This is a picture Mark got of the Teton Mountains being shrouded with clouds from an incoming storm!

26.2 Miles!!

Mark and I ventured up North once again this week for the Top of Utah Marathon. Mark has been training and running all summer long for the Saint George Marathon which is coming up in a couple of weeks. Mark and a couple of his running buddies decided the Logan Marathon would be a good warm up for the Saint George Marathon. It was kind of a cool and occasionally rainy day in Logan but Mark said it was perfect for running. He finished the race in 3 hours and 59 minutes. He was hoping to finish a little faster but his goal was to finish it under 4 hours so He did meet his goal! We are very proud of him. We also got to stop and see Mark's brother Clint and his wife Amy and their cute family. Clint and Amy just moved to Eagle Mountain into a new home and neighborhood. Their home was darling and I loved the neighborhood and area! We are excited for Clint and Amy to come see us in a couple of weeks. Clint is going to run the Saint George Marathon with Mark.

Mark finishing the race!

Supporters for Mark Udy!

Karlee and Brianna braving the rain to support Mark as he gets ready to finish the marathon!


A picture of Mark finishing the last few yards of the marathon, a look of pain seems to be obvious on his face!


A picture of Brianna and her daddy after the marathon!



Brianna is proud of her daddy!

The above picture was taken this time of year in Jackson Hole, Wyoming one of the most beautiful places to be during autumn's splendor!

I don't have anything too exciting to blog about this week so I thought I would take a picture of what I have been working on the past few months. Brianna is sitting on a old buffet that belonged to my Grandma Johnson. Mark and I decided that we wanted to restore it and so we have been carefully sanding it the past few months. It has been very time consuming but it is almost ready to be re stained. I think it is going to look really nice once the doors and shelves have been put in place with new hardware. I will take a picture of the finished product. My brothers and sisters will remember this is the buffet that held Grandma's cookie jar.

Watching Blue's Clues!

I tried to get Brianna to smile while she was watching Blue's Clues and I kind of took her off guard and so I got three different looks but unfortunately no smiles!


You'll notice Brianna wrapped a yellow head band around her wrist because she thought it made a cute bracelet to match her yellow tank top. It kind of takes me back to the 1990's Madonna material girl look!

Palin Power!!

I don't know how many of you got the chance to listen to Sarah Palin speak last night at the Republican Convention but I thought she gave a wonderful speech. It was awesome to finally see a woman in politics that seems to have morals and traditional values! She is so refreshing compared to the liberal mean spirited women that normally catch the political spotlight! Go Sarah!

Labor Day Weekend Camp Out!

You know labor day should be a day you rest from your labors maybe even take a nap. This labor day I think I worked harder to get ready to go camping then I would have if I had done a 12 hour shift at a steel plant. Nevertheless we had a fun time once the last of the camping gear was packed and we were on the road. We decided to head up to Brian Head atop Cedar Canyon. Brian Head is a small ski resort town with beautiful scenery filled with Pines and Quaking Aspen trees. When I went to school my first year of college at SUU in Cedar City we use to ski every other weekend at Brian Head Ski Resort. The resort has now grown into a village with condos, rental shops and a great pizza joint. Mark's friend Sean Stucki owns a cabin and property in Brian Head and he invited us to go camp there for the weekend. It was great to escape the 100 degree heat and enjoy 70 degree temperatures for the weekend. This would be Brianna's first camping trip and first camp fire. She seemed to love the whole experience. She was not the best sleeper in the tent and seemed to wake up every 2 hours to check to make sure I was awake she would say "you ok mommy?" I would reply yes Anna I am ok now go to sleep and we would repeat the process 2 hours later. On our way home from Brian Head we stopped at the Cedar Breaks National Monument and looked out over the beautiful red rock spires. Despite lack of good sleep and a few mosquito bites we had a great time!

Brianna and Preston were filthy by this point but they sure had a lot of fun doing it.



Preston going in for a Kiss much to Brianna's dismay



Preston and Brianna in their sweatshirts huddling to keep warm!



Mark, Luke and Preston getting ready to do smores!



Luke and Jill hanging out around the campfire.



The 3 of us near our campfire spot. I want you to notice the USU sweatshirt I am wearing, yes I am still a true Aggie despite moving to Dixie!



The 3 of us standing at a beautiful look out point near Brian Head. The Stucki Family built a wooden bench near this spot that you can sit on and contemplate the beauties of nature.



A picture of Preston and Brianna at a Cedar Breaks Look out point.