Target Sells Happiness

I swear, it's true.

Today I bought myself a present.

A silly, impractical present.

I bought myself a Skyball.

What's a skyball, pray tell? Only the coolest bouncy ball on the planet- after of course, the Super Happy Fun ball.

I've wanted one of these for some time, but I kept reminding myself that I am 37 years old and I need to buy practical things like groceries and panty hose or 22 dollar skeins of alpaca wool for socks.

When Matt saw it he laughed and looked at me like I was crazy.

I took him outside and there we played in the road with my new red bouncy ball, seeing how high we could make it bounce and laughing as a car waited for me to chase my ball when it bounced into the street.

We bounced it higher and higher to see how much air we could get.

And we kept laughing, barefoot, in the street of our front yard bouncing the red bouncy ball.

And he got it.

And I love that I have a husband who gets it, who gets me.

If your inner child in needing to spend a little time being your outer child, this hits the spot.

Enough with the long posts

My last two posts have been a little heavy....and LONG.

Sorry about that.

I've had heavy stuff on my mind lately and writing it out seemed to help me get it in perspective.

Being that I am a yellow, I can only do heavy for so long before I need to return to my flibbityjibbit ways.

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This weekend we got the bedrooms moved around. We bought three new beds and set the girl's room up dorm style.

Romy was just a little bit tired, she fell asleep on her face after all of that work. Do you like that stain on the carpet at the foot of her bed? Rosie had an accident on the carpet and rather than go all the way downstairs and get the right cleaning supplies, Zane just squirted a ton of shampoo on the pee spot. Pee can be cleaned up, half a container of shampoo will stay in a carpet pretty much forever.

Grrr...

Matt gave Grey a haircut. Grey's hair grows slow but we can see from all of the temple pics that when it does grow out, it lays like Oscar the Grouch.

And finally, we would like to ask everyone to take a moment of silence for our beloved trash compactor. She died this weekend. She'd been in pain for a long time, when she'd crush the trash she'd make so much noise that we wondered if she was in labor. She's moved on to a happier place. A place where appliances run free and live in meadows, according to The Brave Little Toaster.

We're looking for a replacement, but new ones run at minimum $600.
Romy said we should just compost everything, but with 7 children, a simple compost pile would quickly become as large as the city dump. I don't think the neighbors would approve, although the dog would love us forever.

Release

I recently heard someone complain about how sad they were because of the "toxic relationships" they had in their lives.

My thinking wasn't "poor you" it was "then end the relationships."
Relationships are a choice and any one person in any relationship has the right to end that relationship, even if the other doesn't want it to end.

When I first met Matt, I had a close friend and our friendship was supremely dysfunctional, but I loved her a great deal and we had a long history together. She was never happy for me, never supportive of me, and always felt like anything good I had came at some cost to her. Few people could make me feel as worthless and small as she could.
Matt said to me "not all bonds are love" and spoke to me about how friendship shouldn't come at such a high price to my soul. Love adds to your life and while it isn't free and you have to work for it, the relationships don't require you to sell your soul. Just because you have bonded with a person, it does not mean that bond is love.
I cried and cried. I knew I needed to end this friendship. I delayed, and eventually she gave me an ultimatum. She didn't like "who I was with Matt" I needed to choose, her or my husband. Of course, I chose my husband and I also chose myself because I did like the changes I had made with myself.
She was angry- she accused, she backpedaled and she let me know what a lousy person I was. And golly, that didn't make me dump my husband and go back to her. I loved her, I still do, but the relationship was bad for us both.It was time to move on and if the relationship couldn't evolve, it needed to end.
It was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Way harder than my divorce. Way harder than childbirth. Way harder than even some of the crisis of faith I have had in my life. I still miss her.
And as hard as that was, letting go was the right thing.
In so many cases in our lives, letting go is the right thing.
God loves those people in your toxic relationships unconditionally and he will take care of them, you don't have to. Free both of you up to recieve his love and start to learn what a real friendship/relationship can be.
Ending that friendship showed me that I am stronger than I thought and I am not as messed up as I thought as well, that I can get out of bad relationships. I don't have to spend my days being treated like crap simply because someone who loves me, doesn't actually care about me. I am worthy of being loved and liked by others. I don't have to stay in some pit simply because someone who says they love me tells me that's all I deserve.

I believe in letting go.

I believe in crossing bridges and not looking back. Taking the energy to burn those bridges, isn't the same as letting go. Bridges are for crossing so you can get on with your journey. You cross them and then keep moving forward.
Recently I have become keenly aware that there are a few other relationships I need to just end. People who say they love me but are incapable of treating me with sincerity and love. People who do not see me for who I am, but they see me as some distorted version of their worst selves and they cannot let go of that. People who stab me in the back and people who lie to my face. Relationships I have worked on and tried to fix, but at the end of the day, they do not want a healthy relationship with me, they just don't know how to let go.

I know how to let go.
It may be a strength, it may be a weakness, but I am really good at letting go.

I'm a lousy martyr and I don't do 'bitter' very well either. I have a lot of weaknesses, a lot of faults but holding all of that anger inside and letting it brew just isn't one of them. I'm tired of being angry at hurt at those who simply cannot see past whatever issues they have about who I am as a person. By all means, if you don't like me, dump me. I'm not that needy, I'm not that insecure and I want those people to be happy and I don't make them happy. I bring out the worst in them and I never want to be anyone's albatross. I'm tired of being something that causes another person to be stuck in a place they are not happy in either.
So, for another season in my life I am letting go, I am crossing a bridge I have no intention of returning to. I am making the choice to say "stop" when the other person will not. And I will hurt, and they will hurt and then, without one another to keep picking at one another's wounds, we will heal and it will be okay.....ust not together anymore.
I can only be kicked in the teeth so many times by the same people before I bail.
I'm ready now.

Sunday Musings

My throat is raw and I feel like I was hit by a truck, so I missed church and stayed in bed this morning.

I've signed up for one more LOAD challenge in May, I know I failed the last two, but I'm not quite ready to give up scrapbooking completely. This challenge is all about finding your personal style, and if I can focus on that, I can make the process less complicated and chaotic.

I've taken steps to streamline my out of control hobby and have given away a ton of idea books and supplies. Even the expensive stuff I HAD to have, but never used like my QuiKutz. That baby was 90 bucks and the dies were 120 bucks a set and I've used the think less than 10 times in 7 years. Time to let if go to someone who will use it, or who will at least not feel guilty when they don't use like I did.

I am going to be more relaxed this time, digital layouts like the one above will count. My goals are less lofty because next month i also want to learn this stitch:

It's time to take on another knitting challenge and learn to read patterns and a simple cable knit design. I'm ready to take my socks up to a new level.

You read it here first and will continue to have to read it here until you absolutely DIE from boredom.

---

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the parable of the bridegroom/bridesmaids.

There have been some events that have happened that have made this story really press on my mind. Our temple sealing was something we waited and waited for. We worked for it as well, but a lot of the process, involved waiting by the proverbial door, keeping the lamps filled so that when the door opened, we could enter.

When we got that letter stating that the season was here, we were ready to act pretty quickly. We'd known it was coming for some time, so it required us to make a few calls and throw together a party if we wanted to. We were able to enjoy the blessings and we were thankful for that. I am not saying we did anything spectacular or mind boggling here, but we were required to stand by the door, and keep our lamps filled.

My testimony was strengthened by it. It was difficult at times and we struggled when there were forces around us that tried to prevent us from the goal of what we knew was something very important to our family. It was hard when there was a person did everything they could do to deny us that blessing. It's hard enough when the forces of the adversary work against you, it's a completely different level of difficult when those forces have a name and a face. Easy to shake your fist at the devil, harder to contain yourself when it's a real person.

It was hard not to focus on that, hard not to feel like maybe we weren't wanted by the Lord and maybe we were kidding ourselves that the door would ever open.

We were required to leave it all at the Lord's feet and keep doing what we knew was right for our family. So we kept adding oil to that lamp, kept doing our best, kept having faith and hope. We were not without our failures, but we hung in there until at last, that great and happy day was upon us. And it felt wonderful and it felt right and it felt like nothing I can describe, really, so I'll quit trying to. Suffice it to say it was more than Matt and I ever dreamed it would be. Absolutely worth it.

The journey doesn't end there, but we had been blessed beyond measure.

I'm trying to find a way to talk about that other side of the coin that had a profound effect on me as well.

I thought about the times in life when I wasn't ready for things, when the doors to blessings were opened and I wasn't prepared and I had to wait while I got my act together and then...the season passed. I often underestimate what a huge role patience played in that parable, I thought it was always about working hard to keep that lamp filled. I realize now that the hardest part for me was having patience until that blessing came. Not knowing or being able to control WHEN the good part came was so hard. Keeping my watch, keeping my chin up never knowing if it was just around the corner, or months and years away.

I can't know how many doors that were opened, filled with blessings that I missed because I wasn't ready, or I got impatient. I can't live my life looking back and wondering what was missed, but I cannot just pounce on forward and pretend that there wasn't a price for my choices, either.
If I don't learn from those missed things, I am destined to repeat them. After having successfully achieved an amazing goal and enjoyed the blessings from such, I don't really want to learn lessons the hard way like I once was so eager to do.

All that God has to teach us, we will learn. We will learn those lessons in love and if we refuse to learn them in love, we will learn them in pain.

I choose love.

I need to now have the patience and wisdom to follow through with that choice because while the painful lessons can keep one busy and excited and feeling "alive" in some sense, the gentle, loving lessons feel so much better.

It's not just about keeping that lamp filled it' about having the faith that the door WILL open and when it does, the blessings and rewards will be beyond measure.

It will always be worth it.

It will always be more than what you thought it would be.

It will always bring you joy.

Nothing brings to light the truthfulness of being patient, keeping your lamp filled, and being ready for when the moment comes that reading about the story of how sweet Nathan came into our family. Lori and Brent were ready and when that door opened, they were there and brought not only their son, but many other children of parents who weren't quite so ready home. They were featured this weekend in the Deseret News this weekend and I was reminded once again at what an example my sister in law is to me and that blessings from the lord aren't just good feelings in your heart, they are often concrete, very real things. Real things like a sweet little boy who makes eye contact now and lets others hold him- as long as Mama is close by. Real things like a forever family.

Lori's right when she says God doesn't short change anyone.

So tired....

Today was a really busy day, I am so tired, I was ready to hit the sack probably at 2:00 by the afternoon, but that wasn't going to happen.

We started off the morning with an early scrimmage in Farmington. The JV team got to play DC Rugby and it was good to see the boys get more aggressive and confident as they played longer. Zane played the whole game.

When the ball is thrown in from off sides, they lift up the tallest kid who plays lock (they can lift anyone, but the lock is usually one of the big guys.) Zane is one of the tallest guys on the team, even though he is the youngest.

He ran his butt off today and we were really proud of him. I'm finally understanding enough of the game that I pretty much know what's going on all of the time. Matt is becoming a rabid fan, reading books and really happy to have a kid in a sport that he can get into. For some reason, this is more exciting than 5 year olds twirling around on empty soccer fields- it could be the addition of concussions and blood.

They played yesterday as well, the varsity team and it was a brawl. Scoring didn't come easy for either team and there were a lot of injuries and amazing tackles.

It's incredible to watch now that I understand the rules.
I can understand why die hard Rugby fans think Football is a sissy sport.


The day was so beautiful, that when we got home Roe and I planted some flowers in the front yard. We pulled the weeds around the tree in the front and planted so many blooms, I hope we can keep them alive.
I've had a bit of a black thumb when it comes to the front yard.
This year, after much thought we have decided not to do a garden this year. I need to move the garden to another part of they yard and we just don't have it in us to get that done before we need to get things planted. We spent a lot of money and time watering a mud hole last year and I think this year, we'll just skip it.
It's been a challenge to grow food we will actually eat each year and this year I wanted to get some berries in and start a grapevine, but I think I'll just focus on keeping the fruit trees alive and if I feel especially in tune with nature on of these days, I'll try and work on doing some actual landscaping in our jungle yard.
Matt assured me I'm still a good person if I bag the garden this year.

If he's wrong...then the 'sin' of not having a garden this year falls on his head, right? The sin of murdering most of what I plant every year falls on me, so I have to pass the buck for my gardening failures somewhere.

Next year I'll make up for it. I'll have the best garden in the whole world. We'll grow everything and unicorns and rainbows will sprout up from the ground and fill the world with happiness, all from my garden, just you wait and see.
Either that or zucchini.

I shouldn't blog when I'm this tired, sorry. I sound like a blabbering nincompoop.

Words That Will Ruin Your Day....

1.repeat root canal

2. antibiotic pack

3.pain

4.this is going to be a two appointment process

5.cracked porcelain

6.you may have absorbed epinephrine into your bloodstream

7. pain

8. it looks like the Novocain drained into your eye

9. unexplained bleeding

10.granulation

11. you may feel some pressure

12.pain

13. I'm going to need to use the bigger instruments

14. cauterize the whole area

15. side effects of the medication

16. pain

I had two different appointments today for two different issues, both resulting in painful treatments. The first hurt so bad that I left with a prescription for pretty heavy medicine, which was good because the second was just as painful, only with a different body part and doctor number two didn't need to give me any pain pills, thanks to horrible procedure number one.

To take enough pain medicine to offset the hurting, I get nausea.

I'm not really having a very good day.

And Now Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Boring Life

The past 5 days three more of our kids had spring break. I think it's crummy when schools do spring break over a weekend, but what can you do? Emma Kate and Jane all had break Friday, Monday and Tuesday. On Monday Matt took the day off and we took the kids to Jamba Juice and a movie.

Emma got to pick the movie and since we only had three kids, we splurged and got them all snack packs as well. Normally we make the kids split a tub of popcorn and two large drinks. It was a treat to let each kid have their own popcorn, drink and candy.

I don't really enjoy going out to movies, but oh, how I love me some movie theater popcorn. No butter, lots of salt and for some reason, paying 6 bucks for 60 cents worth of popcorn just tastes better.

Today I had kids scheduled to go to the dentist, so we met Matt at his work to have lunch in the AMEX cafeteria and after I dropped the big boys off at the dentist, we went to Marie Callendar's for a slice of pie. it cost 22 bucks to feed everyone lunch at work- 40 bucks just to get the kids only each a slice of pie. Sheesh.

It was a busy Spring Break for eveyone but now all of the spring breaks are over. 7 kids in 6 different schools make for an interesting calendar sometimes.
Tomorrow I have a root canal and a doctor's appointment.
The fun never stops.

More Pictures

I know people are probably sick of reading about Saturday, but it's my blog so if anyone is bored, I hear http://www.dooce.com/ has some really funny stuff these days, or http://www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/ is always good for a laugh.

Okay, I don't read either of those blogs.
Dooce makes me sad and SSB isn't that funny IMO.
If you want a funny Blog and you're LDS, I always crack up at http://www.groundhogdaywithceliafae.blogspot.com/ .

Anyway-- I had a point...More sealing pictures.

These were taken by my sister Sunnie that day before the big event. We planned to do portraits on the day, and now I'm glad she got called in to work and we did them the day before. It gave us the time and ability to take as many as we wanted, and also it showed me that using the flat iron to make my hair stick straight, even at the ends was not my cutest look.

So-- here are my favorites.


That's my hubby. One of the first things that attracted me to him was that he has the ability to be completely silly and he'll do anything for a laugh.


This will look wicked cute when we print it up full size.

I loved how the blossoms looked against the temple. We stood on a bench for these shots, but they turned out great.

getting Greyson to stand on the flowerbed was a challenge. It short circuted his Asperger's mind, he knew it was wrong and you were supposed to stand on the grass, not in the flowerbed. While it took longer to get the shot, I was kind of glad that he knows to show respect for something like that.

I know the kissing pictures are only wonderful to me and Matt, but I'm never going to be sick of smooching this guy.

That should be all of them...............until Brian sends up the ones he took. :P

We Love To See The Temple

Here are a few of the pictures my sweet mother in law took as we were coming out of the temple yesterday.

If you hadn't already guessed, we were just a teensy bit happy.

Best. Day. Ever.

Yesterday was our big day!! Matt and I were sealed in the Jordan River Temple!!
For those who read who are not LDS, our church teaches that you can get married not only until death do you part, but for time and all eternity. In order to be married forever, you need to be sealed in the temple.
There are a few extra hoops to jump through when it isn't your first marriage and it can often take more time. because of this, Matt and I had a civil ceremony first 3 years ago and waited for all of the paper work to clear so we could have a temple sealing. The paperwork came through a few weeks ago and we decided to plan a big party and make that commitment we made to each other one that would last forever and ever.
He's officially stuck with me forever now. :)

It was hard not to talk about it before, but when you have a "complicated" blended family issue, you have to take steps to make sure important events don't leak out to the bitter people who would make sure they did something to ruin it.
Thankfully, everything went off without a single hitch.
We had a wonderful ceremony at the temple with family and some close friends. It was the single most important event in my entire life. Without the marriage there can be no family and without the family, there can be no eternal happiness.
My marriage brings me so much happiness.
I never knew this kind of joy could exist and I am still blissfully in love with my husband. Now, I can rest easy, knowing that as long as we keep the covenants we made in the temple, that marriage can last forever.
We had a pretty big reception at the Stake Center afterwards. We had the cake from our civil ceremony replicated, only with the color toned down. We had a big dessert table filled with cupcakes made by my sweet friends at church and I made key lime cupcakes- a new recipe for me. We had the oreo and cake balls, mint brownies, mini cherry cheesecakes, lemon balls from Sam, cookies and our favorite- orange soda.


My sisters were all there and they were so much help. Lisa helped fix little girl hair and set up everything. Brent and Lisa helped watch the kids while we were at the temple. Lindsey served as my escort at the temple and that was so very special to me. Brian served as Matt's. Sunnie took pictures for us at the reception and at the temple the day before. Lisa sang "our" song at the reception. Caleb and Shell stayed waaay past a very hyper Abbie's bedtime to help clean afterwards. I cannot express how thankful I am to all of your help and to those who traveled up to support us and celebrate with us. I'll post a photo album on facebook.
Check out my beautiful baby sisters. This is the only one we took where one of us wasn't pinching another sister. We always do that, right before you take the picture, at least one sister has to pinch the other's bum. Sunnie tried to get me but I think she ended up getting Lindsey in one, I got Lisa good in another.

The teenagers decorated the family car with help from Aunt Lori and Uncle Brent. The little punks put Oreos all over the windows that wouldn't stick at first so Katie helped out by licking all of them.

You know, it's that extra bit of effort you put in that makes all of the difference in vandalizing your parent's car.

I think everyone had a great time. The food was great, the company was great and we had a kid's art table set up so that people didn't have to leave just because the kids were bored. There were NO bored kids at our reception. There were also no people that didn't leave without more sugar than anyone should ever comsume in one day.

I am so tired, but what a happy wonderful day.

Life is good and finally, finally, Matt and I are a forever family.

Thanks Mom and Dad Olson for raising such an incredible son. Your parenting has shaped him into the amazing guy he is and I promise, I'll love him forever and always appreciate the great upbringing he had.

Thank you for not killing him when he put his bum through your wall and when he snuck out in High School.

Betty Crocker Can Kiss My Grits

Today I cooked up a storm for an event we have tomorrow.

I've already made cookies and mint chip brownies.

Today I finished up the rest of the yummy treats I'm making.

White chocolate & strawberry cake balls/truffles.

Key Lime Cupcakes...Mini cherry cheesecakes......And I dipped the Oreo truffles as well in milk chocolate and in mint milk chocolate.I'm exhausted.

Does anyone want to come and clean my kitchen?

Stripey Socks

I finished them!! The socks I made from the wool I dyed with Koolaide are finally done! They fit perfectly and I love love love them.

They make my feet look huge, but my feet are huge.

They are thick and warm and make me smile.

Words about Wednesday

It's been a busy, busy week. Lots of cleaning, lots of cooking, lots of stuff on the calendar.

Yesterday I made oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies with Romy. She loves to cook and I have to say, she's good at it, too. She has a knack for knowing how to mix things thoroughly, she can make the cookies all the same size and she is a great help when I'm making candy. She's the only kid I have who can keep the hot candy from burning on the stove and still manage to carry on a conversation.
Sure, the conversation is about kittens and unicorns, but still, she's a good cook.

Matt and the big boys went to the Jazz/Suns game last night. The tickets were in the nosebleed section, but it was the last regular game of the season and it had sold out. They retried Larry Miller's number and Micheal Ballam sang the National Anthem. That had to be weird, seeing Satan open the game.
It should have been an omen. The Jazz got crushed.

Since most of us in this house are actually from Arizona, we didn't feel that bad. The Suns were in the finals the summer I was pregnant with Parker. I'd joked that if they won, I'd name him Majerlie. They didn't win and I probably (hopefully) wouldn't have done it anyway, but there were a LOT of Majerlies born that summer, as well as kids with the initials "KJ" and kids named Barkley in the valley of the sun that season. Parker was spared because this guy just couldn't do everything.
But we still love you, Charles Barkely. I still think you're way cooler than Shaq.

While the big guys were at the game, Grey and Romy helped me mop the floors and were rewarded with pizza. for the record, as much as they sucked before, Domino's has revamped their recipe and they have the best pizza now. It's gone from being nasty stuff we never would eat to our family favorite.
The kids went to bed by 9pm and Mom enjoyed a nice quiet evening knitting in bed and watching Star Trek re-runs.

Boys are Gross, but I Love Them

Warning, gross picture post ahead.

The first picture, not so gross. It was taken with my cell phone so it looks crappy, but it's not going to make you puke.

You may roll you eyes because it's another knitting picture, but you shouldn't puke.

If you do, it's you, not me. I still haven't finished my Dr. Suess inspired socks, I'm at the boring part where it's just row after row of straight knit and that part always is the hard part for me because it's all the same stitch forever. I should have it done after knit night this week, though.

As I struggle to push through the boring part, I like to start my next project, so I've started a new pair of socks. While they are all exactly the same to my three readers, these are different- a thinner yarn than I have used before and I am using a smaller needle.

Now that's I've lured you in with that exciting update...on to the grossness.

A few months ago Grey slammed his thumb in a car door. It was black and nasty and he thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Boys.

We knew eventually the nail would come off, but it seemed to hang on forever. It was disgusting and to make it worse, Grey was so proud of it and was playing with it all of the time and showing us when it got a new air bubble.

So gross.

Again...Boys.

This week he noticed when he showered it got even more air bubbles than normal and he knew this was the big week he'd been waiting for....the nail was coming off.

Gross. Gross. Gross.

Yesterday he took TWO showers, not because he was dirty (why would a BOY shower if he's merely dirty?) but because it was the big day, he could feel it in his little boy gross bones.

After shower #2 he ran downstairs as though it were Christmas.....the nail was off.

He proudly showed Dad and I and as we held back the gag reflex we praised him on a job well done. I'm not quite sure what he accomplished, but he's never been this proud of a report card.

(Okay, he shouldn't be that proud of his report cards, but you get the point.)

He asked if I would take a picture so he could always remember this.

Again, it's not something he's ever said about a report card.

So, here you go, my kid's nasty gross mangled thumb, minus the bloody gross nail.

It was SO worth two showers in one day.

Book of Mormon Marathon 2010

When I was a kid, about once a year we would hold a Book of Mormon Marathon. My folks has VHS tapes that covered the reading and pictures from the children's picture book version of the Book of Mormon. It typically lasted all day long and the rules were that you could eat, draw or whatever, but you had to stay awake and you had to be able to see the TV from wherever you were camped out at from the beginning of tape 1 to the end of the Book of Mormon.

It was one of those times we got special treats and store bought candy.

We've been meaning to do that here, but finally got around to having it this weekend.

Every kid got blankets and pillows and picked a spot to see if they could do it......

Emma and Kate got out their yarn to crochet during the marathon, Dad got to bring his laptop so he could work on his talk for church.

Jane built herself what looked to me like the world's most uncomfortable fort out of laundry baskets and had her bag of treats handy.

Grey also had a laundry basket fort...

Zane claimed the couch

Parker fell asleep 5 minutes into it. I'm not thrilled with his effort.

Since the Book of Mormon DVD is much shorter now than it was when I was a kid, we had the marathon include the Old & New testament as well. That made for about 7 1/2 hours of scripture DVD's.

All of the kids (except for Parker) made it and the reward for this feat was not only a great sense of accomplishment but a trip to Leatherby's ice cream parlor.

If you completed the whole marathon, you got to order whatever you wanted from the menu.

Jane ordered a banana split.

She managed to eat less than half of it, but she was sure excited to have it.

Zane, Kate and Emma got shakes and Grey and Roe got just a small dish of ice cream, only Jane had eyes that were way bigger than her stomach, but Kate and Grey helped her almost finish her giant treat.

We're definitely going to do this again next year and everyone is really proud of themselves for completing the marathon.

Mom fell asleep for the last half of the New Testament. I didn't get any ice cream, so I played by the rules, too. :)