RIPPED the bandaid off and remodel before & after!

I ripped the bandaid off.

It has been a very long time since I last did a workout like the one we did yesterday and I knew it was going to hurt.  A lot.

Having someone next to me and others to chase after sure made me run the workout faster than I thought I would.

Strength in numbers.

Just a quick stop to see if a cougar or a big dog was last in the area judging by the prints in the mud.

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We did a warm-up and cool-down along with 3 miles of speed changes in the middle.  The last time I did this exact workout on the same course was last June.  I averaged 6:27 for those three miles of speed changes in June and yesterday we averaged 6:15 which made me happy because I was worried I had lost all of my quick speed.  The area that we did this workout has little triangles all along the trail that mark when to speed up and slow down which makes it nice to not have to look at your watch to tell you what to do.

100m FAST, 100m FLOAT (so slower but not quite a recovery jog) on repeat for 3 miles.  Starting to go fast again over and over again is a challenge but the workout does go by very fast if you want to try it.

7.17 miles @ 7:17 average (I love when they match up) for the day.

Now that this workout is out of the way I’m excited for some more!

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The first mile in our speed changes was downhill (6:09) and the others were pretty flat (6:21 & 6:14) but our coach does have us get in some downhill speed work a few times each month.  I LOVED the article that Runner’s World just put out, ‘Why You Should Be Training for Downhill Running- Not Just Uphill’ because it shares a lot of great reasons why we do some downhill training!

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Next up for the morning was getting the girls ready. Skye is beyond obsessed with my velvet dress from when I was a little girl.

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And then I took Brooke to school and my lips were still a little purple after a cold morning workout.

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Andrew and I then spent some time in our fancy weight room/shed.  Between the speed workout and working my triceps/back/glutes/hamstrings yesterday with Andrew, I’m expecting some major DOMs today.

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Skye rocked her dentist appointment.  Andrew said that she has never stayed as still as she did for the dentist in her entire life.

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It felt so good to have ‘Knoxie’ (<-what Skye calls him:) home!

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And it also felt so good to be outside in warmish weather together.

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For dinner we just made a simple sauce on the stove with a can of coconut milk + 2 tablespoons of green curry paste + 1 Tb brown sugar to go on top of rice, meat and roasted veggies.

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We finally finished the girls’ rooms and we are actually considering having Skye sleep in there with Brooke very soon!

I’m positive my sister took all of the decorating/DIY genes in the family (just look at her kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel & gym remodel. Her new house’s kitchen remodel post should be up soon) but I’m pretty proud about what we did!

Here is the before (well, the furniture was against the wall but I didn’t remember to take a picture until we started prepping for the paint).

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And here is the after with fresh paint, new bedding that we are obsessed with because they just have to zip it up to make it each morning, new carpet and a new light.

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Brooke chose what she wanted to put on some new shelves!

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This is their dresser that Skye loves going through to try on every item of Brooke’s clothing.   Their toys are stored in the closet in a few bins which makes it easy for quick cleanups of their room.

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Who shared a room growing up?  How did you like it?

-I shared a room with my sister until she moved away for college and then my mom bought me a poodle to help me deal with losing my roommate:)

When you do speed work do you mostly do it on flat segments, rolling segments, up or down segments or a good mixture of everything?

These next two questions and answers are from Andrew:  When is the last time you went to the dentist?  

-I seriously have had some bad experiences at the dentist and I DO NOT like it.  It’s been a good 3 years since I last went, the girls went this week so I decided I need to be brave and go. <–This is from Andrew (I am at the dentist a lot for my gums etc so probably too often ha;)

We are talking about doing a really fun/cheap vacation this summer, anyone have good recommendations?  

-We thought about driving to BANFF, but still are open to other ideas as well.

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56 comments

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I go to the dentist every 6 months because my daughter is in dental school and I would never hear the end of it if I skipped an appointment. If Andrew is reluctant about going to the dentist he should go see her – she is at the dental school clinic at Roseman University in South Jordan and is very competent and kind!

Where I live is extremely flat so unfortunately unless I get on a treadmill or drive somewhere to run, all my runs are flat.

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No way! She is so close! I love that and I’ll tell Andrew. I bet she is helpful in motivating you to go every six months! That flat speedwork is SO good for us too! Hope you are having a great day Jo!

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As the oldest of 8, I had my own room for a few years, then not again until my junior year of high school. At one point I shared with 2 sisters who were more than 10 years younger than me. Not the coolest at the time:)

I hate the dentist, I feel ya. I have the worst genes for teeth in my family and it has resulted in multiple crowns and pulling of a few teeth. I seriously would rather get shots than go. And the numbing stuff wears off fast for me so I end up getting twice as many shots when they do work. Ugh.

Road tripping in itself is pretty fun. you don’t have to have an exotic location, just choose a friend or family member that lives a day’s drive away, and plan a fun route to get there. Make spontaneous stops along the way (state parks, crazy diners, largest ball of twine) and spend a few days at your destination, then drive back. If you choose a 8 hour ish drive you can easily make it an adventure!

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Oh I’m with you! I would take shots over the dentist too! I’m happy Andrew is finally going in?! Oldest of 8! I bet your family get together are so fun! I totally agree, road trips are fun adventures. Our kids would LOVE that! Hope your Thursday is off to a great start friend!

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I live 1 hour from Banff! It’s beautiful. I don’t visit often enough, considering we live so close !
I go to the dentist every 6 months, and actually like it. ( I was a dental assistant before I had kids)

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You live one hour away? Oh that is awesome! Meet us there for a hike! So cool you were a dental assistant and that clean teeth feeling is just so nice! Enjoy your day Jenny!

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I would love to meet you for a hike! I know a few kid friendly trails :)

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I’m with Andrew with the dentist. I didn’t go for about 3 years because we didn’t have insurance, and when I went I had to have a crown put on. It completely traumatized me. Well, I say that, but I still eat sinful amounts of candy :o) The girls’ room is so cute!! I love how uncluttered and open it is. Unfortunately my daughter inherited my husband’s messy gene, and I can’t keep her room clean. Luckily my sister and I didn’t share a room because she’s a slob, too. It’s hard to give up that control ;o)

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Well, at least Andrew isn’t alone in this and I’m not alone for my candy needs! Thank you so much and good luck with the inherited gene… haha! My mom told people when I was younger that a messy room is a good kid’s form of rebellion so maybe that is it for your daughter:). Have the best rest of your day Claire!

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I go to the dentist twice a year. I actually like it because my teeth feel really clean after and I’m reassured no cavities! But it helps that I have the sweetest dentist and hygienist!

I do a lot of my speed work on the track, but need to incorporate more hill repeats since I’m doing a hilly half in May. And now I’ll focus on the downhill improvements too!

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I do think the right team to go to is a big piece of the puzzle for liking the dentist! What hilly half do you have coming up? Cheering for you Mariah!

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I hated going to the dentist growing up. My dentist actually told me I wouldn’t get into BYU because I wasn’t smart enough and then when I did he pretty much told me I wasn’t going to be successful! So once I was on my own I rarely went. However that has come back to get me because I just had to get a root canal and crown… so I will now be going 6 months because I don’t want to do that again!

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Tiare, that is terrible. How in the world did he think any of that is okay. He sounds like a bully to me. Way to go on proving him wrong and being so successful. BOOO to the root canal and crown though, I feel your pain. Good luck!

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I shared a room briefly with my sister when I was 13 and she was 11… she swas soooooo messy I couldnt take it. LOL! That lasted less than a year and my parents thankfully could move us into seperate rooms.

UGH. I really need to do more speed work. I am still stuck on my treadmill for my marathon training because of the weather and as much as I can tolerate the treadmill for flat work, I just can’t do hills on there. It just seems so unnatural. Or maybe I can tolerate hills better if there is Scenery to take in.

We are in San Diego for the week for vacation and you’d think I’d try to get out and do more running outside but we want to enjoy all this as much as we can so my running is either first thing in the morning or in the evening after Elliana goes to bed. Question: any tips on flying with littles and their ears popping? Brooke flys a lot, what are her tips? That was the only part of the flights that was hard… we tried sips of water, gum, candies, trying to show her how to blow her nose to pop her ears but she was really upset do nothing would settle her till we were on the ground and the pressure acclimatized.

And this Canadian definitely recommends Banff – it’s beautiful here OR anywhere in Canada!

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Oh I bet that was so hard to share when you both had such different perspectives on how to live! Glad you got the separate rooms ha. I totally agree with you on the hills being better outside vs the treadmill. What you are doing with your marathon training is awesome and I trained for a hilly marathon on a treadmill without doing hill work… you’ve got this!
Great question… Brooke hasn’t really had that problem and anytime she does I just gave her gum! Does anybody else have tips?
Good to here about Banff (or anywhere in Canada… we can’t wait)! Enjoy the rest of your time in San Diego!

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My ears get really uncomfortable when I fly – even when I chew gum. The last flight I took I brought a cut up apple (it was lunch time!) and ate it shortly after takeoff – I noticed that my ears didn’t bother me! I think it was more chewing than with gum and that is what made the difference!

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My husband hated going to the dentist and hadn’t been in years! However having kids made him realize he needed to take better care of himself, so he now goes every six months!

I shared a room until I went off to college and don’t know anything different. Ours girls are 4 and 2 (just a little younger than Skye), and currently have separate rooms. However the 4 year old has a similar set up to the room you just redid with two twin beds, and we plan to move little sis in there once she moves out of her crib. I’m not quite ready to give up having her contained in the crib!

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Okay, I think you just swayed my opinion on this in a good way ha… I think I need to enjoy the crib a bit longer. Let me know when you guys transfer over. How fun that your girls are so close together! Hopefully Andrew will get in routine with the 6 months thing too… crossing my fingers;) Enjoy the rest of your day Sara and wish we could get our 2 year olds together for a play date!

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Love the simple room changes you made- they make such an impact!! I’m thinking of sprucing up my spare bedroom and you’re helping motivate me!!

I didn’t share a room with my sister but we had a door inbetween our rooms that was usually open (unless we were fighting then I would wedge a chair under my side :)

I feel like dentist is one of the only appointments I like! I had braces twice and got my wisdom teeth removed twice (apparently the first time they didnt remove the entire root so it somehow grew back??) so in comparison the dentist has always been nice and left my teeth feeling great. Plus, I have the best hygienist who I look forward to seeing!

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Wedge a chair under my side… hahaha nothing better than sisterly love/fights ha. Good luck on your spare bedroom and send me the before/afters.
WISDOM TEETH REMOVED TWICE? Umm that’s my worst nightmare! I can’t imagine.

Have a great rest of your day Gretchen!

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I had to share a room with my younger sister for a few years and hated it! I’m super organized and she was so messy. I may or may not have used the old duct-tape-down-the-middle-of-the-room trick a few times :)

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BAHAHA I predict that same duct tape trick happening in their room eventually! Hope your day is a beautiful one so far Erin!

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I have a question for ya’ll. How big is your exercise shed? DId you put it up yourself or was it already there? I see power outlets, was it already wired or did you hire that out? Can you take a few pics of the entire set up? I might be interested in trying something similar, thanks!

I had 3 brothers and always had to share a room. Once we got older it got to be a little too much so we set up a bedroom for just me down in the back of our family room (split level house) and I used that until my older brother moved out.

I have not done any real speed work recently, just some tempo runs. Too many injuries the last few years!

I go to the dentist regularly, my family has bad teeth genes.

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JOHN! YES… do it! So the shed was there when we bought the house and I kind of want to convert it into a mini rental someday ha but Andrew isn’t on board with that idea. It’s 10 x 20 feet and has a ton of power in it already and plumbing too! I’ll send you some pics! I hope that those injuries stay away for a very long time. Hope you are having a great day!

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I would prefer something like this in my backyard; a covered or enclosed (preferred) basketball court/gym:
http://rainbowvalleyinc.com/portfolio/sheerin-sport-court/

I am sure Andrew would agree. I wonder how much something like that would cost? Probably too much, lol.

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OMG, Girrl, you haven’t been to the dentist in 3 years? I always tell myself that the hardest intervals are like going to the dentist: not pleasant but good for you! So maybetell yourself that going to the dentist is like doing the hardest intervals? And if you do it on regular basis it’s not that traumatic?

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Oh no… I go very regularly because I have to with my gums especially but Andrew needs this talk… great analogy and thanks for sharing Hanna! Have a great day!

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I love the girls’ room! How cute that they cannot wait to share a room together :) I didn’t share a room with my sister (I’m pretty sure I would have loved it and she would have hated it, haha!).

I go to the dentist twice a year, so do the kids.

Maybe not the cheapest option, but you really should visit Holland this summer ;)

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THAT WOULD BE THE BEST TRIP EVER! Your due date is anytime right?! So happy for you Sanne! Hope you are having a beautiful day!

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The girls room turned out great!
My brother is 6.5 years older than me and there was no way we were going to share a room with each other! I begged for a sister just so I could share a room but that never happened! My boys share a room and it works out great until they have to clean it then it’s a battle over who has more stuff on the floor and suddenly toys they used to fight over they are now claiming aren’t there’s!! Good times I tell ya! Ha!
I try to do speed on flat roads but I don’t have many around my house so I usually end up with hill repeats or very short bursts of speed in my neighborhood. My neighbors probably think I’m crazy!
My last dentist visit was last month and the boys have a dentist appointment next week; we go every 6 months. I have Invisalign so I also see an ortho every couple of months. Husband not so much! It’s been years since his last appointment.
I feel nothing is cheap with kids (ha!) but tent camping might be the cheapest??
Have a great day!

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Oh I can see how the cleaning up part is going to be hard… thanks for preparing me for that ha. Those short bursts of speed on those hills are working (my neighbors for sure think I’m crazy too). Very true about nothing being cheap… we are thinking maybe renting an RV and bringing a ton of food etc. This should be interesting ha;) Thanks Jenny and you too!

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Make sure that dresser is bolted very securely to the wall. That’s the one that fell on the two Utah twins and one was able to pull it off the other 2 year old twin. Cute room!

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Oh that is so so sad! Luckily, Andrew is so good about having all of those things so safe. That would be the saddest thing ever. Hope you are having a great morning!

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I did not share a room with my sister until I was 13 and she was about to leave for her 1st year of college so my parents downsized and we became roommates for a little! If I had girls I would love for them to share a room, I think its so fun especially at the age of yours!
Love speed work out with rolling hills! I do not do them often enough but when I do WOW!
I LOVEEEE my dentist. I went to the same dentist almost my whole life! When my hubs and I moved out of state I had to find a new one and that was tough. I went to 2 different ones until I finally found one that I love again. I make I go every 6 months on the spot!
Can’t wait to hear about your vacations this year!!!! No idea on cheap, while we do not have kids we still try to enjoy the luxuries of vacationing just the hubs and I!!!!

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I love that you got a little time with your sister before she went to college… it’s just the best! SO glad you found a new dentist that you love, that makes all of the difference. Keep enjoy those trips together (Andrew and I need to do one of those ASAP)! Thanks Jarrelle!

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I really struggle going to the dentist, mainly because I haaaaate getting my teeth cleaned by the hygienist. It just hurts so bad! Although I know it feels great afterwards. One time they accidentally flung the sandy toothpaste into my eye, so maybe I’m partially scarred from that experience. Haha!

I have a quick question – do you do any heart rate training, and does your heart rate get pretty high? I’ve been running (shorter distances, like 2-4 miles) for a while, but my heart rate still tends to get pretty high. I’ve been told to do really easy runs a couple times a week, but going SO SLOW actually hurts my knees. And let’s be honest it’s super boring to go that slow (I mean…slooow). I also don’t run every day, so I’m thinking maybe I just need to be running more often to train my heart rate a little more? Just wondering if you had any opinions/advice. Thanks! I hope you have a great day. :)

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Oh I would be too… mine has me wear little glasses while they clean! Great question and I wish I had more info on heart rate training but it’s not something I do. Anyone else have any advice? Are you basing this off of your garmins heart rate… I swear mine is off a lot of the time so maybe that is a problem. I personally base my easy runs off of just how I feel and how my body feels rather than heart rate! Keep me updated on what you try/find?!

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We are good about going to the dentist as he is our good friend but our toddler just has an unfortunate experience this month. He went in for his second apt and we thought it would be no big deal because he loves to brush but unfortunately he has some teeth that came in with defects and deep pits so he had a cavity. We went to a peds dentist who was not good with kids, made us wait forever, and then told us he wanted to sedate and bind him and put on a crown while possibly making us leave the room. We walked out and went back to our general dentist who doesn’t usually do fillings on kids so small but agreed because our son was so compliant. We play practiced for a week and read books about the dentist, then with everyone nervous went in and he got a filling with no issues! He was so brave and really just excited they let him watch cat in the hat while they worked. Now we brush longer (a timer helps) floss and use rinse to hopefully help this from happening again. Even though it was due to tooth issues I still felt so guilty as his mama. So long story short but keep up the dental visits! Your kids are very sweet and will benefit in the long run.

Good luck!

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OH NO! Kayse, that breaks my heart. Your little man is so brave and I’m glad you went back to your good friend to fix the problem! No guilt… all of us just come with different types of teeth and some of those problems we can’t prevent! Thank you SO so much! I hope you have a fabulous day!

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The Edmonton Marathon is in August, maybe factor that in? And a VIA Rail train ride through to Kamloops?
Or rent an RV (like 10,000 other people but it’s still fun)

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Ahhh we have been thinking about getting an RV for this trip and that marathon might just be calling my name… sounds perfect to me! Hope you are having a beautiful day so far friend!

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Hi Janae! I’ve had some horrid experiences at the dentist too, so I totally relate. What eventually helped me was eating way less sweets and using am electric toothbrush. I totally thrive in positive feedback so when the hygienist started complimenting my teeth I started taking care of them more. I’m like a baby sometimes haha. Happy Thursday and hope you can ward off the DOMS as long as possible!

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Oh I love that! I do go to the dentist very regularly but that was Andrew saying he hasn’t been for a while and I think those things would help too! I am a HUGE baby… my dentist was teasing me that I am so good at the pain of running yet they touch my tooth funny and tears come;) Hope you are having the best morning!

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My sister and I shared a room for part of our child – hood. We fought like cats and dogs haha. One time she used masking tape to draw a line down the middle and told me that I had to leave the room via the window because the door was on her side hahah.

Hmm..don’t love the dentist. Before she retired my mom was the dentist and I got yelled at for having cavities haha. Now, it is more tolerable.

And driving vacation to Banff, highly recommend (I suggest Jasper/Canmore too) as less touristy. My partner and I did the a couple of summers ago – it is a bit closer for us from BC as it is only the next province over- and we spent 16 days on the road – driving his truck, mostly camping in the truck or tent camping – we drove up to a race I was running. Still one of my favourite vacations ever. I suggest booking ahead for accommodations especially during busy season.

Taking up the Gondola up Sulphur mountain or tram was one of my favourites (hiking would be my favourite but I was too broken post race hah). Lake Louise is nice but so touristy and in my opinion there are more beautiful lakes. Peyto lake was stunning and it was literally a 5 minute pavement walk from the parking lot. And also Moraine Lake (which you can drive up too, so if you are with the kiddos this will be an easy one).

We basically made a list before hand of the must sees, maybe sees. In retrospect we packed a LOT in. I don’t how long you guys will have.

Have a super day Janae!

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Leave through the window hahah… that is hilarious! I can see the masking tape happening eventually for them too! THANK YOU for your help on what we should do and sharing your favorites. That 16 day trip sounds dreamy! I think we will have about 12 days so we might be able to get in a lot of that. Thank you Kristine!

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I go to the dentist every 6 months. My sister is a hygienist so I have no excuse but if my teeth are dirtier than she feels they should be I get a little lecture on my flossing ?. My husband never goes and he needs to I just can’t get him to go very frustrating I’m afraid his teeth are just going to start falling out at a young age!!
My daughter stayed in her crib until she was 5, best move because if I wasn’t quite ready to go get her she was to small to climb out, so she would just hang out for a bit. Plus, she better understand the transition to a bed and she never got out in the middle of the night.
Have a great day!!!!

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That is awesome that your daughter is a hygienist! Hopefully our husbands both start going often! FIVE–> okay, you guys are convincing me I just need to keep enjoying how well she sleeps in one! Thanks Noel and you too!

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Why do they have to share a room? Where does Skye sleep now?

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Skye has her own room now…. they just talk about it daily and want to so badly but a reader above reminded me how nice it is for her to be in a crib ha so I think we will keep waiting! Have a great day!

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Canada is a great place to visit to stretch your dollars. The Okanagan in BC (Kelowna or Osoyoos) and Vancouver are also beautiful!

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I just finished my human anatomy lab midterm this afternoon, so I am one step closer to just cleaning Andrew’s teeth myself ;) You would think for as many problems as I have had with my teeth that I would hate the dentist, but I don’t. I mean, I hated it as a kid. Not sure if it is because I care more now, or if I like my dentist better? I seriously have never missed a 6 month appointment in my life. However, I am there more often than that because even though I take good care of my teeth now, they still suck real bad.

The only time in my almost 37 years of life that I didn’t share a room was the 2 years my brother went on his mission. Everyone else had their own room for way longer. Middle child problems. It is also why I have zero sympathy when Annabelle complains about sharing.

I am hoping a trip to Whistler will be fun, cheap and actually happen this year ;) Especially because it feels like forever since I have seen you!

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Road trip to Colorado Springs and come visit me at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! I’ve got some tickets for you and we can do behind the scenes with all my animals! Plus amazing hiking, drive up Pikes Peak, check out Cave of the Winds and Garden of the Gods and really fun, cheap camping/AirBnBs all over the place! Plus we can finally meet in person! Ice cream in Old Colorado City is on me!

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I live 90 minutes from Banff but would recommend Canmore or jasper for less tourists and more run trails and activities for the whole family. Canmore is only 20 km from Banff and has elevation place, quarry lake (great for swimming and trails all around and free). Also Canmore has a great Nordic centre where people trail run and mountain bike in the summer. And the best coffees and snacks at beamer’s cafe.

Jasper is simply amazing with an indoor pool rec centre and tons of hike and trail running paths.

Enjoy it all!!!

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Ok Andrew and I are on the same page. 3 years since I went and I too have had very bad experiences. I am thinking I need to go though.
I live an hour from Banff and I love it there! Canmore too! The mountains are my favourite :).

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A quick note for Andrew about the dentist… I am all about medical stuff, I watch my blood get drawn, I have calmed the nerves of nurses in training before surgery (it really happened) and I have a high threshold for pain, BUT I had a severe fear of the dentist. Years of bad experiences when I was a teenager led me to avoid the dentist for 10 years!! It’s so embarrassing to say it, but it’s true. I never neglected any other medical check ups except the dentist. It got to the point where I was having regular nightmare about my teeth so I sucked it up and went it. Yes. I had to have some work done, but my good oral hygiene through the years meant it wasn’t ridiculous. I found a great hygienist and dentist and I now have ZERO fear. I don’t give my appointments a second thought and that was worth it for me to trade in the fear and anxiety by facing my fear. Luckily I didn’t pass it on to my kids because they love the dentist ?

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Banff was one of our favorite family vacations. Rim Rock Resort was handy right across from the springs– the Fairmont is cool but all the tourist traffic thru there would drive me crazy!

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