Well, he's off.

I'm going to write more about the week we had in California, but this is the most important part... obviously.

Our whole reason for going down to California was to see Dallin again before he left on his mission... He just found out the Friday before that his visa didn't come in time and so he would be flying to the Provo MTC. He was sad, but I think everyone else was relieved. At least my mom could mail him things he forgot for a little while longer with some peace of mind.

The first to go was Brandon, and luckily I got a picture of him and Dallin together.

 Brandon doesn't mind being shorter than Dallin, I promise.

Alyse and Tommy left Tuesday, and we got some cute pictures of Dane everyone together.

Isn't Dane just the best?? He learned to clap while in Irvine, and was clapping for himself here.

Dallin took off at 7 AM on Wednesday, so we brought him to the airport before 6. Before he took off, his buddies from high school came to see him off.

As we left, three of the boys (Brent, Eric, and Storm) ripped their shirts off and ran down the block swinging their shirts over their heads. I think it helped Dallin leave Trailwood on a good note.

We got a few pictures at the airport...

The only goodbye picture I'm going to post is my own, because Bethany and Mom had super red eyes.

In case you were curious, my emotions came through the night before, but that was just a serious overreaction to some slightly bad news. Don't judge me.

And, he was off. I got an action shot of him walking to his gate, but he didn't even stop... rude.

I don't think it's hit me yet that I have 2 brothers on missions. Austin and Dallin are (and are going to be) the best missionaries ever. I hope they know that they are great examples to Cole and Dane, and to our future kids. We will always tell them about how their uncles were on a mission before they were born. They'll never have to wonder if their uncles love the Gospel.

And, now I have 2 missionary blogs to update!

R.I.P. Chuck.

Elder Austin's not going to be happy to find out this way, but it happened.

On June 27th, Dallin was stopped at an intersection in Chuck the truck, and was waiting to turn right. At the same time, a man in a moving truck was waiting to turn left and decided to turn right, without looking or regard for who was in the right turn lane. Dallin tried to avoid it, but...

 

Chuck's heroism saved Dallin from further injury, but at the cost of his being totaled.

We will miss Chuck, and know he's in a better place (the junk yard). He's been a good truck, and it was DEFINITELY not Dallin's fault! As long as Austin knows this, he won't hold it against Dallin. Right?



Perfect.

This is my video of the week.

I saw an article online about a pastor who had been approached by a couple in his congregation. They had just found out that their unborn child had Down's Syndrome, and wanted to abort. They lived in a state where it was illegal to abort after 24 weeks, and they were coming up quickly on that deadline. The pastor asked the couple that if HE could find them a couple that would adopt the baby, would they have it.

SO, I find this plea online. It's happening right now, this isn't even something that happened last year. They needed someone by today. And it was only the knowledge that they had found 3 couples to interview with that kept me from flying over there to save that baby. It didn't matter that Brandon reminded me that we don't have money to take care of a baby coming in October... but it was amazing that over 900 people responded to that message in the first day. I love it.

I also found this video, which is about something along the same lines.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/espn-airs-the-story-of-a-dad-who-wanted-to-abort-his-down-syndrome-daughter

I know if we are blessed with a child like this, it will initially be a struggle. But I know we will both know that our baby is perfect, no matter what.

I'm Camille Giullian, and I AM smarter than a 5th Grader.

To preface this story: Sure, I'm bragging about myself. I try and save my bragging for things about Brandon (or Dane), but this is surprising to me as much as anyone, so I'm blogging about it. If you don't want to read it, you don't have to.

Also, Brandon is surprised at the useless trivia my memory can hold. And I emphasize the word USELESS. I can tell you which temples have been built out of existing buildings (Vernal, Manhattan, Copenhagen, and Provo City Center), and which President has glasses on at Mount Rushmore (Theodore Roosevelt). I love watching trivia games, because it tests me. I like that I can surprise Brandon, but I wish that my memory would help me remember where I put my sunglasses once in a while...

So I took my latest Praxis test in June, and I wasn't quite sure how I would do on it. I NEEDED to pass in order to keep my job, so I had that pressure. In addition, I didn't want to pay another $200 to take it again. So, I went into the test feeling OK but nervous.

The test was "Elementary Ed Content Knowledge", which was just the things that children need to know in Elementary school, and some things that teachers need to know to teach them. It may sound super easy, but... there are a lot of things kids need to know! In addition, there are some classes that Elementary Ed majors took that prepared them for this test that my major didn't. I can think of at least 2.

I went through the test, and just waited for my results. Yesterday, I got something in the mail that was from the Praxis store. Inside was a folder that said "Excellence". I was confused, as I hadn't gotten one of these for the tests for my major.

I opened up the folder, and it said, "Congratulations! Your score placed in the top 15% of scores from test takers in past years. This will be shown on your record, and you receive this certificate." Along with it, I got a certificate:

I'm just as proud of this as my diploma, which sounds embarrassing but I'm not ashamed. And now I can apply for my teaching certificate!

For the rest of the day, I had the theme song from "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?" playing in my head. I think I'm going to go on a game show!

Color in Motion 5K

So a long time ago, I signed up for the Color in Motion 5K as a motivation to get myself to start running. I didn't start running until just recently (obviously), but this was my first step. Brandon and I signed up with our friends Rachel and Cody. Rachel's been my inspiration to run, because we lived together and didn't have a set workout. But, she just ran a half marathon! I know if she can motivate herself to run then so can I.

I had been trying to run, but going to Utah killed me. My lungs could not keep up with the change of altitude. When we were at our family reunion in Aspen Grove, we had a huge hike up to our cabin every day. It helped my legs get used to burning at 7,000 feet above sea level. I had a goal to run this 5K in less than 33 minutes (average less than 11 minutes per mile), but I knew this was not possible for me after not running for a week.I just got back in Rexburg last night, and was super nervous about my run today. I didn't know how my body would handle not running for a week, and I really really wanted to not embarrass myself.

SO, race time. We didn't pick up our shirts last night, which turned out to be a good thing. The shirt I wore is completely ruined. But, this morning Brandon and I walked over to the park and got our bibs, then got ready to get sprayed with colors. The run itself was not that bad, to be honest. My lungs were way more ready for the run than my legs- my legs gave out a long time before my lungs did. We ran around the stores in Rexburg and over to the nature park. As I have run a lot of this route before, I just kept telling myself that I could do it. I've done it before, no big deal right? It helped to take speed walking breaks. I go just about the same speed but feel like I am dying less.

There were 4 different stations, each one with a different color of chalk. Unfortunately, on the third station I got a nose full of green chalk and couldn't breathe through my nose. Just as I was about to cross the finish line I felt like I was going to throw up. But how embarrassing would that be, at a 5K? I made it, and looked for Brandon. He looked surprised... how rude. I sat down with my head between my knees, and the feeling passed. He told me after that he didn't think I would have made it through for about 10 more minutes. HA. As it was I ran it in 36 minutes, which I am happy with.

 

 Before the race. All nice and clean.

The color throwing started before the race... it's still stuck on my forehead.

(after the run... I was dying but oh so proud of myself.)

The 4 runners... Brandon Mr. "Oh I'm so out of shape I'll be so dead during the run" ran it in 25 minutes. Before anyone else. Out of shape my fanny.

The 4 runners after the color throwing party. Brandon's still slightly purple.

Luckily Brandon found the sunglasses from the above pictures at Aeropostale yesterday. They were 2 for $10, as opposed to $20 for one normally.  Otherwise all that would have been in my eyes.
I had to sit in the shower for about half an hour until the water finally ran clear... my hair was coated. But I am so proud of myself, even if I took an entire week off of running I did it. I think my next goal is a 10K, and then build up to a half marathon. But knowing how well I did here (and how surprised and proud Brandon was of how well I did) gives me a lot of confidence to keep running.

Defending Marriage.

Today the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which in turn struck down Proposition 8. It's too bad, that the  world is really starting to turn this way.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765632897/LDS-Church-responds-to-Supreme-Court-decisions-on-gay-marriage.html

I'm just putting it out there, I am NEVER going to stop supporting the sanctity of marriage. I will always tell my children that it is to be between a man and a woman. I know it's going to be an uphill battle, as the world continues in this direction.

https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng

But let's be honest, marriage is going out of style anyways. People get married just for the heck of it, and get divorced when it gets difficult.  Having children out of marriage is not just heard of, it's celebrated now. If I could change things, I would make sure that every woman who has a child will have a faithful and loving husband. No children would know the pain of having their parents separate and get divorced. When people get married, they actually feel like it will be for forever. I know it's an idealist way of thinking, but it sure would be a nice way to live.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/covenant-marriage?lang=eng 

Until everyone feels this way, I will continue to defend marriage in its purest form. We have a celestial marriage, and we will teach our children to strive for it as well.

Sweet baby Dane.

These past few weeks have been slow. But, in 5 days I get to see this face:

And that's all that matters. I love Dane!

My Degree.

I've also been thinking about this a lot. Alyse wrote this post, and it made me think a lot. Alyse worked hard to get her English degree in 4 years (WITH 3 minors, in case you thought it was easy), and then went right on to her Master's. For me, it took a year longer to finish my degree, and I'm not guaranteed to go to a master's. I've looked at getting Montessori certified, getting a Master's of Education, and even law school to become an advocate for people with disabilities. However, I am putting those plans on hold to teach.

My mom was always home when we got home from school. She was lucky enough to not have to work, and can decide to now that her children are older. I have wanted to stay at home with my children for as long as I can remember, because the idea of sending them off to a babysitter makes me panic. I was also anxious about getting a "real" job, because that is a WHOLE lot of responsibility. So, my plan is to teach until we start having children, and then decide what I am going to do. However, I am so grateful that I have this degree. In this economy, I've seen so many people who have thought they have their dream job, then lose it in just a few months. It's sad to see, at my age, the number of divorces of peers. Or worse yet, we've seen a number of people our age pass away, leaving their spouse to deal with that aftermath.
Some people don't finish college because of children. I never had to deal with that, so I don't know what it's like. But in my married student ward, there are plenty of women who are still in school with one, two, or three kids. I know (from hearing it from them) that it is so hard, but also so worth it.
My parents always told me it just wasn't an option to not finish college. So, I finished. It was so hard, but now I have this piece of paper which says I can earn a salary doing what I wanted to do. I have my own office and classroom.

Long story short, I did get my degree "in case". Brandon is going to be the main breadwinner after his master's degree, but now it's my time. Now, I have a year to start practicing what I love, and we will see what the future holds for us. If I have to teach every year until our kids are full grown and out of the house to save for weddings and missions and college, then it will be worth it.

Week 1 of Training

Miles Run: 15.1

Monday Average Mile: 18:40 (yikes)

Saturday Average Mile: 12:40 (much better)

So, it's a little embarrassing how slow I started. I did 3 miles in just under an hour. By today, I was running 4 miles in that time. I've liked trying to beat my time. The hardest part is getting out there... I always get nervous that I'll die after a couple hundred feet.

The hardest part while running is finding a way to breathe properly. My nose is so small that I can't breathe through it enough to get the right amount of oxygen. So, I breathe through my mouth. When I do, my throat hurts bad.

Best song of the week? "Scream" from High School Musical 3. I run hard when that song comes on, and I don't even know why. Thank you, Zac Efron, for powering me through the last few runs. Here it is, if you haven't heard it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LnvvX6ra8g

Then there was the time I ran the wrong way on a trail, and ended up who knows where... but even though it wasn't EXACTLY 4 miles, I'm counting it. I ran it!

My goal is to run the Color Fun Run 5K with an average time of under 11 minutes. I'm on my way!

Grateful.

I've been feeling particularly grateful for my husband lately. Maybe it's because whenever something bad happens in the world, I start thinking a lot. Or maybe it's because I don't have anything to do with my time except think. I've also been looking through our old pictures, so I've shared a few with you.

(one of my favorite pictures, from 3 years ago!)

I know every guy says they married up, but I think it's just the opposite here. Brandon is such an example to me in every way, and he is so wonderful to not rub that in my face every day.

Here are a couple things I bet you didn't (or did) know about him:

- Brandon is excellent at sports trivia. He loves looking at stats after he finishes a project, and learns so much. Even with hockey, which amazed me.

- He is probably the only person in the world who could not only convince me, but make me think it was my idea, to run a half marathon. I did corner him later though, and he said he didn't plan on making me.

- His mellowness sometimes drives me crazy, but it also comes in handy. When I am upset about something, he takes his time before he answers or talks.

- He is hardworking. I don't think anyone can argue with that. He may not be working nights anymore (thank GOODNESS), but he is still juggling an internship, job, and filling out his P.A. applications. And he still does it with less angst and anxiety than I could do my student teaching.

-Believe it or not, he is SASSY. We've got a little sassafras right here. He has a good sense of humor and is quick witted. We've started to sass each other the same way, and I don't know who started it, but he definitely stands his own ground.

-And, most importantly, he will always always always forgive me. I'm still kicking myself that his birthday this year was bad. But for all I know, he has completely forgotten about it. Until he reads it here, and then hopefully he won't be mad again. He even went out of his way to make sure I have a wonderful birthday this year in TWO AND A HALF MONTHS.

I don't know what I did in this life to deserve someone like this, who loves me unconditionally much more than I deserve. I still can't think of a single thing. But I do know that I'm going to try for the rest of time to live up to the way he views me, and be worthy of him. He puts up with my 'tude, and apologizes way more than he needs to. And for that, I am eternally grateful.