Relay for Life 2013!!

Another Relay year has come and gone...can you believe it? It is seriously my favorite time of the year. I love it all. The fundraising, the garage sale prep (Devin and I's biggest fundraiser), and the actual Relay. This was our 5th year in a row participating in Relay for Life and it just keeps getting better and better. We had a great time as usual remembering and honoring Chris and others who have battled or who are battling the terrible disease of cancer. Our team raised over $3900 this year-- our biggest total yet-- and we are so grateful to ALL who helped in some way to make that goal. It means so much.

Now, for the obligatory picture dump of this year's event. Be prepared! :)

Each member of our team brought a baked good to sell at the Relay to add money to our team total. Devin and I decided to make homemade donuts. They were delish-- as was everything else our team sold! 

Very nearly my favorite woman in the world and my favorite man in the world. My grandma is so cute-- when she saw Devin, she rushed right over and said "oh, my favorite boy! How is my favorite boy!?"

Claire bear is so stinkin' cute. She loved my glasses apparently...

The cotton candy machine was a BUST. It lit on fire at a few points before we decided to give it up. Boo!

Brookie's cute "cheese!" face

Not the best picture-- I blame the setting sun-- but still cute. The theme this year was "Re-lei for Life" thus the Hawaiian gear we have going on.

Grandma Lisa was nice enough to take these girls to get glitter tattoos-- such a dream come true for them! Hallie's lasted a week-- seriously, she would not let me scrub it off until I finally insisted. 

Hailie and Mari are always such good supporters. Hailie stayed all night this time too! Whoo hooo!

The luminarias for just our team. Amazing.

Just some middle of the night man talk. Devin actually went to bed and slept most the night, but that's only because he had only had 4 hours of sleep the night before. I made it until 4:30 or so and then I thought I was going to die (this getting old stuff sucks!) so I laid on the ground and was OUT. I slept for maybe an hour and it did wonders. :)

I stole some of Lara's pictures too-- thanks Lara! Grandma Lisa with some of the kids

Oh these sassy girls...too cute.

Not sure what is going on with Mike's face, but we do need to definitely give a huge shout out to Lara's sister Alyssa (the middle one) who walked for our team the ENTIRE night through. Not kidding. She probably walked for 6 hours. I think I walked around the track for maybe 5 laps total the entire time. Sweeeeet- thanks Alyssa!

Isn't this just to die for cute? Flor and Claire. 

I especially love the double chin in this one, but Claire looks cute, so it's going up!

I was TERRIBLE about taking pictures this year and have zero of the Yorks! I am glad Lara has some. 

Uncle Mikey and Jacer

Grandma and Grandpa Strobel with Hals and Jace. Love that Hallie is stuffing her face...

That's all! Until next year....

I plead again...

Sometime after Devin and I came home with Flor, I posted about a little girl named M whom Flor and I both knew at Flor's first home. I have thought about her a lot and my heart has not forgotten her desire to have a family.

This message appeared on my Facebook feed the other day from Jaci, the director of Joshua Tree Adoptions, which is the agency we used for Flor's adoption:

"Precious 8 year old Afro-Ecuadorian girl living in a Catholic Orphanage in Ecuador. She was abandoned at birth. She prays for a family. I would love to let the government know that we have found a family for this precious girl. Are you the one??"

I knew immediately that it is M that she is talking about. Since then, little M hasn't left my mind. I have such a desire to see her united with a family that I want to do my part to spread the word again. Please help me think about any families you may know who are or who could be prepared to adopt internationally? This is a precious daughter of God and I hope that her prayers for a family will be answered soon.

Happy birthday Chris!

Jace is named after our brother-in-law Chris. We planned on using Christopher as a middle name all along as a way of honoring Chris and then Jace was born on Chris's birthday, making it extra special (Birthday post on Jace below!).

While Jace never met Chris in this life, Hallie did get to spend some time with him before he passed away in April 2009. This would have been shortly after Hallie was born, so around November 2008. 

As you all know, Chris lost his fight to a brain tumor. He was such an incredible and giving person that my sister has instituted a day of service in his memory every year on his birthday. She asks friends and family to just do something nice for someone else as a way of remembering him and the legacy he left.

Chris is the reason that we as a family participate in the Relay for Life every summer in Idaho Falls. There is no better cause than this one to help other families find relief from the horrible disease that we call cancer. I watched my sister and Chris suffer so much as they endured months of chemotherapy,  radiation, and Chris's declining abilities. Even though it has been four years, looking at pictures of Chris reminds me again of all the rough things that surround cancer. I know that many of you who read my blog did not know Chris, but I am sure many of you know someone who has battled cancer. If you feel so inclined, here is one simple way that you can help us honor Chris's special day:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=50614&pg=personal&px=15187204

You can consider donating to my Relay for Life fundraising goal. (click the link above and then click the "donate now" button).  I know I have asked you all a lot of times in the past to donate to different things, so I am sorry for that, but this is a cause that I really believe it. Even a $1 donation would mean a lot to me. Every little bit helps. Thank you!!!

Happy birthday Chris. We sure miss you here but know that you are accomplishing great things on the other side!

(also, for those who are local or who live in Idaho Falls, Devin and I are going to do our annual garage sale as our main fundraiser again this year. If you have any items that you plan on getting rid of or donating to the D.I. anyway, would you consider letting us pick them up to sell at our garage sale? Thank you!!!)

And the Winner is.....

We raised a total of $560 for the Broaddus family! Thank you ALL for your support! I am really happy with these results as I am sure this money will be a helpful to them in their travels to bring little S into their family. I am so excited to watch them go on this journey again...and admittedly, I am a little bit sad and just a titch jealous as well. I am almost certain that Devin and I will not adopt internationally again, but just watching them go through this (along with the Schinnerers, who are adopting 2 more!), it brings back a sense of nostalgia- we were just going through this all together a year ago! Crazy.

Anyway, that's not what you came to read. You came to find out who won the raffle, right?

Without further ado....the winner is------Congratulations Sarah!

#114...


SARAH CHILTON!


Email me at strobelite@gmail.com to give me your address and the Kindle will be sent directly to you!

Again, thank you, thank you all for the support!

Back to regularly scheduled programming...

Raffle update

Two days in and we have raised $200 for the Broaddus family! Thank you to all of you who have donated. I appreciate it so much. The raffle still runs for 12 more days, so please donate if you haven't and help spread the word! Today is Friday, so that means payday for some people, right? Can you spare $5 from your paycheck for this amazing family and more importantly, little S?

Alison and Flor...next time we see this family, hopefully little S will be sitting next to them!

Raffle: Kindle Fire

Psalms 82:3 Defend the poor and the fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and the needy

D&C 83:6 ...and the widows and orphans shall be provided for, as also the poor.

Stephanie, Jenna, Allie, Jamie, and Alison. Stephanie's husband, Andy, had to return home to the states to work. This was Christmas Day 2011 in Quito. 

Hi everyone, 

I know I have asked of you before, but now I am going to ask again. I know many of you have heard of our dear friends, the Broaddus Family, who we met during our adoption process for Flor. Stephanie walked through the process with me while we were anticipating the assignment of our girls at the same time and then we were able to travel and be in country together for part of the time (including our ever memorable Christmas) while we picked up our girls. She has become a great friend to me and an incredible support in a lot of different ways.

Now this amazing family has answered the call to adopt another child from Ecuador. The little girl they are adopting was one of Flor's roommates at her orphanage and is incredibly special and deserving of this family. The paperwork is processing quickly and the Broaddus family may travel in the next few months. This family has given generously to our family and now I want to show some support to them in helping fundraise for their travel costs. (Just to give you an idea, our total adoption cost for Flor was approximately $25,000. Now, think about doing that twice in a year span.)  They have received some support so far, but the need is still greater.

So, here is the deal. I am going to do a raffle to support this family. The winner of the raffle will win a brand new Kindle Fire as seen HERE. 

Here are the rules: 

*To enter, use the paypal link on the side of the blog to donate to this family. Every cent donated will go directly to them. For each $5 you donate, you will receive one entry into the raffle. (So, if you donate $25, you will get 5 entries) 

*You may then SHARE this post and receive one additional entry for sharing it (facebook, your blog, etc.) Even if you can't donate to the cause, I appreciate your sharing this blog. However, only those who have donated first will receive an entry for sharing the post (I think almost everyone can come up with $5, right? Otherwise we might just have a bunch of sharing and no donations.) 

*Leave a comment or email me (strobelite@gmail.com) to tell me how many entries you have. That will be easier for me to keep track of. 

*The raffle will close two weeks from today, September 26th, 2012 at midnight. (happy birthday to my sister that day:)) 

*The winner will be chosen on September 27th using random.org. Please leave your email address so that I can contact you should you win! 

Last, THANK YOU SO MUCH. We have been completely overwhelmed by the amount of support that we received and are still receiving from you. I know that you all will come through again to help this amazing family. 

 

A special girl in need of a family...

I have a special plea for you all today.

While Devin and I were in Ecuador picking up Flor, we had the privilege of going to visit Flor's first home- the orphanage that started it all for us. It was because of this orphanage that I met Flor, where my life was forever changed, and where I did a lot of soul-searching and a lot of figuring out who I am. That was in 2006. A lot of little babies stole my heart during my three months in Ecuador. Flor was always "my baby", but there were many others who stole my heart, too.

Fast forward to 2012. On our trip to the orphanage, I was anxious to see if any of the other babies remained from my time there six years ago. I was happily surprised to find that almost all were no longer there. I don't know what happened to each of them, but I can assume that most were reunited with their biological families or adopted into their new families. I said almost all were gone-- that is because all were gone, but one. And it is this one that I make a plea for today.

I knew her face immediately when I saw it when we returned in January. She looked the exact same, just a few years older. My heart immediately jumped at the excitement of getting to see her again. The nun even granted me a rare exception and allowed me to take a picture with her. I was thrilled. It was only after we left that my heart began to break for her. Why does she alone remain? Why has no one come for her? How sad it must be for her to watch friend after friend leave happily with their families while she alone remains behind. I have thought about her constantly in the last few months. I want more than anything to bring her into our home, but I know in my heart that Devin and I can't provide everything she needs at this time. This is a hard realization. My heart is bigger than our resources and that hurts.

However, there are others out there who are or who can be ready for her. It's her turn to have family.

Little M will be 8 years old this fall. I am making it my special mission to help find her family. I recently received an email from Jaci, the director of our agency, telling me that M has been assigned to her agency. She has been declared adoptable and she is ready to go.

I have pictures of her and other information relating to her health and social status. M is afro-ecuadorian, meaning she is black. She does have some delays, but let me just say that they are very minor compared to what we are dealing with with Flor. Please, please- will you help me spread the word about her? I want more than anything to see a happy ending for her, too.

Please email me at strobelite@gmail.com if you would like more information and/or pictures of M. Even if you are personally not ready to jump into such a big commitment, will you think about anyone you know who might be prepared to offer this little girl a loving home? I can provide all sorts of information about the process of adopting in Ecuador (not easy and not for the faint of heart- but so worth it) and some appropriate expectations for bonding and attachment after the adoption. I can try to answer any other concerns or questions that anyone might have as well.

Thank you all.

Kitchen Transformation

I have been meaning to post these pictures for a while...but you know, things happen and time gets away.

So, without further ado....our kitchen transformation:

We bought our house in July of 2009 (we have been here almost three years-- crazy!) and knew that there were a few things that were going to need our attention. First and foremost: the kitchen.

Gotta love the yellow and green motif. UGH. Plus the boxy feel was kind of rough. Not the best designed kitchen ever. No room for a table, thus our table was in the living room for the first year of living here. Also, please notice the old yellow stove (you can just see a tiny bit of it on the left of the picture). Lovely.

First things first: We ripped out this floor immediately. We actually had just the dirty underflooring (what's that called?) for a few months before we finally got our new floor in. It was that bad.

About a year after we moved in, we finally got around to getting rid of the old yellow cabinets and replacing them with these beauties that we sanded and stained ourselves (with the help of a lot of family members- thanks fam!)

Specifically, my Uncle Lynn...he basically did the whole kitchen for us. What a champ! He was so dedicated that he worked late nights after he got home from his regular job (he builds sets).

And wah-lah! Much better, right? It's amazing what a few little changes can make. New cabinets, new flooring, new appliances, etc. Everything was done last year except for the backsplash. Lynn surprised us and finished it while we were in Ecuador. What an awesome surprise to come home to! We have a white fridge which you can't see in this picture, but it is on the right side, against the wall just out of the shot. So the white sink and the white fridge may be replaced someday...but not right now. We will see.

MUCH more counter space, which is fantastic. The fridge is on the right of the door that you can see here. Just in case some of you want a full visual. :)

Thanks Uncle Lynn for our fabulous kitchen!

Also, don't forget our Relay for Life Raffle! We have raised $360 as a team and would love to raise more for the American Cancer Society! Will you consider donating $10 to our team? You can go HERE to our donation page (feel free to type in my name, thus the donation will be credited to me! Or Devin is fine too...) and after that, be sure to leave a comment on the raffle blog letting us know that you donated for a chance to win an amazing prize. The raffle blog is HERE. There are some awesome prizes...an exercise basket with Itunes giftcard, a photography session, a gift card to a themed inn, multiple other gift cards to various retailers, and some adorable mother/daughter aprons (which I want for myself) amongst others. Please go check it out! Thanks all!

And the fun begins...

Every summer, our family participates in the Relay For Life. Remember this and this? We didn't make it last year because we had sick kids...but there is no way I am missing it this year. It is the highlight of the summer, most definitely. Best yet, it supports a great cause-- the American Cancer Society.

I know that I have discussed my brother-in-law Chris many a time on this blog. He is the reason that we Relay. He lost his battle to his brain tumor in 2009 and our family has participated in the Relay for Life ever since. The irony of the situation is that a few years before his passing, Chris participated in the Relay as a survivor. He had had a brain tumor in high school as well, which he beat. The second round was not as kind to him and it was really a life changing experience to watch him suffer and lose all of his independence. His suffering was one of the saddest things I have ever watched, but he endured it with such grace and with a smile on his face the whole time. He is such a hero of mine. It's easy to say that I hope to never watch another loved one suffer like Chris did. That's why I am passionate about the Relay for Life. It makes me feel like I am doing something to make a difference. I know it may be little, but it seems like the small efforts of many can contribute to make a huge difference.

Now, I know I have recently asked a lot of you all as we did major fundraising for our adoption process. And as such, it makes me feel bad to ask again. But, I am behind this cause and I know that there are some of you who would be willing to donate $10 to our team, so here is the information you need!

My sister organized an AWESOME RAFFLE , here: http://www.relayforliferaffle.blogspot.com/

Go there and check out all the amazing prizes she gathered. I mean, we are talking a night's stay at a themed inn, a mini photo session, a $40 gift card to Barnes and Noble, a $50 gift card to Sportsmans Warehouse (for the men!), an exercise basket complete with gym pass, etc...etc. That is just a sampling of the prizes available. So, GO CHECK IT OUT!! 

And, also a huge thanks to all those who supported Devin and I with our Pizza Pie Cafe Fundraiser here in Provo. We had a great turnout and we are so thankful! We also are still planning on holding our garage sale-- proceeds from that will also benefit Relay for Life. So any of you local friends who have done any Spring cleaning and have any items to donate, we would love to take them off your hands. Let me know-- we can also pick up!

And, on an unrelated note, check out what Chris's namesake was up to this evening: 

Yes, those are wipes. He sure is proud of himself, yes? It was not the best evening at our house. Let's just say it involved a lot of poop in not-so-ideal locations, then this wipe incident. Good thing we had a little visit from Uncle Lynn and Barb to break up the craziness. A little bit of sanity in an insane night. Got to love the joys of motherhood.

Relay for Life 2012

It's that time of the year again! Well...not quite until July, but we are already excited and getting ready for the big event. This year, we have decided to do fundraising a little bit differently, which I will explain below. We love the Relay and the chance that it gives us to give back to the American Cancer Society and to remember our brother-in-law Chris.

This year, instead of just asking for straight donations, we are getting creative with our fundraising! (bout time, right?) We will have three different fundraisers, two for locals and one for everyone. See below for ways that you can support us this year! 

1) Pizza Pie Cafe Fundraiser: (Here is the blurb I posted on Facebook)

Our family is participating in the Relay for Life for the 4th summer in a row. We relay in memory of our brother-in-law, Chris York, who passed away in 2009 after a difficult battle with a brain tumor. The purpose of the Relay for Life is to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

This year we have teamed up with Pizza Pie Cafe for a fundraiser-- WAHOO! We hope you will join us in this simple way to help--afterall, all it requires of you is to EAT! I think it is safe to say that everyone's lives have been touched by cancer in some way, so come join us in helping to raise money so that others might not have to suffer in the way that Chris-- and so many others-- have.

Here is what you need to know:

*The fundraiser is taking place at Pizza Pie Cafe's PROVO location only on April 9, 10, 11, and 12th (Monday through Thursday).

*25% of every purchase during those days will be given to the Relay for Life for everyone who comes in with our fundraising PPC card (which we will give you if you are interested in helping). It's that easy!

*In case you aren't aware-- PPC has amazing food- all you can eat pizza, pasta, salad bar, and dessert pizza. It is so good-- and it even has gluten free food (more info on their website: http://www.pizzapiecafe.co/)

*If you think you will be able to make it to PPC (2235 North University Parkway, Provo) on one of those days to eat, please leave me your address here, through a facebook message, or through email (strobelite@gmail.com) and we will mail or deliver the card to you that you will need in order for your purchase to count toward our fundraiser.

*Spread the word to any of your friends who live in the Provo/Orem area! The more the merrier! 

 (Also, for those of you who live in Idaho Falls and the surrounding area, Jennifer is also going to do a fundraiser with PPC in IF-- later in the month of April. So you too will get to eat great food and help a great cause! check her blog for details as the time gets closer)

 2) Garage Sale: 

Devin and I held a garage sale last year with all the proceeds benefiting the Relay for Life. It was super successful, so we thought that it would be a good idea to repeat! We have begun to gather items to sell as we have done some of our Spring cleaning. You can help here too, (if you are local) by donating any items you may have that we can sell at the garage sale. Now is the time for Spring cleaning and instead of bringing your old items to the D.I., we would be happy to take them off your hands. We will even pick them up! Just let us know... We think the garage sale will be sometime in May. We will keep you posted.  

 

3) Online Raffle:

Much like the raffle we held to raise funds to travel to Ecuador, my sister will soon be posting a raffle on her blog. This raffle is going to be awesome--10 times better than ours, to be honest. She already has some really awesome prizes lined up and has a few more in the works. I personally want to win everything she has already, so we will see if I get that lucky. Ha! More details will come on this later as well. I will definitely let you know when it goes live. 

So, for now, please email me at strobelite@gmail.com if you are interested in getting a card to go eat at PPC on April 9-12 or if you have garage sale items that we could take off of your hands. Thanks in advance! We are excited to see what we can raise to give to the ACS this year!

 

Another Way to Help

So-- I know you have all been incredibly generous and kind to us in this process. And, we are so grateful. I am not really sure how to fully express our gratitude.

Today, I have one more opportunity for you to serve this Christmas season, if you would like. This time, it is not for us, but for the kids in the orphanages in Quito.

We hope to visit two different orphanages Christmas day and to bring some needed items and gifts to the children there. We are willing to dedicate whatever suitcase space necessary to bring whatever we can. We just received the following list of items that are really needed in the orphanages:

**Baby wash/Baby lotion. These things have a high tariff and are really expensive in Ecuador.

*Shirts for children ages 10-16

*Underwear for 16 yr old girl

*Thermal socks for 16 year old girl

*Sweatshirts/jackets for children ages 10-16

**Crib Sheets

*Twin size bed sheets

**Plastic bibs

*Sweaters for boys and girls sizes 3-6

**tights for babies and toddlers

(There is a greater need for items with two stars)

If, while you are out and about doing your Christmas shopping, you would like to pick up any of these items, please do. I am sure they will help make Christmas a little more special at the orphanages we visit. We are going to buy as much as we can, but thought we would present the opportunity to you, too. The more the better!

If you want to contribute, please have the items to us by Friday, the 16th of December, so that we can have the weekend to pack everything.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

Fundraising Raffle-- You Know You Want to Win!

Here we go! We have the following fabulous prizes up for grabs for you in our little raffle that we will lovingly call the, "Let's Get MF Home NOW!" Raffle. Without further ado... **We have two new additional prizes, now!** see numbers 1 and 2!

1) Blog Template: So, you like my blog template, do you? Well, my friend Hilary from Simply Yours Designs made it and she has graciously agreed to donate a blog template for one lucky winner as well! The winner may choose one of her amazing pre-made templates for your blog! (Also, check out her Facebook page HERE)

2) Four passes to the Quarry: This prize will be for someone local. The Quarry is an amazing rock climbing center. This prize is an $80 value. Four passes, harnesses, and shoe rental, all included!!

3) $25 gift card to Target: Who doesn't love Target? I LOVE Target. If there were one next door to me...well, that would be a large problem.

4) Baby Boy OR Baby Girl (you choose) rag quilt: The quilt measures about 3 1/2 feet by 3 1/2 feet. The winner's quilt will be hand made and mailed to you sometime shortly after Christmas. The quilts below are just examples, yours can be one of the same designs or a different one of your choosing.

5) Handmade Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls. I loved these two dolls as a child! One lucky winner will get their own set! These adorable dolls are 20 inches tall and will come with traditional red and blue clothing. They will be ready in time for Christmas!

6) Handmade, Personalized Memory Bear: This bear will be made from the shirt of one of your loved ones. What a great way to keep a piece of your loved one with you! This bear will be made within two weeks after the winner is announced. It can be made 8 inches, 12 inches, or 14 inches tall.

7) Handmade, boy boy OR baby girl cowboy boot booties: How stinkin' cute are these?? The lucky winner will receive these within two weeks from when the winners are announced. Size 0-3 months.

 

8) Custom Christmas card from EVERY MAKING MOMENT: This is my friend Haylee's shop and she does such a great job with her cards. They are all amazing! You pick the design that you want from her Etsy Shop, send her your pictures, and then she will send you a high resolution .jpg image that you can then take and print wherever you want (and however many copies you want) to get mailing to your family and friends! Perfect prize for this time of year! (Also, check out Every Making Moment's Facebook page and be sure to "like" it!)

9) Custom Tutu: The winner of this great prize will get to choose their own colors, size, etc. for their tutu! This is little girl heaven, right here! Hallie looooves this sort of thing. This prize is extra special because it was donated to us by another family who is going through the adoption process right now as well, the Anderson's. They are adopting two little girls from the orphanage where MF is. You can see their story on their blog, HERE.

10) $50 gift card to Cheesecake Factory: Mmmmmm....I LOVE this place. Cheesecake Factory is definitely one of my favorite restaurants. Their lettuce wraps are amazing, their macaroni and cheese the best I have ever tasted (yes, right off the kids menu), and their coconut cheesecake to DIE for. I could go on and on, but, well my mouth is watering. So, I'll stop.

11) Fresh-Water Pearl Necklace: Please forgive my photography skills (we all know that photography is not my strong suit!), for they do not do this necklace justice. It is beautiful! Freshly strung and gorgeous from Goldsmith Jewelers. ($100 value)

What you need to know (Otherwise known as: THE RULES:)

• Donate $5 or more to our MF fund, using the paypal link on the top, right side of the blog to receive an entry into our raffle

Extra Entries Available:

• You may receive one extra entry for EVERY place you share this raffle. For example, if you share a link to the raffle on facebook, on your blog, and on twitter, you get three extra entries!

• You must COMMENT here for EVERY entry you receive. In your comment, leave your name and email address, and if you want, for fun, tell me which item you have your eye on. (So, for the above example, you would leave four comments- one for your donation, and three for your places shared. The reason for this is that it is going to make it easier for me when I draw winners- I am going to use a site like random.org and so having each comment numbered will help immensely!)

•  The Raffle prizes will be drawn in order and every comment will be entered in for every prize! I will email the winners and if for some reason they don't want the prize (if they don't live near a Cheesecake Factory if they win that, for example), a second winner will be drawn.

• The Raffle will go TWO weeks, ending at midnight on Monday, December 5th. Winners will be contacted the next day via email.

In advance, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your love and support of us. We are so appreciative of everyone's help in this amazing journey. We are getting so close to bringing our daughter home and we would not be where we are without your love and support. We are truly blessed. 

(P.S. You may also enter the raffle if you have already donated to our fund in the past--- you just need to comment!)

**ALSO- Items will be shipped to the winners, regardless of where you live!**

Man V. Mud 2011- The Results

We completed our first 5k Mud Run over the weekend in Logan. First things first... A picture tour:

Carlie and I grease-o loading at Denny's before the race

The Lady Linda's- Pre-Race. Notice that Devin is not in the picture..he refused to wear a tutu, can't imagine why??

The Lady Linda's Post race. Don't we look good!? Lisa, my mother, refused to get in from stomach up. Mud Run without mud? Come on woman.

Devin and I

I was most definitely the muddiest! No contest. Sorry other LL's, but it's true.

Hallie, Sadie, and Jace got to hang out with Aunt Mari Ann during the race. Here they are enjoying the view.

After the race, we went to a local diner called Angie's to "Clean the Sink." Devin did it himself, can you tell?

Okay- Hallie helped too. And the rest of us.

Gone. In no time at all. Do you see theme here with us and eating?

Okay, so who won? The MUD or the Lady Lindas? (explanation on the Lady Lindas name if you care: Brad looooves cows for some reason and a few years ago bought two. He named one Zuana's Pride after one of his favorite co-workers (what an honor, eh?) and the other Lady Linda after his beloved wife. Linda used to joke that at least Lady Linda was the skinnier of the two...)


Best Part: The Mud trench. And the slip-n-slides. And the mud pit. Oh fine, I loved it all.

Worst Part: Running in shoes filled with water. UGH.

Funniest Part: Watching Cortney run on the floating bags in the water-- you know what I mean? You have to run on top of them just right or they tip you off. We all fell off right away, except Cortney who made it almost to the end with this dainty little run. It was hilarious.

Other Worst Part: My face. Sunburn around mud splotches = me looking like I had been beaten around the eyeballs the next day. White spots where there was mud surrounded by red everywhere else? Not pretty!

The Most Surprising Part: Devin cracking the whip on us all. If we ran too slow, he made sure to give us a good push in the back to get us going. No stopping during the mud where your feet just get dug in...no- instead he demonstrated- and then insisted upon-all of us using the high step to get in and get out really quick.

The Other Best Part: Knowing we were contributing to a great cause and at the same time, remembering our Linda. We talked as we ran (okay walked...not that we did much of that, just here and there you know..) about how we could just see Linda laughing at us and calling us nerds or something because of our participation.

The Classic Clark Family Moment: Of course we had to sing some Neil Diamond songs for a while (before we were too out of breath to continue, I mean, that never happened...)

The Scariest Part: Oh, just going down these huge slip and slides coated with SHAMPOO and water. Yes, Hailie and I spun clear around and flew off the mat before reaching the bottom. Yikes. And Cortney may have sat at the bottom for a while after saying "Guys! I am hurt! I mean, I am really hurt!" all the while getting hit over and over again by more people coming down. Funny.

The Other Other Worst Part: The huge mud trench may or may not have smelled like manure. I'll let you guess how we smelled when we were done!

What We Will Do Different Next Year: COSTUMES!!!!!

So the results are in: Though it was a close call, the LADY LINDAS definitely beat the MUD!

We had a great time and I really look forward to doing it again. I am no runner, but running in the mud was quite fun.