it's spring!

today i drove with my windows down and it felt so GOOD. i missed my sunroof.

Hawaii Luau

I love any excuse for a theme party. So for my mom's birthday we had a Hawaiian Luau. (It was inspired by the party my friend Jenni threw for her roommate.) The party was complete with melt-in-your-mouth Hawaiian kabobs, pineapple rice, strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas, Hawaii decor (again thanks to jenni), grass skirts and leis, and german chocolate cake. yum.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I couldn't ask for a better mother. Thanks for all you do, especially your scrumptious Sunday dinners.

mushy love stuff

Happy day of LoVE!  

Brandon surprised me this year with a candle lit dinner the night before Valentines.  He made porkchops with a ginger-cream sauce.  sounds a little odd but they were scrumptious! he WiLL make them again.  

Then he surprised me again with a weekend away to Salt Lake. He created a HuGe lie about visiting his fam in vernal.  Even made up a lie about an accident in the canyon as an excuse to drive to salt lake.  

we stayed at the Peery Hotel.  very old and creeky and i'm sure haunted.  i loved it.  I must say that i was shocked and very undeserving.  And even though i sometimes make fun of cheesy romance i secretly like it. ;)

Ten Minute 5K!

UVU had a "NO SNOW" Indoor 5K on Saturday. Two of my sisters (millie & annie) and my brother-in-law (jacob) decided to run. Annie and I are not big runners. We've started running the last couple of weeks and decided to just see how we would do.

We arrived early, registered, and studied the route. we had the option of a "stair route" and a "non-stair route". As we studied the map we questioned the distance. It seemed a little short but we figured that they knew what they were doing and didn't question it any further.

The race started in the McKay Event Center at 9:00. Annie and I stayed together as Millie and Jacob raced ahead. (5k is a walk in the park compared to a marathon.) As we circled through the course we again started to question the distance. As we neared the finish (back at the McKay) we wondered if we had made a wrong turn. We had only been running for 10 minutes. We entered through the doors along with several other confused runners. We all questioned where we were to go next and checked our maps. We found some race organizers and questioned where we were suppose to go next. This is the reply we got...

"You're done! Good Job!"
"But we've only been running ten minutes?" We questioned again.
"Well did you pass through the hall of flags? ... the ballroom? ... the administration building?"
"yes... yes... yes..." We replied back.
"Well, you're done!"
"I don't think that was 5k," another confused runner said.
"No, we had 5k officials come and measure and mark the course."
"But it's only been ten minutes... "

Most of the runners, including annie, millie, and i, decided to run the course again. We paid ten bucks and wanted a decent work-out. The second time through our time was 24 minutes. (that's including time spent sorting through the confusion) I would love to say that 24 minutes was my actual time in a 5k but I'm a pretty slow runner and there's no way i could run 3.3 miles in less than 30 minutes. Just not going to happen.

so... i decided that those who want to organize and put together a race, should have some idea of the distance of their route. I don't know, maybe walk through it yourself... google how far 5k really is....

Oh well, the whole thing was pretty funny! Jacob finished in 7 minutes. That's got to be a world record!!!!! And a must say, a 10 minute 5k ain't too bad.

Hello Arizona!

My life is pretty uneventful so I blog about other peoples lives... here is what's going on in my sister's world.

About 6 months ago my sister Millie and her husband Jacob decided they wanted to run a marathon. They bought a book (and read it), bought shoes, and began a running routine. They invited anyone to join them in their venture. I of course said "yes, i can train for a marathon!" I ran one mile and changed my mind.

The two of them were much more dedicated and after months of training their marathon day arrived. My family and I drove down to the sunny state of Arizona to "support" and maybe get a little sun and try to thaw out from the cold Utah winter.

The morning of the marathon we scarfed our breakfast and raced (in our car) to the 6 mile mark. We yelled, whistled, and cheered encouragement and then raced to the 12 mile mark... repeated and raced to the 17 mile mark.. repeated and raced to the end.

Unfortunately we missed seeing Jacob cross the finish line... speed demon. But we did catch Millie in her final sprint.

I am so proud of them! They both did amazing! Neither of them looked tired and acted like it was a walk in the park. The whole experience was very inspirational. I thought of all these thousands of people (35,000 to be exact) and the goal they had set for themselves. Not only setting a goal but dedicating their time and effort to reach it. And the rewards were so simple, self satisfaction and dignity... with a medal & tee-shirt on the side.

The lesson was one we've all heard but it was a good reminder for me. Life is about willing our natural instincts. How easy it is to do nothing, stop running, or never start but true happiness and self satisfaction comes when we push ourselves beyond comfort. So in the end I not only soaked up the rays but received a little life lesson as well.



perfect shirt to spot in a crowd.
no shoes... for real... it's the new "natural" way
Millie crossing the finish line!!!