Precipitation, Perspiration, Parks, and Paychecks

First thing first . . . RAIN! Loving it. It's been scorching hot here, so when it got all crazy stormy yesterday we were pretty excited. It made for a very humid long run this morning, but it also made for a great day to hike in Zion.

Second thing, then . . . the long run. I couldn't resist registering for the marathon back in May, but the nearer it gets the more I realize how difficult it will be to be ready for it. I did 10 miles this morning, and it was hecka hard. It was also the farthest I've run since March of 2011, so I'm happy with it--but if a 10-miler hurts, I'm pretty worried about progressing to 26 in 12 short weeks. Runner troubles. Annoying, I know.

Off we go to third . . . Zion National Park: she's a beaut, ain't she? I jumped at the chance to go when I saw that it wasn't going to be 105 degrees today, and I'm so glad we made a day trip out of it. As bothersome as peak tourist season can be for us locals, it's lovely to make a regular appearance in that beautiful park. We women braved taking the children without man help, and it turned out surprisingly OK. I made Gavin and Paige carry their own food, water, and stuffed animal stowaways in their backpacks, promising a post-trip dollar if they could do it without whining or trying to pawn their loads off on someone else. They did a pretty good job of it. If Dax was old enough, he'd get a dollar, too, 'cause he was a happy hiker. Also along: Mama Jo, Kaelee, Sydney, Tatum, pregnant Heather, Jada, Caleb, and Beckham.

Leif got a flood call tonight, so he missed out on game night. I have a love/hate with flood calls. I hate it when he has to just jump up and go, no matter what we have going on. On the other hand, it's nice to have work to pay the bills, you know? Silly work. Why can't we just play all the time?

Looking forward to more rain tomorrow! Bring it.