Goodbye Robyn and Joe

For some reason I keep putting off this post. Maybe I think if I don't post it then it won't be real. It is real. Robyn and Joe and fam moved to Tennessee. Kimberly and I hosted a going away party at the park before they left. Lots of friends and family came. It was the perfect night. I was cry yourself to sleep sad to see them go but so excited for the new adventures for their family. I love you Robyn and Joe and can't wait to visit Tennessee.

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26.2 x 100

My running friend, Sharon, ran her 100th marathon yesterday. She decided a couple of years ago to make it to 100 marathons in celebration of her 60th birthday.

Many of the Generation Gap runners gathered at the Park City marathon finish line to celebrate with Sharon as she accomplished her goal. It was a very bittersweet experience for me. I was supposed to run that marathon, but I am STILL injured. It was hard to be there as a spectator instead of a runner. I knew it would be hard, and I didn't know if I could emotionally handle it. I am glad I went. It was great to be there to support and friend and celebrate with her, but I decided it is mentally much harder to not run a marathon than to actually run the marathon.

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same post...totally different people

Current thing I love the most about living in Utah...out of town visitors. Bill and Karen were in town this week so we all got together for a night of fun and catching up. Most of us were roommates/lived in the same apartment complex so getting together is always fun for everyone.

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Amazing Grace

how many of us pray each day for opportunities to serve others?!? here's your chance.

my roommate Suzie is putting together a yard sale/bake sale/silent auction to help raise money for her darling niece to get physical therapy at the amazing Now I Can.

check it out here and make sure to read Grace's story (it will melt your heart) and the miracle of Now I Can and then donate or stop by Saturday, August 27

Little Mermaid...St. George

When I found out The Little Mermaid was at Tuacahn this summer, I immediately called Chelsea to tell her we HAD to take Karlee. She watched the movie for the first time last Christmas and has loved it ever since. The show did not disappoint and neither did Karlee. She LOVED it! The show was absolutely amazing, and it was so much fun being there with Karlee.

we showed up in St. George all matchy matchy

Karlee was so happy to see Ariel and jumped right in her arms

The main reason we went to St. George was for cousin Eric and Megan's wedding. We had a low key family bbq in the afternoon and wedding and reception that night. An August wedding in St. George was nearly the death of me, but it was great spending time with the family.

trying to get a good picture with these kids is next to impossible

wasatch back BBQ

joe, robyn, laurie, jessica, lindy, bree, me, marci

spending 30 hours in a van together can either make you love or hate each other. in my experience it usually makes you love each other. most of us finally got together for a BBQ the end of July. we were all so excited to see each other again and catch up. thanks robyn and joe for hosting.

same post...some same people

Matt and Eleisha and fam were in town for a few days. We all met for dinner to celebrate Robyn's birthday. It's been so fun having so many friends in town lately.

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wedding crashers

Our good friends Lindsey and Brock were in town for a wedding. Basically the only option of seeing them was to crash her sister's wedding. It was a little awkward especially for Brianna (she knew the groom and family), but it was totally worth the awkwardness. It was so great to see them.

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More Old friends

same post...different people

elizabeth, allie, robyn, sunny, me

Allie is in town for a little work and a little fun. It's literally been ages since I have seen her. In the midst of seeing other friends and family and taking some amazing temple pictures, we met up at Cafe Rio yesterday for a couple of hours of laughs. It was so much fun seeing her and my other Utah friends. Thanks for coming Allie. Stay tuned and you might see her guest posting on my craft blog soon.

Old Friends

Sunny, Jana, me, Maggie, Rachel

Maggie and her little family are in the middle of moving for graduate school and stopped off in Utah. It is so silly that all the rest of us live in Utah but can't seem to get together unless someone is here from out of town. It was so much fun catching up and laughing about old memories. Please come again soon!

running hiatus=biking

I've been on a running break for the past 3 weeks due to my hip injury. If we're being honest it's more like a walking break. It's a serious damper. The only upside is I've rediscovered my love for road biking. I forgot how much I love it. I went out yesterday planning to do a good long ride. About 7 miles into the ride my back tire didn't feel right. I pulled over to discover a completely flat tire so I called my roommate Suzie. Luckily she's so nice and came to rescue me. So much for my nice long ride and my biking love.

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Summer Break=Vegas

My plans for summer break this year were up in the air until pretty much the last second. I knew I wanted to go to Vegas, but I wasn't sure when due to other up in the air plans. I didn't get things figured out until 2 days before I left which means I ended up driving. Co-worker Kimber and daughter Kenzie drove down with me, and co-worker Michelle came home with me so the drive was really not so bad.

I love my Vegas trips. We usually don't have too many plans which is just the way I like it. We went swimming (at a regular pool and the kids little pool), did some crafts, shopped just a little, baked a little, went to Karlee's favorite Old McDonalds, and played with the kids.

too bad the only picture i took with the kids was in the pool

this was seriously death by chocolate...brownie mix with hot fudge and ice cream layered with mint oreos...delish

we made 4th of July wreaths and yarn letters

We didn't take too many pictures this time, but It was so much fun and so sad to leave. Luckily I will see them again next month at cousin Eric's wedding.

Wasatch Back 2011...Team Leap Frog

Robyn (with some persuasion and promise to help) signed up a team for Wasatch Back almost a year ago. The team changed several times over the past year, but in the end we ended up with a great team. There was definitely major stress leading up to the race (we need a replacement runner...multiple times, van 1 needs a van, van 2 needs a van...kind of at the last minute, dance recitals to get home to, start time, will Joe be able to run...3 days before, shirts), but somehow everything even the small little details worked out perfectly.

Van 1 met early Friday morning and went to Logan to start the race. Van 2 (minus Robyn and Joe who were at a funeral and came later) met in the early afternoon to meet van 1 in Eden.

van 1 (Brandon, Laurie, Emily, Shannon, Bree, Jessica) at start line in Logan

most of team (Jessica, Laurie, Shannon, Emily, me, Robyn, Joe, Lindy, Marci, Bree) at exchange 6 waiting for Brandon to come in

Marci and Bree in their unplanned matchy matchy outfits...so cute!

dinner at snow basin after van exchange. our reflective vests really are reflective.

exchanging with Carrie for my first run

exchanging with Lindy after first run

the only running picture of just me. too bad it's of my backside.

Joe got the beautiful sunrise leg.

Marci rocked her legs. She did well last year, but she is by far the most improved runner this year. She has worked so hard, and it shows. She did amazing on all of her legs.

backcountry.com has a team every year. they do all kinds of crazy things like run with a snowboard, skis, etc. this guy "ran" his nearly 7 mile leg on skis.

this race has some beautiful scenery especially this year. everything was so green from all the rain.

most of the team at the finish line waiting for Marci to come in

the team minus Laurie. 32 hours and 27 minutes later we all ran across the finish line together. Marci even wore the green wig for her last leg.

Wasatch Back was a little different for me this year. Ever since the Ogden marathon, my hip has been hurting. Physical therapy is helping, but running is not. I had so much fun. My team was great. Everyone was so supportive even though I wasn't running well at all. I ran slower on purpose because I didn't want to hurt my self even more. I often want to give up when things get hard, but this definitely showed me that I can do hard things. I loved the race this year. I loved my team and new friends, and I loved the things I learned about myself. People think paying lots of money to stay up all night, eat whatever you can find, and run a lot sounds crazy, but I love every second of it.

26.2...Utah Valley

Running 2 marathons in 3 weeks might not be the best idea I have ever had. Remember my post about the Ogden marathon and how it didn't go all that well?!? Besides not having the best marathon ever, I ended up having some hip problems and not being able to run much between the 2 marathons. I heard great things about the course, but I didn't start out with too high of expectations about how the marathon would go.

When my hip wasn't feeling better a week after Ogden, I started going to physical therapy. I felt much better, but I knew I wasn't 100%. I didn't get as nervous as I usually do until the driver didn't know how to get to the start line. Every time we turned around I got more and more anxious. I never really got over that. I am not kidding when I say I started struggling in the first mile. I could never get my pace under control, and my hip was bugging me. Thankfully the Grand Slam made it so quitting was absolutely not an option. I knew I could push through and get to the finish somehow.

I don't usually run with people I meet along the way, but this marathon was totally different. I met 3 groups of people that literally got me through the marathon. All of the groups had at least 1 person who was struggling a bit and someone who could have finished much faster but slowed way down for a friend. I learned a really important lesson about charity that day.

Suzie ran the half and then stayed to run the last few miles with me and drive me home. I don't have a picture to prove it, but Emily S stayed for hours and hours to see me run in and take these pictures. It was so nice of her and Suzie.

finally getting to the finish line

with my new friends Natalie and Tiffany. they inspired me all along the way.

The kindness/support of strangers and friends got me through this marathon. I might not have preformed as well I would have liked, but this marathon experience was about so much more than running. Some day soon I really am going to do a post about running and why I keep doing this over and over again.

Les Mis

I thought I was the only person on the planet who had never seen Les Mis. When I found out it was coming to Salt Lake, I had to go. Laurann really wanted to go too. We raced to dinner at Blue Lemon before the show. We didn't have the best seats (I mostly couldn't see anything), but I'm so glad we went. It was very well done and an enjoyable night.

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