Christmas fun

So, I know we're 35 or so days late...BUT, I couldn't just skip over Christmas, especially because we had such a fun one this year. The girls grasped a little better than they did last year:

-what presents are (just something to rip open and set aside in search for the next one. I think next year we'll wrap empty boxes. I don't think they'll notice.)

-who Santa Claus is ("a nice person" - Isabelle's words - she was deathly afraid of him when he made a surprise visit to Grammy and Papa's home in Utah - so after he left and for the next couple of days, Taber and I tried our hardest to convince both her and Eliza that Santa was no one to fear. In fact, he's a very nice person who brings us presents. Every once in awhile she will spontaneously state that "Santa Claus nice person." It's like she's trying to convince herself.)

-how cool Christmas lights are (the girls both loved looking at Christmas lights - we made two trips in one week to see lights on Temple Square in early December. Most nights in December they would request to go out and look at lights.)

-how to sing Christmas carols (they are still singing Jingle Bells at random times throughout the day. When they forget the words or just want some backup, they'll say, "Sing it, Mama!")

-snow boots = free reign in the snow

-how to decorate a Christmas tree (this was the first year since Taber and I got married that we decided to have a tree, and I'm so happy we finally joined in the fun. It seriously was so fun. Picking it out, setting it up, and especially decorating it as a family, minus Eliza, who was more interested in reading her books than helping us decorate. We lamed out and bought one at Home Depot, but it ended up making a beautiful Christmas tree. The thing I loved most about it was how it filled our apartment with a fresh, lovely pine smell. I turned my Scentsy off the whole time we had our tree. No need for it. I loved snuggling up on the couch, close to the tree, basking in the twinkling lights and glorious smell. We also bought some ornaments and an angel for our tree, after Taber and I had a quick rock-paper-scissors debate over whether to get an angel or a star for the top of the tree. The girls adored "Gabby," as we nicknamed her. Isabelle got the honor of crowning the tree with her - Eliza was fully engrossed in Brown Bear, Brown Bear by this time.)

P.S. I found a delicious recipe for cranberry-orange pull apart rolls that I made for Christmas morning. I decided after the first bite that this will be a Wilson family Christmas morning tradition from here on out. As soon as I can find the recipe in the stacks of boxes, I will post it. (Hopefully before Christmas 2009!) You'll want it, believe me. It's easy cheesy and the best part is that all the work is done the night before.

We're Moving!

Lightning strike in Owasso sky

I realized there may be some of our readership (all 3 of you) who may not know of our impending move. We're moving. Next week. The moving truck shows up here on January 13th. It still hasn't really sunk in. And let me just say - I.HATE.MOVING. Not actually living in a new place - done that enough that it's not too big of a deal - but the actual physical part of packing and sorting and cleaning and stressing. Not fun.

We are heading out east to Oklahoma for Taber to continue his education. He graduated with his B.A. in History in December '08. However, he's heading in a different direction than what he's been doing these past 15 years (okay, it's only been like 4, but each additional semester has seemed like an eternity). He's planning on enrolling in Tulsa Tech to pursue training in Aviation Maintenance Technology (fancy way of saying he wants to work on airplanes for the rest of his life, and possibly learn how to fly them.) Eventually he would like to enter the Air Force where he will be able to use this training.

Oklahoma has a lot to offer, really. Thunderstorms, monster mosquitoes, tornadoes, humidity, burmuda grass, heat, cigarette smoke... Seriously though, it has one really special thing - the Smith family of Owasso. See you guys a couple of weeks!

View of Owasso, OK

I did it!

In my first post, I listed some goals I wanted to accomplish during 2008. One of them was to run a 5k. To some, this may not seem like such a big feat, but to me, it was monumental. I am not a runner. Running is not something I do for fun. Running for me is hard work. But, I knew if I ever wanted to accomplish my much loftier goal of running a marathon in my lifetime, I would have to start somewhere. So, I found a 5k race the Owasso, OK YMCA was sponsoring on Thanksgiving Day and focused my energy on training for that. I also convinced my dad and older brother to join me. Taber was on childcare duty with a bum ankle.

Race day came. I was nervous. Taber coached me on the drive over to the YMCA, calming my nerves. He asked me what my goal was and I told him the only thing I really wanted to accomplish during the race was to run/jog the entire time, just to keep my feet moving. So he reminded me of that and said not to worry about time at all.

My dad, my brother, and I went inside to register. I could feel my adrenaline start coursing through my veins. There was definitely an energy about the morning. There were all sorts of people participating - families with kids, seasoned runners, first-timers like myself. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, the air was crisp.

The race began. The first few minutes or so were fun, dare I say, easy. Then the excitement wore off and it started getting difficult. I knew going into the race that I wasn't fully prepared - I had only reached my fourth week of a nine-week training program. But I was determined. Despite a few obstacles (not having my mp3 player to distract me, needing to go to the bathroom, and a shoelace that came untied), I jogged the entire 3.1 miles, not stopping to walk once. As I crossed the finish line, I had an amazing sense of accomplishment. I did it. I can do hard things! Taber was there waiting at the finish line with the girls, cheering me on, supporting and encouraging me the whole way. I couldn't have done it without his help. I also couldn't have done it without having my older brother Adam right there by my side, telling me to just keep moving, to ignore my untied shoe, to steady my breathing. If I had been doing it by myself, I probably would've given in and walked so I'm grateful to him for helping me accomplish this goal.

My time wasn't stellar. I finished 119th in the Women's Division, with a time of 34:23, for a pace of 6:53. But I didn't care. I finished.