure how to go about my every day tasks with a hole in my heart. I suppose I just plug along in hopes that some day it will get better. I know it will. Knowing that Linz is happy is a huge comfort. Knowing that she wants me to be happy pushes me forward. So I'll keep plugging along up this mountain in hopes that I can someday reach the summit and enjoy the view with Linz.

Lindsey Spjute

2008-05-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

Lindsey's the second one in on the left.

I got one of those calls last night that everyone dreads. My sister Lindsey has been serving in the England, Birmingham mission. Early this morning she went running with her companion and collapsed. Her companion did CPR, but it didn't work. My sister passed away.

I feel like my heart is broken in a million pieces. I thought maybe writing about her would help.

Lindsey was honestly and truly one of the greatest people I've ever known. I keep thinking I'm grateful we had her for as long as we did, but why did He have to take her so soon? She's one of those people who made everyone feel important. I'm sure everyone who knew her felt like her best friend. She had a love for life that was contagious. She was always happy and always willing to serve. She seemed to always befriend those who other people didn't like as much. People were just drawn to her.

Lindsey was my outdoor adventure partner. She was a natural athlete and loved to be outside camping, hiking, snowboarding, etc. I was so looking forward to doing all of that with her when she got home. I know the first time we go out on our boat this year I'll cry because she loved doing that with us. She hasn't been on her mission that long, but I was already counting down to when I could do that with her again.

I'm so grateful for the memories we made together and so sad for the ones we lost. Just having her on a mission has been hard on our family as she has left a big hole. I think God sent her on a mission so that we would be a little used to her being gone. I'm grateful that she died doing what she loved. She was such a good missionary. I know she still is. I can't imagine going through this without the gospel and the knowledge that we'll see her again. Now I need to live better so I can be where I know she is. I keep thinking that the one thing she would love for us to do in her honor is share the gospel. So that's my invitation to all of you. In memory and honor of my sister, talk to someone about what you believe. Tell your friends how it is we can keep functioning when things like this happen. Tell them about the Savior and his plan of salvation.