O Holy Night

I often wonder what it must have been like on that holy night so long ago. I think of a very young girl that was probably scared and worried and completely overwhelmed by the task that she had to bear. I think of her husband, and how worried he must have been knowing that he had to find a place for his wife to give birth. Birth to the Savior of the world. I think of the lowly conditions. I think of the miraculous things humble shepherds saw as they tended their sheep. I try to picture that heavenly chorus and can see it in my head every time I listen to so many of my favorite Christmas carols..."Joy to the world", "Hark the herald angels sing", and "The Hallelujah Chorus". I imagine our savior "King of Kings", wrapped up, cuddling with his mother in the most humble of circumstances. I wonder what it would have felt like to hold your new born baby boy and know that he would belong to the world. What a special moment it must have been for Mary to hold him and know that he was hers...even if just for a short moment. I think of the wonder of the shepherds. They who had so little, so few earthly possessions, were chosen as the first ones to witness this Christ child. I think of our Heavenly Father looking down on the whole scene, and I realize the gift that he gave us. The gift of his only begotten son. And I ultimately think of the gift that the savior gave us. Born into humble circumstances, never living a life of recognition or glory, yet he ministered and taught and showed the way for us. And most of all, he gave his life for us and atoned for our sins so that we may one day return to live with him. O Holy Night. Tis the night of our Saviors birth. A few weeks ago, a family in our ward opened their farm to us and any friends in the community, and helped to put on a "living nativity", with many of the young girls in our ward participating along with many live animals. The program had musical numbers, narration, and such an amazingly sweet spirit. Kennedy played Mary, and as I watched her, I again thought of the young girl that Mary must have been and I was thankful for her courage and strength.

The girls did a great job and the night was so special. The barn was packed with people, all sitting on bails of hay. The night was warm, the music was inspiring, the spirit was strong, and I was so thankful to have witnessed something like this.

Kennedy was such a sweet Mary. Afterward the program, Cooper decided he should have played the baby Jesus.

Mike and Cindy Hawkes were amazing to work so hard to prepare for this event. Their property is beautiful and a perfect spot for this event. It is a night that we will all remember for a long time.

A few new family photo shoots

I've been taking so many Christmas card family pictures this season. My favorite thing to do! Check out my photography blog for a few of my latest shoots. More to come soon. I'm just slowly getting them posted. http://www.amylopezphotography.blogspot.com/

Kinsey gets dressed up...again...and again!

With-in a weeks time, Kinsey had a couple of dressy events to go to. That means that John and I did too. A cross country awards banquet, and a choir concert. She looked so cute all dressed up, that I had to post some pics. The Cross Country banquet was a really nice event with a great dinner, slide show, and awards. All I can say about those cross country kids is...wow...they clean up nicely. What a good looking group of kids. All the girls are just beautiful and cute boys too. It was a nice evening and we got to hang out with our good friends during the dinner, so it was a bit of a date for us.

We also attended Kinsey's choir concert. Her high school has a truly phenomenal choir program, so it is a treat to hear all the students perform. I had to take some pics of Kinsey in her new choir dress.

Kinsey had fun twirling and spinning and we caught the dress in motion.

My cute soccer boy!

Soccer ended about a month ago, but I forgot to post these cute pictures. This year, Carver and some of his buddies, and his coach, changed leagues. We had been playing WESA soccer for three years, but changed to the YMCA this year. It was a "learning" season for sure. Lots of changes. One of the great changes was that John got to help coach Carver's team.

WESA soccer played 4 on 4, smaller fields, no goalies. Carver's team pretty much dominated the last season they played. They just worked together so well. We liked the format, but the league was unorganized. YMCA uses the big fields, more kids on the field, and goalies. It took this poor team a whole season to finally be able to compete with these other kids that were used to this format. We were losing pretty badly.

During one of our last few games, Carver decides to step it up a notch and makes a long drive with the ball, and he scores! I think the first point of the season! The team catches the spirit, and soon they are scoring too. It took a while for these kids, but they showed their true colors towards the end of the season. Below, Carver happy about his first point, and coach "DAD" in the back ground cheering him on.

The Story of Ragnar

Well, I guess the most important part of this story is...We survived! Yay! Kinsey and I were part of a 12 woman team that ran "across Florida"...literally. The race started in Tarpon springs (close to Clearwater) and ended in Daytona Beach. 32 hours, 203 miles to be exact. Each of us taking 3 legs of the race. Kinsey ran 5 miles, 6.7 miles, and 6.4 miles. I ran 8 miles, 4 miles, and 3 miles. I was so worried about this race for quite a few reasons, the top reason being some of the health issues I am dealing with and pain I experience when I run, so I am writing this post with much gratitude. Gratitude that the race is behind me! So hard, so challenging, so exhausting (mentally and physically), but also an amazing experience. Way to go CHICKS THAT RACE (CTR).

Some of my "misconceptions" about the Ragnar Relay (the way I pictured it in my head VS. the way it really was):

1. We will be running on nice rural roads, not much traffic, very safe. WRONG. (Many times we were running on 4 lane roads,...tons of traffic...many times without even much of a shoulder to run on...against traffic...many times through construction...very vulnerable to be squished by a car).

2. There will be no fear of getting lost. We just follow the other runners on the road with us. We will never feel alone. WRONG. ( The hundred teams started runners all different times of the day, from 7 am to 2 pm. We were all very spread out. Most of the time I did my runs without seeing many other runners. Maybe just a couple. I felt VERY ALONE).

3. Since we have such long runs, I am sure there will be water stations along the way with cheering volunteers. WRONG. (No water stations or cheering volunteers. Volunteers were just at the exchanges, and our own team had to be our own water stations, which usually worked out pretty well).

4. I'm sure I will get a good amount of sleep. I can sleep anywhere...even in a car. WRONG! (Usually I really can sleep anywhere. But no...not this time. For some reason, I didn't get much sleep at all. Maybe just the anxiety of the race. We had a hotel the night before the race, and I didn't even sleep then. Rested, but awake, too keyed up all night. We had another hotel for a short nap...again couldn't sleep...tried to sleep in the car...think i got about a total of one hour. Wow...48 hours on this entire adventure...and one hour of sleep. NOT ADVISABLE!)

5. My night run will be totally safe. Well lit...lots of volunteers cheering me along...other runners...my car following along. WRONG! (Pretty sure my night run was the most dangerous thing I have done in a long time. Ended up being on a dark dark trail through the woods that we lovingly called "the dark abyss". My Van could not follow. Pitch black. No moon. 4:00 a.m. No cheering volunteers or bright signs. Three of the 4 miles I was totally alone. Only saw two other runners, and one scary man out on his own 4 a.m. run. Weird. Even ran past some abandoned warehouses...seriously thought I was endangering my life. Yikes. Luckily, Kinsey's dark run (which was at 7:30 p.m) was on a road, so her vehicle could follow her. Whew! )

6.Florida has no hills. My course map shows hills...but they can't be that bad. Right? WRONG. (HUGE HILLS DURING MY 8 MILE RUN. CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY. My course map was absolutely right)

7. There will not be much STRESS on the race. We will just get out and run our legs and cheer each other on. Maybe read a book in between. WRONG!!! (There was stress, though it was not horrible. I just didn't realize how much effort it would be to be in the car, navigate to the next exchange, stopping along the way to give water and cheer the runner, plus make sure the next girl is ready to run...making sure we are hydrated and have something to eat...and maybe make potty or gasoline breaks during that time. Nothing we couldn't handle...but different than I pictured).

So as you can see, the race was a little different than I expected, but also a really GREAT experience. I just never imagined all the little things that went into it. But Kinsey and I also have so many amazing and funny memories. I love the girls that I ran with and it was good for us to do this together. Just one of those things where you have to be very allowing of different kinds of personalities...which some people were better at than others...but it all ended well. I have so much pain when I run these days, and so this race was a true accomplishment for me. It was so hard...but I made it. Kinsey on the other hand was the "Rock Star" of her car and did such a great job...with no aches or pains or ailments like the rest of us. Everyone loved her.

We had two vehicles. 6 girls each. This was my "van" as we called it. We were van #2, which meant that we had runners 7-12. And somehow, got the really horrible times to run (either the heat of the afternoon, or the middle of the night...fun). The night before the race, we decorated our car, put our team name out there for everyone to see (on the other side of the car), and then headed to the gulf coast of Florida to spend the night before the race.

I have to say...Van #2 had the most AMAZING CONTRAPTION. A shower! Can you believe it? Beckie Lowes neighbor heard about our race, heard Beckie talking about how we wouldn't have many places to shower or change...and he then built this amazing shower on the back of the suburban. It had a pump and turned on with a switch of a button. It even had a circular shower curtain that we would hook to it for showers or for a changing room. This contraption got SO MUCH ATTENTION from the other runners. Everyone wanted to take a picture. Too bad it broke down half way through the race, but we still used it for a changing station.



This is our course Overview. The first map is the entire course. The second map is my personal first run. My 8 mile hilly stretch.

I had to include this to show the elevation scale at the bottom. When I found out I was going to have to do 8 miles for my first run, I seriously almost had to drop out because of the pain I am having in my legs. I had originally had five miles for the first run, then it got changed to 3, then up to 8 (they kept changing the course because of construction). So not only did I have such a long run, but the hills were the worst. The Florida I know is flat...so I just didn't want to believe the chart...but it was just as bad as it looked.

Here we are, ready to get Van #1 started on their runs. Their first runner started at 7:30

Awww. Cute Kinsey. She filled in for this race at the last minute for Carmen who hurt her knee (we missed you Carmen) and so she was in a different vehicle than me...thus different running group than me. So we really were not together that much during the race...but it ended up being such a great thing. When Kinsey is with me, she tends to lapse into the Mother-daughter thing where she kind of just takes the back seat and does her own thing. She is quieter than me, and she lets me do all the talking. But I truly think she bonded with the ladies in her van. She got to be herself and she was always cheerful and smiling...and wanting to hug me (wow), every time she saw me. It looked like she had so much fun.

Kinsey got her first leg out of the way early. She was runner number two so she ran around 8:30 a.m. I think her first run was 5 miles or so. I didn't get to see her, but she would always text me and tell me how her run went. She did great. She said her runs were easy and fast. Hey...I guess all the cross country training in 96 degree heat is really paying off.

Okay, I just had to tell about the picture below. Our van finally started our running around noon. At this point, (waiting for our first runner to come in) we were waiting at an exchange to cheer our runner in, and send another out. All of a sudden, we see this guy walking towards our shower...and without even a glance around, he just turns it on and starts using it. Even sprays water down his pants (which I think I caught on film). We were standing there with our mouths wide open. Could not believe it. Funny memory for sure.

Below...The exchange. The baton (or bracelet) would just slap onto your wrist. This is Jessica coming in, and Andrea going out.

Jessica enjoying the shower at our second exchange. Gotta love it.

One last "Happy Pose" before the pain begins. I may look smiley, but I have to say that I had not been that nervous in a long time. My 8 mile hilly run was coming up in moments, and I was just picturing how bad it was going to be. Cute Brittany kept telling me that I should chant "I control my body...it does not control me". Normally I totally agree, but lately, this pain in my legs when I run... totally controls me. I was just picturing myself having to walk the whole 8 miles. Yikes.

Since my run started at 4:30, I had to wear the protective running gear because it would get dark at the end of my run. Vest, head lamp, and rear light. Running with all this extra stuff did not please me. I was nervous enough as it was and didn't realize I would have to wear it for the first run. Looking back I realize how dangerous the traffic was, how small the shoulders were, and how the drivers were probably blinded to me at dusk...I am glad I had the gear. And I did end the run in the dark.

Below is me on about mile 1.5 of my race. This is my first hill...and believe it or not...this was the easiest hill. As I topped this hill, I could see a huge hill ahead of me. As I topped it...I see three more gigantic hill rising before me...like a giant roller coaster. I'm not being dramatic. This Florida girl has not run hills like this...the whole time I have lived here. It was quite the scary task, but I truly believe I was granted a little miracle on this run . The pain that I normally feel lately when I run, mysteriously was not bothering me. The run was still hard, I was not super fast, but my legs did not seize up. AMAZING! I was praying and praying...and the prayer was answered.

FINISHED! Yipee!!! It was so hard, but so much better than I thought it would be. It was the most amazing feeling to know that I did something that my body just doesn't want to do right now. What a blessing and miracle. And yes...I RAN up all the hills except the very last one.

After all our runners finished up our first distances of the race, we chatting with van #1 for a bit as they were sending out their first runner. Kinsey was ready to go for her second leg as she is their runner number 2. They had rested at the exchange and tried to get some sleep laying on the grass. We were SO happy to be done and headed toward a hotel.

On the way to the hotel, we grabbed some real food at Panera Bread. I was so exhausted, tired, hungry, and cold by then, that I almost wanted to cry. I don't think soup and sandwich has ever tasted that good before. At the hotel, a few of us still needed to shower, and then we only had about two more hours before we had to leave for our next exchange. Everyone went right to sleep, and I pretty must just layed there. So annoying that I couldn't sleep. Apparently the alarm did not go off, and we woke to Kinsey's call saying that they were almost done (and that she had run 6.7 miles in 60 minutes and felt GREAT...oh the glory of youth). I have never seen so many ladies hop out of bed and into the car so fast. We started our night runs at MIDNIGHT. Seriously...how did we pick these times to run?
The night runs were SO SCARY. I was worried that we would be tired, but not so. We were so anxious about navigating in the dark, making it to the next exchange before the runner finished, and running on dark scary paths, that the fatigue did not register. I started my night run at about 3:30 a.m. I have to say it was scary in a whole different way than my long run. I was scared for my LIFE. These trails were so dark. Like running into a pitch black abyss of darkness. I don't even run alone on wooded paths during the day. We should have brought a "support" person to bike along with us at night. I was all for it, and John even offered, but as a whole, the girls decided against that...in the name of "girl power" or something like that. In retrospect...WE SHOULD OF HAD A BIKER. 4 miles of dark scary trail. ALONE. I only saw two other runners way ahead, and then they were gone. Misty and foggy to add to the effect. Seriously thought something or someone was going to jump out at me the whole time. Prayed a lot!!!! Plus...my legs went back to my old pattern of PAIN and seizing up, so it was a hard run. I think Andrea did about 6 on a dark trail. Brittany did 9 on a dark trail. Even men were coming off those runs saying it was the "freakiest" thing they have done.

This picture below is Sara right before her run into the DARK ABYSS. This is what each trail looked like as we began.

We lived...ran all night...and Van # 1 was waiting at the exchange to start their last runs at 6:30 a.m.

We headed to the next big exchange...where we would meet the last runner of van #1. We had about five more hours until our first runner, Jessica, began her last leg, and we were going to try to get some sleep. Josh Elledge was at the exchange as a volunteer. He and his crew were in costume and would welcome each runner with an "AARRGGH". Gotta love it.

Sleeping bodies everywhere

We had a tarp...and sleeping bags...and room in the car. But again, I couldn't sleep. Heck, only 9 hours to kill before I run again. Who needs sleep? But I did get a fun phone call from my sister Brenda at this exchange. Made my whole day. Texting was also a fun way to pass the time and feel connected to family or friends. And some of the girls would update Facebook as we proceeded through.

Noon-ish...Van #1 is finished. NO FAIR. Seeing their happy faces and knowing that our van would be running and following and cheering for the next 7 hours...was almost too much to handle. This last day...or afternoon to be exact, was where the fatigue and the hunger and the stress set in. Following runners on the endless road of heat. We should have eaten another real meal. We were mostly living off of power bars, shock blocks, and junk. We should have had more sleep. Blah blah blah blah.

My last leg of the race started about 4:15. It began here at the Cabbage Patch biker bar. Earlier in the day we saw about 200 bikers pass us...maybe they had been here. John and the kids drove up to meet me and cheer me on for my last leg (sweet). John had also driven out to see Kinsey run that morning at 8. He is a good Dad.

My run should have been a piece of cake, but it was SO HARD. My legs hurt so much and I was just physically and mentally exhausted by then...and needed some food. Poor Brittany and Sara that ran 6 and 7 mile stretches to finish the race after me.

We all ran across the finish line with Sara. We were AT THE BEACH in Daytona. On the board walk, but it was too dark to take in the full effect of the ocean. It was so cute to see Sara's husband and kids meet her and run the last bit with her. By this time...we were all so exhausted, and we just wanted to GO HOME. So proud of us all...quite the journey! Learned many things, had some really fun moments, and achieved something that I didn't think I could do right now...plus...got to share it with my daughter. So neat...but please don't say the word RAGNAR for a while. This chick wants a break from racing.

Here we come...for better or worse!

Tonight Kinsey and I leave for our "Race Across Florida". AKA...The Ragnar. Coast to coast, 12 runners, three legs each, 36 hours, 200 miles. We are running with 10 other ladies from church and our team is called "Chicks that Race", or CTR. I'm so glad that Kinsey is going with us. She is filling in for a girl that got injured, and won't even be in my "van", but I know she will have a great experience. She will probably run the pants off of all of us.

A year ago a bunch of friends and I had heard about this race and figured we might do it this year. At the time, I was just coming off of doing 4 triathlons, I felt great, and I figured this race would be no problem. Now, as I contemplate the reality that I will be running a total of 16 miles in a very short period of time, I feel a sense of panic. No...not because I have not trained. Not because I am not prepared (I have been running all year, usually an average of at least 20 miles a week). What I am worried about has to with some sort of medical issue I have been having with my body this year. No matter how hard I train, or how hard I try, it is harder and harder for me to run. I feel so much pain and tightness in my legs. Kind of like chronic muscle fatigue. I felt it coming on the beginning of the year, and as the year progressed, it has gotten worse and worse. So a year ago I had a body that could easily do triathlons, run long distances, and function the way I wanted...and now...every time I run, it feels as if I am in someone else's body. As if I am running in a body that is completely foreign to exercise. EVERY DAY! It never gets better. So my work-outs consist of so much mental power to simply get through a run. I know it sounds CRAZY that I continue to work-out, but to me it would be even more frustrating to give something up that helps me so much. I have worked out 5 -6 days a week for 19 years, and I think insanity would set in if I had to stop.

As we signed up for this race in the summer and I started training specifically, I still had hope that I would be feeling better by now. I had no idea that my condition would have worsened. I have sought medical attention and had tests done, but they only show a bit of anemia, which should not be doing this to me. The diagnosis may have something to do with stress. This has been one of the hardest years for our family, for many reasons. Dealing with the loss of John's job is something that eats at every aspect of our lives, yet we have to go on living and raising our children and filling our responsibilities. The stress may be manifesting itself in my body by "shutting down" when I exercise. Yet ironically, that leads to another loss for me. Loss of my physical abilities. I have learned through this that we should never take our bodies for granted. I am so thankful for a healthy body, that can still push through a work-out, that can still play with my children, and can function normally, even if it is with some pain. But for the moment, I have lost the ability to feel good when exercising, my ability to train and improve, my ability to push myself and achieve a physical goal. I can push all I want, but my body does not cooperate.

And yes, it may seem crazy that I am going ahead and doing this race, but as things got worse this past month, it was just too late to let my team down. Hard to find a replacement. During my training, I would have glimpses of the way I used to feel, and I always had hope that things would get better. I can run the distances, but just with a great amount of pain. Our race course keeps changing, and though I chose very short distances initially, a month ago an 8 mile leg was thrown into the mix, along with my 4 and 3 mile legs. I was able to run 8 miles last week (it was truly a miracle) and so I am going to try, but since then, even three miles has been extremely painful, so we will see how it all works out. My teammates are patient and understanding, and some of them have their own issues to deal with.

I know this post was kind of long and not really on the uplifting side of things, but I just felt I needed to record what I am going through right now, so that in the future I can see that I always need to be thankful for what I have. Our lives can change at any moment. I am thankful for the years of a strong body where I could work and achieve my physical goals, and maybe I will be back there again soon, but for now, I am just thankful that I still have two legs (painful as they may be), to run this race (or walk...we will see) with good friends and my sweet daughter. The sense of sisterhood and support is so strong with this group, and I know that we will help each other along.

Clearwater to Daytona...here we come. For better or worse! Stay tuned for details.

Mummies, scarecrows and kitties Oh my!

Said it all before, and I'll say it again...I LOVE HALLOWEEN! Love the dressing up, the school parties, the decorations, the treats...and the way a bag of Halloween candy smells. Love the way my neighborhood sits out on their decorated porches to hand out candy. Love to light spooky candles and watch scary movies (well...Disney style scary movies). Love to hear my two year old saying..."Mom...I hab fun scrick or schreating". Love to do my kids hair and make-up getting them reading for the big night. Love to go to Halloween parties. Love to watch my kids sort their candy. I guess I am a Halloween-atarian...or a Halloweenian...(but in the complete non evil, non-gory, non-yucky sense of the term). I just think it is a fun time of year...full of tradition...and full of memories from my childhood, and of my kids growing up.

We ended up having three days of partying, so a few costumes were switched out...and much fun was had. Started out with some school parties, then on Thursday night, we had a great church party with dinner and trunk-or-treating. I am trying not to think about the part when our huge pot of chili spilled in our car on the way to the party... and just focus on the FUN! No school for us on Friday, so that made the night even more fun. (I can handle kids on a sugar high...as long as I know I don't have to get them up for school).

So the first night we ended up with a mummy, a scarecrow, a kitty, and angel (I was feeling angelic that night), and a zombie prom queen.

On Friday night we changed things up a bit for an outdoor party at our friends house. Well, just Carver and I mixed it up. Since Carver likes to RUN and play constantly at these parties, we figured out that by the end of night #1, his mummy costume basically existed no more. He ran the poor thing off his body. So night #2 he opted for a skeleton. Still "dead", but stays put a bit better. I wasn't feeling so "angelic", so I had to show my darker side as a vampire...and John got groovy with his "70's" guy costume, complete with polyester pokadot shirt, polyester pants, and a white belt and shoes.
Cooper was the CUTEST scarecrow I have ever seen...oh except for when Kinsey and Kennedy wore this when they were two. Yes...that's right. I made this costume for Kinsey (back when I had time for things like creativity) when she was Coop's age...and it has just been waiting for Cooper.

Kinsey was the most beautiful...I mean the most horrifying prom queen ever. Well, somehow she even pulled off still looking beautiful, even as a prom queen of the dead. We had so much fun making this costume. Got the dress at good will...shredded it a little, added some black smudges...crazy ratty hair, "dead looking" make-up, and she was ready to go.

So...all dressed up (literally), and ready to go to the Dowdy's party. These great friends have a huge piece of land (13 acres of something) and they threw a fun outdoor Halloween party. LOVED IT! We had yummy pumpkin soup, great treats, a hayride, and an outdoor movie.

After we all got ready on Friday night, cute Kitty Kennedy said (in a very sarcastic tone), "uh, so no one bothered to tell me that our theme tonight was ...."the dead"? Thanks a lot". Hmm, totally unplanned.

Ahhh...the zombie prom queen found her zombie prom king. Not planned...or was it?

I think the best thing about being a Zombie, according to Kinsey, would be that she could just have this look on her face all the time, and no one would tell her to "snap out of it". Handy for a teenager.

Ahh, I found a Vampire friend.

Loved the hayride...complete with scary stories and ghoulish goblins hiding in the old barn.

Halloween night! Now down to business of serious candy collecting. Kennedy went to a different neighborhood with some friends, and Camden Roe came along with the boys. Fun was had by all.

Kinsey had a fun and "angelic" Halloween night by hanging out with her friends, watching movies, trick or treating a little, and doing whatever it is that teenage girls do.

Cooper loved it that people were just handing him candy! Wow...heaven.
All around the neighborhood..."wait me Carver".

Getting a little dirty

What could be better than a day helping out a good friend. Last Saturday Kinsey and I helped with Clay Roe's Eagle Scout project. Clay put so much time into earning the money and planning this project, and the final result was amazing. He built a shaded relaxation area, (including a gazebo, landscaping, and furniture) for a group home that houses 5 disabled adults. I was so impressed and it was great to be a part of it. Kinsey dug in ...literally, and worked so hard all day. That girl is not afraid to get dirty. I dug in too, but made sure I grabbed the camera to document the event in between shoveling. Hey...that's important too, right?

Since my boys are still young, I don't know that much about the "scouting stuff", so it is good for me to get an idea of what I am in for. If my boys turn out like Clay, I will be a happy mother. What a great kid. He is a great friend to Kinsey and to our whole family. My boys idolize him and want to be like him, or be playing with him. When ever Carver refers to something about growing up (like holding the priesthood, or playing a sport, or going on a mission), he asks, "Well, does Clay do it"? Clay has such high standards and has shown true courage this past year dealing with some very difficult trials of his own. He feels like he is part of our family, so I just had to brag about him a little. Wow...two posts in one week talking about how great teenagers are.

Adam, Kinsey, and Keriann bringing in the landscaping. Keriann is Clay's sister, and she is amazing too. She is in my young womens group and church and I just adore her. Adam padilla is a geat kid too. I think working with the youth at church is the greatest calling ever. I get to know all these kids so well and be a part of their lives. Their examples are so important to the younger kids .

Kerianna nd Kinsey did A LOT of ground clearing. It was hard backbreaking work. But as soon as the grass was cleared, the path way started to go down. Mason and Clay below, hard at work preparing for the pavers.

Job well done

BEFORE

AFTER

The finished product was wonderful. The back yard seemed transformed. These residents seem to agree.

A beautiful run

Last week, Kinsey's Cross Country meet was in Dade City Florida, about two hours away from us. It was certainly worth the drive. This coarse (built for Steeple Chase) was so beautiful. It was a nice overcast day, with lower temps than the week leading up to this (these poor kids have been doing their afternoon work-outs in 96 degree weather). For this meet we left the other kids with friends, drove up with our Dowdy's, and made a day of it. Kinsey told me it would be RIDICULOUS to blog about every meet...so I won't, but I loved the scenery at this meet and it was such a neat experience to be there.

Stefanie Dowdy and I

Here come the runners. They ran this giant loop two times, and then looped through the middle a little.

"Can't get my spikes off"

Kinsey did a great job. The week before this meet she shaved 2 and a half minutes from her time, and even though this coarse had some inclines, she PR-ed by a few seconds.

Okay, I just need to brag about my teenage for just a minute here. That is allowed on blogs once in a while...right? Especially since Kinsey is the last one in the world that would ever talk about herself. She will even cringe at the blog about her running (she still claims that she is not even a good runner...even though she runs all these amazing distances). She will cringe at all of this now, but one day in the future she will see this and know how much her mother admired her...and she will appreciate it. Maybe. This teenager of mine is such an amazing kid. I feel like she does so much, but does it is such a humble way. She is such a beautiful and talented girl, but she quietly goes about her life and doesn't think of herself that way. She gets up every morning for seminary and leaves the house by 5:40, attends all her AP classes in school (where she pulls straight A's), and then goes to practice, runs crazy distances in crazy heat and humidity, then comes home and has hours of homework, still helps around the house, still goes to her church activities, and still truly cares about her friends and the things they are going through. She plays the piano, mostly self taught lately, finds time to read books, and is just such an easy and wonderful kid. I am so proud of the choices she makes in her life. I trust her so completely. I love her friends, and I love the friend that she is to others. She listens to them and cares about them. She is a quiet girl that has a hard time going outside of her comfort zone, yet I know she goes out of her way for her friends in small quiet ways. She is sure that boys don't really "look" at her, or think of her as attractive (SO UNTRUE), which is crazy, but I love it that she is not caught up in being the center of attention or worrying about what every boy thinks, and instead is just a good friend to them (I am usually the one telling her she needs to flirt more). She holds so tightly to her standards, but again, in a quiet and humble way. Yes...she is a normal teenager and she has her moody moments, she is NOT a morning person, and sometimes her younger sister drives her crazy...but we are all human. So to all those mothers of little children, that are scared for them to grow up and turn into the evil teenager...I am here to tell you...teenagers can be great. I am loving this time with Kinsey.

Leaving behind a legacy

Just over a week ago, this dear friend of ours, Jeff Whetman, lost his year long battle with cancer and returned to live with his Heavenly Father. My heart has been so full as I have thought about the effect that he and his family has had on our lives. We prayed so hard for a different outcome to this trial, as did his family,but through it all they were the ones that showed unfailing faith, true courage, genuine caring, inner strength, and amazing charity. Though my heart is filled with sadness as I think of the life that was lost, I see the true legacy that he has left behind. I so clearly see all the things that he and his family taught those that came into contact with them as they faced a overwhelming trial. This was a man that had the light of Christ in his eyes. He was a man that taught his children about life and about the gospel with such love and such skill. A man that treated his wife like the daughter of God that she is. A man that seemed to care more about others during his trial, than himself. A man that had true integrity. A man that loved the Lord and his fellow men. When Jeff looked into your eyes to talk to you about something, there was no doubt of his genuine caring. I had the opportunity to be in their home many times during this past year and I felt such a spirit of peace and love there. Being able to be a part of this family in some small way during this trial taught me so much about the pure love of Christ. Taught me so much about how the Lord puts certain people in our lives for a reason. Taught me that when we are serving others, we are many times the ones that are benefited. I miss Jeff, I love his family and pray for them daily, and I thank my Heavenly Father for their friendship. I realize that Jeff left such a legacy of faith, goodness, integrity, perseverance and righteousness. I feel blessed to have had such and example in my life. I feel changed because of his example. I truly feel that in Jeff, I have seen a man with "His" image (Christ's image), engraven upon his countenance.

What a special experience it was to take these family pictures, and these military pictures last december and January. Jeff was alreay sick, but he was so strong and vibrant as we worked our way through these shots. It is a memory that I will always cherish.

Kennedy turns 11

So yes...I do this for every one of my kids birthdays. Post a bazillion pictures from their past. I realize it is a LONG walk down memory lane. I realize it might be embarrassing for Kennedy. I realize it might be boring for anyone other than me...but I just can't help myself. As each year passes, I just can't believe how time is going faster and faster. I remember all these moments in Kennedy's life as if they were yesterday. She was the cutest little thing and always my little buddy. But yes...I need to come to terms with the fact that she is now a full fledged tween that would love to spend all her time looking through "Teen Beat" magazines, who has opinions about everything, and gets embarrassed when her mom gushes about her. So I will just say this. Kennedy...WE LOVE YOU. Thank you for being the girl that you are. We are so proud of you!

I couldn't resist

This beautiful little girl has been staying with us for a while as her family is dealing with some really hard things. We have been so happy to help out and have her in our home. And yes...she has given me my "little girl" fix. I miss the hair bows. I miss the cute little dresses. I miss the flowers. My girls are all grown up, so I had to capture Maria's cuteness one afternoon on my back porch for an impromptu photo shoot. Hopefully I can give these shots (and the other million I took) to her mom as a surprise (so shhh if you happen to know her mom).

Oh these eyes

Should I be worried?

Cooper and Maria have been inseparable for the past week or so...and they have a healthy love/hate relationship that most two year olds have...especially those that live as "twins", sharing everything...including a "mommy figure" for a week. They are so fun to watch and they get so silly together...and sometimes their "love" is overflowing! Should I be worried? Nah...but in 14 years ask me again...and I may have a different answer.

I don't blame her...he is pretty kiss-able

a little healthy "wrestling on the bed" to end the evening

Stripey pj's...red cheeks from jumping...and all tired out!

Cross Country madness!

Just finished mile one...still looking happy...and fast!

Yes...my daughter... the same one who a few years ago told me that she "HATED" running, is now on the Timber Creek Cross country team, and seems to be loving it. I have been telling her for years that she has the natural build of a runner and that if she trained, she could get quite good. I have been running for years and years and she can keep up with me... even when she hasn't run for months (oh the beauty of being young). So she finally decided to do cross country. She joined late, and had only been practicing for a week when this meet came around, but she did great. I am so proud of her. Oh...and even her coach told me that she has the natural build of a distance runner. Hmm...funny how Kinsey took that comment far more seriously when her coach said it...rather when her silly old mother said it (over and over).


We had never been to a cross country meet before, and I honestly thought it was just going to be sitting at a finish line and cheering the runners in. Well, it was totally different than I thought. First of all, so many schools competed and it was a high energy kind of event. It was amazing how many runners were out there. The teams compete in waves...(V girls, V Boys, JV girls, JV boys), and so you get to see so many races. These races (5Ks) are over in no time because these kids are so fast. The course is beautiful and it weaves back and forth so we got to basically follow the runners around and see them at so many points in the race. It was really exciting and so much fun. Oh...I can't forget to mention the heat... for so early in the morning. Gotta hand it to these runners. I guess that is why they train every day after school around 3:00 for a couple hours...running about 5 or 6 miles, and doing speed relays. I guess that makes them used to the heat a little...if that is possible...YUCK!

Kinsey at mile 2

Go Kinsey! Go Kinsey!

Heading to the finish line. Still looking cool, calm and collected...though I don't think she was actually feeling that way;) Most runners can attest to the fact that feeling naseaus at the end of a race is just part of the fun!

Kinsey is lucky enough to have three of her really good guy friends on the cross country team. They are in our ward, and also her friends at school. It makes for fun meets cheering for all these kids. This is Mason, and let just say...FAST! He is also new to the team, but I think here at his 2 mile mark, it had only been about 13 minutes.

Mason's parents, Stefanie and Chris...also our good friends.

Go Mason

Derek getting serious at the end...passing guys right and left.

Adam kicking it up at the finish.

The kids had some of their friends come and support them and cheer them on. Good job to all the runners. A fun day for sure.

That 70's party

Though I was only a "baby" in the 70's, and hardly remember it, I was able to dig deep inside and find my inner "retro self" for this fun surprise 50th birthday party for a friend of ours. Okay, Okay, I do remember some of the 70's...but my fashion memories are more of my favorite gouchos, or my furry orange coat, or little shorty dresses that didn't quite cover my behind (I was very young...so don't get the wrong idea). I do remember my older brother having some pretty snug bell bottoms (far too snug), quite a few leisure suits on my Dad ...and my mom had some pretty cool polyester maxi dresses. But to my dismay, I could not find a good orange furry coat to save my life...but I think John and I found some proper attire for a night of disco mania. I especially liked John's "too tight" stretchy poka dot shirt, brown polyester pants, and white belt. Gotta love Good Will. Brad had no idea that all of these crazy people were waiting at his house as he came home from work one unspespecting Friday night.

Above is Brad BEFORE ... Below is Brad AFTER (after his wife whipped him into his surprise 70's attire). Hey...who is that guy with all the hair?

Brad and his cute wife Michelle...with the perfect feathered hair

Zoanne...looking quite a bit like Carol Brady...if you ask me. Love the wig.

Amy is wearing one of those perfect 70's maxi dresses I was talking about. Did she get into my mom's closet? So cute

Gotta have some hippies to add to the fun

Breanne and Ashley (Brad's daughters), flew in with their families to be at their Dad's 50th party. He didn't know they were in town until the party. So fun... and sneaky

a little YMCA

Our bishop, and good friend, happens to be a DJ and DJs all the youth dances. We were lucky enough to have him playing the tunes of the 70's, all night long. We got our boogie shoes on for sure. I am a huge fan of dancing...think we should do it ALL the time...miss my youth when we would go "dancing at the Bay" every week-end...and often find myself out on the dance floor with the youth at their dances (possibly to Kinsey's dismay)...so...having a "grown-up" dance, having a bunch of my friends there... and actually having a dance partner, was right up my alley. I want a dance floor in my house!!!

Awww

Sara learned "The Hustle", taught it to me, and then we taught it to everyone. Between that, and "the Car Wash", the YMCA, and some disco moves, we had moves to last us all night ( I am noticing that these pictues look like the whole dance consisted of myself, Sara, and Andrea...but not true. We had the whole group (almost) out on that floor most of the time. The three of us just continued when others pooped out.

Take a look!

I had so many fun photo-shoots over the summer. I have updated my photography blog with shots from about 5 or 6 new sessions. Click on this link to take a look. www.amylopezphotography.blogspot.com . Once you get there, keep scrolling down to view them all...you may even see someone you know (especially if you are my family)

Labor day...but no labor allowed!

You know...it's been a stressful couple of weeks. By the time Labor day rolled around, we had been in school a couple of weeks, been dealing with all sorts of crazy schedules, and coping with some of the hard things that life throws our way. It was time...TO HAVE A BEACH DAY WITH SOME FRIENDS! My favorite thing. Labor day was the perfect excuse to go. We headed out to Cocoa beach with the Von Hacks, the Dowdy's, and Clay Roe. Something about the beach really rejuvenates me. Maybe it is the sounds, maybe it is the sights and the smells, maybe it's watching my kids have so much fun, maybe it's sitting around chatting with friends. Whatever it is...I'll take it. And I guess I will also take the part where we are cleaning the sand out of our car, washing sandy towels, unpacking coolers, and comparing who got the most sand trapped in their swimsuit. Not my favorite part of the beach, but so worth it!

Oldest city + young at heart couple = great 18th anniversary!

Hmm, what to do to celebrate the fact that you have been with someone for the past 18 years. Hey, I know, go to the oldest city in the Nation. Actually, St. Augustine is one of my favorite places, very romantic, full of charm, and only two hours from our house, so it was a great place to go with my sweetheart to celebrate 18 years of marriage. This city was settled by the Spanish, the french, and was a favorite spot of pirates. What could be more romantic than that?

John and I in front of Flaggler college. Used to be the Ponce De Leon hotel back in the 1800's where the rich northerners would come and spend the whole summer. So fancy, so plush (million dollars worth of Tiffany stained glass in the cafeteria for heavens sakes...a little different than BYU), and now it is a small liberal arts college. Such amazing architecture...and kids get to actually live in those rooms as dorms. Wow.

Also at Flaggler college

One of my friends asked what we did in St. Augustine all day. As I was answering, I realized how strange it sounded...but it was so. We basically walked around this old city, up and down alleys, in between houses...and I searched for cool old stuff to photograph. Yes, it may sound sad, but this was what made my day on my anniversary. I love old architecture. I love old doors. I love old houses. I love flowers and ivy and old iron work, and I love taking pictures of it all...to my hearts content. May sound crazy...but there could be crazier fetishes I suppose. Oh, and I especially love it without my kids tagging along telling me that I am taking too many pictures of boring things. I just love how the texture and architecture of old buildings, doors, and alleyway looks in a photograph. Almost like you can go back in time or something. So much character. So my sweet husband followed me around and helped me find good spots to shoot. But let me tell you...if anyone wants a cool location for a photo shoot, the back streets of St. Augustine would be amazing.

Full view of Flaggler college...and me below with another cool "entrance"

Been married for 18 years. Have four kids ranging from teens to toddlers. Been through many wonderful things together. Endured many trials together. And yet... we can still pose for a goofy heart shaped hand picture on our anniversary. I think that is a pretty good sign. I sure love this man!

Enchanting entrances

I have this thing about doors. Not your every day run of the mill doors, but old and interesting doors. Well, I found my fill in St. Augustine, and I just had to capture them all. Beautiful! And I don't know if it is true, but these door seem to lead to somewhere magical. I guess it is a mystery. That is part of the reason I like them.

Okay okay...it's a window and not a door...but still cool.

Summer highlights...Florida Style

As much as we love going to Utah every summer, we also love summer back here in Florida. I thought I would post some pics of some of the things that kept us busy here.

Relaxing beachy days...awwhh

We love Clearwater beach on the gulf side of Florida. White sand and very very warm water. Cooper sure loved boogie boarding. What you can't see is that John was attached to the other side of this cord...pulling cooper through the waves...all the while hearing , "more Daddy, more".

Yes, this is a picture taken at the beach, but I think the subject should be something more like, "Crazy teeth". Those knocked out teeth still haven't come in.

We also spent time at Cocoa beach, which is so close by for us. And yes, I noticed that I don't have any pictures of Kinsey...but she was usually sitting in a chair reading a book...which happens to be one of my favorite things to do at the beach too.

We discovered Rocks Springs this summer. What an amazing spot. You float down this crystal clear water in tubes,and it is just amazing. The original "Lazy river". We all went one day with Sara and her family. Now you have to admit, this is the way to spend a summer day.

Youth conference! This year John and I attended all of youth conference as the photographer and videographer. So fun to be there with Kinsey (we did keep our distance most of the time). It was a great youth conference with lots of service projects, lots of dances, and great spiritual workshops. It was so fun to be a "fly on the wall" and see all the kids having so much fun.

John and I are now putting together a 30 minute video/slideshow presentation to be shown at a stake fireside. John used a professional camera, and so the footage is just amazing, and I can't wait to get it all done.

A group shot of all the kids, and Kinsey and Savannah putting on their "boogie shoes".

Another trip to Rock Springs with the youth in our ward. We had such a fun day!

Girls Camp! Kinsey and I went to girls camp back in June. It was hot, it was buggy, it was muggy...but we had such a wonderful time. I just love being with these kids.

We had five leaders from our ward at girls camp. All my friends...and great to work with. I think we made a pretty good team. "Be thou and example" was our theme this year...and we went with a superhero spin off.

Summer fun in UTAH!

We sure feel blessed that we were able to go to Utah again this summer. We figure with the amount of jewelry I sell in Utah, plus the little bit of photography I do, the trip more than pays for itself, and we make such lasting and valuable memories and bonds. It truly is the highlight of our year and a magical time for us. Thank you to all the family that put up with us, let us stay with them, and played non-stop with us.

This year was full of so many things. I feel like we were going non-stop, and loving every minute of it. I stayed with my mom for a couple of weeks, and my brother and sister in law (Jon and Jodi) for a week, and then we were here and there visiting friends and even had a week-end in Vegas meeting up with John's family from California. John was able to be with us for two weeks, and we really enjoyed that. Kinsey's best friend Mia could drive this year, so she felt all sorts of freedom that she has not felt before...and she loved it.

We did so many fun things this year, but truly my favorite moments were spent sitting around the pool or someone's yard, talking and laughing with my family. I love being with my mom and love being able to do something with my sister's and sister in law's any time I want. The kids were with their cousins non-stop (truly...we could hardly separate them for one night), and we also spend a lot of time with close friends. This year I thought I would list some of the fun things we did...simply so I can remember everything we packed in to one month.

-swim day with friends and family
-shopping with my sister, then swimming
-whole family goes to see community play "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
-I ran a 10K with my brother and sister in law on July 4th, Kinsey ran a 5k with my sister, brother in law, and niece on the same day, pancake 4th of july breakfast, then the parade, then a swimparty and BQ, then fireworks
-church with my mom and Dad
-A day making jewelry and chatting with my parents while the kids all swim
-Best friends from highschool come to swim with their kids, then...girls night out with highschool friends Amy and Heather
-girls night out with mom, sisters, sister in laws, nieces (dinner and a movie)
-Visit with a friend from Oregon
-Jodi (sister in law) and I take the kids to Pioneer Heritage park...then we take them to see another community play (outdoor) HSM 2. The loved it.
-Kinsey gets to be a stage manager for HSM 2 with her best friend Mia (who happens to be the daughter of my best friend Amy). She got to go to rehearsals, and all the performances, and loved getting to know the cast (Hmm, especially the cute boys)
-John Schmidt piano concert at outdoor ampitheater with sister, sister in law and friends. So amazing!!!!
-Made more jewelry (this usually happened late at night after all the fun has been had)
-another spontaneous girl movie night
-Photoshoot of my sister's family
-church at my sister's ward (across the street from her house...my kids are jealous)
-BQ after church with sister and brother and their families
-Another huge swim day at my mom's with friends, family, and no spare space in the pool
-spend the night at my best friend Amy's house...ate too much yummy food...watched chick flicks and SYTYCD..while the kids sleep out under the stars on the deck.
-Taught swim lesson's to Heather's sweet 4 year old Bella
-Picked John up from the airport
-spent a morning with John's dad. Went on a picnic at city creek park.
-Huge jewelry party in Jodi's back yard (my best selling party EVER), then went to see a late night showing of Harry Potter with my sister and brother and spouses. So fun!
-Cook out in the canyon to celebrate niece Madi's 5th birthday
-Cherry hill water park for the kids with Madi, for more celebration
-Went to Elkridge to stay the night with our good friends the Olivers
-Hiked up Payson Canyon with their family, found an amazing waterfall
-Headed to Las Vegas, spend the week-end with John's mom, his brother Kevin, and Kevin's family. The kids had a great time, we relaxed and hung by the pool. Super fun week-end.
-Spent a day with best friends from BYU, Jon and Nicole Jackson. Took all the kids to Cherry Hill. So amazing to catch up with them. Finished the day with a great dinner with my parents and all of us swimming until 11:00 at night.
-Lunch out with my girls, and my mom, and my aunt Joyce.
-Oquirrh mountain temple open house with Jon and Jodi and kids. Went to dinner after...then straight to a photoshoot of Niece and nephew's extended family (45 people...my biggest group ever)
-Headed down to BYU and took my niece Joye with us. Took the girls on an official tour (loved the mega-golf cart action), ate at the cougar eat, went to the book store, told boring stories to our kids about "when we met" and then spent time with John's cousin David on the way home.
- Watched pioneer parade, made jewelry, then went to huge family party at my sister Brenda's. Great pioneer day party for sure. SWimming, food, and fireworks.
-Kids and John went on hike to ensign peak. I made jewlrey. Mom and Dad took me and John and our girls to a play at the Hale theater, "Hello Dolly". AMAZING!
-Church with parents, then dinner at Jodi's house (I made yummy new recipe, "walnut honey shrimp")
-photo shoot with Jon and Jodi's fam
-Hang out with our friends "The crumps" and enjoy a great eveing at their home.
- another great Jewelry party and then packed for home

-And you add to that...tons of cousin sleep overs for the kids, many many pool days, and special Grandma/grandchild time.

-Out to lunch with my parents, and siter and sister in law...and then head to airport.
-Cooper falls asleep sitting straight up...during the take off...CAN YOU BLAME HIM!
-4 days of "post Utah syndrome" where I am depressed and hibernate in my house...and then I remembered that I LOVE FLORIDA AGAIN and missed my friends.
WHAT A WONDERFUL SUMMER VACATION! WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! But gee whiz...I need a nap!

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