Israel 2013

In February, Steve and I took Ashley to Israel and toured the country with a good friend of ours, Alan McKay.  We went with him the last time we travelled to Israel, and knew that he would be a great guide to go with us again.  He took a special interest in Ashley, and personalized a lot of his commentary with her in mind, which we were so grateful for.  She was the youngest in our group, and so many of the couples took her under their wing and treated her like a beloved grand daughter.  It was such a wonderful and positive experience for her, and the spirit and incredible history of this country touched her heart.

Ceaserea:

The Key Stone Arch

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil:

Ashley by the shores of Galilee:

We all loved Capernaum:

Temple Mount in Jerusalem:

The Garden of Gethsemane: 

"the Savior did not shrink in Gethsemane or Golgotha'"

Our wonderful Israeli Guide Asher (on the right) and driver, Mahneer (on the left):

They both kept an eagle eye out for Ashley, and she was Asher's 2nd in command.  Mahneer admonished Ashley to study hard and get good grades so that she could come to the Number One 

University in Jerusalem (the Jerusalem Center)

The Dead Sea:

We left Steve at this point in the trip and he continued on to Egypt, where he had a fabulous time.  He was in heaven, helping out all of the older couples in the group with their luggage, etc. We all came home happy.

Early Christmas Present

This cute, crazy girl earned 4th phase today!  Congratulations, Smashly.  This has been hard won, and you have put a lot of work and effort to get to this point.  So, with my heart in my throat, here's to your next big adventure:  High School!

Do you SEE that!!!

YIKES!

That was the very word I used last year after viewing my friends pictures from the 2011 St. George Relay.  I am so blessed that these fine ladies invited me to spend time with them and run 50 miles.  Last year, they picked me up from work at Welcome Home and we drove to St. George, making it just in time to pick up our race packets and then head over to Alicia's to get our stuff ready for an early race start.

Here we are at the start of the 2011 race, with me as the first runner.

I knew I was packing a few extra pounds last year, but it wasn't until I saw the pictures from this race that I really had the thought that it was time to get serious about losing some weight.

I like this picture from this years race a LOT better!  Notice how everyone else looks just as good as they did last year??  

This is the picture that changed my life: 

During the race this year, I felt like I could fly and I was very happy with my pace:

The beautiful ladies of Team Run Walk Crawl at the end of the 2012 St. George Expedition Relay.  Thank you Lauretta, Heidi, Alicia and Michelle for inviting me and letting me share such a lovely time with true women who are wise, strong, healthy, spiritual, kind, and generous!