For Mandy

I know, I am breaking my rule and writing not a full month after my last post. But Mandy should be happy, right?!

-First off, no news on the CES front. Don't worry, you all will know when I know. I will be so excited to report any news, preferably good, that I get. So far we have heard many good things about Marshall so that is promising. Honestly, I think they'd be pretty insane not to want him.
- We head to California in less than a week. Can I tell you how excited I am?! We specifically planned it so that we would be gone on a Sunday so we can get a complete break from everything. It just so happens that Marshall's sister and her husband are currently serving as a mission president and wife about forty-five miles away from Disneyland. We are going to hang out with them over the weekend. Monday the Disneyland fun begins. We are all so excited. I think Marshall is the most excited because he is a fellow spazz and is looking forward towards the break from all his millions of responsibilities.
-We all, minus Rachel, have had the stomach flu this week. It started with Jacob, then Anna, then me, and finally Jimmy and Marshall. Jimmy is bouncing off the walls today (curse 1pm church) and Marshall is feeling much improved. We are just waiting to see if Rachel will get it. But my mother-in-law made a great point that it is so much better it is happening this week and not next week. Pukes at Disneyland? Yea, we've already done that one before.
-No new races for me. I was going to do a 10k, but it falls on the weekend we will be coming back from California. No go. I am debating doing a Desert Dash last this month that takes place partly on some trails. We'll see how the old legs hold up. I have had some pain in my calf lately and have been pretty cautious about taking care of it. This getting "older" thing is pretty lame. Some people are just made for running, like those 70 year-old marathoners, and some of us just have to take what we can get.
- I am totally addicted to M.C. Beaton's books. She has two mystery series that I enjoy; Agatha Raisin and then Hamish McBeth. Both are fun to read and make me wish 1) we had tea time in the U.S. just so I could have some of the buttery fluffy scones she describes and 2) want to visit Scotland. Right now, though, I am actually starting Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles. Ancient Egypt? What is not to love?! One of my favorite time periods. Plus, Riordan is always so entertaining. I am all about fun books lately.
- Jacob has told me that he is going to marry me. When I explained to him that I was already married to Marshall, he replied that it was okay because I could be married more than once. Hmmm. Who has he been talking too?
-Rachel got her ears pierced. She has been begging to for months. We made the deal that if she could not twist her hair (which pulls it out) for a month, then she could get her ears pierced. She kept her part of the deal so I took her to get her ears pierced last Saturday. She did great and has been awesome at making sure they stay cleaned. I find this request fascinating since Rachel is my tom-boy. But whatever!
-Jimmy is as tall as Rachel and eats pretty much all the time. He is only 7. We are doomed when he is a teenager. He is rocking in Chinese and got one of the highest test scores this week on characters in Chinese.
-Anna just finished reading her first Agatha Christie novel for a book report and loved it. She is getting older and it is freaking me out. But she is growing into a very helpful and sweet young woman.
- We took the kids tubing in Pine Valley, which is about 40 minutes away. We had promised them we would go to a snowy place this winter. Snow just isn't as exciting when you are an adult. But we got all bundled up and our nice neighbor let us borrow sleds, tubes, and gear. Anna and Jacob had a blast and never complained once. Jimmy and Rachel had fun until they got too cold. They didn't realize how cold snow is. Ummmm.... we have become desert people.