Fun Fun Fun

Well... Lots has been going on recently with us. We have been house hunting, and doing our best to find an affordable place that is also a place we would be happy to call home. The search has been frustrating at times, but I think we have found a place that we like. But we still need to find out if we can get an FHA loan for this place, before we are in the clear. If we can get the loan, it probably won't be long before we make an offer. Scary and exciting stuff. The prospective home is a condo. 3 bed, 2 bath. It has roughly 1250 sq ft, an open floor plan, and extra big windows (one of our favorite features). We are hoping everything works out with it. If all works well, we will be moving in sometime within the next 4-6 weeks. (Here's hoping that it does work out.) Rochelle took these photos of the model (the last one is of the actual condo that we would get):

Condo photos

Check it out, and tell us what you think.

Let's see, aside from that, we have been busy with the normal stuff. Work / school / school / work. Rochelle is getting dangerously close to graduating, and her stress level is going up. I'm sure she will do well, and that she will be a great nurse. We are going to be very excited to see her graduate. We will all take a big deep breath!

More Fun in Moab

Besides the Half-Marathon, we also spent some time in Arches National Park. It was fairly warm and sunny, so we had great views and although we didn't have time to hike around much, we did enjoy the beautiful nature all around us! Afterwards, we went and got the boys checked in for the race, and found our hotel, which was downtown, just a few blocks from the finish line. We ate dinner and had some great conversation despite being tired ("Let's play Truth or Dare! Or actually just Truth or... I Dare you to Tell the Truth..." -Collin, I think. Haha!).
After the big finish, we drove back and ate dinner before going to visit Grandma C.! Dad and the boys flew back to Oregon on Sunday. Too short of a visit! But we look forward to seeing everyone again, hopefully soon.

Fun in Arches National Park

Yay for Runners!

Good job, boys! They all did an excellent job- Dad's finish time was faster than last year, Collin was one of the few people in his age group that ran the half marathon, and Tayler and BJ ran hard and strong and did great too! Marissa and I enjoyed cheering them all on and just being part of the fun in Moab. Let's do it again! And let's get some 'other' people in on it too! (Cara, Mom, I know you thought about doing it this year!)

Half Marathon Finishers!

I finished it...

So here are my thoughts as I have just completed my first half marathon:

• Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
  
• How do people ever run twice this amount!
• This gives me a little more appreciation for the title "Marathon of Faith" and "Endure to the End"
  
• It takes a lot more to get ready for a run of this magnitude than I thought. (I thought I might be able to get away with only running once a week.)

So... I did finish the half-marathon, but by no means am I extraordinarily proud of how I did. But all the same, I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad that I had it in me to finish it, even if I spent some time walking instead of running. Next time, maybe I'll be able to run the whole thing. We'll see. But I did learns some things. Pain makes you appreciate your life (especially just after it leaves). Struggles encourage you to call upon God. And no matter how bad I have it, there is always somebody who has it worse.

I am grateful for all the blessings that I have. I am grateful that I am healthy. I am grateful for those who supported me, and ran with me. I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves us. And I am grateful just to be here. Life is so full of blessings. Occasionally, something just opens our eyes a little to help us see that-- I am grateful for those things, painful as they might be, they give us joy in the end.