Week Two

Sucks. I mean, its getting better but it kind of sucks still. My shins have decided to rebel against the torture of movement and I've been icing them in the evenings (when I think about it). Its getting better and I think we'll be ok to move on to week three next week.

Dustin is enjoying it. At least he claims he is but we really do feel better after working out in the mornings. I don't like getting up at 4:45 but its way easier to do it first thing in the morning then to let it hang over our heads all day.

Some friends are running the Wasatch Back Relay in Logan today and tomorrow and were asking about people willing to run it next year. 180 miles over two days...I think they are nuts but I'm also kind of tempted. Not tempted enough to actually sign up and fork over money but the idea is appealling. Don't worry, the temporary insanity will pass!

Can't wait to see the in-laws in Bear Lake next weekend!

Tooth Fairy

Alex lost his first tooth tonight. Well, he didn't so much as lose it as I yanked it out after listening to him complain about how much it hurt to eat the grilled sandwiches and tomato soup I made for dinner.

It had been a little wiggly for months but it decided today was the day it was going to make a break for it and go all out. It wiggled and giggled for a few hours until we had dinner and then I promised Alex a fudgcicle if he'd let me pull it out.

A few harder wiggles, a few little pulls and out it came! We put it into a small bowl to be rinsed off and he spent the next ten minutes asking how much the tooth fairy will give him for it. I told him fifty cents for a front tooth was about right. He wanted fifty dollars to get a new Wii game. That's grandpa's territory.

All night he did that thing with the tongue when you've lost a tooth...carefully exploring the open territory and tasting the tangy hint of blood on the hole. I asked if he was the last kid in his kindergarten class to lose a tooth and he immediately said yes. Just in time for his friend's birthday party on Saturday! A brand new hole to show off...what every kid wants!

Couch to 5K!

We've decided to start a Couch to 5K running program to get into shape. For motivation, there is a Police and Fire department 10k, 5k and 1 mile walk in August. 10 weeks after we start our 9 week program. Running in the summer in Las Vegas doesn't sound like very much fun with I'm planning on using the weightroom treadmill for two runs/week and then running outside for the third one.

Week One: Up at 4:43. Dustin had to be at the airport by 6am and I have to be at work by 7 with a stop at my parents to fill out some paperwork for the summer daycare program Alex is enrolled in. After a few minutes of relishing the warm bed, we drag ourselves up and change into our workout clothes. Because we have 25 minutes to do a 30 minute workout, we decide to cut the last few run/walk combos out and have an extended cooldown. I never realized there was a hill by the apartment but there is and it bites. Just small enough to not look like one until you run and your thighs are killing you.

All in all, it went pretty good. Now I don't have to worry about working out tonight and I feel good, if sore, for the rest of the day. And running tends to supress my appetite so it takes me longer to feel hungry and I eat less. I'm back to Weight Watchers again (and by default, so is Dustin) and already down 3 lbs! Woohoo!!!!!

If we're feeling brave, we might post before and after pictures. Depends on how amazing the after ones are!

Check back here for more on our training! Anyone that wants to join us can find the training podcasts here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml and http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/podcasts/podcasts.html

Sorry I don't know how to do those cool hyperlinks.

School's out!

My little guy has kindgergarten graduation tomorrow which leads me to think that there seem to be a lot of graduations lately. Kindergarten, elementary, junior high and high school all seem to have their own graduations. But is moving from kindergarten to first grade REALLY that big of a deal? And the transition from fifth grade to sixth? I don't remember having anything but a high school graduation. Are our standards just a tad low to celebrate the natural educational movement from eighth grade to nineth?

Anyway, school. That means summer is here and we are lucky enough to have Alex for over half of the summer so that leads to things like camping trips!

I love camping. Only for a few days and in a campsite with some kind of running water but I really enjoy it. Over the last year, we've accumulated quite the collection of sleeping bags, a tent, air mattress, stove, camping pots/pans, lanterns, flashlights and my favorite, a shower. Our most recent addition is a nice enclosure for the shower so there is the hope of being able to get clean in a place where it seems your hands are still dirty even after using soap and scrubbing.

But the best part? Camp food. Dutch oven cake and roasted marshmallows, coal baked barbeque chicken, hash browns by sunrise. Everything tastes better in the wide open spaces. Plus the mountain air is much cooler than down in the valley so its a nice break from the summer heat.

Alex will be travelling with his grandparents to visit family so we were thinking it might be a good weekend to kickstart the summer season with a short camping trip. Scope out easy trails for a trip with Alex later in the summer and spend some time with nature.

Sounds great, doesn't it?!