Jonny's marathon...

Jon ran his first marathon (Umatilla) this past Saturday with his friend, Taylor. They both did GREAT! He has been training all summer for this, and completed it with a great time and energy to spare! I am extremely proud of Jon and how hard he has worked to get in shape for the several events he has completed this year. He is in the best shape of his life. Looks awesome. Feels much younger than his years. I am so grateful that he cares about his health and wants to keep up with his much younger wife and four busy kids! He inspires me.

There was a man who ran this marathon that was 80 years old and has completed 193 marathons. He ran his first at age 48. He has run a marathon in each of the fifty states and is now going through the alphabet and running one that begins with each letter. He needed a "U" and ended up in Umatilla, of all places. When Jon told me about him, it made me smile. It's never too late to get in shape! You are never too old to discover a passion! And, there are very few "cant's" in this life! It made me want me to follow my heart a little bit more!

I wish I had pictures to share....next time, for sure. And, oh yes, there will be a next time! Keep on running, Jonny (and biking, and swimming...)!

jean obsession...

So, I am going to make an admission. For the past, um, let's say five years, minus pregnancy months, I have been on a denim hunt. I have tried on every (no exaggeration) pair of jeans in Nordstrom at least twice. From the most premium to the Brass Plum bargains. I am constantly looking at womens' butts, to determine what jean they are wearing and if I like it or could pull it off. I regularly check denim blogs, new arrivals, half yearly and anniversary sales, etc., to see if there is something I've missed. Here's the bottom line (pun intended):

I have a weird body. I am not looking for approval here. It's just a fact. The distance from my belly button to my you know what is like a mile. The jean trend has been ultra low, which didn't even cover my you know what. The rises have gotten a little higher in the last year, but not quite high enough to cover my booty. The discouraging part is that these premium jeans look so fabulous on everyone I see, even those with less than perfect bodies, that I have convinced myself that there must be a pair out there for me and I have obsessed over it. I talked myself into believing that I needed to spend $150 or more to get a great pair of jeans. I saved my money so that I could do it. I thought I had found the pair, but when I went back to retry them I realized that they just weren't right. Too tight in my thighs (which are substantial thanks to running, but I like them), too many creases in the booty. If I try the next size up, they are saggy in the fanny.

I mean, seriously, why can't I look like this in Seven for All Mankind (serious crack and muffin top):

or pull this off in Paige (don't they look higher? Not on me):
or these, they showed real promise, I had several people tell me that they look good on everybody (if that's not a blow to one's self esteem):
I guess it's just not meant to be (sigh). So, once again, I wandered into The Gap, my old stand- by, and ended up buying these (Long and Lean):
and these, Curvy, (because they were having a sale: 40% off all denim and I got two pairs for half of what I would have paid for the premium pair):
The bad news is that I am just not "premium jeans" material. The good news is that I just saved enough to buy a new pair of shoes, and that is a purchase that never makes me feel crappy about my body.

How about ya'll? What are your favorite jeans and why? Does anyone else feel my pain?

beaches...

We spent two days at the beach on our California Adventure. Saturday, we went to Huntington Beach and enjoyed the sea shells and the pier with ice cream from Ruby's. Sunday, we hit Laguna Beach, and loved the big waves and soft sand. We saw seals and dolphins. We had 83 degree weather and stocked up on vitamin D...it looks like we will be needing it as we head into another Oregon winter.

Jon buried all of the kids. They loved it! This is always a hit! And, the sand they get in their crevices is super.

Dollar tree in California had no beach buckets and shovels, so we got cauldrons, jack o' lantern buckets, and kitchen spoons. The kids had fun sifting out shells and digging with nice steel spoons! I am sure we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies. Especially at Laguna Beach!

He loves to jump into his little piles!

Beach pedi, anyone?

Fabulous beach weather. In October. It does NOT get better than that! Oh, how we mourn for you, Cali! We hope to return soon!

The happiest place on earth!

Our Disneyland trip was amazing. Really, really magical. It's was like a breath of fresh air after a lot of stress, sadness, and chaos. It was exactly what we were missing, needing, and I think, deserving! We only went for two days, so we opened and closed the park! The kids were troopers! The lines were short and the weather was 72 degrees! The stars aligned and we all had a wonderful time playing together and remembering what life is all about! Here are a few pictures, although I took a million, none of which I am in. Oh well. The memories are burned in my mind forever! Here is Ian on King Triton's Carousel riding a fishy! Ian had the most fun of us all, I think. He was so excited over every single thing and character, and had a hug for each and every one. He wasn't scared of anything! He was devastated when they wouldn't let him go on Goofy's Go-Coaster over a measly quarter inch! He made us all giddy!

Chip and Dale!

We waited an hour to see the princesses, but Molly assures me that the line "wasn't long at all!" We saw Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Jasmine.

Hands down Ian's new favorite. He loves Mickey. He didn't even know who he was until we went, and he loved visiting his house, giving him a big hug, a huge kiss, and a high five. It is priceless to see Ian recount this experience with actions and spot on facial expressions!

Halloween at Disneyland. The verdict is: scary! Space Mountain is super scary with very eerie ghosts, and lots of the rides have surprises that my scaredy cats did not appreciate at all. Of course, we made them do every ride, because let's face it, Disneyland is not cheap, and we needed to get our money's worth! This meant that Max's head was buried in my lap on most rides, but c'est la vie...

What else is there to say? I am a convert! Disneyland truly is the happiest place on earth!