Amber's First Half!

On May 7, 2011, Doug and Amber ran the Snoqualmie Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon. It was in the little town of Snoqualmie- up near North Bend, and Mt Si where we had just been in March.

This was my first Half, and I was so excited! I was actually planning for the Seattle Rock & Roll Half in June, but my training was going well.... I had recently run 11 or 12 miles, and felt good.... I decided to go for it. I'm so glad I did! What a great experience.

Doug was long gone, before I even crossed the starting line. He needed to be near the head of the pack, and I needed to be towards the back- having no idea how slow I'd have to go.

Doug ended up finishing in 1:40:49. It was a very respectable time, but Doug was disappointed it wasn't faster. I love that he is so much faster than me, cause he was able to help me out a bit towards the end of my race. Plus- it's a cool thing running towards your family at the end of the race. Loved that!
I finished in 2:07:20, which is far better than I thought I would do. I thought if I could come in at 2:15 or 2:20, I'd be thrilled. I was over-the-top happy when I crossed that finish line. Except for the horrible cramp in my foot. It started about mile 11 or 12. I fought it the entire rest of the run. Just as I was thinking I was going to have to walk, Doug showed up on the race course and told me I was almost there. What a sight for sore eyes! (feet) He came at just the right moment, and I was able to run the rest of the way without stopping.
Here I am after the finish thinking,"Wow! I can't believe I did it! I always wanted to do that!" My alternating thought was, "My foot is killing me!!! I need to get this shoe off and stretch!"

We took Sierra with us that day so she could get some driving hours in. She also served as our photographer, so we have pictures to document the day. (Thanks, Sierra!)

** A note about my foot cramp. About a week before the race I started having some shin and foot discomfort. I added up the miles on my shoes, and sure enough- I was due for a new pair. I was going to try to make it through the race, and then go get new ones, but the day before, I made the impulsive decision to get new shoes and wear them during the race. (Yeah- not the brightest of ideas.) Asics have never failed me, and I had never felt like they needed to be broken-in before use, so I did it. Didn't even try them on in the store. (Yep- another stupid move.) I walked into the store right before closing, grabbed my size, and then put them on for the first time before the race the following day.

Well- apparently the updated model of the GT2000 series came out fitting 1/2 size too small. Which I didn't know. They felt great on my feet until that cramp. The cramp continued for several days- even while walking or lying in bed. Not fun. Every time I ran, it got worse. This became a huge issue. I did a lot of research, tried lacing my shoes differently, icing, stretching... You name it. Finally, it came down to the fact that I did need a larger shoe. Thankfully, I was able to switch them out for another pair. And also thankfully, my foot issues gradually improved over the next few weeks. Those too tight shoes (the toe box was too small I guess- they never did feel too tight, but the new ones have been wonderful!!) were causing a Morton's Neuroma in the bottom of my foot, which often has to be treated with Cortisone injections and/or surgery. I didn't want to go there!!! Another blessing sent my way.

Lesson learned. :-)

Carlyle Thespians

Our Spring was filled with play rehearsals. Near the end of April, Ashley performed in the musical, "At the Palace, " and Caleb preformed in a Missoula Children's Theater musical adaptation of Robin Hood.

Ashley had a great time with her friends, and as we all know, loves the opportunity to be on stage performing. Rehearsals lasted about 2 months- after school each day. As they went on, the opportunity came for solo and duet auditions. Ashley and another girl both did well with the solo audition, so the director let them share it- each singing solo parts of the song, and some of it as a duet. The song was "Glow Worm." Ashley did a terrific job! She also did well with the dancing, which was especially great since choreographed dance was a new experience for her.

Ashley's friends came to support her, and even brought her flowers. Sweet!

Caleb's rehearsals were on a much more condensed schedule. Monday was audition day, and the rehearsals followed- each day after school for the remainder of the week. The play was on Friday evening. Caleb got to play the role of a "horseman." He wore a cool horse/man costume, and got to gallop around the stage. There was a scene that was supposed to be in slow motion. Caleb captured the effect perfectly. It was awesome! He also got to say the line, "Let's ride!" He did a great job.

Celebrating 19 Years Together!

Doug and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary on February 29th. OK- Not really, but if there had been a 2/29- that would have been our day! Amazing. On the one hand, I can't believe that it's been 19 years. On the other, it seems like we've been together forever. I'm almost to the point that I've been married to Doug longer than I was single. My adult years have been joined with Doug, and I have been so glad!

We had been given a gift certificate to the Salish Lodge by a client 2 Christmases ago, but had not used it yet. This was the perfect opportunity. March 5th, we headed up to Snoqualmie, and enjoyed a great weekend together. We had a beautiful room, great food, and were able to relax and enjoy our time together.

Following a great breakfast with a view of the falls, we headed to the base of Mt. Si, and headed up the trail to the peak. It was about 8 miles round trip, in the snow. It was a gorgeous day at the top! Sunny, with blue skies.

We had birds eating our of our hands and there was a great little chipmunk who loved our almonds. What a fun, relaxing day! It was so nice to get away. Following the hike, we wished we had planned for two nights. The soaking tub back at the Salish would have been great after that snowy hike!

Tyler's Final Wrestling Season

OK- Here is the condensed version:

Tyler worked hard in the preseason, and throughout the regular season as well. As a result, he wrestled a great season! The RHS wrestling staticians have Tyler's record as follows: 36 wins, 11 losses, 17 pins, 1 tech, 4 majors, and total points scored @ 273.5. Takedowns = 66, 22 escapes, and 7 reversals. Tyler took 4th place at 130# @ the SPSL League Tournament in December. He defaulted to 4th, which was a strategic decision on his part. His coach was furious, but it ended up being a good choice for Tyler. At the Regional Tournament, Tyler placed 2nd. At the State Tournament, Tyler placed 8th.

Rogers has a "Win Club." It's the list of wrestlers who have a certain number of wins for each season. It's a Hall of Fame-type thing that goes back to the year 2000. Tyler was in the 20 Win Club for 2009, with 27 wins, and 2010 with 25 wins. Tyler entered the 30 Win Club for 2011, with 36 wins. Great job!!

Tyler also entered the Individual Wrestling Record Hall of Fame for one of the top 9 RHS wrestling records (ever). Tyler placed top 8 of all RHS wrestlers for Career Wins with a total number of wins @ 89, 2008-2011.

Tyler mentioned to me that he wishes he had known/understood what he knows and understands now, a couple of years ago. He feels he would have been able to apply that information and do better. That said- Tyler has been a great wrestler. Learning is half the journey, and Tyler has learned and grown a lot as an athlete, and as an individual throughout his years in the sport.

Some people have been critical or have not understood the amount of time we have spent with Tyler and this sport. It really has been a lot of effort. For Tyler, for Doug as his main coach, and for the whole family. There have been sacrifices. Regardless of how it ended- even if Tyler had not placed at State, I feel it was worth it. Wrestling has done for Tyler in many ways, what Scouting does for other kids. It has taught him, and helped him in his life.
Tyler was bitterly disappointed with the State outcome. We all thought he would place quite a bit higher than he did. Friday was a good wrestling day, and Saturday wasn't. Who can say why it went the way it did? Maybe Tyler knows. Any way you slice it, competition @ that level is tough. Just getting to State is a big deal in most weight classes. There were upsets, and predicted victories. Some of the kids were thrilled, and others were crying. Tyler will likely be replaying the last couple of matches for many years to come. Stinks that you can't go back and re-do it.


A few months later, what I remember most about that tournament, is this: Grandpa and Chad were there to support Tyler. We were there. We all did what we could to help in any small way that might be meaningful to Ty. I hope he felt that love and support. It is more important than the wrestling.

Tyler was a good sport the entire tourney. He went back and supported his team after lunch, and stood on the podium even though I know he would rather have been ANYWHERE else. As a mother, it means a lot to see your child be his best self even under difficult and extremely disappointing circumstances.

Ty let is talk with him, and he let me hug him. That meant a lot. When your child is grieving, all you want to do is somehow take away the pain. Which of course, you can't do. It's hard if they aren't ready for you to be near them, and offer love and support. Afterall- we were grieving too! Ty probably did that for me. I needed to show him I love him, cause I couldn't do anything else. May not have made him feel better, but it made me feel better! Ty cried a lot. It was very, very hard for him, and as a result, for us. He also spent time with us, and we talked and laughed a bit. I was really impressed with how well Tyler handled those first couple of days (Thanks, Ty.) He spent time with his friends, and talked through things a lot. A couple of them suffered disappointments too. It was group therapy.

I remember the Closing Ceremonies when the wrestlers who placed, all paraded in to the Tacoma Dome. They were supposed to come in by school. Made me cry, cause when I looked down there and found Tyler, I saw that he was with the boys he started wrestling with when he was 6. They go to Rogers and Emerald Ridge. They should have come in separately- divided by schools, but those boys stuck together, and I liked that. It was a nice way to end the Era, and it was good for them to be able to support each other.

Tyler had a scholarship offer pending from Southern Virginia University, which he declined as soon as the season was over. He was burned out, disappointed, and ready to be done. Totally understandable. About a week ago, he told me that decision was a mistake. LOL. It's in his blood.

So- As parents, are we glad it's over? Yes- I think we are. Certainly for me, there were tears along the way, as we were wrapping up the season. Many, many good memories, and so much work.... It's hard not to be nostalgic. But now that the dust has settled, I am thinking ahead to October and beyond, and how free it will seem to simply go watch a couple of soccer games. Once the middle of December hits, we'll be free! I don't even remember what that is like, but I'm ready to start our next chapter. Which may or may not include being a Wrestling Mom......

Sierra Turns 16!

Sierra's 16th birthday, was February 18, 2011. Sierra was not thrilled that her special day happened to fall on the first day of the State wrestling tournament. Down right grumpy would describe it best. We tried to make her day special ahead of time, so she'd remember that we love her-- even as we were sitting in the Tacoma Dome supporting Tyler.

A week ahead of time, I surprised Sierra with getting her hair cut and dyed, as well as a pedicure. I think she enjoyed being pampered a bit.

The day of her birthday, we left for the Dome, early in the a.m. I left 18 long stemmed roses in a vase on the table for her, as well as a new body pillow on her bed, and some other wrapped gifts and cards @ the table. We left some of her favorite foods- including a smoothie, and several cans of pineapple, which Sierra adores. I think she finished them all off in about 24 hours. Sierra's Mia Maid advisor, Sister Howard also brought her roses, and her friends remembered her birthday as well. Sierra was able to spend some time at the mall shopping for a Jr Prom dress with her friend Emily.

Hopefully, it was a good day. Grandpa Carlyle and Chad were here for the weekend, but had to go home early Sunday a.m. We had hoped to celebrate Sierra's birthday as family, officially on Sunday. However, Sierra let us all know that it was no longer her birthday, and she didn't want a celebration. Tyler was in no mood for a celebration either, so we had rootbeer floats and our regular Sunday dinner, but didn't mention anything about either of the big events that had taken place that weekend. True to form, Sierra also didn't allow me to take a picture of her. Not a perfect sweet 16, but the best we could do under the circumstances. I love you Sierra!

Some notes about Sierra: She is truly a girly girl. Loves her fake eyelashes, pretty clothes, being tan, high heeled shoes- not regular ones, but SUPER high ones, etc. Sierra loves animals- especially little ones. In fact, she loves anything that is tiny. "Oh Mommy- isn't it ADORable?!" is something I hear quite often.

Sierra is a gifted signer (ASL) She has really picked up the language- so much so, that her ASL teacher actually has her helping a deaf boy in class. Sierra is a straight A student. She is fun to be around, and is great with children. One of her "people" strengths is her ability to talk with children and adults alike. She naturally communicates so well with others. Especially when talking wtih adults, Sierra is able to interact naturally on that level. Adults love her and often compliment us on what a polished young lady she is. Sierra continues to play her oboe, and her tone and musicianship are wonderful. Sierra plays beautifully, and we love to hear her!

We are thankful Sierra is a part of our family!

Wrestling Memories~ Japanese Exchange Wrestlers

So true to the last 11 years, our January (and December- and February) were full of wrestling and more wrestling. Tyler's duals were for the most part, on Wednesday evenings. We'd pick Caleb up from Cub Scouts, and head to wherever Tyler was competing that night. Tyler had a fantastic season, and each day, I was so thankful he wasn't battling the same injuries as last year.


I think I'm going to have to do this in 2 posts. Too many details and pictures. Honestly, we have video and pics galore. more than I know what to do with at this point. I'm hoping we can get them together in an organized fashion on CDs.


Exchange Wrestlers:


In January, some wrestlers from Japan came to Puyallup as part of their wrestling tour/exchange. They needed host families, so we volunteered to host 2 of these young men. It was an interesting, sometimes funny, and cool experience. At the end of it all we were so glad we did it. Tyler said it was exhausting. He was right! Just the communication difficulties made it a lot of work just to eat a meal, have the guys shower, etc. They carried a hand-held Japanese-English translator (computer) and used it to find appropriate words for our questions and conversations. They also consulted each other over EVERYTHING. We'd ask a question, and they'd talk to each other about it before they'd answer. Hilarious.


So we had Rikiya and Ryo (yo) assigned to us. We picked them up Sunday evening, and had them in our home until Tuesday morning. They went to school with Tyler on Monday- including to wrestling practice. Monday evening we watched them compete against local wrestlers.


Sunday evening, we were laying awake in bed and Doug said he felt like we were in a hotel. Why? Because across the hall were 2 Japanese people talking and laughing loudly until at least 1 a.m. Doug picked up his cell phone and called Tyler and asked, "Is this the front desk?" He then asked for management's help in getting those other hotel guests to quiet down. Ty was understandably confused until Doug explained what he'd been feeling. It was too funny! Thankfully, the next night was much quieter, much earlier.


We fed them, and they ate, and ate. Hard boiled eggs were a favorite. They sat with a jar of mayonnaise and a knife and ate the eggs with huge dollops of mayo on them. Gross. When asked what they would like for dinner Monday evening, they had a little conference and then asked for "pork chop." "We very like pork chop." OK- that's definitely not what we thought they'd want! I ended up having to go to the store. Pork chops aren't standard fare around here. I marinated them in Yoshida's sauce, and made a huge pot of white sticky rice and a salad. Wow! Can those boys eat! Honestly- I couldn't believe it. They kept telling me "we very like" and "thank you" over and over again. We learned that Kool Aid is not something they like, that carrots in Japan are long (not like our baby carrots. We couldn't figure out how to tell them we have the regular kind too) and that corn isn't something they like AT ALL. One liked the roast we had on Sunday, and the other looked like he was being forced to eat maggots during dinner. Poor guy!


They brought us gifts, and we sent some mementos home with them. Rikiya took a special liking to Sierra. Who could blame him? She's beautiful. As soon as we realized that he was "liking" her, we paid a more attention to that little situation! The boys treated Caleb like a little dog. Caleb patiently tolerated all of the head patting and face rubbing he got from those 2 guys who thought he was "Cute. Very cute." They also told our family that I am a "young mom." Loved that. Doug asked if he was a young dad, and they laughed, but didn't answer. Funny! They called me "Mommy" the entire time they were here, and when they couldn't remember other names, it was "sister", "brother" etc.

December 2010

December was a busy month, as it always is. Here's how we spent our time- in a nutshell.

Doug's 48th birthday was December 1st. He's pretty low key as far as birthdays go. We celebrated as a family. Roast for dinner, and cheesecake for dessert.

Doug's parents came to town for Caleb's baptism. (see Baptism post) While they were here, they got to see Ashley play soccer, as well as watch Tyler wrestle in a dual meet on the same night as they attended Sierra's winter band concert. It was a blessing that those 2 events took place at Rogers so we could go back and forth between them instead of missing one or the other!

The day Grandma and Grandpa left to go home I woke up in the night with a terrible ear ache, which was followed by respiratory issues, coughing, body aches, etc. The worst of it lasted for over a week, The coughing, fatigue and head ache lasted through the 2nd week of January. I can honestly say, I have never been so sick, for so long. Doug helped with my clients during the first week or so when I really couldn't train them. After that, I did what had to be done, and rested in my down time. Christmas baking didn't happen, cards/Christmas letter didn't go out, and shopping was kept to a minimum. I did a lot of it online.

The week after we attended the Christmas concert for Sierra, there was one for Ashley at Kalles. Nothing at the grade school this year. I didn't sing in Sacrament meeting, because I wasn't well enough to do it. I had planned to sing Gesu Bambino, and was hoping Sierra would join me with her oboe. That's a hope for another year..... But definitely still on my bucket list!

Doug and Jack hung Christmas lights. Our house and trees were beautiful this year! Doug does such a classy, pretty job with them. (So- I had planned to put a picture of them here, but I can't find it. Argh!)

We asked Caleb if he wanted to go see Santa, and he really didn't want to. That's actually something he has never wanted to do. Since he doesn't believe in Santa anyway, it's a done deal from this point forward. Weird to be beyond that stage entirely.

Christmas~
Since I'm writing this in May 2011, I am having a hard time remembering Christmas. It may be because I was feeling so poorly through it all.... This is what I know: It was a nice Christmas. Low key. We did the usually Carlyle stuff: food buffets, traditional breakfast casserole Christmas morning, the kids put together some puzzles, and we went to a movie together. This year, it was Tron. I have to say- it wasn't my favorite, but we had a good time together.

Sierra and the sweater Gma Carlyle made for her

Ashley and her Penguin Pillow Pet

New boots and a pleather jacket

Caleb and the sweater Gma Carlyle made for him

What scientist can work, without a lab coat and test tubes?!

Father-daughter LOVE

Doug and Caleb building a motorized vehicle with the new Erector set

Tired kids!

In the midst of the Christmas happenings, I was planning a 5-Stake New Year's Eve dance and party for the youth. How I ended up in charge of this event is beyond me. It wasn't my assignment at the beginning of the year, but somehow when the end came, and the other members of the Stake Youth Committee were all tired, the Stake Presidency decided that the Secretaries of the YM and YW should chair the event. That was me for the YW. What a headache that became! Suffice it to say, that help was minimal, and frustrations were high. I finally let the powers that be know that I couldn't do it alone, and if there was not more help, it would truly be "bare bones." Not the Super-Event they were hoping for.

Ultimately, the members of our little committee pulled through beautifully with their assignments. (They were young couples and a little sketchy at the beginning, and I was REALLY concerned. They must have picked up on that at some point... Plus they knew I was sick. Thankfully, at the last minute they completed their tasks)

We had an "A New Year Around the World" theme. We made silhouettes of famous landmarks from around the world, and white lights hung around the perimeter of the room. It was simple, but lovely. I wish we had pictures! (Someone else has the assignment, and I'm not sure if they ever got done or not..... ) The DJ did a great job. We had a game room with ping pong, foos ball, and a quick shot game. Karaoke/Guitar Hero video games. Lots to do. The Youth had a great time. It would have been nice to see my own kids there... Tyler and Sierra were both old enough to go, but stayed home with the family and the food buffet I created for them before I went to the church.

Doug and the kids helped me create a lighted ball that we dropped at midnight. The streamers, horns, hats, tiaras and noise makers that I had ordered were a huge hit with the Youth, and the chaperones did show up, even though they didn't want to. (I would have rather been home with my family too... Thankfully, our Stake won't be in charge of this event for another 5 years. Plus I've done my time. Someone else's turn next time!) I think we ended up with about 200 kids there. It was great. Doug came with the kids at midnight to help us un-decorate, and I was thrilled that it was over.

As it always seems to happen, I woke up on New Year's Day amazed that another entire year had passed. I was ready for 2011. And as it always seems to happen, it's nearly half gone now, and I can't believe how the time flies. I am glad I started blogging so I can store the memories for longer than my mind can hold on to the little details!