My budding producer

Joseph wanted to make a video out of still photos like they do in claymation movies. Here's what he came up with using 127 photos. I was really impressed!

My new life plan

Saturday, while I was learning to ride a horse, the president, vp, and 11 cabinet members of the Maldives held an underwater meeting to sign an agreement that they would become the first nation in the world to be carbon-neutral within the next 10 years. Pretty crazy to have them hold a meeting under water wearing wetsuits (which, btw, are being auctioned off to raise money for coral reefs-- Larry, I know you totally want one...). So of course, I had to read the crazy story and then I wondered, "Where the heck is Maldives?"

A quick google and some wiki-reading later, I am now a fan. It's one of those nations trying to figure some things out-- it was only in 2005 that it legalized a multi-party system and actually had a fair, multi-candidate election, in which the former president of 30 years (who was re-elected 6 times with no opponents) was voted out by 54%. The rising sea level is likely to bury the islands in water within the next century, so the current president is looking into land that he can begin to purchase to relocate the entire nation. If that isn't interesting, I don't know what is. It was also impacted by the 2004 tsunami (to the degree that maps had to be redrawn as some of the islands were destroyed), so since then they have been working to rebuild the nation's economy and reduce its high poverty. So there is a lot of good to be done in the Maldives and I want to go do it! Besides that, (at least until they relocate) it rains a lot, stays between 79 and 86 degrees all year, and has white beaches and crystal blue water! C'est parfait!!
So here's the plan:
1) Marry someone who wants to move to the Maldives
2) Move to the Maldives with husband and children
3) Husband will work with government in becoming 'carbon-neutral' and I will raise my kids and get involved in helping people in poverty.

Isn't that a great plan??!!

Ok, so I'm being a bit silly. But honestly, I think the Maldives presents a good opportunity for making a difference for some people and I would love to go there. Maybe I will...

Yee-Haw

My friend Cody came up to visit yesterday and we took the kids horseback riding on my friend's (Melissa's) horses. They were regular little cowboys! I was so impressed!

First Cody took them each for a ride. He said neither seemed to like how bumpy it was. Then they rode around a little corral with someone leading them and afterward rode the horse entirely alone! They were both like little naturals. Joseph said we should get a horse. I wonder if my landlords would care if we let one wander around the apartment playground... Or maybe we could convert our 10' x 3' balcony into a barn.


Cowboy Joe


Miss Emmie J...

Marathon Photos

I don't look so hot in most of these (give me a break, I was running...), but here's a link to some photos from the race:

http://www.marathonfoto.com/index.cfm?RaceOID=13112009M1&LastName=CHENEY&BibNumber=7751&Mailing=23275

I'll post some others that my sister took later...

Runner Girl

Four months of training, fours hours of sleep, three potty breaks in the trees, and 26.2 miles later I can now say that I have finished a marathon! Had the race ended at mile 24 I would say something like "that was the coolest experience I've ever had, I loved every minute of it." But once I hit about 24.5, I was ready to stop. The last mile was the longest mile I've ever run-- it was all I could do to finish! My legs were so tired and sore, and the end just never seemed to come. I didn't stop until the finish line though. In fact, miracle of miracles, I only walked to drink water at the water stations through the entire race.

So now I have a new appreciation for the word "endurance". In general conference today, one speaker said, "Enduring to the end can be challenging." I chuckled a bit to myself because enduring to the end of that race was extremely challenging. But it was a great experience. Lisa, my 2nd oldest sister, and I ran it together. We wore matching outfits and dedicated the run to our mom who beat breast cancer a few years ago. Our shirts had her photo on them and said "Mom's Runners." On the back it said, "She beat cancer, we can beat 26.2."

I felt so great starting out. We ran a slower pace than I normally do, but I think that helped a lot. I couldn't believe it when an hour flew by and I hadn't once felt like stopping to walk. I really wanted to finish in under 4 hours, and Lisa was shooting for under 4:30. So I told her that at mile 13 I would decide how I felt and decide if I would try for under 4:00. When we got to 13, she was hurting a bit from a previously sore achilles and was stopping to get some ben gay rubbed on her. So she said, "Go get it Lane!" I told her I loved her and I'd see her at the end and started out for the last half on my own.

At that point I was at 2:10, so I knew I needed to make up 20 minutes to make it under 4 hours. I ran hard and felt really great. I passed several hundred runners from that point, which was pretty exciting. At mile 23 I was at around 3:40, so I knew I would be coming in after 4 hours, but was still hopeful for around 4:05. Running into town around mile 24 I still felt good. I tried to pick up the pace, which may have been my downfall. I was hurting so bad and all I wanted to do was stop. I kept wondering when the finish would come. Finally I saw the balloons and it was all I could do to keep running. But I did. I kept thinking how it was kind of like childbirth. No matter how much you want it to end, you just have to keep pushing.

Passing over the finish line was so relieving. I walked around and caught my breath and then headed back to the finish to see my sister come through. I was so excited to see her pass by, she looked really strong and passed a couple people coming in! I screamed and screamed her name, but she didn't hear me. Then I had to get back to the racer area so I wouldn't lose her. I walked as fast as I could (which wasn't very fast) back to the area, but instead of taking the long way around to the entrance, I asked a 16 year old kid to help me jump the fence. He was a bit taken aback, but was kind enough to give me a boost over the 4 foot divider. I ran and hugged Lisa and cried. We did it!! I felt so overjoyed!

I am amazed that I was able to do it. Honestly, I felt so blessed as I ran the last half. The longest I ran in training was 15 miles, and I did it really slowly and stopped many times. So when I had passed mile 16, 17, and 20 without stopping to walk and still felt great, I almost cried. All I could think was, "Our God lives and loves us!"

So my official finishing time was longer than I wanted, but I'm satisfied with it (particularly given the fact that 4 months ago it took me an hour to run/walk 3 miles). I finished in 4:09:52 and Lisa came in at 4:22:24. I was right around the 50th percentile of finishers overall and in my division. It's pretty rewarding.

My brother came to see us run. He decided the night before to drive down, so they left around 6 am and made it in time to cheer us on at the end. He's a cool brother to come see us. And his wife is cool to go along with the ride-- particularly since they had to drag their children out of bed at an awfully early hour. Thanks to both of you! I love you lots. And thanks especially to Lisa. If it wasn't for her suggestion 9 months ago that we run a marathon, I never would have done this. And I'm so happy she did it with me. I love you, Lis!!

Will I ever do that again? At mile 10, I told Lisa we should keep doing these together and even run one when she's 60. At mile 23 I was thinking how much I loved running marathons. At mile 25 I decided once was enough and that I would never again do this to myself. But now I'm thinking maybe next year I'll run a 3:45 and in 2011 I'll do 3:30... we'll see.

So I guess it's official: I'm a runner. I love it. I'm healthier than I've ever been and look forward to becoming even healthier in the future. My next race is in February. I'm going to run the Del Sol Ragnar with Lisa and my brother, Byron. It's a relay race, so we'll have 12 people on our team and each of us will run 3 legs over a 24 hour time period totaling 202 miles (running around 12-21 miles each) through the Arizona desert. I'm really excited to do it. Plus, it will keep me running in the winter months when I don't feel like heading out in the cold.

Hopefully I'll be able to walk soon. I'm pretty sore. Stairs are the worst. My friend, Cody, carried me up some stairs last night and today Tyler carried me around a bit. Sadly neither are here now and my kids aren't quite strong enough to carry me yet. :) Oh, and I have some pretty serious blisters on my heels and toes (I had to show a photo... sorry to those of you who find that so incredibly disgusting...). In fact, I have a blister on a blister. It's a bit cold around here for flip flops, but I think I'll sport them for a day or two.

I should be up and running again before the end of the week... I can't wait. :)

I am SAHM. SAHM I am.

Today begins the first day of my new life-- at least for the next year. Since January I have been mulling over the decision of what to do with my life and last month I decided to be a stay-at-home mom for the next year (or possibly longer, if I can continue to manage it financially).

My job has been very demanding, particularly over the last six months. I considered cutting back (which I didn't think would actually work out-- kind of like going back to just holding hands after you've kissed) and then considered getting a new job (thinking I could find one that really would be part time). But in the end I felt very good about staying at home and living off of the little income I get from social security (I'm such a hypocrite).

We are all excited about this new life! It's going to be a good change for us. These last five years have been hard and stressful. It will be a nice change of pace and will benefit the kids greatly in their education. I am excited to teach Emeline to read and Joseph has a lot of interests that we are going to tackle this year. Homeschool has been a lot of fun for us already, but now that it can be my only focus, I am certain we will love it even more!

So I expect the next year to be one of the best I've had. I'll keep you posted on all of our adventures!

Famous

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009907250319

Well, the kids and I finally made it to fame. We were roped into pushing a handcart with our friends (Lynn and Sara who are also in the photo) in the Enoch City Parade and had our picture taken for the local paper. Even the dog made it in... he loved being in the parade, he thought he was quite the celebrity.

After the parade we went to the park and enjoyed a festival with free rides and booths for the kids and $.25 sno cones. Joseph thought he was in heaven.

I spent a couple hours painting kids' faces. One boy asked for a horny toad-- not sure how to do that, I painted a frog instead, thinking he wouldn't be the wiser until he got home. But his friend behind him said, "That looks more like a frog!" Thankfully he forgave my mistake. By the end of the day, Emeline had little animals and shapes painted all over her face and arms. Joseph wanted a demon bunny painted on his face. Should I be concerned?

When I searched for the article with our photo, I came across a couple of other online articles about Pioneer Day and why Utahans honor the pioneers. Some of the online comments to the articles were very negative, saying things like "Why should we honor the pioneers? They didn't do anything more than we do." (citing construction workers who work in 100 degree weather and farmers who toil 24-7). There were several other derogatory comments about the LDS church and our "holiday." It made me sad. We don't, or at least I don't, honor the pioneers because I think they worked harder or sacrificed more than some people do today, but because they worked harder and sacrificed more than most people do today. Yes, our country is home to many hard working, self-sacrificing people. But it is also home to many who spend 25 hours a week watching television (a documented fact) and have close to 30% obesity rates.

The pioneers weren't perfect-- but their personal sacrifices and hard work in settling this state are not mere speculation. They truly gave much to settle Utah, and spending one day a year to honor them for laying the foundation of our current home is just a trifle. For me, the gratitude I feel on Pioneer Day is similar to the gratitude I feel on the 4th of July for the sacrifices made by many during the founding era of our country, or on Veterans Day for the many who gave their lives (in more ways than one) to fight against those who sought to destroy liberty. Pioneers may not be important to the rest of our country or world the way the founders or war veterans are, but they are important to this state and particularly to the LDS religion.

One person commented on the article that no other state harps on their heritage the way Utah does and was disgusted that we do so-- but I think it's a shame that other states don't honor their predecessors. Whether I chose to be LDS or Catholic or Buddhist, I would still believe that being connected the past and to those who have made my life what it is today is vitally important. How ungrateful I would be to live a life of relative ease without recognizing that it was not my own efforts, nor the efforts of most others around me, that made it so. But instead I live in a time of peace, with food readily at my fingertips, and all the luxuries our world provides due to the hard work of people who lived generations ago.

So let it be known that I am grateful for the pioneers who settled these areas. Although Utah isn't my favorite place in the world (the pioneers should have gone back to the east or stayed in the midwest...) I am grateful that they worked hard to build cities of beauty that would last generations. They came to a desert valley with harsh weather conditions and turned it into a pretty decent place to live. And, as a member of the LDS church, I am particularly grateful for their sacrifice in building temples and for their unfailing faith that is an example to me during times of trial.

My favorite pioneer story is that of the man who commented on his experiences with the Willy and Martin handcart companies. When the teacher criticized the companies during a sunday school class for their late departure, he stood in the back of the class and announced that he had been in that company. Then he reported, "I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, 'I can go only that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it.' I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there. Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No, neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay." I believe each of us who pay that price, with whatever sacrifice or hardship we are called to pass through, will be able to say the same-- becoming acquainted with God is worth every amount of pain and sorrow required to do so. And the pioneers provide us with some poignant examples to teach that principle.

So thank you pioneers! Thank you for walking 1500+ miles to settle unchartered territory; thank you for planting trees and building sound structures; thank you for remaining faithful to God in the face of great physical trials; and, at the very least, thank you for making it possible for me and my kids to be in the paper-- for without Pioneer Day, it never would have happened.