Fall in Southern California

Well, you can always tell that California fall has arrived when the Santa Ana winds start blowing. For those of you who have never been in CA in the fall, those are hot, hard winds that come in off the desert. They dry everything out in hours. The Santa Ana's started blowing today at about 9:30am.
This is what they do to our pool:


Two hours later, this is what I saw out my bedroom window:

Chad

Before haircut:
After:

My husband is so hot.

Do I look young?

I just got my hair cut. And began the process of going brunette (we're weaving it in a little at a time so I won't be too shocked and cry). I like it, but no one else in my family said very much about it.

But then I drove into the music school parking lot to pick up Sam and Adam from their music lessons...Adam looked at me, glanced away, then looked at me again and made a funny gesture with his hand. I thought he was giving me a hard time for being a little late. When he got in the car, he said, "This looked like our car, but then I thought - no way, that lady looks too young to be my mom!"

I could have kissed him. That made my day!

It's official

I have decided to run a 5K.

I can't believe I just wrote that. I hate running and have tried repeatedly to incorporate it into my life but to no avail. Sore calves, shin-splints, and by the time I get home, numb feet. Every time. And I still get that, but I am powering through it. I have been walk/running every morning for about two months now, and the emotional benefits are undeniable...I call it my "sanity run" for a reason!

So anyway, it seems to be the trendy thing right now to run 5-10K's and after all, that is a really good goal to work toward. So I am committing to run a 5K within the next 6 months (I would say 3, but I am having trouble finding one on a Saturday in the fall and winter).

I am running most of 2 miles a day right now, but I hope to be up to 3/day by October. Which may not sound like much but I have to take baby steps or I will collapse and die.

Someday I will be able to walk/run to Zion with one of my children on my back. If I need to.


UPDATE! The race is on! October 24, the October Classic in Ojai. Chad is running it with me, as well as my racing inspiration, Rebecca G. Thanks, Rebecca!

New Harmony by moonlight

I have posted on here several times about New Harmony. My parents and sister live there and it is one of our family's favorite vacation destinations. It's a 7 1/2 hr. drive that we could make with our eyes shut. Vacations to New Harmony are cheap and require very little planning. Our lives are so complicated when we are at home, with work, music lessons, homeschooling, sports, church service, etc. that when we go away, we want to RELAX. The biggest decision that we have to make in New Harmony is whether to sleep in or get up. There is very little parenting necessary because there is no trouble for the kids to get in. And there are all these relatives who love my kids and actually enjoy entertaining them. I know, weird. Plus, they are all great cooks.

So anyway, I was in New Harmony twice this summer, and one night the moon was rising up over the "Five Fingers" - Kolob. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and the picture doesn't do it justice, but there it is.

My worst day boating, ever.

Warning: This post is one big "Laura Moment".

Last Saturday, we took our new boat out for it's first full day since we bought it. We thought it might be fun to invite kids' friends to share in our fun day. Fun for everyone. Unfortunately, more witnesses!

See, the problem is that this boat is about two feet longer than our old one. So the maneuverability is decreased and it is awkward, like driving a semi. Chad wasn't used to driving it, and the rest of us weren't used to docking it. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.

First, we put in and the boat started drifting because Adam couldn't pull it close to the dock fast enough to get it tied off. But, while people were watching and laughing at us, we finally got it pulled around and tied off. I thought THAT was embarrassing...
We got out on the lake and realized that we had lost our orange flag (the one you hold up to signal that there is a person in the water, usually after a wipe-out). Kind of necessary that we have one of those, our orange towel just didn't do the trick. So we decided to dock near the snack bar and see if they would sell us an orange flag. That dock is the same dock where they rent out pontoon boats. So it was crowded with boats and people renting those boats. We pulled up but the back end of the boat started drifting back out again, so I jumped out on the dock and started pulling on the tower in hopes of pulling the boat around. It kept going. I stretched out further and further until my feet left the dock and I hit the water. THEN the boat came around and I thought I was toast. I pictured my head popping between the boat and the dock like a grape. I was yelling at Chad and the kids were yelling at me, and everybody on the dock was watching...finally one of them said to me, "you want a hand?" and pulled me onto the dock, scraping my stomach and legs in the process. I tried to play it cool and after thanking him I took off to the boat shop as fast as I could go. Finally got an orange flag.
We got the kids tubing and enjoying themselves, and my job was to stand on the back of the boat and pull the tube in when they were ready for a break. It was slick. I slipped and fell. Twice. Bruised my legs and elbows. Wanted to cry.

In spite of all the embarrassing things I did, my kids and their friends did not laugh at me once. Well, at least not in my hearing. They deserve something good for that because I suspect that it was pretty funny. Can't wait to watch that one myself, when I am watching the life (gag) reel after I die! But that is the end of my dignity - I don't think I can get that back.
At least the kids had fun!

Sophie's trip to the Hygienist

My kids go to their Uncle Trent for dental work. Sophie has had check-ups before, but hasn't had her teeth officially cleaned by a hygienist. She was nervous, but when she found out she didn't have any cavities, was so super proud of herself and insisted on having a picture taken (luckily I had my camera in my purse for just such an occasion!). For a week after she had her teeth cleaned, Sophie showed off her "clean smile" to everyone in the family. Good job, Sophie!