Trunk or Treat Fun

We had so much fun at our ward's Trunk or Treat on Saturday. It was nice and warm and Nate wore his costume the entire time! Gasp! Needless to say I was shocked! Nate thought it was so funny to see his friends all dressed up, especially girlfriend Hallie (or as Nate calls her Hayee) We just love that cute little bug! And yes, Nate does have a different sucker in every picture... it's Halloween, why not let the kid go nuts! I swear for 3 days all I have heard is "cucka, cucka" begging for another dang sucker! I guess it is a nice break from him begging for the car keys!

Well worth it!

Today Nate and I went to surprise Chris at school in his carrel (private study desk) but when we got there he wasn't there! I was kinda glad because I wanted to put up pictures of Nate and one that he colored "for dad". Right when we finished our decorating Chris called and said he was out front so we met up with him. Back story- Nate knows that the law school and Chris go together so when we parked out front (in 15 min parking) he started to say "dadadadadada". So I planned to leave after we decorated the carrel, but Nate knew dad was there somewhere. When we did find Chris, I didn't have the heart to make him leave as he was so excited. We ended up staying for a while and playing out on the front yard.... completely forgetting that I parked in 15 min parking.... so I got a ticket! But I decided it was worth it. If someone said to me, you can go see Chris right now and he can play with Nate for a while, for$15 I would do it! So "ha" University of Iowa parking patrol! I will take that ticket gladly!

My Little Pumpkin!

Typically I love fall.... but I am having a hard time finding fall this year! We went to the pumkin farm on Friday thinking it would be really busy Saturday and it was so cold! Then Saturday was shorts weather! Oh well... we still had a great time! Nate loved carrying his pumpkin around that he picked out himself- I think it was the first pumkin he tried to pick up that he could actually lift off the ground. We just love having Grandma Trudy near by to share all these memories with. I forgot my camera- I have not been taking it anywhere hence lack of blog posts lately- so these were taken with Trudy's cell phone. I am surprised how well they turned out! Especially since it was really hard to see what I was taking a picture of since the screen is so small. I love the one of Chris and Nate up above. Check out that dimple! I hope he never loses it!

My latest love

I finally joined you all and read the Twlight series (thanks for the books Kim and Sarah). I have to tell you, I had to make myself go to bed at 2 or 3 in the morning. I couldn't put them down- I finished each book in about a day and couldn't wait for the next one. So, I want to know all of you who have read them, Stephanie Meyer said that she is going to write this story in another point of view, a parallel series. Since the last chapter was written in Jacob's p.o.v. do you think that the next series will follow him? I am sorry but gag. No thanks. Who would you want the series to follow? I know the book due out next fall- Breaking Dawn will finish the Twilight series. I think/hope that will still be in Bella's p.o.v. and I know she wrote Midnight Sun from Edward's p.o.v. but she isn't going to write more than that book... I thought.

Family Love

10 of the people in this picture ran the marathon. For 2 of my uncles it was their 10th year doing so. My mom is in the middle in red, Erica is behind my mom to the right of her in blue and I am to the left of her in navy. My mom had t-shirts made (the baby blue ones that say OTTCREW on them that Gma Jo has on to the left). All of the non-runners were just there to cheer us in. I just have to say I love my family. If it wasn't for them, I would have never done it. I had never thought about running a marathon until my mom ran it last year. I am so glad that my SIL Erica and cousin Annie (next to my mom on the right) were there to take the plunge for the first time. It helped not being the only first timer! It was such an amazing experience, and to share it with so many family members was priceless. Love you! See you again in 2009!

26.2 Miles of Memories

We returned from our marathon trip to Utah and I am feeling a bit lost. For the last few months I have thought about the marathon every day... and now it's over! A bit sad.... It was a great first marathon. I originally was going to go for my Boston Qualifying time of 3:40, but after I got sick a few weeks out from the marathon and was unable to run for 10 days, I knew that I needed to reevaluate things and set my goal on 4hrs. I did it! I came in just under 4. I broke the cardinal rule of running and used up a lot of energy early on- I didn't realize I was doing this, I felt like I was running my typical speed, but I was passing a lot of people... around mile 18 I ran out of gas, and they all passed me! I guess my adrenalin ran out! I didn't take my gu/ sport beans- they just made me feel sick so I only took 1/2 pack of sport beans, which probably wasn't the best for my energy level.... I can at least say that I have learned a lot for my next marathon. Yes, you read correctly, I do plan to run another one. I can't help it, it is really tempting to improve my time because I know I could easily. My next marathon I want to go all the way- try to train in all aspects, not just running. I want to eat right (sorry girls, no more fondue nights at my house right before the marathon), lift so weights, do crunches, etc. It is really nice to have a goal, to have a dream.




HIGHLIGHTS:



-Laying in bed with Erica (my SIL who also ran) the night before giggling because we were so excited
- Getting completely dressed in our gear the night before with Erica and then running up to my aunt, uncle and mom's room fully dressed to run the marathon with gloves and all- it gave everyone who saw a good laugh. We said we were going to sleep in it (photo to come!)
-The 40 min bus ride out of the city to the starting spot..... you can feel the excitement in the air
-the pre-race hang out by the bonfires and portapotties... being there with my mom, aunts and uncles, cousins and SIL
-starting the race with Erica and running the first few miles with her then hugging goodbye while running!
-reading all of the signs along the way: THERE WAS ONE SIGN THAT SAID "DON'T FORGET TO DRAFT. WHERE IS KEVIN?" it was at mile 22 I think, and if I could have laughed, I would have... I think I tried to laugh....
-reading all the signs that said, "mom you're my hero" written by little kids
- giving high-fives to all the little kids that stand next to the side of the road and feeling like a rock star
-reaching the top of Veo (very long- couple miles- hill)
-running past my family as they cheered and I got to see Nate and know he was okay
-crossing the finish line.... unforgettably overwhelming, emotional moment.
- being there to cheer on the rest of my family


My cousins took a bunch of photos, but I only took one. It is of me and Erica right after she finished. She is even gorgeous right after running for 4+ hrs! What a stinker! I love you Erica! Thanks for all the memories.