A Don Quixote Halloween!

Halloween was so fun this year.  We have a crazy trick-or-treating neighborhood that's always a huge party, and we love it!  

Our theme this year was, of course, Don Quixote!  Like I mentioned before, Auggie had been planning for this allll summer long.  He got Owen on board with being his cute little sidekick very early on; a role that Owen assumed both enthusiastically and without hesitation.  

The best part wasn't even our costumes though.  It was the kids' dedication to learning every word to the Man of La Mancha soundtrack.  The two of them practiced together daily (and entirely unprompted) until they could sing not only each song to perfection, but also a broadway worthy rendition of the "I, Don Quixote" duet!  The transitions between their parts was seamless, and they mastered the round of the final verse with exactness.  Very proud.  Very impressed 😆.  "Impossible Dream" was another emotional crowd pleaser.

Side note:  If you want a feel-good-pick-me-up, just google "Brian Stokes Mitchell sings Impossible Dream during Covid", and watch the news clips.  I shed a tear.

Happy Halloween from Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, Dulcinea, and the Barber!

St. George Marathon

St. George Marathon, 2024!  This was one for the books!  I had sworn off marathons after I finally broke the three hour barrier in 2022.  They are just. not. fun.  Also, they are very hard on my body, and I know that I can't sustain that kind of load long term.  Regardless, I had still always planned on running the NYC marathon after being completely done having kids.  It feels like a fun comeback race, one that I wouldn't train hard for, just enjoy.  Well...in 2024 the NYC marathon changed its rules from requiring only a half marathon time to qualify, to requiring a full marathon time to qualify...oof.  Whether I liked it or not, I had to do one more hard effort to get into NYC.

The good news?  I got to train with my friend, Kaydi.  We also ran elite, which was a really fun experience.  We dropped six pre-mixed bottles to pick up along the course.  It actually made a huge difference for us because it was a hot day.  #67!

I won't go into a lot of detail with training other than to say, we worked our butts off.  We trained hard.  Our goal was a sub-2:50, which would be a huge PR for me.  We ended up just shy of that goal.  Kaydi dropped me in the last two miles by about 30 seconds and ended up with a 2:51.30.  I came in right behind her with a 2:52.04.  For me though, this was a huge 3 minute PR anyway!  I couldn't be happier.  We ran a really smart race, and I'm very, very proud to go out on this.

{start line nerves}

{smile miles in the beginning}

{getting serious}

{step-for-step}

{werk werk werk}

Ok.  So this part of the story is really special to me.  I was ranked 17th going in.  I thought that on a great day, I could maybe break the top 15.  Throughout the entire race, we didn't know where we were placed.  No idea.  When I crossed the finish line, I knew my time, but I assumed I was pretty far back in the pack of women.  A minute after I crossed the line, I saw Kaydi running up to me shouting, "We're 9th and 10th!!!  We're 9th & 10th!!!!!"  It took me a second to register, and then we both just started crying.  We broke into the top ten of the St. George Marathon!  This is a pretty significant achievement and just really cool for me.  I still can't believe it.    

Honestly, this day is core running memory for me.  It doesn't get better than this.  As an added bonus, I got myself my NYC qualifier.

Noooow I can retire.  No. more. marathons.  After NYC, that is.  

{top ten!}

{top ten podium}

{8th, 5th, 10th, 9th}

{the best running buddy}

{support crew!}

{coach E for life}

My stats:

2:52.04

6:33/mile pace

10th place

{the splits}

Auggie's 6th Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Auggie!  Six years old and thriving!  Thriving is Auggie's word of the year.  If I could pick one word to describe how he feels about life right now, that would be it.  He is absolutely thriving.  Thriving with friends, thriving in school, thriving in learning, thriving in all the things! 

Now, Auggie story time.  

While we were driving from Brianhead, Don was randomly listening to Don Quixote on audiobook.  The boys seemed kind of interested in it, which we thought was cute.  Fast forward to the summer when I shared the Man of La Mancha soundtrack with the boys one day.  Honestly, I didn't think much of it and definitely didn't think they would care about it.  But oooohhh was I in for a treat!  Auggie instantly and completely fell in love with everything.  The music, the intensity, the bravery, the entire character of Don Quixote...fearless and true, knight errant!  He requested the music so much that he had the words to most songs memorized in a few short weeks.  Not only that, but he had already begun planning, in perfect detail, our family Halloween costumes as well as his birthday party theme.  

It was a Don Quixote year for sweet Auggie.  His birthday party was a blast, and he invited all of his neighborhood and kindergarten friends.  They paraded around the backyard with foam swords on an obstacle course quest...to defeat Don!  The party was a success, and it sure was fun to see Auggie share his love of Don Quixote (not a popular theme for either Halloween or birthday parties at the kindergarten age 😂) with all of his friends.

Some Auggie 2024 Highlights:

-  Starting basketball!

-  Starting Velocity cross country!

-  Loved the Magic Treehouse Books

-  Playing the game "Dr. Henry" at recess and basically being a recess ring-leader.

-  Stealing candy in the mornings before I wake up....

-  Favorite Lullaby every night:  Raindrops on Roses with neck rubs.

-  Don Quixote and Harry Potter

Favorite Auggie Quotes:

"That gotta be..."

"Miskits Market" instead of "Misfits Market"

"Bath-tized" instead of "Baptised"

"How many times do I have to tell you that!  I've told you a million times!" My little parrot...oops.

"Mom:  Do you know how cute you are?  Auggie: Yeeaaah...I've see me in the mirror."

"When I'm a teenager, I'm going to set off fireworks when it's NOT a firework night!!!!!!"  :)