THE GREAT RACE

A few months before she passed away, my sister Ginger ran a 5K in the Great Race with the goal of getting in under 30 minutes. Her time was exactly 29:59:55. Her friend Tiffany said that Ginger had been great about cheering and encouraging everyone else running as well. She thought running in the Great Race this year would be a fitting tribute to her memory. She designed a shirt, and 72 other friends and family of Ginger joined. I was so glad to be able to make it to be there, just for that day. (If anyone has group shots with others, please let me know!)

This is something my brother (Jason Z.) wrote about Ginge, who was 30 years old when she passed away: "Ginge, you ran a great race and you finished at 30 (at least this leg of the race). You didn't let anyone hold you back, but you definitely helped countless others along your way. You broke the tape first in our family and we look forward to seeing you when we cross the line and giving you a huge Ginger-style victory hug on the other side of the finish line. Until then, we know you will be watching us, cheering us on."

This is all our family that either ran or came to support. Derek, Heidi + Don, Jace + Jen and I were able to fly in or drive down to be there. We missed the rest that couldn't make it, but they participated in their own ways. (Double click on the picture and it should show up clearer.)

Walking to the starting line.

"Happiness" was the title of Ginger's last family blog she posted. She added it the night before she passed away.

The back of the shirts simply said "gdc" . . . for Ginger Dee Clinton.

Jace C. ran a half marathon.

Rod, Derek, Jace Z., Dad, Don, Luke, Mark, Carson ?, Tyler?, Trevor, Brady, Jace C.

Before the race: Nat, Heids, Mom, Kate, me, Jen

I have to admit, once I realized that Dad had been ahead of me for a long time, a slight bit of competitiveness came out, and I did push myself a little. I was impressed that he never stopped running, though. I took a lot of walking breaks.
I was 19 weeks along, so I wasn't supposed to really train or push myself. But I was pleasantly surprised at how much better I could breathe down at sea level! My time was 31:09. Not great (quite a few minutes slower than my last one), but better than I expected.

Enjoying all the free food afterwards. Hmmmm, Great Harvest bread!

Nat started the rolling down the grassy hill. We were both itchy for the rest of the day. Monica and I had a good time with some hula hoops too. Have her demonstrate her trick for you sometime.

Rod came in first of all our family. Monica had an injury and couldn't run. (Probably would have beat us all if she could have!) But she stood a little ways away from the finish line to cheer us on and let us know that we could run full speed the rest of the way. That really helped!

Over 70 people ran the race in Ginger's memory. Here are some of them.

A trip home is never complete without dinner at Lalo's--home of the world's best chicken tacos ever! It was great to be with the family the whole day.
Mark, Kate, Monica, Rod

Jason C., Heidi, Don, Dad, Mom
Amber, Jason Z., Jen, Natalie, Trevor, Wendy

Virginia Here We Come!

The weekend before I went to California for the Great Race, Sam went to Virginia. (Yea, people were starting to wonder about us taking trips separately. Believe me, I would have much preferred that we could have both gone to both places together!) Virginia Tech flew him out to check out their grad program. (Yep, he's a smarty.)

Sam stayed with my sister Summer and her family. Ever since Murphy (Summer) and I realized Sam was looking into Virginia Tech (Clint is in med school out there), we've been careful not to get our hopes up too much. Every time Sam would say something leaning towards VT, I'd call her up and tell her the news, but warn her again not to get her hopes up, and I'd try not to get mine up either. How cool would that be if we ended up living in the same town all the way on the other side of the U.S.?

Clint, Lindy, Sum, Paige, Kaden

Sam didn't get any pictures of the campus activities, but he got this great shot of himself with Kaden.

This is Paige's little smiley smirk I've heard so much about that I can't wait to see in person!

Summer called me as soon as Sam was on the plane back to Utah and joked, "I just want you to know, I've prayed about it and fasted about it, and I feel really good about you guys moving out here." :) Turns out, after getting a better view of the program out there, Sam was feeling pretty good about it, but it wasn't until a week later (after we'd been praying and fasting about it for months) when I was in California that he told me on the phone that he wanted to go to Virginia Tech for sure. No need to convince me!

Exhausted

This has been one of Sam's heaviest semesters with 19 credits (three of those credits for being an ASCE student officer--BYU's chapter of a civil engineering association), getting ready to graduate and applying and figuring out what grad school to go to and what he wants to go into, and working 20 hours a week. Plus he's taken a two-day trip for a student leadership conference in San Francisco, a two-day trip to help Beth (his sister) drive and move out here, a three-day trip to Virginia Tech to see what they have to offer, and keeping up with all the usual church and family responsibilities and making time for me (and doing all the laundry, dishes, etc.). This is when I found him asleep while attempting to read one of his books. Isn't he cute?

Petroleum. . . Jelly?

Some of you know a few basic things about me: 1) I have a tendency to carry plastic baggies (or ziplock bags) with me at all times (along with other things, like a flashlight and pocketknife--you never know when you'll need them). 2) I can't live without Vaseline--I use it both as a lip balm and for my hands. (You have to get it in just the right ratio of water: Vaseline so it doesn't stay gooey--thanks to Dad for teaching me the trick that works better than anything else I've ever tried).

Well, Friday I was at a science teacher conference. I had just grabbed another bagel at the breakfast when they announced that we had to be in the auditorium within one minute before the doors were locked for the keynote speaker. I wrapped my bagel in a napkin and threw it in my backpack. There was no food allowed in the auditorium, but after a while of struggling to stay awake, I thought I could sneakily eat some of my bagel to help keep me awake. Not wanting to get crumbs in my backpack, I felt around for a ziplock bag I knew I had just put in my bag. I found it, carefully placed the bagel in it, and continued to enjoy my breakfast as I listened to the speaker and watched his PowerPoint in the dark room. I kept the bagel in my backpack, just reaching down every now and then to tear off a piece.

I was down to the last quarter of the bagel when I felt something slimey. My first thought was that it was the part of the bagel that had gotten a little bit of cream cheese on it, but I was pretty sure I had eaten that first. I reached to the other side of the bagel and again felt the sliminess. Must be a really juicy raisin, I thought. I put it in my mouth and started to chew. After a few seconds, I knew what I had done--put the bagel in a bag that I was using for a little bit of Vaseline! For some reason, I continued to chew and swallow it. Leaving wasn't an option--I was in the back in the middle of a very crowded row.

I'm still not sure why I didn't spit it out. Maybe because it was only a tiny bit, but I didn't know how much it would affect me later. I was grossed out for a bit, but it wasn't too bad. . . until I tried to use Vaseline in my normal manner later on that day. Suddenly, having it on my lips was disgusting. Out of necessity, I've continued using it, but I'm grossed out every time, especially if I eat right after I apply. When I was telling Sam the story later, I had to stop giving him details because it was literally making me gag. I'm hoping that since the kind I have is scented (actually a generic kind that is cheaper), the unscented won't bother me as much.

If there were any questions in anyone's mind, I'd like to strongly confirm that even though it's called petroleum "jelly," it's definitely not the kind of jelly you want to eat on your bagel.

Belly

<--This is my belly when I was a kid. This is what I feel like my belly is like now (at 12 weeks).


Okay, so to answer a few requests, this was me at 12 weeks, when I really started to notice the difference. I was pretty disappointed by this picture, though. I sware it was bigger in real life. But maybe that's because this picture was taken about four hours after I'd eaten. It's right after I ate that it really stuck out. I think I'm done with the profile shots, though. At least for putting them on the blog.

Choo-choo Train Heartbeat

(excerpt from my journal 2/08/09)
It seemed like it was taking the nurse forever to find the baby's heart beat at my first doctor's appointment (11 weeks along). For a few seconds I panicked and even wondered if I'd made this whole pregnancy thing up (weight gain and all), but of course I was just a little too excited. Then I heard the "choo-choo train" sound I'd heard about. I can't really describe the feeling of having a little more evidence of something (someone!) living and growing inside of me. I couldn't help smiling in awe and excitement. It only lasted a few seconds and then moved away. It was disappointing to be over so quickly, but still pretty amazing. (For the record, at my next appt. a month later, the nurse named mine the "favorite baby of the day" for being the easiest little heart beat to find.)

Snow Fun

Sam and I went to Rock Canyon Park to play in the snow a couple of weeks ago. You can see that we still only have the bibs from Mom that are from the 70's. Stylish, I know. We are both new to the snowboard, but had a lot of fun with it.

Monday Sam suggested we hike up Rock Canyon trail and then sled back down on his snowboard--with us both sitting down on it. I had my doubts, but it was tons of fun. A bit painful (we'd recommend using padding), but quite the ride. Afterward, we hiked back up just a bit and tried actual snowboarding again, which was difficult on the packed down path with ruts. Sam did well, but I got going a little too fast. I pathetically yelled for Sam to catch me. He really tried, but I tried to turn to stop and took a very painful fall. One of those times where you can't talk or you'll cry. Fortunately, just bruises on my backside.

I've been tagged!

Winks tagged me, so here we go. . .

I am: Amber
I think: I actually need team sports (despite my lack of ability). Any other method of exercise is not nearly as invigorating, enjoyable, or as good a workout for me.
I have: 37 nieces and nephews (34 on the Z side, 3 on Sam's side). (Someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
I dislike: dim lighting, sea food, mayonnaise, egg yoke (unless it's scrambled with the white part), uncomfortable clothes, being cold all the time
I miss: all my family, especially those I didn't get to see at Christmas
I fear: "nothing, when I am in the right!" (Quick, Buddy, what movie is that from?) Actually I sometimes really fear the phone. I can get nervous just calling someone to set up a visiting teaching appointment or calling an old friend. If it's about a job or calling a parent of one of my students, a lot of times I have to write down what I'm going to say before I call. And stare at the phone for many minutes. I'm definitely not as bad as I used to be, but it can still be pretty pathetic.

I feel: awful right now. Sam and I either have food poisoning or the flu. Why don't I appreciate my good health when I have it?
I hear: Sam attempting to eat oatmeal, but he says it's exhausted him just eating half the bowl of his instant packet.
I smell: like the food I cook. (If I cook anything with onions, garlic, etc., my coat or sweater soaks up the aroma.)
I crave: fruit and vegetables normally, but my junk food cravings often win.
I cry: more than I used to, and I'm getting worse at hiding it
I usually: sleep with my pillow over my head; prefer my fruit and drinks (water and juice) lukewarm
I search: for information about my great, great grandfather, George B. Reid. Okay, so I haven't done much research yet, but I've been promising Grandma for a year. I'm determined to really dig in now.
I wonder: where Sam and I will be next year (for his grad school)--UC Davis, BYU, Virginia Tech, or somewhere else?
I regret: missed opportunities to serve/befriend others

I wish: I could speak Spanish a lot more fluently and that I had a space to grow a garden
I love: the gospel, Sam, my family, being outdoors, BYU Creamery's fresh made salsa (except the thought of it right now....)
I care: about how Winks is doing
I always: notice trees
I worry: about the USA's trend towards emphasizing rights and freedom without putting emphasis on personal responsibility, and the climb towards socialism.
I am not: as young as people who don't know think I am (parents of my students, the lunch ladies who give me student prices until corrected, temple workers, neighbors, etc.)
I stand by: the heater. I am always cold!
I remember: good times with my sister Ginger and her goodness.
I believe: in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ

I sing: while I play my guitar or ukulele
I don't always: treat others as kindly as I intend to
I write: songs and in my journal (somewhat obsessively)
I win: when Sam and I try to give each other the most bounce on the trampoline (actually, that's not as true as it used to be--I think he's figured it out)
I lose: every time I play against Melissa (sister-in-law)
I listen: better if I'm not multi-tasking. I've discovered that I can't even cook and talk (listen) to Sam at the same time, unless it's something I've made many times before. I've also noticed that I am a very one-track minded person. When someone suddenly starts talking to me, I often give a blank look (or a much-delayed answer) until I can switch my brain to drop my last thought and think about the new stimulus).
I can usually be found: at home or school (teaching). Or at Macey's grocery store. I love that place!
I need: sunlight and warmth
I forget: to turn off the lights on Sam's car (mine turn off automatically). Fortunately, he's caught it twice, and someone was around to give me a jump start the other time.
I am happy: when I take time to recognize the many blessings I've received and work to be worthy of them.

I tag. . . Jason Z and Beth

Electrifying!

Sam and I played the "Shock" game on the trampoline with some of our nieces. Everyone links pinky fingers, gets full of static, and feels the electric shock move through them when a person on the end touches a metal spring. The girls' hair was awesome.

Working on the Ranch

Sam joined Dad and Derek fixing a fence. The horse was curious and eventually started nibbling on Sam.

The 'Loo Lasleys

We were happy that Morgan (Sam's brother) and Melissa were in town for Christmas. (Especially since Sam is the black sheep of the family--the only one not in Iowa.) We had them over and got to hang out with them at Melissa's parents'. And we finally got to meet Josh! Now there's just a niece and a nephew that I still haven't met.


Don't make fun of my Christmas decorations. I did the best I could with what I had (and thanks to some friends that gave us their tree). What little I do have was still at my parents'.

The Man in the Yellow Hat

Sam and I found Dad on the roof in his rain gear and spent the next hour or so helping him clean the gutters. I still love any excuse to climb on the roof! I climbed up to the highest point and noticed that I had a good view of all the land, hills, and mountains surrounding the ranch. It was greener than usual from all the recent rains.

Christmas with the Z's

It was good to be back on the ranch with a lot the family, though I missed everyone who wasn't there. It was hard not seeing Ginger along with everyone else. Really hard. But it also impressed upon me a greater significance of the birth of our Savior and to appreciate the gifts He has given us--particularly the gift of the Resurrection and the ability we have to be with our families eternally, as well as the comfort and hope we can receive through his Atonement to strengthen us in the meantime. It was also good to see some extended family I don't see very often. We did all the usual things, but here are a few other little events and highlights of the trip (besides what I've already blogged about).

Lilia (11 months) was playing with my amber charm necklace. Later, Kate asked me if my necklace had anything on it, and I realized my amber stone was missing. I checked Lilia and had all the nieces and nephews looking all of the house, but no one found it. I figured if I had lost in on a hike in the Grand Tetons and found it on the way back (a couple summers ago), it would show up in the house eventually. The next day, Nat saw Lilia with something. Afraid she was going to put it in her mouth, she reached out to take it away. Sure enough, there was my amber stone!

Watching Mom and Trevor separating a jar full of real M&Ms from the fake ones Wendy dumped in. (Uh, after I had unintentionally mixed them, trying to get to the real ones.)



Hayley, Sam, Kandrea, and Carson; Kate and Holly


Being able to get Holly to allow me to hold her, if only for a few minutes. She's at a stage where she'll only go to her dad, Wendy, Kate, or my Mom and maybe Dad. She's in one of my favorite toddler stages, except that she wants nothing to do with me.

Finding Lilia just as she was crawling out the front door that one of the kids left open.

The kids ran into the house yelling that Ali (12) had stepped on a nail. We ran down the hill, and Sam carried Ali and her bleeding foot up to the house. She was pretty calm then, and we figured she was okay with tetanus shots, but the poor girl was in agony for the next few hours after Dad cleaned her up and bandaged her foot.

Jenna, Brady, and Sam on the trampoline. I love this picture of Winks.

Brady (4) asking, "Aunt Amber, when are you going to have a baby?" I wished I could tell him. Hayley (5) also asked me about having a baby. She told me that I needed to go to the hospital, take some medicine, and then I'd have a baby in my tummy. But then she corrected herself, said that you go to the hospital when you have the baby, not to get it in your tummy. She had this questioning look on her face, and I was a little concerned she was going to ask where babies really do come from. I quickly changed the subject.

Mom slaved away in the kitchen all day to make enough batches of rolls to satisfy all of us eating Christmas dinner together.

Tractorin'

Frozen eggs, anyone?

We haven't figured out what setting to put our fridge/freezer at. Either the food in the fridge freezes, or the food in the freezer melts. Or both. We've lost plenty of good food. In this case, Sam was thawing eggs to cook. FYI--from our experience, you can thaw eggs to cook them, but don't try to hard boil them while they're frozen--they turn out really weird!

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with Jace and Jen and their kids, then stopped by Aunt Beth's. (Also saw Derek, Grandma Z, and Keith and his family.) It was great to see family. The food was great, except when Jace opened the steamer with shrimp in it. Then I almost gagged. I left the house while everyone else enjoyed it. I just don't get what there is to like about seafood.


I'm wishing I'd taken pictures of the other adults as well, but here are some of the kids.

Sam playing "Horsie" with Even, Kai, and Mary.

The kids kept begging us to take them to the "Spinny Park." I admit, this is one of my favorite places too. I was disappointed when they took the merry-go-round out of this park, but I love the new equipment!

SUPER KAI! Kai had a favorite trick, that scared me the first time I saw it. He did it over and over again. I got a couple of videos, but I love that he literaly "ate it" on this one (there's a piece of bark in his mouth). (~9 sec. long)

This video is from last summer (me and Lincoln), but it shows my favorite part of the park. And why it can be a little hazardous. Of course, it doesn't seem nearly as fast or forceful or risky on video as it does when your on it. (But I have found that it's a little more adventurous if Sam is on too. He can make it go a lot faster.) (53 sec.)

Jessica Z's Farewell

My cousin Jessica was recently called to serve as a missionary in Munich, Germany for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We gathered with the Z's for dinner and breakfast before she spoke in church before leaving. She gave a great talk about being a disciple of Christ. She went into the MTC Wednesday, and Sam ran into her (while he was working) on Friday. She said she was doing well and to tell everyone she loves them.

It was good to see some of my cousins that I hadn't seen in years: Jared (with beard) and his family, Laura (red shirt) and her family, and Heather (black shirt). Aunt Beth was there for part of it, and my brother Jason and his family came too.

It was fun having Gradma Z here too. She took a liking to Sam. Sam had never had a grandma that he could carry on a conversation with, and he enjoyed her as well.


Aunt Kay put together a fantastic meal, as always. Sleeping Beauty Heather.
Uncle Terry, Heather, Linc, Crystal.

Full tank with a $20!

I handed $40 to the cashier, grateful it wasn't the usual $60 it's been for a while. Then I got back a twenty and some coins--it hasn't been like that since I first started driving!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate one of our blessings. . .

Sam changing the alternator on "Bianca."

Why we love our ghetto cars:

Sam’s (’92 VW Passat)
The stereo turns off when you push the brake (but it HAS a radio/CD player, unlike mine), or it goes off and on with the blinker
The side paneling fell off the first time Sam was teaching me how to drive it (stick shift)
A tire went flat the first time I drove it alone
It gets way better gas mileage than my car (31mpg on a good day)
It gave me my first experience riding in a tow truck on one of our earlier dates (Lesson learned from that and many other experiences: It may or may not run it if it’s been raining.)
You can only unlock all the doors from the passenger side, but sometimes not the driver’s door
Sometimes the driver’s door won’t open from the outside
You always know when Sam has arrived—his car is as loud as a motorcycle (we decided the previous owner must have a put a “sport muffler” on it)


Amber’s (’88 Toyota Camry)

There's a trick to opening the trunk (and I just found out that Sam's is even trickier to open, especially when the battery is dead)
The key can come out of the ignition while the car is running
It will suddenly die (or just not start) if it is too cold (within the first few minutes of driving) or at other random times
It hesitates (and occasionally dies) when you step on the gas fast (occasionally leading to a near panic attack when making a left turn)
The trunk fills with water when it rains (I thought I’d found the culprit and sealed it, but apparently not—it was soaked when I checked on it after the last rain)
It has almost 275,000 miles on it and hasn’t broken down on me for over a year!
It has failed SmogCheck/Emissions three years in a row (until various problems were fixed)
You can only unlock all the doors from the passenger side (Same as Sam’s)
It has a sunroof (same as Sam's)
It smells like apricot; it’s worked great to make apricot fruit leather (dehydrating the apricot pulp on a sunny day). . . until the pulp spilled down the back seat. . .

We really are grateful to have working cars. And to have two--because so far, if one's not working, the other one is. Knock on wood...