Graduation

So today's TTA is about Graduation. I've actually been thinking about Graduation a lot lately, since I'm now so old that it has been 10 years since I graduated from High School! My parents have all the old pictures from before I was married. So I stole this one from my friend, Sheri. Here I was 10 years ago this month:



From left to right: Michelle, Sheri, me, & Melissa

I will admit, I was very happy to move on after High School. And I loved High School, especially my Senior year. But I was really ready to go out and start the rest of my life.

And so I went to BYU and worked hard at getting a degree in Early Childhood Education. I was accepted into the program. And then I met Vince. And then I fell in love. And then I got married. And then I got PREGNANT. And then I knew I needed to graduate! So I switched to Marriage, Family, & Human Development (which still makes me chuckle at the degree I got). I was proud that I had worked it out just perfect. Brooke was due on July 10th, and I would finish Spring Term with my last classes 3 weeks prior to her due date. The only problem was that Brooke decided to show up 5 weeks EARLY! So she was born about 2 weeks before the end of the term. I had great professors that were very understanding (I'm sure at BYU this sort of thing happens a lot) and helped me finish what I needed to when I was recovered.

I had 2 more classes I did Indepent Study. And I walked across the stage in April of 2002.



Me & my friend Kristi. We were roommates until she got married, and we both graduated in MFHD.
Brooke was about 10 months old then. And we got her a cute little cap & gown outfit so we could match! I still love the pictures:

The Hogges are wonderful supporters! Shalon, me & Brooke, Vince, my Mother-in-law Marjorie, & Alisa

My family were big fans as well: My Dad, Mom, us, sisters Jo & Beth (and Bethy-Loo, why in the world are you hiding behind Jo?)

Here are the siblings--mine & Vince's

And the parents! Love you guys!

And I just threw in this picture because it was in the same file on my computer, and I'm a little baby-hungry and remembered how adorable Brookie was at this age. I love the tongue sticking out! *Sigh!* Isn't she a cutie?
And as fun as High School and college were, I will admit I am SO glad I'm not in school anymore!

Tueday Tell-All: One Word

So, since I saw my friend Sheri's blog a while ago, I've been wanting to do the Tuesday Tell-All thing. I think it's such a great idea to help think of stuff to blog about. I really liked today's topic, so I thought I'd give it a whirl:

Answer the following with only one word.
1. Where is your cell phone? ....................Here
2. Your significant other?.......................Hilarious
3. Your hair?....................................Natural
4. Your mother? .................................Friend
5. Your father?..................................Encouraging
6. Your favorite thing?..........................Friends
7. Your dream last night?........................Anxious
8. Your favorite drink...........................Milk
9. Your dream/goal?..............................Happiness
10. The room you're in?..........................Office
11. Your children?.....................................Good
12. Your fear?...................................Change
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years...........Here
14. Where were you last night?...................Home
15. What you're not?.............................Decisive
16. Muffins......................................Big
17. One of your wish list items?.................Baby
18. Where you grew up?...........................Utah
19. What you read last........................Scriptures
20. What are you wearing?........................Jeans
21. Your TV?.....................................Huge
22. Your pets?...................................Nope
23. Your computer? ..............................Dusty
24. Your life?...................................Happy
25. Your mood?...................................Cheerful
26. Missing someone?.............................Sisters
27. Your car?....................................Crumbly
28. Something you're not wearing?................Shoes
29. Favorite Store?..............................Target
30. Your summer?.................................Busy
31. Like someone?................................Mama
32. Your favorite color?.........................Yellow
33. Last time you laughed........................Today
34. Last time you cried?.........................Saturday

Ogden Marathon

Okay. Sorry it took me so long to post about the Ogden Marathon. I seem to get home from a marathon and just crash for the rest of the day! Sorry if you've been waiting a while. But here's a recap of how things went yesterday at the Ogden Marathon:

The Ogden Marathon was simply a GORGEOUS race! It started up Ogden Canyon, ran around Pine View Reservoir, back down the canyon, along the Ogden River into downtown Ogden. I loved that it was almost completely downhill. I loved how beautiful it all was running past campgrounds, darling little farms, around the reservoir, through the rocky canyon, past the river; I could go on & on. It was so nice having that pretty scenery to distract me.

I was lucky enough to meet up at the start with my friend Heidi's friend named Stacey, and my cousin Janice who just ran the Boston Marathon a few weeks ago. We rode the bus to the start together and huddled around the fires to keep warm before the race started. I mostly loved that Janice was so hilarious that she kept me distracted so I wasn't thinking about what I was about to do! (I was also happy because she insisted on using the potty one more time before the start--which I hadn't done last time. I think this time it kept me from having to stop along the way. A seemingly small thing, I know, but one of my biggest regrets in SLC was that I had to stop so often and use up so much precious time waiting to use the potty!) Both ladies were faster runners than me, so we crossed the start line together and quickly said goodbye and good luck.

I admit, though, I do enjoy the serenity of solitude. I like to have that time running to invest in my own thoughts and analyze things. This time I brought along my handy iPod shuffle, which also helped pass the time running to my silly music. I was actually shocked when my watch beeped at me that the first hour had passed. I really looked down and thought, "I've already run a whole HOUR??" It went by so quickly. The first half was pretty easy and quick. I was grateful.

As I was approaching the halfway mark, I saw a familiar and wonderfully friendly sight; there was Vince waiting for me. He'd run the 5k down in the valley (in which he won 4th place in his age group and 29th place overall--way to go, Honey!), and driven up and around the other side of the mountain to meet me. He started running with me and asking me how I was doing. He ended up jogging with me for about 15 minutes, and got me up the one substantial uphill portion of the race. I was so glad I had him there to distract me from the relentless nagging voice in my head telling me to stop and walk up that hill. Thanks, Babe! It made a big difference.

Coming down the canyon after that was the most downhill section, which I thought was going to be my favorite part. It wasn't. I was expecting to enjoy it a lot more. But I got into some serious pain. I don't know if it was the continuous pounding on muscles that aren't used to running on that steep of a decline, or just the fact that I was between miles 18 and 22, which are just HARD! I was glad that it was downhill, though. I stopped twice for about a minute each time just to stretch my muscles a little. Then I kept running.

Once I got out of the canyon, I actually began feeling really good. Numb I think is the best word to describe it. The pain was still there, I just was more numb to it, or didn't care because by now I only had 3 more miles. Just 3 more miles. I can do 3 more miles! This was now one of my favorite parts of the race. Almost everyone around me began walking. But I still felt really strong, so I kept chuggin' along. It was so exhillerating to run past all those people. And sad in a way. I was sad to leave them behind, especially when I passed Stacey for the last time, who was having problems with her leg. But by now the crowds were all around, cheering us on. I turned off my iPod and tuned into the people around who brought me more encouragment to continue than my music did.

I hit 25 miles. Just ONE MORE MILE LEFT! Then I saw my sister-in-law, Heather, who had her two girls and my Brooke. They ran with me for a few yards. The girls bolted and thought it was funny that they could run faster than me! Haha, girls! You are quick, aren't ya? Then I turned a corner and the Ogden Temple came into view! That was a beautiful sight. And I knew I was close.

Then I saw Vince again. And there was my Dad. Actually, I saw my Dad's grin! It was a huge grin--ear to ear! It was a smile that said, "I'm proud of you, Becky!" I love seeing him smile at me that way. It makes me tear up even now remembering that face.

And then the FINISH LINE!! There it was. I got into the home stretch. The crowd was cheering. I picked up speed; I was still feeling good. I raised my arms and got the crowd to cheer us in a little more. I yelled with joy. I crossed the finish line. I saw Vince. And then the tears came more. It was wonderful.

It's hard to see me in this picture. I'm in a red shirt & black pants. The one running towards Vince, not the one taking the picture!

You can see me in red on the middle right side of the picture here. These were the only ones Vince could get; I was running by so fast that he didn't have time to take a good picture of me! ;0)

I took a second to catch my breath again and checked out my time: 4 hours, 53 minutes, 38 seconds! Woohoo! I made it under 5 hours! That's all I wanted. Sure 4:30 and even 4:45 would've been great, but I was just thrilled I did so much better than SLC. I shaved almost 20 minutes off my last time. And that was just 4 weeks ago! Imagine what I can do next time! ;0) And I felt so proud that I ran virtually the entire race. I walked only while I was drinking my water or eating the GU packs. And I stopped twice to stretch for about a minute. The rest of the time, I kept on running. Certainly not fast. But I ran it.

I was also happy that I was so much less nauseous than last time. I only took in water and GU packs when I could tell my body needed it. That was it. And it worked really well. Not too much, just enough. After about 45 minutes to an hour after I finished, when I felt pretty rested, I was able to make it to the refreshment table. I downed 5 or 6 orange slices in a matter of seconds! It was probably the best thing I have ever tasted!! They were so good. And the 1/2 oatmeal cookie & the chocolate creamsicle were delicious as well!

The other great thing about the Ogden race was that they had a Kid's K that started at 12:30. Both Brooke & Evan wanted to run. I was still just a little sore at this point, so Vince ran it with them while I waited at the finish line and cheered THEM on! It was so fun to have them participate too. Evan fell and scraped his knee, but jumped up and kept running.

These kids were so fast that all I got was a blury picture, but I love it all the same:

They both got cowbell "medals" at the end of their race. And they enjoyed their creamies & cookies & "Gator-Egg" as Evan calls "Gatorade!" And I didn't even care that they had chocolate ice cream dripping all over their new shirts. (Although, I wouldn't let Evan touch me till he washed his hands, I'll admit that.)

Here's my nephew, Grant, running by:

Here's Vince's brother, Doug, & his family--their kids ran too:

And the Hogge clan--we are a running family!

It was a wonderful experience and a wonderful day. I'm so glad I did another marathon. We'll see about more. For now I'm just happy that I did these two. And now I can say I've run more marathons than Vince! (No, I'm not competitive! ;0) Mostly I'm just happy to say that "I RUN MARATHONS!"

Birthday Pics & Marathon #2!

Well, thanks for all the Birthday wishes from y'all! It was a lovely day. Not too exciting, since it was a weekday, but it was wonderful. I always just feel special on my B-Day, no matter what I do! So here are a couple of pictures:

Me with my angel food cake!

Me blowing out the candles. (Evan thought it was kind of funny that I only had 5 candles, like he did. But no, Buddy. I'm much older than that!!)

Truth be told, I would've much rather had a delicious chocolate cake with lots of ice cream piled on top. But I've been gearing up this week for Marathon #2, so I didn't want to sabotage my performance for an indulgence in chocolate bliss. We'll save that and a night out with Vince for Saturday AFTER the race!

And today I'm physically & mentally gearing up again for running 26.2 miles tomorrow morning! My goal this time is just under 5 hours. Anything faster than that will be, well, icing on the cake! (Hardy Har Har, I know!)

So stay tuned for a recap & more pictures! I'm actually REALLY excited for this one! Fortunately I'm a lot less nervous than I was last time. Just excited now. I spent all morning looking at maps, and doing research on the area. I think it's going to be an amazingly gorgeous race on a beautiful day. So wish me luck!

Happy Birthday!

So, I'm really not one of those modest types. I like everybody to know that it's my Birthday! So I thought I'd let y'all know: It's my Birthday! "Happy Birthday to me..." And as Bethy Lou & I were discussing earlier today, isn't it the most perfect day for a Birthday?

I got to go out to lunch with Mama & Debs, which was so wonderful! I love spending time with my Mom & my sisters. And of course, as she does every year, Mama told me the story of my birth! Even after 28 years, I still love hearing that story! (And thanks again, Mom, for going through all that trauma just for me! ;0)

And even though the rest of my day will be spend taking Brooke to piano, paying bills, folding laundry, and refraining from eating too much junk before Saturday's marathon, it is still a glorious day just because it's May 15th!

Happy Mother's Day, Mama

We had a wonderful weekend! My siblings and I all got together at my Mom's house to help her out in their yard--transplanting trees, planting bushes, etc. That's all Mom wanted for Mother's Day, so we decided to give her our time and hard labor! (Love you, Mom!) I already posted these pics on our family website, so sorry fam, that this is redundant. Here's a little taste of what dirty fun we had:

Joseph (my very tall little brother), Jacob (Joanna's hubby), & Vince (my hubby):

Here's my nephew Hyrum (Jo's baby) looking adorable as usual. Evan had just had a Horsey Ride on Opa's lap, and Hyrum watched intently. He was very excited when it was finally his turn:

Here I am after I scalped the lawn! I was very proud that I actually kept a whole chunk of sod intact. (Thanks to Debbie for teaching me how to do it too!):

Here's little sis Debbie digging holes for the lilac bushes. Smile, Debs!

Hyrum did the army crawl in one of the holes for the transplanted tree. (He's so cute!):

Okay Joseph! This is what you get for taking weird pictures with my camera (Haha!):
Here are the men digging out the old trees. Jacob, Peter, and Vince are pretty visible. Dad and Joseph are behind Jacob (sorry guys):

Here's a clearer shot of Dad & Joseph. I love watching the men do hard, manual labor!

Peter, I thought we were supposed to be working! Are you talking to Katie AGAIN?

Pete & Becks (I like this picture):

Can you tell we took this one ourselves? (Isn't my little brother cute?)

Okay, Peter. And this is what YOU get for stealing my camera and taking weird pictures of yourself. Nice one, Pete. Nice one: There you have it! Our Saturday celebration with the family! Don't you all wish you had such a hokey family as me?

Dandelions

Since it is finally Spring here, we decided to get outside and do some much needed work in our big yard last Saturday. Vince & I spent some time getting the garden ready for planting. (Well, actually Vince did much of the getting ready; I was more on meal patrol and clean-up duty!) And since it's spring, the grass in our yard has been taken over by our lovely friends: dandelions. Now, I must say, who can deny the beauty in a sea of these happy yellow flowers in a country field:


The problem comes when they are in our yard. And especially since no child can resist the urge to pluck an aging dandelion, make a wish, and blow away their troubles with the scattered seeds:

Everyone has this experience. Doesn't it flood your mind with memories from doing this as a kid? But we just didn't want kids experiencing this in our yard, spreading those nasty seeds to grow into more pesky weeds. So Vince came up with the brilliant plan to have the kids help out by plucking the flowers off. He told them that for every flower they pluck, he'd give them 5 cents! Well, the kids took to the challenge, and while Vince worked, they wandered around and pulled dandelion heads in the yard.

Not surprisingly, Evan bored of this little game very quickly. We had to keep reminding him to put more in his cup so he could earn money for...whatever we could think of that might motivate him. Also not surprisingly, Brooke didn't really need any convincing that this was a good idea. She already had a Littlest Pet Shop stuffed animal in mind that kept her plucking away at those flowers.

By the end of the day, we counted and sorted into piles. Evan ended up earning $1 for his 20 flowers. Brooke surprised us all. She ended up with $16!! Do the quick math--that's 320 dandelions she picked! We were both pretty surprised. Next time I think we'll make each worth a penny!