wilkins wonders: rockin' the ragnar

our team in front of van 1 ("white bread") and van 2 ("wheat bread")

well, we did it! we survived running the back of the rugged wasatch mountains, from logan all the way to park city. i don't know how to explain the great bonding, pain and also triumph you feel when you complete something like this. you'll just have to do it yourself to experience and know. our team was wonderfully supportive and i think that's what got me through.

go team!the RAGNAR!beautiful, blessed mountains coming into PC and, of course, the honey bucketsfinished! on our way up to the finish line

it really was a great experience and i think we all accomplished more than we thought we could. you can read more about it here, here, here and here.

i think i'm going to boston

just thought i'd write a quick update -- seeing the last time i wrote a post was approximately two months ago.

brian and i have just been working at our wonderful alma mater, utah state.
we have also been prepping (one of us a little more than the other) for the grueling wasatch back, which will take place not this weekend, but the next (june 18-19). we will be running with the wilkins wonders -- a team made up mostly of my mom's side of the family, plus a few. we all think we're crazy. please pray for us!
we are also looking forward to a family trip to boston the first part of july. we'll be celebrating an all-american fourth of july by eating hot dogs at fenway and watching fireworks over the harbor! we are really excited -- to say the least!

besides that, our summer will be filled with softball games, eating food from our first garden, family get-togethers, friend's weddings and hopefully some sunshine.

Vacay to Paris: Part XII

at this point in the trip, it's almost time for brian and me to go home.
this is one of the last things we did while in paris.
read here.

Vacay to Paris: Part XI

on our last day in Paris we visited Sacre Coure and walked around Montmarte.
you may read about it here.
i saw real gypsies and where Picasso and Monet lived and hung out.
i saw nuns preparing to take Communion and walked down some of the cutest, Parisian streets i'd seen.

a & g photography

my friend, ashley, who i talked about a few posts ago, just finished her official photography site!
it's up and running here. you should check it out.
she's also having some good deals right now. so if you're looking for a photo session, enter her giveaway!

also, happy march! i am so happy it's finally here!

Vacay to Paris: Part X

You can now read about our journey down Champs-Elysees, the ritziest part of Paris (and world, i guess), featuring our delicious, most expensive pastries.
Click here.

great photos

if you're lookin for a good photographer, i've got one for you!
my dear friend, ashley, is an amazing photographer and has a great knack for what is hip.
she recently took some photos of my husband and i and they are fabulous! we had a great time.
to see those photos, as well as her other great work, click here.

Vacay to Paris: Part IX

Here's another one of my favorite parts of our trip to Paris.
What can I say, all favorites!

Vacay to Paris: Part VIII

And now we visit Notre Dame. This was probably one of my favorites!
Read more here.

Vacay to Paris: Part VII

And now we visit the Pompidou.
Read about it here.

Vacay to Paris: Part VI

Chris has written about another great part of our trip.
You can go here to read about church in Paris.

Vacay to Paris: Parts IV and V

and, here are two more installments on our wonderful trip to Paris:
part IV and part V.

the hanging of el bandito: a must-see

If anyone is looking for something fun to do over Valentine's weekend, and you're going to be in Logan, Utah, you should most definitely consider getting tickets to "The Hanging of El Bandito."

A great little playhouse -- Pickleville Playhouse -- is doing three encore shows of this soon-to-be classic at the Eccles Conference Center on the campus of Utah State University February 13 and 15. You can also take care of dinner by attending their dinner before the performance.

I saw this play this past summer at the Pickleville Playhouse in Bear Lake, and let me tell you, you really want to see this! My husband and I told everyone we knew to go see it -- really, it's that funny! It was so popular, their performances this summer were sold out by the time most people found out how good it was, thus they are doing a few performances this coming month.

Go to picklevilleplayhouse.com for more details and to buy tickets.

Vacay to Paris: Part III

The third installment of our trip to Paris (words from Chris) can be found here.

sneak peek

this is just glimpse of what my weekend was like... and this...

what you'd expect to see in Paree

here are just a few of the many photos we took while joyously scampering about Paris:Tour Eiffel

Hall of MirrorsThe beautiful (snowy) gardens at VersaillesI.M Pei's pyramid at the LouvreNotre DameArc de Triomphe

all of the most famous things you expect to see while in Paris.

Vacay to Paris (Parts I and II)

I'm guessing some of you (the few who read this blog every once in a blue moon -- which we just had one of these on New Year's!) are wondering how our trip to Paris went.
I do hope to post some of my own pictures soon, but in the meantime, you can get a lot of the story here and here.
Thanks, Chris, for writing the details!

sayonara 2009

and just like that i'm signin' out for the year 2009!

i hope you all have had a wonderful year, full of plenty of sunshine, beautiful snow, good people, lots of laughs and many fantastic memories!

here's to a great 2009 and an even better 2010!

happy new year!

grateful

today i am greateful for my cozy, oh-so-soft Smart Wool socks!
they're the only thing that keep my feet warm in this freezing weather.
thank you Smart Wool!

also, we have less than a month until our little Paris adventure!
read more about our plans here.

Turkey Trottin'

Long before we gorged ourselves on a delicious Thanksgiving feast, the Robins clan decided to work off a few pounds at the annual Turkey Trot. (see before and after photos below)

We also had family pictures (that will have to be a later post) taken and cheered on little brother in his first basketball game of the season!

It was a great Thanksgiving holiday with plenty of ball games, crafts and family time!

Marathon details will also have to come later.

ready or not...

here it comes!
in just about 43 hours we'll be mentally prepping to run this race.
lucky for us, st. george is usually a lot warmer than logan.
please bless we can make it.

hopefully i'll see you after!

oh my heck...

i'm so excited!
(only three more weeks!)

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3225158169/

9.9.09

today may be my most favorite day. ever.

my favorite number is nine and what better day to celebrate it than on 9.9.09?!
bri and i always joke that i wanted to get married on this day, but he wouldn't allow us to wait that long -- and i'm glad we didn't!

maybe i'll celebrate by:
1. eating nine ripe tomatoes (ok, that may be a little much -- maybe just nine slices),
2. walking up and down the AgScience stairs at least nine times,
3. relaxing for nine minutes,
4. going to bed at nine (ha, right!),
5. paying less than nine dollars for lunch,
6. writing appreciation notes to nine people,
7. completing my nine exercises for my shoulder,
8. dusting nine items in my house, and
9. telling my husband nine things i love most about him!

how are you going to celebrate?

one month from today....

i will hopefully be resting, and probably eating, after the BIG run!
i can't believe it's so close.
let's hope we make it there without further injury!

so long, sweet summer

summer is practically over (i can't believe i just said that) and i just bought popcicles last night (i can't believe i just admitted that).
my morning runs now require my head lamp and reflective vest;
i'm now receiving new! fall recipes instead of refreshing summer ones;
i now walk past the grounds crew blowing leaves and other dead debris into sacks;
and, there's a buzz around campus because classes have just begun--
summer is fading into fall, but i'm not too sad about it.
i'm going to soak up what's left, and enjoy it, and effortlessly transition into fall.

what do you do to celebrate number one?

we run 20 miles;
enjoy lunch on the patio at Le Nonne;

stroll around The Gateway; and,
scarf down a hot turkey sandwich and chocolate shake at the Little America Coffee Shop!

here's to many more happy anniversary's - happy number one, bri!

cure-all

i don't know what it is about costa vida's steak burrito smothered in mangoes, but it can help you get through anything -- just ask my husband.
whether he's had a bad day, has a headache, is tired, wants to celebrate, is hungry, isn't hungry,...a costa vida burrito can always fix it.
i don't know how, it just does.
it's kind like giving a little kid a sucker when he falls down and then, miraculously, he doesn't feel his pain any more.

I cannot wait...

to see this, among other things!

(this photo was taken by a creative little gal, Sharon Rowan. love her photography!)

wednesday's checklist: (posted on thursday)

1. take weedwhacker to sarah's and help clean out a spot for eva to play, check
2. wish mom and dad a happy anniversary, check
3. finish scanning and sorting articles at work, check
4. think of something to make for dinner
5. book flight and hotel to Paris, check
6. have lunch with loni, check
7. win softball game, check

What?! Flight to Paris...?
Yes, it's official! Brian and I will be traveling to Paris this coming January. Wasn't really in the plans, but it'll work and we can't wait! We'll be traveling with my cousin, Deidra, and her husband. What a great adventure it will be!

*Notice I didn't think of something to make for dinner -- that's because I was to stinkin' excited about our trip!

wasatch back 2009

Well, I made it!
Thank goodness for great teammates, lots of water and (not so much)sleep!
I have some pictures to post, but they will have to wait.
Until then, you can read and see more about my team here.

Happy July!

so long, farewell

1) what was i thinking?
and
2) how am i supposed to get up that?

another one bites the dust

I'm sure you know (because I've mentioned it about half a dozen times), but I'm running the Wasatch Back this next weekend.
I'm not the captain of my team -- and I'm glad I'm not!
Here's why:
The team consists of 12 girls.
A few drop because other commitments come up. One drops here, another there. We pick up a few more to fill our vacancies. Another drops. We get another. One decides it's not going to work.....
I think we've ended up with about three or four of our original 12!
I'm so glad we know quite a few people who run because now, a week before the race, we need to pick up two new girls.
It will all work out, right?

Despite the frantic collection of running bodies, I am so excited for the race!

running soundtrack

I hit my 100 mile mark today on my Nike+!
I was pretty bummed last night when I loaded my runs onto nikeplus.com. I knew I was right around 100 miles, and I was -- at 99.84 mi.
Are you kidding me?!
So running my scheduled 3 miles today wan't very hard.

today's songs: "Stick Shifts and Safety Belts"

running soundtrack

June 5, 2009

I run.
And, sometimes when I run I listen to my iPod.
I always put it on shuffle, which means I have no idea what I'll be listening to that day. Sometimes it's Kelly Clarkson or Celine Dion, sometimes it's Hilary Duff or Christmas music.
Today was a listening day, and what better way to start off the day than with a great album by none other than The Standards? (I told you - I NEVER know what I'm going to get, not that I don't have control over what I listen to...)
[for those of you unfamiliar with The Standards' great harmonies you can associate yourself here and here]
Song No.1 for Friday, June 5: "Dreamer"
[am I only dreaming I'll run a marathon, or can I actually do it?]
I also got to hear little from Enchanted - "A Happy Working Song" - and I sang it almost all the way home to Brian. [he loves me!]

"It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so don't fuss, dear; get on with it."
- Audrey Hepburn

I relate -- that is how I was brought up too.

I adore Audrey Hepburn and I'm happy when I read "Audrey Says."
Thanks, M., for bringing all of her wisdom to light!

Let the Training Begin

Last Name	First Name	City, State
WATTS	BILL	LITTLETON, CO
WATTS	BRIAN	NORTH LOGAN, UT
WATTS	BRIAN L	SALT LAKE CITY, UT
WATTS	JENNETTE	ST GEORGE, UT
WATTS	LORI L	GILBERT, AZ
WATTS	TODD	ST GEORGE, UT
WATTS	WHITNEY	NORTH LOGAN, UT

The results are in folks....

I am one of 7200 runners that have been chosen to participate in the 2009 St. George Marathon!

I'm stoked, to say the least. And, also a little scared.

26.2 miles is a long run.

Any pointers, tips, advice, words of wisdom are welcomed, encouraged and most appreciated!

And, we're back

Today I begin my fifth season of playing softball with the Cracker Jack Kids.
Kind of hard to believe.

Catch the action tonight, Wednesday, May 6 at 9 pm at the Smithfield Ball Fields.
It'll prove to be a great game, even if you get rained on!

So un-talented

I can't even get my hyperlinks to work today.
I should call it a day.

the LET (low-expectation theory)

Sometimes I think myself crafty, or creative.

That is, until I see things like this.
Or this.
Or this.

Or this.

Or this.

Or visit here and realize that I'm not.

Me Want Cookies!

Hey, thanks for the cookies Nik!
They were delicious.

I wanted to let you know Chod did share.
Now he can have another cookie in his life.

Hope you've had a great day!

Happy, Happy Birthday Grandma Dear!

This coming Tuesday will be my grandma's birthday!

I just wanted to give a little shout out to her for her special day.
I hope it's great and you get to enjoy the sunshine!
We love you Grandma!
Love,
Brian & Whit

Jog for Jiggy, 2nd Annual

Tomorrow, April 18, 2009, I and the rest of the A-Team Gang will compete in the 2nd Annual Jog for Jiggy.

In honor of an awesome, spunky girl we will run our hearts out in the Salt Lake City 5K. We will all finish and it will be great!

Last year, only one person threw-up, a couple of us were passed by older men and we enjoyed all the bananas, chocolate milk and taquitos we wanted at 7:53 in the a.m., followed by a scumpcious breakfast at the 2nd oldest restaurant in Utah, Ruth's Diner.

Here's hoping for another great run! Go big or go home.

Fake-out

In the midst of my training for the Wasatch Back my Nike+ decided it would rather die than keep on, keepin' on.

I had just joined a family group on the Nike+ website.

No recorded runs for me.

Last night I finally decided to calibrate my Nike+ -- in hopes of making my runs more accurate -- but to no avail. "Connecting to receiver" was all that would come up as I started my run. Nothing would work. I toook the sensor out of my shoe, pushed the button -- nothing.

I was disgusted with the device.

Brian's battery in his sensor died a few weeks ago and I was not about to buy another Nike+.

"I'll just do without," I thought.

I"m not totally attached to the system. I just wanted to record my fastest 5K.

Anyway, back at home, Bri took a look.

"Yeah, that's exactly what happened to mine."

Gonner. Not exactly the best news.

But wait -- what did I notice this morning?! My receiver sitting on top of our microwave!

That must be Bri's.

Wait a minute -- I took that out to charge my iPod the other night -- and never plugged it back in!

Hallelujah!

Anyway, now that that is solved -- I'm planning on running a marathon in October.

Anyone have good training tips?

Spring Fabric Giveaway

I decided to visit TheFarmChicks today and found they had posted a giveaway yesterday!
Pick your favorite two fabric patterns from Pixie Dust Fabric and leave a comment on TheFarmChicks website for a chance to win.

Hurry -- it only goes until April 17th!

Becoming a Tradition

Here it is -- a little earlier this week! Hurry, it's today!

Free Aggie Ice Cream after Tasting Hamburger
9:30AM to 1:30PM
NFS 209
Free
Taste hamburger and get a coupon for a free scoop of Famous Aggie Ice Cream.
Participants must be 18 years or older and have no food allergies.

Conclusion

I've come to a conclusion, as I was re-reading my blogs of about a year ago -- when I wrote about my memories from college and Utah State -- that I did a pretty dang good job!
I laughed again as I remember those things.
I don't mean to brag, but wow.
I think my blogging/writing ability has slowing deteriorated.
I need to work on that.

Sorry About Our Bad Luck!

The Hamburger Taste Test was today.
I'm sorry about the late information. I thought it was later this week.

I'll try to be more timely next time, but look -- it got me to post on my blog!

Free Hamburger and Ice Cream Anyone?

Here's an idea:

Hamburger Taste Test

9:30AM to 1:30PM

NFS 209

Taste hamburger and get a coupon for a free scoop of Famous Aggie Ice-cream; participants must be 18 years or older and have no food allergies.

Not such a bad deal, right?

The Excitement Is Skipping Inside Me!

P.S. As fun as it has been to be here in Burley with Bay and Garrett, and the fact that I've learned so much from them and we've had a great time together -- I cannot wait to go home tomorrow and be with Brian.

It's been nine days since I've seen him and I miss him!

I am also excited for Homecoming week at Utah State!

Go Aggies, Go Aggies, Hey, Hey, Hey!

Childhood Memories: Fall time

Yesterday, as I sat at my home in Burley, sick of writing "Thank You" cards and having watched about all the What Not To Wear episodes I could, I decided to go see what the great outdoors had to offer.

What I saw when I got out there was a yard full of leaves -- and when I say full, I mean FULL! So, what else can you do when childhood memories start flooding your head but engage and satisfy them?!

I remember growing up here, and every fall brought the same things: tons of trucks full of potatoes, beets and corn, a lot of dust and allergies, and a huge pile of leaves that called my name. The pile was always almost as tall as me. I used to spend hours jumping, playing, re-raking and jumping more into our pile of leaves, after we had raked them. It was the greatest thing in the world -- to come home from a long day at school and play, until dark, in our pile of leaves! My little sister and my neighbor and I would bury each other in them. We would try to jump from the tramp into them. We probably even incorporated some version of "house" outside with our leaf pile. That pile of leaves meant fall!

Yesterday, I realized I'm just as picky about raking now as I was back then. I really like to have all the leaves that I can possibly get in the pile. No mediocre job will do. I did have to relax a little, as the wind was making it impossible for me to get as many leaves as I wanted to into my pile. It ended up being a long process becuase the rake decided to give out about halfway through my raking. Nevertheless, I got it done and waited, with little kid anticipation and excitement, for Bay and G-man to get home from school. They were hardly impressed, to say the least.

The pile now only goes to my waist. It has shrunk through the passing years.

The Guide To One Huge Mess In Only Three Hours and 21 Minutes

For the past five days I have been living at my parent's house (no, not because I'm having marital problems), but to have the grand joy of staying with my two youngest siblings while the parents are on vaca.

My parents are currently enjoying a well deserved, and longed-for, trip back East -- to drive about and enjoy the fall foliage. My parents have had the opportunity to see beautiful forests of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, visit the Dartmouth campus, and, I suspect, will soon be arriving in the great city of Boston, Massachusetts for some history lessons and great food.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Baylee and I decided to make some Halloween sugar cookies. These sugar cookies are a specialty of my mother's and ever since I can remember she has made them for holidays such as Halloween, Valentine's Day and Easter. So, loving to cook myself, I gave in to Bay's pleadings to make them. Little did I know that her "helping" only lasted until two cookie sheets were baked, she then lost interest and left me to finish the dirty job.

I don't know if it was worth the time for about 42 cookies that may be gone in minutes, but it's tradition I guess!

Happy Halloween to all!

P.S.

Did I mention I got married about three weeks ago?
Yeah, I did.
That story is still to come.

JSYK

Bowl Full Of Crunchy Goodness

For those of you who are fans of Kashi's GoLean Crunch! and General Mills MultiGrain Cheerios, I introduce: Cheerios Oat Cluster Crunch Cereal!

It's a grand combination of some of the best Cheerios with little, tasty oat clusters surprising your mouth with a slight hint of cinnamon!

It's also a great grab-n-go cereal that tastes as good without milk as it does with. Plus, it's supposedly good for you because it's made with seven whole grains (we'll overlook how many grams of sugar it contains).

This tasty treat has quickly made it to my top five cereals of all time.

You should get a box!

A Birthday Wish Full of Happiness!

I don't have much time to blog, which makes me sad, but I did want to wish one of my favorite uncles a very happy birthday! Hope it's great Uncle Warren!