!!!!!!!!!!!Girls on the Glow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

191.7 Miles Logan to Park City + 12 AmAZinG Women = Pure cRaZy Funn!

My Cousin Connie asked if I would like to be on their team for 2011, she asked way back in the summer of 2010. The anticipation of the upcoming race was half the fun. With all the texts and emails to the days of training that lead up to this blessed event. It comes and goes so fast and another year is in the memory books. I feel bad because it always falls on Father's Day Weekend and therefore I am kind of worthless on Father's Day and have been for the past 3 years since I have participated in the relay. I blame it on the lack of sleep.

I was in Van #1 with the first 6 runners so we got a room in Logan to be there for the 5 am start time we were assigned. Wowee! That is early. So we got to Logan just in time to get loaded with carbs. We ate at Fredrico's and after a couple more errands and a stop at Sonic for a cream slush we went back to the hotel and began to decorate our vehicle. We had big plans, but to have ice cream and then stand in the night air in Logan trying to decorate gave me the shivers. So we threw the decor on the Excursion and went to bed. I am pretty sure I did not sleep a wink. The anticipation at this point is way too high for me to settle down. Hind sight, I should've taken a sleeping pill or something.

Next morning it was freezing in the parking lot at the Utah State Football Stadium. I use to walk that parking lot daily to catch the shuttle to a 7:30 am class and that canyon wind is relentless.
Above is Van 1 "Girls on the Glow" Ann is in the back with the head lamp getting ready to run her first leg. On the Left is Tammy, she was the driver and I loved it when she would read other team names on cars and then just giggle. It made me giggle. Then DeAnn, one of my cousins, she would just randomly say the funniest stuff she was hilarious. Then Connie, my cousin, "The Captain" she did an awesome job putting it all together and was so fun to hang with. Then SueAnn, also super fun to hang with. Then me all aglow! This team was so fun I felt like the little sister hanging with my big sister and all her friends, "the cool kids."

Above we have all just completed our first leg and are hangin out in Liberty. They were all loving the beauty of the valley and the sights we got to run through. I was pretty proud that the majority of the beauty was in my backyard. Which is where I get to train and recreate!
I have always wanted to run the 3 mile leg that goes behind my house and I was fortunate enough to get it this year. I later found out the rest of them drew from a hat and let me have my picking. So I got one of the easiest legs of all 12 so I felt like a wimp and was kind of feeling like I was missing out on the challenging legs. The challenge is all part of the fun of Ragnar.
My family behind our house cheering me on. It was making me hyperventilate from all the support I got from family and friends. My friends made a bridge with their arms for me to run under. I could not even speak I was so overwhelmed. It was super cool and made my whole year. What a great support group. Rich made the super huge sign of my 3 foot face it is hilarious and I want to hang it in the garage and keep it forever.
In the past my third and final leg is usually my least fav and I suck getting through it. With that being said the night runs always seem to be the funnest. My motto has been to "Find a Friend" then the run flies by. So my final leg 3.6 miles was at around 3 a.m. and I found a friend at about the mid point and it flew and ended up being my favorite leg and my last.
Above is the Van 2 girls. Shauna is my neighbor that is in the middle she is amazingly fast runner and these girls had some of the hardest legs and did awesome, just wish I could've gotten to know them better.
Connie on her Avon Pass run.

Thanks to "The Girls on the Glow" for the invite and the great memories. You were all so inspiring and I hope to be just like you some day.

We miss you Gertie Dog

So if you are a dog person you can appreciate a good family dog, if not then you are missing out.

Just a quick tid-bit in the Gertie Dog.

She was the runt of a liter of labrador's that were born on a farm in Cache Valley. The Farmers Daughter was a friend of Rich's and she had told Rich to come get a Labrador Pup because her Dad (the farmer) was going to throw them in a sack in the river if they did not find homes. At the time Rich lived in an old run down victorian house full of room mates. So a dog was not a good idea. He and I had been dating for two weeks when he went and picked her out. He always said she was a full labrador, except for her toes, they were white.

So while he worked, waiting tables, I would dog sit at night. One night my friends and I painted her toe nails red. She was the sweetest most hyper dog. We could not watch t.v. with her in the room. She would chase her tail non-stop.

Over the years she has gotten us into some trouble. When we first married we rented and we lived on a couple of acres that had a pond. We could not keep Gertie out of the water, she loved the water. The land lord had to ban her from the pond, he thought she was killing off the blue gill. There were also Coyotes all around us in Temecula, Ca. she would chase after them with no fear. That place made me so nervous at night and I don't think I could have made it living there without Gertie by my side. Her and I went like 2 months with no t.v. and all the little noises freaked us out.

Gertie was obsessed with balls from day one. If you said "ball" her ears would perk right up. So when we lived in our house in Hemet, Ca. one day we had her out front on the grass and the neighbor lady walked over to chat with her dog, Sugar. Well Sugar put her nose down to smell Gertie's ball and Gertie attacked the poor thing. Like I said obsessed with her BALL! Sugar lived but had to have her neck stapled shut.

She has had her fair share of dog fights in her day. But she was always so good with people and especially kids. She would let Logan, Rileigh and Nellie climb and tug on her from the time they were tiny. Nellie would use her as a couch when Gertie would lie on her side on the floor. I miss having her home with me and sitting next to me when I work. I miss having her in my room at night, especially when Rich is not home. I miss seeing her on my stair landing waiting to bark at something. I even miss her hair in my silverware drawer, not even kidding.
I have tried to tell the kids how cool of a dog she was. She was always so playful and was the best ball and frisbee dog. I think my kids think all dogs are that awesome. But they are not, only Gertie was that awesome and she is so missed.

It sucked to watch her suffer and I know she is so happy playing in the Ponds and chasing balls up in Heaven...

Holy crap I am a ball of tears

P.S. I do not want another dog anytime soon, because it won't be as cool as Gertie and it will pee all over my house. Like I said Gertie was Awsome!!!

THE END

A Memorial Weekend set in our Memories Forever

So there was talk of a camping trip that had a four page itinerary. Seriously who does that?

A bunch of folks went last year and gave rave reviews. We unfortunately had to pass last year, BUT this year we were so in. It included the following activities:

Camping, in a tent like real men
Mtn. Biking for the men, ladies and kids
Bouldering

Family Bike Rides
Trail Running, just because you can
Playing in the dirt
Slot canyons -Peek - a - Boo and Spooky
Site Seeing in a car full to the brim with children
Screaming Wallaces "You are dead to me" that was the best line of them all
Throw-up
Pee
Lots of giggling


A Broken Tail light
Footie Pajamas
Flat Irons

Wind
Sand Sand Sand

Sand Sand Sand Sand Sand Sand and more
Sand
Rich's finest cooking

Meeting new friends
Falling Boulders
Water Slides
Sand stones (mud pies)
Lizard traps
etc. etc. etc...


Yes, we Whitemyer's toughed it out for four whole nites in a tent. We had such a good time, ate like kings, laughed a lot and survived a little wind here and there.

Seth send me more pics pretty please...I will make you a vat of to-go salsa!