Spread the News

The Howell Family (Kenneth, Tamara, Mindy, Jason, Brenda, Geoff, and Adam) are attempting to have a blog to inform everyone of what is going on in the whole family. It's off to a slow start, but if anyone wants to check it out, click on the Howell News link to the right. Everyone is supposed to write there at least once a month.

Don't Give Up on Me

I'll be back, I promise...just the moving stuff is keeping me busy!

Last Time Runs

We are moving soon and I was thinking today as I ran a very familiar route that it might be the last time I run that particular route. It was actually the first regular route I ran...3.3 miles of fun! It's kind of a bittersweet thing. It will be fun to have new places to run, and I can be happy running anywhere, but my feet have pounded that same pavement for a year and a half now.

Adventures Before Violin

We had time to kill before Aubrey's violin lesson today, and we had all sorts of fun adventures.

The first one was when I was sitting in the car waiting for Aubrey to come out of school. (It was a long wait, because Aubrey forgot.) So, I'm sitting there, and all of a sudden I see two boys kicking a boy in the stomach who is laying on the ground. I jumped out of the car automatically, and started walking over there. They stopped and dispersed before I got there, which was probably a good thing. I started looking at those boys, and realized that they were all bigger than I am. I have no idea what I thought I was going to do! I really don't think kids nowadays would listen to a grown up that said, "Hey, stop that!"

Then, we got near Aubrey's teacher's house, and since the day was extremely perfect, we decided to go for a little walk. So we walked around, and came to a nice little hill. The kids rolled down it over and over, and I rolled down it once. I think I'm still a little woozy from that. They had a blast! Then, we saw a dog right by a fence there with a ball in his mouth. It was the funniest thing. That dog knew exactly what it was doing. Cooper went over there, and the dog tossed the ball through the fence with his mouth. Then Cooper threw it back over the fence. They did that back and forth for awhile, until Cooper got tired of it, then Tyler took over.

When it was time to go to the lesson, the boys wanted to walk over, so I pointed out the street, and told them to walk there and sit on her porch. I went with Aubrey and got the car. We got to Aubrey's teacher's house, and... no boys. They weren't there. I walked around trying to find them, and couldn't, got the car and drove around for awhile.... and at this point I'm starting to panic. It was literally two minutes that they weren't in my sight, and they were just gone! Finally I heard them call me. Tyler thought I said to go left, instead of right, and there were no streets turning left, so they found a little alley thing. All's well that end's well...but I sure hate the feeling of having lost kids.

During the lesson, Tyler and Cooper were perfectly behaved. They sat quietly next to me and read the entire time. This is a miracle. So, I took them for an ice cream cone afterwards. So, what do you think of our adventures today? Definitely a day to remember...

It's Getting Cold

I underestimated my clothing needs this morning. The view out the window was sunny, not too windy...looked nice. So I put on a t-shirt and capris. I should have turned around and put something else on when I felt that first burst of chill, but I thought, oh, I'll warm right up...just keep running. So, I ran. And froze. For 4 miles I ran and froze. My arms are still feeling numb, after a hot shower. I love running in this cooler weather, but it is hard to figure out what to put on, that's for sure.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Last week we went to Parent Teacher Conferences for our boys. It was kind of funny. We went to Cooper's teacher first, and she says "We need to talk about his reading level." Brandon and I look at each other...we know what's coming. "He's reading at a 4th grade 5th month level. I've never seen this before." We're like, yeah, we've seen it before. Old news. Anyway, so here we go again. It was the same thing with Aubrey and Tyler. For some reason, our kids read at a much higher level, and astound their teachers. They don't know what to do with them. The school's solution for Aubrey and Tyler was to move them up a grade. We'll definitely not do that with Cooper. I think has been fine for Aubrey, but was a mistake with Tyler. Which brings us into Tyler's parent teacher conference. He's not doing so well. His teacher is rather clueless, which is a bad thing when dealing with Tyler. I don't know what we're going to do there. Tyler says he's going to be an artist or a baseball player when he grows up, and you don't need English to be an artist or a baseball player. I told him he might want to have a back up plan.

This is Me

For all of you who have stuck with reading my boring blog for so long... I thought you might want to know a little bit about me. That's me, in the picture. I could pretend that I am 5'8", 110 pounds, and gorgeous. I could pretend that I have big boobs, perfect abs, and long legs. I could pretend that I run every single day, and I ran a half marathon in an hour. I could pretend that I have a masters degree, am working on the cure for cancer, and read intellectual books all the time. I could pretend that I am organized, self-motivated, and have a perfectly clean house. I could pretend that I am a perfect mother, and my home is a sanctuary of peace and harmony. I could pretend that I practice my violin hours a day, and perform all over the world. I could pretend that my volunteering in my church is without flaw, and I read my scriptures all the time. OKAY, enough with the pretending!!! I'm 5'2", 118 pounds, obviously NOT gorgeous, I have no boobs, my abs have been through 3 kids, and how long could my legs be when I'm only 5'2"? I ran a half marathon in BARELY under 2 hours, and if I try hard, I get 3 or 4 days of running in a week. I am a college dropout, and I most enjoy reading fluff. My house is a mess most of the time, and I have a hard time getting myself up off my butt to clean it. Frankly, I suck as a mother, and get exasperated with my kids daily. Hourly. Every stinkin' minute. I get my violin out when I teach lessons, and never practice for myself. I read my scriptures when I remember to, and even then I fall asleep sometimes. That's me in a nutshell. I'm not perfect. I'm not even great, but I actually am pretty happy with myself. I'm a wife and mother. I'm a runner. I'm a violinist. I want to be a good person, and I really try. Those are things to be proud of. Those are some of the things that make me who I am, along with all of the imperfections. And let's face it, what fun would life be if we were all perfect?

My Newest Niece

No, this isn't my newest niece. This is Molly the BIG SISTER of my newest niece. Isn't she adorable?

Here she is...Annie Eliza Oyler. How can you not love the dimples? She's a cutie pie, just like her big sister. Congratulations Hannah and Jake!!! Oh, and thanks for letting me steal pictures from your blog.

Running Out of Steam

For some reason it has been harder to make myself get out there and run lately. I didn't end up doing another longish run while on vacation, and I had to argue with myself forever yesterday before I finally kicked my butt out the door and ran 3.7 miles. After I run, I'm glad I did it, and I feel good during the run, and I KNOW that's how I'm going to feel, so why am I having a hard time getting started? Lots of things in life are like this... I know when I clean my house I am so much happier, and I feel great about it, but getting started? Ha! I can't make myself. Why, when we know the outcome, do we resist?

My Three Kids

This morning I sent my wild kids off to school. I was still so tired from a long weekend away from home, and I didn't have to teach lessons, so I went back to bed. I know, I know, LAZY!!! So, after I went back to bed I had a dream, and it was so real and powerful, that I can't stop thinking about it. It doesn't sound like much to tell, but the emotions behind it were very real. I was sitting on the floor, and I saw my kids in the room. They were at school, and I knew that, but I didn't ask why they were home. I understood that it was a gift. So, I told them to come to me, and they came over to me, and we all hugged and cuddled together. I could feel their little arms around me, and it was so peaceful, and comfortable. We stayed like that for awhile, and then, they were gone. That was all that it was, but it was enough. I've learned something valuable, and I think that dream was revelation for me.

A River From Our Hike

This was Brandon's favorite view from our hike.

This and That

I ran 7.1 today, in perfect running weather. What a great day! I am hoping to get another long run in this weekend... we will be out of town, so we'll see how that goes.

I'm wondering about my shoes. I thought I was done with the left foot pain, and that is creeping back in both pairs of shoes. The Sauconys are hurting my calves, but I'm wondering if I need the stability of them every once in awhile. I've been avoiding them lately. I really can't imagine that either pair is worn out, since they each have around 200 miles on them, and I weigh about 115. Hardly what I would call big enough to be wearing my shoes out sooner.

I'm finding the enthusiasm to get out there and run is waning a little bit lately. I'm not sure why, but it could be partly because of feeling a little overwhelmed with other things in my life right now. Sometimes running helps that, but other times it's just one more thing I need to get done.

I'm loving this fall weather. I know the picture at the top will shock any of my regular readers, since I have been too lazy to post any pictures yet on this blog... but I have to share a picture I took on that 8 mile hike we went on a couple of weeks ago. It's just too beautiful not to share. I love fall! Love love love it!!!

I put pictures on some of my other posts, so you can go back and reread them all, now that they're so much more interesting!

I Love Autumn

This is another picture from our hike. I wish fall was half the year! I love red fall leaves... I could look at trees like this for the rest of my life and probably not miss the green trees. Okay, maybe I might start missing them after 10 years or so...

A Bear Came to Visit

Yes, a black bear came to visit our neighborhood. My neighbor's little girl saw it right in front of our house, and they treed it 3 houses down. The news people are here and everything, so I'll post the news footage when it's available.

And...here it is:

Cub Captured In Rigby Neighborhood

By Kristy Kircher

Better look before you leap, a bear might just be blocking your path.
In Rigby another black bear was spotted running through a residential area.
Quite a rarity to see this many bears in local neighborhoods. But over the past 6 months, Local News 8 has reported 13 different bear cases, and their encounters with people.
Seven of which, were in the month of September alone.
After about thirty minutes of climbing trees, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, along with Idaho Fish and Game, were able to capture this cub-of-the-year black bear.
"It's unusual in this hot dry area. We've lost a lot of berries that's what we're looking for normally and, what made him wonder this far away from the mountains I couldn't tell you," says Clark Shackelford, Idaho Fish and Game.
The cub was found wondering the east side of Rigby.
Officers cornered the baby bear, and with no place to go, the cub headed up.
Andrew Sorensen, of Idaho Fish and Game, climbed the tree in hopes to get the bear back down.
"They think they can hide at the very top and if you just keep taking them to the top then eventually they have no where to go," says Andrew Sorensen, Idaho Fish and Game.
Sorensen looped a catch pole around the cubs neck, and began to drag the animal down the tree.
With the help of co-worker Clark Shackelford, the two men were able to ground the bear, and cage him.
"The little guys should be more scared of us. They just want to find a place to hide and eat in comfort," says Shackelford.
As of now, the cub will be sent up to a lab in Boise, from there specialists will determine where the bear will end up.
Officers advise not to leave any food outdoors or do anything that might entice bears to your neighborhood.
It has been a dry summer and bears are looking for food to hibernate.

A Bear!

Breaking news to add to the last post!!! My friend just called me to tell me that the sheriff has a bear treed right near my house. Right by where I ran past just a couple of hours ago. And my next door neighbor said her little girl saw it...right in front of my house!!!! Maybe I should rethink this rural thing....

I just added the picture. It's just an itty bitty thing...although I'd probably freak out if I was out there and ran into it, because I'd be wondering where its mama was!

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

I'm back!!! Yay! I ran 4.9 miles today, and it felt GOOD! I still feel slightly under the weather, but hell if I'm going to let that stop me this week.

When I was about a mile into my run, the sun was coming up over the mountain. It was so beautiful, and so inspiring. I just ran towards it and soaked it in. Then, I saw a movement. The sun was in my eyes, so it took me a moment to realize that it was......yes, a CHICKEN! Running across the road! Right in front of me! It struck me so funny, and really made my run. (The fact that I didn't see one single loose dog also helped the awesomeness of this run.) I love that I live in a place where I can see a chicken running across the road on my morning run. This somewhat rural place I live in is becoming less and less rural by the day. When we moved in we were a small subdivision surrounded by fields. Now we are a small subdivision surrounded by large subdivisions. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some great people moving in, and I'm glad to have them as neighbors, but there are the days that I mourn my views of fields.

Years ago Mr. Blue Eyes and I found our dream building lot. You got to it by driving on a lane up a hill, through a field. There was an extremely old house there, beyond repair, but it had trees around the house. When you were standing on this land, you could look out across the valley and see patchwork fields forever. It was so beautiful! This land wasn't really for sale, but I still dream that it could be mine someday. I love small towns, fields, open spaces, and yes, I have even grown to smile at those farm smells that my husband loves. I'd much rather fill my lungs with the sweet smells of the country as I run past fields and cows, than fill my lungs with the fumes of exhaust. So, chickens, come on out! You can run with me anytime!