Sunday, October 31, 2010

happy halloween

...it's like I have a full on Sears backdrop in my  house....
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frankenstein: green face paint + eyeliner + bronzer + hairspray + his own plaid shirt + old pants cut off + a 5 minute burlap vest + batting stuffed in his shirt + cut off gloves.
the stinky skunk: a $4 black shirt + a felt tummy + a stuffed felt tail + fur trim + felt ears hot glued to clips.

easy peasy.

Friday, October 29, 2010

friday love (the sweet and condensed version)

Craziest week ever!
My head is no longer attached. 
But it's finally Friday, the kids costumes are done, and we are ready to weekend it up!

I love that the kids are home from grandmas and our lives are back to crazy normal.
I do not love Robby's new school schedule for this block....but I DO love that we made it through the first block! Hooray! Only like 700 more to go.
I love that my plans for tomorrow include "SLEEP IN". I have never been so excited.
I am still in love with all my team mates and miss them and love thinking about all our fun memories. 
I love reminiscing about everything I ate at the Belagio Buffet last week after the race, including: 


(note: I am NOT a buffet person.....they almost always gross me out. But it was really hard to count this as a buffet, this stuff was GOOD)

(note: forgive the random combos.....I am not very good at "buffeting")

plate 1: a made to order crab and spinach omelet, baked halibut, the best new potatoes ever, and a cute little crepe.
plate 2: red lentil soup, fresh sourdough, some kind of awesome salad, heirloom tomato quinoa with mozzarella
plate 3: miso soup, sushi, the best mashed sweet potatoes I've ever had
plate 4: fresh bagguette wih whipped cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers and red onion
plate 5: Tiramisu, some chocolate peanut butter cake thing, an eclair.....NONE of which were even a little bit good (one bite of each was more than enough) Skip the dessert and opt for more awesome sweet potatoes.



We LOVE the pumpkin patch!
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I love love LOVE that I got to so see Ingrid Michaelson play this week!
The show was amazing and so so fun....that girl is a riot! It was like a concert + comedy show all rolled in to one. She sounds great and even covered Led Zeppelin and Britney Spears.
If she's coming somewhere near you--GO!!


Happy Happy Weekend and Happy Halloween!


What did you love about this week?

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Never Nudes Take Las Vegas

Warning: if you are not a fan of bathroom talk or men in awesome shorts, then this post is not for you. But come on, who is not a fan of those things?
Before we start the long process that is this post, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with Tobias the Never Nude (from the best show ever, Arrested Development) see here

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THE NUMBERS: 
6 in one van
6 in the other.
195 miles through Las Vegas desert. (18.1 for me)
405 teams.....4800+ fellow runners.
70°ish. Perfect.
27 hours and 4 minutes of pure torture/joy/fatigue/excitement/pain/laughter/craziness/hatred/fun.
with 2 hours of sleep squeezed in there.
Somehow managed 10th place overall with our thrown together team.
Still unsure how....must have been the cutoffs.
1 scary clown.
4000 new inside jokes (I love inside jokes) from staying up all night deliriously tired [poop.]

HOW IT WOKS:
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Ben started us off (with a full sprint, just for kicks:) 
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He then handed off to his lovely wife Lauren, who ran 8.8 miles up a bazillion hills.
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I can't tell you how awesome it was having our spouses there with us!
Robby looking killer in cutoffs aside, my favorite thing was to see him up ahead waiting with water and a good joke.

Lauren handed off to Ryan...and because I had to film Ryan while he ran, there are no photos of him....whoops! This awesome photo will have to do instead.
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Ryan then handed to Robby, and let's talk about Robby.
And how he hates to run. 
Always hated it. 
And then I talked him into this race. 
And he did AWESOME. 
And not I'm-just-saying-that-because-we-are-married-and-I-have-to-say-that AWESOME. 
He did so good--and I was so proud!!
He's already looking forward to another!
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Robby then handed to Kelly (his sis! yes--cutest handoff award goes to them)
She glided effortlessly up the hill with time for a sponge bath on the way.
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Kelly handed off to me! Since I was runner number 6 I sat in the van watching everyone else get to start (and finish) and it only made me more and more nervous for my turn.

But as soon as I saw her coming I got so excited and might have had to do a little dance before she got there. Que adrenaline.
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One of my favorite things about these races is that EVERYONE is so friendly. You have hundreds of cheerleaders wherever you go (why can't real life be like that?).
Blasting music out their windows and cheering you on. I love it!
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I then passed off to our Van 2, who ran while we "rested", and then we did it again. And then again.
Three legs!

The finish line was a welcome sight.....our tired legs were ready for a rest.
Lauren and I did the Wasatch Back, so we scored these awesome "Saints and Sinners" medals....which still crack me up.
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Our awesome Never Nude team.
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THE UPS:
-I honestly can't describe how much fun this is....I don't really know why. The running is terrible, hard, and at times terribly hard, yet I would honestly do it again this weekend. really.
-no sleep. More of an up, then a down if you see how loopy I get.  I have no idea what crazy werid things I may have said or done, and I would take the time to apologize to my teammates but I'm sure in their delierous state they have already forgotten.
score.
-you get ride in a giant awesome van. and it's DECORATED!
-my teamates. we are all now officially BFFs....I think I said I love you all a thousand times. You get to know each other far too well when you are in your worst moments....I love it.

THE DOWNS:
-throwing up in an intersection in during your night run because you attempted to run too fast and having the crossing guard standing there holding up traffic while you do it.
...only a few hundred yards from your handoff.
that is not awesome, I assure you.
-Hundreds and hundreds of, ahem, well used porta-potties.
yikes.
-by the 3rd leg I'm a little bit over the whole running thing.
-calf cramps.
-emergency pit stops for stomaches gone mad, and those runners shall remain unnamed...
-rocky roads (not the kind full of chocolate swirls and marshmallow clouds)
-The 3 am alarm that went off and woke us from our 2 hour nap......we contemplated just quitting right there (sorry van 2)
-Having it all end. Monday came and I moped around missing my never nudes! I need my entourage surrounding me at all times offering me water and making me laugh. I need Kelly's awesome grammar and made up words, I need Ben yelling "Kill the Clown", I need Lauren getting the giggles with me over every immature thing, and I need more Robby and Ryan basking in their jean-shorted glory.
And I need it all on film.

oh wait. it is. thanks ryan.
Ragnar Relay : Las Vegas from Ryan Southwell on Vimeo.

I think next time (oh there WILL be a next time) I might have to film a little "behind the scenes" night time happenings to see just how tired we are.

or maybe not...

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

on my mind....

pumpkin head

my left (your right) hand looks really deformed in that picture.

we went to the pumpkin patch. 
I love pumpkin patches. 
acres of pumpkins.....all different kinds.
I decided I want to own a pumpkin patch someday, and grow fancy pumpkins.

I've been thinking of going (a bit) red (ish) with my hair.
I've been thinking about it for so long, I thought it would be easy.
I'm nervous.
I might need convincing.

I did my final run tonight in preparation for THE RACE. 
dun dun DUN!!! 
The fall colors are insane right now, the weather is perfect, the smell of the air is almost edible.
But still I ask myself.....why do I do these things?
Running 18.something miles in 24 hours with no sleep and crappy food is hard.
But for some reason still fun. (maybe because it's with these guys and those guys)
And it is such a good reminder of how awesome our bodies are.
How will we know what they can do if we don't challenge them?
Challenge them.
Please.
You will be so glad you did.

Do you know what I bought at the store today?
White bagels. Coke. Cup-O-Soup.
I was so embarrassed.
I felt like I should maybe explain it to the cashier that I was not going home to feed these things to my children,
but using them as quick burning fuel for a race this weekend.
And I feel like I need to explain it here, just in case you saw me and wondered why I was buying Cup-O-Soup.
Did you know they are only 29¢ !!!
Stock up!
Just kidding.

Today I need to do laundry. Pack. Take a nap. Watch Modern Family. Go buy lots of candy from the bulk section.

just turn your head, ok?




Tuesday, October 19, 2010

before and after

I almost cried leaving the farmers market last week.
It was the last one until next June....JUNE!!! 
but they do have a smaller market each week at Tony Caputos....I need to find out more about that....anyone know?

Since it was the last market, I let the kids pick out whatever they wanted, and the boy wanted this. 
A buttercup squash. I had never heard of it.....but why not try it out?

It was (of course) delicious. 
We love squash--it was similar to an acorn squash, and we prepared it very simply. 
before and after.

Roasted Buttercup Squash

Halve and clean the squash.
Slice, and brush the insides with olive oil. 
Sprinkle with course salt, cracked pepper, and a little bit of dried sage. 

Place on a lined baking sheet and roast in a preheated 425° oven, 30-45 minutes, until fork tender. 

We drizzled it with a little bit of the local honey we bought the same night and it was soooooo good. 
The kids ate it FIRST. What kids eats their vegetables first?

Monday, October 18, 2010

awkward....

.....so..... somehow my photo blog domain name (which also happens to be MY NAME) was swiped out from underneath me last week, and now they are using it so run some awesome sex pills website. 

Isn't the internet awesome like that?? And where is my cut from their profits?

To view my photo blog, please go to www.sheenajibson.blogspot.com from now on, and please please please change your subscriptions.

I hate the internet.

over the weekend....

...we went on a drive...
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the end.

Friday, October 15, 2010

friday love

Hello Friday!! 
The countdown begins for the big race next week!
(ps anyone know of any must-eat places in Vegas?)
I love that there was no school yesterday or today....it has been one big party weekend for me and my two!
I love that because it's Friday, as soon as I hit publish on this I am going to take a nap and when I wake, we'll make cookies!
I love Modern Family....don't you?? I look forward to it so much every week.....because what the what is going on with Glee?? It is so annoying to me right now.
I love the 70° weather that we've been enjoying every single day....it's perfect!

I love that Columbus discovered our great country so we can enjoy a Monday holiday and go to lunch!
If you know me you know I love my Red Iguana. 
We decided it was time we tried Red Iguana 2 (the exact same menu, just an extra building because Red Iguana is always sooooooooo packed!)
It was AWESOME. Seriously, exactly the same food, no line.
go.
866 W. South Temple SLC or the original location at 736 West North Temple
oh--and I am also always in love with my phone that can capture every little detail of an afternoon out!
thanks phone.
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We love the carousel!
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I have a love/hate relationship with my kitchen. I spend most of my time in the kitchen, but it is like a kitchen for tiny people or something. It is SO small. Not enough space. Not enough storage. It's suffocating me.....but I just signed up for The Kitchen Cure, and they send me assignments for the next 4 weeks so I can get it organized and cleaned, just in time for the holidays!
I love when people tell me what to do!
Check it out here
I can't wait to see how I can improve my teeny tiny space!
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I just discovered Giovanni products (because they are on sale THIS WEEK! at Target), and I LOVE the Tea Tree Triple Threat shampoo, it is so minty and yummy and paired with their extra moisturizing conditioner....I just love it!
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I need to go to Sweden!! 
Look at these little huts!!!
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LOVE Ingrid Michaelson (have you been to her little blog....she's funny)
She's coming to Salt Lake in like two weeks....who's going??
No really? Who wants to go?




Happy Weekend!!!


What did you love about this week?