my brother can run farther than your brother

Okay, I stole that title from Berkeley's "my uncle can run farther than your uncle" post. But my brother, Neil Olsen, yes, THE Neil Olsen, won the Hagg Lake 50 K on Saturday (and set a course record), so I just have to brag, even though I personally can't run more than a few miles. 50 kilometers is like... a LOT, more than a marathon, about 30 miles? And he kept a 7:20 pace, on muddy trails. Crazy. Here he is, presumably about to pass this joker in yellow. Or maybe yellow man is doing the 25 K. Anyway, Neil is in white.

Stay tuned for his first 100 mile race, the Western States 100, in June. For pete's sake, Neil, start a blog! http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/2008/02/hagg-lake-50-kilometer-trail-race.html

A cautionary tale

You all know me to be an IKEA evangelist--I love the whole concept and culture. Flat boxes, do-it-yourself. Storage. Small spaces. I also love to mix my pepsi with lingnon berry juice, and I love a cup of meatballs. Well, today IKEA finally let me down.

I went this morning expressly for the purpose of buying ONE thing, a rope ladder for Sam. It's his birthday tomorrow, and he needs a way to get up to his newly-elevated bed (hmm, I should photograph it, but he's sleeping). This would have been his ideal gift. He would have thrown his arms around me--at least that's how I imagined it. Anyway, it's a bit of a drive to go to IKEA for just one thing, especially since I know I have to go back to get the shelves to complete our new garage unit, which were "temporarily out of stock," but were supposed to come in a few days. Alas, the rope ladder was "temporarily oversold." (Is there a distinction between out of stock and oversold? I feel they are blaming us, the consumer, in the latter. Or maybe the checker, who shouldn't have been doing the overselling. I haven't figured it out.)

There is a moral to this story: Online stock check. I called Mike in dismay. He got on the website and said, "yep, they're out of rope ladders" (thanks, Mike) "and incidentally, the shelves are in."

The day wasn't a total waste: the girls had a blast, as usual, trying out all the chairs and beds. Sydney said out loud, but to herself, "this place is a dream," and I said "I've always wanted to live in a dream" (See Corduroy). And the highlight was a Merilyn (or is it Darilee?) sighting. I just love those hip chicas. Hope they had better luck today. And hope they blog about it.

Will you be my valentine? And you, and you, and you, and you?

A few years ago I realized Valentine's day is for kids. They get into it so much more than I do, so why not give in and make it totally about them? So we have a tradition of making a fancy, romantic dinner all afternoon, getting dressed up and "surprising" dad when he gets home from work. And after that, chocolate fondue is pretty much required, with donuts, strawberries, bananas, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and marshmallows. And we all get a little "sauced," and end up laughing our heads off. Then Mike helps clean up and goes off to his meetings. Very romantic. I put the kids down and watch TV, then read a book, then doze off. Everybody is happy.

So how did you celebrate Valentine's day? And I won't even be sad or jealous if you did some magical couple thing with your Valentine. (Just don't give too many details.) I'm so at peace with having 5 Valentines.

Quote of the Day

I actually met Greg Mortensen today when he spoke at Lakeridge High school (thanks for the "in" Allyn). He signed my copy of THREE CUPS OF TEA with the phrase "Listen to the wind." He signed my friend's copy with "When your heart speaks, take good notes." He showed slides and spoke in a very unassuming manner about his impressive career fighting the poverty in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and his mission building schools and educating children. His main theme was that education will lead to peace. Which leads to the quote du jour:

"Fighting terrorism is based on fear; promoting peace is based on hope. There is a big difference."

He just said that off the cuff, and I scribbled it down. He visited several times the topic of spending so much on military, instead of schools. I had never thought about the strong connection between ignorance and hate (the extremist schools prey on poor disenfranchised boys and give them a purpose)--verses the connection between fair education and tolerance/peace.

Check him out: http://www.threecupsoftea.com/AboutGreg.php

Standing For Something

"With all that is going on, it is plainly evident that both the great good and the terrible evil found in the world today are the sweet and the bitter fruits of the rearing of yesterday's children. The evils of the world will continue to escalate unless there is an underlying acknowledgment, even a strong and fervent conviction, that the family is an instrument of the Almighty."
President Gordon B. Hinckley

My New Year's resolution was to have a "devotional moment" with my children every day. Sometimes it happens in the car, sometimes not all 4 kids are present, sometimes it doesn't happen. But when it does, it feels great. It usually starts with something like, "I just want you guys to know I'm so grateful for repentance. Here is what I was reading about repentance today..." I just want my children to know that my testimony is part of who I am, fundamentally. I want us to talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, all the time. I want it to be a natural part of daily discussions in our home. Rather than a tacked-on part of the day. So that's my goal.

President Hinckley really helped us understand, as a culture, how much peril our families face. It's so easy to slip into the stupor of our comfortable lives, but rough times are ahead, especially for our children. I hope mine know where I stand. And I hope they feel the safety of the walls of this home.