Friday, April 30, 2010

Run, Forrest, Run!


Perhaps you remember this line from Forrest Gump: "Run, Forrest, Run!" And Forrest takes off down the road and finds out that he is a speed demon and he runs and runs and runs.

That scene was running through my mind this week when my kids and I all ran a 5K. Not that I discovered I was a speed demon, but I was thinking, "Run, Kris, Run!" when my body was saying, "Stop, Kris, Stop!"

I haven't run (or even exercised) since school started last August. To say that I have been too busy is an understatement. So when Katie decided she wanted to run the 5K and she needed someone to go with her, I offered to do so with some trepidation. But hey, I thought, I ran for a good part of last year, I can do this.

All I can say is that it's a good thing Katie and her friends wanted to walk as much of the race as they ran. I needed the breaks as much as they did.

But we all made it, and we discovered that Alissa is a long-distance runner. She ran the whole thing in 28 minutes! Josh cruised (basketball & soccer have kept him shape) at 21 minutes. Jenna said that she was just relaxing and came in at 33 minutes and Kellie, who came in at 38 minutes declares that she's really a sprinter. Katie came in at 45 minutes and me, well, I'll take my 47 minutes and blame it on the two third graders I was responsible for who refused to run any more the last half mile of the run.

They needed me to protect them, right?

Note on my photo: I have been watching a lot of triathlons on TV lately and lots of them raise their arms triumphantly when they cross the finish line...so I did.

*Thanks to my journalism student, Muzna, for taking these great pics.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Victoria and Sweet Potato French Fries


I love how the Lord shows He's interested in all the little details of your life.

I had a student, a really fabulous student named Victoria who I just adore. She has had an amazing first year at BYU and is heading to London on study abroad next week.

For the last couple of weeks, I've wanted to see her, to say "hi" and give her a hug and tell her how proud I am of her. It's seriously been on my mind, so much so that I actually thought about asking her mom to bring her by the school so that I could see her.

But I didn't say anything. Because it seemed silly.

So instead, I went about my days and on the way to pick up Alissa from a friend's house, I had the thought, "You ought to stop by Guru's and get sweet potato french fries." No matter that I already had dinner waiting for me at home. No matter that sweet potato french fries are not on my current list of diet options.

But I listened, and got into the very long line at Guru's and lo and behold, who should walk by me but...Victoria.

I was so thrilled to see her and gave her that big hug and "hi" I'd been hoping to and well, it was just incredibly cool.

Afterwards, I was a little stunned, because you see, He cares about all the things in my life. The big ones and the scary ones and the overwhelming ones and the important ones and even the ones that aren't that big a deal at all.

And He throws in sweet potato french fries just to sweeten the experience.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Meet the Neighbors

Funny things happen when you go door-to-door asking for sponsors. Here's a few stories from Katie and Alissa as they have been getting sponsors for a 5K run they are in this week:

Katie: "Hello - I am going to be running a 5K to raise money for my school."
Neighbor: "What school?"
Katie: "Meridian."
Neighbor: "What kind of a school is that-public, charter?"
Katie: "It's a private school."
Neighbor: (snotty tone) "I thought private schools were supposed to be rich."
Katie: "We're on a tight budget, sir."

Alissa: "Would you like to sponsor me in a run for my school?"
Neighbor: "What kind of a school is it?"
Alissa: "It's a private school."
Neighbor: "Well, seeing as how yesterday was tax day and I have to pay taxes to support the public schools, I don't have any money to pay to private schools."
[door closes in her face]

Alissa knocks on the door.
Door opens.
Person takes a look at envelope in her hands and says,"We don't want to buy anything." Door closes.
Alissa to closed door, "I'm not selling anything."

And finally, a good one:
Alissa: "I am running in a 5K to raise money for my school."
Nice Lady: "What kind of a school?"
Alissa: "It's a private school."
Nice Lady: "Oh, I went to a private school. It was wonderful! What grade are you in?"
Alissa: "5th grade."
Nice Lady: "Oh, I loved fifth grade! What things are you studying?"
[Conversation continues sharing what they're learning and experiences.]
Nice Lady: "Well, here's $20 for your school, and I'll bet you're thirsty. Would you like a drink?"
[Nice Lady gives Capri Sun to Alissa]
Alissa: "Thank you."
Nice Lady: "Good luck!"

Thank you, Nice Lady, for being so good to my daughter and to all my neighbors who generously and graciously treated my girls so kindly.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Mom and Dad

It's really not fair to post this photo of my mom in her infamous blue robe, but I snagged this picture right before I left to come home from Arizona and it was early in the morning.

Mom and Dad....they have been the constants in my life. I cannot think of a single moment that they are not a part of, or at least the background to.

For them, family is everything, and I have a hard time explaining the strength that that gives me to go out into the world and try all kinds of things. I only know that I have tried to give that same feeling to my children hoping that they will feel the same empowerment.

When I worked in the hospital, one of the little old ladies I was caring for told me that her mother had recently passed away.

"I feel like an orphan," she said.

I must have given her a funny look (because she was 80+ and I was thinking she was too old to be an orphan) and she said, "No matter how old you are when you lose your parents, you feel like an orphan."

It's true. And I hope I won't know that feeling myself for a long time.

Love you, Mom and Dad.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Mystery and Eternity

We paid a visit to the Mystery Castle.

I was a little nervous because I had read two opposing reviews of it online. The first said it was the most interesting and favorite part of their trip. The second said it was creepy and unnerving and they would never take small children.

Hmmm....well, my children aren't that small, and this place is an Arizona landmark, and I read about it in a book and I wanted to see it, so off we went.

My girls were positive I was lost. First I went down Baseline, but then I thought, "No, I should get on a freeway (there are so many here to choose from), but after traveling south for awhile when I should have been going west, I turned around and came back to where I started from. Then we went west, but when we got to a key turning point, the road wasn't there, so we went east, all the way back to where we started from, again.

Finally, I called my mom and she said, "Go west. Go way west." So we did, and we found it.

It was not creepy. It was interesting and thought-provoking and it stirred the imagination. I wondered what my girls were thinking because they were very quiet. Afterwards, they could tell me every word that the tour guides said, so they were definitely paying attention. You can read about the castle here.

I bought everyone a soda to reward them for being patient with me while I drove back and forth along Baseline and then I said, "Let's go walk around the temple grounds."

I love the Arizona temple. It brings so many good memories to mind. Plus, it is gorgeous there right now and we got to see a bride and it smelled like orange blossoms.

We listened to the presentation on Jesus and sat and watched the water in the fountain and I asked Jenna why she was being a shlumpy teenager.

She said she wasn't and that shlumpy wasn't even a real word.

I said it was because I was using it and she knew exactly what I meant when I said it.

She rolled her eyes at me.

I chuckled and thought, "I'm so glad she's mine forever."

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

What an adventure!

We wanted to hike and we wanted to see cliff dwellings, so our plan for today was to go to Tonto National Monument.

I got the directions off their website, but was open to suggestions, so when my dad showed me his atlas and said, "Hey, this road is a shortcut," I responded, "Let's do it."

And thus began our adventure.

We were traveling on the Apache Trail going east from Mesa past three lakes: Canyon, Apache, and Roosevelt. As we drove along the very windy road, my parents kept saying things like, "I remember going on this road with my parents. It scared me to death." Why, you ask? Well, because for over 22 miles it is an almost one-lane dirt road through mountainous switchbacks. Not for the faint of heart (SEE 1st PICTURE).

My sister-in-law, Marne, who was following us in her minivan was scared out of her wits. We were up high on the rocks with sheer drops and blind turns. Apparently, she kept saying, "We're going to die!" Alissa, bless her faithful heart, answered repeatedly, "No, we're not." You always need someone to believe in you.

At one point, I thanked my dad for the great adventure. I told him I had looked online for a Jeep tour that would take us into the back country, but it was expensive ($45/person), so I'd ruled it out. Imagine my delight when we actually passed one of the Jeeps from the tour company parked at a scenic view area along the route. My dad saved me $225!

We went through washes and bumped along the road and saw beautiful scenery and finally made it to the Roosevelt Dam which is a piece of nostalgia for me (SEE 2nd PICTURE). My dad drove along the dam for many years as part of his mail route and my brothers and I would frequently accompany him. I'm telling you, that road to the dam and over it is downright scary and I have had many childhood nightmares about the dam breaking. The old dam is actually under water now because they built a new, higher one near it and let the water build up and cover the old one, but we could still see part of the road he used to drive on (SEE 3rd PICTURE).

Finally, we got to Tonto National Monument (an hour later than it took us to return home along the route I'd originally chosen) and after soothing our nerves with much repeated berating of Dad and laughter at our fear, we enjoyed the hike up to the cliff dwellings and the food we'd packed (especially the graham crackers covered in frosting). A great day!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Sun and the Scent of Orange Blossoms

Today I wore shorts for the first time in almost 6 months. I also wore flip-flops. And short sleeves. With no jacket. It was glorious.

Arizona springs are a balm to the soul. When we arrived last night and got out of the car, the light breeze sent the smell of orange blossoms flooding over us. I inhaled deeply and thought, "ahhhh."

I have lived in Utah for 22 years, and while I love the beauty of the mountains and the beautiful trees, there is nothing like the green of an Arizona desert in spring and that orange blossom scent.

The girls and I visited the Casa Grande Ruins; we were hoping for a hike so we could be outdoors for awhile. We didn't get to hike, but we did get to wander around an ancient dwelling and hypothesize about its purpose (our best guess came from Jenna: a temple or religious building of some sort). We also saw a snake (a real one - it brought excitement from all the folks in the area) and Alissa's wish came true. She said all she wanted to see was a cactus with flowers on it. We found one at the end of our visit. Then we went to Jack-In-The-Box and ordered 15 tacos and made Katie's dreams come true by going to Bahama Buck's for shaved ice.

Bless you, Arizona, for a beautiful day, and for smelling like orange blossoms again tonight.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Waiting

When I woke up to snow this morning, my first thought was, "I'm still waiting for spring."

I refused to wear a coat even though it was 32 degrees and I could see my breath. "I'm waiting for spring," I said and so I only wore a sweater. Fortunately, I also have a space heater by my desk which has been spouting lovely, warm, spring-type air all day. The space heater helps me to cheerfully (well, almost cheerfully) endure the wait.

Waiting seems to be a significant part of life, much more so than I realized.

So it seems important to figure out the things that help make the waiting bearable, maybe even character-building. Like Disneyland: they are pros at managing the "wait" - have you ever seen happier masses of people standing in long lines for hours at a time to go on a 2-minute ride?

This month I have been waiting to see if the school I love will raise the funds it needs to survive. It has been painful, like being slowly stretched on a medieval torture rack. Things that have helped me endure the wait: prayer, fasting, prayer, positive thoughts, prayer, Cadbury chocolate eggs, prayer, work, and did I mention prayer?

I can honestly say that my character and my faith have grown immensely, along with my gratitude for all the good in my life. I've especially learned to appreciate each moment, but I have to admit, I'm feeling a little haggard.

Gratefully, this wait will be over tomorrow - sometimes just knowing, whether it's good or bad, is easier than waiting.

And the sun just peeped out of the clouds, so maybe the wait for spring will be over soon, too.