Thanksgiving 2010

Most years Andy and I travel to Utah for Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with his family. This year was no different... except we went down for the whole week to get first pick for bedrooms. We continued tradition with a few of the grand kids included this year. It's always fun to hear the different things others are thankful for as we make fun of each other for crying over silly things and telling Mindy or Lisa they have to go last next year. So this is for my family and friends that couldn't be at the table.

I know this will sound incredibly silly but I am so thankful for all the races I was involved in with my family. For years I felt like I couldn't be involved because I was either pregnant, nursing, or I was not up to par with everyone else. By the time I was ready to run they had moved on to more mileage than I felt I could endure. Since last year I was part of a relay race of 185 miles, three half marathons, and one full marathon... all of which I did with at least one family member. The marathon was truly amazing to me for many reasons. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life and when things went horribly wrong my sisters-in-law were there to help me get my head back in the game. They encouraged me to do what I had trained for and said, "Here take some of my gum. And here's some energy beans." I couldn't have even completed the training without there support. Many, many times I would call and say, "Guess what I ran today? I had to call and tell you so you could be my cheerleader."

Through all of the races and training I was able to endure pieces of a trial Andy and I have struggled with. It helped me to not worry so much and keep my mind off things that I didn't have control over. Just over a year ago I lost a baby. I was not that far along and it didn't really hit me till about a month after the fact. I heard the news that my sister was pregnant with twins and her due date was only a week apart from mine. Her pregnancy was rocky and it seemed the family's prayers were focused on her. Then I received news from friend after friend that they were expecting. For a solid week I cried and lay on the couch feeling sorry for myself. I would talk to others who had miscarried before and asked what to do. For a long time I blamed myself since I had done a race the week before I miscarried, and to this day it is one of the most intense races I've ever done. (A few months later I am pretty sure I miscarried again, but I can't be positive since I didn't ever take a pregnancy test. It was just like the first one and I hit another low.) It wasn't until Emily called me and asked if I wanted to run the marathon with her and Amy that I finally picked myself up and tried to move on. It was very difficult when Andy and I had never had problems in the past in that area and I wanted another baby so badly. It was something that we had talked about for almost a year and never thought we would have complications. I don't know if our family is complete or if Heavenly Father has another plan for us. However, being part of something with people that I love was by far the best thing to help me gain a different perspective on my trial.

I am also very grateful to Andy this year. He has stood by me through all of my training... with very little complaint. He has let me cry on his chest many, many times this year. When I am extremely moody because I start thinking about our baby he'll just give me a hug and knows why I'm hurting. He tries to help me look on the bright side of things when I forget. He reminds me that we have 3 beautiful little girls that are happy and healthy. (He used to say, "You keep killing off the boys." That stopped pretty quick once I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.) And when we are traveling he points out all the good things about the ages of our kids. They really are at such fun ages and I get to enjoy each of them. They are my final things I'm grateful for this year. Each of them are different in their own ways and I love them all so much! Sammy is my little helper all the time. She is learning and growing so fast it's hard to think she's in first grade. Ashley is still my little molly. She is always wanting to give hugs and kisses no matter what. And Katie is so fun! She goes around the house making up songs and sings to herself ALL THE TIME. I love her little voice and I hope she never stops.