Juarez Family Journal

I've started a new blog to put photos up of my family.  It is a work in progress.  I have only just begun and already have spent WAY too many hours on the computer.  My eyes hurt and I am going to bed.

If  you'd like to view my new blog,  you may go to www.juarezfamilyjournal.blogspot.com

So long, Farewell!

Zak entered the MTC on Wednesday, June 20th.
So far, so good!

You can keep track of him by visiting his blog:
elderzak.blogspot.com
He would love to hear from you too!

OK...I've just added Zak's picture. It was NEVER sideways until it appeared here in this blog. How odd! I tried two times; both times it came sideways. Just turn your head to look at it. I like the picture.

Engaged

So here it is! Justin and I went to Disney World and he proposed! I just wanted to put a short post on here so that everyone can see it and plan for it because I'm really hoping to see everyone there!
May 11, 2013
here in utah.

The Problem with Exercise...

The problem with exercise is the aftermath…it is not positive.  It’s negative.  Lungs hurt.  Body is shaking with weakness.  Mouth is dry.  Muscle soreness sets in. Takes a long time be able to breathe normally.  Feel exhausted, not energized.  Feeling sweaty is gross.   Why on earth would I do it again if these are the immediate consequences?  On the other hand, eating bread and chocolate has instant gratification.  I immediately feel good.  Endorphins are up.  Energy is up.  Brain is happy.  Of course I will do it again when I feel empty 2 hours later.  Who wouldn’t?  What is wrong with this picture?   AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Happy Birthday Teo!

This Teo on his 3rd birthday. He and Momma went to the store to buy a cake mix for his birthday cake. We got sprinkles to add to the cake when it was done cooking. So while he waited, he started to shake the sprinkles. Joining in, Momma and Daddy began singing the Mexican Hat Dance song (you all know it!)

Da dut da dut da dut . . . da dudu da dut da dut

More shaking!

Sing it again!

So excited to eat his cake. Especially to put the sprinkles on.

Finally the time has arrived.

"I think I want that big piece in the middle."

Happy Birthday Teo! We love you!

It's impossible to get a picture these days with everyone looking at the camera.

This is Gil's video of Teo discussing his birthday cake. Very much a three year old!

26.2 Miles!

Yes, I ran 26.2 miles and here's the photo to prove it! Of course it was a completely different experience than what I imagined, but I learned many lessons, and I would do it again. I finished in 4 hours 56 minutes. Here is my story.

Here is my breakfast the morning of my race. I ate Cream of Wheat with toast. I packed a little lunch, you can see next to me, to eat before the race. Once the race starts you've been waiting there for an hour and a half, so usually you're hungry, and need a little extra something to start you off. I could only eat the banana when the time came - I just didn't feel like eating. But I made myself eat the banana for potassium (leg cramps).

Ok, I think it's 5:45am and we have arrived at Dodger stadium. The race doesn't start until 7:30am! We are so early because we have to fight the crowds of 25,000 people all coming to the same place. Better early than late. Last year I heard of people leaving their car from the freeway and running to the start line because there was so much traffic. I did NOT want to do that. I love our faces - so happy and excited. Gil dropped us off and then drove himself down to Santa Monica (the finish line) to find a parking spot. He said by the time he got there, all the parking lots were full! Good thing he used to live there so he could find a place off the beaten path.

Gil said he saw many crazy people running the race. Here is a picture of some of them. I did not see any crazy people, I was too focussed. I did see some fun signs that made me laugh. One said, "You've run longer than Kim Kardashian was married." My favorite was, "Worst Parade Ever!" The best one was around mile 20 which said, "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever." That one was very timely as mile 20 was really a breaking point. By the way, mile 2o was the LA Temple. It was a great marker and something to look forward to.

Gil had his bike with him so he could ride up and down the path (on the grassy medium). Here is a picture of the runners coming by. The crowd never faded out, I was constantly running with people next to me. There were so many people! Gil said it was a little nerve racking trying to find me because he had to scan so many people in such a short time and didn't want to miss me. Our plan was to meet at mile 23 so he could give me that final push the last 3 miles. Oh how I needed him at that point!!!

Look at that poker face! Here I am at mile 24 (Gil found me) and it's all I can do to hold in my sobs of pain. My problem was at mile 14 my legs started cramping, and once they start cramping it doesn't go away - it only gets worse the longer I go. This is why you do training runs so you can work all this stuff out before the race. I did EVERYTHING I was supposed to do. I hydrated like crazy, I drank electrolytes, and ate calories during my race, I paced myself correctly, but even doing all that, I wasn't prepared for the impact 26 miles was going to have on my body. I've come to accept this and know that if I want to run another marathon, I have to be prepared for the pain.

By mile 22 I started looking for Gil because I really needed to see a friendly face. I was really struggling. By mile 23 I hadn't seen him and at 23.5 I thought I had missed him. Oh so sad! But luckily at mile 24 I heard him call my name. Here is the video he took of me. Kind of funny, because once he started talking to me he forgot all about the camera and started filming the ground.

The last two miles were, by far, the hardest thing I have ever done. WAY worse than child birth! My goal was to run the entire race, not walk, which I did. I'm not sure that was the smartest goal, but nevertheless, that's what I did. I kept running even though I wanted to stop so bad. So by the time I finished, I didn't feel relief, I just felt beaten up. I wanted to be happy at the end of my race, but that just wasn't possible. Now I can look back and be proud that I actually did it. I proved that I am no quitter. Yesterday, during conference, Pres. Monson said, "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to he who endures to the end." That was me. I endured to the end. And for that, I can be proud.

I next time, I think I will not be so hard on myself. I will walk if I need to. I will stop and stretch. I will run longer with my friends. We started out the first 6 miles together and then I went ahead of them. It's always good to have friends around to help you. I will say that the spectators were really fantastic. From mile 1 all the way to 26.2, the streets were lined on both sides with spectators cheering you on. They had bands playing and cheerleaders cheering. That part was fun. It wasn't all bad. The first 13 miles were really great! Maybe I am just meant to be a half marathon runner!

In the end, I know Heavenly Father was watching over me, because my trainer was able to find me in a sea of people, with a blanket over my head, crying on the ground after the race. I was a little confused, scared, I knew I was never going to be able to find Gil in the crowd at the end, and somehow, my trainer saw me. She gave me a hug first, then she gave me her long sleeve shirt (she was wearing!) since I was starting to shake. And finally, she called Gil and told him where I was. Without her I don't know what would have happened to me. That was certainly a blessing.

Gil found me, I finally got my hug from him, which made me feel so much better. And then we got to walk the distance to the car!!! I know there are many life lessons to be learned from running a marathon. Tatia has a whole bunch to share. I'm sure you can think of some too. I'm glad I did it. It was a goal of mine for a long time. I do feel like a stronger person because of it. Next time, I will try and be a little smarter, a little more experienced, and a little happier. That's my story.

26.2 Miles!

Haley's Mission!

I just created a blog for Haley's mission experiences!  Check it out!

http://haleysmissionexperiences.blogspot.com

And The Oscar Goes To....

Will you be watching Sunday?

Have you made some picks as to who will win?

Here is a link to PRINT out your own ballot!!

http://www.moviefone.com/oscars-academy-awards/nominee-winner/printable-ballot

PRINT out your ballot.

Mark it up.

Come back Sunday night and report back how many you got correct...well, only if you want.

Christopher Bought a Dog...or two?

Living alone has its ups and downs. I finally decided I wanted at least something to greet me when I get home for the day. My neighbor owned a french bulldog that I thought was a great dog. So I got one!

Then I felt bad that my one puppy was all alone with nobody to play with. So now I have another.

Meet Gaston (get it? french bulldog, he's the frenchman in Beauty and the Beast) and Chancho (she looks like a pig, and that's pig in spanish).

Hope and I made a video :)

This will give you the Willies

Griffin Cole had quite an experience with his eyelid and a zipper.
If you want to see, click on the following link.

http://colesdaily.blogspot.com/2011/12/eyelid-caught-in-zipper.html


When you are done with that, you can check this out:
http://colesdaily.blogspot.com/2011/12/i.html

Did you hear in the news about the gusty winds in Southern California?
The above link will give you a great pictorial.

Enjoy!

Tim is SO Funny...

On Facebook this morning, I saw this nice bit of news about Dawney, then you can read all the sweet comments from her Facebook Friends. Tim's comment at the end took me a minute, but then I got it and quite enjoyed it. Thought you all should have a happy moment too:

Dawney told Facebook:
Dawney GlennI just got a permanent position, best job in the world!!!! This may be the holiday season I've experienced in years.

Comments from people:
Bethany Amber Glenn Stephens Permanent?!?! WOO HOO!!!


Doug Payne good on ya......


Manfred Lopez Nice.. Congrats.. :)

Julie Payne Cole Congratulations! So happy you got it!!


Joanne Steffens Brooks so the temp job turn into permanent or is this another job? Just wishing you wonderful blessing and joy in the work place.

Tim Glenn That's really nice that your job would pay to do your hair.



Oh, and GOOD JOB, Dawney, whether they pay for your hair or not!

On Fire!

This is my turkey about 11 minutes after I put it in the oven, well after I put it in the Turkey Cooker. Yes, the bag WAS on FIRE! I had to get a squirt bottle and put out the burning bag.
Nana gave me a cooker:

She used it. It worked great, but she didn't want to use it again, so she gave it to me. I was happy to have it. I only have one oven and on Thanksgiving, an additional "oven" can be a life safer. A couple of months ago I cooked a turkey breast in the cooker just to test it, make sure it worked well. It did. All was delicious.
So, this morning I prepared my turkey as usual. I buttered my brown bag, I put my turkey in the bag, stapled it up and put it in the cooker. 5 minutes later I notice a burning smell. Hmm. 4 more minutes and I see smoke. This can't be good. I called Nana to ask if she had the problem, but she was NOT home! I spoke with Bumpa and he thought that maybe the bag was too close to the cooking element, so the bag was not going to work with the turkey. He suggested I take the turkey out of the cooker and just use my oven.
I opened the lid and saw a small fire burning on the corners of the bag!!

Ok, take #2.
I prepared another bag, heated up my real oven.

And I put my turkey in the real oven.

When at first you don't succeed, try try again...

Brining the Turkey!

My first attempt at brining a turkey!

Very exciting.

Here it is in the Brining bag (which started it all...)

Now, in the very full fridge.Right next to the turkey is the ham...

I shall now make the stuffing, the pomegranate salad and maybe the plain jello...if there is room in the fridge.

Oh, I have to go grocery shopping first.

The Rolls Are Ready!

YEA! The first batch of rolls are out of the oven!

They smell good.

I'll eat one in a minute.

Hate to make you all salivate...

Thanks, Mom, for teaching me how to "fish".I couldn't decide which picture was better,

so I used them both.

Hope you don't mind.

November 1, 2011

It was another birthday for Bumpa, Bart and Adam!

And as they say, everything on "this side of the grass" is better! I was amazed at these clouds as Candice, Lola, Tom, and I flew in!
It was a GREAT day, well spent.
Here are a few pictures from the Party!

Who is taller?

Hmm, has Zak grown taller than Chase??

Great day!

Great memories!

Baby Blessing

Hello to everyone!

Jayna is receiving her baby blessing this Sunday, October 9th.  We know that you are all far, but we wanted to let you all know about her upcoming special day.

We love you all, and can't wait to see everyone again!

Love, Steven, Heather, and Jayna

Recipe Sharing

Meat is NOT Kylie's favorite thing. She is not a vegetarian, but we like to tease her like she is. So, I decided to try and find a LASAGNA recipe that was vegetarian, and I did! We had it Monday night. It was good. Kerry said it was GREAT! (Kylie is at soccer and she has not eaten it yet; her review to come later.)

Give it a try!

Tell me how you like it!




Vegetarian Lasagna


Ingredients
1 1/2 quarts spaghetti sauce ( your favorite homemade or jar spaghetti sauce) **jpc note: one jar is plenty!
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 teaspoon oregano
6 cooked lasagna noodles
1 (16 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
1 (16 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Mix carrots, oregano, and spaghetti sauce together.
2. Mix Ricotta, spinach, and eggs together in separate bowl.
3. Spread ½ cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
4. Layer 3 lasagna noodles, ½ remaining sauce, ½ Ricotta mixture, ½ sliced zucchini, ½ sliced mushrooms, ½ Mozzarella, and ½ Parmesan.
5. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients.
6. Bake in 350 degrees oven for about 45 minutes.

Sweet Baby Jayna

Hello Payne family! Steven and I wanted to announce the birth of our daughter Jayna, born on Saturday September 3rd at 6:42 pm.  If you would like to read more about her birth and see more photos, click here.