Running and Young Women's General Conference Broadcast

I have become obsessed. I love running. Today I realized I could download the General Young Women talks onto my mp3 player. So while I ran I listened to the General Young Women's Meeting that was Saturday. Our YW actually went to it at the Conference Center but parking was horrendous and so we were late and they had already seated standby so we got shuffled a thousand different places and some of our group got put in the Little Theater in the basement of the Conference Center and some of us ended up in the Tabernacle. We sat in the balcony on the back row. I was so worried about so many other things that I totally missed the spirit of the night. I was so thankful for the opportunity to listen to it again this morning as I was running. It still is incredible that they held conference in the Tabernacle for so long. It is tiny compared to the Conference Center. For the YW broadcast the entire Conference center was full plus the theater plus the Tabernacle plus the Assembly Hall plus the theaters in the North Visitors Center. There had to be at least 25,000 young women and leaders just there. Truly Amazing. So back to the running. Saturday was a long run. It is the farthest I have ever run 6 miles. Robbie ran the first mile with me and he stopped at the high school to get his mp3 player and other running shoes. I kept running thinking that he would catch up to me but we didn't meet up until after. The school took longer than he thought(he forgot the key to his locker so he ended up running in some real junkers for shoes). It felt so good though to just run. 6 miles didn't seem so bad. I could have kept going. I ran it in 63 minutes. Right on track for 10 min. miles. Saturday is an 8 miler. Hopefully it will also be a great run. We decided to get new running shoes at a store that catered to runners and it was awesome. He sized me and brought out 3 selections and then had me try them on. He even had me run on the treadmill to see how they fit. I am glad we bought them now so that we can get them broke in by MAY 17.

One week worth of Life

Last Thursday March 27 was nuts. We were getting ready to go on spring break and I was a tad bit nutty. I spent all day getting lots of nothing done and at 3 ran over to the Jr. high to watch Britton wrestle. He didn't have a match so I went home and got more of my nothing done. Breckin's play was at 7 so at 6:30 I hustle over to the grade school to get great seats up in front for the family and Maren. It was all ready packed so I got us great seats on the second to the last row. Breckin was awesome. He did all the dance moves with all the excitement he could muster. It was great. I am really proud of him.

Robbie decides that at 8:30 after the play our spring break has officially begun. So we pack into the Buick with no heat and off we travel to Idaho to pick up the minivan from Robs mom.

We have three children who love each other so much they can't seem to not touch, poke, jab, pull, pinch, headlock each other so we needed some extra space. Thankfully grandma loaned us the van and at 11:30 we are officially on the road to Oregon to visit Rachelle (Robs only sister)and Steve. Rob caffeined up on 2 liters of diet Mt. Dew and he drove the entire 6 hours in the middle of the night. We finally pull in at around 3:30 and it felt good to sleep in a bed.

These 4 crazy little girls woke us up in the morning. It was good to see them. They live so far away that we only see them if we happen to be at grandmas at the same time. Friday was a lazy day. We seriously did nothing. The boys watched basketball and I talked and got the tour of the house and talked some more.

We decided to go into Boise and eat dinner. After several attempts at finding somewhere to eat with the 10 of us we settled on Red Robin. Steve and Rachelle stayed in town to pick up Sophie and we drove everyone else back to the house and put them all to bed. I didn't even hear them come in. I was so tired I just went out like a light.

Saturday morning we got up and did our 5 mile run. It was awesome because the elevation is lower and so the 5er wasn't so bad. It actually felt really good. After everyone got cleaned up Rob and Steve took all the kids to the hotpots and Shell and I went into town to get some more Easter things.

Rachelle's ward had an Easter activity where they played games and watched a video and then went to hunt Easter Eggs. Every child was given a different sticker and they had to find the 5 eggs with that sticker on it. It was a lot of fun.

That night we got movies and the kids watched Enchanted on the big screen downstairs and the 12 and olders watched I am Legend on the Massive Home Theater upstairs. It was awesome. I liked it.

Easter Sunday the kids woke up and found they had Easter baskets. This is a novelty to my kids because normally we don't do anything. The boys each were given new church clothes and some candy and Malia got a cute spring dress. Robbie was tired of calling Breckin Jethro because of his high water church pants so it was time to splurge. We went to church and came home and had yummy roast, funeral potatoes, vegetables, and lemon bars. It was really good. We decided to head out after dinner.

Instead of driving straight home we went through Hagerman and a thousand springs and then went to see Shoshone Falls. They were really beautiful.

The falls were awesome and a great rest stop for our wild boys. We had a great spring pause (please it was only 2 days. What kind of break is that?) hanging with Rachelle, Steve and the girls. Lots of fun!!

BOYS and GIRLS

Britton worked on Saturday for a landscaper who has them deliver fliers to the door. He pays them $50. Good money for a days work. He comes home and showers and gets gussied up. Since Thursday he has been asking me if he could go with Nate to the Rec. center Sat. night. No big deal sure why not. Sat. night Nate calls and says the Rec center is closed and so they decided to go bowling. Robbie drops them off at the bowling alley and says he will come and pick them up in about an hour. About an hour and a half later we drive to the go pick them up. Robbie goes in to try to find him. He said that the place was full and from the corner of his eye he see Britton shoot out of his seat (Brit has never moved that fast before) as Nate says hey Brit there's your dad. Robbie said sitting next to him are 4 girls. BUSTED!!! We do not condone this and had a talking to him about it but when Robbie got in the car we laughed so hard at Brit's reaction. Is it bad that we wanted to tease him mercilessly about those girls just happening to be there? But because we are good mature parents we just laughed hysterically about it in the car.

Braille

The YM ( Robbie went with them) went skiing on Friday night and they had a great time by the way. As Robbie and the boys are sitting in the car waiting for everyone to show up this conversation happened
R-So Brit who did you dance with at the dance?
Brit-Brielle(Bree elle)
R-Is she your girlfriend?
Breck-Did she invent Brielle?
R-What?
Breck-You know like the blind people read Brielle (Braille)

Seriously!!! Where did we get that kid Breckin?? How stinking funny is that!! I love that boy!!

Would you like some whine with your PERIOD

If you are a man (OK Robbie is the only man who reads this so I am giving you a heads up) you may want to skip this post. It's about female stuff- hint hint get it???? I have been up for hours( since about 3 am at this point. I am starting to feel a little groggy YEAH!!) with my monthly insomnia and back pain. My periods kill me. OK not the actually period just the weeks of my body falling apart prior to my periods. I have 3 weeks of PMS and then a few days of my period. For this reason (OK and also because I am mildly yes only mildly crazy) I am a Prozac taker. I have PMDD-Pre-Menstrual Dysforic Disorder. Those are just capital letters that mean I have seriously ugly PMS that lasts about 3 weeks. How lucky can Rob get!!! Luckily ( for everyone who know me and especially Rob and the family) the medicine helps with the moods but it sure doesn't help with all of the other body stuff. Last year I stopped taking the medicine for a while to see if I still needed it. By the way I do. I try to do this about every year normally in the summer. This time smarty pants Carrie did it in January. Not a great experience. I think ( yes with my self diagnosis doctoring) I also have seasonal depression. Even in high school I have always wanted to run away in January. I need the SUN and the warm weather. The PMS went into overdrive. I started to dream again about fighting with Maren and Britton. Weird that I only ever fight with those two. In my dreams I am always trying to get them to do it my way and I never can and so I get super mad in my dreams and want to force my will on them but it is a dream so you feel like you are moving in tar. I always wake up from those dreams angry. Luckily I don't have the dreams if I am properly ( that is the key-properly) taking the Prozac. Anyway back to the PMS. The past 3 months have been bad. I get insane insomnia that wakes me up from a dead sleep. I get night sweats that completely gross me out. My back feels like someone has taken a bat to the lower part of it. I have a constant dull headache. I am looking into an IUD so it will stop my period all together. I have heard they work pretty good. I would prefer a hysterectomy because I am done having children and really I don't need any of that stuff except the ovaries right. Maybe I am starting menopause at 35. My luck it will last 15 years. How lucky could I get.

This is a card my family gave me for my birthday. Breckin found it and showed Robbie and he said they sat at the store for 10 minutes laughing. I am glad I can help my family out:)

Seussical the Musical

Breckin is the actor in our family. He has been in the school play for a couple of years now. I love this because he has to get out of his sports comfort zone. They audition in January with a song and then they give out parts. OK everyone who auditions gets a part but still he had to sing in front of people. The play this year is Seussical the Musical. Breckin in a Father WHO from WHOville. He doesn't have any speaking lines but he gets to sing and dance and shake his thing. He loves it (although the pictures don't look like it) and so do I. Good Job Breck!!!

Lemon Squares

Tonight is the Relief Society Birthday party. They are having Gracia N. Jones come and speak. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Joseph Smith. She is going talk about her conversion to the church. I have read some of the books she has written and so for me this is really exciting to actually here her speak. I volunteered to make a dessert centerpiece for tonight. I thought of maybe making a volcano made out of jello with dinosaurs around it(I tried this-It doesn't really work) but decided to do something a little less daring and that people might actually want to eat. So I made Lemon Squares. Maren gave me this recipe and I love it because it calls for lemon juice and not fresh lemons so I can make them whenever I have a craving and not have to run to the store for lemons. Yummy Yummy!!


Maren's LEMON SQUARES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8x2 inch baking pan. (I always double the recipe so I can put it in a bigger pan.)
CRUST
6 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 cup Flour

Beat butter for 30 seconds;add the 1/4 c. sugar and salt. Beat until fluffy. Stir in the 1 c. flour. Pat dough into bottom of pan. Cook for 15 minutes.

TOPPING
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp. Flour
3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

Beat eggs; add sugar, flour, lemon juice, and baking powder. Beat 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour over crust. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges and the center is set. Cool. Sift powdered sugar over top and cut into squares.

Weekend

Robbie went to a coaches clinic in Portland this weekend with some of his coaches. It sounded like he had a great time. When he got home he showed us the pictures he took and asked if we knew the guys they got their pictures taken with. I said nope but Britton knew they were the coaches from Kentucky and also USC. For reals!What kind of crazy person am I raising.He even knew their names:). Coaches clinics are interesting places. Especially for coaches who don't drink beer. Robbie said they had table after table set up with beer mugs. You can kind of see it behind Dean. He said they looked everywhere for sodas and finally they found this little tiny cart stuffed in the back with some sodas in it. I am so thankful for the kind of men Robbie gets to coach with. Dean and Aaron are really great men. The kind you want you sons to be around. They have amazing families and great wives. CWA(coaches wives association) all the way!!!

So while Robbie was out gallivanting around Portland, I was at home being mother of the year. Breckin had his last basketball game. They stop keeping score after you get to 40. They probably scored another 20 points. The funniest part though is that the coach for the other team was mouthy and our coaches don't let anything go so we almost saw a fight between middle age men over 12 year old basketball. Please!! How silly is that. OK it was kind of funny but still. Saturday morning I went running with the Relief Society Fitness Group. We ran about 3 miles. Maren ran with me and it was awesome. I went home and asked Brit if he would run another 3 with me so that I could get me 6 miles in. So off we start. Together for about 1 block. I'm thinking OK so if he is only 1 block ahead of me I'm doing good. That lasted for a short time and then he turns the corner and I am huffing along and that is the last time I saw him. So much for running together with your mom. A guy at church comes up to me and says he thinks I need a new running partner. He had seen us on Sat. I had to give my excuse that I had already run 5 miles and that Britton was Fresh. Whatever. He totally kicked my behind !!

Saturday afternoon Maren and I drove to Hooper for the funeral of our cousins baby boy Turner. Stacey said they knew that Turner had a chromosomal defect called Trisomy 18 for about 6 months. Turner lived just a short time after he was born this past week. Both Stacey and Brad spoke and it was really beautiful they things they said. How blessed as member of the church that we know about the Plan of Salvation and eternal families. It brings such feelings of peace.

Saturday night the boys went to hang out with friends and so us girls watched the new Barbie movie Mariposa. I am a Barbie movie fanatic. I love them. I don't know why but I really really enjoy them. My favorite is The Princess and the Pauper. I know all of the words to the songs. Scary huh. Love It!!!

Video of Britton Wrestling

Here is the blog to get to Brittons wrestling
http://www.chargerwrestling.blogspot.com/
click on 125-140. Britton wrestles 140.

Sorry for the really loud parents. This week we moved away from where they were filming!!!

ABC of Carrie

On our birthday's every year I have the family answer questions about their favorite things. Because I am the mom no one ever does it to me. I saw this ABC list on one of my favorite blogs and decided I was going to do it for myself. It will be interesting to see how much of it still the same next year.

The ABC's of Carrie Gunter

A-Age:35

B-Books I enjoy: The Twilight and the Harry Potter series, Why I Believe

C-Chore I do at home: Laundry, Laundry, and more Laundry

D-Dessert I love:Angel Food Cake

E-Essential start of my day: 44oz ice water but it has to be in a Maverick cup so I mentally think it is soda

F-Favorite type of music: Pop, dance music

G-Greatest Vacation:Going to Mexico with Robbie by ourselves. It was the first trip not chaperoning students

H-Have to have:Super hot bubble baths and Mary Kay Cosmetics (even though I only wear makeup on Sundays)

I-Instruments I play:Nothing but I do snort when I laugh so does that count

J-Job title at home:Mother of the Year

K-Kids in my family:5 brothers and 1 sister

L-Last movie I watched:Fools Gold

M-Month I love the most:July-It is nice and hot and busy but laid back

N-Nicknames:Care, Little Miss CBW (can't be wrong-Robbie thinks it is funny to call me that)

O-Opportunity that I want:To finish my schooling

P-Phobia:I get vertigo with heights but it isn't a phobia. I just really don't like them.

Q-Quote I Love: "When you save a girl, you save a generation." President Gordon B. Hinckley

R-Right or left handed:Right

S-Scripture that I love:"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in may instances doth confound the wise. Alma 37:6

T-Temple I want to be married in:Logan, Married in 1992

U-Unique Talent:I love to organize things

V-Veggies I love:I am against all vegetables but I can tolerate peas, corn, and string beans. I ate asparagus once and it wasn't to bad.

W-Want to accomplish this year:RUN not walk a half marathon, be a more loving and forgiving mother and wife

X-Extra fun hobby I have:I love to re purpose things. I love finding somethings at the DI and painting it or changing it and making it FABULOUS!! I also love to change up the house with new paint

Y-Yummy food I make:I love making cookies especially peanut butter chocolate chip ones

Z-Zoo animal I most resemble:Something with a Fang:)

Star Student

Malia is the Star Student this week. She was so excited that she got to have me come and talk about how fabulous she is. We made a poster and put some of her favorite pictures on it. I also did a questionnaire for her. This is what she said were her favorite things.

Malia Kim

Nickname-Meena, Meena Pants

Malia was named after one of her dad's best students.It is the Italian /Hawaiian version of Maria. It was also a name we both agreed on. Her middle name is Kim. She was named after her Dad Robbie Kim, and her grandfather Jeffrey Kim. Robbie says it only took 3 generation to finally get the girl middle name on a girl.

Favorite Animal-Dog-I am not an animal lover actually they kind of gross me out but we have dogs a plenty at our house. They just all happen to be stuffed animals.

Favorite Color-Dark Green-not sure where this came from because her favorite color has been purple since she could talk

Favorite Song-ABC song-She also loves to sing with what ever is on the radio. She really likes to sing but she sounds a lot like her dad when she does. It is really sweet. By the way Robbie is tone deaf.

Favorite Treat-Scooby Snacks-Really if it is treat she will eat it

Favorite Book-Velveteen Rabbit

Favorite Movie-Any of the Scooby Doo movie cartoons. I love Scooby Doo also.

Favorite thing to do-Play with friend, do tricks on the tramp, and ride her princess bike

Favorite Food-Macaroni and Cheese

Favorite Candy Bar-Symphony Bar-Robbie loves these so we always have them at the house

Favorite Cookie-No Bake Cookies-She likes these because she can help me make them

Favorite Sport-Football-We signed her up for t-ball so maybe that will change. For the longest time she wanted to be a professional ping pong player. Who Knew!!

Malia said she wants to be a basketball player when she grows up. Last night she saw professional women's boxing on TV and came out in my robe jumping around showing me her boxing moves. Way too much ESPN at our house

Favorite thing about herself-she likes how she dresses

Favorite thing about school-Recess and Math

A GOOD WIFE'S GUIDE

I got this email and thought it was funny. I definately have some work to do.

The Cullens

Shell sent me this link to the Twlight movie. The song is awesome. It is called Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep by AFI.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSo4YZuxLm8&feature=related

Running and leaving Malia home

Ran from the Dicks in B. to Parrish Lane. It was kind of cool to run from one city to another. I still felt pretty strong. It was 4.9 miles. Longest I've run. The girls I ran with circled back and made it about a 7 mile run. Awesome. Robbie is running like a crazy man as well. He told me my playlist was crappy so we put some AC/DC and other hard rock(yuck) on the MP3 player. I am a little sore today but it is a really good sore.

I had Ward Council today so I left early to go to church. Robbie made sure the kids were dressed so they could get over to the church. Apparently Malia had a minor come apart and so he told her to go into her room. They are getting to leave and he realizes that she is not around and goes into her room and she is out cold asleep. Robbie decides to leave her there and after Young Women's he gets me and says he left her home. I kind of freak out and rush home(across the street) and she is still in her room totally asleep snoring. When she woke up at around 2:30 she came out and said I was just so tired I just couldn't go to church today Mom. Crazy Girl and Crazy Rob!!!

The SMELL

I'm still not sure if I got it all but we sure hope so. It was partly dirty dishtowels from my funky laundry and I did actually finish it on Friday. Our dishwasher has been broken and so we dismantled it yesterday and there was some serious yuck stuck in the drain that was defiantly not smelling like flowers. There were also corn dog sticks. Yes we wash corn dog sticks( don't you) or at least my children think we wash them as well as a lot of toothpicks. Who Knew.

BLAZE

Dean and Robbie enjoying the Game.
Malia would not take the blaze hat off. She tried to find her Jersey but it was lost(oops to the DI)

Last night we took the entire family to see the season opener of the AFL. The Blaze is Utah's team and unfortunately they lost by a field goal. We went with some friends of ours. TJ & AJ brought their sweet boys. One is about 5 months and the other boy is 2. Every time the blaze scored( which is a ton in arena football) they shoot off a cannon. It was so loud and scared the pants right off their older son. I remember what that was like to take kids to events. Not so much fun. They left right after half time. I wish I could have gone with them. I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep through the whole thing. Unfortunately I was with the die hards and they didn't want or physically can't leave before a ball game is over. It still was a good time.

Basketball

Breckin is playing basketball and Friday he played against his friends team. This is really hard because Breckin is so aggressive but still doesn't want to make anyone feel bad. They won by about 20 points and really that is the closest if has ever been. Breckin is also about a foot taller than anyone. He started this growth spurt. He looks like he is about 15 but he just turned 12. We need to get that moustache shaved!!!