St. George Report

We had a great time in St. George. We did a lot and saw a lot of people in a short amount of time, but it was well worth it. The kids really enjoyed hanging out with the horses, acting like cowboys and cowgirls, riding the tractor and playing farm at my mom's house. We were able to see Millie and Laurie, play at Haley's cute house, see Matt Hammons' fancy dental office, eat at Cafe' Rio, attend the marathon, visit with Matt's parents and sister, hang out with Omi and Opi (great grandma and grandpa) and grandma and grandpa, watch a little conference, and meet with some Cleveland friends for lunch at the park. Here are some pictures from our trip. If you click on them you can see them a little bigger.


Here are some pictures of Matt during the race and after. He sat in that spot for over 30 minutes. He said he couldn't get up or move or he would get a cramp. His recovery is almost complete. He pushed himself pretty hard, but really wanted to qualify for Boston. The other picture is a bunch of friends from Cali. that all qualified for Boston too. So we'll be meeting up with them in April.
On Sunday we met a bunch of old Cleveland friends and their cute families. It was great to get together and catch up. Everyone's kids are so cute and growing up so fast. We missed a couple other families who didn't make it, but I think we had a pretty good turn out.

So Proud Of My Matt

Just a quick post to brag about how great my husband did in the St. George Marathon. 3 hours and 6 minutes! Way to go! Love ya and hope your legs feel better soon. Boston bound. I'll post pics when we get back to Chi-town.

Here We Come St. George Marathon 2007

We are leaving to St. George, Utah this evening. (Not looking forward to the 3 1/2 hour flight to Vegas and then 2 hour drive to St. George with the kiddos.) But we are so excited for the St. George marathon on Saturday. At the time of this post there was officially 2 days, 17 hours, 4 minutes and 51 seconds until the start. Matt will be running in it for his 3rd....maybe 4th time. In addition we have some amazing friends running as well. You go Katie and Tresure. Just wanted to wish everyone luck and let you know what respect I have for all of you training and entering this race. It is definitely one of my life goals. I don't know when or which marathon, but one day it will happen. We also get to see Matt's parents, his sister from Cali., my mom and her husband, my grandparents, and other local St. George friends Haley and Laurie. Should be a fun weekend. If we don't touch base with you all before the race, we'll watch for you at the finish line. Maybe we can get together for ice cream or at the park. Just remember at mile 20, when you hit the wall and all you want to do is stop, that you are amazing and you can do it. This is a quote that I like,

"I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain - and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is "Don't overdo it" and "Don't push yourself." Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond." - Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers general manager, NHL Hall of Fame.

Trying Out My New Photoshop Elements 5

I have so many creative friends, I figured it was about time to get on the band wagon. No, I'm not ready to start scrap booking or anything crazy like that, but I do think it would be fun to design my own Christmas cards, maybe my blog heading, and stuff like that. So I ordered Photoshop Elements 5 (the day I got it in the mail, I realized Elements 6 came out). Anyways, here is my first attempt at a"layout".......if you want to call it that. Yes, this is not that creative and it looks pretty simple, but it took me TWO days to figure out how to do just this alone. I have so much to learn. It took me hours just to figure out how to open a new file. I suppose just taking a class would be the easiest. Any tips would be appreciated. I will admit, it is kind of fun to get my creative juices flowing.

Autumn Fun

Today we took the kids to Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch. This place was so much fun. They have pony rides, a petting zoo, pig races, hayrides, a corn maze, and of course pumpkins. There are a lot of pumpkin patches and farms here and since I love this time of year, I hope to take the kids to a few of them in the next few weeks. Each kid got to pick out one pumpkin. I think they changed their minds about 20 times each until they got the exact right pumpkin. So much fun!

Some Fun Pictures

Just wanted to share some pictures of the kids over the past two weeks. We have had awesome weather here in Chicago, so a lot of outside time. Also, like I said in my last post, my dad is visiting, so we are on the go doing a lot of fun things.

Kids playing in the backyard

At Shedd Aqaurium



In the city with Papa
At Celtic Fest
Lily's Collage for school

Chicago Sights

My dad is visiting us here in Chicago, so we decided to take the train into the city and spend the day. Here are some fun photos we took of this great city. And, just so you know, we are only here for 3 more months, so if you are interested in visiting the "windy city" and want to stay with us, you better hurry! We love company.

Never Forget September 11, 2001

Again it comes, for the sixth time now -- 2,191 days after that awful morning. I remember exactly what I was doing, where I was the the entire events of the day. I will always remember that devastating day in history. On that day our president, George W. Bush stated,

"Time is passing. Yet for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family who lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children."

May God bless this country and watch over us through the calamities of the world. I love this country and am thankful for all those who fight and defend for our freedoms and safety.

Confessions of A Reality Show Junkie

"Hi, my name is Michelle, and I am a reality show junkie."

O.K., there, I admit it. I started thinking about what shows are going to be on this fall and which ones would make the evening entertainment line up, and I realized every show I was interested in was a reality show. So, maybe I'm an addict? Anyways, here are a few in the line up.

The Hills

Survivor: China



The Bachelor:
Brad Womack, 34, a successful, self-made entrepreneur

The Hills has already started, and thank goodness MTV shows it 20 other times during the week in case I missed the first showing. Drama, drama, and more drama is the theme in this show. Survivor has always been one of my favorites. I guess I just think it would be fun to be on this show. I wonder if I would be one of the "older' women or still be considered one of the "younger" girls. I swear I can do anything they do on that show and better! The Bachelor, well, if they would take my advice from the very beginning, maybe their relationships would last longer when the show ended. I always tend to pick my favorite girls, but the guy always picks a different one. Anyways, sadly, I look forward to the drama these shows bring. Fun stuff!!

Pre-K at Kensington

Lily started pre-kindergarten today at Kensington. She goes from 12:45 P.M. until 3:45 P.M. M-W-F. And, starting in October she start the lunch bunch and an "enrichment class" at her school as well. She'll start at 11:30 A.M. So basically, I'll have 4+ hours with only the boys. I planned on her doing afternoon preschool so that it was while the boys napped. I am so excited about having a few hours to clean, read, blog, etc. a few times a week. The thought of grocery shopping with only 2 kids instead of 3 sounds exciting too. Yes, shopping with 2 instead of 3 makes a world of difference and I tend to get excited about these little pleasures in life. Lily came home from school today excited for the next day. She met a few cute girls in her class. The teachers name is Ms. Hogan and the teacher's aid is Mrs. Shaw. I am so proud of her and blessed to have her as a daughter. Lily, have a fun school year and know that I love you!!