Is that what I think it is?!?

Yep....it's exactly what you think it is.....that's Dad on his new Harley and even Cash got a chance to sit on it and feel the rumble of the classic!

We had a wonderful 'vacation' (a 2 day runner) at Mom and Dad's and even got to spend a little time hanging out with Gramps! Mom and Dad took over as babysitter's of the year and watched Cash for Brent and I so we could go enjoy a movie (The Hangover) -- it takes a bit to get warmed up to the idea of so many bad words and images, but by the end you're nice and calloused and can laugh with the rest of the crowd!

I have lots more pictures from the weekend, so.....you guessed it.....another slideshow will be popping up shortly! I figured I'd better get these Harley pics up asap! :)

Congrats on your new bike Dad!!! Hang on tight Mom!!! We love you -- thanks again for the fun weekend, can't wait to get together again.....Cash will be ready to terrorize your house by then!

The Half

July 12th, 6 a.m. -- the start of my first half marathon -- a little recap:

Let's start off with July 11th, packet pickup day. I parked on the outskirts of downtown (I'm still not driving downtown Missoula), pulled Cash's stroller out and got him all situated. Off we went. Clear downtown, searching and searching for this big 'pavilion' where I was to pick up my packet and Heather's. Hmmm....not seeing anything. I hate downtown Missoula. We stop in at Runner's Edge where I am informed that the pavilion is less than a block from where I parked. Perfect. Back we go. I get to the packet pickup area and am instantly in awe. This is HUGE! Here I thought I was just going to run with a few people around Missoula. Turns out there was over 2000 applicants between the full, half and relay. Wow! Now I'm nervous! I grabbed mine and Heather's packet (she wasn't able to run due to an injury....bum deal -- we're planning a Whitefish 1/2 marathon in Sept) -- that was the most expensive t-shirt I've ever bought. $65 entry fee, a few papers with other races, an 'around Missoula' magazine, a postcard and a t-shirt. Okay, maybe there were a few more things in there, but that's all I remember. Ouch. Is this really going to be worth it???

Cash and I hung out at home to make sure that I wasn't too tired to run 13.1 miles. I don't know that staying home made it that much easier, but I'm sure glad I did....minus the s'mores that I ate for my prerace meal. Oops. We really can't have that stuff in our house, I have no self control at all!

Race day:

3:50 am -- get up, start the coffee (praying it'll help get things moving before the race). Think about showering....throw that idea out, I'm running 13.1 miles....all I'm going to do is sweat more, what's the point of getting cleaned up just to do it again in a few hours? Throw a little water on my face and start drinking coffee. Make a protein shake and drink more coffee. Get a text from Heather saying she's not going to make it. Darn....I don't want to ride the bus by myself. I'm a baby. Grab my music player....thought I was charging it last night, turns out I just ran the battery down to next to nothing. Hell, how am I going to run with no tunes? Make a deal with myself: tunes for the last 2 miles to get excited about finishing and maybe help pick up the pace. Deal.

4:30 am -- get in the car and back out the driveway, maybe a little reluctantly. Am I really doing this? Nobody's even up, not even Rudy (the rooster). Ugh. Okay, I can do this. Turn on the radio and drink more coffee.....sing (loudly) to Blues Brothers "Minnie the Moocher". Getting pumped up now.

5:00 am -- pull into downtown, park the old car. Run into a god awful amount of people. Wow, this is REALLY huge! Walk past a guy that's passed out, head between his knees, hat sitting askew on his head, puddle of puke. Wow, could be worse....all I'm doing is running 13.1 miles. Get on the 1/2 marathon bus, now it's serious. I'm really going to the start line. Yikes!

5:30 am -- get off the bus, still praying for the coffee to kick in. Looks like I'm going to be running on a belly of coffee and some protein shake....and no pooping. Okay, maybe this is a bit much, but I was really stressed about this. Do you know how hard it is to run when you have to poop, especially if you have 2 miles before the next aid station?!? Chatted with some friends at the start....waited and waited for the race to start.

5:55 am -- made my way to the back of the line, where the slow people start....no joke. They never made that announcement, but they did ask the faster runners to go to the front and that only leaves one spot for the slow pokes!

6:00 am -- BOOM!!! The starting cannon goes off. I stand there.....a little longer.....a little longer....okay, let's walk a little. Hmmm....I always thought the start was going to be so much more exciting, but try getting 1400 people to move at 6 am and see what happens. I finally cross the starting line and I'm stuck. I can't do anything but run behind people. All I want is my own little section to run in. I finally pass a few people and take the edge of the road. Not too bad.

What a beautiful morning! The weather was just perfect, we ran along the river, over the 1 car bridge, through the city of Missoula. I loved it! I was running 13.1 miles when most people were still sleeping. I would be done before most people rolled out of bed.....before that guy with the puke puddle even came to from his night of boozing. Hard core.

Mile 1 -- This is easy. I wish this old lady would stop passing me, then walking, then I pass her, then she passes me and walks. Okay, if this keeps up the entire time I'm going to have to kick it in high gear and get around her. Do I have a 'high gear'?

Mile 2 -- Can't shake the old lady....focus on the beauty of the run. Waiting to see a moose, some deer....nothing. Oh well, saw an eagle and some mosquitos. Still amazingly beautiful.

Mile 3 -- Old lady is gone, run with a girl from Fargo, ND. Her and her husband ran the 1/2 in Fargo a few months ago. She said she was trying to run it in under 2 hours and 38 minutes. I'm keeping up....I can do this. She's gone within a minute. Okay, it'll take me a little longer!

Mile 4 -- Aid station somewhere in there. Really doing just fine, not feeling bad at all and my breathing is great. I love running!

Mile 5 -- Same old, same old. Still feeling good. Did I really just run 5 miles?!? Wow. I'm a professional! Ran next to a guy that looked like he was straight out of the military. Got sick of him too.....run slow, then speed past, then run slow. Am I just a rag when I'm running? Everything is frustrating me! Just let it go and run.

Mile 6/7 -- 'Running' next to a guy that's walking. Me: "You're a really fast walker or I'm a really slow runner!" Him: "It's New York, the average American walks 4 mph and the average New Yorker walks 4.5 mph". To myself: "I'm really slow!"...as he passes me.....walking. Have I hit my 'stride', if so, I'm going to have to work on that one.

Mile 8/9 -- Starting to get tired, trying not to pick up the guy's pace behind me. He's a 'shuffler' and all I can hear is his feet hitting the pavement. It takes all I have to concentrate on my own pace! Wish I hadn't run the battery out on my tunes....it was surprisingly nice to run without tunes and enjoy the sounds of the city and of 1400 people on the run. No tunes for me today, not even the last 2 miles. Get passed by the first marathon finisher....like I'm standing still. Amazing. Someday.....

Mile 9/10 -- Pass a guy that's looking rough, tell him he's doing great, we're almost there. He scoffs and says, "we still have 3 + miles". Okay, no more encouragement for him. Maybe he'll stop at the next aid station and hitch a ride back. I wouldn't feel bad. Way to bring a person down! 3 + miles. That's a long way. Not as long as 10 miles though. I RAN 10 miles! My goal was to run the entire thing and I'm not stopping now.

Mile 11 -- Are we there yet? This is a long way! Am I crazy to run like this? My knees and my foot hurt. Should've bought those new shoes when I said I was going to (bought them 2 weeks after the race, they feel good now!). Run through sprinklers, there's people sitting on the corners cheering us on, cops out stopping traffic. I'm a runner!

Mile 12 -- I hope the boys are at the finish line, this show is almost over. A guy passes me and tells the people on the sidewalk that he's ready for a beer. It's around 8:30. No....beer's not going to do it. I want corned beef hash with pancakes and a giant orange juice. I've gotta run faster, I'm starving!

Mile 13 -- I can hear the crowd cheering, the guy on the microphone, I can see balloons. Round the corner, coming up Higgins. Pass a guy with a giant cinnamon roll. Holy God! These people just got out of bed, I've been running for over 2 and 1/2 hours. I'm a runner! Coming over the bridge....where are my boys?!? There they are!!!! Yipee!! I think there were a few tears. I hear the guy call out my name, the crowd's cheering....for me? Run over and give Cash a high five, Brent yells some words of encouragement and I cross the finish line at 2 hours and 49 minutes. That took a LONG time! Doug's there too! Some lady hands me a bag and a water and directs me to the back of the finish area. The place is packed, everyone's full of smiles and congrats. I run into 2 girls I trained with, we hug and give big pats on the back. Watch a guy get wheelchaired out, sad....glad I could do this and still function afterwards. Get my time and it's time to go eat. I'm a runner.

When's the next one?

Post race:

We went to IHOP and ate an ungodly amount of food, then went to watch Tawni ride for another hour or so and headed home. Once we were home, Brent took over as dad of the year and watched Cash so that I could sit in the hot tub and get some much needed rest. Iced my knees.....a lot. I couldn't believe how sore I was! I figured I'd be sore, but my knees were really killing me! Now here I am, 2 weeks later. I went for a few mile run this morning (5 am) and felt okay, but questioned if I ever really finished that 1/2 marathon. I'm going straight home to hold my medal, just to prove it to myself. My knees are feeling better, my foot is still sore, but getting better every day. Next 1/2 marathon (only if my foot and knees are better) will be September 13th. I sure hope I can make it -- this is a lot more fun than I could've ever imagined! Happy trails!

**Click on the highlighted words for links to pictures of the race!

4th of July camping trip

I think I may say this in every post but -- this one's a little late, it's been busy around here -- :)

The 4th of July has come and gone this year with not one firework. We went up to Noxon reservoir with our friends Todd, Tracy, Amy and Randy. It was a great weekend with a little fishing, a little boating, some tanning and a few nights with great fires. The 4th we actually spent at camp sitting around the campfire and eating one too many s'mores. Is it just me or do those things get better as you get older? I know one thing: if there are leftover s'more makings it is best to send them home with someone else. I took on the task of eating 2 bags of marshmallows, 2 packages of graham crackers and 3 chocolate bars. Brent didn't even offer to help....strange! Oh, and Amy taught us that you can use chocolate covered graham cracker cookies and you eliminate some of the work. After taste testing the 'old way' vs. the 'new way' Brent and I both determined that the 'new way' actually produced a tastier s'more -- Cash can try it out next year!

Cash is such a great little camper! We put up the tent and set up his pack 'n play in it and the little guy slept like a rock. Not a peep! He caught his first fish (no pics, sorry)....I was reeling in a tiny one from the dock and Cash felt that it was the right moment to grab the pole, so that was his first fish -- or so the story goes. I see a lot more camping in our future!

As a matter of fact, we did a little camping this last weekend as well. We spent Friday through Sunday camping in Superior and watching softball. Brent was in a tournament all weekend so Cash and I hung out and did a lot of cheering, but mostly hung out in the kiddie pool. Cash had an absolute blast....even in the cold water! It was pretty warm out so I think it was a nice way to cool off for the little guy. Oh, and a Cash update: when he gets upset he'll start saying "dadadadda" -- working on his first word. I think it'll be Mommy! :) hahaha

I am putting up a slideshow of the past few weeks just to cut down on the whole uploading of one picture at a time. There's a few pics of Cash's first 4-wheeler ride, a nice tall buck in our front yard, some Superior softball and a few from the 4th.

Keep watching....one of these days I'll put up some pics from the 1/2 marathon (July 12) and review each step with ya! It'll be fun....probably about as fun as running 13.1 miles all at once. I know this may sound a tiny bit sick, but it was actually FUN!

We're Chicken Farmers!

Last year, or maybe it's been longer now....either way....I convinced Brent that we should take 7 chickens from a coworker that was getting rid of them and their little coop. So, we spent about 3 hours chasing chickens around a HUGE chicken coop. I am actually surprised that some of them lived after being pounced on! They made our place a home....a few died....a few were added and we are now the proud owners of 6 hens and 1 rooster (Rudy). Just a few weeks ago we added 5 little chicks to our little family. They are the cutest! I can't believe how fast they've grown! They're not half as cute now, but we still love 'em.

Play ball!

Most of our weekends are spent at the softball fields in Missoula during the summer....oh, and our Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Last year I would've included Fridays in there, but the co rec team plays a bit too late for Cash. He loves going to the ball fields -- I think it's all the girlie attention that he gets. A face only a mother could love....poor little homely kid....not once have I gone to a game where someone didn't scream "Cash!!!" and run over to give him extra lovin'.

This past weekend (after being too rattled to drive home post Missoula driving) Brent played in a 35 and over tournament (yep, it's official, he's playing 35 and older.....it happens to everyone!) and Cash and I went down to do some cheering. Turns out, it's not only the girls that love the little guy, most of the guys on Brent's team offered or asked to hold Cash. I couldn't believe it! Of course, this is the girl that held only one baby before Cash was born....I think Wyatt was pushing 9 months the first time I held him or saw him. I would've never asked to hold someone's baby. I couldn't believe that someone, especially a man, would be so comfortable with baby time.

A picture of our buddy Joe -- their team had a game in the early morning and then had to sit and wait until late afternoon to play, so he came over to cheer our boys on!

Oh, I forgot to mention -- Brent's team took 1st place! Champions! A shirt for everyone.

88-88-95

Cash had his 6 month appointment yesterday. He's officially 20 pounds, 27 inches and has a big head (I don't remember the exact number). He fell into the 88th percentile for both height and weight and in the 95th percentile for his head. He barely made a peep during the shots and spent most of the time chewing on anything that came near him, including the Doc's stethescope. The Doc told us he was perfect. Thanks Doc, we already knew! :)

Father's Day!!

A late Happy Father's Day to everyone! Wow...am I ever behind on this blogging! :) At least I'm getting it together now. Really, the only reason I'm getting back on the wagon is because I was supposed to go home to see Mom and Dad this weekend, along with Cash and Mika, but plans have changed. For what reason you ask?!? Because I drove in the city today. Downtown Missoula....city. No more driving for me, only blogging.

Anyhow, we went to Yellowstone and did the Old Faithful run as a family for Father's Day, stayed with my old buddy Barney and his wife Edine (what a great dinner they made us!!!), then fished between the lakes (Hebgen and Quake) on our way home. Brent and I both caught HUGE fish....okay, okay....they were little whities, but a fish is a fish! FISH ON!!!

I was a little worried about wet wading with Cash, but after watching Brent fish for a little bit, I just couldn't take it any longer. I had to fish! So I braved what I thought would be freezing cold water (turned out it wasn't so bad), waded out to the 'hot spot' and landed a monster! Brent and Cash waded across to the little island that I was on and caught the action on film. Unfortunately, Cash and I headed back to the pickup before Brent landed his monster, so I only got pics of him yarding one in before losing it centimeters from the net!

Wilkins Wedding

Our good friends, Scott and Katie got married just outside of Bozeman at Cottonwood Lodge on June 19th. We loaded up the family cruiser and headed over that way on Thursday....rolling into Bozeman with just enough time to pick up Brent's tux and head to the rehearsal in the park. We met so many great people at this wedding and I'm pretty sure that we've added a few hunting partners to the mix.

The wedding itself was probably the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen -- okay, so I've only really seen 3 including mine and my brother's! I can't believe that I'm 28 and have only been to 3 weddings....at least only 3 that I remember. Am I that old already?? The lodge was beautiful, the bride and groom looked amazing and the food was to die for. Oh, and not to mention the great tunes and lots of dancing!

Cash had a blast dancing and even got a haircut that night. We decided halfway through the reception that it was time for Cash's comb over to disappear. It just so happened that our new friend Xannie was there and she is a hairdresser by trade. Perfect. Cash went to the dressing room (boys only) and we prepared for a little screaming, some crying....something. And then....there was nothing. Cash thought it was pretty funny! He laughed and smiled the entire time while he lost about an inch and a half from his 20 long hairs. He looks much cuter now (not that he wasn't the cutest to start), Brent and I both are very impressed.

Girls Weekend

What a month this has been! Chaos. The second weekend in June had been chosen earlier in the year as our girls weekend. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend and we got to float the Blackfoot, go to Glacier, eat lots of good food and catch up on life. Ashley came over from WA, Amy from CO and Cat from OH.

We hit the Blackfoot on Saturday afternoon -- Cat and I sat in the front of the raft and directed the boat to every little ripple we saw. What a great time! I don't know that everyone else was as excited as we were to hit the good rapids at the beginning, but by the end we were all professionals.

The following day we drove to Kalispell and met up with Cat's grad school roommate, Michelle. We ate at the world renowned Moose's Pizza, then stopped off at the store after a quick hike to grab salad makings. We spent the night enjoying good food and playing dominos. Who knew that the Mexican Train Game could be fun after the age of 6? I'm pretty sure that the box said for ages 6 and older. I guess we count as 'older'. We all got to sleep in a little (while Michelle worked on the ranch....bums), then made the drive to Whitefish for a little shopping and then on to Glacier. Brent doesn't know how close he came to owning half of the antique and pottery store in Whitefish!!! We finished off the weekend with a hike to Avalanche Lake. It was soooo beautiful! Next year we'll add more girls....start planning!

I would've had more pictures on here, but I forgot to charge the camera battery....so that's all I've got! Just the rafting....our guide for the rafting trip was Cat's brother Seth; he brought along 2 friends and his girlfriend so we had a nice, full boat. The picture of Amy Simpson is post 'mosquito beach'. We had to shove off and pick her up in the water because the mosquitos were so bad -- she came running down the hill, splashed into the water and then I pulled her in. At least we know where NOT to stop next year!!! :)

Snaggletooth....for real!

Cash is soooo much fun! We couldn't have asked for a better baby!!!! He wore his Skechers from Wyatt today, still a little big, but he's getting close. Brent weighed him this morning on our scale and he was at 20.2. We'll see what the doc's scale says in a few weeks.

Cash has an actual tooth now. It has been confirmed, he bit Brent! :) It's been a big weekend for the little guy --- he rolled over for the very first time on his own yesterday (Grandma and Grandpa Olson got to see him do it minutes before they left), we found his tooth this afternoon and he was full on giggling this evening (Grandma Hobbs got an earful!).

Grandma and Grandpa Olson were here for the past week. Perfect week for them to come over -- our daycare lady has been on vacation in Hawaii for the past 2 weeks. So....Cash got extra G&G Olson time! Brent and I got to spend a few nights out and I think we've decided that we'd rather stay home! :) We got lots of new clothes from Grandma and Grandpa, plenty to grow into. My birthday present came early....a Brett Favre Packers jersey! Thanks grams and gramps! Now we're ready for our big one year anniversary gift to come. We're going to be going to the Green Bay/Vikings Monday night football game. Gotta go to the dome. I'll be wearing my Packers gear and Brent will be in his ViQueens gear. I'm thinking I should make a sign to take with, "a Vikings/Packers love story"....or, "yep, he married me!". We'll think of something!

Jenny & Jay!!!

Yipee! Our good buddies Jenny and Jay made it out to God's country to visit! Jenny is officially Cash's 'Godmother' and got to spend some great time giving him extra loving for a day or so. We made it over the mountain, saw some turkeys with their babies, ate great steaks at Lolo Steakhouse and made it to town to check out the competition (tea shops). What a great time! Thanks for coming to see us you guys! We're so proud of both of you and all of your accomplishments and send extra thank you's for all of your service....we're glad you're home! Loves!!! :)

1 Year

Happy anniversary to us! Yipee! One year and counting. Big night of pizza and movies....and a little relaxation.

I think this might be where we do a little reflecting on the past and what brought us together:

Brent and I met through softball in Missoula. It turns out we may have even played on the same teams (or possible against each other) years ago. So there I was....sitting in my spot on the bench (all the way at the end, sitting on my glove, usually being very quiet - yes, not the 'real' Amy we all know and love). Brent came up (he was one of the bat boys for our team that year) and informed me that my tag was sticking out. I informed him that I was starting a trend and to watch, it would soon catch on. And it's all history from there! We enjoyed a lot more softball that summer, lots of camping trips, 4-wheeler rides, fishing, hunting, good friends and family.

What's next? Ring shopping, of course!!! I cried. Yep, we went to the mall and Brent was being all sneaky, asking me if I were to have a ring, what would it look like. Well, we went to probably 6 different ring shops and there were crazy women (and men) pulling out thousand plus dollar rings and asking when we were getting married and how we met and all the bull that they're trained to bring up for small talk when trying to sell you an overpriced diamond. So....I cried. I hated it, I hated the rings, I started to wonder if I really was a 'woman'? I don't like diamonds, what kind of girl am I? The kind Brent still loved, even after my little show in the mall. So, to get that off of our chests, we went to the hockey rink. Brent had a game and I did lots of cheering and tried to put ring shopping out of my mind. The next week Brent contacted Pandora, a great little ring shop downtown and told them about his girlfriend who hated ring shopping, people oogling and hated diamonds. He asked if I would go with him to this shop and he must have given them the perfect rundown on me because it was a wonderful experience! We picked out my stone (white sapphire) and the setting, ordered it and headed home in less than an hour. Whew. Not so bad.

The big proposal.....drum roll......bring in the star of the show......MIKA!!!! One night Brent kept calling Mika to come over and I kept telling him that she wanted to lay in her spot. She always hangs out at night in the same spot and doesn't need a whole lot of lovin, so I was telling him that he should leave her alone. Well, he finally got her to come over and she had a new necklace on, with my ring hanging from it! How perfect? My favorite dog and the perfect ring. I couldn't have asked for anything better! And, well, the rest is history. Cash came a little earlier than we expected, but we wouldn't change anything.

So here we are one year later, married, parents and just as happy as we were a year ago.....check that....HAPPIER!! Thanks for a wonderful year Brent! Looking forward to the next 50!! :)

More peas, please.

I don't know that rice cereal is Cash's favorite. The other morning I was feeding him some of it and he started gagging and 'dry heaving'. I'm guessing we're going to have to mix that with something! He ate sweet potatoes the other night and wasn't too impressed at first, but after a bit he decided they were pretty good. He was even letting out little yells and pounding his hand on the table to get Brent to feed it to him faster. So the newest food.....PEAS! Brent figured if he was anything like him, Cash wouldn't go for the peas. But, turns out he's more like his Mom (and Grandma Hobbs)....he loves peas! When he's older maybe we'll make him peas on toast. It's been a long time since I had those, might have to make a trip to Grandma and Grandpa Hobbs's place! Get our beds ready! :)

I'm not tired, Dad!

Brent was trying to take a nap the other night and Cash wasn't having it!

Nap time

This wasn't some sick idea of a great photo op....he went to bed with his blanket and his little dog blanket and this is how we found him!

Happy 5 monther

For Cash's 5 month birthday party (5.18) we took him down to Frenchtown pond and enjoyed a little picnic. Cash got to eat some of his new 'puffs' (which he sometimes likes and sometimes does not) and even got to go down the slide with Dad. He wasn't all that impressed with the slide....we're thinking that might be more fun in a few more months! We love you Casher!