August happenings

Yesterday morning I got an email from Benihana wishing me a happy birthday and I thought, wow, they are months early. And then it dawned on me that it was indeed my birthday month. I am sitting here on September 2nd noticing that the leaves on the mountains are changing colors. Where in the world did the summer go? School is in session and I am seeing more and more bloggers pulling out pumpkins for their centerpieces.

Well, August was full of summer activities so at least we managed to do what we could to feel fulfilled. Maddy had her last swimming birthday party of the season and the ones that come hereafter will likely be inside. Good thing about those is that I don't feel compelled to hang around and supervise as I do when there is a swimming pool with a deep end involved. I do love a good 3 hour birthday party on a Saturday so I can run errands alone :)

We joined Phil and Rachel Sanderson, (another couple we didn't know) and Tiburon and Adam Erickson, (and the last couple on the right we didn't know) in the Mystery Escape Room at The Gateway. They put you in a room and you have 60 minutes to figure out clues and puzzles that will lead you to the keys to disarm the bomb on the door as well as to find the keys to the door so you can escape the room.

We were probably 3 minutes short on time and unfortunately died in the terrorist bomb. Darn it. It was fun and exciting but we kind of walked away frustrated and for two days I kept thinking about what I could have done different and faster so that we could have gotten out in time. I want to go back and do another scenario now that I understand the gist of the experience. What a fun date!


The best part of course was the Black and Tan at Leatherby's afterwards.

Sarah, Katie and I each got an email inviting us to come and be a part of recording Saturday's Warrior. Saturday's Warrior!!! We watched the movie as kids and knew all the songs and used to dance in our flowey slips while on screen they did the ballet scene in Heaven. Then when we met the Lex de Azevedo and joined Millennium it was a privilege to since selected songs from the show through the years at various firesides and concerts. Through the 15 years of singing in Millennium we have heard Lex talk about how he has always hated the movie that was made. He talked about the show back in the 70s when it was performed in Los Angeles and then toured for years around various states. He talked about how the play as he wrote it was so very different than what the movie portrayed and how he was always a little disappointed that that was his legacy on file - something he didn't like.

So when he told us that he wanted to make a motion picture of Saturday's Warrior, not a stage play that was filmed like the one we had grown up with but a real movie, I hoped that maybe, just maybe, there might be a place for his old choir friends.

Fast forward to August and the email saying that he was going to record and we were invited to join the choir. Yay, yay, yay! We immediately called each other "did you get the email?" Huge sigh of relief that we were all asked to join. So we recorded the opening number and they did some filming with a mind to add the shots to "the making of" or during the closing credits.

I keep waiting to see if we will record the rest of the choir numbers as well sometime soon since I know they have started shooting the movie this week. Very exciting project to be a part of.

I joined a few co-workers for a golf tournament/fundraiser for the UofU cheerleader (our owner has a daughter who is a cheerleader). Ironically, all four of us are Huge BYU cougar fans. I tried to keep my BYU colors to a minimum but when you looked at us as a team I think it was clear that we didn't belong! It dawned on me later that if we were in a BYU fundraiser, I would never wear red even accidentally so I suppose it was clear to everyone there that we were rivals. Perhaps that's why they never stopped by to offer us drinks or snacks.

I was very pleased with my driving but still have a lot of work on putting and my irons. Boy, I stink at hitting anything with irons. Driver, got that down finally but no irons.

Austin Gunn (social media coordinator), Billy McCleary (tax director) , Mel, Jason Gough (controller)

Sarah gave us and Katie a few tickets to see Julianne in "Guys and Dolls" at Centerpoint Legacy Theater. This is a community theater along the lines of Hale Centre Theatre. It was really exciting for Julianne to have auditioned and have been given a part - a mission doll - but a part!

We were the audience for the preview night so we went with the understanding that they might stop the show if they had to and in fact, and one point they did stop the scene because some major props were missing from the stage. It actually gave the actors a chance to do some ad lib and then started over and actually was charming and fun.

I especially enjoyed the show because it was what we performed in 9th grade at Eisenhower Jr. High. I was a bag lady (which is not a real part) but that meant i was in 80% of the scenes including the ones full of the "guys" gambling.

Anyhow, the show was great. The girls we brought along with us enjoyed it as well. I'm glad Maddy is now old enough to sit still and enjoy a 2.5 hour show. I love sharing with her something I enjoy so much.

After the show we met Julianne for some pictures.

Maddy loves meeting the actors (well the ones that aren't too scary - read that as - girls) so we had to get a picture with Adelaide and with Sargent Sarah Brown.

And one of the hot box dancers that Maddy thought was really pretty. When I asked her if Maddy could take a picture with her she looked surprised and flattered since she was a chorus member without even a specific named character.

We also made a trip to Benihana for dinner. On our way into the parking garage the parking attendant told us that if we brought back a Benihana hat he would show us a magic trick. So Maddy made sure to bring it and was so excited. He had her come close to the window of the booth and he leaned out and took her hat, turning it upside down and said "ta-da, I turned your hat into a warrior hat". I'll admit I was a little bit disappointed but Maddy thought it was great.

And we leave with a picture of Toby, ever patient Toby, who let us dress him up with a barbie superhero mask and a kerchief cape. What a good sport he is - we love our Super Dog!

other May happenings

The traditional Sally Bytheway Chorale spring concert at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square and the traditional Soprano group photo.

Dinner at Cody and Hayley's house and fun with baby cousin Harper.

The next door neighbors have a daughter who is a few months younger than Maddy. She and Ruby have become fast friends. They both go to Miss Swendy's Day School so Scott and Ruby's mom came up with a deal where on alternating Wednesdays we take home both kids and give the other couple a night off. The picture below was sent one night when they had taken the girls bowling.

I dropped Maddy off at school one morning and it hit me how grown up she is. She walked up to the school with her backpack, wearing her dress and wedge heel sandals and I felt the enormity of the month . . . May is graduate from Kindergarten month. It has gone so very quickly.

Maddy's first and last days of Kindergarten.

The day where Maddy did my makeup and nails. Scott kept looking at me next to him on the couch and being shocked over and over again at the eyebrows. He finally made me go and scrub them off. Frankly, I didn't think she did too horrible of a job. She's come a long way.

There was more singing. A recording session at De Azevedo Studios. First the whole recording group, then the Millennium crew who have been singing together 15 years, then Lex and the Dalton girls.

Maddy desperately wanted to do a lemonade stand. It was late in the evening, early in the season and she pushed so hard that I decided to teach her a lesson - letting her do it and she wouldn't make any money because who wants lemonade (well Apple juice) at 8:30 at night in May?! She picked the 5 cent price - I suggested a quarter. She managed to rake in $5.21 from three customers. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was a brilliant marketer, setting the price low so they would take pity on her and pay her more. I suspect if she had my price posted they would have paid the quarter and went on their way. Brilliant.

 A pose from the silly girl at the park.

And a beautiful picture of lovely niece Rebekah who is now in London serving at the Hyde Park Chapel. What lovely girls we Daltons make.

I am a Spartan!

Scott is fond of saying "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". As an almost 40 year old, I don't often put myself into situations where I can actually put this into play - at least not in a physically challenging way. I don't enjoy sports. I don't love outdoor activities. I don't really exercise much. In fact, I don't tend to push my body since my hobbies and my schedule just don't call for it.  

So back in December, when my co-worker Leslie told us that she had signed several of us up to run the Utah 2015 Spartan Super race I was immediately against the idea. I mean, I did run in the Ogden Marathon once (back in 2002 where I ran the 5K at the end of the team relay race). But my sedentary lifestyle  has not prepared me for an "elite athletic event". We had plenty of time with the race not until June 27th. "The great thing about a team" Leslie said, "is we can train together! We'll go work out during lunch and get in shape. You will be fine!"

We had grand plans for kick boxing, barre workouts, cross fit training. Plans . . . June 27th arrived and, while we had not made time to do much preparation, we did have great looking outfits, gloves, our hydration packs, and plenty of "fuel" and I figure preparation is half the battle.

I had no idea what a challenge this would be. Coming out the other end, having FINISHED!, I feel a ridiculous amount of achievement. As I've thought about the race and the challenge over the past two weeks my mind has made so many parallels and connections to life. I need to sit down and write all of them down since I know these life lessons are going to make the very best talk or lesson one day! At the very least, I need to record these thoughts so when I get farther from the event, I can still remember these "Aha!" moments. 

Sam, Brian, Josh, Grady, Dustin, Brad, Yoko, Melissa, Leslie, TJ, Patrick

And so, here comes the brag fest where there will be a million pictures and me complaining about how hard it was mixed with my pride at accomplishing what to others was clearly less of a challenge. I will also say (with regard to the complaints) that I am fully aware that some actual preparation would have made a world of difference for me but, I didn't prepare, so there it is!

Unless you sign up with the elite group, you were given one of several slots in 15 minutes increments beginning at 11:30. Our team start time was not until 1:30. With the temperatures at, or maybe exceeding 100 that day, we were worried about that late of a start time. The nice thing was that I got to sleep in. With any early morning start, I always sleep fitfully with worry about sleeping through the alarm clock so getting up normally helped me to get some rest before hand.

Yoko, Leslie, Melissa

Got ourselves geared up and gathered at the start line "I AM A SPARTAN! AROO! AROO! AROO!" and we were off.

The starting bell (was there a bell?) immediately sent us over a wall, through two mud pits, over, under and through a few more walls, and then up into the hills. 10 minutes in, and I knew my back up plan (just do a few obstacles and if you have to then drop out) was not going to work. They sent us directly up the mountain with not much choice to either turn around and go back, or to take a short cut and skip ahead. For the first mile and a half in the hills I had serious doubts of whether or not I was going to be able to accomplish this. I drank lots and lots of water and had energy gummies frequently. I stopped A LOT to catch my breath and let my burning leg muscles rest. I'm sure my face was beet red. There was no relief from the sun and I'm not a sweat-er so I was very worried about overheating. The view at every break was beautiful but I felt badly that I was making my team wait for me. They being the kind souls that they are, waited anyway.

At mile marker two we were shocked that we'd only made it that far. And I was worried because I started to feel cold. I wasn't lightheaded or dizzy but I did figure that being cold in dry, 100 degree weather was probably not a good sign.

We gratefully found a tiny patch of shade under a scrub oak tree and Patrick literally gave me the shirt off his back  (he had a compression shirt on under his team shirt). They soaked it and draped it over my shoulders to help me cool off. Not too far from that area was a pipe above the ground with a spigot and rushing water. Not sure if was drinkable but I did soak my body, hair, clothes, everything twice and that kept me cool enough to move along to the obstacles that were next.

me top, left side

It was here that I accomplished my first obstacles by myself, but also where I did my first burpees. Burpees are a pushup and then a jump into the air, then back down to a push up. In the Spartan, in order to move past an obstacle if you can't complete it (or don't try it), you have to do 30 burpees. I did try everything as much as I could but some of them like the rope climb, I didn't have the upper-body strength to do and my team couldn't help me - so burpees. Another hard area was the javelin where you have to actually have the spear stick in the hay, or else -burpees.

What I loved the most was the team aspect of the Spartan. Sure, many people do it all on their own. They travel around the states and do these races all over and train like crazy. I, however, would have never finished without the help of my team. They lifted me up to cross the rings and the monkey bars. They boosted me up so I could climb over the 8, 10 and 15 foot walls. They helped me to carry my bucket of rocks up and back down a steep hill. They helped me flip tires and pull cement blocks and raise sandbags into the air and down. Mostly though, they waited for me when I needed to rest, they stood in front of me so I could sit in the shade of their very bodies, they encouraged me to keep putting one foot in front of the other, they didn't make fun of me using the bathroom in the woods, and they made me laugh even while I was weak and panting and slowing them down.

The advance team who went ahead towards the end

There are three levels of Spartan races. The Sprint is 3+ miles with 20+ obstacles, the Super is 8+ miles with 25+ obstacles, and the Beast is the killer at 13+ miles and 30+ obstacles. If you complete all three of these in one season, you complete the Trifecta. Utah only had a Super this year (last year it was a Beast! Crazy!!) and our race was over 8 1/2 miles with, by my count, 26 obstacles.

The majority of the obstacles are there in the valley so we did 2 or 3 in a row, then were sent back up into the hills to hike and gather miles. This meant steep climbs up and steep drops back down. Most of the time coming down it was dusty and loose and unstable so I came down sitting on my heels. Blessedly, we had about 2 hours of cloud cover between about mile 3 and 7 or so. When the sun did finally come back out, it was late enough in the day that it wasn't as oppressive as it had been before. Tender Mercies for poor, overheating prone me. 

Towards the end of the race (and towards the end of the evening) we were among the stragglers of the day and I admit, I started to worry - what if they clean up behind us and we don't get to finish? What if there is no fire to jump at the end and they don't have any medals for us. What if they drive up in their trucks and tell us to hop in, the race is over?!!

We had some great conversations with other teams as we all sat in small flat spots to rest. There were people of all shapes and sizes, some from far away coming to run the race. One gentleman was overweight and racing by himself. We asked if we could help him several times but his goal was to finish and accomplish it by himself. We leap-frogged him and others for some time and when we finished, he was behind us. I was so pleased to see him coming across the finish line, assuming he felt as big a sense of accomplishment as me - probably more so.

In the end, I understand the reason why people do these races. It was fun to get muddy and dirty. It was fun to be a part of a large group of people from all over. It is wonderful to have funny stories to tell with my co-workers for years to come. It was great to see the miraculous things my body can endure. Mostly, it was so rewarding to finish, to come home tired and filthy and sore and bruised but with a medal around my neck that is proof to myself that I can do hard things. 

As we drove home from Soldier Hollow I took a quick selfie and sent a text to Scott to (1) let him know I was still alive (it was almost 9:00 at night), and to (2) show him that I finished. I know that he was in support of me, but he also knows I have limits. He knows that after 30 minutes of mowing the back lawn my face takes 2 hours get get back to it's normal, non-red state. He knows I hate to exercise. He sent me out that morning with me giving a promise that I would quit when I needed to and not jeopardize my safety. I knew I was going to take one thing at a time and that I was going to do what I could do. I also knew my limits and always in the back of my mind was "I can always stop if I have to". So, my finishing was a nice surprise for us both.

It took me 6 hours and 27 grueling minutes but I am a spartan! And I wasn't last. There were several dozen people that had times longer than mine, not that it matters really. The next morning I could barely stand, my legs were like jelly. Throughout Sunday and Monday (we all stayed home from work) I kept finding more and more bruises on my legs, arms, sides, (bum)! But, as our bodies do, I repaired and was back to normal in a few days. So, two weeks later, a sore toe from hitting a rock and a bit of a tender knee from falling off the 15 foot wall are really the only things that physically remind me of the ordeal.

But I have a t-shirt that says "Finisher" on the back and a medal that sits proudly in my office I look at every day. When I see it, I am reminded that hard days are not insurmountable, and I have co-workers who have my back. I also have a huge sense of achievement and a great talk in the works.

The You-Tube video below is a great 6 minute Go-Pro camera capture of the whole race. Except the hills - it really does not accurately capture those blasted hiking miles. The only thing that kept me going in those moments was the thought "the pioneers could do it, so can I!" and singing over and over a song my mom taught me that she learned on pioneer trek:

If I had the strength of a pioneer,

Into the hills I would climb.

There to remain as a pioneer,

until the day that I die.

Oo la la, Oo la la, Oo la (repeat)

Oo la la, Oo la la la (again)

Oo la la, Oo la la, Oo la (once more)

Oo la la, Oo la la la 

The End.