From my Dad!

Hayley, maybe you could forward this to those involved on my behalf.
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To my true friends,

This email is a hard line to draw. saying thank you is easy, admitting I need this kind of attention is not.

I have a bad habit of not sharing my faults, not even with myself. Although I know they show to everyone else.

In recent months, the realization that I could no longer continue my life by myself became real.

It was like a nagging pain that became noticeably worse every day. actually, every hour of every day.

Maybe everyone reaches this infamous place in their life. however, for me, it was unfamiliar territory.

In physics, nothing can stop the law of gravity.

As Emmylou so eloquently sang, "you keep on falling because their is no bottom". I was so there.

A place where every aspect of life was in a freefall. It is a terrifying place to find yourself. Still is.

That's when Hayley called suggesting a fast. Bless her heart. I didn't even tell her what was going on in my life.

So I thank her, and each of you for your thoughtful act on my behalf.

I love you all. I may be out of site and mind, but i think of you all more than you can imagine.

Right now I am truly grateful for your love and faith. Words cannot describe.

What a great gospel plan we have been given here on Earth.

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Love,


Mathew

Seahawks Game

A few weeks ago Karen and Jim took Tayler and I to our first Seahawks game. Jim and Karen have 4 season tickets and so it was great fun to see all the regulars at the games. However, I was in so much shoulder pain and on so much drugs that still didn't even touch the pain that I tried to enjoy myself as best I could but seriously have never been in that much pain before...well in a long time anyway.

So we were playing Arizona and we just got creamed! So much so, that Karen and Jim both suggested we leave at the start of the 3rd quarter. Now, Karen and Jim are very much like me in that we don't leave early from games EVER, we stay and support out team. But we had been playing horribly and they were just sick to their stomachs about how terribly we were doing and I think they knew how much pain I was in by the evidence of tears on my face. So we said the next score by AZ and we are out and 5 seconds later that happened!

We still had lots of fun pregame! So here are some pics of that!

Tay Tay grows up

Here are some pictures of Tayler moving into her dorms at University of Washington! I felt special that I got to be the actual one moving her in. They put a "dork" flag on our car and everything, kind of like the dork dot you get when you go into the MTC. So after we moved her in to the tiniest dorm I ever saw and met Kim her cool roomate, we left and went to the LDS institute building and got her in a ward and everything! So as Tayler goes out into the world her two sisters will be right here in Seattle with her! Hurray!

A Fast for my Dad

Sunday I am asking for your strength and prayers for my dad. He lives alone and is going through some things right now and is desperately trying to get back on track. I've talked with him and offered that I post this on my blog so that we could hold a fast for him. He wasn't sure about the idea but I said the more the merrier and he agreed.

For some reason, next to prayer, fasting has always been my go to thing. For one, it gives us something to fast for on fast Sunday and two it just seems to have this power connected to it and I always feel the spirit stronger on those days. The fast will be held this Sunday, December 6th.

Please pray for him that he can have enough strength to get through this trying time and bounce forward from it. My dad has a lot of strength but it is always nice to have an extra push when you are starting something that seems very intimidating, especially with Satan lurking about.

I love you Dad!

Seattle Half Marathon Finisher!

So Sunday I walked a half marathon. I really don't know what I was thinking. I had trained for three months off and on, nothing spectacular. It was haunting me for months and I just dreaded it. But I had three goals, well two really. The first was to just finish it and trust me I really didn't think I would be able to. The second was to not get last or not be the last walker. Third, I actually did have a goal to walk twenty minute miles finishing with a four hour and twenty minute goal. Then I set another goal realistically giving me another hour! So to finish walking 13.1 miles in about five hours.

So here are some things I recall about the race (good and bad)

1. People were not cheering for me but rather the runners racing pass me and lapping me a second time. Obviously they are the hard core ones and I felt like an idiot a lot of the times just walking.

2. I distinctly remember on mile 5 thinking "why do people do these things?"

3. An old woman passing me on mile 10 with two canes! Yes that's right! Kind of funny now...or not.

4. Intense pain at mile 11 and seriously thought of quitting.

5. Jim coming to my rescue and walking the last half mile with me as I was limping in my right foot from mile 10 to mile 13. He knew I was about to lose it.

6. Jim knowing I could finish.

7. The cancer patients that we were raising funds for made me cry as they had their pictures posted along the route...or it could have been from pain.

8. The rush I got from people handing me water and gatorade and I would take it drink some squish the cup and throw it just like a true marathon expert.

9. The nice views of the men who would run past me with their shirts off (I'm being honest here)!

10. The adrenaline in the first 4 miles walking down fifth ave.

11. The sense of accomplishment I felt when crossing the finish line and getting my medal and beating my original goal time by ten minutes (four hours and ten minutes) despite not being able to walk today.

I now can answer my second observation question, "why do people do these things?" The feeling of doing it alone was great. Would I do it again? It was like that time I went to Punxatawney to see the Groundhog come out in Pennsylvania. Glad I did it, probably won't do it again for a long long time. But hey if you ask me to walk for a couple of hours with you I totally can! Six miles is cake now!

In all honesty, it was very hard to do all that mileage at once. I am glad I had Karen and Jim cheering me on, those two are hard core! My future Mother-in-Law ran it in two hours and forty-seven minutes. I won't give away her age but she is almost double my age. She's awesome! I was so glad Jim finished with me as I was limping and he just walked along knowing I could do it. My love for him quadrupled that day! At one point I called him up and said I am the last walker and then when he came and found me at the end he said there are tons of walkers behind you. BUt I was alone for the last 2 miles with no walkers in site...that is until Jim pointed them out behind me. Way behind me. I wasn't last! I finished it! And I finished it ten minutes under my ambitious goal! Though I am still dead two days later. :)

PS-the pics are scare of me because well I decided not to wear makeup! Sorry beware!