at the dinner table

Madeline's either a math genius or just really likes saying the number 2. You decide :) Grandma Payne notice the green smoothie on Madeline's tray, she LOVES them!

Richmond Va

This post is a bit long and emotional so feel free to skim :)
So it sounds a bit crazy I know, but last Saturday I ran another marathon.
Let me explain: The night before my last marathon David gave me a great blessing promising me that I would be able to run the entire marathon and that I would have a really spiritual experience and be able to work through some of the emotions that I have been having. For those of you who don't know, David didn't get an offer for employment from his summer internship, so we have been looking for a job since August. It is a long, hard process and I have really been struggling with faith.
Well during the marathon I sort of gave up. I walked quite a bit and didn't have faith in the promised blessings I had been given. When I finished I felt that the lord was disappointed in me. I also felt like it was the same problem I had been having for months of not having faith in God. So I decided that I needed to run another marathon to prove to God that I would trust him. So I trained and 4 weeks after my last one I ran another one.
The hardest part was that I had to go through it all alone. We were going to make a weekend trip of it since Richmond is 5 hours away, but David realized a few days before the marathon that he had a big school function that he was in charge of on Friday so he couldn't go. That also meant that the girls couldn't go since I couldn't watch them. My amazingly sweet and kind friend Jenny watched them all day for me and then David had them until I got back.
I really don't like doing things alone. I'm horrible with directions and get scared pretty easily so I was pretty terrified of making this trip alone. It turned out to be a good experience though. I took a few books on tape, prayed a lot and didn't have any trouble with directions. I got to the hotel fine, slept great and got the start line with plenty of time to spare. I pushed myself really hard. My goal was to not stop through the entire race to prove to God that I would trust in him. It was dang hard! Around mile 13 I got horrible blisters all along my arches and had to run the rest with them. I really felt like giving up, but I persevered. God strengthened me and I had a pretty incredible experience. Around mile 18 I decided that I was going to call David at mile 20 for support and right after I crossed the 20 mile mark my phone rang. It was David! He said that he had a feeling that he should call me. The lord was really with me. It felt so great. I did end up walking some after mile 20, but I put everything I had into it. Ironically I only finished about 5 minutes faster than my last marathon, but this time I gave it my all. When I finally crossed the finish line I started crying and the woman giving me the medal asked if I was okay. It was just such an emotional experience. I felt so strongly that God accepted my offering. Even though I didn't run the whole way I did my best and it was enough. It was hard not having anyone there to greet me at the end, but God was there and that was the point.
Since I went alone I don't have any pictures to show, but I did take a picture of my blistered feet :)

Revolutionary War Re-enactment

I have lived on the east coast for over 2 years and now I can FINALLY say that I have seen a war re-enactment. I think I mentioned that I love history so this was SOOO cool. I saw a sign advertising a revolutionary war re-enactment a few weeks ago and got really excited. I asked Candy and Tony to come along and we all went today (minus my studious husband who had to study :( We missed you David!). It took place at Hope Lodge, which is just a few minutes away from Candy and Tony's house. A few men preparing for battle
Hope lodge was originally the home of a prosperous Quaker family. Then the Wests lived at Hope Lodge from 1776 to 1782. The house was then known as Whitemarsh Farms and as Whitemarsh Estate. The Wests were in residence during the Whitemarsh Encampment, a six-week period of the American Revolution when the Continental Army camped in the surrounding fields after the Battle of Germantown and before encamping at Valley Forge. During that time the house was used as headquarters by George Washington's Surgeon General, John Cochran. So the re-enactment displayed the fighting that took place in the surrounding fields. There were times that it almost felt like I could have been a part of it. Everyone was in costume and played the part really well. We saw a lot of neat things:

A surgeon describing and showing us with his tools how he amputated legs (really neat, but he said some people have actually fainted during the presentation!) Why is it that morbid stuff like that really fascinates me? I also love hearing about disgusting food that people used to have to eat (Seriously odd I know!)

We saw the actual food preparation of the time. It was especially neat to see them actually use the kitchens that usually just have fake food layed out nicely.

We saw a lady making silhouettes. I would LOVE to have one of those, so fun.

Gigi found a real "pioneer" hat. She has been wanting one for almost 2 years and we finally found one for only 5 bucks. For a price like that I had to get both kids playing the part :) Then Candy bought the girls a flute (we'll ignore the made India tag). Thanks :)

Gigi outside a tent. She was so stoked to have that hat. She was pretty bummed that I won't let her wear it to church tomorrow. I explained that the pioneers wore their hats outside. Then she explained to me that the pioneers often had church outside and so would wear a hat. No question that she is David's daughter...soo logical and clever :)

There was a tent set up with a surgeon from the time who was actually sleeping there tonight. He even let Gigi try out his straw bed.

Tony and Candy with the girls outside of Hope Lodge. It is a really beautiful building.

After the re-enactment Candy and Tony took the girls and I out to lunch. It was tons of fun. You guys are seriously so generous. Thank you :) Gigi and Madeline even got dessert.

Don't you love Madeline's smile? As we were leaving Gigi saw the claw game. You know the one where you can NEVER win a prize, but as a kid kept wanting to put money in, assuring yourself that this time you'd win(hmm maybe that was just me?). Anyway Gigi played once and of course didn't win. She was pretty bummed and so of course Uncle Tony decided to play for her. He has NEVER played this game before. Yes you guessed it he won a Dora doll for her! Wow!!! I was so amazed! Gigi was in heaven. Then a few minutes later I was in heaven because when we got to the car Gigi decided to give the Dora doll to Madeline because she knows that Madeline LOVES Dora. Wow again!!! Gigi sometimes has moments of such unselfishness. Way to go Gigi :)

Sweet Madeline exhausted after the long day. Isn't she sweet? We ended the day by watching a Betty Hutton film, the perils of Pauline. Betty Hutton starred in Annie get your gun (Gigi's fav movie right now) and so Candy taped it. It was such a cute movie. I highly recommend it if you like old comedies. Thank you Candy and Tony for enjoying such a great day with us. I will always remember it!

New Clothes from Grandma Payne

Thank you, Grandma Payne! She puts on this skirt and shirt every day now as soon as she wakes up!

The Big Switch

Tonight I had a rehearsal at the church for the Messiah. David stayed home with the girls and put them to sleep. When I came hope (around 9:30pm) the house was dark, except for the bathroom light. I was surprised that David was already asleep so I slowly opened our bedroom door. The light was off and the fan was on so I closed the door again. After piddling around a bit and doing the dishes I got ready for bed. Then I went to go check on the girls. Their door was locked! I was so annoyed!!! Gigi knows not to lock the door to her room and is actually really good about not doing it. The only way to unlock the door is to take the knob off of the door. I questioned whether or not I should do this at 11:00 at night, but I decided I better just do it. I was also stressed because I didn't want to wake David up. David sometimes suffers from insomnia and once he is woken up it is hard for him to go back to sleep. So I really silently opened our door again only to find this:



I was SOOO surprised!!! Both girls were so innocently asleep on my bed. This has NEVER happened before! Our kids are not the type to suddenly arrive at your bed in the middle of the night. They know to stay in their bed all night. So what was going on? And where was David? Well I quickly found out. I then knocked on the girls bedroom door and David slyly asked, who is it? Uhhh your really confused wife! He opened the door with a grin on his face and explained that Gigi and he decided to play a trick on me. Well it worked! Don't I have the funniest family? I sure love how fun they are.

Utah continued

My dad took us all to the Oakley Rodeo:

Gigi and Grandpa Parent. Too cute

Okay I realize I took a picture of Gigi in front of a bathroom, but it is a cute sign right? You should have seen the looks I got while I was taking this picture.

The fam, minus Tony. Thanks for taking the shot.
I have ALWAYS loved going to rodeo's. We have not had the privilege of going to one for a long time so while we were in Utah we all went! It was so fun. Of course Gigi was on cloud 9! She even got an autograph from a real cowgirl. My favorite part of the rodeo was when a bucking bronco was bucking so hard that he flipped partially over onto the cowboy riding him. It was pretty scary, but everyone was okay in the end. It was pretty cool though. Impressive stuff!

We also went to Thanksgiving point and saw the dinosaurs. It was neat. It was actually my first time going to Thanksgiving point. Better than I expected. I am really amazed at dinosaurs. My mom did her research and took us on a day that also had crafts. My girls got their faces painted and even played a few games.

We went to Tuacano's for dinner. Lot's of meat, but yummy! Thanks Mom and Dad!!


We went to the Salt Lake Zoo with my aunt Kathy, my cousin Brittany and her kids. It brought back memories of the time I went with them as a kid. It was great to spend time with Kathy and Britty again! Our kids really love playing together too.

Makayla, Ireland and Gigi. Cute 2nd cousins.

Me, Britt, Kathy and my mom. Thanks for the fun day ladies!

My mom, Candy, the girls and I went to a Scottish festival. It was pretty fun. We all loved the bagpipe music. Gigi and I even participated in some authentic dancing, but the only picture I took was of Canders and Madi. Here you go :)

Bethany, Brittani, Angie, Patti, Natalie, My mom, Kathy, CandyTwo of my aunts, Kathy and Patti and my mom and her daughers all went to see the newest Twilight installment. I love my family. It was great to catch up with everyone. It always brings back terrific memories hanging out together.

Fred, Lisa, Madi, Marion, Gigi, Trey
The girls and I visited with David's aunt and uncle, Fred and Marion and their daughter Lisa and her husband Trey. They are great people. It was good to catch up.

We went to see David's brother Steven and his family. It was great to see them. Gigi loved playing with Nicholas. They even treated us to dinner at Red Robin. I'm now a huge fan of their fries! Thanks!!

The girls with their Uncle Steven

You can tell Silvia is a photographer. This was such a perfect set up :) Cute family!
Gigi with her cousin Nicholas. I LOVE this picture!

Alex, Nicholas and a very excited Gigi.

I know it's unbelievable, but I still have lots to post about...later. Thanks for reading!

Tomorrow Tomorrow I Love Ya Tomorrow

Last night was our ward's Trunk or Treat. We decided not to go trick or treating today since it's Sunday and I was a bit sad that the kids wouldn't be able to go door to door, but this year the weather was finally great and we had the candy part outside. The kids got so much candy that their buckets wouldn't hold it all! It worked out perfectly! Madeline really got into it. It only took one car for her to figure out how the whole trick or treating thing works. She would run up to a car grab candy and plop it into her bucket. I couldn't believe she could carry her bucket by herself.
Our family went as the cast from Annie:

In case you can't tell: Gigi's Annie, I'm Grace Ferrel, David's Daddy Warbucks and Madeline is Sandy. Candy and Tony joined in, but we were so busy socializing and having fun that we forgot to get a picture with them. Candy was Miss. Hannigan and Tony was Rooster. Look at their blogs for pics of them (hint hint Can you need to post it :) ) They looked amazing and luckily there was a photo booth that we all posed in together so when I get the picture I'll post it (hopefully).Gigi and some of her friends. Aren't they all so cute?

On the way home the girls dove into their candy baskets. Madeline was cracking me up. She had 5 different types of candy in her mouth at once while asking for more. I was a little nervous, but she is a pro at stuffing stuff into her mouth without choking so I didn't worry too much :)
Gigi has already decided that next year she wants to be a cowgirl. Maybe the family themed halloween's have reached their end...but probably not :)
In other news Friday night my brother Alex spent the evening/night with us. He was out for a conference and had a few hours to spend with us. Candy and Tony came over and we had a lot of fun. We had fun celebrating his birthday, albeit a few days late. We missed you Katie!! Thanks for visiting Al! Also, thanks for the ride to the temple at 3am. Hope you made it home okay.

NYC

Yesterday I had a day more wonderful than words can describe, but I'll do my best to describe it :)
My fantastically selfless husband, David, stayed home with the girls all day so that I could have a girls day out in NYC.
My good friend Amber had a great idea about getting a bunch of women together to have a day out. The group started out as 7 and slowly dwindled down to 3 (Amber, my sister Candy and me). We were so sad to not have the other women with us, but we had a marvelous time!
Candy's husband Tony drove us to the New Jersey train station so we wouldn't have to worry about driving. Then we took the train to NYC and then got around on the subway (and a few buses because some of the subway was down).

Amber and Candy on the New Jersey train
Amber and me at the subway. The wall art was so cool.
Our trip started at 5:45 am. We arrived in NYC about 9:30. We spent the morning/afternoon visiting Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
Can and me
I have always wanted to see Ellis Island. History really interests me and so I was thrilled that we were able to go. It was so fascinating! Our heritage as Americans is truly humbling. I don't have any ancestors who came over to Ellis Island, but Tony's dad came to Ellis Island. It was cool to have a specific person in my head to think about as we walked around and saw all that they had to do to go through to get through to America. Apparently about half of all americans can trace their roots to someone who went through Ellis Island. It was interesting to find out so many details.
Ellis Island register room. When this was being used it was filled with rows and rows of people waiting in line.
After the ferry ride back from the islands we went to Times Square for some great NY pizza.
Beautiful skyline
Time Square. Don't you just love New York?
We also met up with my niece Elizabeth, aka Betsy Par

Liz is living in NY working as a model. She is a beautiful and ambitious girl. It was so neat to see what a great young woman she has become. It was funny how we all followed her as she led us around the city. I remembered all the times when I used to babysit and lead her around. It made me a feel a little bit old, mostly in a good way. We visited Central Park, very briefly and then headed back home. We got home around 10:30 exhausted, but very happy. Women need time to talk with other women. It is amazing how cathartic it is. Thanks for the trip ladies and David thank you SOOO much for watching the girls. Oh I forgot to mention that when I got home our house was spotless and David took the time to listen to my day attentively while he rubbed my feet. I know I'm seriously spoiled!!! David even planned a really fun day with the girls. He took them to the park for the annual Boo at the Zoo. Thanks again

Small souvenirs for the girls. I sure missed them!

I did it!

Yesterday I finished the Baltimore marathon!!!
It almost didn't happen. My injury from a few weeks ago was so bad that I couldn't run more than 3 or 4 miles at a time without reeling in pain. So I decided not to run the marathon. I took an entire week off. Then I ran off and on for a few days. Then last Monday, 5 days before the marathon, I went running at the gym. I ran 4 miles and didn't hurt at all so I kept going. I ran 7 miles and had to stop because the gym was closing. I thought maybe I can run the marathon. David wanted me to run outside on some hills before committing again. Well I ran 5 miles outside and felt GREAT so I decided to do it!
The night before the marathon David gave me a blessing that I would have the strength to run it and I did. Unfortunately, I was so worried about injuring myself again or not being able to complete it that I didn't push myself much. I ran the first 14 miles without stopping, but then ran off and on for most of it. I felt good at mile 24 so I ran it in fast. My time is seriously pathetic, 12 minutes longer than my last marathon, but I'm so happy that I was able to run it. I think I did well considering I only had 3 days to mentally prepare for it and hadn't run more than 7 miles at a time an entire month before the race.
I stayed at a hotel with Jenny, her family and the Conner's (another couple who ran with us). It was really cool to get pumped up for the race with so many other people! David drove an extra hour and stayed in DC with my cousin Nick and his wife Emily. David said Gigi and Emily love each other. I looked at the pictures and could instantly see why. Thanks Emily for posing for Gigi :)Emily and Nick you rock! Thanks for taking care of my family. I'm sad I missed the waffles.


the posed pic :)

The Jepsen's bunny. I think her name is Daphne. Cute!

The race itself was beautiful! My friend and her family ran the race along with a couple from our ward. The girl in the couple, Alicia and I ended up running the whole marathon together. It was really fun having someone to run with :) Thanks Alicia!!
Me and Alicia. Someone noticed half way through the race that we were color coordinated. Did not plan it, but cool anyway.
I think my favorite part of the marathon was the fact that they had so many people along the way supporting us. In the St. George marathon you run on a highway into the city and only have major support for the last few miles. This marathon was throughout the city and so throughout the entire course people were outside their homes cheering us on. They even handed out candy. I'll never forget how great those 3 pieces of candy corn tasted. Yum!
Jenny qualified for Boston. She ran 3:39:35 or something like that. I was so proud of her and equally proud of myself that I was able to train a bit with someone that able :)
We didn't get very many pictures because David was holding both girls when I crossed the finish line. David was awesome ! He waited with 2 little girls at the finish line for almost an hour. I wanted to make sure he would see me cross the finish line so he waited it out. Then he took care of all of us :) I am a lucky woman to have him!

Click on the picture blow it up to see me. I'm on the far left with a great marathon smile on my face :)
How I really felt. I tried to give David a hug through the bars and almost fell over onto him.

I sat (collapsed) down to stretch and my girls jumped on me. They actually helped stretch out my legs. Thanks girls!

Last night I really had a hankering for a good burger and fries so on the way home we stopped and picked up a whopper. I usually hate fast food, but that was a really great burger! There really isn't anything like eating a burger that has the same amount of calories that took you 4 plus hours to burn. Too funny!
I actually feel pretty great. Last time I couldn't walk for days, but today it's really just my feet that hurt. I'm thinking about doing another one soon because I'm in shape...hmmm am I crazy??