Dad

My dad passed away this last Sunday, June 21 - Fathers Day. It's been a bittersweet week, everything feeling very surreal and passing through periods of heartache and happiness. I feel so much gratitude for the plan of salvation, knowing the seperation from him is temporary and that we are an eternal family.

I gave the life sketch at his funeral and feel so blessed to be apart of the legacy he left behind and pay tribute to his life of service and unselfishness. I love you Dad.

Running

Before I got pregnant with Kellen I had just started running. I fell in love with it and completed my first 5 and 10k's with my eye on the big 26 miler. But all came to a stop when I got pregnant. Well I've begun running again post pregnancy and literally have had to start from scratch. I'm making some progress though, slow but sure. And the past week the running conditions in Vegas have been perfect. So since no one is reading my blog these days, I thought I'd just run amuck and describe my ideal running environment, which to my great satisfaction have been possible the last few days.

Going to bed and 11 and waking from my uninterrupted sleep ready to run by 7. I pop some peppermint gum into my mouth and step outside into the low 70's. There is a light cloud coverage, not overcast, but blocking the burning hot rays of the sun. A light almost tropcial breeze is blowing, just enough that the palm trees swaying can almost convince you that the ocean will appear over the next hill. My ipod is shuffling through my workout playlist and landing on only my very favorite songs. I'm not following any premeditated route but running as far and as long as my body will keep going. My breathing is even and my mind is clear. The sweat lightly rolls from my forehead, just enough to coat my lips with a salty cover like sea water. When I finally round the corner onto Amulet St. my running slows and I know I'll be able to handle anything the day brings.

By the way, this little device has completly changed my running. I highly recomend it.

Summer

I keep waiting for some big event to blog about, but it seems (as made obvious by my last post)that my life is made up of a series of teeny tiny less eventful things. So as the summer is underway and I have my kids home all day here is a list of a few things I have discovered so far.

1. I will never be caught up on laundry.

2. Kellen is deathly afraid of my hair dryer.

3. That 3 miles under the hot Las Vegas Sun is too far for a 4 year old to walk.

4. I will never be caught up on Sleep.

5. To keep the girls swim suits in the car at all times.

6. It IS possible for Zoey's obsession with Miley Cyrus to get bigger.

7. The weeds don't pull themselves.

8. There are few things more satsifiying or tasty as eating my own homemade bread covered in homemade jam.

9. After going camping with kids in the rain, it is not possible to get rid of all the mud stained in our clothes.

10. That I'm so excited to go to Hawaii in July, I don't know if I'll be able to wait the 40 days, 10 hours and 30 minutes untill we go.

Pesky Bug

Is it just me or have flies evolved and suddenly become smarter? I sware they hangout by the door and the second it opens, no matter how quick you are, 5 flies slip inside your house. And the next level of their evolution is they never land! They swarm past your head, circle over your food taunting you, but never land long enough to swat them. And if they do tire themselves out with the endless taunts they seem to always land just high enough on the wall that you can't reach them. But I will take it no longer, war has been declared against these little buggers!

Ode to Redrock

Oh Red Rock! How do I love thee, let me count the ways....hiking and repelling, horseback riding and climbing, beautiful blue skies and scorching hot sun, wildflowers and wild donkeys But why oh why do I have to drive your 13 mile oneway road, 10 miles per hour past ancient gamblers and European tourists to find all your treasures.

Star Trek

Is anyone else exccited about the upcoming Star Trek prequel? Maybe its a bit nerdy. I just got a telescope and am improving in the astronomy department. Next anyone sees Zoey or Livvy you should ask them to tell you what the holes in the moon are called (craters).

Apparently, the Star Trek prequel has someone going back in time which affects the future. But wouldn't it be that when the time traveler stepped into the time machine to go back in time that he would have already known what he did because it had already happened?

Again, maybe its a bit nerdy but I like it.

JGW

Life in the Desert

I love living in the Las Vegas. Yes it is known to the world as, "sin city" but out where we live, this doesn't affect us. We get to take advantage of great restaurants and entertainment if we want to, but most of the time we are very oblivious to what goes down on the strip.
Mainly, I love the desert. I love the bright sun and blue sky that are abundant most of the year. I love being surrounded on all sides by desert. I love being able to drive 15 minutes from our house and be completley alone, no cars, or houses, or streetlights and discover what is there when the roads end....the red dirt and rocks and cactus. I love the paradox of the desert. How at first glance it appears lifeless but there is actually so much life that exists. I love beautiful, obvious scenery; I'd take a sunset on the North Shore of Hawaii any day of the week, but there is something undescribable about having to explore and search and discover the beauty in the desert. It somehow ends up meaning more. Edward Abbey, writes some pretty crazy stuff, but I love his book, Desert Solitaire. He loved the desert too. I agree with him that too many people drive through the desert and think there is nothing there. But if you got out of the car, and to quote him, "walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail you'll see something"
This year we decided to plant a garden. It takes a little extra loving to grow vegetables in this soil but it's starting to pay off. Here are some of our results.

ZucchiniGreen Peppers
And I can't wait for these little guys to turn red. Yum!!