Attack of the Dinosaur!

We had a splendid time making gingerbread houses with our neighbors.

Jared made a house for his alien.

Little did we know that we weren't the only ones eying the candy!

The Hard Work Paid Off!

OH the days of ending a draining day of work, only to be followed by a run lasting well into the dinner hour are over! (For now at least). Bille and I were training (for what felt like forever) for the Honolulu Marathon. Our evenings were shot, along with EVERY Saturday morning. I'm so glad Bille trained with me or else I would have given up a long time ago. Mike and Zane also sacrificed their Saturday mornings to bring us water on our long runs.
On Sunday Bille and I ran the marathon together and it was awesome! Definitely worth the hard work.

Many people have said that running a marathon is a spiritual experience. I really didn't know what to expect though. At the start of the race it began to pour. Squishy Shoes...the whole way! It hurt because the wet socks were rubbing away. I was so worried about running the perfect pace because I did not want to run out of energy in the end. I just took it mile by mile. I looked forward to 10, then 13, then 15..17..20..21.22.23.24.25.26! and then I was there...at the finish line.
It was crazy to look at the people all around me. There were people of all ages from different places, running together. We were all in pain, but trudging forward to the end. It was an amazing experience.

I am so grateful for my body and the strength I have! It was such an amazing feeling to know that I really was going to finish. When I crossed the finish line I almost started to cry. It really did feel like a spiritual experience.

Bring on the next marathon!

What Made You Smile?

When life gets too routine it is nice to reflect on the day and remember those moments that made life worth the effort.

• Putting on warm clothes (Scarcely happens in Hawaii)

• Listening to a child count to 10 very confidently "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (his voice speeding up rapidly) 14-16-19-18 (to the point I couldn't understand). He then sat down very pleased with himself. ha
  

• The croak-croakety of my voice was funny at times, especially when I was trying to sound seriously stern at work
  

• Listening to the tunes of Elliot Smith while driving home in the rain. Fitting!

• Getting a big kiss from my love as I walked in the door

• Running through a shaded path covered with fallen flowers in a tunnel of Banyan trees
  

• Standing knee deep on the shore with my surfboard trying to say bye to a friend as a wave caught me off guard and hit my surfboard, sending me toppling into the sand (arms and legs flying about). I'm sure all she heard was "Ba...". As I paddled back out I kept laughing at how silly I must have looked. "Ba-boom"

• The sea turtle that decided to pop up right next to me
  

• Drinking tea made by my husband; very soothing to my throat

• Waking up without a voice, and going to bed with some of it regained
  

Comment and let others know what made you smile today!

Quotes From A Child's World

Every weekday, whether I feel like it or not, I am surrounded by young elementary school students. Their minds are in a whole other world. I find myself secretly laughing at the comments they make under their breath and to those around them. This is going to be my compilation of favorite quotes:


The big kick 5/07

A child is standing atop a hill with pondering eyes as he is about to kick a kickball when he says:
"Guys rule girls drool"

He then puts his foot back to standing stance and he still has not kicked the ball. He looks like he is concentrating hard and is about to kick the ball again as he says:
"Guys rock girls rule" (He IS talking to himself)

I guess that phrase wasn't quite right for him because he goes back to standing stance without kicking the ball.

Suddenly a smile creeps on his face as he looks up to the sky, something just hit him!
"Guys rock girls roll...ROCK AND ROLL!" He says to himself as he swings his foot and the ball goes soaring across the field. I guess it took a good phrase to pump him up for his big kick.

I laughed at how happy he looked when he finally found the right words.....

Superhero 11/26/07

Child: "I want to be a superhero"
Teacher: "What would you do if you were a superhero?"
Child: " I would slap an alligator in the butt"

Nerd

Nice girl who likes to tell me her thoughts: "Mrs. Anna, I'm a nerd, but don't tell anyone...okay?"
Me: "You're not a nerd, why do you think you're a nerd?"
Girl: "Because I get wedgies every day"

Pie Explodes!

Thanksgiving morning I was very excited for the eating that would occur later in the day. I was particularly excited for pie. YUM! Baking a pie is so exciting I just want to smear it all over my face. I decided I was going to make the best apple pie in the world! With much care I sliced each apple to perfection. It was destined to be just like Grandma's Country Fair prize winning pie!I set the apple pie down on the stove to put in the oven soon. The glass pie dish made it look especially appetizing. Hungered from the cooking I set some soy beans on the stove to boil. Oh what a delightful day!

My friend Maresa was leaning over the stove to get something out of the cupboard. Suddenly I heard a loud pop noise and glass was flying everywhere! "A glass must have fallen out of the cupboard" I thought. "Oh wait.....no! My prize apple pie!" The realization occurred that I had turned the wrong burner on for my soy beans...the same burner that my apple pie had so peacefully laid.

I am thankful that Maresa did not get sliced to death with glass. I am especially grateful she did not get sliced to the eye. But my pie! I still wanted to try it, but I did not want to risk glass in my throat.

I was sad at the moment, but now I realize that the exploding pie made my Thanksgiving. Don't worry! I am going to make another apple pie this week!

I always seem to turn on the wrong burner. I think our stove knobs are backwards so I automatically reach for the wrong one. I could sue.

Poop

Poop is funny!