Halloween Half ... Scarrryyy

So this year we had the GENIUS idea that we would run a race early Saturday morning...
The Halloween Half starts at the top of the canyon above Sundance and ends in Orem. It sounds like so much fun to get up at 430AM, dress up and run a race that drops over 2,000ft in elevation, right? Well my body says otherwise! While we did have fun getting up there and we were feeling good (unfortunately we didn't have the time to work on costumes!) the race it's self was challenging and really hard on the body!



Ryan did amazing, of course! We have come to expect nothing less with his running. He finished in 1h 37m, that's an average pace of 7:40 - are you kidding me!?! I am seriously impressed.

I, on the other hand, have decided to look a bit differently at this race...I ran a fantastic 10K with a very long, painful cool down. I was actually pacing around 9:30 until near mile 7 where I tripped, and fell, and hit my knee, hard. This made the last 7 miles GRUELLING and PAINFULLY slow. BUT on the bright side I finished and knocked 17 minutes off of my Moab time from last year.

That being said we are both in a lot of pain, even today, I don't think that EVERY muscle in my body has ever hurt at the same time. It's an entirely new experience and not one I would call pleasant. Not to mention we were pretty pooped for Halloween festivities that night.

But we had a lot of fun and enjoyed running our first race together.
It was a beautiful course on the perfect fall morning!
Fortunately for you I had time to take pictures while trying to distract myself from the pain...

A moving shot.

Bridal Veil Falls

Fall leaves covered the trails.


Thanks for pushing me through babe and running the last mile with me (adding 2 miles to your race day!). I was frustrated and encouragement kept me going!

A Scooby-tastic Halloween

Thanks to Chris & Annie for hosting another great Halloween party! My flight was late so we were pretty late to the party, I think we made up for it with our entrance -- and by "our" I mostly mean Ryan's, as you can see...

I have named this night the "Case of the Scooby mix-up"


Despite the look on his face Dylan loved being Scooby Doo - he even learned the song. I'll get the video on here soon.


Ryan/Daphne was so uncomfortable! He didn't know how to sit and pretty much felt naked the whole night, he is not accustomed to the freedom and breeziness of a sexy little skirt. I hope he didn't get TOO used to it??
We were all laughing so hard that it was difficult to get a good picture, Ryan was talking and laughing in every single one of them!


"The Girls" --> This year Ryan and Josh got to be in the girls pic as Daphne and Ellen





These shots are so funny! We hope little Hailey isn't scarred for life as Ellen and a very butch Daphne lovingly admire her adorable little punkin' costume. It was so difficult to get a shot of them being serious, most of the pictures are like the one on the right, the left hand pic is the closest we could get to a serious "family" photo.



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Halloween night was chilly, wet and beautiful!

This shot says it all...


Our universe is back in alignment as I am Daphne and Ryan Shaggy for Halloween night.


We didn't take Dylan trick-or-treating for too long, he actually loved being home and answering the door for the kids. He would open the door with a friendly wave and "hi", tell them all thank you, goodbye and then be quite upset that they hadn't stayed longer. This happened EVERY time! It was so cute, he just wanted them to stay and play, can you blame him?

We did take him to visit some neighbors and family.
Here he is with our cute/scary "old" neighbor Haydeon.



Sunday brought some ominous news as what I have known for years was finally confirmed, Ryan was tagged as the actual devil. We all knew that Fresh Values tracked more than points but here is proof. Note the date (10/31/2010) and total points balance (666) on the receipt.
Who needs faith when you have proof??

It's a Mystery Dinner Ya'll

Our second Halloween party this year was with Adam & Jade and their friends for a Cowboy Murder Mystery dinner:
The Good, The Bad and The Guilty.

Ryan was very dedicated to his character, growing out his cowboy-stash for almost an entire week prior to the party - it must have been exhausting! Especially since whenever we were with other people I made him explain why he had it (he didn't actually shave it that way until the day before). But as you can see by his "heart-throb" pics below it was worth it, he fit the part perfectly.

Elias Truist-Heath (He lies through his teeth - clever right?!) -- is the dazzling personification of the heart-throb gunfighter, performing fancy skills with his weapons. The best brawler in the West Elias has returned to his Roadkill home after a distinguished stint in the US Cavalry. The women who adore him are elated to have him back.



I may not have been quite as dedicated to my part since I am very much a fair skinned blondey, but I think my accent and occasional Spanish terms made up for what I lacked in appearance!
Como? Que? Si.

Dee Adela Muerte (Day of the Dead) -- Is a Mexican beauty of pious spirit, plagued by bad luck. As a newly-wed she was thrice widowed. Her first husband was a politician, her second a minister and her third an undertaker. She now gives the Sunday sermon herself and is the busy town undertaker. Adela grieves for her lost loves under a heavy black veil.



I have more pics at the party but can't currently find the charger for the camera they were taken on, stay tuned for updates!

Wheeler Farm

This is the face (and hand) I typically get when taking pictures Dylan. I take full blame, I think he is just sick of me taking pictures! He is actually better for pretty much anyone else...



For example Ryan got this precious look.


Once again I got this, not even interested in looking at me.


But occasionally I luck out and someone tricks him into flashing his adorable smile my direction.



We loved visiting Wheeler Farm with Dylan. He caught on to the corn maze very quickly, loved naming all the animals on the hay ride and was persistent in his efforts to pick up only the heaviest "punkins".


Our punkin' pickin's

Dedicated: Mom's Birthday

Happy Birthday to this amazing lady, my mom & Dylan's grandma! I really don't know what we would do without your love and support. You are always so willing to help regardless of the circumstances and you're consistent willingness to watch Dylan, even if it means dropping your own plans, is a huge comfort to us. I appreciate you so much for all you do and hope you had the wonderful birthday weekend we all know you deserve!
* xoxox * Love you * xoxox *

Jaks & Oliver!

Could this be any cuter??


Jaks wrapped up our second showing of Oliver! Congrats to the cast and crew for two rounds and 14 successful shows. Keep an eye on the site for updates on coming events www.jakstheatrecompany.org

Dedicated: Kelly Busby

For this moment!

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Thanks so much Kelly - this would not have happened if it weren't for your thoughtfulness and persistence, and you weren't even there to enjoy it...we missed you. This was truly the highlight of my trip! Not only was it so much fun to see the whole family and your home, Riga is absolutely beautiful!!

~ Thank you ~

Finish every day and be done with it. You've done what you could. Some blunders and some absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear with its hopes and invitations to waste a moment on yesterdays.

~ Emerson

On the move...

Moving. Is. Hard.

I cannot believe what a crazy time we have had moving our home! I am usually organized and efficient but this entire process was out of control. I blame it partially on a crazy work/travel schedule, partially on this being our first move of this magnitude and partially on my own laziness! We closed this week and moved into a nice little place in Kaysville. It took some work to get it ready but it's going to be perfect for the next while. I painted the bedrooms and office and as we started hanging our curtains, pictures, etc. it really started to feel like home. Of course this was before we moved all of our junk - I cannot believe how much stuff we have despite my efforts to downsize before the move. Regardless we are settling in and Dylan is loving the new pad, of course it came with a full swing set and he got a new train set so the adjustment appears to be a positive one!

**If you know Dylan than you know Monkey, here they are swinging together!**

**Ryan has been so excited to get Dylan a train set. He spent the whole evening getting it perfect so Dylan would wake up to a fun surprise! What a good dad.**

Halloween with the Wellington crew...

Could there be anything better than a month of Halloween parties? Not for me! I love any excuse for a costume required party. We got into the spirit early this year at a party with the Wellington crew on Oct. 9th - this is the perfect crowd to rid me of jet lag in a hurry!
Thanks for hosting yet another fantastic party Marlena!!
We didn't have much time to coordinate so I was an evil fairy type thing and Ryan a hippie...I don't know why but that makes me laugh!

Stratford Upon Avon

We wrapped up our incredible week in Stratford Upon Avon, the fairy-tale hometown of William Shakespeare AND yes - we drove there!


Tea? For two?

Oldest tavern in Stratford where we enjoyed the most amazing meal of our trip!

The home on the left is the birthplace of Shakespeare

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

This classic street had to be captured in photo!