Salt Lake Half Marathon

* Photo courtesy of Katherine Wallin. Thanks sis.

Can you find my cousin and I in the photo? HINT: We are the crazy ones with our arms up. We wanted to be sure our family could see us. 

Mission accomplished. 

Lesson learned: So Annie and I  got to the starting area 20 minutes before the race was to begin. Plenty of time to go to the bathroom right? WRONG. We were in line for the potty while the gun went off for the race to start.  We figured since we had chips to get our official time we would continue to wait in line to take care of our business.  We ended up starting the race almost 11 minutes after the gun went off.  But it actually wasn't so bad.  Usually the first couple of miles of a race are frustrating because there are so many people and you're weaving in and out of people to find your pace and get comfortable. Well since we started so late, everyone else was way ahead of us and the crowd was beginning to thin out. We had no problem finding a comfortable pace that we were able to keep the entire race. I think we are going to start every race 10 minutes late from now on. 

St. George

We just got back from Mexico. It was heavenly. I'm still trying to catch up on our blog, so Mexico will have to wait. For now here's some pics of our trip to St. George at the end of March.

March was a great month because for once Mike's rotation was a breeze. He didn't have to work on Saturdays and Sundays and even some Fridays. So Thursday night, when the weather was cold and rainy, and snow was in the forecast for Salt Lake that weekend we decided to go to St. George. I'm so glad we took advantage of a free weekend to get away.

Love going on road trips. This was taken while we were waiting in the drive through at a Subway in the middle of Utah.  We were in the drive through for a good half hour, we had to pass the time somehow. 

While in St. George we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. It seemed like a long time since we had seen the sun.  

I had a nice little run down Snow Canyon. 

We did some reading.


I have been to St. George a number of times but I had never been to Red Cliff Recreation Area. It was fun to do something NEW in St. George.

I love the desert. Red Cliffs was a hidden gem. The hike was easy, more like a stroll, but the scenery was fantastic. There were pools of water and streams all along the way. Have you been there before? Am I the only one who was in the dark about this place?

We also hiked around the Dixie Rock. This provided hours of entertainment. There were so many crevices and places to hike around. This was another place for me I had never been. I love having an adventurous husband who helps me try new things.

It was the perfect little get away for the weekend. We can't wait to go back sometime this summer.

Lou Lou

Happy Birthday to my favorite little sister Lou Lou!

Here's some of the things I love about my sis:

She can roll out of bed and look beautiful. This picture is proof. I on the other hand struggle.
She hangs out with my when Mike is gone. Which is a lot. She goes shopping with me, helps me with makeup, cuts my bangs, we go on walks and watch Vampire movies together, we also enjoying going on drives and rocking out to music.
Lou Lou makes anything a good time. Even waking up early on a summer morning to go hiking is enjoyable when she is there.
Here's a few more things I love about my sis:
She is loyal to the end. I don't know anyone who is more dedicated to her friends and family.
She has a heart of gold and will do anything for those she is close to.
She is one of the few white girls who looks good with a ghetto booty. Along with that, she has dance moves that most white girls don't.
She is the best hairstylist in her class at school. She is by far her teachers' favorite student.
She puts up a hard front but has the most tender heart and is truly a softy inside.
She remembers things really well. The most random things. You have to be careful what you do and say around her because she remembers so well.
She texts really fast. And sends the most hilarious texts.

Love you Lou Lou. I'm so lucky to be your sister.

A hot and a cold one

The past month has been good but busy. Here's an attempt at catching up with some of the things we've doing.

In the middle of March, Mike and I headed to Moab with some of my family for the Moab Half Marathon. It was an excellent weekend. The weather was warm and sunny, while Salt Lake was cold and snowy. It was so nice to get away and spend time with my parents, some of my cousins, aunts and uncles.
Aside from the dry heaving and nausea at mile 9.5 and 12 the race was ok. I didn't do as well as I wanted, but I still finished in under 2 hours and enjoyed the beauty of Moab.

The runners. 

I love running with my cousin Annie. We used to run all the time before both of us were married, then we both got married and moved away. Now that we are both in living Utah,  we have started running together again. She was a good friend and stayed with me even when I wasn't feeling too well. Thanks Annie, you're the best.

I was so happy to have Mike there with me the whole weekend. 

Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend a lot of time in Arches National Park. Mike had never been to Arches so we tried to show him the highlights. Balancing rock being one of them. 

Another highlight included this interesting rock formation. 

I'll let you figure out why Mikey liked it so much. 

All in all it was great to get away for a couple of days and spend some time together. 

A couple of weeks after the Moab half, I ran the Sports-am Ten Miler down Emigration Canyon. The Moab half marathon was in the 60's, this race was in the 30's. 

To be honest, I think I like running in the colder weather better.

 I didn't so much mind running in the snow, wind and slush. 

The race went well; much better than the Moab half. 

If you live near the Salt Lake area this is a race to put on list of things to do. 

It was well organized, well marked, well supported, a fun, laid back crowd, and excellent refreshments. 

P.S. I have the best little sister. She woke up early Saturday morning, in the cold, to pick me up at the finish line since Mike was working and couldn't be there.  I'm so lucky to be her sister. 

So there's a little preview of what we've been up to.  Hopefully more updates to come. 

Spring Break

Spring Break is here. Hallelujah. I might be able to catch my breath and get a thing or two done. Maybe I'll actually post something with pictures over the next couple of days. We'll see. 

60

Swimming in all that I have to do.  Where does my time go? Has it really been over three weeks since my last post?  

Regardless of how busy I am, I wanted to give a shout out to my dad who turns 

TODAY!

Happy birthday KC! I don't know anyone who is more dedicated to his girls and their happiness than you. Thank you for your love, support, heart to hearts, and sense of humor.  Love you! 

8 THINGS

8 T.V. SHOWS:

1. The Office

2. The City

3. American Idol

4. The Today Show

5. What Not To Wear

6.  Friends

7. Gangland...have you seen this show? You have to watch it. Fascinating. 

8. Jon and Kate Plus 8

8 Things That Happened Yesterday

1. Had a great run with my cousin Annie

2. Got in the steam shower

3. Hung out at the Walkers

4. Took a nap

5. Went to the mall

6. Got in a car accident...we are fine....wasn't out fault...NBD

7. Ate Five Guys Burgers and Fries...and loved it

8. Made a Sonic run with Paul and Jamie

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. Moab next weekend

2. Parent Teacher Conferences to be over next week

3. Mexico in April

4.  Consistent warm weather

5. Amanda and her family coming to visit...hint hint

6. Wasatch Back 2009

7. Vacation with Mike's family in August

8.  Planting a garden

8 Things on my wish list

1. Marriott Time Share

2. Range Rover...I had to agree with you on this one Lindsey

3.  Larger kitchen with a dishwasher

4.  A trip to NY in the fall

5.  Smaller thighs

6. More prep time at school

7.  A cabin in the mountains

8. World Peace...ok not really. I honestly couldn't come up with something.

8 Things Mike did yesterday

1. Slept in until 9:00

2.  Studied for a big test in April

3. Watched basketball

4. Got in a car accident

5. Drank a root beer float

6. Made the bed

7.  Taught a card trick to nieces and nephews

8. Hung out with me all day

8 People I tag:

1. Maria

2. Amanda

3. Erin

4. Megan W.

5. Stacy Close

6. Kati Cunningham

7. Katie Tingey

8. Katie Stringham