Halloween Haunted Half

Y'all, I have a new favorite Halloween tradition. Running the Provo Haunted Half with friends andfamily was SO MUCH FUN! So of course I plan on sharing far too many photos. Each one feels like joy and numbs the pain of miles 10-13.

Loading the bus early Halloween morning. Here are Eli and Uncle Ben. It was actually Ben who first told us about the Haunted Half and what a great race it is. Ben is feeling the running love at the moment, having accomplished the full St. George marathon just a little over a month ago. Congrats, Ben!

As for our crew, Brooklyn, Eli and I all ran, having volunteered at the Salt Lake Haunted Half a couple weeks prior in order to earn our free race entry. Even better, Brooklyn's bestie Lily ran as well! Lily and Brooklyn trained so diligently together. The race wouldn't have felt quite right without her. As for our awesome costumes, Brooklyn gets credit for the fun idea and NomiAnn gets amazing kudos for cricuting our shirts. Thank you!

This race was the very first half for both Brooklyn and Lily. Lily said that this face kind of reflects how she felt.

There were SO many runners lined up at the start! Because you run up the canyon and then do a u-turn turn, they have to start the runners in waves to avoid clogging the trail. It was probably about thirty minutes between the time the first and final runners began. We didn't mind waiting because there were so many entertaining costumes to appreciate.

Plus, who doesn't like some pre-run hot chocolate? (Actually, me. The regular stuff was fine, but please don't load my cocoa with electrolyte mix. Blech!)

Such a gorgeous morning up Provo canyon.

And the M&Ms are off! Do you like our fun tutus? Callie made Brooklyn's. We decided that she has the most talent for tutu production.

As we were getting started, Eli was miles ahead, having sprinted ahead with the very first wave of runners. This kid was booking!

So much joy on this face!

The race photographer got some stellar shots of Eli as well. 

It's uncanny how in sync these two were approaching the finish line. Talk about well-matched!

Flying through the pain.

And here it is! Eli beat his prior half marathon record by fifteen minutes, breaking 1:30 and coming in sixth in his age division. Congratulations!!!

Ringing the PR Bell. As evidence that Eli worked the hardest, he was definitely the most sore going up and down the stairs the next day.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn, Lily and I were still hard at it. But hey, the course was gorgeous! Running down Provo Canyon was so beautiful.

We also felt the love of all the people cheering us, including Lily's parents, Christy, Charles and Susie. NomiAnn would have been there, but she stayed home with Annika who had a tummy bug. As for Papa Kay, he was on a road trip through some amazing national parks down south. 

Also, Brooklyn, this is a fantastic mid-stride shot! Can you believe that you look so happy running, particularly eight miles in? Red was the right color--this girl is on fire!

Even though we were keeping a great pace, we didn't stress about time, pausing for the port-a-potty, pony tail adjustments, and of course Bridal Veil Falls. Speaking of bridal, my favorite poster talked about running faster than a BYU engagement.

Best race photos EVER. These girls are simply the cutest.

The best part about our costumes is that they were so identifiable. So many random people were cheering for the M&Ms. I loved it!

Only thing missing was our peanut M&M. But wait, here he is! I was completely shocked and absolutely delighted when we spied Jason in a yellow tutu, ready to run the course with us. Apparently he had run up-canyon looking for us but somehow missed our crew. (Not quite sure how that happened.) So he ran back down, drove with Christy to Nunn's park, and waited for us to catch up. By the time he ran the six miles on his own and six more miles with our M&M pack, he'd nearly completed a half marathon as well!

Motivational tip: Jason took the backpack with Brooklyn and Lily's phones in it. If they wanted to keep listening to their music, they had to keep pace or their earbuds would disconnect! Hilarious.

Rocking it!

Here's Ben conquering the course as well. We finished at nearly the same time.

Mile 12--woot woot! Okay, so this is the last time you'll see us all together. Right about now Brooklyn and Lily and Jason totally left me in the dust. While my lungs and legs felt like they were going to explode trying to catch up, I couldn't have been more proud watching them pull ahead and rock their race. 

These gals completed every single run on their training plan, despite being outrageously busy. Their commitment and diligence totally paid off! I am still so proud!

Like I said, fire! (Also Brooklyn, Lily looks a bit like she wants to murder you.)

By the time we got to mile 13, everyone's tutus were struggling.

Holding hands as they approach the finish. By the way, was there ever a better finish marker than a giant pumpkin?

Victory!

Encouraging me to the finish line was my very own Peanut Butter. You know, it was coincidental that Jason happened to be the yellow peanut M&M color, but it worked perfectly! As our friend Stephen James said, he wears that tutu with such confidence.

Bliss! The very best part of running is still that part where you get to stop.

Our entire M&M crew with our snazzy race medallions. Not only are the medals spooky, they light up too!

Okay, so not everyone's personality matches their M&M color, but Brooklyn and Jason's colors happen to be so spot-on. This is what I found about the M&M color personalities on their website: 

Red

Red is confident, charismatic, and always ready to take charge. As the self-appointed leader of the crew, Red is often considered the most recognizable character of all. With great instincts and a sharp sense of humor, Red has a strong, quick-witted personality.

Yellow

Yellow is the friend we all need in our lives. Lovable, sweet, and optimistic, Yellow has a cheerful personality that makes him a fan favorite among M&M’S enthusiasts.

Brooklyn, you really are such a charistmatic leader. Thanks for gathering us all for this epic adventure. A half marathon--you did it! Like it or not, you are now officially a runner. Ben, thank you for the encouragement and inspiration. And Eli, woot woot! You make fast look easy. As for you Jason, well,you make fast look sexy. I love you to the top of the canyon and back. There is no smile that lights the trail better than yours. 

And thanks to all the family who came to cheer us for this special moment.

Now on to Maria Bonita's for chilaquiles and horchata. #totallyworthit!

Summer Spontaneity

Sometimes the random posts are the most fun. Here are an assortment of summer pics, in no particular order.

To start off, art! Annika is so creative with her drawings.  Here are some signs she made to drum up clients for her dog-walking business. While no one signed up services from the Brilliant Awesome Rad WalKers, the advertising was still stellar.

Here are some more random drawings I found scattered around the house. Many of her O.C.s (Original Characters) look a lot like this.

I like this one because it represents her school DnD group.

Also, her dragons are fantastic.

This was the rough sketch for a school project on Gender Equality.

And this adorable one (inspired by Keeper of the Lost Cities) was drawn for a younger friend at chuch. I love how instead of drawing the entire alicorn, she just included the head and hoof. I never would have thought to frame it like that.

I also LOVE the masks that she designs and paints. Annika, we love your originality!

This summer Annika tried out swim team--briefly. Here she is learning how to dive. Should she ever want to go back, I'm sure the team would love to have her!

Moving on, here's Eli hiking up to Grandeur Peak. (Zion came too.)

Other fun mopments: watching Anders and Eila perform with the U's Youth Theater Company. Anders made an adorable oompa loompa!

Eila, on the other hand, was wonderfully spooky in Macbeth.

Well-done, Wilhoits!

As for Jason and myself, we made it up to the Logan Temple for our friend and neighbor Zach's endowment ceremony. This bench is the very place where Jason proposed!

It's fun to think about all the wonderful life that we have lived together since that moment...

...including four babies! But this babe isn't ours--this is Zizheng and Kambree's adorable tot. We stopped by Brigham City on our way home to meet Tofu (cutest nickname ever!)

Back in Salt Lake we stopped by Hatch Family Chocolates to see Eli at work!

Really, this is the best first job ever. Eli loves working here so much! It's so much fun being part of a local enterprise where the neighborhood gathers. I mean, who can be grumpy when chocolate is involved?

Massively content with my giant chocolate-covered banana.

This summer we ventured out to Gilgal Gardens for the very first time. Tucked away in a neighborhood near our home, this little pocket park was envisioned and crafted by a local stonecutter, Thomas Child, between 1945 and 1963.

It's not every day you see Joseph Smith's face on a sphinx.

Personally, I appreciated the hands reaching down to cradle these hearts.

Annika got to spend a few days at Heber Valley Girls Camp where they had all sorts of fun, including axe throwing.

For me, the best part was listening to our neighbor Peter Breinholt perform. I don't think the girls had any idea what a legend he is.

Every post is better with a few animal pics. Our friend Sonja had a hummingbird nest right outside her door.

We got to watch our neighbor's macaw Molly for a few days.

And here is their dog Cosmo during the last days of his doggy life.

Fortunately the Wheeler and Wilhoit pups likely have many doggy years ahead of them. These two are the cutest hanging out together.

This summer we had wildfires pass frighteningly close to our home this summer. This picture was taken from a walk on our normal "loop" through Federal Heights.

The wildfires descended right by the University of Utah and Primary Children's Hospitals. There was some concern that they might have to evacuate. An acquaintance of ours with asthma got discharged a little early because it seemed more dangerous for her to be in the hospital than at home.

A smokey morn.

Farther south, the wildfires were even more intense. Jason took these photos while in Torrey. The smoke was so thick that it literally blocked out the sun.

I suppose there are analogies that even when the smoke in our lives gets thick, the sun is still there. Sending love to all with horizons that feel dark at the moment. May the love of God still warm and comfort until the light shines through.

On to lighter themes, this summer we had lots of fun paddleboarding with the Wilhoits at Huntsville Reservoir.  The water level was kind of low, but not nearly as low as when we went back a few weeks later! Either way, the ice cream treats were delicious--right, Eila?

Random photo of missing our Hermana Talia. Talia, we miss and love you every day!

My work sponsored a trip to the aquarium. Awesome, but still not as great as Omaha's.

Eli and Annika, thanks for being my +2s!

Best thing about summer is hiking! Really, hiking with my favorite people is my favorite thing ever. And these are a couple of my very favorite people!

Unfortunately Annika wasn't feeling the hiking love as much as I was.

So how come the big smiles? Well, Callie told Annika that if she kept hiking without complaining, Annika could talk to her about her favorite band Stray Kids for as long as she wanted. In case anyone is curious, Annika knows a LOT about Stray Kids.

Callie, I love you, you're the best! , 

How can you be anything but happy with flowers like this? Only thing left to do is jump for joy.

In case we needed another treat, a mama and baby moose were farther up the trail.

Here we are at Cecret Lake, checking out the tiger salamanders.

A sun shower on the way down, then pausing for some photos as the light lowers. What a great day--thanks for hiking with me, gals!

Here's Annika holding a bug...

...but even though he may "bug" as at time, this critter is our favorite. Zion, we love you! Almost as much as we love Talia, as evidenced by keeping you even when you are a canine menace.

Hope everyone had a happy summer!