dad, brace yourself.

there was a reason beckham was gunning to be grandpa banks' favorite. it was so when he did things grandpa might not approve of, he wouldn't be disowned. he has made several deposits into grandpa's emotional bank account. hopefully the account is at a high enough balance to counter the following:

he pulled out one candyland guy and one card. he put the guy on the card and then took the guy snowboarding all over the family room. there were ramps and jumps and lots of "swooshes." dad, don't be mad. it wasn't me. I took him skiing, remember? I have not mentioned snowboards. promise.

grateful on the 17th

Today I'm grateful for my dad. The esteem I have for my dad is greater than can be expressed in a 5-a-day post, but he makes the list nonetheless. My dad is truly handsome. I have always thought so. A few things I am grateful for and admire regarding my dad:

- he is disciplined and meticulous. he is faithful with his exercise regimens, he loads the dishwasher with a slight bit of OCD (and passed it on to me), he takes impeccable care of his possessions and understands that obedience brings forth blessings.

- he calls me sometimes just to chat. to see how I'm surviving, to comment on a photo of beckham's face or to share a compliment or funny story. I love when he calls.

- he's got his feet on the ground. he dreams big and probably believes in miracles, but he's grounded in reality and occasionally helps me find my way back there.

- he has taken great care to provide fantastic opportunities for his family. whether it be travels, education or exposure to things outside of the local community, he offered them readily to his children and is now doing the same for the next generation. while he may be dubbed the banks family atm, his focus has always been on the experience, not the expense.

- he plans and he prepares. seriously. as in, we have things on the calendar many months in advance because he just can't help but plan ahead (another inherited urge). as in, he must take an afternoon while on vacation to prepare his sunday school lesson even though he knows the material inside out.

- he lets us make mistakes. somehow he found the perfect balance between letting us sink and bailing us out just enough when we've taken a wrong turn. high school was not full of rescues, but rather those gosh darn natural consequences that hurt like you know what.

- he's a lover of fine things. he does not read paperback books or wear bargain clothing. he drives fancy, enjoys a great meal, and exposed his family to classic music and theater. and while his work ethic may not be in the form of boots and work jeans, my dad is not lazy. he has put in many taxing hours building a company that he can only be proud of.

He was the first man I loved. He promised not to tell my husband that I would always love him a little bit more. I'm sure glad Heavenly Father chose him to watch over me while in my early years... and still. He's pretty much amazing.

a book that'll make you take your shoes off!

far be it from me to declare myself a full-fledged runner, however, I'm making an incredibly strong recommendation anyway. if you run, or attempt to run, or think about running, or admire others who run, you must now read this book.

it's so inspiring that there are a few places, you'll want to simply put your book aside and jet out the front door to go for a run. really. that's saying a lot coming from me.

there are so many fascinating topics covered in this amazing (and true) story, but one that stuck has been the motivation for me to run barefoot on the treadmill for the past two weeks. I've been a little hesitant to take my unshod feet outside seeing as my flesh might actually melt off in the 108 degree weather, but I've also remedied that problem. these came today and perhaps the word giddy will give you an idea of how excited I was. I had cooper and senny jumping around the room with me and beckham flapping his arms in an attempt to join us. read the book and you'll totally get it.

superathletes, ultramarathons, a hidden culture, some of the world's toughest and craziest races, the evolution of how we got to this place as athletes, and hilarity. really, laugh-out-loud funny. regardless of your current level of aerobic exercise, go get it (or come borrow it) and read it. then call me. I might let you try on my new shoes.

thanks for the book, dad. I ran further in my bare feet this week than I've gone in my fancy running shoes in quite some time.

d, how hard would you laugh if I showed up to kick-boxing in these??