This Weekend was Brought to you by the Letter H and the Number 13.1

 This weekend was the Moab Half Marathon! I went down with Deah Borders, Keena and Malia Horton. Deah, Keena, and I ran the Half while Malia slept... 

(she did not sign up this year, but we will get her next year)

 Buses take all the runners up to the starting area to drink Hot chocolate and wait, and wait, and wait.... This was Keena's first Half Marathon and she was so calm, I was impressed!

 Deah took several potty stops, this was her second time at this Half marathon, and her second time being walked in on at the Honey Bucket!

 We were excited and cold as we waited!

 Keena finished her 13.1 in 2 hours and 44 minutes. We paced each other for most of the race and I came in just over 2 hours and 45 minutes. Deah was not far behind at 3 hours and 4 minutes! 

They had food and drinks at the end, we could not resist the TruMoo which tasted surprisingly good, but paled in comparison to fresh cut oranges!

 After the race we introduced the Hortons to Arches National Park, believe or not, they have never been! We did not hike because we were a bit stiff after the run, but we enjoyed seeing, Balanced Rock, the Windows and Delicate Arch (yes, Malia the one on the license plate).

 Hortons, Honey Buckets, Hot Chocolate, and Half Marathons!

We had a great time and I can't wait for the next 13.1!

Thanks for the Fuley Fa Fa!!!!

(As written in French Foux Du Fafa)

CSI: Provo

I went to CSI Provo last night with Mandy and Deah. It was so fun and I laughed so hard! The Desert Star Playhouse does a great job of making something funny, but keeping it clean. My friend, Jill, plays the piano for the entire show and she is amazing! I highly recommend this if you are looking for something fun!

Kylie Horton's Baptism

 Kylie had her baptism today. She looked so pretty with her brothers!

 Kylie with Grandpa and Grandma Bellows,

 and with Aunt LauraLee,

and with her Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Grandma Gillespie and Bellows. Glad we were able to celebrate this special day with her!

A Huge Loss for Fillmore Junior High!

My favorite member of The Monkees passed away today, I will miss you Davy Jones! What a huge loss for me and Marsha!

Afton's Birthday

 Spencer and Angie's daughter, Afton, turned one on January 29th.

 We went to celebrate with her, she LOVED her cake!

Grandpa, Grandma, Larsens, Mom, Dad, Kelly and I all enjoyed her special day!

Thanks for the invite!

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's birthday is this Sunday and I really admire what an amazing and selfless leader he was.
A while back I read the book Team of Rivals about Lincoln's life and how his masterful leadership placed leaders in his cabinet that were often at great odds with each other. The book was extremely well researched and I gained great admiration for Abraham Lincoln's selfless nature and compassionate leadership.
Recently I read a book called Killing Lincoln. This book showed the complete opposite personality of John Wilkes Booth, a man seeking to feed his hatred and increase his personal glory. He believed he would return to the south a hero. Upon his return he had to continue hiding because people in the south considered him an assassin as well.
My sister, Kelly, suggested the movie The Conspirator. This movie is mainly about the trial of Mary Surratt, believed to be connected to the conspiracy to kill Lincoln. She was the first women executed by the United States federal government. It is an excellent movie to watch right after reading Killing Lincoln.
It is a tragedy that Lincoln was assassinated. I am so grateful for his dedicated leadership in a time when the United States needed it most!

The Results Are In!

Charting the Path to Civil Rights

Today we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. He led marches and movements that continued the civil rights movement. I deeply admire Martin Luther King Jr., but I think there is another person who charted the path that Martin Luther King Jr. continued on. To me Thurgood Marshall opened so many doors in the area of civil rights. He argued more cases before the United States Supreme Court (32) than any other lawyer and he won 29 of those cases. Just to name a few:

1. School integration from primary to graduate schools.

2. Overthrowing "white primary" election policies.

3. Overthrowing the legality of race restrictive covenants in neighborhoods.

4. Defended and won the rights of civil rights demonstrators.

5. Brown v. Board of Education: Demolished legal basis for segregation in public schools.

6. Browder v. Gayle: Bus segregation ended, ending the Montgomery bus boycott. 

I am thankful to all people who stand up for what they believe is their right. The power to voice your point of view to the government and be heard is what makes this country great! I am thankful Martin Luther King Jr., and countless others who did this through marches, protests, gatherings and so forth. I am grateful Thurgood Marshall for recognizing laws that diminished civil rights and fighting for those rights through the legal system. We would not be where we are today without his efforts!

http://www.thurgoodmarshall.com/speeches/tmlaw_article.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurgood_Marshall

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 The days following Christmas are more of a family celebration for our extended family. On December 30th we enjoyed a great dinner together and enjoyed a gift exchange!

 The kids love to play together, especially in the basement and Grandpa and Grandma's House!

 Mom did extremely well all week with the events. She loves having family around but it does make her sleepy... 

 For new years eve we had our annual family white elephant party and as always it was a great success! Kris and the kids played a little basketball, shirts and skins. He was a little out numbered and Alyssa had to help him out!

 The older nieces are growing up so fast! In fact for Alexis' white elephant they threw a bachelorette party! She was a good sport about it!

 There were several funny white elephants including Hefier's Happy Place, Jimmer Ferduck, Cory's dolls, Muppets vs. Sesame Street, and Grandma Bellows as leader of team Jacob and Jacob as team "Bellaows!" This party is a highlight of the holidays for me!!! What a great family I have!

Merry Christmas, December 25, 2011

 Larsens

 Gillespies

 Grandpa and Grandma Bellows

 Hortons

 Gillespies

Christmas Lights

 Kelly, Deah, and I went to the festival of trees on December 3rd. We ran into the Hortons and decided to join them on a trip to temple square. Here are Marcus, Quincey, and Caleb on Trax.

I took some fun pictures of the Hortons. I am so glad we ran into them.

 Deah was hesitant to come because she did not have a coat that matched. Needless to say we talked her into it.

 Kris and Michelle came up for family night on December 5th and we enjoyed another trip on the train and the beautiful Christmas lights!

 Claire was dressed nice and warm and Josh had an awesome hat!

 We had fun with the giant nutcracker in the Joseph Smith Building...

 ...and took great pictures in front of the tree!

Kris has a great love for the ZCMI windows that have not been decorated for many years but this year Kris found one with some "great" decoration! I have a great family!!!!!

Rocky Mountain Thanksgiving!

 We enjoyed a beautiful thanksgiving with the Lecheminants in Parker, Colorado

 Julie prepared so many great foods during our trip, even though Jeff got the credit!

 The weather was 65 degrees on thanksgiving day so we enjoyed the beautiful day in the park with the kids.

 Julie completely out did herself with an amazing thanksgiving dinner and with help from her little helper!

 Dad and Mom gave into the tryptophan more than once on the trip. 

 The kids came and enjoyed the pool at the hotel.

 Trey planned a white elephant party while we were there. He gave Dad, his Grandpa, snakes! Grandpa does NOT like snakes!

What an amazing vacation with amazing food and incredible family! We love the Lecheminants!