My husband and I almost finished packing up my mom and dad's house yesterday. There is so much stuff--a lot of it is junk that has accumulated over the past 43 years.

They didn't throw anything away. I found their tax returns and canceled checks with receipts all the way back to 1965. Either the shredder is going to have to work overtime, or we're going to have a big bonfire!

They kept empty pill bottles. They kept the green foam out of flower arrangements. They kept boxes that people sent things in.

But they also kept some gems. I found an old trunk with silk quilts my grandma made. Old photographs of people I don't know. Old 78 records. Old cameras. Old dolls. Old coins. Old sewing machines. Things that are absolutely priceless.

I look around my house at the things I keep and wonder why I have them. I'm not much of a pack rat--when something has lost its usefulness, it goes in the trash. But I realize that what is important to my parents, may not be important to me. And what is important to me, may not be important to my husband.

My mom and dad are having a great time seeing all these things they've forgotten about, and remembering old friends and other events in their lives.

Life isn't always about throwing away the old for the new.

I've been reading up on how to write a synopsis because I need to get one done for my almost complete novel. The problem is, I'm scared to write it! Every website I've looked at has called it the "dreaded synopsis" in some form or another. I keep reading about how difficult it is to write and how painful the process is.

If I have to start from an attitude like that, of course I'm worried. But in the back of my mind, I keep thinking that I've written the whole book, so how hard can it be to boil it down to mere pages?

I finally discovered Lisa Gardner. Her website is fantastic, and I am not so intimidated by the synopsis any longer. She has an entire course about synopsis writing on her site, and she's even posted a few examples. What I've learned is, I need to go through my book, chapter by chapter and find the plot points and turning points. If I can do that, the synopsis should write itself.

Of course I have to obey all the rules, such as writing in present tense and giving away the ending. But I can conquer this scary beast. All I had to do was filter through all the information and find someone who could help me.

Yes, there is a lot of information out there. And because each of us learns differently and absorbs things differently, the variety is good.

The Pocatello Half Marathon was terrific! The goal has always been to have 1,000 runners across all the running events, and this year, in the 10th anniversary, they made it! 1,044 people signed up. Unfortunately, the original race director died 5 weeks before the race. But as my mom said, he was up above with the best seat in the house.

I did a good job of pacing myself. I let everyone else take off, then picked them off over 13 miles. I ran a nice race, and never wore myself out. If I had picked up the pace a little at the end, I may have ended up in 2nd place instead of 3rd place, but I felt fantastic after!

And I made a new friend. Her name is Bridget Simpson, and she's from Tennessee. Her goal is to run a race in all 50 states, so she carefully chooses her races. She looks for the ones where she'll get a finisher's medal, something to show for her efforts. Pocatello was number 31. What an awesome goal! And she took first place in the Master's division in the 10k. She's an inspiration.

Because I felt so good last weekend, I'm going to take on another half marathon tomorrow. This one should be much more interesting. It doesn't start until 10:10, so the weather could be a big factor. It is a loop course, so I have to run around 4 times plus a little tiny bit at the end. And I got stung by a bee on the top of my right foot, so it's all swollen. Why not add another challenge, right? Like I told someone else, it's all mind over matter!

As summer winds down, and the days get cooler and shorter, I know my running days are numbered for this year. But I will run every day I can--mind over matter!

It's been a busy, hectic week!

I've been looking at my to-do lists since Monday and see that very few things have been marked off as being done. Sometimes when the unexpected happens and there is a shift in priorities, I have to take a deep breath and tell myself it's okay. There are a lot of phone calls that I haven't made. There is a lot of writing I haven't done. There are a lot of emails that haven't been answered.

But my family is more important than these other little tasks that I feel I have to do. I'd rather spend time with my mom and dad because that time is starting to wind down. I'd have a hard time forgiving myself if I let other things take precedence over their lives. Sure it stresses me out sometimes, but I don't want to look back and wish I had another day or another hour with them.

Sometimes I think people forget that life is limited. We rush here and there and over-schedule our days. For what? To get a raise or a bonus? To move up the ladder? To impress people who shouldn't matter as much as our family?

No. I'm going to put first things first and if I miss an opportunity, so be it.

My mom fell and broke her leg on Sunday. I know it's not a good thing to be 78 and have a broken femur, but if nothing else, it has brought the family together.

All the family on both sides who live in Utah, have come to visit. I haven't seen a lot of my aunts and uncles and cousins in years. Although the situation wasn't ideal for a get together, it was nice to catch up on what's going on. Most of my aunts and uncles talked about their ailments, prescriptions and doctors. My cousins talked about their jobs, kids, and hobbies. We all connected, and I forgot how much I miss my extended family. We were so close at one time, but life has taken over. We've become too busy to keep in touch. We've all gone our own direction. We've all changed our priorities.

We agreed we need to get together again, under better circumstances. We say that, but whether or not it happens, only time will tell.

I sure hope the next time I see them isn't at a funeral for one of us!

There isn't much time left before my half marathon. And because I lost a month of training thanks to my fractured toe, I realized I needed to ramp up the runs. I knew I could run 9.5 miles, and that would probably be good enough to get me through. But I don't want to just make it through my race. I want to feel okay after.

So last Saturday, I left the house and started running toward town. When I got to one particularly lonely stretch of road, I called my husband and told him to get in the car to come get me. I said I didn't think I'd get all the way into town before he reached me, but that was okay because I was tired.

I kept running and was shooting for a big group of trees off in the horizon. I looked at the ground and started counting footsteps to make the time pass. As I ran, I kept hoping my husband would come up behind me and rescue me. But when I got to the trees, I looked ahead and saw it went downhill . My spirits were lifted and I flew down the hill all the way into town.

I ran 14 miles that day. But I had to push myself past the mindset that I couldn't do it. I wonder what I would have done if I got to the trees and it was uphill?

Last week I failed to write. And the reason is really stupid--I didn't think I had anything to say.

Everyone who knows me knows I never run short on commentary. But what I did, was convince myself there was nothing to write about. I put up a fence in my mind that I couldn't get over, under or through. I let myself believe I was meant to be silent.

I thought about this when I watched my Rottweiler, Sami, walking through the living room. He can walk around the ottoman going one direction, but not the other. For whatever reason, he decided the floor is scary in one spot.

I usually push my way through the scary spots in life, and so far it's worked out well. I rarely believe I can't do something. But last week, I fought my muse and I won. It wasn't a victory--it was defeat by the mind.