Ironman!

Well, hello!  Sorry it has been a long time since I posted!  Life suddenly got very crazy!  It has been the last month of school, which means my kiddos have been going a million different directions.  Tests, recitals, activities, and games have been dominating our life.  On top of that, summer semester started at the U three weeks ago and I am a going crazy teaching!  I am teaching 3 classes and they are all different classes!

So, on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, I teach Intro to Finance, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I teach International Finance, and on Wednesday nights I teach Corporate Finance.  So, between prep, teaching, a couple consulting things I'm doing, and trying to train for the Boise Ironman, I feel like I'm going100 miles per hour.  When I was first diagnosed and stressed out, the Dr. prescribed me some sleeping pills.  I HAVE NOT needed those lately! I'm exhausted! ;)

Tomorrow is the last day of school for the boys...YAY!!!  I'm hopeful that things will slow down a bit.  At least I won't have to be trying to get all of us out the door in the mornings anymore.  The other morning I gave the kids a pep talk about how we needed to pull together and how I really needed their help.  Well, a few minutes later I found Bodie dressed in a Kung Fu outfit practicing his moves and Elijah watching a movie on the iMac, so you can see how effective that pep talk was!

On the Ironman note, Troy and I had such an amazing time volunteering in St. George!  We started in the changing tents at 5:30 a.m. and, with the exception of a couple short breaks, we volunteered at different spots until midnight.  So, we volunteered for about 19 hours.  I was really tired, which made me appreciate how tired the athletes must be!

If you don't know the distances of the Full Ironman, they are a 2.4 mile swim, followed by 112 mile bike, and then a full marathon run which is 26.2 miles.  So the entire race is 140.6 miles.  The swim begins at 7 a.m. and all participants have to finish by midnight.  So, they have 17 hours to complete the course.  There are cutoffs after the swim and along the bike route, so if you don't make it to a certain point within a specified time, you get taken off the course.

There is really no sane reason to do this race!  That, therefore, is why Troy and I want to!  I'm so glad we volunteered because we got to see the inner workings of the race and got to meet a lot of the athletes.  In an awesome way, meeting those people, talking to them, and seeing them compete made me think I can do it too.  So, I'm super excited to train and compete in 2013 (assuming I get in).  The other crazy thing is these races sell out and are actually hard to get into!  On top of that, the entry fees are about $650 per person and you have to travel and ship your bike there too.  Like I said...INSANE...I can't wait!  Anyone out there want to sponsor me!?!

So, today I am posting some pictures from the St. George Ironman (140.6).  Troy and I are registered next weekend for the Boise Ironman (70.3) which is half the distances of the full Ironman.  This is the race we did last year and we can't wait to do it again!  With everything that has been going on the past few months, my training hasn't been where I had hoped it would be, so it may be interesting...wish me luck!

I will post after next weekend and let you know how it goes.  I may not be the speediest lady out there, but I'm excited to give it my best and to get away with Troy for a few days!

On the cancer front, I went to a dermatologist today (Dr. Robison) to get "checked out" and make sure I don't have any skin cancer concerns.  I do have a few pre-cancer thingamajigs on my face so after this summer, I'm going to use some flesh eating cream on my face (seriously!)  It eats away the pre-cancer and makes you look like a total freak for a week or two, so those will be some awesome pictures I'm sure!  I'm waiting till after summer because you shouldn't have any sun on your face when it is being eaten.  :)

Also, I have my next Huntsman appointment on June 12th after Boise, so I'll keep you updated.  I'm praying for no change again.  That would rock!  The longer I go in between appointments, the more anxious I get to go back in and get news.  I still feel 100% fine.  I'm sometimes tired, but I honestly think that is due to my crazy life and not my cancer.  I'm now Dr. Robison's science project because he is very curious to track me as well.  I have the best health care now!  Seriously, everyone wants to track me and keep me healthy!  He told me today that his expectation is because I am young and healthy that if I take care of myself, this will not affect me for years and years, if not at all!  That was reassuring! :)

Thanks for all your love and concern!

A Whole Lot of Fabulous

Well, we have been busy, busy.   A lot of good things have been going on!

First, Frasier has been running track for his Jr. High and he just ran today.  I clocked him at a 5:27 mile! 

That is:

#1) a new PR and

#2) ridiculously fast! 

I honestly could not run a mile that fast.  I’m so impressed and proud of him!

Next, my cousin, Sam, just left for an LDS mission to France.  He came to Utah to head to the MTC and he was able to stop past my house, along with my Uncle Bill and they gave me a beautiful blessing!  I really appreciate EVERYONE who has been praying for me!  I’ve actually been AMAZED!  I’ve run into people that I wouldn’t have even thought knew about me and they tell me that they have been praying for me!   I believe in the power of prayer and I’ll take them from everyone!  A lady I work with told me that she put my name on the prayer roll at her church and she wanted to make sure that was OK!  Of course!!   I don’t think prayers only work if they are in my church.  I am so grateful that people in her congregation that I don’t even know are praying for me! 

A few other stories:  My little sister in California works at a Yoga studio and the students there dedicated a practice for me!  Also, I have an awesome cousin who has struggled with substance abuse.  Unfortunately, he has had to spend some time in jail.  My aunt printed my blog posts off for him to read.  He was telling his cell mate about me and then the cell mate asked my name.  My cousin thought it was kind of weird, but told him, and later on, he found the cell mate on his knees praying specifically for me by name!  I am humbled and overwhelmed by everyone’s love and concern!  Thank you!!

I also had a neat experience.  I was opening mail and opened an EOB from some of my preliminary diagnosis visits and blood work.  Of course, it was extensive and expensive!!  As I was looking it over, I had this overwhelming feeling that the claims processor who worked my claim said a prayer for me.  I know that is weird, but the feeling was so strong that I really believe it!

I’ve thought a lot about prayers.  I wondered if saying the same thing: “help me to be healthy” could get overused and the Lord would get tired of hearing it.  However, I have come to the conclusion that things that we truly desire or are thankful for cannot be “over prayed”.  I pray daily for my kids, and every single time I do it, I MEAN IT!  So, I guess what I’m saying is that if you truly mean something and it is not just said due to repetition without thought, I think it is OK to pray for it always.  I believe that I will stay healthy long enough that I will be cured and I think prayer will help me to do that!

I also had a couple great conversations with some amazing people.  First, was Troy’s cousin Paige.  She is truly inspiring!  She was diagnosed with breast cancer while she was pregnant.  She has survived extensive surgeries and chemo.  She told me that she doesn’t always know what is in store for her, but she does know each day she’s alive that the Lord wants her here and she tries to make the most of every single day!  I loved that thought and have tried to do the same thing with my days!

I also talked to my brother Coltan who was hit by a car almost two years ago.  The injuries were VERY severe and he was in a wheelchair for months.  He still has pain.  He told me that some days he gets angry, but it doesn’t change anything and we both discussed how important it is to stay positive.  Anger doesn’t help or change anything!  Besides that; if something were to happen to either one of us, we don’t want people’s lasting thoughts being of us angry and ornery all the time!

I also need to say thank you to a darling student of Troy’s who fundraised some money for us!  We couldn’t believe she did that!  It was so thoughtful and a lot of work!  We told her that it would be donated to Huntsman Cancer to help with research.  I am very appreciative of her efforts!

I’m grateful for those experiences!  They help me to remember how truly blessed I am!

On a crazy note, a couple weeks ago we had some bad storms and lightning struck the power substation right near my house!  It was the loudest, brightest, craziest thing I’ve ever experienced!  It actually made me a bit dizzy too!  I didn’t see the fireball, but apparently a fireball shot straight up in the sky!  The resulting surge took out our power, satellite TV, and internet.  It actually completely blew out the Digis internet box, our router, and the Ethernet ports on our iMac and airport extreme… which stinks!  I could focus on the negative about this, but I did get to see colors in the sky that I’ve never seen before and I’m hoping that my near electrocution changed the structure of my cells and cured my cancer!  (Probably not, but fun to fantasize about, nonetheless!)

 Alright, a few last things that I am SUPER DUPER excited about!  First, my sisters Liz, Hilary, and Kristy and I all registered for the Nike Women’s marathon lottery and WE GOT IN!  It is in San Francisco in October.  I can’t wait to run with all of them!  Also, during the race, you run along the coast, there is a Ghirardelli chocolate stop, and when you finish, instead of a medal, you get a Tiffany’s necklace handed to you by a fireman in a tuxedo! Ha!

Also, Troy and I are signed up to volunteer at the St. George Ironman this weekend!  We are there at 5 am to help in the change tents from the swim to bike transition.  Then, we are helping all night (until midnight) in a run aid station.  My cousin Niki is actually in charge of the run aid station and they are planning an INCREDIBLE display.  I will take pictures and post them next time.   I can’t wait to be part of the Ironman and am really excited to be a volunteer!  I am a bit sad, because they changed the St. George Ironman to a half for upcoming years.  Troy and I were planning on signing up to compete in it in 2013, so now we need to figure out a different location.  I thought St. George would be close enough for my family to come cheer, so I’ll try to find the next closest, but just know family….when I do the full Ironman…I want you there!

 Last, I think I’m kind of cool because I’m spotlighted on the Strider’s Running Store website this month! I’m an internet sensation!  He He He!  If you do want to read my spotlight, you can find it at www.stridersrunning.com

Stay tuned next week for some seriously cool pictures from the St. George Ironman!

Thanks for the prayers! They are keeping me healthy, so keep ‘em coming!