Training....

LOOK OUT GUYS! I am going for the big one this time!
I am "IN TRAINING" now. I have just a few weeks till'
the big run in Twin Falls with my sister Carlee....
it is the "Rim to Rim" run and it benifits the Habitat
for Humanity program there in Twin Falls. I have yet to
get a lot of details but as far as I know it is a 7.5
mile route (walk and or run or combo) and you shoot for
your personal best. I *KNOW* I'll never make a full 7.5
mile run but I am going to do my dangdest to get a good
portion of it done by running. Yesterday I started my
'official' running training and did a 3 mile run on the
treadmill with a couple of wee wittle walking breaks.
I hope to push it hard tommorrow and get more in. I'd
like to do a decent time in the race and hope to break
some personal barriers in the midst of it all too!
So, cheer me on guys, I am running every other day and
doing my strength training and other stuff (bike, ellyptical
and so on) on the in-between days! This is going to be a
challenge!!!

FUN STUFF! Right??
******************************************************

2009 Rim to Rim
September 19 - 9:00 AM



Run or walk this scenic and challenging 7.5 mile course. The race begins at Bass Lake at the Blue Lakes Country Club. The course climbs the Blue Lakes Grade, crosses the Perrine Bridge and winds down the Canyon Springs Grade. After crossing the Snake River via footbridge, the race finishes at Bass Lake with a party and lots of prizes!!! $100 Dash for cash goes to the first male & female to reach the top of the Blue Lakes Grade. $50 cash prize to the fastest man & woman finisher. Prizes to the first man & woman walkers. Awards given for racer that collects the greatest amount of donations for Habitat (must be turned in by September 6th) Awards also given in each age group for runners & walkers, with separate divisions for men and women. Newly designed race T-shirts for all participants. The $40 pre-registration fee, before September 7th ( is a tax deductible donation) $45 fee after September 7th and day of race.

he's still cute...

With all my craziness lately about optimism or lack thereof, and, well, yea, I have to revert back to my old Jr High and High School days when I was CRAZY about Mr Michael J Fox...ahhhh he was so cute! So, I am not going to plaster 100's of posters and magazine photos of him all over my bedroom walls (somehow I don't think Ed would go for that??) but I am going to sing the praises of his amazing will and strength and optimism! He wrote this great book (that I have yet to read! gasp!) and I have read excerpts from it and he is just really taking things in stride - day by day- one challenge at a time. It is so inspiring and really when I think of all the minichallenges life has handed me, well, wow.
So the other night I was watching TV and he had a documentary type show that goes along with his book and it was really interesting how people all over the world take challenges and make them into good things - lemons and make lemonaid type scenerio if you will.
I had to come and do a 'cheers' to Michael J Fox - still cute and somehow still optimistic!

Darla :O)

Good friends and family.

I want to say how blessed I am with such good friends and family. How caring and wonderful they are to me. I know I am a big whiner a lot of the time and still, even if they have to call me out on it, they back me up.
So, lately I have had my share of physical 'woes'... I guess I am getting old or something but my body is not cooperating the way I'd like it to so what do I do, I whine! LOL
Seriously though, my thyroid levels have been whacko making me tired beyond what I can believe, it is so weird! I had very little trouble stabalizing my meds after having my thyroid taken out almost 2 years ago and NOW it starts to give me fits? Whatever!? So, when I whine about being tired, now you know why. My knee. Well, my knee does not like the running thing I guess but I am not giving it up - I know it is the right thing and so I will tough it through. I have worked too long and hard and am determined to meet my goals! So, I have some funky tendon thing going on with it but the Dr assured me it is nothing too dramatic, just have to work through it. So, I will! Also I made a maybe not so great choice to take a depo shot for my monthly issues (you know, girl stuffs... cuz' I certainly don't need birth control!) and in the long run it has helped but I think I am paying a higher price for it. It has really made me struggle with my weightloss and I am grinning and bearing it now but deep down I am SO mad I made this choice because now I have to wait it out! UGH!
Basically my big issue is that I have been busting my butt for these weight loss goals for SO long now and have had so little progress on the scales... but with my current issues (thyr;meds;knee;depo) I think it is really hampering my ability to see the numbers drop - cuz' Lord knows I am working out a lot and trying my best to eat well. Aside from kinking off my guts or going on a liquid diet or something crazy I don't know what else to do?!
So.... to all of you who have been listening and loving me while I whine and boob - you have not gone un-noticed. Thanks for loving me and supporting me and letting my forced optimism waver a bit.... I promise I'll be more upbeat and optimistic and encouraging to myself and to you! :O)
XO
Darla

thursday

Winding up another week. Have had a lot of fun with Miss Madison here (Ed's neice from Oregon). Took the girls shopping... went out to lunch... celebrated Ed's "real" Birthday on Tuesday - he got a big suprize when he opened his gift - a new ITouch!!
Just a busy busy but fun week. Lots of other stuff going on too but not quite as fun.
One note, I finally got our times and places for the Firecracker 5K run my sisters and I did with our nephew Jeff. He did FAB! Placed in the mid 300's with a time of under 35 minutes... Carlee, Lisa and I all finished at 46 min and 12 sec and were just under the first 500 runners... 497, 498 and 499 we were! Next year we are shooting for a MUCH better time!
Going to try to get to Jellystone with Miss Madi before she has to go home... we'll be taking her to the airport in SLC Utah on Sunday and then also awaiting our daughter Dani's arrival home the same day in SLC as well. SO ready to see my daughter!!!!!
More later...

Birthdays, parades, fireworks and FUN!

Just a HUGE collage of photos from the past week
- a family get together at my neice's house for
my side of the family (Jorgensen's) and a suprize
40th Bday party for Ed this past Fri night then a
full day of events on the 4th of July
- Firecracker 5k Run, Parade and Fireworks!
TONS OF FUN and TONS OF PHOTOS!
Here goes:(top to bottom)
The girls watching the fireworks
Ed, Darla and Lisa Brown watching the fireworks
Blake at the fireworks being a MEGGA HAM
Micheal and Berg dancing and being silly at the fireworks
Group photo at the parade
Madison (our neice) at the parade
Chris showing his real innerchild at the parade
One of the awesome floats - so cool
The four 5K runners in our well earned tshirts
Me and my sisters AFTER the 5K run - whew!
My running number for the Firecracker 5K run
Ed blowing out his bday cake
Ed opening his gifts
Ed's 40th Bday cake
My Daddy's three sisters and me at our family bbq
My great nephew Landon riding bikes
My nephew Jo all wet after swimming