Personal Moments of Glory

Fame. Fortune. Glory. How many of us have dreamed about achieving these for ourselves? In truth, reaching the pinnacle of success is an elusive goal, one which few reach. However, the reality is each and every one of us have personal moments of success, in which we can embrace these euphoric feelings, if only for the briefest of moments.

Recently, I attended a Utah Blaze arena football game with my children Kaylee, Braden, Alyssa and Jason, as well as 4 of Jason's friends. We were celebrating Jason's birthday. Our tickets came to us via Jason's aunt Emily, who is doing an internship with the Blaze. The free nature of the tickets made the experience sweet in and of itself!

Just before the game, Emily called to invite me to participate in a tug of war contest at the end of the 3rd quarter. The idea of going down in front of thousands of people did not really intrigue me. However, she mentioned a free jersey, and I was in! Being the resourceful father I am, I immediately asked if Kaylee and Braden could also take part. Even though the participants were supposed to be 18 and older, Emily said Kaylee and Braden were on the team. We were all in! It was at this point, when we were committed, that Emily broke the news that only the winning team would get jerseys. I had this feeling of panic come over me. It would be me, my 16 year old daughter and 15 year old son, up against what would most likely be three, 20 something year old men, hopped up on adrenaline and Budweiser. We would be lucky to survive. A vision came to me, of my shoulder being torn from my body, Kaylee with missing fingers and Braden lying in a pool of blood. This would not be pretty.

We stewed about our upcoming death match for the entire first three quarters of the game. Finally, like the innocent going to the Roman coliseum floor to face the lions, we marched down to the arranged meeting place. My eyes scanned the people around me, looking for the three behemoths we would be facing. Braden was still optimistic, Kaylee looked like she might be sick. Finally we saw the other team. A feeling of power washed over me......

The other team was composed of a young woman, a bit older than Kaylee but definitely shorter and weaker. That's one for our team!

There was a tall young man. He was older and a bit taller than Braden, but Braden has been training hard for our upcoming race, so I had confidence in his legs. That's two for the home team! Our fate would rest in my personal matchup......

There he stood, all 5 feet something of him. I hulked over him, like some sort of twisted Goliath vs. David reenactment. Only this time, I'd put my money on the big guy. I must have outweighed him by over a hundred pounds, and my own legs have been churning out miles and miles of training for years now.

The quarter ended, and we were led to the arena floor. My mind was definitely lost in the moment. I was unaware of the cameras on me. I could not hear the thousands of spectators. One would think I might have even noted the Blaze cheerleaders, but this was not the case. My mind was focused on one thing only, and that was the yellow rope at my feet.

My game face on, I reached down and entwined my right arm into the rope. Two times wrapped around my arm. That should do the trick. My left hand caught up the slack. I leaned back, firmly planting my right leg slightly to my back, my left leg positioned like an iron rod to my front. I didn't hear anyone say "go!". I felt the rope go completely tight, and it was on!

I took first one step backward, then two. Then we stalled, neither team making headway. The other team was nearly sitting on the floor, they were leaning back so far. This was not going to be easy. Kaylee relaxed for a moment, and we took one small step forward. She looked back at me, her eyes pleading for help. It was then that I went into the zone.

I played the other team like a fish on a hook. I leaned forward to give the rope a little play, then took two quick steps backward. I did this again, and we made more headway. The girl on the other team gave up and let go. We had them. I powered back more and more, and soon it was over. The other team was defeated, and we were victorious! I razed my arms in triumph, letting out a primal yell to announce the king of this jungle had arrived!

It was then that the flow of blood was restored to my hands. The pain was awful. I could not easily bend my fingers, and my left hand had rope slivers all over in it. I was sweating, my arms ached and my legs felt a bit tired. This truly had been an epic battle. Kaylee, Braden and I collected our jerseys, and ascended the stairs in triumph. A flurry of text messages ensued, as we each eagerly wanted to share our story of battle and conquest. This had been a personal moment of glory for all three of us. A simple football game sideshow, with little or no importance to anyone but the six participants, had turned into something great for Kaylee, Braden and myself. It will be a story that will live on in family lore, which might even grow as the years pass.

Take what life gives you, and celebrate your own moments of glory. It's what makes life fun!

Mother's Day

I was recently asked to speak at my church for Mother's Day. To be honest, sometimes I panic. I do not always make good split second decisions. In hind sight, when the Bishop asked me to speak, I could have come up with any number of excuses. Saying a prayer last week for Sacrament meeting – piece of cake. But speaking, on Mother's day? There is such a high potential for disaster. I am not a gifted public speaker. I tend to ramble and not be coherent. I could end up embarrassing not only myself, but my wife, mother in law, daughters, mother, oldest sister, who knows who all could go down on this personal Titanic of mine?

A quick research of Mother's Day reveals that almost every society has a desire to revere and honor Mothers. It might be called something a bit different, or fall on a different day or even last more than one day, but some sort of annual celebration of Mothers occurs in almost every nation. What is it about Mothers that brings about this desire to honor them?

If you look at men in general, we are one step from reverting back to cavemen. We have a need for mothering throughout our lives. This motherly influence can come from many different women. Not only do we receive this from our own mothers, but it can come from mothers-in-law, daughters, wives and sisters. What is it about these remarkable women that make them so crucial to each and every one of us?

Mothers are blessed with unconditional love. A very good example of this to me is my wifes Grandma Orton. Grandma Orton had several children. As with all families, each of them was unique and had their own challenges. One son was challenged by poor decisions as a youth. He was caught up in a life cycle that drew him away from the church and the blessings of the gospel. Grandma Orton used to frequently say that if she continued to love him he'd come back. She continued to support him and show him a Mothers love. As his life choices brought him down to humility, she was there for him. As he began to journey back towards God, she was there for him. I remember well the day he went through the Jordan River temple. There, surrounded once again by family and the light of the gospel, we could all see how right Grandma Orton had been. A mother's love had helped a son get back on the path of salvation.

Mothers accept us, no matter what our physical or mental disabilities might be. There is a Disney movie from the late 1990s about a boy named Tarzan. In a tragic accident, Tarzan loses both parents while he is still a baby. Tarzan is found by an ape mother named Kala. Kala takes one look at this baby, and realizes he needs a mother. Despite her husbands outrage and the other apes ridicule and scorn, she takes this baby in as her own. She didn't care that Tarzan looked different or didn't have the same traits as the rest of the ape babies. She loved him. She nurtured him and taught him the best she could. Tarzan survived, and as we know eventually became king of the jungle. All because he had a loving mother who accepted him.

Mother's are protective. My wife had a brother named Bryan. Bryan was born with cerebral palsy. His case was very severe. He had basically no physical abilities. He could not speak. The easy thing to do would have been to put him in an institution, or simply keep him at home. This was not the life Bryan would live. His mother dedicated her life to him. Bryan was cared for constantly by a loving mother. He was treated just like any other child. His mother scheduled her life around him. He was never left alone or wanted for anything. The family home was built to accommodate him. The family vehicles were specialized to allow him and his array of wheelchairs to fit. His mother made sure he went to school. When he became too old for school, she found other programs and activities for him. He attended institute as an adult. It was not easy to take care of Bryan. He had to be lifted onto a special table to be cared for. He had to be fed several times a day. He did not sleep well, and had many sleepless nights. His mother never wavered, never complained. Bryan was her life, her pride and joy. Despite his condition, Bryan enjoyed a quality and length of life few would have predicted. When Bryan recently passed away, his mother was devastated and lost. Those who did not know her or the details of her relationship might have imagined she would have felt relief at this time, like a burden had been lifted. In fact, one of her greatest joys had passed. What a wonderful example of protection, of service, of unconditional love.

Mothers are tough. They can do things that seem almost impossible. When our daughter Alyssa was very young, she came down with chicken pox. For most people, this is not a huge ordeal. For Alyssa, who is blessed with the ability to take even a common cold and turn it into an ordeal, it became life threatening. The chicken pox went into her lungs, which caused pneumonia, which landed her in the hospital, clinging to life. For 3 weeks she underwent treatments and surgeries. Most of this time was spent in the ICU. For all but one day, her mother was by her side 24 hours a day. I don't know if any of you have tried to sleep overnight in an ICU, but it is not a quiet, restful place. It seems the nurses are constantly coming in. Alarms are going off, monitors are beeping. Add to this a young child who is sick and scared, and you are not getting any sleep. Lori maintained this sleep deprived schedule for 3 weeks. I attempted to spell her off for one night. After that, I went home and basically collapsed. I then came down with a bad cold, just from one night. It was then that I realized my wife was indeed a lot tougher than I am. She showed me this once again when Traven joined our family. He contracted whooping cough at one month of age. He was in Primary Children's Hospital for nearly a month. Once again, Lori showed me the toughness of a mother. She was with him constantly. I think this time was even harder, since she was further away from the support of her family. Also, the parent beds at Primary Children's just aren't as comfy as the ones at Mountain View. And the number of beeping alarms and caregivers is dramatically higher up there. She did not complain, she did not waiver. She cared for Traven up there, and of course the story had a happy ending.

Mothers are supportive. Growing up, I was heavily involved in sports and music. I had many early and late practices, games, concerts and other events. Since I grew up in the small community of Milton in Morgan county, I did not have a lot of options for the 5 mile trip to school. I never had to ask. Despite the earliness or lateness of my schedule, my mother was there to drive me. She had breakfast ready in the early mornings, and she had dinner ready for me regardless of the hour we would get home. I'm sure she had other things she could have done, like sleep in another hour or two. But she was there to support me.

Mothers are also smart and clever. There was a time when we were chosen for some government survey. I don't recall the details, but I remember the good stuff. The agency called to set a time to come over and complete the survey with us. Lori wanted to get the house presentable, and on this occasion the children were not being overly helpful. Despite her gentle efforts to get them to clean up their rooms and put away their clothes and toys, it just wasn't happening. She came up with a clever idea. She told them that the appointment was really with the health department. They had heard how messy our house was, and were coming to inspect it. If it wasn't clean, well then who knows what might happen? Toys might be hauled away, the home condemned or for one particularly rebellious young boy, children might even be hauled away. Now, I'm not saying this deception should be practiced by all mothers, but in this case it did get the job done, and quickly. That was one clean, organized house. Of course, Lori did tell them the truth at some point, and we all laughed about it and watched a movie together as a family afterwards.

Mothers are brave. Have you all heard the story about a baby named Dumbo? When the people at the circus were making fun of Dumbo, his mother stood up for him. The odds were against her. She was greatly outnumbered, and she must have known she would lose. But she was brave. She did the best she could to protect her baby. She knew the consequences. She was going to end up locked up a crazy elephant, but she did not care. Here baby came first, despite the consequences.

Mothers are brutally honest when it is needed. A favorite story of mine comes from a friend at work. As a youngster, he discovered he had a talent with penmanship. As with many abilities, he had a choice of using it for good or evil. He established a little school yard business for himself. If a student needed a parent's signature on a bad grade, or an absence excused, well my friend took care of that for a small fee. This went on for a few weeks, until the principal caught on. Of course, sending a note home with my friend would not really accomplish much, so a phone call was made. The wise principal left it up to my friend's mother to dish out the punishment. Remember, this was back in the days when a good paddling was standard for bad behavior. You should also keep in mind that this took place in the rough section of a big city, so criminal activity and jail time wer sadly very common. My friends mother wished to impress upon him that she expected better out of him. She waited patiently, hiding behind the front door, for her son to get home, a paddle in her hand. He never saw her coming. When all was said and done, her message had been sent. I don't know that my friend ever got in any type of trouble after that.

In an attempt to contribute something somewhat spiritual in nature to this talk, I'd like to end by reviewing some points from the first presidency message from the April 1998 Ensign. The message was titled “Behold Thy Mother”. In it, we were challenged to consider four types of mothers: first, mother forgotten; second, mother remembered; third, mother blessed; and finally, mother loved.

As President Monson pointed out in the message, mother forgotten is observed all too frequently. President Monson said “The nursing homes are crowded, the hospital beds are full, the days come and go—often the weeks and months pass—but mother is not visited. Can we not appreciate the pangs of loneliness, the yearnings of a mother’s heart, when hour after hour, alone in her age, she gazes out the window for the loved one who does not visit, the letter the postman does not bring? She listens for the knock that does not sound, the telephone that does not ring, the voice she does not hear. How does such a mother feel when her neighbor welcomes gladly the smile of a son, the hug of a daughter, the glad exclamation of a child, “Hello, Grandmother!” end quote

He continues: “There are yet other ways we forget mother. Whenever we fall, whenever we do less than we ought, in a very real way we forget mother.

I recall talking to the proprietress of a nursing home. From the hallway where we stood, she pointed to several elderly women assembled in a peaceful living room. She observed, “There’s Mrs. Hansen. Her daughter visits her every week, right at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. To her right is Mrs. Peek. Each Wednesday there is a letter in her hands from her son in New York. It is read, then reread, then saved as a precious piece of treasure. But see Mrs. Carroll: her family never telephones, never writes, never visits. Patiently she justifies this neglect with words that are heard but do not convince or excuse: ‘They are all so busy.’ ”

Shame on all who thus make of a noble woman “mother forgotten.”

“Hearken unto thy father that begat thee,” wrote Solomon, “and despise not thy mother when she is old.” 2 Can we not make, of a mother forgotten, a mother remembered?” end quote

With regards to mother remembered, Pres. Monson pointed out that, when we remember our mothers, we are less likely to yield to evil and bad behavior. He related a story from the Civil War, in which a regiment of men were gathered together for a champagne supper. Most of the men were becoming quite intoxicated. One man, who was well liked among the group but chose to abstain from such activities, was called upon to offer a toast. This was done in jest of course, given that the young man did not drink. He rose and stated “Gentlemen, I will give you a toast which you may drink as you will, but which I will drink in water. The toast that I have to give is, ‘Our mothers.’ ” Instantly, a strange spell fell upon the group, as mothers and their influence were recalled. The drinking stopped, the boisterous behavior ended and one by one the men left the room.

For mother blessed, President Monson offered a beautiful, reverent example. In Luke chapter 7, verses 11 – 15 we read:

“And it came to pass … that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

“Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

“And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

“And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.” 3

President Monson stated “What power, what tenderness, what compassion did our Master and Exemplar thus demonstrate! We, too, can bless if we will but follow His noble example. Opportunities are everywhere. Needed are eyes to see the pitiable plight, ears to hear the silent pleadings of a broken heart. Yes, and a soul filled with compassion, that we might communicate not only eye to eye or voice to ear, but in the majestic style of the Savior, even heart to heart. Then every mother everywhere will be “mother blessed.” end quote

Mother loved. This is the last type of mother listed in the message. A well-known poem by Joy Allison is titled “Which Loved Best?”

“I love you, Mother,” said little John;
Then, forgetting his work, his cap went on,
And he was off to the garden swing,
And left her the water and wood to bring.

“I love you, Mother,” said rosy Nell—
“I love you better than tongue can tell”;
Then she teased and pouted full half the day,
Till her mother rejoiced when she went to play.

“I love you, Mother,” said little Fan;
“Today I’ll help you all I can;
How glad I am that school doesn’t keep!”
So she rocked the babe till it fell asleep.

Then, stepping softly, she fetched the broom,
And swept the floor and tidied the room;
Busy and happy all day was she,
Helpful and happy as a child could be.

“I love you, Mother,” again they said,
Three little children going to bed;
How do you think that Mother guessed
Which of them really loved her best?

On this day we celebrate Mothers, may we each challenge ourselves to be mindful of our mothers, not just today but every day. May we be mindful that one of the best ways to show our mothers love is through respect and by obedience to their wise teachings. May we each reach out and show kindness and love to all the mothers around us, in particular to those that might find themselves lonely or wanting. Let us each do our part to reduce the number of mothers forgotten and make more mothers remembered, blessed and loved.

Making Traven eternal

As most of you reading this blog probably know or realize, I have some strong religous beliefs. One thing I truly believe in is the eternal nature of families.

On Saturday, we journeyed down to the Manti LDS temple to have Traven sealed into our eternal family. The temple workers were fantastic! They said they didn't get to help with this particular ordinance very often, so they were making the most of it. We were escorted around by several different people. There was a team of old grandmothers who watched the kids while Lori and I took care of some paperwork. They also helped the kids get changed into their white clothing. We felt at home and well attended the entire time.

The actual ceremony was short, but powerful. Now, Traven is officially a member of the family!

We had a lot of family and some friends there to witness the sealing. Missing from the above photo are Brian Anderson and Kandi Jensen. They slipped out before the photos!

To me, it just rings true that a family unit would have the ability to go on forever. There is so much love and such a strong bond in the family. Would a loving God really want that to end with death? I don't think so. That would mean He would provide us the ability to "eternalize" our families. A power that would seal in Heaven what is sealed on earth. The key then is to seek out these truths while on earth and embrace them.

Making Traven Legal

On Friday morning, the date finally arrived for going to court and making the adoption legal and binding. We met before Judge Laycock over in Provo. It was a very unique experience.

We arrived at 8:20 am and went into the court house. As soon as the guards realized we were there for an adoption, they just waved us through the metal detectors. We went up to the 2nd floor and met up with our lawyer, Paul MacArthur. Paul and his staff were outstanding throughout the entire process. They were extremely helpful, very informed and on top of all matters pertaining to the adoption.

At 8:30 am, the doors opened and we went into the judges court room. The recorder was there, busily doing about 5 things at once on her computer, and the bailiff was there. In walked the judge, we all stood up, then Lori and I were sworn in as witnesses. There was a very formal process as the judge acknowledged she had reviewed all the documents and they were entered into the official record.

It was then time for Paul to ask us some questions. They were all very easy - basically making sure we realized we were both taking over legally as Traven's family and severing any ties he had to his birth parents. This part felt strange to me, as I have felt like Traven was officially in the family for months. It was a series of easy questions.

The one question I enjoyed the most was the last one, asking me to share my feelings about him with the court. I love him, every bit as much as the other kids, which is TONS! To me, he just fits right into the family. I can't imagine life without him. He seems to bring out the best in all of us.

Time for a family update

A few things have transpired lately which would seem to warrant some commentary.

First off, Traven's health has been getting gradually better. He usually sleeps through the night, and is coughing less. He is 6 months old now, and full of personality. When he gets excited about something (usually singing on the tv), he sticks out his arms and legs and kind of sounds like a monkey. It is very amusing. He is good for about 30 - 40 minutes of church, before he gets bored and wants to be walked around. He is sitting up, and will spend a little time on the floor, but usually prefers to be walked around or put in his jumper.

I am trying to get ready to run the Ogden marathon in May, but am really struggling. I am slower than I have been in years and just can't seem to find the groove. I am worried about Ogden and about the Wasatch Back in June. I'm not sure what is wrong with me.

Lori's brother Brett has decided to divorce his wife. This is a painful process to watch, especially considering they have 3 young children. It is heartbreaking to see the problems being caused for them because of parental decisions. I continue to hope and pray for the best, but I honestly am not sure what the best solution would be.

Now that Kaylee is 16, we see her a lot less. It makes me sad and happy at the same time. The sad is just a bit of missing her being around. I am happy that she has made good friends and enjoys getting out of the house. She also has a job, which she doesn't exactly like, but does enjoy the income.

Braden has grown several inches and has been playing basketball and getting in shape to run on my Wasatch Back team. He has changed a lot over the past year.

Jason is still working hard at school. I feel bad sometimes because it feels like I am constantly having to remind him to do homework.

Alyssa is still doing great in school. She has some good friends and is constantly wanting to be on the go as well.

All in all, I feel very blessed and lucky to be where I am at in life. Sometimes I let things get to me. I live in fear of my company either downsizing me out of a job, getting bought out by another company, or simply fading into oblivion. I worry about the state of our economy and nation, and wonder what type of future my children will have. But then I remember the important thing is to do what I can to help them, and to have faith that things will work out as they should. I am grateful to have a great wife to keep me in line and help me out. I am very thankful for five wonderful children.

My sister Charlotte tells me my sister Patty is moving back to St. George and will be staying with my parents. It should be interesting to see how that works out. I don't hear much out of my sister Karen.

I am really excited to go backpacking with Braden and Jason this summer. I think I will try to sale my trailer, since it looks like the young men will be doing a lot of backpacking over the upcoming years.

I am also excited for spring. Winter sucks.

The Showgren California Adventure

We just returned from a week long vacation to southern California with the Showgren clan. The trip produced many lasting memories - some good, some not so good. Here's a brief recap of the adventure.

I drove the Suburban down with Braden, Jason and Alyssa. We listened to some books on cd to pass the time. The second one was a terrifying tale with a dark chasm of damned souls and a big, booming voice for God. It kept us awake for sure. We made good time, but as soon as we arrived we had to leave to pick up Lori, Kaylee and Traven at LAX. All of this went smoothly, and we were resting at a reasonable hour. Traven even slept through the night, which was amazing. Incidentally, he has done this now for over a week in a row!

Wednesday we were off to Disneyland. I was amazed at how well Traven did. He loved to be held out so he could watch everything. He was good about taking his bottle even when it wasn't warm. He even didn't complain when I bundled him into about 20 layers of clothing!

He was getting a bit tired towards the end of the day, so Lori and I took him and his cousin Caleb back to the hotel to relax. Caleb must have been exhausted, as he just laid on the bed for close to an hour.

It was awesome vacationing with Glenn, Allison and their kids again. It reminded me of the fun we had on our trip to Houston last year. They are easy to get along with and our kids get along well.

It was also nice to have the grandparents along. Sally paid for most of the trip, which was a fun Christmas present for all of us. Eric helped with watching all the grandchildren. Jeremy was a riot, and Emily seemed to enjoy herself.

I won't go into the details of the less-than-enjoyable portions of the trip. I don't want to offend anyone. See me for details.........

The lines were not bad at all on Wednesday or Thursday. Friday we went to Knotts, which in my opinion is not worth the money. The atmosphere is just not as fun as Disney or even Universal. I don't know that I'll bother going back there.

The crowds at Disney were AWFUL on Saturday. I have never seen it so crowded. We could hardly move at all. Traven was still awesome. Man, he was a good baby. Actually, all my kids were awesome. There was not much complaining at all.

By Sunday, we were all worn out. This was when things got to be the worst. Again, see me for details. Let's just say it wasn't anyone I've mentioned by name that made the day miserable.

Monday, everyone but our family left for home. We slept in, spent a few hours at Disney, grabbed some dinner at Cocos and got ready to head home.

The drive home Tuesday was hard. I started off with two hours of driving to get Lori, Kaylee and Traven to the airport. We ended up leaving around 10:00 am. I was so tired, and suffering from a bad cold, that we stopped a lot. We arrived home around 10:00 pm.

I thought I'd list my favorite rides, but I actually enjoy everything at Disney. I guess if I had to pick my very favorite I'd go with Soarin' over California.

Some things I learned:

1. Plan in a rest day. 6 days in a row of theme parks is way too much.
2. 22 people might be too big of a group with which to vacation.
3. 22 might work if the group did not include any immature, irrational, insane or unstable people.
4. Use a sling or some other carrier to help with transporting a baby. Traven started to feel like he weighed a 100 pounds by the last days.
5. Food is dang expensive at theme parks.
6. Fast pass rules. Did you know you can have more than one active at a time? At one point, I had three of them.
7. The parades are lame, but the kids love them.

The best part is sometimes watching the kids have fun. There was a ride at Knotts that was called something like the 720 degree spin. Braden's face was priceless. At first he was thinking it was no big deal, but then that ride started throwing them around in small circles while rotating in a big circle. I laughed so hard at them.

I also got a kick out of Nick and Zack on a kiddie ride at Knotts. They were such big chickens. They were screaming like they were going to die. Allison was laughing so hard she forgot to hold onto her stroller, and Caleb started rolling downhill. It was priceless.

All in all, I look forward to more family vacations, but I'd like to reduce the number from 22 to 17. Yeah, that's a good number!

The Frog is Dead

The Frog is Dead

As you might recall, some time back I took a somewhat philosophical approach to life here at work. I felt a tear form in the corner of my eye as I remembered the good old days. Quarterly bonuses. Year end raises. Compensation for on-call coverage. Hundreds of hours in accrued time off. Training. Employee stock purchase plan that actually made money. Stock options that were usable. Life was good. I suggested that we were like a bunch of frogs in a pot of water. As each benefit was stripped away, the water temperature rose. However, since the changes were strung out over years, we didn't notice the change in the water. It still felt good to be in the water. Who cared if it was getting hotter?

This train of thought missed a piece of the puzzle. I failed to realize the benefits of working in a sane environment. We used to do things that made sense. It didn't require a committee to make a decision. What we did made a difference. People listened, and we got things done.

Now, we live in sad times. When a project or need comes up, we have no input. In fact, any sense of sanity has been tossed out.

Let's say we have a need for a wheel. We've been using wheels for years. They are round, they are useful for moving things around. Everybody knows how to use the wheel. We have years of experience with wheels.

We check into things, and sure enough, the wheel still works for this new need. We even decide to use an existing wheel, thus eliminating the need to purchase an additional wheel.

Word of this recommendation goes up into the nebulous hierarchy. The decision is made to no longer use wheels. Our new model requires the use of only square solutions. We try to explain the shortcomings of the square approach, but to no avail. We will be using the square.

Things are worse. All our wheel expertise has been moved off to other projects. We have basically no skill sets with the square, but are expected to use it. Our customers are confused. They paid for the wheels, they want to use them, and now we are telling them no more wheels?

Worse yet, we have lost most of our contacts with our customers. They are all gone. We now have no direct voice with the customers, and no developers with which to team up.

Far worse is the fact that we have lost our voice in our own hierarchy. The voices of reason have been squashed. The square regime is fully entrenched, and we lack the power to do anything about it.

We have been shackled with chains of gold. We can't afford to go find another wheel shop. We are now enslaved wheel experts in a sqaure world. Our only choice now is to ride this ship until it sinks. We will continue to arrange the deck chairs on this Titanic, even as the ship tips farther and farther. The life boats are launching for some. We've seen a number of good people escape recently. Sadly for most of us, there is no life boat. Just a giant square hole waiting to swallow us up.

The water boiled, and we didn't even notice.

The frog is dead.

Work ramblings

I thought I'd start sharing some thoughts on my work with whoever wants to partake. Some things just really amuse me. Take this for an example. We have this thing called quarter-end "blackout". This is a time frame in which NO changes are to be made to any of our systems. This is to ensure our financial numbers come out without any glitches or delays. This seems like a noble effort.

So, we all get an email instructing us that the quarter end "blackout" period is being extended. From now on, we will be in "blackout" for over 50 percent of the year. However, in the same paragraph, it also states that we have a procedure in place for doing changes during this "blackout" period.

Wow, maybe it's just me, but this seems kind of pointless. If we say we are going to extend the blackout period, but then in the same paragraph we state we have a process in place for doing things during blackout anyway, then what's the point in having the blackout period? I'd say tighten things up to make it a true blackout and shorten the period, or maybe have some sort of "grayout" period, where we pretend we are in blackout but keep churning along on our merry way!

Or maybe we should have a different color. Black and gray are kind of boring. Maybe we could use gainsboro or lavender? Ooh, or ghost white. That's a nice one. Or perhaps we go with something bold, like a nice fuchsia or indian red?

And what about the word "period"? It seems so final. Let's be honest - it's not accurate. Perhaps we could go with a semi-colon. It marks the end, but not really THE end. I propose we change from "blackout period" to "fuchsia semi-colon". I think this will really clear things up and make for a happier work place.

The Longest Month Ever

October 2007. It seemed like it would be a great month. We had the new baby to show off to the St. George members of the family. I'd be running in the St. George marathon. Oh how quickly things can change!

Traven seemed to have picked up a cold towards the end of September. No big deal, right? His cough was horrible and not getting better. Then he wouldn't wake up to eat anymore. We took him into the doctor's office. They said they thought it was a virus and that he'd turn the corner either the next day or the day after that. This was on September 28th. On the 3rd we were back at the doctor's, and on the 4th Traven was in Mountain View hospital. He now had an IV, and was having episodes where he would stop breathing. Late Saturday night we finally received a diagnosis - pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Mountain View does not have the expertise for treating a newborn with such severe symptoms, so Traven was sent via Life Flight up to Primary Childrens hospital. What a humbling experience. We were completely powerless. The only thing to do was trust in God and the excellent caregivers at the hospital.

I also need to relate another part of this story before continuing. For several months, I had severe pain after eating. At first it was very sporadic, but it kept getting worse. Sometimes I would end up collapsed on the bathroom floor from the pain. I finally broke down and went to my doctor, who ordered an ultrasound to check my gall bladder. Sure enough, it was filled with stones. It turns out two of my sisters and my Mother had their gall bladders removed in the past. Due to the fact that my one sisters had actually exploded inside of her and caused blood poisoning, we felt mine should come out as soon as possible.

In the midst of this turmoil, my sister called from St. George to tell me my Mother's health was worsening and she was very concerned.

Did I mention that Alyssa also came down with whooping cough at the same time?

At one point, I was recovering from surgery, Traven was having episodes in excess of 30 times a day where he would stop breathing, Alyssa was miserable and couldn't quit coughing, and Lori was staying with Traven up at the hospital. It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. My wife was not at home, my baby was near death and my youngest daughter was really struggling.

I eventually recovered, although it's been 4 weeks now and I'm still not back where I was with running. Traven was in the hospital for 3 weeks. He is home now, but not all the way better. Alyssa is almost all better, and things are slowly coming back to normal.

Several things got me through this month of trial.

First off, I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, who gave me the faith and strength to hold things together at home while Lori was up in Salt Lake.

Secondly, my children were incredible. Kaylee, Braden, Jason and Alyssa each stepped up and helped keep the home fires burning. There was cleaning to be done, homework needing attention, football games and practices to take care of, etc. Somehow, we took care of everything.

Thirdly, our neighbors were wonderful. We had numerous meals brought into us. I can't tell you what a blessing that was. I'd get up around 6:00 am, get some work done, then get the kids off to school. I'd then be at work until about 3:00 pm, when I'd go home and pick up one or two of the kids and head up to Salt Lake to visit with Lori and check on Traven. We wouldn't get home until after 9:00 pm. I'd then get the kids to bed and do some more work. It'd be midnight before I was able to try to rest again. Having a meal brought in was simply wonderful.

Fourth, and certainly not last by any means, I'd have to mention Lori's family. Her mom took several shifts with Traven so Lori could leave and rest. Emily brought Lori lunch on several days. Glenn and Allison visited Lori and really helped us out with things back at home.

I saved one of the best for last - my wife Lori. I do not know how she did it. By my calculations, Traven was in the hospital 20 nights. I stayed overnight for two of those. Lori's Mom stayed over for one as well. That means Lori did 17 nights of caring for Traven. As you can imagine, these were not restful nights. Between Traven's episodes, plus the nurses checking on him every two hours, she pretty much went without quality sleep for two and a half weeks. I could not do it. It must be something special about a mother and her love for her children that gave her super human-like powers of endurance.

Traven Arrives!

On the night of August 26th, the birth mother called to say she was at the hospital in labor, and wanted us there. Lori and I headed up and arrived around 12:30 am. It ended up as a false alarm, and we made it back home, exhausted, around 4:30 am.

On the morning of August 29th, we heard back from her. Her water had broken - this time it was for real. We got up there in the early afternoon, and settled in for a long day and night. She was in labor, but making no progress. She dilated to a 4, and was stuck there for hours.

We decided to go downstairs at the hospital to a Subway and get dinner. We got our sandwiches and headed back up to the waiting room to eat. No sooner were we into our dinner than the birth mother's mother burst into the room. She said the baby was coming NOW! Within just a few minutes, he had arrived. Lori was in the room for the birth. I was pacing nervously outside. Finally I was able to go in and hold him. It was so weird. I had spent months telling myself not to let us get our hopes up. Now here he was, but nothing was official yet. Should I be excited or still guarded?

Friday morning we went up with the kids. They each took a turn holding him, then we left to let the biological family say their goodbyes. This was around 10:30 am. The bio mom could not sign the papers until 7:05 pm. It was the longest day of my life! We went shopping for baby things, went to lunch and did whatever we could to kill the time. It drug by very slowly. Our excitement was building, but we were still so nervous. Would she really go through with it, after having seen this wonderful newborn?

The social worker showed up a little late, and went in to meet with the bio mom. It was a gut wrenching time. Lori and I were so happy to have this baby come into our family. But at the same time, the bio family was there in tears. It was heart breaking for them. It was such a contrast. But finally, we were on our way home with a 1 day old son in the Suburban!

Traven has been very blessed thus far. I feel like our months of prayers and fasting really helped. The bio mom did not take good care of herself, and also smoked the whole pregnancy. But Traven is doing very well. He brings such a sweet spirit into our home. We all have been blessed by his presence. We are kinder and very happy. He is one spoiled baby already.

Two of Lori's friends in the ward gave her a baby shower. There was an impressive turnout. I think we have around 50 thank you cards to put out now!

He is a miracle, and we are so blessed to have him in the family.

The Wasatch Back That Wasn't

My race story will be a bit different than most. You see, this year, I did not even make it to the start of the race. I signed my team up in January, and had been training hard. I even shaved about 1 minute per mile off of my average pace. When I saw the course changes, I was beside myself. This year, the course would pass on the other side of Morgan valley, right by the house where I grew up, past my grandparents’ old house and right through the middle of countless childhood memories. I immediately made sure I had the assigned legs so that I would run that part of the course. I spent a lot of time thinking about how it would feel. Would the farmers be cutting the first crop of alfalfa? I still remember the smell to this day. How would the old Milton Park look? My eagle project as a youth had been to build benches for it. Would the old rodeo grounds still be there? I won my first belt buckle riding a "bull" there. I imagined how it would be to share so many memories with my close running friends. It would be a weekend never to forget.....

The next part of my tale takes us 34 years into the past. My wife's parents were expecting twins. The labor was long, and way too early. One twin, Ryan, died within 24 hours. The other, Bryan, was not expected to make it much longer. The doctors told the family to hold off burying Ryan, as they were sure Bryan would soon be joining him. Despite these odds, Bryan survived. He did not escape without problems, though. He suffered from Cerebral Palsy, and was never able to do anything for himself. He could not walk or talk. He depended on others to do everything for him. Sally, his mother, dedicated her life to caring for Bryan. They were inseparable.

On the Monday before the race this year, I received a call that Bryan had aspirated, stopped breathing and had been rushed to the hospital. Sally, a registered nurse, did everything she could to save him. The ambulance arrived quickly, and the hospital was reached within minutes. Sadly, even with all the efforts, we lost Bryan.

You might think that someone who could not talk might not have much of a personality, or even have much of an impact on others. Nothing could be further from the truth with Bryan. He had a way of sharing his love with everyone. I don't know that I have ever met a kinder, more loving person. The only time he ever became angry was if someone in the family was getting into trouble, or if someone was foolish enough to stand between him and a Utah Jazz game on the television. Other than that, he was the perfect example of unconditional love.

Sally will forever be one of the greatest examples of service I have had the privilege of seeing in action. She gave up 34 years of her life to attend to Bryan's every need. Bryan rarely slept through the night, and she was always there to be with him. She often had to stay behind if the family was going somewhere not accessible for Bryan. If we were on the road for vacation, and hit a restaurant where Bryan could not easily get in, then she ate in the car with him. She did so many selfless acts on her part, for over 34 years. What an amazing lesson she provided for us.

As my team embarks on this year’s race, I am at home to participate in the services for Bryan. As I think of them running, I am left with a feeling of gratitude. How thankful should each of us be for the ability to just walk? Bryan had a sharp mind, yet for 34 years he was left in a prison, unable to do anything for himself. As I think of the things my team will see, I wonder about how many things Bryan would have enjoyed to see, but did not have the capabilities to get to them? As I reflect on the powerful friendships my team members have for each other, I am left to ponder about how many friends Bryan had? How many lives did he influence, and not even know about it? Even as I share these thoughts with you, I am so thankful just for the ability to type, to communicate and to share.

What of Sally? How many hobbies did she give up to take care of her sweet son? She had no time to exercise. The idea of taking off two days to run a relay with 11 of her friends would have been out of the question. We should all be thankful for supportive families and understanding employers who put up with our odd running hours, our tendency to talk about running way too much, our planning of family vacations around races and every other sacrifice we take for granted.

So to each of my Wasatch Back comrades, I would say to be thankful as you run. Take a moment to reflect upon the majestic beauties you will pass through. How blessed you each are to run and to be on a team, to be surrounded by others who share your passion for running.

To my team, I say race on! I would be remiss if I didn't thank my co-captains, Ryan and Gary, for stepping up and making sure the last minute details were taken care of and the team was able to keep racing. I also send a big thanks to my good friend Scott, for not only taking my spot in the relay but for also stepping up and providing the wheels for van number one of our team.

Mike

Fishing trip to the Uintahs

You might question why I chose this picture to use for this posting. The simple truth is I was stressed out of my mind about backing the trailer into a campsite! It was such a huge relief to arrive at camp and back in with no problems. I had Lori, Jason and Braden on two-way radios so they could watch both sides of the back plus the trailer at the hitch! The best idea I had was to take off the sway bars for backing! That made it a lot easier than what I had done in the past - the sway bars don't give much for turning!

We left on Wednesday for a trip camping at Soapstone campground. I was amazed at the time it took to get ready for this adventure. I was tired before we even left. We had to plan the meals, buy the food, load the trailer with clothes, fishing gear, camp chairs, etc. I had to load it up with water. It took some time to get the gas working - turned out the problem was being caused by a spider web in the regulator! Also, I had to get all the antifreeze out and get the hot water hooked back up.

I was also concerned about how the Suburban would do pulling that much weight. It ended up doing fine - it sure ate up the gas, and the transmission got fairly hot climbing up by Jordanelle reservoir. But all in all, the trip went smooth.

We arrived and set up camp. We then enjoyed an evening around the campfire. I had made tin foil dinners before hand to cook up there, and it turned out to taste great. We had smores (of course), then turned in for the evening. The hot water heater worked like a charm, and the furnace kept us nice and toasty.

Thursday morning, I made some sausage and french toast. Next time, I need to cook the sausage outdoors! Kaylee had stayed back home for drivers ed, but Braden, Jason, Alyssa and I drove up to Trial Lake to fish. Lori slept back in the trailer!

The kids and I spent about two hours fishing, and hauled in a BUNCH of fish! It was so much fun. I helped Alyssa, and we caught 10 just as our "team". We let them all go, including the biggest one that I ally let swim off with my rope fish holder!

We had some sandwiches back at camp, then drove down to Kamas to get some supplies. We then went to see the Provo River falls, Bald Mountain overlook and Mirror Lake. We fished some more at Mirror Lake, and caught a BUNCH more fish. I was really in the zone this time, calling my catch time after time. Man, I love fishing!

I made some burgers for dinner, and was smart enough to cook them outdoors this time. We did note we were almost out of water at this point, which seemed odd since I thought I had topped it off at home. However, I finally came up with a way to use my 6 gallon jug to put water in, and managed to get 24 more gallons in. I did have to let some gray water out, but no harm there. We watched a movie, then played some games. Another great day!

Friday morning was pancakes for breakfast. I had bought a grill before this trip, and this was the 3rd time I used it. It was a good investment. Also, the horseshoes game I picked up was a big hit.

The kids and I hit Trial Lake again, and this time kept 8 fish to take back to Showgrens. We then went back for lunch, where I made some awesome tacos and burritos. We drove up to the Crystal Lake trailhead, and hiked into Wall Lake. It was a short, but rocky climb. It was a lot of fun, though! We then went to Kamas to fill up the Suburban with gas, and had Braden ask where the closest waste station was. It turns out there is one about a mile from Soapstone campground. The park service just doesn't bother publishing anything about it or even putting up signs to say where it is!

We roasted hot dogs around the campfire, then decided to head back late Friday rather than early Saturday. This was a good decision, as it took me about 4 hours to clean up the trailer and Suburban Saturday morning.

All in all, it was a great camping trip. I was exhausted, as I really don't let anyone else do anything while camping! I like to do it all - cook, clean, entertain, etc. I think I need to involve others more next time so I can relax more!

The batteries were at 2/3 when we were done, so I think we can stay longer next time. Also, I'll just fill up the water at the station next time - no sense hauling all that weight when they have fresh water right there at the waste station. I think the only concern then would be dumping the gray water, but I think it's fine to let a bit out when needed.

Oh, the fish were really taking a bit of night crawler topped off with a salmon egg. I think we ended up catching around 60 fish! We ran out of night crawlers and split shot, so I need to bring more fishing supplies next time.

Moving the Showgrens from Houston to Mapleton

I just returned from a grand adventure. I helped Lori's brother and his family move back to Utah from Texas. It has been awesome, full of unexpected twists and turns. They are an awesome family, and it has been nice to spend all this time with them.

I flew down on Wednesday. It took me all of about 30 seconds to clear airport security, the flight left on time and we arrived early. That is what you call a good start to a trip! Glenn and Annie (3 year old daughter) picked me up at the airport. We stopped at a Waffle House for dinner. We arrived at their home, and I was immediately struck by the magnitude of the task at hand. Thursday was going to be a long day!

After a breakfast of Shipley doughnuts, we started packing. Glenn had done a bit on Wednesday, but it took us most of the day to load the truck. It was so humid, and by the time we were done I was soaked from head to foot. We cleaned up and went to The Grand Buffet for dinner.

At dinner, Eric (7 year old son) was sitting by me. All of the sudden, he began waving his arms in the air, and crying out that his mouth was on fire. He took a drink, but it did not help. He jumped up and began running around. He took off for the bathroom, and his Mom (Allison) was right on his heels. When the finally came out, we figured out the the Pepper Shrimp had full jalapenos in it, complete with the seeds, and he had chomped down on one of those. It was pretty funny, once we knew he was ok. And I have to say the mountain of crawfish the Showgrens put down was incredible!

Friday we started the drive. I drove the 26 foot U-haul, and Eric, Elijah (Eric's twin) and Annie took turns riding in the truck with me. One of the highlights of this day was watching a grown man go into the womens bathroom at McDonalds. He failed to notice he was surrounded by women, and went ahead and did his business. He received a lot of angry looks and a few comments, but still didn't figure out what he had done. Finally, as he walked out, he turned back to look at the signs, left, came back again a little closer to look at the signs, then finally figured out what he had done. He left bright red and in a hurry after that.

We were on the road for 14 hours on Friday. I have never driven that long before. It was very tiring, and I seem to have injured my right foot somehow in the process. It has a sharp pain in it now, if I hit the right angle on it. I think I held it in one position for too long. We stayed in Clovis, New Mexico that night.

Just outside of Lubbock, Texas, I was listening to the radio. They announced a severe thunderstorm warning and tornado watch for the Lubbock area. We were driving right into the heart of the beast! This was a terrifying experience for me. It does not storm like that in Utah! The truck sounded like it was going to fall apart. The wind was absolutely howling, the lightning was non-stop, and the rain was incredible. I didn't dare drive much over 40 mph for most of it. I felt like I was in the movie Twister. The flashes of lightning were creating a strobe light affect in the cab of the truck. The forces of nature can be very incredible. I'm glad I lived through that experience, and didn't put the truck on its side.

I also wanted to mention that Texas is not what I expected. It was green and full of trees all the way across the state. It was not the barren desert I had thought it was. That is New Mexico! From what I've seen of it, it is miles and miles of nothing. A lot like central Utah, but without the mountains. It got somewhat better towards the end of the trip last night, as we climbed to over 7000 feet in elevation.

Saturday we didn't push as hard. We stopped to see Billy the Kid's grave. There actually was not too much to see. We also stopped to see Allison's friend Sonya. She is married to a Navajo indian, and is living on a reservation right now. It just so happened that there was a pow-wow going on that night, so we went to a bit of that. My goodness, they have some elaborate outfits they wear. It was actually pretty neat to see all the work they go to in order to preserve their ancestry. I can't remember the last time I dressed up in my Swedish or Norwegian outfit!

I should mention the other two members of our caravan. Caleb (9 months) has been a very good baby on this trip. He is very sweet and has a good personality. He is very spoiled, but there's nothing wrong with that. We also have the Showgren's pet rabbit Shark Bait with us. He has been a very good bunny, and seems to be enjoying the trip.

Sunday was pretty tame, compared to the other days. We had planned on going to the 4 corners monument, but by the 3rd day we were ready to just push on home. Of course, once we hit Utah we were immediately in road construction, and the roads sucked, but after we hit I-70 it was pretty much smoot sailing the rest of the way in.

Scout Hike to the Hot Pots

Well, they asked me to go on a hike with the 11 year old scout group. It was a 2.5 mile hike each way, and since I'd already done my long run for the week, I figured I might as well go. It sounded like fun, and it was an excuse to buy a new hydration pack!

We were to hike into the hot pots up Diamond Fork canyon. I'd never heard of this, so I did some google research. I found several pages about the hot pots. Most of them cautioned to make sure you went early in the day, as the evenings and nights are a time when the nudists tend to frequent the natural springs. We were leaving at 9:00 am, so we were well within the safe zone.

The hike was nice. The trail was wide for the most part, and did not have any difficult inclines. It pretty much followed Diamond Fork as it gently climbed deeper into the canyon. When we were nearing the pots, we passed a group leaving. They cautioned us that there was a "nude dude" ahead.

The scout leader went ahead to see what was going on. He later summarized his conversation with the nude dude. It was something like "Hey, we have a group of scouts coming up". Nude dude "I don't care". Scout leader - "That shows. I care!". Nude dude "So what?".

As I round the corner with the scouts, there he is. Ugly naked guy isn't even in the hot pools of water. He is sitting on a rock, legs spread wide open, reading a book. His feet are in the water, but that's it. The rest of his 50 - 60 year old body is in full view. Gross! The scouts are pretty good about it. They make several jokes as we pass him, but don't spend any time staring. We head up to the next set of pools. Personally, if we had to run into naked people, I guess an old man was probably the way to go. It's something the boys will run into in the locker room as they go on in life. A pool full of beautiful young women might have made their heads explode!

All in all, the hike was a lot of fun. I was surprised by how tired it made me. A 5 mile hike was harder on me than a 5 mile run would be!

Wong rules!

We had a first this Saturday! One of our group finished in the top 3 for a division. Terry is now the proud holder of a 3rd place ribbon from the Canyon Elementary Ice Breaker 5k!

We started out at Canyon Elementary heading east. We looped over to 2300 East and started heading south. Terry and I could see the front of the pack at this point, since for some odd reason we were running a sub 8 minute mile at this point. I could see the leaders as they took a wrong turn and started heading the wrong way. If I had been able to catch my breath, I would have yelled at them. As it was, Terry and I sounded like a twin pair of steam engines, and raising my voice beyond a whisper was out of the question.

Only about 4 runners go the wrong way, and the rest of the pack is heading south still. We round the corner to turn west. About 100 yards from the 1.5 mile turnaround, the 4 wrong way runners pass us like we were standing still - I guess they noticed they were all alone and were trying to make up some lost time. Also at this point, the leaders pass us heading back.

Terry and I slow down a bit, but still are sub 9 minute miles. We coast in, finishing 22nd and 23rd overall. It was a cold day, but a lot of fun. My youngest daughter and nephew ran the 1 mile race. We hung around for the awards and drawings. They had a number of great prizes, and we walked out with a couple of them.

All in all, running in a smaller 5k race turned out to be a great time. And now Terry has a ribbon!

Weekend long running schedule

March 31 - Terry - 6 miles - Provo river trail 8.5 to 11.5 and back
April 7 - Scott S. - 7 miles - American Fork, up by the temple, north on the trail by the golf course
April 14 - Mike - 6 miles - Spanish Fork clinic, south to new Spanish Fork river trail
April 21 - On your own - 8 miles - Spring Break
April 28 - Jason - 6 miles - Provo river trail 8.5 to 11.5 and back
May 4 - Mike - 5 miles on Friday morning
May 12 - Gary - 6 miles - this weeks run kind of fell apart!
May 18 - Ryan - 7 miles - Provo river trail, 9.5 to 13 and back
May 25 - Terry - 8 miles
June 2 - Scott S. - 8 miles
June 8 - Jason - 6 miles
June 15 - Gary - 6 miles, dusk to night run
June 22 - 23 - WBR!!!

Latest Update

Man, it has been a long time since I posted. Lately, I've been trying to drop a few pounds and pick up the pace on my runs. This resulted in a new PR for 10k races at the Rex Lee run in March. My time was around 56 minutes, which is over 4 minutes under my previous best.

Lessons Learned

After having completed the Top of Utah marathon yesterday, I have come to several conclusions:

1. Something magical happened on my first marathon, which allowed to be over 20 minutes faster on it than the other two. I think it is due to the fact that the 5 of us worked so hard, not missing a single day in the 18 week program. Also, we had no illnesses, injuries or even bad weather. It was truly a once in a lifetime event.

2. I simply am not meant to run marathons. I can run hard for around 15 miles, fight my way to do 4 - 5 more, then that's it. I hit the wall, and I simply have no more to give.

3. I look forward to doing more half marathons. There are so many available to try out. Plus, the training demand is not as high as preparing for a marathon.

4. For those of you who wish to run a marathon, I suggest following an 18 week program to the letter. There is wisdom in full preparation.

5. The elevation chart for Top of Utah has to be wrong. I swear we ran uphill for almost the last 12.2 miles. It was a hard course for me.

School is back in session!

Ah, school is back! That means it's time to start tracking Braden's clothes again.

9/14 - Braden - Brown monkey shirt, silver shorts

Bryce Canyon Half Marathon

This was my fastest half marathon ever. It was an awesome course. We basically ran from Bryce down into Cannonville. It was mainly downhill, and I loved it! The scenery was awesome, the race was well done, and the weather was perfect. I'd definitely like to run this one again.