Jason did a little ward triathlon last month held at our neighborhood pool and it was pretty fun! Nora and I came to cheer him on and hang out with other kiddos and people who were cheerleaders!

It was a 16 length swimming part, 1.5 mile run and a 5 mile bike ride. Jason enjoyed it even though he hates swimming and he didn't have a good bike. It definitely made him want a road bike even more!

So happy we love our ward, our friends and our neighborhood!

 There was a kids "fun run"

 Tim and Jason

 Tim, Jason and John- The matching blue shirts crew!

Team Thomas! 

Proud of you babe! 

Jason's Half Marathon

I finally got Jason to write a blog post in his own words:

I had been dreading the big 3-0 for a long time. 30 just sounds a lot older than 29, right? When I turned 30 I knew I had to do some sort of event to prove to the world that I was still young. Since I had a hurt my elbow from rocking Nora in her carseat (#30yearoldproblems), I was limited to running only. I decided running a half marathon would be a good way to keep me young. I talked it over with a couple friends that were doing a local race in Temple, TX and decided to take the plunge. I was a little nervous as the race was only 6 weeks out and I was only logging about 2 miles a week at the time but I knew my 30 year old body could handle it. I was right but only barely. I knew I would have to increase my mileage quickly to be able to get to a long run of over 10 miles before race day. I put together a running schedule and vowed to stick to it. 2 weeks in I got sick. It was the same sickness I got right before Nora was born. I couldn't stand and I had problems keeping any food or liquids down. I got over it but I wasn't able to run that entire week. The following week things were looking up and I got back to my running schedule. I battled through unseasonably cold temperatures and felt pretty good about the race with about 3 weeks to go. Then I hurt my foot. I'll always remember this morning because when I finally decided that my foot hurt too much to run any more I was 3 miles from home and had just come face to face with a wild hog on the running trail (yes, an actual wild hog. It stared at me and wouldn't let me pass). With only a few weeks until the race I decided to rest my foot and do all my workouts in the gym on the bike and elliptical. Lucky for me the heavens smiled upon me and the day of the race I had no pain. Zero. I went in with a goal of 2:10 given all the "issues" I had leading up to the race. I finished with a time of just over 1:53. I was greeted at the finish line by my 2 beautiful girls. A perfect ending to a good race.

Good thing this photo is zoomed out. I'm exhausted coming into the finish line.

Mom made a little shirt to help Nora cheer me on!

Our friend Amber finishing the race. Who smiles at the end of a half marathon???

Nora says let's go home Dad! 

The End.

Passion

Passion.

It's something that has been on my mind lately.

What is life without it?

I would consider myself to be a passionate person. I think it's 50% my parents and 50% just me. My dad and Carol didn't raised me to eat mediocre food. They didn't raise me to only do average. They didn't raise me to learn Spanish only in school. They encouraged a passion for all things in life. They themselves exhibit passion in all they do. My dad has a passion for finance, knowledge, storytelling, cooking, and do it yourself projects. My stepmom has a passion for parties, accounting, making memories, decadent treats, and bargain hunting. They instill in me [and anyone around them] a passion for life.

As life gets busier and busier our passions seem to fall by the wayside. 

But I am telling you that other than 1. the gospel 2. love and 3. family and friends, they are the secret to life. 

If you get up everyday and don't have something that you are itching to do, then you are missing out on some of the best feelings in life.

I first thought of this topic a few weeks ago as Jason and his dad ran a marathon in St. George. I waited for them at the finish line for over an hour and got to watch so many people pushing themselves to the end. Some of them couldn't even walk so people had to help carry/pull them across the line. Others cheered them on from the sidelines, including myself, between tears.

Why did they do it, you ask? Their legs had given out and their bodies were drenched in sweat. They ran for over three hours straight in the desert's sweltering heat, but they pushed on. 

One word.

Passion.

They found utter joy in their passion. They trained for hours, days, months and years to feed their passion. They pushed through injuries and pain for their passion. And it made them happy. Even when they said they would never do it again, they lied. 

All because passion is addicting. 

I have a passion for many things in life. The one that pops into my mind the most is my husband, but my words will never adequately express the deep and passionate love I feel for him. 

The second thing on my mind the most is making a difference in this world. I have wanted to make a difference for at least the past 6 years of my life. I see all the sorrow and heartache in this world and I want to help make it better. That is why I became an International Relations major. I wanted to learn about the world and then learn how to fix it. I know I can't fix all the world's problems but I can help as many people as possible in my daily life and through working for and being involved with nonprofits for the rest of my life.

I work at the BYU Center for Service and Learning where I feel passion for helping students find service and for helping members of the community. I feel so much passion for my job that I think about it way more often than the three hours a day I work. [Although I guess that is not entirely bad because my passion for my job recently got me a raise :)]

I have recently found a passion for family history. I think the connections we have to our ancestors are amazing and not to be overlooked. I never realized how little I knew about myself until I began learning more about my ancestors. What a blessing to truly understand where you come from. 

While we were in California, my passions began to dwindle as I had too many hours with too little to do. I barely found the motivation to dress myself nevertheless to make a difference in the world. But with a little time and a little perspective I began to cultivate and preen my talents. I started my food blog and began experimenting with cooking and baking. I started blogging and enjoyed an outlet for thoughts and experiences.

Truth be told,  my passions get me through the days. Finding a delicious new recipe, hunting down the best bargains, planning a party for friends, helping students at work, or researching women in development all bring me joy. They give me goals and something to look forward to when days seem longer and the moments harder.

I might strongly suggest if you haven't already, to find a passion in your daily life. Start collecting vintage combs, searching for lizards, or singing karaoke, but DO SOMETHING!

Train for a marathon, or in my case, cheer until you lose your voice for those running the marathon.

Whether you are a college student, preparing for retirement, or a young mom- find something that catches your attention and that spices up your day! 

Don't settle for mediocre or average in the humdrum parts of life and don't be afraid to be true to yourself. If you love your daily soap opera, don't fight it. We need our little passions [be what they may] to be true to ourselves and to find joy in the journey. Don't underestimate the smiles your passions will afford you on this earth. 

Sincerely,

Passionate [blogging, family history, cooking, baking, partying, eating, traveling, Spanish] Me

Half Way There

As promised here are pictures of our Labor Day weekend trip to Idaho.

The whole Thomas family got out Saturday morning for the Pocatello marathon.
Jedd went first since he was running the full marathon at about 4am.
Jason followed at around 6 am for the half marathon.
Michael and Camie went next around 7 for the 10K.
Finally, Karen and I got up around 9:30 to cheer on the troops!

Here are Michael and Camie running to the finish line.

Here is Jason crossing the finish line for his 13.1 miles! You are half way to the whole marathon honey!

Here are all the family runners:

This day was also Jedd's bday so he got to open up all his presents and a letter from Brady (he is on his mission).

Then on labor day we went to the Bannock County Fair and it was a blast! We ate so much fried food!

Jason liked these bunnies

Karen and the mini pony

Ostrich at the petting zoo

With our foot long corndog...mmmm

Jason wasted $5 on this game. He thought he could beat it. They saw sucker on his forehead!

The famous tiger ear from Idaho!

We had lots of fun with Jason's family and Jason did so good with his half! Oct 2nd he is running the full marathon in St. George with his dad. Should be lots of fun!