Let's go see animals!

Yesterday was our first family trip to the zoo. Jonah had a great time looking at all of the animals and yelling things at them like "come back, giraffe!" or "good luck, camels!". Jon's favorite part was dodging the poop-throwing monkeys, while I enjoyed watching the giraffes. What a weird animal!

At one point, a cougar was watching Jonah's every move and even crouched down like he was about to pounce. Jon's and my animal instincts kicked in and we immediately went into over-protection mode. It was a bizarre thing. Obviously the cougar had no way of escaping his area but it was a creepy moment.

We stopped at Cafe Rio for our favorite meals on the way home and ended up having a superb day!

Immediately following this picture, I had to run and grab him before he climbed the entire way through the fence into a duck pond.

The blossoms are still beautiful.

Jonah loves his baby bear and wanted to wear the Baby Bjorn.

It has been ten years...

and a lot has happened in my life since that day. I graduated high school, went to BYU, got married, graduated BYU, and had 2 beautiful babies. I have learned many important and valuable lessons along the way but one of the most important things I have learned in my life is that we are each given trials and challenges in our lives and it is our opportunity to make the most of them and to make the effort to progress spiritually and mentally through those challenges. That day forced me to reflect on my life and the most important things in it, my family, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and my friends. I learned to be optimistic in my trials which has been an enormous blessing as I have had other great obstacles to face since then.

I decided that each year on April 20th, instead of making it another ordinary day, I would try to celebrate the good in my life. In the past, my sister and I would get pedicures, go shopping, and tried to be with each other and family and close friends in order to remember all the ways we are blessed. This year, unfortunately, I didn't get to make it back to Colorado. I wish I was able to attend the memorial, etc. but I can still make it a special day. We decided to take the kids to the zoo this afternoon to make a good memory of our own.

Today, my heart and prayers go out to all of my fellow classmates and their families and especially to those who lost their loved ones 10 years ago. I love you all and my God bless you.

The Columbine Memorial last September (2008)

Joyeuses Pâques!

The Bush family had a wonderful Easter weekend. We try to remember the gift of the Atonement of our Savior daily but Easter is always a special time to reflect and ponder the magnitude of His sacrifice for us. How blessed we are to have the Gospel in our lives and to know that our family can be together forever because Jesus Christ was willing to lay down His life for each one of us.

We tried to throw a few of the traditional celebrations into the weekend with Easter baskets and dying eggs but we didn't get a chance to have an Easter egg hunt...maybe next year. Mamou (Jon's mom) hands out Easter baskets to the kids each year and always includes a Kinder Surprise egg. This is a chocolate egg she gets from France that contains a little prize, usually requiring a little bit of assembly. Jonah thought it was pretty cool.

Jonah also got an Easter basket from Mom and Dad...mostly filled with Mom's and Dad's favorite candy!

Jon and I colored our eggs during nap time (I know...weird that we didn't include Jonah) because we figured he probably couldn't care less about participating in such a patience-trying activity where you weren't allowed to throw or bounce anything. Plus, we're pretty much perfectionists when it comes to technique--something we'll have to get over. Jon insisted that he'll be attending a class on "How to dye Easter eggs" before next year so he can get some new ideas. I think they turned out pretty well...and they taste even better!

made it Mine

I have started another blog for all of my crafts, projects, etc. It is called made it Mine and you can find it at www.madeitMine.blogspot.com. Add it to your list of favorites and check it out from time to time to see what I've been working on!

Pre Race Prep...the stuff no one talks about

I'm running another race this weekend. My mind has been in prep mode. It occurred to me that there are many things that runners do to prepare for a race but they aren't the typical things you'd find when Googling "Pre-race preparation".

1. Pick out your outfit - There are a couple of rules to abide by while picking up your outfit. No "underarmour" tops for men (the tight ones)...especially not with basketball shorts. Women must not bare the midriff unless it has been verified by someone other than yourself that you INDEED HAVE A SIX PACK....of muscle...not fat rolls. Even then, you might be considered self-absorbed, unless you're competing in a triathlon as that event requires more technical clothing. No-show socks are a must. And the last outfitting rule which is generally accepted in the racing community is that you must not wear the race shirt for the race in which you are currently participating. This screams ROOKIE!! It is, however, OK to wear a race shirt from a prior race AS LONG AS you ran the race and didn't borrow it from someone else. It's even better if you wear a shirt from a more difficult race than the one you're currently running.
   
2. Clip your toenails - Taking preventative measures such as this may not ensure that you will not lose your toenails but it will help minimize impact of toes hitting the end of your shoes repeatedly, thereby causing the bruise and blister beneath the nail, resulting in the ever-so-lovely mutated toenail. I've lost many a toenail due to running and my only advice for those who suffer this fate is that you can somewhat conceal the fact that there is no toenails by painting the nail bed instead of leaving it blank. Think of it as a toupee of sorts.
   
3. Set your alarm - The most important reason for this is not only to make it to your race on time, but to allow ample time to get things moving. It is the runner's worst nightmare to have to stop and poop on the side of the road....or to SEE another runner pooping on the side of the road. This is why I recommend that you wake up at least 2 hours before the race, eat a very small meal (I usually choke down a banana, part of a granola bar, and a Diet Coke with Lime), walk around, jog in place, do some squats...do whatever it takes!!
4. Prime the playlist - Music is a powerful tool during a race. It has the ability to turn a painful 1o minute mile into an 8 or even a 7 (confession: I don't run 7 minute miles). It's important to pick music with the right BPM (beats per minute) so that you can match your pace to the music. In my second marathon, I didn't turn my music on until mile 22 and once I did, it was like I'd been immediately pumped full of adrenaline. It really sucked when my stupid Shuffle (the old, white, long kind) died at mile 25 and I was left to the painfully slow rhythm of my feet hitting the asphalt. That's why I recently invested in a new iPod Shuffle...it better work.
   
5. Dream about the post-lunch - One of the reasons I love running is because it allows me to eat whatever I want--and I do! A post-race feast is a great way not only restore glycogen stores, but also a great way to reward yourself for a job well done. I've been doing some thinking and my loyalty is torn between Cafe Rio and Red Robin. Who knows who will win in the end?