FINISHED - Colorado Wild Women Duathalon!!!!!

.
woo hoo! i did it. i survived. i am stronger than before (at least mentally). my friend erin and i did this duathalon together and loved it. i won't lie and say that i had a smile on my face the whole time. in fact, the bike part of it kicked my butt - hard! i wasn't expecting that, because i usually fair pretty well on a bike. but, as you can see in these first couple of pictures, the whole ride was hilly. and the way back was pretty much ALL uphill. ugh. serious ugh, sigh, pant, and heave! yes, i almost threw up. (that's me...the tiny pink dot!!)me - in pink!
and my backside, chuggin' up that dang hill. doing lots of "self-motivation" at this point, just to stay on the bike.

here is the transition area where you leave you bike (and gear) and take off on the run portion of the race. of course i forgot where we were parked and dumbly stood in the middle for quite some time, looking rather lost, feeling very stupid. and then, aha, there we are! okay, back in business.
at this point i can see the finish line, and so a tiny smile appeared on my weary lips (every square inch of me was weary by now). oh, and i could hear my "cheering" section: stephan, ben, kyle, noah, eric (erin's hubby) and her son logan, and erin who had finished about 7 minutes before me.

right after i crossed the finish line. i was downing water like nobody's business! and my face is that red not only from the sun, but from every blood vessel screaming out! but, oh so worth it!
erin and i. i was seriously so happy and proud in this moment! definitely one i will keep in my mind as i train for my next venture!!! :) this stuff is addictive!

thanks, erin for a great day of duathaloning together!!!

scrapbook/art journal share

yesterday i started working on my "summer 2008" scrapbook. i picked the best moments (88 of them!) of our summer, and will put them in a scrapbook according to the 'chapters' they fall under. i don't do this as a rule for all my scrapbooking. (i've been asked what my method is) i just go with the flow. however i feel at that moment. whatever pictures i want to scrap are the ones i scrap. it's totally random, but i get the best results doing it this way. i did 6 pages yesterday, here are two:

for super saturday a few weeks ago (at church) we made decorated journals. i can NEVER have enough journals. i currently have about 5 (seriously) that i write/draw/paste/play in. this one was no exception, and has turned in to yet another art journal.
i thought i would share a few entries. the first one is definitely my motto. i totally live by the 'code'!!
it's always fun to peek into the lives of others, no? (click on the picture to enlarge and be able to read)


i am still trying to think of what my other roots are. am i forgetting something major? i feel like i am.

sunday baking

i think a yummy tradition is in the making...sunday baking. we (all of us helped here and there) made SIX loaves of bread yesterday! two white and four wheat.

of course some tasting was in order as soon as they came out of the oven. i only wish photos could capture smells too. our house smelled divine last night! and yes, they taste as good as they look. hours of hard work and waiting paid off deliciously.

passion for scouting

a few months ago i was called (in our church you get callings, or "jobs") to be the cub scout wolf den leader. for those of you who don't know, the wolves are the 8 year old boys. two out of three of my boys are in the scouting program, so i believe that me receiving this calling was definitely the Lords will. at first i felt a bit lost because there is so much to know! but on saturday i went to the new leader training. ....
i am officially on FIRE!! totally in love with this great program called boy/cub scouts! i want to be the best den leader i can possibly be. i want to motivate my own boys to get their eagle (the highest honor a boy can earn in the scouting program). i feel thus far that i have let them down a little bit. i haven't been the most supportive scouting parent. they have missed many meetings. so much so that kyle did not earn his own wolf badge. (he has since gone on to earn his bear, and is working on his webelos badge)
ben is in boy scouts now and has earned his tenderfoot. he is close to getting his second class, and with a little nudging from me he will have that soon! i believe as a scout, both of them need to be self-motivated to obtain their ranks. however, they are 10 and 12, and therefore easily distracted by other boy things. it will probably be even harder once they fully embark into their teenage years. BUT - i will keep them on track!! i just believe it is that important!! a life-changing program, for sure.

i feel so blessed that Heavenly Father has put me in this calling. i know it is inspired. i know i was meant to serve in this great organization, and i hope to stay in it for a long time. i not only want to inspire and uplift my own boys, but the boys in my den as well. i feel i have been given a certain stewardship over these guys, and i want to rise to that awesome station. i know, without a doubt, that the scouting program is what this world needs to produce young men that are able to lift us up where we should be. it instills important and vital values, seemingly lost to our society.
for those of you that have boys, look forward to this awesome program!!!
okay, now is the time i step off my soap box. thank you for your attention. ;)

"In all of this, it is spirit that matters. Our scout law & promise, when we really put them into practice, take away all occasion for wars & strife among nations."
~Sir Robert Baden-Powell (founder of Boy Scouts, 1857-1941)

hooked. just a little bit.

first off, i want to thank y'all! you are so kind and wonderful and your sweet comments have put the biggest smile on my face! you rock!! i really do have the best friends - evah!


okay. so...i find myself eating my subconscious words. about digital scrapbooking. you know, being, well, not for me. i am still faithful to my first love, 'tangible scrapbooking'. but i will cheat on this love from time to time with digi scrapping. it's just this new, fun, unexplored world! far too tempting to be ignored. so, here you have the fruits of my first day of discovery:

oh, and stacey...thank you! you have officially rocked my world with your digi-tips!

fall is in the air...

yes it's true...fall is, by far,my favorite season! the colder weather is exhilarating (to me, anyway) as is the changing of the leaves, the smell of the air, pie, pumpkin (everything), halloween. i could seriously go on and on. so, in the spirit of this lovely season, i thought i would whip up an apple pie! actually it was a joint effort between myself and hubbie. he made the filling and i made the crust. it was delicious, but would have met perfection with vanilla ice cream. oh well. next time, i guess.


i made the pie for this guy:

he has been begging me for quite some time for an apple pie. tonight, he got his yummy wish fulfilled!



one another note, i have been away from the blog for a little over a week. i haven't been any busier than usual, i guess i've just been trying to sort some things out. things like what the heck i am supposed to do with myself - creatively speaking. i did not make the scrap 'n art design team. that was a harder blow than i thought it would be. i wanted it. but more than that, i wanted a direction. i feel like so many things that i have put my energy into have not panned out, or have flat out failed. in my heart (and believe me i've searched it a lot lately) i feel my passion lies mainly in photography. i am passionate about everything i make and do, but when it comes to taking pictures, especially of people, i light up. i love - no - i need to be behind the camera. i find myself wanting it with me always. to be able to capture any spontaneous moment. and so, i think photography is where i will put all my energy. really give it a go, as i've never done before. professionally.

dipping my feet in the digital scrapbooking waters...

i have always been in resistance to the digital movement. i am a "gotta feel and touch it" kind of gal. i need the tangible. i would not call this a scrapbook page, per se, but i did play with some digital elements with this collage. it was frustrating. it made me grumpy. i snapped at my family as i was deep in concentration making it. some of the elements i wanted to add are not on here. i couldn't figure out that dumb move tool. sigh. argh. hmph. a bit defeated, but i guess it's something, and it's a start. i need someone to show me. plain and simple. i can't read adobe help. it only adds to my frustration. i am a immediate, instant-gratification type. hence, needing a warm body to be here showing me, helping me. so HELP!! i know there are a few of you out there that are digi-masters. i want to step inside your elite circle. i'm not promising to join your team permanently, but i will dabble. any willing, brave souls???? i promise to play nice, and not be grumpy or snappish! :)

out on a limb...

well, once again i've put myself out on a limb. creatively, anyway. i have tried out for scrap 'n art's design team. i won't lie and say that i'm not on pins and needles waiting to hear back. (though the design team call is through 9/15, so i have some time still) i have never been very confident in any of my creative endeavors. reference: my etsy shop!
my scrapbooking is no exception. nevertheless, here i am, out there, trying out, and nervous as can be.

here are the layouts i submitted.......





this final layout is incredibly personal. but, i believe that those feelings need to be chronicled as well as the good feelings. it is about ryan. it has become one of my favorite layouts.

wish me luck! :)