Florida Part I - Gate River Run

Florida time again! This year Mike went with me and we ran The Gate River 15K together....well not together exactly because there's no way I could keep up with Mr. Speedy-pants. It was an awesome race. It's the biggest 15K in the country....18,000 runners. Being part of a race that big was very cool!

I love these girls and I was so glad to finally be able to introduce Mike to the friends I talk about so much! A couple of other husbands were supposed to come, but had to back out last minute because of work-issues so Mike got to just be "one of the girls"......he was thrilled. Mike finished in an amazing 1:08 and I had a respectable finish of 1:24....my fastest race yet! This bridge was right before the finish line, it was a mile long and it was a killerPost-race celebrating!!!
(How can you tell someoen is a REALLY bad photographer? Their fingers end up in half the pictures!)



St. Augustine.....

St. Augusting light house.....

With our race-weary legs we still managed to climb the 200+ steps to the top of the light house. The view was worth it!

These are our wonderful hosts for the trip. They graciously opened their home to all of us (two years in a row now!), fed us and drove us around everywhere. They're both absolutely fantastic people!

Cool Farmer's Market......it was huge, about the size of a warehouse store and there were varities of fruits/vegetables that I'd never even seen before!

The next morning we went canoeing on the St. Johns River. Beautiful!

Mike touching the Atlantic Ocean for the first time....Florida was beautiful in the Spring......

I want to take this kitty home!!!!

Irish Dance - Caeden's Recital

Caeden got to learn Irish Dance for his school recital. He did a great job and he looked so handsome up there on stage!

Mike & the Boys Sledding!

Manicures!

I'm no longer an Activity Days leader, but this was one of our best activities. Valentine's Day Manicures. I love these girls so much and I'm going to miss them!!!!

Rainy Days and Mondays.......

I love Karen Carpenter. When I was growing up and the rest of my friends were idolizing Paula Abduhl and Debbie Gibson I was usually playing my mom's old Carpenters records. I've had Rainy Days and Mondays going through my head all day today which is oddly appropriate for how I've been feeling lately.

Sometimes I'd like to quit,

Nothing ever seems to fit...

What I've got they used to call the blues,

Nothing is really wrong,

Just feeling like I don't belong...

Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

It's not rainy outside. It's a beautiful day. A beautiful week actually.

And it's not Monday either.

But something has got me down.

I don't know why.

I've just been in a funk.

Discontented.

When things are stressful this kind of thing makes sense to me. I'm a worryier and it's easy for me to get overwhelmed by stress.

But things are actually really good right now.

Which makes it all the more confusing to me.

When I get like this everything suffers. I'm impatient with my kids. My house is a mess. It seems like too much work to bother with hair and make-up. I eat more sugar. Which makes me feel even WORSE about myself and I get a little vicious cycle going.

Is it just this time of the year? That blah time between Christmas and Spring.

I'm pretty lonely these days... is it because I'm so disconnected....too much time with myself and my thoughts?

Is it the endless rotating cycle of house, kids, errands....with no break in sight?

Depression runs in my family, I have problems with it here and there, but I manage to get through it without medication. I've been trying to do what usually helps.

I've been exercising almost every day.

I cleaned the temple last week to try and get out of myself through service.

I attended the temple with Mike.

Those things help, but it's not quite enough......

What helps you move the storm clouds out of your life?