Man down! (Or mom, that is!)

So something is really wrong with my neck/back and I've been down for 3 days. Can't move. Have to lie still. You know, so convenient with the kids.

So what does a girl do? I read 500 pages. Mourned over a friend's loss. Talked to a bunch of friends on the phone. I'm ready to get better now.

Kyle has pretty much been the greatest this weekend. Though I did get a kick out of him saying things like, "I'm just frustrated. I'm trying to do something but the kids . . . " Welcome to motherhood, Dad!



















I thought it was funny that I read the Help when i could've really used a maid myself this week . . . that said, this book is AMAZING--literature at its best.

Some people don't like fiction because its not "real." but the best literature distills life down into truth so potent you can't help but see things more clearly.


Here's a pix of my Help taking a well-deserved nap. Love you, babe!

Roseville, California

Roseville, California, was a blast. But besides awesome girls and amazing shopping, the best part of the day happened at home.

Kyle watched the kids all day, took them hiking, cleaned the garage and even did the grocery shopping! Ella told me "Dad let me wear my supergirl outfit to the store!" They were in bed when I came home, bathed and ready for church in the morning. What a sweetie. Props to kyle for being such a rocking guy.

It's here . . .

Easter in Utah

Famous Gillespie Easter Egg Hunt

Kate trying to sneak past Grandpa Dug to hunt early . . .

Training Update

So, I've been trying to ramp up my miles and get ready for the Oddessy. Here are a few things I've rediscovered about myself:




















-My best runs happen when I focus on the joy. Some people run to relieve stress. Not me. Stress shuts down my motivation and makes me want to go home and sit on the couch.

-Being a washed up mom with three kids makes me a little soft on the competitive side. I think things like, "even if i'm slow my kids will still love me :)" . . .

-I am a mountain girl. We did some singletrack Monday and I forgot how much better running on trails is. I think more people would run if they would get up in the hills. Up, up and up anyday over the flats and pavement.

-I've busted out the old-school headphones and they double as earwarmers. Not too hot with just the right beat.

-Kyle has been really supportive, although sometimes I think he is a little too willing to drop me off alone at dusk in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, I just can't get over how brutally honest running is. Meaning, with biking, you can coast, you can use your momentum, you can take a break while still moving. With running, every step is your own.

On a completely other topic, I liked this poster from Etsy. It has nothing to do with running but everything to do with life. I'm a believer that when that something speaks to your heart, you've got to follow it with everything you have.

Here's to following dreams and having faith things will work out!
My cute kids.

The blessings of music

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." --Berthold Aerobach

So today I am the kind of happy that comes from deep down. Music is a part of my other life and I feel like it has been on hold for a long time. Today we bought an Essex by Steinway. It was used, a great deal, and has a beautiful tone that is so mellow and sweet. Kyle has listened to enough brassy pianos in the last month that even he agreed this was the one for us.




















I have been composing lately and want to see if I can't create a few songs worth listening to. And I think I can bring something to the piano in my adult life that I was unable to fully apply as a teenager: discipline.

Neither of my parents play the piano but I am thankful for the sacrifices they made so I could. Because pianos are expensive and we have been in school for a long time, I made a deal with the man upstairs years ago that if he would help preserve what skills I had until I could get a piano I would happily accompany anyone in church or elsewhere. I feel like He has kept his end of the deal and I have tried to uphold mine.

I have also started to teach Ella and the other day she came to me with a song she had wrote herself, with maybe a hundred quarter and half notes on it. She told me it was called, "You're the one for me." And that, my friends, is a different post entirely :).

Reno-Tahoe Odyssey

I have dedicated this spring and summer to fitness. Biking is my love but running is my back-up sport. Looks like I am doing the Odyssey June 4-5. 178 miles around Tahoe on a team of 12. I am hoping to be a strong member of the team and turn quick times.




















So here is me saying hello to a couple months of dicipline and goodbye to a few of my favorite meals. I am looking to shed 10 pounds. We will see if it happens.

I had forgotten about the pain that comes with racing. Besides putting in the miles I need to get my gritty mindset back; you know, the mindset that allows you to embrace the pain, find a ryhthym in it, use it to your advantage.

There is a joy on the other side of racing that is so wonderful and exhilirating. Hopefully all goes well and my knees will stay injury free . . .