I have a teenager!

It's official...today at 3:07pm Alec turned 13 years old. Steve and I are still in shock...how did this happen so quickly? Our scrawny 6lb. 7oz, 21 inch baby boy has grown into a 120lb, 5'6", size 11 shoe teenager boy who loves to swim competitively, has a fast growing interest in golf, loves the computer, scouts, his ipod, his buddies, and of course girls. Although, it has not always been easy raising him...it has always been rewarding to be his mother. He was my first and for that he deserves a bit of a break. I didn't always know what I was doing and regret so much of what I have done or didn't do, but I have always loved him with all my heart. Happy 13th Birthday Alec

1/2 Marathon...Check!

I did it! I ran a 1/2 marathon! Which wasn't too surprising when it got down to race day. Once you have completed 10 miles in training, you know you can run 13.1. But, there were days of concern during my training I worried if I would be able to ran 13 miles. Luckily, the Saturday before my race, Emily and I ran 10 miles that felt great. It motivated me...it reassured me that I could do it. On May 30th 2009 I ran and finished the See Jane Run 1/2 marathon. I wanted and expected to finish in 2 hours and 30 minutes. I thought maybe I might finish a little better if I really experienced that "burst of energy" they say you can get towards the end of you race. Unfortunately, the head winds along the Bay hindered my endorphins...so my official time was 2:31:18. My first thoughts after crossing the finished line where...13 is much longer than 10, a full marathon is crazy, and I will definitely do it again.

This is me running in my last 30/40 yards.

My legs were so tired at this point...and even though I was never going to stop and walk, I was very ready to stop running.

The clock to the left was the race clock that started at the sound of the start gun. All runners had their individual time chip attached to their shoe. It tripped when we went through the start and finish line. After the official start I didn't cross the start line for almost a minute after the gun. That is why the clock says something different than my official time. Either way...I'm very pleased at my time.

Oh so happy I was done.

Emily was my partner in crime...and best training partner ever.

Look closely...it's only chocolate in the glasses.

My girls were there at the finish with Steve and Alec to congratulate and support me. Alec ran in the kids 1 mile race...his friend Taylor took 1st, Alec took 2nd, and his other friend Devin took 3rd. Both of their moms ran in the race too.

Blogger Funk.

I have been in a blogger funk lately...which is weird because I have so much to write about and pictures to post. The lack of time....wait...having NO time has something to do with it. Steve claims it's because I write too much. Who's he to say that I have to much to say?

So, I have decided to try and write a little less...or better said, write a little more concisely and maybe I will post more often. Here's to seeing how my new approach works.

Just one more thing about England...

This little bugger is the bomb! There is no way we would have been able to drive where we did and saw what we saw with out it. There isn't place he can't find. My blog about England would not have been complete if I ddin't at least mention "Garmin" because we couldn't have done it without him!

Happy Anniversary...England style.

Salt Lake City Temple - April 25, 1992

Bath, Engalnd - April 25, 2009

Who would ever thought 17 years ago that we would be in Bath, England on our 17th wedding anniversary. Especially, since I spent my 10th in Home Depot. (I swore when I got married that no matter what, on milestone anniversaries we would do something neat regardless of our financial situations. That was before life with a mortgage.) Anyway, today was a huge surprise for me. The little reading that I had don't on this had me interested, but I didn’t quite know what to expect. We arrived in Bath, England a little later than planned, because we stayed in London late (1:30am late) and were too tired on Saturday morning to get up any earlier. Bath , the town, is very quaint and cute...as you can see from pictures it has narrow streets and cute buildings. It has more “regular shopping” than some of the other towns, which didn’t interest me at all, however. We first visited the main attraction, The Roman Bath…built in the first century. The Romans thought they had found a “God” given miracle bath that had healing powers. What of course we know today, is that hot springs have many minerals in it that help heal skin problems. At one point, I forgot what happened, the bath and temples were covered up and not discovered again until the 12th century. A town was built on top of it and after continual flooding they discovered the hot springs. It was used for some of the same reasons again for the next 6 centuries. Today it is just a tourist spot. It was crazy to walking around where people prayed, bathed and socialized back 2,000 years ago. The site has been somewhat restored so we can get a feel of what is was like. But, much of it is left in it’s original state. After that we walked the town, saw a Rugby game, ate a “pasty”, and saw a little of an organ concert in the Cathedral...or "Abby" as they call it.

Entrance sign to the Roman Baths


Up above Roman Baths...present day, street level


Healing baths in their "Temple"

Social Bath House

1st century hot spring drain...still used today. Orange color a product of the zinc in the water.

Steve testing the water...

The only rain we experienced, and it was only a sprinkle...pretty lucky for that time of the year.

Checking out a Rugby game. Bath's Rugby team is really good? The sport is a little confusing to me.

Steve's favorite find...Pasties. They are a pastry shell filled with anything from chicken and vegetable to ham and cheese to steak and potato to Thai. It didn't matter to Steve...he loved them all.

Taken in the main part of town with the "Abby" in the background.

Castle Comb Cotswold...he couldn't refuse seeing it again!

On our way out of Bath and back to London for the night...Steve took a little short cut through another Cotswold town called Castle Comb...which ended up being his favorite one.

Steve in the center of "The Street" Yes that's it name.

Cute bridge and about the 50th picture taken of the town.

The End.

England Day 3 &4

The next few days Steve had to work. I slept in, exercised and blogged while he was gone. The first day I used the local library's computers, but then one of Steve's colleges let me borrow her laptop during the day. It was nice for me to have some down time...I never do at home. Called the kids almost every day...and checked in with Aimee to see how things were going. I couldn't sleep much during the nights? So, I was pretty lazy during the day. It's Friday, and I am off to London for the afternoon and Steve will catch up with me after work to see the British Museum and shop at Leicester Square. I am so sad it almost over. Tomorrow we head to Bath, Blenhein Castle, and Oxford. We were told that this is an ambitious plan, but that's par for the course for Steve and I.

The Griffin...a very yummy and quaint pub we always go to.
Streets of Reading

Part of the Thames River that flows through London. If you can see the path on the side...that's where I would run.

England Day 2

Warwick Castle

Warwick was built in the 14th century and lived in by royalty up until the 19th century. Most of the showing was of the later day, but many of the dungeons and demonstrations told of the medieval day. I enjoyed finding out about the history and what went on, and Steve loved to see the castle itself. The climb to the top was great...and don't let the picture fool ya...it's high up there. The dungeon where all the prisoners went was a little much for me. We walked the whole grounds and did it all. This was one place we didn't rush through. The grounds were exceptional and the castle amazing. Alec would have really dug this!

Steve and I just inside the Warwick Castle Gate.
Me walking up into the center of court of the castle.

The gigantic catapult demonstration...so cool!

On top Guy's Tower...never found out who Guy is? It took 250 steps to get there however.

Oh, Steve and I both made it. Look over out shoulders at the countryside.

Can you spot the guy in the white shirt...halfway up? It's Steve on his way up.

Steve in one of the many gardens at Warwick.

Eagle demonstration that ended up being really cool. The eagles were a big part of medieval day because they help the people hunt for food. One of them almost hit Steve in the head as he flew by.

Peacocks everywhere!

Stratford-upon-Avon

Why that is called that I do not know...it's crazy around here. Anyway, this better known as Shakespeare's Birthplace. Even though I don't know much about Shakespeare, you got admit, he is a little famous. Even though the his birthplace is surrounded by shops and stores...it still was his original house. It was a little disappointing because we arrived just as a school class from, I think France, arrived. Up until then Steve and I had enjoyed almost solitary sight seeing. It was a little crowded, but very doable. Since our time again was running out he headed right over to where Anne Hathaway grew up. If you didn't know...and I didn't...she married Shakespeare. It was so cute...the garden, huge garden that went for acres. My mom could have spent the day there...and we could have too, if only there was more time.

Outside Shakespeare's Birthplace

Steve and I at Anne Hathaway's Cottage...super cute!

Steve and I under what would be a rose trellis in July.

Absolutely the most darling tulip garden I have ever seen.

The Cotswold Hills

The Cotswolds are a bunch of "enchanted" villages along the England countryside. The background is wool was a huge industry in Medieval England and here is where you would fine the best wool in England. The area prospered and the finest homes and town were built here. When the rise of cotton came and the Industrial Revolution...the wool industry collapsed. And the Cotswold went into a depressed time warp. Now, tourist and visitors love seeing these darling towns where not much has changed. The ones we visited were Chipping Camden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Snowhill, and Broadway. I was stupid, tired by this time and dozed every time I blinked while Steve drove from town to town. Steve, basically drove solo all the to Reading with a snoring copilot. Remember that picture of the single lane roads...I am sure he need help at times. Oh well, we made it safe and sound to Reading.

Me next to someones house. They don't have address here...you just post your "sir" name on the outside of your house.

Steve under the "Chipping Camden" town sign.

Just someones cute side yard!!

Running late on our schedule, so this was our dinner for the night. Nothing wrong with pringles and a diet coke for dinner...right?

Just one of the darling thatched roofed homes in The Cotswold.

Here are the famous hillsides of sheep that you find all over The Cotswold.