Never, ever give up...

That is the lesson I learned this weekend. Not exactly the lesson I was going for. I was hoping to learn the, "If you work really hard, you will reach your goals" lesson. Things don't always turn out as planned, even with all the good luck wishes from my sweet kiddos and friends. In case you couldn't tell I am talking about the Salt Lake Marathon. I was not able to qualify for Boston, but I was able to prove to myself that I can stick with something even when I want to quit. I also was able to cross the finish line with one of my best friends and beat my best marathon time by 3 minutes.

In spite of this little disappointment, we had a fantastic weekend with family and friends. What a special time to share with Jeff's parents as they are preparing to leave on a mission. It was wonderful to be with the whole family. My sister Shelly was kind enough to spend the day with me and then watch my kids so that Jeff and I could go to the temple with all of his brothers and sisters and their spouses and his parents. It was a very special experience. Thanks, Shelly.

Before the marathon, we had a pre-race party with the awesome women from our blog. How fun to finally meet many of them and hear their stories. So inspiring! One of my favorite teachers from high school flew into town to run the first few miles of the marathon with me. It was very cool! One of my great friends met me a few places along the course and that meant so much to me, especially when things were going tough. At the finish line, Shelly surprised me with bringing along one of my best friends from high school , Amy. (Shelly I need to get some of the pics from you!!)





I would like to update more, but it is TV turnoff week, and that means the computer. So, here are a few pics for now and I will see you in a week!!


What a beautiful, wonderful family I was lucky enough to marry into. I love all of them! We will miss you Grandma Di and Grandpa Mel!