Facebook

I finally went on facebook but I don't have any friends and don't know how to find people that I want to keep track of. Somebody find me on facebook and help me. Also I should have put my full name Lori Corrigan Joffs but I just put Lori Joffs. Is there any way I can change that? I will try and blog later this week. I have been sick sick sick and so has almost everbody else in the house so our Spring Break was stellar. The highlight is when I could finally taste Diet Coke again today. Brandon is running the Salt Lake Half Marathon tomorrow. I am not running because of my dumb foot injury. Thanks for stopping by! I will write more asap.

Shamed into blogging!

So Abby finally decided she was going to start blogging again and is hard at it. I think her recent blogging was spurred on by a visit from Katie Lynn who showed her some of the ins and outs. I am pretty sure she is surpassing my knowledge of blogging by leaps and bounds. So here I am shamed into writing. Abby informed me today that it has been almost a month since I last wrote. I have done an awful lot since then. I flew to New York, which was supposed two be a two day stint before I flew to Rome with Brandon on a business trip. Second day in New York, probably one of Brandon's worst days documented, he informs me that the project he is on really does not want him to go to Rome and that He will be leaving them at a critical time. So long story short we did fly to Rome a day late and then returned to New York two days later. This is not what I would recommend for a European vacation. Rome was amazing and I felt like crying because I new it would only be for two short days. So I won't tell you everything but I would highly recommend Rome for a vacation destination. It was the neatest place I have ever been. It was early spring when I was there and the park was covered with little white daisies and it really truly was breathtaking. The city is clean and so fun to wander in. It was really weird being a foreigner. Some very important things to know before you go to Rome, if you drink Diet Coke they don't have it. They have something called Coke Light (which is nothing like the real thing) and if you want ice well just forget it. What they do have is really good ice cream. I don't see how they can have ice cream but ice is so foreign to them! Come on people it is not that hard. I also highly recommend first class (which we had on the way out) and I highly don't recommend Air Italia coach (which we took back to the states) talk about miserable and soooo so long 9+ hours in the air. So New York was actually really fun and it was all thanks to my sister Heather Anna. Thanks for salvaging my vacation Heath. I was once again blown away by her awesome preseverence and her great attitude. She is truly an inspiration to me. She really knows how to make the best out of any situation. I learned a lot from her while I was with her and, amazingly, this sunday in relief society our lesson was about enjoying the journey and living in the now. I was so thankful for Heather's example and then a totally inspired lesson by my very own relief society. I hope I can do better at enjoying these precious, fleeting moments and be a better friend, mother, sister, and wife. I am so thankful for my mom, Katie Lynn and Katie Lila for watching my kids. They are the best and I hope they realize the lasting relationships they are building. I still remember my Grandma, my aunts Lynan and Nanette babysitting when I was young and I know that our relationships were formed in those young years of my life. Thanks for remembering and celebrating my birthday with me (You Know who you are). Have a good day and if I continue on the same track, talk to you next month!

If March is Mad what is February?

Wow, has it really been that long? I almost gave this up but my cousin told me how much she enjoyed staying in touch with the blog. I guess I will give you what I have and if that isn't enough....well it rarely is. February has been a blur of colds and flu. We are all, knock on wood, doing okay for the moment. I have been training for a marathon again. Brandon and I are running the Salt Lake Half and the Ogden. After that how crazy we decide to get remains to be seen. I do feel good to be back in training, working towards a goal. Last weekend I had a a scrap and crap weekend with both Katies, my mom, Lynan, Nannette, Jinnene and Katie's mom Debbie. My favorite new quote from the weekend is, "I don't know Karate but I do know Crazy and I am not afraid to use it!" I know I will find a good moment to use that one.

The snow is melting outside and it would be really exciting if it wasn't coated with dirt and grime. I really can't even recognize my grass in the park strip and along the drive-way where the snow is starting to creep back. It is really disgusting and makes me all the more in awe of mother nature. I can't believe that all that grass and the plants are really going to come back and look decent again. This is always a hard time of year for me, I just want spring to hurry up. I do have one exciting event happening next week. I am going to Rome with Brandon for a few days. I am going to break out my passport for the first time and venture out on an international flight. I am most excited to spend some time with my hubby.

Tonite I got to attend the maturation program with Abby and it made me feel really old. I swear I am not old enough to have a child in fifth grade. It wasn't how I remembered it when I was in grade-school. It has either changed or I am remembering something very wrong. They really don't get into details and I wonder why they even offer the program at all. I would seriously consider not attending next time. I had already covered everything with Abby and the only thing we really got from the program was a couple of free panti-liners.

I spend alot of time just me and the kids and I am constantly trying to decide if I am a good mother. The visiting teaching message in Feb. was about the divine calling of women. It points out that we fought for the opportunity to be mother's. I am going to try and remember that when I have those desperate moments. I wanted to come to earth and be a mother and I better enjoy and treasure these moments. Check out my new slide show...I figured it out again! (whew) I hope all is well with anyone who reads this. I will blog again when I get back from Europe.

Christmas hubub

Hi all I know it has been a while. I have just as you all have been in the middle of the Christmas craziness. It was all great and totally fun!!! I am always amazed at how fast it comes and goes. I can hardly believe that a whole year has passed. I hope I can at least get a couple of things done this year that I keep thinking I will get to. Brandon is already starting to plan our next diet-exercise regime. I am thankful but dreading the whole thing. Marathon training begins and eating healthy. I hope I will see results and have the stamina to make it through. It makes me tired just thinking about it. Life is good and I am learning to enjoy things more and stress a little less ( like my knew slippers cozy) I get to teach gospel essentials with Brandon for my new calling. I am learning a lot and getting a little more confident each time I teach. I am most thankful for the way I have been able to feel the spirit more and the chance to bear my testimony. This is a short post and if you haven't seen our Christmas card lately it is still in the making. I vow to get it out tommorow. But until that miracle happens, I am thankful for the inspiring people in my life and the oportunity to be a wife and mother. Talk to you soon and I will let you know how the new years resolutions are going.

New Eyes

Hi all- tonight I am writing with new eyes. I just had Lasik surgery on Saturday. It has been an adjustment but I am told it will get better and better. My eyes are tired and I am scared to death to touch around my eyes. The procedure was pretty scary and I am glad to be on the road to recovery. I really can see pretty well but my eyes are traumatized and they don't feel good. They feel as if I haven't slept for 3 days and my contacts have been in the entire time and desperately need to come out. I will let you know if they ever start feeling good. I assume they will since I haven't met anyone who advised me not to do it. Anyhow, besides that we just returned home from Disneyland and it was fun. My kids are anticipating Halloween and I will send pictures of them as soon as we have them. I can't write long because my eyes are exhausted. So I will say goodbye and write when I am feeling better.

My Fourth!

On Saturday Sept. 20th I ran my fourth marathon. I am writing about it because I find it interesting that it really isn't getting any easier. I beat my best time by only a couple of minutes. This is after lots of training and the belief that I was going to blow my Ogden time out of the water. Running still is a mystery to me. When I am running in a long race I really do doubt my sanity. I definetely don't do it for anybody else. I think for most people my running is not that interesting anymore. My first marthon was a big deal but the oohs and ahhs are no more. I am now just the crazy person who keeps running marathons. What am I trying to prove? I have asked myself that question and decided I am going to do it till I get bored with it. I want to do it when I don't have little kids and see if I can improve. I want to stay in shape and I want to have a fitness goal to help keep me in shape. Brandon without fail before each marathon asks the question, "Are we really going to run for 4 + hours tommorrow?" He is never really that excited about the day of. I am very impressed that he just finished his eighth. He wants to run 50 by the time he is 50. Not quite as impressive as Dean Karnasas who ran 50 Marathons in 50 days. But impressive enough to me that I have the same goal. On another note, I want to thank all those who have helped me train by taking care of my kids. I couldn't have done it without you. I know you don't all understand my craziness but you still support me and that brings a tear to my eye. And to Katie Lila, I will wait until your fifty and hopefully realize my dream of running a marathon with my sister who hates running but for some reason has taken it up. I know that she is going to learn to love it one step at a time. She is awesome! And, unlike me, she is getting skinnier and skinnier with her running. I am glad it works for one Corrigan girl. Heather my sis is running her first in two weeks. She is going to do great and I will ooh and ahh! Yeah Heath! You are great.

Abby Returns

I picked Abby up today at the airport. Flight was on time and everything good but they lost her bag! 10 year olds don't do well with this! She has surprises for everyone and her favorite blanket in her bag. I hope it comes tomorrow or things are not going to be happy for Abby. It is so good to have her back. She is so great! I really missed her. I am still tired from my week. I hope I can get my energy back tomorrow. My mom will be home tomorrow. Don't try and call her till tommorrow evening or saturday. I will send Hawaii pics as soon as I have them. TTFN