Run Forrest, Run!

I've been running three times per week for the past 14 years, and I still get the "Run Forrest, Run!" shout-out from passing cars at least a couple of times per year. Other "exciting" things have happened during my runs including: (a) being chased by coyotes, (b) being hit in the chest with a can of Rock Star, (c) and doing a Warrick Dunn spin move to avoid being hit by an elderly man pulling out of the temple.

The latest chapter of running adventures involves me being sucked in to a half marathon. This has been interesting because, in all my years of running, I have never ran more than 6.2 miles (a 10k) at one time. A half marathon is "only" 13.1 miles, which Stan (my boss) claims is easily done by his pre-teen daughter.




So, for the past eight weeks, I have roughly doubled my running mileage as I complete my half-marathon training program. I have dropped 15 lbs and hope to be below 200 lbs when I run the race in early January.

I am running under the "Team Duda" banner which seeks to raise awareness and funds for Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. More information on Team Duda and our fundraising efforts can be found here
.

Numa Song

and after dance lessons (thanks to Brad and Mandy for this one). . .

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Our New Kitten

We have a new pet at our house. I finally relented and let the kids have one of grandma's baby kittens. We are not sure if it is a boy or a girl yet. The kids are having a lot of fun taking care of the kitty. Sophie loves the kitten.

Trick or Treat!

One of the things I love about our neighborhood is that we know everyone. We go to church and school with all of them, so trick-or-treating is really fun for the kids. There is even a family in our neighborhood who pass out hot chocolate, hot dogs and show outdoor movies on Halloween. The kids brought home tons of candy, but were very tired afterwards. Sophie had to come home early, she only lasted about 45 minutes.

Antelope island

Our kids have been asking about the Great Salt Lake - a prominent feature on the Utah map, but something they've never seen before. We decided to drive out to Antelope Island and show them the sights. Lori and I hadn't been there in 20 years, so we were a bit curious as well.

We loaded Pepper in the back of the truck and made the 80-mile drive up I-15 and across the causeway to the island. The first snowstorm of the year had hit the mountains the day before our little trip, and the views of the mountains from Antelope Island were awesome!

The kids enjoyed skipping rocks in the GSL (there were millions of perfectly flat skipping rocks on the beach, as you see in the picture above). The kids tasted the water and Annika said it tasted "saltier than the kind of salt you put on your eggs". Pepper was absolutely disgusting. There were piles of dead brine flies/brine shrimp on the shore (darker looking spots in the photo above) and the stupid dog thought they smelled so good that she rolled around in them. I had to load her into the truck at the end of our little jaunt and she smelled like the Denny's dumpster on a hot August afternoon in Houston.

There was plenty of wildlife out there too. We saw a buffalo, and we saw some idiots walking up to the buffalo to take its photo. We waited around hoping to catch Mr. Sideways Hat do his best rodeo clown-in-distress act, but the buffalo was patient and wandered off.

We also saw a coyote, some chukars (birds), and some live, non-stinky brine shrimp at the visitors center. On the way out of the visitors center, we caught some European tourists taking a picture of Pepper in the back of our truck. Couldn't figure that one out. . .maybe Black Labs in pickup trucks represent something uniquely American in Slovenia. I felt like pestering them to buy some folk crafts (we had legos in the back of the truck).

Anyway, nice to get out and get some fresh air after the cold, snowy weekend!

Fall Break

The kids were out of school part of last week, so we decided to go to Lagoon. My kids love amusement parks. They did not get this genetic trait from me, I avoid roller coasters as much as possible. Earl has tried to get me on one for 13 years and has yet to succeed. I think he's given up. He has moved on to persuading Annika and Stockton to ride all things scary. Stockton is an old pro, he'll ride just about anything. Annika rode 2 roller coasters at Lagoon, including the old white rickety one, that I won't go near. It was a fun day with perfect weather. I had a good time taking Sawyer and Sophie on the baby rides, while Earl turned Annika and Stockton into little daredevils.

Annika's New Hair

Annika wanted to change her hair and since it has been a real pain lately to keep it washed, conditioned and brushed I let her. She is VERY happy with the new do and wants everyone to see it. I was happy that it took about 5 minutes this morning. Maybe, she can get to school on time now.

Redneck Chuseok

I used to travel to Korea quite a bit, and the Koreans celebrate a holiday in September called "Chuseok" (meaning Fall Harvest). Everything shuts down, and folks travel back to their hometowns so that they can stuff themselves with food, hang out with living relatives, and then fix food for and visit their dead ancestors (while wearing weird clothes). Kind of a weird hybrid of Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and fermented cabbage.

Anyway, in the spirit of Chuseok, we decided to have our own celebration. No kimchi or bulgogi. Just guns and hostess baked goods.

We traveled west of pristine Utah Lake, to a point where the mosquito density appeared as precipitation on News4's doppler radar, and where mullets, minitrucks, and wrangler butts still reign supreme.

We set up a variety of targets - - cement forms, pop cans, water bottles, and other junk from the garage. Grandpa Ken, Grandma Retta, and Sippy joined us in our little celebration and we all had fun pumping lead into the targets.

Some highlights:
Stockton and Sawyer - 9mm pistol - rapid-fire urban assault on cement-form target.
Annika - Hitting a target with the 17HMR
Lori - Hitting a tennis ball with the 17 HMR
Grandma - Able to shoot both left and right handed
Grandpa - Sneaking a goose load into the shotgun behind a couple of target loads - nearly knocking Earl on his butt
Sophie - Eating dirt and playing with the "Da-Dog"

All in all - a good Redneck Chuseok.

Stockton's Free-Throw Challenge

A couple of times each week, Stockton and I play the "Free Throw Challenge". He shoots 10 free throws and I shoot 10. The best out of 10 wins the round. The first one to win three rounds wins the set, and the first one to three sets wins the match.

Stockton won his first set today - 3 rounds to 1 - despite my best Utah white-boy trash-talking efforts. After the beating, I spent the evening nursing my bruised ego and abusing mildly caffeinated soft drinks while plotting my revenge: I will take him out on the court tomorrow, lower the rim to 7.5 feet and hammer him with the most powerful two-handed tomahawk jam that my four-inch vertical leap will allow.

Consider yourself warned Stockton - - straight from the gutter like cheap butter.

Update: 9/16: Sawyer enters the fray, goes 5/5, and wins his first mini-round!

Mission Accomplished!

Okay, anyone who knows me knows that I have a difficult time sewing. It does NOT come naturally to me. This however does not keep me from trying. A month or so ago, I bought a new machine. My 1st machine came from Ebay and it worked, but it was a pain. My new machine has made a difference, but I still have been struggling. I finally finished a valance for my craft room that would have taken a normal person an hour or so to finish, if that. It took me about 2 weeks! Well tonight I actually finished a sewing project in one evening. Not only did I finish, but it looks pretty good. I made Sophie a beanie blankie. I saw the idea while we were in Idaho. She is already asleep, but I think she'll love it. Check it out!

Labor Day in Idaho

The Stevens have spent most of the summer at home, nursing a new backyard. So we decided to take a break and go to Idaho for the weekend. We stayed with LeeAnn and Mark in Idaho. It was a blast! They were fantastic hosts, I hope we didn't wear them out. We visited Yellowstone with Grandma and Grandpa. There was a great spot where we enjoyed a picnic, we saw some buffalo and of course Old Faithful and lots of hot pots. On Saturday, the Guisingers took us off the beaten path to an underground cave near Rexburg. It was neat, but I must admit a little dark and scary. We felt like real explorers. On Sunday, Grandma made us a great dinner and we were able to visit with aunt Missy and Harry and Brenda. It was nice just ti hang out with everyone, stay up late playing games and eating junk food. Thank you all for the relaxing weekend! We needed it.

Our trip started on Thursday with a visit to the Dinosaur park at the mouth of Ogden canyon. We spent a few hours there before making our way to Idaho. We really enjoyed it. There were a lot of cool rocks and gemstones in the museum, in addition to the dinosaurs. There were even dinosaurs that moved robotically (Sophie was terrified of those...and so was Annika!)This place is worth checking out if you are passing through Ogden.

Mr. T for President!

What kid growing up in the 80's didn't like Rocky movies, Indiana Jones, the A-Team, and Star Wars? Our kids are already in love with Star Wars, but imagine my delight when Stockton asked me if I had ever heard of "Mr. T". "Heck yeah", I said. We immediately got on YouTube and checked out some vintage Mr. T material.

During our YouTube research session, we found some fairly recent Mr. T work. The kids must have watched this particular segment about a dozen times. It's an Aussie TV commercial that delivers a nice combination of violence, political incorrectness and machismo that is all but extinct in mainstream entertainment today ("So You Think You Can Dance?" give me a break).

It's Still Summer

Although the kids headed back to school this week, we are still enjoying every last minute of summer in Utah. It was hot again this week and I finally broke down and bought the kids a fun water toy. They get out of school about 2:oo, which leaves a lot of hot afternoons of me trying to entertain them. This waterslide is just what we needed. The kids are having a blast on it! It is easy to put up and take down too. The only drawback is that our back lawn is still a work in progress so I've been setting the slide in my neighbor's yard. It all works out because our kids all play together anyway. I haven't had a chance to take a ride yet, but all my kids give this toy a big thumbs up!

A New School Year

The kids went back to school on Monday. This year everyone is there all day except Sophie. I'm not sure what I'll do with all the extra time. Probably, the same Mommy tasks, except with one child in tow rather than 4. Everyone was excited. They were all up at 7:20 eating and ready to get going. Sawyer seemed the most excited, maybe because he gets to stay all day and eat lunch at school. I was a little worried that Sophie might get lonely, but she was happy to play by herself today. We'll see if it lasts. I'm posting the pitures taken before they left the house on Monday.

A Fun Week with Aunt Mandy

This last week Mandy, Dominic and Jade came to visit. We had so much fun hanging out. Venturing out with 6 kids can get a bit hectic, but we managed. We were able to go to the Hogle Zoo, a favorite place for my kids. I thought I would post some of the pictures. I also want to thank Mandy for taking some great family photos for us.

Stockton's Chicago Dog

I'm in Chicago working this week, and passed an interesting family landmark on my way out of Midway airport. A couple of months ago, on a layover on our way to Florida, we had a couple of hours to kill and decided to hit the food court. Stockton had heard how great Chicago hot dogs were and wanted to try one. He chose to sample the fare at "Gold Coast Dogs".

With the exception of the "sport peppers", and the absence of ketchup (a no-no for Chicago dogs), he thought it was OK. That all changed during our flight to Florida when the dog came back to haunt him (I'll leave the details to your imagination). Anyway, Stockton has avoided hot dogs of all sorts since then. He also has an irrational fear of sport peppers (it was the residual sport pepper juice, apparently, that caused him distress).

Do you like tacos?

Our kids have different but equally strange senses of humor, which is puzzling given their buttoned-up prim-and-proper whitebread parents. In any case, they've done their research and are proud to present their picks for funniest t-shirt of all time. Sawyer has memorized the "taco" t-shirt and repeats it often to anyone who'll listen. Here are their picks:




If you're curious and want to see more, visit www.torsopants.com

Sophie Loves Spaghetti

Sophie's pediatrician told me to stop feeding her baby food a few months ago, reasoning that kids who are spoon fed by Mom for too long never learn how to eat. It is really difficult for me to not always feed Sophie and this is why. She is developing her independence and tonight she refused to let me help her. Finally, I let her go for it. She really likes spaghetti!

hunter-seeker droid

Look out! The hunter seeker-droid attacks unexpecting enemy starships without them even knowing!This robot looks like space junk when it's folded up, but this robot can destroy anything with it's laser cannons!

Lori's version Voodoo Chicken salad

Okay, several of you have asked me for this recipe. Sorry it has taken me so long to get it to you. I love this salad and we eat it about once a week. It is relatively healthy and the dressing has a bit of a kick so Earl will eat it. I hope you all enjoy! The dressing makes a lot. I make it in a big Mason jar and keep it in the fridge. The dressing is the hardest part to make, so once that is in the fridge you can make the salad quickly.

Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing

3 tsp. chili garlic sauce (SRIRACHA brand is what I use, get it in Asian food section)
2 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil (whisk this in slowly)

3 cups salad greens (I use the ones from Costco)
2 tablespoons Feta cheese
1 large diced tomato
2 chicken breasts cooked and diced (season w/teriyaki sauce or lime juice)
2-3 handfuls crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup Niblets corn
3 tablespoons red onion
sesame seeds (optional)

The corn, black beans and onion are not in the original recipe, but I really like a hearty salad so I add them. I season and grill the chicken on the indoor grill or outdoor grill. It is also a good way to use up leftover chicken. I hope you enjoy.

Fourth of July Festivities

Our family had a fun Independence Day weekend. We spent the 4th at Uncle Chris and Aunt Angie's bar-b-que. The kids had a lot of fun playing with their cousin Cole. A special thanks to Angie for having a party while 7 plus months pregnant. Annika made some pretty special cupcakes for the event, be sure to check out the pictures. Earl thought Sophie would be scared of the fireworks, but she wasn't. She didn't cry once, although I did see her try to plug her ears during the Piccolo Petes.

Saturday we went out on Utah Lake with our friends Tara and Jason. The kids had a blast riding their 3 person tube behind the boat. Annika and Sawyer were a little scared, but after a lot of persuading (Earl basically threw them onto the tube) they had fun. Annika loved it and wants to go again! After the lake, we went to our neighborhood fireworks show and it was fantastic! The fireworks were like a professional show, and we were right under them. At one point, the ashes were falling on Sophie and I had to move a bit.

Pleasant Grove Road Rant

The roads here SUCK. The city installed a pressurized irrigation system last year (which has been good), but they had to dig all the roads up, leaving a network of bumps, sinkholes, cracks, and any other road deformity you can think of.

This being the case, I thought I'd spruce up the City's logo and web banner a bit to better reflect the unique character of our city.

Our Kids Love Smores

Our kids are having a lot of fun cooking outside. Smores are a favorite, thought I'd share the pics!

Bike Wreck!

Lori is certainly paying her mountain biking dues. I wanted to embellish this story to include “table topping” a Volkswagen, ditching the cops, and a grand finale involving Mt. Timpanogos temple security and an inconveniently-located dumpster.

I was told that if I was going to write anything, it had to be the truth, so here goes. . .

We (the whole family) decided to ride our bikes to Grandpa and Grandma Stevens' house in Alpine for Grandma Retta's birthday. For the sake of the younger members of our family (insolent whiners!), we drove the truck to Lone Peak High School and unloaded the bikes, cutting about 2.5 miles off the trip.

Our travel plans had Stockton, Lori, and Earl riding non-stop to Alpine, with Sawyer and Annika switching off at the halfway point. Lori bought this brightly-colored trailer setup for Sophie, and Annika and Sawyer took turns riding with Sophie.

I got the honor of being the pack animal for the trip. I've seen ladies in our neighborhood pulling these trailers around, so I didn't think it'd be a big deal. Well, it feels like you're towing one of those fat Wal-Mart security guys back to the golf cart recharging depot. With that in mind, it was 95 degrees, and uphill all the way to Alpine.

OK, so I can handle the physical abuse - - it's the mental abuse and male ego-bruising that was the most painful. Annika's constant commentary from the back was mind numbing: “Why are you going so slow?” and “Why are you breathing so hard?”. I looked back once to respond to one of her questions and saw, for the first time, the spectacle of our journey. It looked like a gay Mardi Gras parade: Rainbow colors, loud squawking, garish costumes. . .yes, the stares were long and frequent.

Anyway, the journey went as expected. Annika and Sawyer each whined the entire time their feet were on the pedals. Stockton and Lori performed admirably, and we all eventually made it to Alpine.

After celebrating with Grandma Retta, Lori and Stockton volunteered to ride back down to the high school to get the truck (no way we were going to get the whiny little ones to ride back). Ten minutes later, Stockton came running back in the house shouting “Mom biffed it!”. We found mom in the bathroom nursing her wounds. She had moved off the sidewalk to avoid a trailer parked in the way. When she tried to merge back on the sidewalk, there was a disagreement of some sort between her tire and the curb. I opened the bathroom door to find Lori nursing some nice road rash.

Lori's face and knee received some TLC from the sidewalk. Luckily, she was wearing a helmet, otherwise we'd be talking about more than road rash. Stockton later said that he saw mom “just laying there” on the sidewalk, and that he was really scared. A driver saw the event and stopped to offer help, which was nice. Anyway, we were all scared there for a bit, but the damage is temporary and cosmetic. The nasty chin abrasion is healing fast (no, I do not point at her and yell “leper” in public places). The big knee bruise/abrasion will take a little longer to go away, but it will also heal.

I thought Lori would be a little gun shy after the wreck, but she climbed back on the bike two nights later for another family bike parade up Provo Canyon. A big shout-out to my trail-warrior wife!

Cascade Springs

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit us this week and we had lots of fun. We went for a drive up American Fork canyon and then onto Cascade Springs. The canyon is really beautiful right now, since we had lots of snow this year. We hiked around a little and looked at the fish. We also saw two cool waterfalls on the backside of Mt. Timp. Hopefully, we didn't wear the grandparents out and they'll come see us again soon.

Lori's five-floor pagoda of birthday fun

Oh yeah, she got the VIP treatment this year. Our June two zero included three out of the following five amazing activities:

1. All-night dancing, and Patron/Henny shots at Skybar (are those still the high-end liquors of choice? Probably not if a white guy from Utah knows about them).

2. Fondue adventure at the Melting Pot in SLC. No burns, spills, or bum attacks at the ATM!

3. No kids for 24 hours (thanks Grandma 'Retta! We owe you a night on the town a la #1 above)

4. Full Mexican dinner immediately followed by a romantic off-road jeep excursion at the Saaaand Dunes.

5. Lori's maiden mountain bike voyage: 1,000 vertical-foot climb in 1.5 miles. She conquered the 3-mile loop like a champ, with minimal whining about the heat, caterpillar attacks, my map-reading skills, and two flat tires.

OK, so I had fun on her birthday. . .I've yet to get much feedback from Lori -- she's still a bit groggy from the Henny -- but at the barely-legal age of 34, she'll bounce back.

Happy Father's Day!

We hope you all had a nice Father's Day. We had a fun weekend at our house. Earl built a fire pit on Saturday. These are standard equipment in a Utah yard, gotta have somewhere to roast marshmallows and cook Dutch oven. I'm going to enroll Earl in Dutch oven cooking classes to get back at him for the cyberbulling post. In case any of you don't know Earl well enough... the whole cyberbullying thing is his creation. Anyway, the fire pit is half done, we are going to add a paver patio around it. Hopefully, we will also have some grass soon.

Annika

Hi my name is Annika. And I love stuff like babies, parks and friends. and the thing I do best is play, do chores.and I hope you like this blog bye!

Sophie Sprouted Pigtails

I have been toying with the idea of cutting Sophie's hair for the last few days. She has super fine wispy hair and it is all different lengths. Earl suggested I try pigtails so she would look more girlie. I gave it a try this morning and here are the results! She looks cute, but I still think her hair may grow better if I take her for a trim. The kids call her pigtails (Yoda ears)!