happy moving day!

brought to you by the snow canyon half marathon.

and Jergens self-tanning lotion.

and Prozac.

worth a thousand words...

I've always been a huge fan of Norman Rockwell. My parents used to have a book full of his illustrations and I could sit and look at the whole book in one sitting, each picture forming an elaborate story in my mind; complete with beginning, middle and end. Sometimes with a sequel.

If you know Norman Rockwell, you know exactly what I'm talking about. He had a way of drawing you in and telling a whole story, and then allowing your imagination to take off and create more and more stories, and all in one great image.

Now, I know I don't have his talent, but I'd like to think my images tell a story. I like to draw people in and make them stop and look for a second, wondering if there's more. This was the first thing that grabbed me about photography; being able to say something interesting in a concise, yet thought provoking way. (and if you've ever heard me run off at the mouth, you know that I have a difficult time conserving my words, so photography does help me keep things simple.)

So, please, what is my point?

It's that when I saw this...

I had to grab the camera.

But since we all now know that it was for the sake of art, I know I won't have any phone calls wondering why I would leave my child up there in probable peril while I shot a few exposures.

Unless, of course, you don't appreciate good art.

I have too much stuff

it's truly ridiculous.

Somebody give me a mantra, an inspiration, a kick in the pants...SOMETHING to give me the strength to get rid of all this stuff!!

I didn't think I had this much...it was all hiding in the crevices. WHERE DID IT COME FROM? This is why I didn't want a big house--there are more places for it all to hide!

But it must go. I'm not taking ANY prisoners. Somebody needs it more than I do, that's for sure.

OK, this was good. I'm glad we had this talk. I think I can go back to my craft room now and TOSS and DI some more USELESS STUFF!

Thank you.

Anyone want some stuff??

Snow Canyon Half

I just copied and pasted this from my running blog so it's in my journal...and for anyone who cares:)

Snow Canyon Half today! It was a beautiful run, but I don't think I was quite ready for it. Too soon since the marathon. And because of a shortage of volunteers they started 20 minutes late, so I was kind of stiff to start and it was SUCH a downhill that it about killed me!The rest of the run was great except for the out and back portion. That was nothing short of cruel and unusual. I find something fundimentally psychologically damaging about out and backs in general, but this one was especially brutal. After sailing downhill for 2 miles, we headed out onto a gravel trail that went back up the canyon for 2 miles, then we turned around and came back down that same trail. I don't know if they make prisoners do that sort of thing. Anyway, after that I found a groove that was sort of like meditation and that was cool. Because I usually run with someone, I don't get the chance to just zone out and relax into my run because I'm usually gabbing, but it was really cool. But for some reason, the last 3 about killed me off, not for any other reason than mental. I did the same thing at the end of the marathon, so I don't know what it is about the end of a race for me...I don't do this in training runs. But as the finish line gets closer, instead of getting the kick at the end from being about to finish, I want nothing more than to walk. I did that during the marathon, but I made myself push it at the half. But I know in a training run at the end of 13 miles I'd be coasting. So I don't know what that is. Anyway, it was a good experience. I'm taking a break from distance for a while (easier said than done), but this race showed me that my body needs it. I felt worse after this race than I did after the marathon, so I must not be 100% yet. I think I'll run Buster and maybe start biking or something, but I'll for sure keep running a little.
time: 1:56:35
pace: 8:57

hello entropy

I don't know if it's the pending move that continues to loom closer (yet I continue to deny), the new little canine member of our family, the half marathon this weekend, or the holidays rapidly approaching, but I'm suddenly feeling like I have a lot on my plate. Wait, did I forget to mention the new house we're building? I probably didn't because that's not very stressful.

I am one of those people who shuts down when there's too much going on. As a matter of fact, one of the ways I know I'm feeling overwhelmed is that I start wandering aimlessly around the house doing a little of this, a little of that, and not really accomplishing anything. Poor Jake had to do laundry all day last Saturday because I simply didn't have the focus to see it to completion. I feel scattered, flustered, and foggy in my brain. And I'm sure the Halloween candy/birthday cake/other various junk foods in my house, and thus in my body, are not helping.

Now, more than ever, I"m feeling the need to SIMPLIFY.

But for some reason I have this unreasonable emotional attachment to STUFF. I was going through the kid's old baby blankets with the aim to get rid of ALL but the most precious.

I didn't get rid of any. Oh, because someone made this one, or I thought it had pretty colors, or Aunt Laura brought this one home from the Holy Land...or whatever.

That's just one example, and I don't really know why I'm putting all of this out there except to say that something is wrong with me. And I'm sure part of it is that while I'm excited to move, I am also devastated to leave the wonderful friends that I've made here, and also to drag my kids away from their first real "friends in the 'hood". I feel guilty, unsure, and lost much of the time, and to make matters worse, I haven't really processed those feelings.

I'm not just denying the move, see? I'm also denying my sadness and apprehension; hoping it will all go away. But it won't. Moving day will come, and it will be time to start all over again. It's terrifying and wonderfully exciting all at the same time.

And then in the middle of this post I had to go clean up vomit in Lily's crib. Looks like the dreaded stomach flu finally found the Bracken's.

I don't want this to sound like I'm complaining, I'm just feeling the need to vent this anxiety I'm having. Maybe doing so will help me set some feelings aside in blog form so I can actually get some work done.

Lily just threw up again. And you wonder why I can't put two thoughts together.

So if you see me wandering the streets looking for home (wherever that is), just call Jake and have him come get me.

But put clothes on me first and make sure to wipe off the drool. Must keep up appearances for the new neighbors.

I should probably say neighbor. But Brett's really judgemental, so it's best to be careful.:)

Starting his application for college

Happy Happy Happy Birthday Alex! We love you so much. I can't believe you're ONE WHOLE HAND TODAY! 5 years old. That's getting up there--way too fast, if you ask me.

2003:

2004:

2005:

2006:

2007:

2008:

And just in case you were worried he was not enough like his dad:

After Alex saw the picture of Jake with Buster, he stopped calling Pepper Pepper. Then and there. We now have a Buster too. Buster 2.

I tried to discourage it at first because he's not the beloved Buster Jake grew up with, but the boy wants what the boy wants. And Jake was OK with it. So Buster it is.

Happy birthday Alex. WE LOVE YOU!

Halloween Special

2 events for the price of 1.

First...the pumpkin derby!

This cart says to me..."my mom forgot about the pumpkin derby and had an hour to make something really quick because Dad wasn't home. " That's what it says to me.

And while it may have been colorful, it really wasn't very fast. I've got to hand it to those furniture dolly-makers. They surely make sure your dressers don't run away on you. And now for Halloween! Here is my girly filling up her bucket with our candy before trick-or-treating. I'm guessing this is like when road-side musicians throw a couple bucks into the guitar case to entice others to do the same.My spooky skeleton.Lily and her zombie mother. I normally don't dress up for Halloween mostly out of laziness, but Alex really wanted me to this year, so I tried to get really creepy for him. He said it was adequate. Ringing the first doorbellHere comes LilyThis was their favorite decoration at Grandma'sMore Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood. I know this commentary is riviting. Hold onto your seats. You're about to get MORE!Walking down the street. Holding a pumpkin. Bucket.

I like this picture with the dark sky and leaves and all. It's nice and fall-ish. Since we never made it up to see the fall colors, it will have to do. Plus I didn't even photoshop. Again. I am getting lazy.
Here's one last one of Lily with her pumpkins. We LOVED these plastic pumpkin pieces this year. They were so fun to do, and both of my kids could do it by themselves! (Thanks for the idea, Jeny!)It was really fun this year. Lots of people came out and our neighborhood is so fun for decorations! I can't discuss it too much or I'll start sobbing. I just keep telling myself we'll be back next year!

special delivery

Those of you who know me very well at all know that I have been opposed to pets in general. It's not at all that I don't love animals. Quite the contrary. I love to pet other people's dogs, and snuggle with other people's cats. I actually find pets quite adorable. It's just that I feel like having a pet is like having another child, and I just wasn't sure I ever wanted to take on that kind of responsibility for something that was not of my own DNA. I just never understood why people would add the extra tasks to an already task-filled day. That, and we had a bad experience with a cat a few years back that loved to snuggle up to you, which was great until you found yourself wet with her drool.

That's right, when she got relaxed, she'd drool. Not a great trait.

So I've been terrified of getting another pet. However, in an attempt to help the kids transition to a new home where there will be no friends for a while, we thought a nice family pet would be a good idea. Even Jake was on board with the decision (collective gasp). And so when Jake's mom called to tell us she found a Boston Terrier (which is the kind of dog Jake grew up with), we went to go meet him. I honestly didn't know if we'd take him home, but I wanted to meet him.

At first I was worried. He was so hyper and I wondered if he was going to be a good dog for kids. But after the initial excitement wore off, he was so, so sweet. I fell in love.

I know, I know, he's ALEX'S birthday present, (and he's in love too) but I did not expect to get so attached so fast. He is a sweet, sweet dog, and I know he's still in discovery mode checking everything out, but I haven't heard him bark once. Even Jake loves him. He won't say as much, but I can tell. Lily and Alex chased him and chased him and chased him, and he didn't even seem to need doggy anti-depressants, so I guess that's a good sign.

So, meet Pepper:

As close as I'm going to get to a 3rd child.