Where is Julie and what have you done with her??

If you know me, you know that I really, really, really like my diet coke. Preferably with lemon...a good lemon (yes, there is such a thing as a good lemon and a not good lemon). A seemingly shortage of good lemons has led me to become fond of adding a splash of Diet Dr. Pepper in my Diet Coke (thanks Heidi and Heather). This love of mine also seems to keep my social life healthy...food, friends, driving, watching tv, working...it all seems to go better with a Diet Coke. Am I right or am I right? I even have a network of friends at the corner gas station whom I love to chat with whenever I go in for a "freshie" (ie. the correct terminology for a Diet Coke fresh from the fountain. Thanks Mary). Yes, Diet Coke has become a part of my daily life. Not to the extent that I have one for breakfast but, everyday nonetheless. Yes, I am aware that I can clean a toilet, car battery and whatever else with this drink with will one day kill me. BUT I STILL LIKE IT. A lot. So why am I going on about my love for the wonderfully, fizzy brown drink??

I HAVE NOT HAD A DIET COKE FOR 4 DAYS!

Four days people! I know, what has the world come to? I will NOT commit to giving it up completely. I am, however, seeing how long I can go without it and seeing (really, really hoping) if there are any incredible health benefits for doing so. Like better workouts/runs and oh, maybe, a bit of weight loss. I wonder if any of these "things" you hear about soda are true. It's funny, I find myself almost getting bored without the comfort of my 32 oz. Holiday cup filled with that really good pellet ice and fresh Diet Coke. I am trying to replace it with lots of water. Yes, I have all sorts of drink mix variations to help out. Other than boredom, a few mild headaches (I can't believe they weren't worse!) and some temptation from Chad last night I AM ROCKIN' IT!!! Seriously, I can't believe it! I would like to think I could allow my self some allowances like Diet Coke on weekends, but truthfully, I'm afraid I will fall off the wagon completely. For now, I am going to go as long as can and hope that my Diet Coke free body will shed pounds and run a marathon (ha ha).

Could she be any cuter? That uniform is bigger than she is! She was so excited, she wore the uniform the whole day before the game and slept in it, too! By the time we reached the game, she had food dribbles down the front of the jersey. I worried that once we reached the field she would shut down, cry and not participate. I was wrong! She loved it! She listened to the coach, let him move her around, ran with the kids and even kicked the ball twice. What fun!

Spring is on a break in Utah....

...so we headed to Phoenix to be reminded of what Spring should be!! If you live in Utah, you will know what I mean. Enough snow, rain and cold already!

Last week we headed south for some warmth and fun with family. We stayed with Heidi and Dave in Fountain Hills (thank you!!!). We enjoyed staying at their beautiful home...such beautiful desert views and a great pool that the kids couldn't get enough of. We were able to see Ryan and Jodi several times as well.

It seems most of our activities centered around eating out. It's always about the food, isn't it?? The Phoenix area definitely has no shortage of fabulous restaurants (and shopping) and we had no problem eating our way through town. Tia Rosa's for a little Mexican, Canal in Scottsdale for a fancy-schpancy, very delicious grilled cheese, Sprinkles for incredible cupcakes, La Grande Orange for red velvet cake and gelato and Canoso Brothers for fabulous pizza (NY transplants making incredibly authentic pizza!) and we hit In & Out a couple times (I think I like 5 Guys better, but In & Out is tasty and more reasonably priced).

It's a wonder we were able to move are rear ends around with all we ate, but we did manage to enjoy some great activities. I did my first hill run of my training. These were no little hills...more like straight up and straight down. No recovery. I managed 30 min of torture. Chad, he is crazy...he did the hill run twice in one day and one more time the next day. He is obviously taking to the running thing better than I am. The girls and I went to a great train park in Scottsdale. We met Jodi and her nieces. What a fun park. Sarah just loved "her new cousins" as she calls them. They even exchanged friendship rocks. The boys went to a Diamond Backs game with Chad and Uncle Ryan.

After the park, I got to meet Katie Covington Lamb for lunch! How fun was this?? I never get to see her and it was just wonderful to visit. I wish I could see her more often...love you, Katie! As much as we loved all the eating, one of the trip highlights was the Arizona Science Center. If you are headed to Phoenix I highly recommend this. I am often disappointed with these children's museums (high prices, luke warm exhibits), but not this. The tickets were only $7 for kids and $9 for adults...and you can get bogo coupons at local libraries. I was so impressed with the exhibits....all very engaging and interactive. Heidi and I raced wheelchairs, we learned about poop and even laid on a bed of nails! We loved the technology room...we had such a kick distorting our faces. Well, except Jenna. I think it scared her, but being the great mom I am, forced her to sit of my lap and get a photo. (It was for posterity, people!! We all need crazy photos of every family member, right?)

Of course Heidi and Dave's pool was always on the kids mind...they couldn't get enough. Even on Saturday when it was rainy and cold, they managed to spend a long time in the heated pool. We also had a great time making s'mores around their fire pit.

This is definitely the time of year to be in Arizona...it was just beautiful! I wish we could have stayed longer for more friends (I missed seeing Camille) eating, shopping and sun. It seems there is just never enough time, but we were grateful to get away nonetheless! Thanks again to Heidi and Dave for your hospitality!

She always has something to say

Yesterday as Sarah and I were heading home from her eye appointment she makes a comment out of the blue. She says, "Why is there so much killing? I don't like it." As I'm trying to understand what prompted this thought, she continued, "It's weird, they (meaning the criminals) were so sweet and cute when they were little and then they grew up." She is always thinking. We went on to have a great little discussion on "choosing the right" and what happens when we don't make good choices.

"The peas gave it away, mom"

It seems that Sarah had the most "April Fools" spirit around our house today. Last night, she artfully drew up a "Just Married" sign to post on the back of Chad's car. She was so proud of her trick and couldn't wait for daddy to discover it. Chad didn't even notice it until he got to the gas station. She also switched the bags of cereal into different boxes...I even fell for that one. Not to be out done by Sarah, I pulled up some "April Fools" dinner ideas online. I found an idea for a meatloaf cake, but since I didn't have a round cake pan, I made meatloaf cupcakes instead. They were frosted with mashed potatoes and sprinkled with peas. I thought they were kind of cute. Sarah said, "The peas gave it away, mom." Then as we were eating, she continued, "It just looks a tiny bit gross. But, I do like your creation, I just don't like my food all together like this." Oh well. So much for the "April Fools" spirit! :)


ETA...
Woohoooooo! The spirit of laughs and trickery ends the day on top! Just as I was cleaning up the kitchen a wonderful thing happened. Forgetting what the pink stuff really was, Chad took a nice, big finger lick of cold, pink mashed potatoes. He momentarily thought it was pink frosting. I will go to bed with a big smile on my face (thinking of this....and thinking of him falling over while taking his socks off the other day...yep, he really did! I love you Chad!)