Pumpkin Recipes!

I know you are all on the floor in shock! 3 blogs postings in 3 days! Pearl-Ann my famous Storytelling cousin and one of my most favorite people in the whole world! She is also the most fantastic cook! Yesterday I was bragging about my new pumpkin recipes and I thought I would share it with you!

Ok I don't know how to do it sorry it won't allow me to copy and paste. If you would like them send me your e-mail. They include Pumpkin soup, pumpkin butter, gingersnaps and pumpkin dip and pumpkin scones! Yummy!

My Hunk of Burning Love!

14 Years baby! Happy Anniversary, it has truly been a wild ride.

My Handsome manly man taught me how to love quading!

Not so manly here....Stealing my clothes. We don't talk about this day. If you don't know about it. Don't ask, I do have video that I could add from the ward talent night!

You are always such a good sport..Honey bunny

I knew your family traditions were weird! My little pillow head.

You are such a good example to your daughter (usually this picture isn't a great example :0). She wants to be just like you!

This Antique carnival machine said we kissed like a cold clammy couple! What does it know. You still make my blood pressure raise each time you kiss me!

I love you babe, I am the luckiest girl in the world!

My Beautiful Mother.

Today is a sad day for me. 8 years ago my mother passed away. The pain has definitely faded and life does go on. I remember so many things from that day. In May of that year for mothers day she came to Medicine Hat and had her first pedicure (my gift). After her pedicure her legs started to swell...it was the beginning of the end. She continued to not feel well all summer. I didn't realize the seriousness of it until I went to visit her on the Sept. long weekend. I was shocked at her appearance and went with her to her Doctor demanding to get things done. She was scheduled for tests but had to wait 6 months still. I remember crying in the doctors office demanding that he get her in to the hospital. My mother was always so kind and never demanded things she needed me to get her help. She was put into the hospital that Tuesday and never got out.

I don't think anyone believed that she would die. I know that I didn't realize that would be the outcome. The day she died was conference weekend and I was busy trying to feed a house full of guests. I was definitely being a Martha instead of a Mary. It had been a very difficult 6 weeks with having a small child and a very sick mom in Lethbridge it was wearing on me. I wish, if I could change anything, I would have been with her when she died instead of doing things that didn't really matter.

We received a phone call to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Sean drove like a madman reaching 180 trying to get me there on time. I ran in and it was to late she was gone. Later when we were leaving the hospital I remember being absolutely shocked that life went on for others. We passed doctors and nurses laughing with each other, people eating, mothers comforting sick children in the ER. It was like a fog and I couldn't understand how the world did not stop at the death of the greatest woman I know.

I miss you mom. I am so grateful for all you have done for me. My mother is an amazing women. She really had it all together. I know that she had gone ahead and is preparing our place. She was a little like you Joanne, super organized! Never a dust particle would dare land in her house! The thing that makes me the most sad is that she never really got to see what a great girl my London is turning out to be!

We are planning to go to the temple on Friday and in planning London said how much she would like to go again. That made me so proud that she has a desire to be worthy and make the effort to go. I am grateful for the temple ordinances that seal us all together! How blessed I am to have this knowledge.

I can't post pictures of my mom as I don't have any digital ones and my scanner is out of commission. Just know she was beautiful inside and out!

Triathlon Summer....Finally a new post.

Well you know you have had a great summer when.....you don't blog for 3 months. I know I have a lot of catching up to do!
This summer was one to remember. To take on a triathlon 2 years ago would have been impossible. This summer I did not just one but two!

Here are the promised pictures from Vulcan





Pre-race time. I am braiding my hair in the truck and stressing out. I was trying not to throw up. I cried and wanted to quit even before the race. Thank goodness for Sean telling me I could do it! Look at that stroke! I am glad I am in the water and you can't see the cellulite..Yuck

Here I am going from the swim to the bike! It was FREEZING!!! Anyone who knows me knows I hate being cold...brrrr. It was only 2 degrees and let me remind you this is JUNE! On the day I got snowed on and rained on then at the end the sun broke out a bit! I had to totally get new clothes because I planned on wearing shorts. I ended up wearing long pants, a wick away shirt, and two jackets and a toque! Yes... a toque in JUNE with gloves. There were supposed to be 1000 people there but because of the weather only about 400 showed up. I didn't even consider not going because I had trained for this since January.



The swim was great because it was warm...very cold getting out. The bike was straight down a highway out of town up a gradual hill the whole way out. The wind was howling but I just kept plugging away. Just before the turn to come back was a big hill and at the top of the hill you turned. I was excited for the break. I was going to coast down the hill and was counting on it being easier going back as it was down hill most of the way. Let me tell you... no word of a lie, when I turned around the wind blasted me so hard that I had to pedal harder down hill than I did going up. Just then it started to pelt hail in my face as well. I had to bike with my head way down so most of the hail hit my helmet. It was the hardest bike ever!




Here I am bundled up and this tasty treat did it in a speedo (GAG) Let me tell you he made my time longer as I slowed down when he passed me! I was so happy to get to the finish line. I cried...then I almost vomited! It was an awesome experience and I can't wait to do it again next year with London and Sean. I also wanted to say I couldn't have done it without Gail Surmik. She did the triathlon too and gave me lots of hints, cheered and lent me her flip flops for the pool!

NEXT....Seattle Triathlon.


Back in Feb/March when I was registering for all the triathlons, I asked Amy Mossey if she would like to do one with me. She felt she wouldn't be ready for Vulcan so we started looking around for others. Well, it is almost impossible to find any on a Saturday. They are all on Sundays, which is so frustrating! So I thought I will look in Utah. They will have them on Saturdays. Sure enough, I found lots in the states and we ended up picking Federation Way Seattle. We planned our whole vacation around it and started training.

Nice butt picture! I was fixing my bathing suit!




This picture of Amy and me shattered my world. I discovered although I have lost a lot of weight I am still huge! Especially if you compare me to Amy! Yikes..I still have a long way to go.




Finally finished! No, not the pictures the race. It was hard I was so tired at this point.

London, Adam and Jarom did a kids triathlon the same day! I am so proud of her. She had been terribly sick with a cold from the beginning of our vacation. She wanted to still try and she did amazing! Her dad did the biking and running with her which turned out good as they stopped directing traffic by the time they went and some kids got lost (poor Jarom did part of the adult bike route)

It was a beautiful route but quite hilly. It seemed you would just go down one hill to start another. If you look around Brooks...I challenge you to find a hill. You see it is flat and so we trained for flat but I think we did remarkably well. We were even on the swim, I am a stronger biker and pulled Amy along but she is a much stronger runner so then she pulled me along so it ended up really even. It was so nice to train and do it with friends. Tyler also did it but was super fast so we only saw him at the beginning and the end!

The worst part was that we were late. Yes, we travelled all that way and through slowness getting going, getting gas and bad traffic we missed the start! When we finally pulled up we heard the starting gun blast and we still had to unload bikes and get undressed and make our way to the course! Luckily we still got to go anyway but we were behind. That really threw me off...I wanted to quit but as we got swimming in the lake my confidence grew when we started passing people that started several minutes before us. The swim was awesome! The water was coppery so it was really red and tasted kind of like blood but it was warm and calm. I beat my time of 9:50 in the pool and did it in 9:44 which I thought was awesome! We don't really have a time because our time started before we got there but I started my watch at the beginning and we did it in about 1:35 which is great as it was 7 km longer than my Vulcan one. It was hot in Seattle. They broke records while we were there... over 100 degrees. I think it was about 94 when we did the tri-so it was hot!

Can't wait to see what next summer brings!

1:33:33 woohoo!

1:33:33 my unofficial time!

Well I am home I did it. Over 1050 people registered not even half showed up because of the horrible weather. If you want to know what it is like to run a triathlon in all seasons ask. I was snowed on, blown on, rained on and yes for the last 10 minutes of the run the sun came out...kind of.

I feel great and strong!!! a year and a half ago I could barely huff and puff up stairs today I swam 500 meters, biked 15 km (with wind blowing and throwing hard hail like snow and rain in my face! BRR the bike was the worst part...never have I worked so hard) finishing with a 5km run. I cried at the finish line...I wish my mom could have seen maybe she did? Sean is my hero standing out in all of it cheering me on. I love you honey. I have some good pictures I will post them soon.

I am off to the tub to warm up my frozen body!

T-Day....Vulcan here I come!

Well to say I am stressed is an understatement. I have an upset tummy because of all those dang butterflies flapping around! Today is the day I have been training for since January. I have worked hard trained 5 days a week yet I still feel lacking. I didn't prepare for rain/snow to run bike and swim in an outdoor pool!!

Yesterday I went and bought new running clothes that were long and warm instead of short and cool. I wish I had more confidence in how I would do I have always had a fear of the unknown. I don't quite know what to expect.

Well wish me luck and send a prayer heavenward at 2:20 that the sky's will break and the sun will come out...or at least it won't rain and wearing a toque running won't slow me down!!!!

Pictures and any horror stories to follow :0)

Showing off!

May and June are such busy months as we all add gardening to our already long list of daily chores. Gardening is my favorite part of spring/summer I just wish I had more time. Why is it that weeds grow 3x faster than anything else?

When we were in Utah we found this awesome planter bike thingy. I have wanted one forever but they are like over $300 here. Well lucky for me we brought the truck and I was able to convince Sean it was a necessity. We found it for half that price Yippee! So here are some of my planters I wanted to show off. I hope they flourish!