Welcome to T4

Okay so I went on a total cleaning/organizing spree this morning. I didn't have class until noon, the hard part of my week is over, and I wanted to do something I love, so I did! And let me tell you, it made me so happy :) Laundry done, clothes put away, bed made, everything in its right place. Everything is now right in the world! Haha okay but when I left for class I still had one load left in the dryer, and I asked miss Lindsey if she would just pull it out for me and plop it on my bed when it was done. Instead of the pile I was expecting, I came home to this neat arrangement of stacked shirts, towels, socks, and yes, even underwear. She is so hilarious:

Also included for your entertainment (as if you care), a little mini picture tour of our apartment.

I think we're pretty set on TP for a while...

Good News

Good news hunky future husband (whoever you are): You're not going to starve after all.

Because this girl can make enchiladas. AND I can put assorted fruits and vegetables on a plate. Exciting, right? It may have looked for a little while like your future was full of just cereal bowls and peanut butter sandwiches, but it turns out i'm actually capable of a little more!

(Okay, so there will probably still be plenty of cereal and peanut butter sandwich dinners, but why shouldn't we be excited about that too!?)

She Came, She Conquered

Loving wife. Devoted mother of 4. Dedicated student. Daughter. Amazing sister. Friend. Neighbor. Teacher. Inspiration. Role model. Hard worker. Amazing booty shaker. Belter of music. Exercise junkie. World's best pizza maker (hand in hand with her hubby). I could go on, but i'm just excited to get to the most recent development: MARATHONER*.

(* Marathoner (n) - One who vigorously trains month after month; enduring early mornings, beating sunshine and heat, exhausted limbs, stress fractured legs, shin splints, heavy water belts, hills, wind, rain, dehydration, tarantulas in the road, creepy stalker neighbors, schedule conflicts, etc in order to participate in a bomb awesome and extremely intense 26.2 mile race through crazy weather.)

Yep, i'd say that definition (obviously taken verbatim from the dictionary) fits her perfectly. Kirstin flew to Utah this last weekend to run her very first 26.2 miles at the Top of Utah Marathon. Because she did it here, Rob, Diane and I drove up to Logan to be her cheerleaders through the last few miles of the race. Ready to run, I met up with her just before mile 21 and tagged along for the last 5 or so miles. Though the day's conditions had not gone according to her desires, she was AWESOME. I'm telling you, it was one of the most inspiring things in the world to see her push through the pain and exhaustion that tried to overcome every inch of her body as she kept running, putting one foot in front of the other. She never stopped. She never walked. She endured, and she finished strong. Nothing has ever made me want to be more like my big sister. Running this race takes dedication, commitment, hard work, sweat, tears, pain, endless mental energy, more hard work, time, a LOT of running, devotion, appreciation for the entire body, and more HARD WORK. I say if you can do this, you can do anything. Yeah, my sister can do anything. Because she is truly that cool.

I am so proud of you Gee! I am so glad you did it here so that I could see your beautiful face and be there to witness your incredible accomplishment. You inspire me more and more everyday!

Next time, we cross that finish line together.

Hamburgers for Halloween

Lindsey: "Oh my gosh, lets be hamburgers for Thanksgiving!"

Lindsey 30 seconds later: "OH! I mean Halloween!"

And she thinks I'M the weird one...

She's Coming!

For those of you who don't know, i'm one of these:

I am a little sister to two awesome brothers and an incredibly impressive sister. And that older sister is in Utah for the weekend. AND I GET TO SEE HER TOMORROW.

I'm so excited to see my best friend!!! More to come on our weekend together :)

Lovin' Me Some Tuesday

It looks to me like tuesday just got promoted from the worst to the best day of the week. I know I know, crazy right? Whoever would have thought it to be possible?! Let me tell you how it happened.

In June I got into nursing school. THAT is what makes my tuesdays so wonderful. Because now, I get to wear THIS on tuesdays.

And I get to wear THESE on tuesdays (in case you didn't know, its been a life goal of mine to be someone lucky enough to wear scrubs on a daily basis)

And everyone gets to see THIS on my arm on tuesdays.

And I get to use one of THESE on tuesdays.

Tuesday, welcome to the "good days of the week" club. Nice to have you here. Oh and also thank you for the cute early morning lab TA, the devotionals, and the enjoyable jogging class. You make me feel so blessed.

Seriously, I am one lucky girl.

Have I Mentioned?

Have I mentioned yet how happy I am to be living with THIS beautiful girl again this year?

No? Okay well, I am REALLY happy to be living with this beautiful girl again this year.

Key To Happiness

In case you were wondering, this is the world's best combo:

+

(just ignore Lindsey's loving commentary on this particular jar of wonderfulness)

It is SO good.

It is this combination that makes things like ugly recurring itchy red rashes, homework, and daunting sunday school lesson prep that much more bearable.

I did it.

Believe it or not folks, I did it. I finished my first half marathon. And guess what. There will be more. I don't know when or where yet, but there will be. And then, there will be marathons. Someday. I am determined to run one with my inspiration, my big sister and best friend Kirstin. It'll happen. Someday.

Special thanks toooo:

-A GPS that helped us have a safe easy trip to Wendover

-Audrey Lindford and fam for giving us a place to stay and being SO kind

-Lindsey Hanna for being my patient, wonderful friend and weekend companion

-My sister for her total and complete awesomeness

-Gatorade Prime

-Sports Jelly Beans

-"I Whip My Hair" for coming on at the perfect time during my run and giving me the perfect boost

-The Salt Flats for being SO FLAT

-Everyone else who has encouraged me in my desire and goal to become a runner!

13.1

Tomorrow is the big day people. I will attempt to run a half-marathon. The Utah Salt Flats Festival Half Marathon. I signed up for this race back at the end of April and immediately started training. I did awesome at sticking to the schedule, getting all my runs in, keeping my pace, etc. Until the last month or so... when I proceeded to fall apart. A lot of my mileage didn't get done. I slacked. A lot. And that was stupid. And now that tomorrow is THE DAY, yeah maybe i'm feeling a bit of regret that I let that happen! BUT, I can promise you and myself that nothing will stop me from finishing this race (even if it takes a considerable amount of time longer than I had originally anticipated).

Some interesting (intimidating) facts about this wonderful little race that i'll be participating in tomorrow:

- There are only 50-75 participants. A lot smaller than I imagined it'd be!

- Its in the middle of nowhere. No joke, THIS is where i'll be running. Its straight. Its empty. Its boring. Its salty. Its gonna be HOT. Its flat. So flat they say we'll be able to see the curvature of the earth!!

- The glare off the flat, salty ground is so bad they say sunglasses are an absolute must. Also...

- An email I received from one of the race coordinators says this: "Bring sunscreen and lots of it. Due to the reflective nature of the salt, you are going to get a tan [for me probably a burn] in areas you normally don't." YIKES.

Send up a message to the Big Man on my behalf tomorrow, will ya? I'm going to need all the help I can get.

I hope I live to be able to tell the tale!