Family time at the Beautiful, Picturesque, Rigg River Ranch: July 2012

Since we were already out West for the Uda family reunion, we decided to have a little Rigg reunion while we were there. Not everyone could make it, but Taber's brother Brett drove out from AZ with his family and it was great getting all the cousins together at the Rigg Ranch in Grand Junction, CO.

The miraculous picture of the 8 grandkids in which EVERYONE is looking at the camera! (Can you hear the hallelujah chorus? ;) 

Taber was so happy to be able to spend time with his brother. It's also fun that Brett's baby boy Rocky and Cam are only 3 months apart. Rocky is a major Daddy's boy and when Brett was gone one night he attached onto Taber and wouldn't let anyone else near him. It was the cutest thing ever.

While the boys were bonding the girls were off having adventures of their own. These little explorers loved finding rocks, critters, and treasures at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

They found a giant rock pile and conquered it together. They also climbed through trees and trails and found "magical" horseshoes that were so special they ended up making it into their suitcases for the trip back to New Hampshire.

Of course the highlight of the Ranch is always going fishing with Daddy. The weather was really hot so the fish weren't biting, but you can't beat Daddy/daughter bonding time floating on a lake in such a gorgeous setting. 

And I guess if you can't catch fish, at least you can have fun playing with the bait. Uncle Brett entertained the kids by sucking a worm up his nose. A disturbing priceless memory that I'm sure the kids will treasure for years to come :)

The rope swing provided hours of entertainment as well. 

Especially when Uncle Brett and Daddy came out to push the kids. They were flying!

And what can beat a tractor ride with Grandpa? Cam was all smiles when he got to go.

Another group boating adventure!

They took the boat out to the island and I made them pose for me. LOVE how it turned out. The Rigg Ranch is just so beautiful and this pic really captures it. 

We also had an impromptu limbo session. I hung in there for awhile but the kids who were 3 ft tall and under beat me at the end. :)

I think the highlight for Taber may have been jeeping with his brother. "Bro" time in a jeep, taking on rugged terrain definitely qualifies as a good time for Taber. 

Plus they came back with sweet pictures like this!

Of course it wouldn't be a trip to Grandma's house without visiting the dinosaur museum up the road. The kids always have a blast when they're there.

This year they actually had a new "mammal" exhibit with mammoths and Sabers. Cam really liked the Sabers.

Skyla and Brinley digging for dinosaur bones. Such beautiful little Rigg girls.

Oh and I can't forget to mention the awesome four wheeling. Taber's uncle Saul let us borrow his quads and we had a great time cruising around the property. 

And last but not least, we took some family pictures while we were there. I thought the photographer did an amazing job and absolutely love how they came out.  This one of me and Taber makes me happy. Sure love that man :)

Love how our family pic came out too. Might have to blow this one up and frame it.

Love my Rigg family and am so grateful to have such wonderful in-laws. Also grateful for the time we were able to spend, relaxing and enjoying nature on their beautiful ranch. Just wished we lived closer! Someday... 

AF Canyon Half Marathon and a Shiny New PR!

When we booked our tickets to Utah one of the first things I did was look for a half marathon to run. Utah has some sweet downhill races and I've been itching to see what my legs could do on a downhill course. I was lucky enough to find the perfect race, running down the canyon just 15 minutes from my parents house, happening the first the weekend I would be in town. I was pumped!

On race day my nerves were all over the place, as usual. I felt really confident in my training, but a few things had me worried:

1) 4:00am call time to take bus up the canyon for 6am start time. That meant waking up at 3:30. which meant very little sleep the night before.

2) Elevation difference. I'd been training at 150 feet elevation and would be running at 5000 feet. Wasn't sure how my lungs would handle it.

3) Forgot to bring my chia seeds and energy gels which I always use in training and count on for race day fuel. Wasn't sure how my stomach would handle the shot blocks available on the course.

4) When I left the house at 4am it was already 70 degrees and the sun hadn't even come out yet. I hate running in any temp above 60 and with a forecast calling for a 95 degree high I was worried.

So with all that on my mind I definitely had to do a few rounds at the port a potty's before the race started. 

As the sun came up over the mountains we lined up at the starting line. My previous half marathon PR was 1:56:37. My goal was to break 1:50, but my stretch goal, was 1:45. That's an 8:00 min mile pace, which I'd never been able to pull off in a training run longer than 6 miles, but I was hoping the downhill course would pull me through.  So with that goal in mind, I lined up with the 1:45 pace group and at the sound of the gun we were off!

The canyon was nice and cool and the scenery was gorgeous. I had the 1:45 pace group in my sights but I also wanted to run my own race, so when they took off I held back a little, easing into the race and clocking my first mile at an 8:07 pace. I knew I was going to have to pick it up to make my goal so I finished mile 2 in 7:45.  After that my legs were warmed up and I flew through mile 3 in 6:37, passing the 1:45 pace group. I knew that was too fast so I backed off a little and mile 4 was a steady 7:27.

At that point my lungs felt good but my quads were already starting to take a beating from running downhill. It also became clear to me at mile 4 that if I didn't find a bathroom soon things were going to get ugly. No port a potty between mile 4 and 5. Clocked it in 7:16 and started running faster, hoping to find a pit stop soon. I was tempted to duck into the woods, but the kind of um..."relief" I needed required...well...toilet paper. So yeah, I kept running. I started running faster, praying there was a port a potty coming up soon and finally at mile 6.5 it was there! I sprinted to the John and tried to take care of business as quickly as one can take care of that sort of business, which in this case, didn't seem very quick at all. In the end it cost me 2 minutes but I felt like a new person when I came out of the Lou so it was worth it. I started running again and to my relief, could still see the 1:45 pacer, even though she was about 30 seconds ahead of me. I figured as long as I kept her in my sights I would reach my goal.

Mile 7 was 7:26, mile 8 was 7:40. That's when we came out of the canyon and the course started to flatten out and even sport little hills here and there. Nothing major but after flying downhill earlier they slowed me down. Another slowing factor at this point was the sun. It was out in full force and the temperature was rising quickly. Mile 9 was 7:51, mile 10 7:52. I was tired at this point and so were the people around me. I started thinking that a 1:50 wouldn't be so bad. After all, it would still be a big PR for me. I flirted with the idea of walking but then I would shake my head and say no, even if I don't break 1:45 I will NOT stop to walk.

As I subconsciously battled with my will I thought I heard someone shout my name. At first I shook it off but then I heard it again, and again! I looked around and saw my awesome friends, Justin and Tara, cheering me on, taking pictures and shouting my name! I had no idea they would be there, it was the best surprise ever! I know what a big deal it is to try to be somewhere early on a Saturday morning, especially with 3 kids! But there they were, kids in tow, everyone bright eyed and bushy tailed. I was blown away. Once I knew I had a cheering section it lit a fire inside me and I decided to fight for that 1:45 no matter what. 

Mile 11 was rough, 8:04. A teenage boy I'd been following the whole race stopped and started to walk. I pulled his shirt and said, "Come on! 2 miles to go, we got this!" He mustered his strength and we helped each other get through the next mile in 7:49. 12 miles down, 1.1 to go. We saw another gal stop to walk and pulled her into our group. It was all we could do to put one foot in front of the other but we kept soldiering on. Half way through that last mile the teenage boy dropped back, so did the gal we'd picked up. But I wasn't stopping. "This is the price of a PR" I told myself. 

As I rounded the corner towards the finish line I heard my name again. This time it was my sisters, Naomi and Sarah, and my little nieces, all shouting "GO BECCA!" and waving signs. 

 I tried to smile but all I could do was grimace. I know I look pretty terrible in this pic, but in my mind I was thinking, "wow! My sisters love me!" and also, "I think I'm gonna puke..."

Tara snapped this shot as I gave one last push to the finish. 

Official time: 1:43:09

pace: 7:53 min/mile

Age division: 23rd out of 175 

Gender division: 72nd out 786 

173rd out of 1165 overall

 New PR by over 13 minutes!!! 

I felt fast. I felt good. I felt like eating a hamburger.

 In the finishers area I was able to reunite with Justin and Tara and their cute kids and give them big hugs and thank yous for cheering me on! Love those guys!

Also got to see my sisters and nieces and thank them for being my cheerleaders. As good as it feels to run a solid race, it's 100 times better when you can celebrate with people you love.

Downhill courses are definitely where it's at! So glad I found this race, it was a highlight of my trip.  In the end I came home with a shiny new medal and a sparkly new PR. Two excellent souvenirs from my Utah vacation.

Utah part 1: Unofficial Reunion before the Reunion

Last month we went to Utah for the first ever Uda family reunion. Even though the whole Uda clan wouldn't be together until the official reunion dates, I decided to fly out a week early with the kids to maximize the time with my family.

The girls were in heaven spending every minute of the day with their cousins. 

Most of the time was spent in their swim suits. Dipping in the pool, running through the sprinklers and playing with water balloons.

Uncle Tau and Uncle Ro holding still for the water balloon firing squad. They took some good hits but then went running after the kids for some revenge. Lots of happy squealing and laughter.

I stayed at my sister Rachel's house which was perfect because our girls all play and get along like BFFs. It's also conveniently located 10 steps away from my Mom's house, so we were in the center of the action and got to see plenty of everyone :)

Brinsie and Grandma Uda

Teya and Papa Uda

 On Sunday my dad requested that me, Rachel, Naomi and Sarah (who is 5 months pregnant with her 3rd baby boy) sing in sacrament meeting. It was so awesome being able to sing with my sisters again. Brought back lots of good memories.

 On another day Me, Naomi and Sarah were feeling brave and took our 7 kids plus 3 extra cousins to the BYU creamery and the Bean Museum.  It was chaotic, and a little exhausting, but I think the kids had fun so it was worth it.

We tried to get our offspring to pose at the museum. Noa and Lily were making crusties, Brooklyn was poking her eye, Maile forgot to smile, Malia, Micah, Lily and Cam weren't looking at the camera, and Cam kept trying to escape so David had to snag him by the collar to keep him there for at least one picture. All that considered though, not a bad pic! lol!

 The kids had a great time at the museum.  Cam was especially intrigued by all the displays.

 I love his face in this picture. "ALLIGATOR!"

Later in the week I left Cam at home and took Teya, Brinley, Mason and Maile out for some frozen yogurt. They thought I was the coolest auntie/mommy ever :)

But the real coolest mommy ever award goes to my mom, who watched ALL of our kids so we could go on a sibling date to Bajio and then grab some sweets from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory. I have dreams about the mouth watering green chile chicken salad from Bajio and crave it constantly. Being able to finally eat one was pure heaven! We had a great time talking and laughing at the restaurant. My siblings are THE best and I always have so much fun when I'm with them. 

I'm glad I was able to go out early before the reunion. Other highlights include:

 1) funniest game of truth or dare with my siblings ever! (I seriously almost wet my pants from laughing so hard)

2) Special dinner movie date with just me and my parents. (It is a rare and awesome thing to get one on one time with the rents)

3) Listening to my little brother talk about politics (He's a smart one)

4) Eating lots and lots and lots and lots of yummy delicious food

5) Running my fastest half marathon ever (separate post to come for that!)

6) All the great one on one chats I had with my parents and siblings. 

7) Just being with my wonderful family. 

More posts to come, including a mini-sub reunion in Colorado with Taber's family. Stay tuned...

I kind of have the best mother in law ever... June 17-20

When my sweet mother in law found out that I was flying out to Utah all alone with 3 kids, she generously offered to fly out and help me. My niece has been wanting to come out too so they both hopped on a plane and came out to play for a few days before helping us fly back to UT.

We only had a few days to play but we made the most of it! We hit the mall and Grandma Karen treated me to a shopping spree for some much needed clothes while she watched the kids at the play place.  Yeah, my mother in law rocks. :)

Teya and Brinley loved spending time with their cousin Skyla. She is the only girl in her family with 4 brothers, so she really enjoyed having some girl time. 

After the mall we did some trampoline jumping.

 And took a nice stroll with Grammy.

The next day Grandma Karen kindly offered to watch Cam all day so I could take the girls to the beach. (Cam can only handle the beach in small doses)

Without little brother slowing them down, the girls were busy little beach bugs! They were constantly on the go.

 Love this shot of all three of them running into the waves.

Sheer joy and happiness.

Beautiful Skyla looking like a beach model. Hard to believe she was only 3 weeks old when Taber and I got married. How did she grow up so fast?

 Little Brinsie showing off her pineapple suit. 

 Taking a break from the water to dig in the sand.

 Which led to Sklya getting buried.

 Beach babes :)

Caught this shot of Skyla climbing the rocks and thought she looked pretty grown up here too. Crazy to think that Teya will be that age in just 4 years!

The next day it was off to Utah. Our flight got pushed back by 5 hours, so what I had carefully planned to be a day time flight, ended up being more of a red eye.

The girls did great though with Sklya there to help them.

And between me, Grandma Karen and the iPad, we were able to survive 5 hours of flying in the middle of the night with Mr. grumpy pants. There were only too major scream fests that lasted about 30 minutes each, and with Karen as my back up it really didn't seem too bad. So grateful to have such an awesome mother in law to do that for me. She's pretty much the best mother in law ever :)