Thanksgiving Turkey Trot

In the hopes of starting more healthy family traditions, I organized the first ever C. Family Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. It was a 2 mile run/walk on Thanksgiving morning. Jonathon and I marked out the course (on my parents quiet, country street), set up a water and food station, and had race bibs for everyone. It was such a fun way to get the family all together and get some great exercise before "overindulging" in Thanksgiving dinner. 

The weather was perfect! It was overcast, but the temperatures were mild and great for running. To add some fun and encouragement, we each put our own "slogan/reason for participating" on our race bibs. Some were funny and others were serious. It was a nice way to spend the morning. Hopefully, it will become a yearly tradition!

The Race Bibs

At the starting line...

 My Dad set up a hayride for the little kids to ride on while we ran/walked. Every time we would run by them, they would cheer. Andrew and Christian talked about the hayride for days.

 Daniel, Claire, and Hannah getting ready to run

 Cousins: Ben, Leah, and Granite

 Mom and Hannah crossing the finish line 

 Jonathon and Sarah finishing strong.... 

I haven't really been training since July, so I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to finish my own race. Luckily, my great husband encouraged me to keep going, and I was able to run the whole thing!

Aunt Diane, Aunt Teresa, and Christian finishing 

Our family after the race!

Family Reunion 2011

What a FANTASTIC family we have! We just got back home from another amazing C. Family Reunion, and I am once again astounded by the amount of fun and pure enjoyment that we have when we are all together. At its peak, the reunion was attended by about 165 of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and their families. It was so fun to play, chat, and renew our friendships. I always feel completely welcomed and loved by every member of my family, and for that I am eternally thankful.

Day 1:
Dinner, Family History Night, Talents, and Ice Cream

 The whole group playing TDQ's (trivia) about our Family History

Vaughn playing "Spinning Song" upside down and Uncle D. and Kaylee playing "You Belong with Me" while the audience sang along

 Vaughn and Corianne and Maren and Grant 

Eating ice cream (a staple at any C. family function)

Favorite memories of the night:

*Eating leftover barbecue and wedding cake from Justin's wedding (I am still dreaming of that delish carrot cake!)

*Stef throwing tons of candy during TDQ's

*Being reminded that nearly every one of our ancestors had major trials but kept the faith (one lived in a dugout, one lived in a wagon box, one had 11 children, one had 23 children etc. etc.)

*Mark L. performing on the piano. Wowzers!

*Daniel being named "Mr. C" (looks most like an original C. family member) after a poll of those in attendance

Day 2:

QRU Fun Run, Melba 4th of July Parade, Buzz sessions (classes), fireworks, Patriotic program, and Red, White and Blue homemade ice cream

 Our Family-- Ready for the 2 mile FUN RUN on the 4th of July

 Jonathon pushed the 2 boys the whole way and still managed to come in at around 18 min.

 Hannah, Kym, and I ran together the entire race (until the very end when we all sprinted to the finish). It was nice to have people to run with and keep me motivated. It was my best 2 miles ever. I felt great the entire race and actually had a good time doing it.

 Mom and Dad finishing strong

(Several of the extended family also ran. Some of them included: Janet, Stef, Julie, and Justin in the 6 miler and Jamie pushing a stroller for 2 miles)

 Watching the parade

The candy total was impressive this year... just what the kids wanted!

 Cupcake Decorating Class/ Coupon Class

Mom had 7 of the grandkids prepare and present classes on various topics for the rest of the family. They turned out to be informative and fun!

Coupons- Sarah

Finances- Darrell (Jonathon and my brothers have been talking about this one non-stop)

Courageous Parenting- Kris and Kyle

Cupcakes- Melodie and Emily (supposedly for the kids, but I saw quite a few adults over there as well!)

Kid's Crafts- Stef and Kelsi

Favorite Memories of Day 2:

*The perfect morning for a run

*Jonathon buying a 14 inch corn-dog (yuck!)

*Katie and Michelle (the newlyweds) winning my coupon class giveaway

*Uncle R.'s field catching on fire during the firework show 

Day 3:

The Lake... waterskiing, swimming, trivia, volleyball, pizza, shaved ice, variety show

 Andrew hanging out by the lake

Playing an intense game of Trivia 

(I was the only person to win 2 games, so I was declared the official winner... Oh Yeah!)

 Some political conversation, no doubt

 Uncle Mike's and Travis' boats were huge hits

 Unlimited shaved ice (another C. family tradition)

Daniel performing during the variety show

Favorite Memories of Day 3:

*Beating Aaron and Bryan at trivia (there may or may not have been a lot of trash talk... on both sides)

*Watermelon and coconut shaved ice... my new favorite flavor

*Uncle Mike's family rendition of "Kids Say the Darnedest Things"-- Taralee wants to be a horse....... rider when she grows up, and one of the kid's dream vacation was Montana (?) Hahaha!

What a great way to spend 3 days. 

Thanks for the Memories... See you all in 2 years!

My First (unofficial) 5K

I ran 3.1 miles today.

It was hard...

and hot...

and really humid.

BUT I DID IT!

Next step: work on bettering my time* and sign up for a race!


*My time was almost 40 minutes. YIKES! I blame it on the horrible humidity and constant killer hills. At least that means that I can run for 40 minutes straight. Who knew?

Look what I've Started

QRU Fun Run

My Family just before the race

(Jonathon, Matt, Hannah, Joe, Mom, Dad, Sarah)

I ran my first race on the 4th of July. It was a 2 mile race held in Melba, ID to benefit their Quick Response Unit. My only goal was to finish the race without walking. It was a bit harder than I anticipated because of some nasty hills, but I did it! The last half mile I felt great because I was so proud of myself for actually accomplishing something that I didn't think I could do. It was a great day and a great accomplishment for me and my family!

Sarah and Jonathon

Mom and Hannah

These are some of the finish line pictures. I love that both of my feet are off the ground. That means I was definitely running! Next up: 5K

Some stats:

-My time was 23:20

-Matt finished FIRST in his age group with a time in the low 14's

-Dad finished SECOND in his age group

I RAN a mile today for the first time...

ever. 

Just thought you should know.

(Oh, and it took 12:20, but who's counting.)

-Sarah

Jogging Update

We have been jogging (3x a week) for the last 3 weeks.  For the majority of that time, we went to the gym at the church and ran circles around our kids.  It was the only way we could think of to do it together because I really need the extra motivation Jonathon gives me!  Unfortunately, the runs are getting longer and the weather is getting nicer.  Well, problem solved!  

Our newest purchase:

This awesome double jogging stroller was supposed to even out our speeds, but Jonathon is still twice as fast as me... even when pushing an extra 75 pounds.  Still, it is so great to be able to run outside in the park on beautiful mornings like today.

As far as the actual jogging goes, it pretty much stinks!  This weeks running schedule had us running for 3 minute intervals.  I am about dead by the end of the 3 minutes (I know, pathetic!). Hopefully, things will start to get easier as we keep it up.  Even though I am still not a fan of jogging, the boys love being outside with us. Christian always yells "faster" during our walking stretches.  I think he is mocking me :)  

Our Newest Pursuit

Jonathon  was a cross-country runner in High School.

I was NOT.

Jonathon has run occasionally in the last 5 years.

I have NOT.

In fact, the last time I ran was when I was forced in high school to run the mile for a grade. That is why this new pursuit is really crazy, difficult, and insane.  Nevertheless, Jonathon has somehow convinced me to train for a 5K.  

For the runners out there, this seems so easy that it is laughable, but I assure you, this is really pushing it for me.  We have tentatively planned on running the 5K on June 19th, but that may get pushed back if it takes longer for me to work up to it. We are doing a cool program called "Couch to 5K".  Check it out here:  Cool Running

It is literally for people, like me, who are not runners and dread the very thought.  It is a combination of running and walking at the beginning, and by the end, has you running a little over 3 miles. I figure if I write about it here, I will have more motivation to actually accomplish it. We have just finished week one, and it kicked my trash.  Jonathon has been so supportive though, and even runs a little slower so I don't feel so bad.   Wish me luck!