i could not resist pulling out some pics from back in the day. way too funny and classic.....
...to present day!
...19 yrs and counting! wow! have we known each other THAT long?!?
...being the only one who is eating dessert...lol
...the birthday cake
...the dance off
xoxoxox to the sun and the pool and the tan but more importantly xoxoxoxo to my 2 little mingrats who i would die and be miserable without. i love you. forever. undying. no matter what.
dear basketball,
yep. this is a sneak peak of what i will be experiencing in exactly one week. the fear of not knowing exactly what to expect has set in but the excitement of being able to serve the people of peru is what i really can't wait for! i know it sounds so cliche but this humanitarian "mini" mission is a dream come true. the ability to do something that i have always wanted to do. the joy that i will receive in the "helping" i will be doing, will never be replacable. i can't wait...but i'm nervous at the same time.
anyway...welcome to my humble abode and you won't hear any complaints from me. it's better than being cramped in the back of an extended cab truck like a was last weekend!?! (ragnar...lol)
stay tuned for the rest of the million pics that i will be taking but now you know what i'll be getting ready for next week. waaaaahoooooo!!!
don't you just LOVE my water bottle? it's called "fred" water and yes. it looks exactly like a flask. lol. way too perfect....
lol. yes. the "m'arms"...
...and i could not have endured a race without seeing a few of my fellow girls...tara and sara!?! photo shoot anyone? lol and i don't want to hear any more comments bout this! the looks we were getting weeeere enough...!
our home for almost 29 hrs. yeah. lol....
bryan reaching the summit and lets just say that i feel bad for the teams who did not get to experience this sight in the sunlight!? such the feeling of success....
yes. in my world a flashlight = a headlight. tim is the rigger-king!
jo...
wow. wow. what else can i say about our "ragnar wasatch back relay" experience?! it was awesome beyond awesome and one of the hardest things i've ever done. both a combination of mentally and physically. the best memories we made are the most random ones that only those who were lucky enough to be in our truck would get!?!
those of us who were following along in the truck were able to see some gorgeous scenery. i have lived here for how long and i even found some of the "hidden secret parts" of utah along the course...
bryan...
sara...
it is hard to see and when i get the actual picture cd, i will post more pics but tim rigged me up the best "headlights" ever. i have never been scared when riding, but this time i found myself feeling really nervous. it was pitch black and the lamp on my helmet was not helping at all. my hero, tim, taped a flashlight on my leg and i was set. but even then it was hard to see the shoulder and the road. if it was steep, a puddle, a pot hole, anything that would mess me up. plus the cars heading towards you did not help. i can totally see how dangerous it can get!
jo and i getting ready for day 2!?! i was so surprised that i was so tired and so sore. my brain would tell my arm muscles to work, to get me up into the truck, but the muscles were giving me a hell no! i can do 26.2, one start and one finish, no problem. with the legs that i was doing, the minute i'd get going, it would be time to stop, get cozy in the truck again, and wait for my turn again. just a new "hand-cycling" experience that i needed to experience...but it was still frustrating. anyway. it's all about learning, right? :)
tim...
jo...
and yours truly...ALL DONE with my legs!!! and so GLAD to be done! heheheWhen a car accident robbed Katie Terry of her ability to walk, she immediately started looking for ways to continue to maintain the active lifestyle she'd always enjoyed.
It took a few years, but eventually she discovered both her ability and her affection for hand cycling.
"Two years ago, I was the first hand-cycling participant in the St. George marathon," said the 33-year-old mother of two, who is now a member of the Utah Hand Cycle team. "It kind of lit a fire."
But even she admits participating in a race that tests her individual endurance and ability is totally different than participating in an event like the Ragnar Relay's Wasatch Back.
Which is where good friends come in. The relay is unique in that it brings the team concept to the sport of running, which is considered a solitary endeavor by most die-hards. And while runners have to navigate three different legs of the 188-mile course on their own, they don't do it without the support, encouragement and guidance of their 11 teammates.
Terry was a member of Jogger Nauts and was assigned to be runner No. 2, in part by race officials who had to make sure she didn't draw one of the legs that traversed mountain passes or trails.
She said her friends didn't hesitate to make accommodations for her hand cycle in the 24-hour race that packs six runners into two vans where they eat, sleep, sweat and laugh together while testing their physical limits.
"They're runners," she said. "My friends saw this as, 'You can totally do this.' "
She said she'd heard good things about the race and wanted to share in the unique experience. She also hopes others see her participation and find their own way to live an active lifestyle — without excuses.
She said after her accident, she witnessed the adjustment, including the doubt, that patients like herself had about their futures.
"No matter what the injury is, almost all of them feel like their life, like their active life is over," she said. "I've learned from other people and their experiences. It's good to pave the way for others, to show them what's possible. Life is not over. It's different. There are going to be new challenges."
The support of good friends and a great family, including her 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter (with whom she was pregnant when she was paralyzed from the waist down), make her want to push herself even more.
Terry was the only hand cyclist who participated this year, but she hopes to offer some suggestions to organizers about how to include others — including more handicapped accessible Port-a-Potties.
"I've done a number of marathons, and I've never been as sore and as exhausted as this," she said. "I think it was the stopping and starting, cramped in the car and not getting any sleep. But it was great. I had a lot of fun doing it. It was fun to see the reactions of people and fun to be the only hand cycle."
Not only that, she said, it lets others know it's an option.
"It is empowering to know with any trial, with any disability that you can do it," she said. "That if you don't, it's because you choose not to do it. Personally, it's empowering."
This year, the number of teams participating jumped from from about 650 to 1,050 — which meant nearly 13,000 runners. And despite a few glitches, the country’s largest relay was a success with organizers and runners.
"There are always improvement, but we're really happy with things," said co-founder Dan Hill. "It's like this year was the dream come true. Every other year was building to something. So much more we can do. It doesn't mean we're done. But this is the dream."
"It's just to be an example to my kids," she said. "I just want to be an example of hard work and dedication for my kids."
Nordic Track is the presenting sponsor of the race, and its corporate team turned in the fastest time on the 188-mile course that starts in Logan and ends in Park City. The Nordic Track Elite men's team finished the race in 18 hours and 26 minutes.
The country's largest relay was not without its glitches.
Many race participants complained about the parking congestion and difficulty in getting to the top of the Canyons Resort where the finish area was set up amid a carnival-like atmosphere that included free concerts and plenty of vendors.
"I think the finish was an improvement over last year, but we definitely have some things to work out," Hill said. For one, racers had to compete with the public for parking spots, and some missed the finish of their final runner.
yesterday afternoon, after a LONG and gloomy day, carter and i were in the front room just talking.
it became the new obsession and it took up lots of her free time....
next came the fox hole. i know. horses? rabbits? fox?
she kept digging and digging until she could fit/hide in her fox hole. when i asked her who she was hiding from, again she exhaled, smiled, and said "i'm trying to hide from coyotes, hunters, and gun people." lol...yeah.
i'd have to say that this afternoon was pretty funny. we were out watching carter playing some ball when she disappeared into the house for a minute. she came out with one of her blankets and quietly went over to "the forest". i just watched her, to see what she was doing. i love seeing what she'll do when she doesn't realize that anyone is looking....
lol...
and this is when i finally had to ask her what she was doing. "oh this is my hammock. my forest hammock for me to sit and think in."
and then it got even better. she is an explorer who is climbing to the top of the trees to see if there are any hyena's coming to the camp. yeah. she has been watching "the lion king" lately. can you tell?!? oh boy.
i know that i am constantly rolling my eyes at her and wondering where she and how she comes up with these things, but i would honestly much rather have her this way then completely boring and way too practical. hmmm and i wonder where she gets this weird and randomness from?!? lol...yeah. she's definitely her mothers daughter!
love you kin! aka "oooog"
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