Tobler Family Bunch

Thursday, October 10, 2013

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Friday, October 26, 2012

I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ....

It's been a while since I last bore my testimony publicly, especially in writing. I felt inspired to do so today. I don't know why, but perhaps someone out there needed it. Only God knows the hearts and thoughts of His children, and often times He uses us , as His instruments, to reach out to others.
I posted my testimony on facebook for all my non-member family members and friends to read. I felt no hesitation at all or concern in regards to losing friends or getting negative feedback. I simply felt Heavenly Father's Love overwhelmed me and an immense gratitude for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I had to share it.
So here it is:
"I stand amazed today as a witness of God's beautiful creations with complete AWE! I am surrounded by so much of God's love and light. I am grateful to be called His greatest creation! I AM A CHILD OF GOD, I know this with all my heart.
I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He died for me, and that I am only here but for a moment; thanks to His Atoning Sacrifice, I can return to be with Him

some day.
I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true Church on this earth, as Christ organized it once before, when he was here on this Earth, and that Joseph Smith restored it to its fullness.
I know that the things which are written in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon are all true, and are God's words revealed through His Prophets and written for us to guide us, inspire us, motivate us and teach us of His Love and Plan for us. They are also a way for us to come unto Christ; to learn to become more like Him, to come to Know Him and truly love Him, to become His true followers/disciples.
I know that Pres. Thomas S. Monson stands as a witness of God today and as a living Prophet on this earth to guide us and lead us. He is the greatest living example of how to be a Disciple of Christ and of how to follow Him.
Though I am imperfect in every way and I make mistakes every day, I KNOW with all my heart where to turn for help and restitution. I know where I can find forgiveness and peace. I know that because of Christ I can be made whole again. Only thru Him can I be perfected. I am not expected to be perfect, I am human, but I can STRIVE for perfection and know that some day I will be made perfect (only thru Christ)
For now, I will continue to strive and live with my imperfections. I will find Joy thru my journey and endure to the end. Though sometimes life is very difficult, and challenging, I know that it is the only way that God can work His miracles thru me. He refines me and shapes me into the person I am meant to become in accordance to His plan and will for me.
I am so grateful to be married to a virtuous, righteous man who honors his priesthood and loves God and Christ. I am so grateful to have the four miracles that God has entrusted us with. They are truly a gift. I am grateful to have the family that I was born into, and the family I married into! I'm grateful for the wonderful friends I have gained over the years and for those that I have known for many more.

I'm grateful to be a part of Heavenly Father's great Plan. I'm grateful to be alive, healthy and HAPPY! Life is a wonderful Journey. I can't wait to see what our future holds! ♥"

P.S Just in case you missed the most recently released New Testament Videos, here they are..I am in these one a lot more than I thought I would be. We shot two scenes on this day. I was so touched and filled with the spirit, it was hard to hold back tears. But, we had to. Viewing them now, I wept again and just rejoiced in the beauty of God's love for us in sending us His SON to Save us all. It is such a humbling experience to be a part of Heavenly Father's Plan and in helping build His Kingdom on this earth, as well as being a part of Missionary work, through these amazing videos. I can't imagine how many lives and hearts these will reach and touch for generations to come. It is a privilege and an honor to be a part of all this, it truly is humbling. I'm so grateful to Heavenly father to have had such opportunity. Enjoy...

And just in case you also didn't get a chance to see the one that Rob and I got to be a part of together, here it is: (we would have to show you where we are, it is hard to find us, but it is an amazing video)

These are pictures of the day we shot these scenes...plus some other days that I went in without the rest of the gang. But got to be with my new friends, which I met at the filming location. Amazing people!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Seattle Rock N' Roll Marathon 2012...

I knew that if I didn't write my experience down, right after the Marathon, that I would forget some things...I sure have. But, as always, I had a great time and a wonderful experience for sure. I had the chance to see and run with more friends during this race than ever. Rob ran the half (instead of the full, because of his Plantar Fascists) with Courtney. My sweet friend Kimberly (who I met a couple of years back at the Leavenworth Marathon) ran the full Marathon with me. Rhett (Courtney's better half) ran the full too.
Rob had a fantastic time running with our dear friend Courtney (who ran it for the first time). He just had a great experience and just really enjoyed the company. He was a great motivator and an enthusiast. He made Courtney smile plenty, and made it more bearable for her. He is such a great friend to have. I'm hoping he can run the full next year with me.
Kimberly and I did awesome for about 19 miles. We stayed together pretty well and had a fabulous pace. Then Kim had some cramps and made a few stops to stretch (been there and done it myself, so I totally felt for her). I stopped a couple of times with her, but it was starting to affect my energy level and throw off my rhythm. So, I ran ahead. We caught up at some point and then separated again. I lacked the UMPH by mile 22. I could tell my energy level had gone down. I never experienced that before, or maybe I did, but usually, in the past, I was occupied with some kind of ache or pain, so I never noticed it. I had the GU, Gels and electrolytes, but it didn't do the trick to get my pace back again. So, I had to walk on and off for about 2 miles. I felt no aches, no pains, just fatigue. I was injury FREE when I crossed the Finish line! YAY!
Kim stayed not too far behind. I met up with her not too long after I had crossed the finish line. It was such a joy to hug her and walked together thru the crowd of runners towards our families. She has always been such an inspiration to me and such a delight to be around with. I'm just sad that she had to move to Alabama this Summer.
Rhett was looking great the times I saw him on the race course. He had a smile on his face and we gave each other some high fives. This was his very first Full Marathon and he did awesome. Congratulations to Courtney and Rhett. I'm so proud of you two!
I never run a race without taking the time to pray first for the Lord's protection and inspiration, and without asking Rob for a Priesthood blessing. I felt the Lord watching over us, again, and helping us get through the race without any injuries. I truly felt loved and cared for. I know I cannot run these races without Divine Intervention. The Lord is the only one that carries me to the finish line in every race, especially Marathons. I'm so blessed to have the ability to run. I have found greater closeness to Heavenly Father and my Savior through my running, especially when training for a Marathon. It is during the longer runs that I find myself thinking, talking and pondering about spiritual things. I look at all that is around me and feel a great love, respect and appreciation for my Creator and Redeemer.
Life is truly a JOY! There is so much good all around us. It is truly up to us to see it and seek after it. I find JOY in running, especially when I have Rob and friends to join me. It is part of my happy life. It is part of my Journey here on earth. I must endure it well, and running teaches me the better part of how to do so better!
Thank you Rob for being such a super duper sport about running these races with me and making them so fun for me. Thank you for the time we spent together (specially when it is out of town). It sure has made our relationship, friendship, and marriage so much better. We have grown so much closer together because of running. Thank you for making it a part of your life too. You are my best friend!

Where we stayed at in Seattle- cute Hotel!

At the Finish Line- We did it!

Go COurtney GO!!!

Kim's support group

Who ate Mexican Food before a big race? We did! Not a good idea...

PRE-RACE- Morning of the race, getting ready

Courtney and I before we started

Our well-earned meadals

Courtney at Finish Line

Courtney and Rhett before taking off

My best friend and I- ready, set, go...

Kimberly and I

Right at the Start...

In Memory of Mark Lambert (reason why I run this race every year)

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Ragnar Relay- Team Acme 2012...

This is by far my MOST FAVORITE race ever. Every year just seems to get better and better, and more FUN, and more addictive (a good addiction)! Just when you think you have the best team, theme, costume, training, the next year is even better than best.
I had the most wonderful time with the most wonderful people this year, thank you to everyone. What a privilege it is to know and to have good friends, and even better when they share the same passions as you, such as the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Family, but mainly RUNNING!
It has been 6 years of participating in this race, and putting together a team or teams, had for the first few years been a challenge...to find runners crazy enough to join us. I think we finally have a set group of friends that are crazy enough to join us again and again. We just add a couple of new comers here and there, making our team even better each time.
I love the camaraderie, the sportsmanship, the joy, the fun, the humor, the sarcasm, the energy, the friendships, the craziness, the lack of sleep, the lack of food, and whatever comes as part of running RAGNAR. I love the beautiful course we get to run on. I am biased! There cannot be a more gorgeous place to run on, than the Pacific Northwest. I'm sure some of you may disagree with me, but for now, I am living as close to heaven as I can get. I just love it here!
As you can see our theme this year is TEAM ACME. Rob was our team Captain. Between him and Melody, plus a few others, plenty of ideas submerged, and creativity went beyond creative. Thank you to everyone that sewed and glued and put together props to get our team well equipped. We looked the best this year. This theme was super fun. Thanks Rob!
With every race I participate in, I totally thank Heavenly Father for giving me such opportunities to run. He has blessed me with the gift of running and a healthy body, and I am truly grateful for that. I'm even grateful for the times that I have gotten injured and have been able to step back and re-asses or evaluate the reasoning as to why the injury occurred, and think of what I may do differently or better next time to prevent such injury. During recovery time, I sometimes struggle at first with patience, but soon enough after doing my part, I am back on the trails running again.
During this Ragnar Race I injured my Achilles Tendon in the process of running my first leg at the start (due to running 8 miles on un-even pavement, my left foot took all the toll and weight). Unaware of such injury I ran again during the night (2nd leg), and by my lats run I felt a little soreness around my left ankle and heel, but didn't think much of it. My leg consisted of at least 3 miles of hills, and perhaps a mile of flat surface. The hills killed, and my foot hurt badly after about 2 miles. But I was determined to finish it and figured I would just ice it and take some Ibuprofen, and it would all be OK.
Well, after almost two weeks of limping around, and trying to get back into running, Rob's tender love convinced me to go see a Dr. He told me to stay off it until I was able to walk comfortably again, and even then I would have to start running from scratch. I felt like the story of Job in the Bible. The Lord takes and He gives. I knew that temporarily, the gift of running had been taken away. I began to reflect on what I needed to learn, what I needed to do to get this gift back? I had prayed and sought inspiration. Nothing really big came to me. All I felt was that I needed to be wiser with my running. That I couldn't keep doing the same things and expecting better results. I needed to start applying all that I had learned about running over the last year and remember to give myself enough recovery time in between races. I needed to slow it down a bit and be kinder to the body God has given me. I've taken this as a TENDER mercy from Heavenly Father.
It has been a challenge to hold back from running more than I should (I was running marathons). I have lacked the patience at times and paid the price with soreness in my heel and ankle after. One time, when I was running/walking in UT, I was feeling so good, and felt like I could go faster, so I allowed myself to pick up the pace (even tough I shouldn't of), and before I knew it, I tripped and fell on my knees. I have a scar as a permanent reminder to slow down. The amazing thing was that before my run I had asked Heavenly Father to please help me with my desire to run faster and further and to help me be patient. Well, He sure taught me and provided me with the opportunity to learn patience. He allowed me to use my agency, and literally feel the consequence of my choice.
How many times in life has this happened to me? NUMEROUS times, in all aspects, and He is still so very loving and patient with me. I had to laugh at myself after I fell and got up. I totally deserved it. I'm still slowly but surely recovering.
Rob has been dealing with Plantar Fascists himself, injury from April. So, both of us have been taking a minute at a time with our running. We literally add minutes instead of miles to our runs now. It has been over two months for me, and we are barely at 25 min. But it is progress. At least we are not in so much discomfort, and aggravating our injuries. We are being wiser and really trying harder at thinking about our postures, steps, and breathing during our run. I'm definitely doing better and we are well on our way to running So. Cal Ragnar in April 2013 (Team Acme travels), and then the Seattle Rock N' Roll Marathon in June 2013. SO exciting!
Here's a video our Teammate and dear friend Melody put together, thank you Mel. This is awesome! Meep, Meep!

I didn't mean for this Blog post to be this long, but I did want to mention one more thing. During this fun weekend my little Brother, Erick, got engaged! Just a couple of weeks before Ragnar we had a delightful visit. Kelsey (Erick's sweetheart) came to see us for a couple of days with her Brother. I knew that Erick and her had been dating for months, but hadn't heard anything about an engagement. A week later when my brother came to visit to run the race, he announced that he was going to propose to Kelsey and hadn't finalized his details on how he was going to do it. I also found out that Kelsey was planning to drive back with a friend and surprise Erick at the finish line of the race. So, I put the two and two together, and concocted a plan with my sister Frandi.
Erick had told me he had left the ring at home and that it was in his room. So I had my sister find it and send it with Kelsey without her suspecting anything about the ring. So, Kelsey delivered her own engagement ring in a box directly to me. GENIUS!!!
I then surprised Erick with it and he proposed to her the next day up our trail on top of the waterfall. It was the sweetest experience I will never forget. I just loved this whole story! It will be uniquely theirs to tell. I love you Erick and Kelsey. I can't wait to see you get married in Nov. Thanks for coming out here.