Just Sort Of An Update...

Well it's a little late, but we had a GREAT Christmas!!! One of the things I got was a camera, so hopefully my post will have more pictures! Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Already! On January 5th we are starting back school, which I am not really looking forward to... oh well. But I am looking forward to doing co-op again!! We have not been in a co-op group for a long time. Yesterday, we had some friends over and we did a play. Paige, who is Julie's age had a camcorder, so we "made a movie"! It was really funny. Leah had a part too. I will try and post a picture of her soon. ( I can't now, this computer doesn't download pictures). Julie, Clay and I are taking a 2 week break from running, and we're starting back with school. Daddy is running a half-marathon this Saturday!! (only him, this time) I am going to do another one in April. Sadly Julie cannot run it because she is one year too young, but she is still going to train with me. She is going to try and do a fast 10k (6.1 miles) one week after the half-marathon. I will NOT be keeping up! I'm not going to try to run my fastest time in a 10k one week after a half-marathon!! Anyway, Late Merry Christmas, and Happy Early New Year!

Christmas Presents and Christmas Snow!!

I have been wrapping a lot of presents!! I LOVE doing it. It is something I really look forward to every year. I have probably wrapped the most today! Leah likes to pick out the "name sticker" to put on all the presents I wrap. While I was wrapping in the basement today, Clay suddenly yells, "It's snowing!!" If there is snow outside Clay will be in it, no matter how early. After a while I went outside with Clay who had no coat on, only a towel over his head. I had grabbed Mama's old heavy coat. It was really snowing! Sadly, the snow wasn't sticking but it was fun trying to catch it in our mouths. I don't think it is snowing any more. I will try and post a picture soon.

HALF-MARATHON!!

Today we ran the half-marathon. HURRAH!!! I almost can't believe that we have already run it. We had so much fun. Yesterday, at about one 1:00 Daddy, Mama, Julie and I left the house. We picked up Forrest Tate, who was going to run the race too. When we got to Memphis, we went into the Expo to get our race numbers, shirts, and bags. Their were a lot of booths selling running clothes and things. I got a shirt that says, "I know I run like a girl. Try to keep up" Julie's shirt says, "13.1 miles. Been there, run that" After that, we went to the Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant to eat some pasta as our pre-race meal. The spaghetti was great!! We went to a Starbucks, got some coffee/hot chocolate/cider/strawberry something, and then went to a professional basket ball game. While we were going from place to place it was FREEZING outside. We thought we were going to absolutely freeze in the morning. At the hotel, Julie and I slept on a blowup bed. I wasn't really sure how fast I was going to run in the morning because I had trained pretty slow with Mama, about a 2:15 or slower, but Julie wanted to break two hours. Daddy thought we could. I didn't really have a goal. Anyway, I slept well. I woke up at about 4:30 in the morning. I knew that we would have to get up at 5:45, and I hoped I wouldn't feel so tired! However, when we did get up I soon was wide awake. I pulled out my huge stack of clothes I had brought to wear in the freezing weather. I wore: running tights, running pants, a tight undershirt, a looser running shirt, a short sleeved running shirt, and a pink fleece coat. Oh yeah, and gloves and a head/ear band. Daddy got some cath gowns from the hospital for us to wear before the race, so we wouldn't be too cold. Mama was the only one who ended up putting on the long, blue gown. At the starting line, Forrest was in wave 2, Daddy was in wave 4, Julie and I were in wave 6, and I think Mama was in wave 9. When our wave finally started, it was so different from our usual race start. Usually, I start pretty fast, but this time I had to start slow and hold back. The beginning of the race was wonderful. I wasn't too cold at all, and eventually I really felt warm. It was a great temperature after all! Julie and I ran together for the first three miles although we didn't plan to necessarily stay together. I knew Julie was probably going to be ahead of me since she was determined to break two hours. Originally, I planned to walk at mile 3, 5, 7, and 11. When we got to mile 3, I really didn't want to walk, because no one else was!! But I did for a little bit, knowing that I didn't want to be too tired at the end of the race. Julie went on, and I lost her. Surprisingly, I caught up with her. I started thinking, maybe I can break two hours! I decided to try and walk at just mile 3, 6, and 9. So at mile 6 I walked again, losing Julie. I didn't catch up this time. At around mile 7 and a half and 8 I started to get tired. I was running a lot faster than I had trained, and I was walking less. At mile 9 there was gu, which is energy gel in a little packet. I had never eaten it before, but I ate it then! I walked the longest while eating the gu and drinking some water. I got water at several stops. The gu helped. I didn't feel so tired! At mile 11 I wanted to walk, but I think I decided not to. Nearing the end I was so tired!!! I didn't really think I was going to break two hours, but with less that a half mile to go, I looked at my watch and thought, hey, maybe I can! I really sped up, and finished in 1:58!!!!! I was so happy to be through!! Daddy ( who finished in 1:45, five minutes under his goal), Julie (who finished in 1:57) and I waited for Mama to finish and froze. When Mama finished we didn't see her for a while, but we ate some soup and pizza, and found Forrest (who finished in 1:33, he was very pleased). We found Mama, and went to the car!! What a race!!!! Forrest said it was the most painful and most fun race he had ever run. I'm not too surprised that it was his most painful, since he was running around my 5k pace!! After eating at Huey's we came home. Now I am very tired. Now we can all say that we have run a half-marathon!!!!!! Hurrah!

CHRISTMAS AGAIN!!!

It's Christmas again!!!!! It's December!! The twenty-five days of Christmas countdown has begun!!! All our Christmas decorations are up... our Christmas tree is up... we listen to Christmas music every time we are in the car!! When we put up our Christmas tree last Friday, Sam helped too. He would choose an ornament and hang it on the very edge of the branch. Of course, he couldn't reach very high, so all his edge-of-the-branch ornaments were only around one part of the tree. He had fun, though. After the tree was finished, Sam asked where the "cracker nut" was. Cracker nut, Checker nut, nut cracker, all the same. Oh, and something else is coming up that is not Christmas. THE HALF-MARATHON!!!!! It is this Saturday!!! I can't wait to post about it after we have done it! It is going to be cooold, but I rather it be cold than hot. Anyway, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!!

Thanksgiving Cooking And A Stilt Story

We are all at my grandparents house right now!! I have been cooking away for Thanksgiving today! Tomorrow, I don't think we will have to cook at all. I can't wait to eat some of the turtle pumpkin pie that I made. When we were driving to Forest, which is where my grandparents live, we watched Black Beauty. There is one part when it shows someone on stilts with long pants, like a clown or something. Leah asked me, " How do they have long legs? Do they balance on long things attached to their shoes?" I thought she meant the horses!! I said, " They just have long legs. That's how they are." Leah, who didn't quite believe me said, "But don't they balance on long sticks?" I couldn't stop laughing because I didn't know she meant the person, not the horses!!! Finally I understood and told Leah what I thought she meant. She laughed and laughed. It was very funny. Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!!!

Twelve Miles, And Christmas Decorations!

Well, today Mama, Julie and I ran twelve miles in this freezing cold weather!!! Next week we will run eight miles, and the next week is the race!!!(thirteen point one miles) In the race it will VERY COLD. Right now, our Christmas decorations are being put up!! We are going to get our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. I can't wait to get our Christmas tree and decorate it!!!!!!!!! And I can't wait to get our Christmas books out!! And, of course, I can't wait for Thanksgiving! Happy Holidays!

Cooking With Leah And Sam

This afternoon after I had run on the treadmill, it was my turn to watch Leah and Sam while Mama ran. I wondered if Mama would mind if I made some home made chocolate chip cookies. Hopefully I would have them in the oven before she was through running! I decided to make them. I called Leah and Sam, who were very happy about helping, and pulled them up some
chairs to stand in. Then I washed their hands, and went into the pantry to find some chocolate chips. Amazingly, we did not have any! But we did have about three bags of butterscotch chips. I saw that we had all the ingredients for the recipe on the back, so now we were making butterscotch "cookies". Well, more like butterscotch brownies, because it said to spread the mix out in a pan. I measured the ingredients and let Leah and Sam pour it in. Sam started looking in the bowl, his head halfway in. "Don't do that Sam!" I said. "Can I look at it?" he asked. I told him he could, but he couldn't stick his face in. He smiled and put his face over bowl. I moved the bowl away. When it was time to blend in the butterscotch chips, I let Leah and Sam pour the chips in. Leah spilled some, so I told her to pick them up and put them in the bowl. Sam grabbed a handful and said, "I just put them in my mouth." Finally, the cookies were in the oven. They turned out great! Everyone liked them except for Leah, who only tried the dough, but not the cooked cookie. If you want to make them, look on the back of the butterscotch chips bag!!

A Tag, And A Dog Story

First, here is a tag from Hannah.

1. look right, what do you see? A curtain
2. look left, what do you see? A chair, the table, the kitchen
3. look behind you, what do you see? A rocking chair, Leah's beloved pink pig and bear
I am going to tag Anna Beth, Ashley, and Katlen

And about the dog... Well, yesterday Julie, Mama and I ran eleven miles!!!! That is the farthest we have ever gone!! Before we started (we were in a neighborhood) we saw a friendly dog. So we petted him, and started off. That dog followed us! And he kept on following! Of course, he would stop and sniff here and there, but he would always catch up with us. Before we had gone really far, someone drove up and asked us if the dog was ours. We said he wasn't, he was just following us! The lady who stopped us said that her grandson, who was in the car and looked about five, thought that we were taking the dog away. He had been feeding it and playing with it for a few days. We told him that when we left, the dog would probably go back to his house. Anyway, we planned to run in a few different neighborhoods, and we didn't want the dog to follow because he may get lost, and because of cars. We thought that he would eventually get tired and go away. He didn't stop!! We decided that the dog would follow us out of the neighborhood and back again. We could call him away from cars. That is just what happened!! THAT DOG FOLLOWED US THE WHOLE ELEVEN MILES!!!! Well, almost. When we passed some children, the dog went to them. We soon noticed that he wasn't following us any more, and we had to get him back to his neighborhood! Thankfully, we didn't have to go far to find the dog. We called him away, and he followed us all the way back!! Good job, doggy!

A Fun Tag From Cassia

I was tagged by Cassia! This is a really fun tag.
Here are the rules: Grab the nearest book. Open the book to page 56. Find the fith sentence. Post the next two to five sentences on your blog along with these instructions. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book or the intectual one; pick the closest!! Tag a few other people to do the same.
Okay.... these aren't really sentences, but...

Solution To Exercises
1. Think!

Grains are fruits or seeds of various grasses.
Which of the foods comes from grass? Rice.
Food A (rice) is a grain.

Well! I have never read that before!!
Here is who I am going to tag:

Cut n' Paste-Hannah

Glitter n' Glue-Sarah

About Ashley-Ashley

A Tag, and Instructions

Okay, I finally got the award on my blog. For anyone who doesn't know how to get the award on their blog, here's how. First type six things about yourself, and then award six other blogs. To get the award on your blog, right click it on my blog and save it as a picture. Then download it on your blog like a regular picture.

Levi and Cassia tagged me!

What was the first thing you saw when you woke up? Julie

What do you do when you get bored? Lots of things! Crochet, read, sew, blog...

How old are you? thirteen

Name at least three of your friends Well! I have a lot of friends, so I will name some friends with blogs. Anna Beth, Ashley, Kara Beth, Katlyn

What is your middle name? Olivia. My first name is Mary

Write your whole name backwards nosnhoj aivilo yram

Who will you tag? Kara Beth!

Another Tag

My Aunt Megan tagged me and gave me a blog award, which I do not know how to get on my blog. I am supposed to type six random things about myself. Let me think...

1. I just got braces a week ago, and I am finally getting used to them!

2. The farthest I have ever been from home is San Fransisco

3. I have a LOT of stuffed animals. Most of them are on a tall shelf in my room.

4. When I was three, I had a fish named Cinderella. When that one died, I had another one named Rainbow.

5. I just learned how to e-mail about a month ago.

6. When I was about three, I was afraid of mannequins.

Now I am supposed to tag/award six blogs. Hopefully the award will be up soon!

1. Katelyn
2. Ashley
3. Anna Beth
4. Mrs. Lynn
5. Mrs. Liesa
6. Aunt Jenny

Kate's Tag

Katelyn tagged me a while ago, but I am just now doing it. Sorry Katelyn!

What was the last animal you saw? probably my dog Lilly

What was the last sentence you saw? the sentence above this one

What is your hair style? Right now? A pony tail

Have you ever gone surfing? (ocean, not web) No

Are you scared of spiders? If it's in my room, yes. If it is outside, no.

What color is your favorite pair of shoes? Hmmm, what are my favorite pair?

Do you wish you could have seen a dinosaur before they were extinct? Not really

What is your middle name spelled backwards? aivilo (Olivia is my middle name. My first name is Mary. yarm!)

What is the first thing you think of when you hear fireworks? Fourth of July

What question R U on? The tenth one

What is the last time you laughed? I can't remember.

What did you eat on your last birthday? Pizza

Are you wearing make-up? No

Have you answered “don’t know” to any of these questions? No

Have you ever dreamed you were a character in a movie? No, but that would be funny

Did you answer that question? Yes!

What is right in front of you? The computer, some running watches, a lamp

Is this tag weird? No

Who will you tag? Anna Beth, and my Aunt Megan!!

SHAVING CREAM FIGHT!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday at cross-country practice we had a SHAVING CREAM FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS CRAZY!!!!!!!!!! It started off as tag. The five older boys were it. To tag us, they would swat us with a handful of shaving cream. To get unfrozen, someone who wasn't it had to tag us again with shaving cream. At first all the girls were saying, don't get it in my hair! I have to go somewhere tonight, don't get it in my hair! Of course, EVERY SINGLE PERSON had a head full of shaving cream by the time we were through!! Mrs. Heather told us when the boys ran out of shaving cream, she would yell, CREAM THE BOYS!!! and we would go attack them with shaving cream. Oh, it was so much fun!! Then, we all started creaming everyone!! Even Mrs. Heather!! After a while, everyone's shirt, arms, hair and face was SOAKED IN SHAVING CREAM!!!!! When it was time to clean up, Mrs. Heather sprayed us with a freezing cold water hose. So we were all dripping wet. Some people had brought a full change of clothes, and I had brought a shirt and a towel. Some people took pictures, but we didn't get any. I hope I can get some pictures somehow... Anyway WE HAD A TERRIFIC TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Day In Corinth

Yesterday the Spartan team ran a 5k in Corinth!! It was called the Diabetes Dash. It was cold!!!We got there an hour early, because we didn't know if the race started at 8:00 or 8:30. It started at 8:30. We were very cold!! Mrs. Heather drove some of us around the course, and we saw that it had a LOT of curves, which can slow you down. But, there wasn't really any hills, just what we called some "slight inclines". My time was 22:05, which is close to my fastest time! The whole team did GREAT!!! The coldness helped. I like to run in cold races. My whole family did wonderful, too. Mama did her fastest time ever!!! She ran with Mrs. Heather, who was pushing her to run faster. Then Mrs. Heather slowed down with Sarah, her daughter who she was running with, and Mama passed them! After the race we ate doughnuts, some drank coffee, and took pictures. We had a LOT OF FUN!!!!! After the race, we went to our grandparents' house and played with our cousins Will, Seth, and Grace. Gracie, who is five, cooked "petunia soup" or something like that, with Leah and I. We "cooked" it out of acorns, sticks, leaves, and whatever else we could find. ( There ware actually no petunias in it) Gracie named it. She and Leah had a lot of fun. Julie, Daddy, and I went to a cross-country meet after that, but not to run!! Daddy helped with keeping people in line to get their numbers after they crossed the finish line. Julie and I cheered for people we knew. We all had a great day!!!!!!!!!!Friends!The top three female finishers!Julie, Clay and I with our trohpiesEveryone won a trophy!!Will

Seth

Lots Of Pictures!

Here are the pictures from the Tippa cross-country meet. There are thirty-one pictures!!! My daddy got some really good pictures of people jumping in the lake.Spartan girls stretching before the raceMe before the raceMe about to cross the finish line!! (see the white line?)Julie about to cross the finish line as first place!!!Catherine about to finish Courtney about to finish

The jv team with our coach!!
Nathan about to cross the finish lineRichard almost finishedThe varsity boy teamMalachi almost throughCale about to finishJamie runningZach about to finish Forest running

Some girl Spartans and Richard
Me and Julie with our awards!!!

MRS. HEATHER IN THE LAKE !!!!!!


Julie jumping in!!
Me VERY BRAVELY jumping in!!!! (unfortunately, you can only see my splash!)

Me after jumping in the lake!"This is so much FUN!!!!" Cale about to make a SPLASH synchronized jumpers!!
"Wheee!"
"Here I come!"

"Watch out!" Courtney jumping
Forest doing a cannonball!


We all had SUCH A GREAT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hibachi with the Family

Two days ago we drove to Jackson to visit Uncle Russ and Aunt Megan. We spend the night with them one night. We went to a resturant called Kyoto. We watched the food being made. It was great!!! At first I was a little scared that the man who was cooking was going to burn himself as he flipped the tools around! But it was fine, and the food was so good. We got some really funny pictures of Clay!! After that we went to Bops, an ice cream place.

Here is the chef cooking our food

Here is Clay, who was trying to see how much rice he could hold with his chopsticks. Then he got an idea of how to hold a lot. He put his vegetable across his chopsticks then piled rice on top. He is so silly.

Clay was begging me to take a picture of this. He did the same thing with his chopsticks, but this time, the chopsticks are in his mouth. What a trick.

Me, Aunt Megan, and Julie at Aunt Megan's house with our pajamas on, about to leave. We got home late!

Cross-Country Meet #3

Yesterday was the Tippa Lake XC. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!! But the race was really hard. It was a hard course... not my favorite race. We ran junior varsity, and Julie was first, I was second!!! My time (it was a two mile race) was 14:00!!!!! I am really happy with it. All the girls did so well!!!!!! I am SO happy that our race was first. It usually is, unless we run varsity, which we only ran once. I was really nervous before the race. When I finished, I was SO happy. Like I said, the course was hard. Anyway, after that all the girls ran around cheering for the other Spartan runners. I t was SO much fun!! Our coach said that if one of our team placed, she would JUMP IN THE LAKE!!!!! We were all screaming when Mrs. Heather said she had to jump in the lake, because the our junior varsity tied with Saltillo!!! SO SHE JUMPED IN THE LAKE!!! Some people decided to jump in the lake with Mrs. Heather, but after she jumped in almost everyone followed. But I WAS NOT GOING TO JUMP IN THE LAKE!!!! Then... Mrs. Heather slung Julie over her shoulder, and waded in with her, and dunked her in!!! Julie got wet (of course) so Daddy let her jump in. Then I VERY BRAVELY JUMPED IN THE LAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was SO much fun!!!!!! I can't wait to post some great pictures of us jumping in!!! After that we played tag, ate our food, (we all brought a picnic) and then played ultimate frisbee. After the race, and sprinting around cheering for our team, and sprinting around playing tag and frisbee, today I am very sore!! IT WAS INCREDIBLY FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and I will post pictures as soon as I can. I will probably post about a hundred!!!!

"Healthy Ice Cream"

This is a recipe that I got from a runner's magazine. Julie has made it before, and it was gone the day she made it!! Everyone in my family loves this "healthy ice cream". It is so good!

Mango-Banana Frozen Yogurt

1 cup sliced ripe banana

3/4 cup chopped peeled mango (frozen or canned)

1/3 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 & 1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 (16-ounce) carton vanilla low-fat yogurt

*************************************************************************************

Blend the first four ingredients in a blender. Mix the rest of the ingredients with the blended mixture in a bowl with a whisk. Pour this mixture into a container, and freeze. I hope you try it!!!

Cross-Country Meet #2

This morning was the New Albany meet! I was really nervous when I woke up and when I was in the car. I was okay after we got there and I began talking to my friends. I probably would have been a lot more nervous if I wasn't running with the team. It was perfect weather for a race, nice and cool! Julie and I were running the junior varsity race, instead of varsity, which I ran in the last cross-country meet. Our race was first!! Julie and I were very happy. The course was great, very flat. We had run the course a few days before, which was really nice. We practice on and around the course in cross-country every Tuesday, but it was helpful to know the exact course for the race. I did my fastest time for two point five miles! 17;12!!!!! I am very happy with it!! Julie was first, I was second, and Catherine (a Spartan) was third!!! Julie almost broke the record for that race! (only the course was a little different) After that was the girls varsity, which none of our team ran, then the boy's junior varsity (Clay, Logan, Josh, Nathan, Marshall), and the boy's varsity (Forrest, Zach, Cale, Malalchi). Julie, Sarah, Hannah, Katherine and I were running around screaming for the team with Mrs. Heather close by, yelling to the Spartans. Everone did GREAT!!!!! Everyone is improving so much!! Thanks to hard training, and Mrs. Heather!!!

This is Hannah, Catherine, Sarah, Julie, and Me warming up

GREAT JOB SPARTANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Spartan team ran the Tallahatchie River run while we ran the Wing Dang Dash in Forest. We looked at the race results. THE TEAM DID GREAT!!!!!! The times were AMAZING, and the course was not easy. It had some big hills. I'm sad that I wasn't there to cheer and scream when they got their awards! I can't wait to tell them how GREAT they did tomorrow!!!! GO SPARTANS!!!!!!!!!!!

The Wing Dang Dash, and Some Things I Made

We have had a busy Friday and Saturday!! Mama left to go to a Christan Ladies' Retreat on Friday, and came back Saturday, just a few minutes ago. Me, Julie, Clay, Leah, Daddy and Sam went to our grandparents house. Mims and Pops live three hours away. We were going to stay home and run a race with the Spartan team Saturday morning. But Friday, we decided to run the Wing Dang Dash, in Forest where our grandparents live. Sam did very well sleeping his first night away from Mama! He slept with Daddy. After about one hundred, "I want Mama" 's he went to sleep. The Wind Dang Dash course was wonderfull!!! The weather was pretty chilly when we got there, but it was great to run in. The course was flat or downhill almost the whole way! At the end there was a hill, but it wasn't bad at all. My time was 21:50!!!!!! I was SO happy!!

all of us at the race

Aren't I cute?

Me, Julie and Clay

Here are some things that I crocheted or knitted on a knitting loom. Guess what they are made of?

My First Cross-Country Meet!!

Today was my first cross-country meet!!! Almost all the Spartans ran! The course was kind of hard...it was muddy and there was a VERY steep hill! After the girls' race, we cheered for the boys on our team. It was so much fun cheering and screaming for the rest of the Spartans!! Everyone did so well! After all the races, we went to hear the awards. I was tenth!!!! I got a t-shirt!! It has been a great day!!! I'm almost at the finish line!!our WONDERFUL coach, Mrs. Heather, talking to us right before the racethe girl Spartans lined upthe junior varsity Spartan boys lined upthe varsity Spartan boys lined upLogan almost at the finished line!!A few Spartan boys, Josh...

Marshall...Forrest...Nathan sprinting to the finish line!!

Hannah, Kathrine, Julie, Sarah and Me!!