A Girl Can Dream... And Dream... And She Does.

About half an hour ago I discovered this website. And I haven't been able to look at anything else since. Don't worry, you don't have to go to the link, I'm happy to talk about it right here. And I will.

This website provides marathon tours in various places around the world. That means, you pay for a package and you're signed up to run a marathon in some awesome location as well as spend some days around race day touring. Some options are: Dublin, Rome, Athens, Paris, Reykjavik, Maui, Easter Island, The Great Wall, Berlin, Cape Town (this one is 34 miles, it's called the two oceans marathon because you run from the Atlantic to the Indian), and London. And that's not an exhaustive list.


Okay, really? What's not to love about this possibility? And you don't even have to run a marathon. They give an option for non-runners, and some of the locations have half marathons, 10ks, and 5ks. Something for everyone.

Now that I know these exist, I have to run one. Yes, HAVE to. And I will.

Not sure when or where, but I will.

Until then, I'm dreaming.

Oh, and here's a picture of the Kenya marathon. How awesome would that be?!


And until then, there's Bryce.

Hmm...

Would you recognize this face?


What if it was above a white shirt and tie?
What if you were standing on the opposite side of the counter from him just doing your job?
What if he was a lot shorter than you had thought?

Turns out, I wouldn't recognize him.

But the 63 and 65 year-old women I was with did.

I'm just keeping him humble.

Price Tag

Today while helping my mom's decorator friend move things around and decorate the house (because that's what decorator friends do) I ended up with a price tag stuck to me. When I pulled it off this evening I read, $249 and thought, 'not bad.' Then, I focused my eyes and looked at it again and saw $24.99 and was a little disappointed.

At least it wasn't $2.49.

Amen.

'You cannot think yourself into a better body.'

- Tanya Becker -
creator of the physique 57 technique

I've tried.
It's not possible.

Remember this?

Well, thanks to:
- my continuing weight loss (after a stagnant period - and a bit of a weight gain - over the holidays),
- my training for a half or full marathon (I haven't decided which yet),
- and my sister Bethany's suggestion that I start cross-training,

I put physique 57 on again today and started working my way into a better body.

And I did it for the full 57 minutes.
And my body is sore and shaky now.

And I love it.

Would You Believe Me...

... if I told you this dog -

was the same dog as this one? -

When I went to pick him up, I almost didn't believe it.

For a first time - ever - having a dog groomed, it didn't turn out terribly, except he looks too much like a poodle in my opinion. But now that I know what's standard in their grooming, I know what changes to ask for.

Memories

When looking at my wooley dog, I was reminded of this video.

I love it.
Youtube is amazing.

And while I'm at it,
Look at what other gem I found:







You are welcome. (:

Holy Smokes

Today:

12-mile run
5 - 6 mph (w/ a brief spurt of 7 and then 8 mph)
5% incline more than half the time (also did 0, -2, and -4)
2000 calories burned
21363 aerobic steps counted on my pedometer

Seabiscuit is a fabulously motivating movie while running. Especially the race scenes. It was during the final race of the movie that I hit the 8 mph point. I just couldn't help myself. (:

Now my dogs are collapsed on their beds as if they were the ones exhausted from running, and I've got to make myself crawl to the shower.

My Brother is Funny (and Talented)

Ouch

Last week I started playing on a community volleyball team. Tonight I earned the first skinned elbow and bruised knee that I've had in... a really, really long time.

But boy is it fun playing volleyball again!

Mmm...

Went to Les Madeleines today for lunch.

Good times.
Good food. &
Good company.



While there, we ate this, and it was wonderful.
Kathy describes it as the baby of a croissant and creme brulee.
And that's pretty much what it is.

Thanks Kath!

Before & After

18 September, 2010

23 December, 2010

I still think he's adorable.

Good Times

If you're in the SLC area, or if you're in the UT County area wanting to go to the SLC area, this weekend, there's a stand-up comedy show on this Friday and Saturday. Well, there are probably a few of them, but the one I'm talking about is probably going to be the awesomest one. I'm sure of it.

It's called left field stand up and it includes the guy who did that 'new spice' video for the BYU library (see below).

So, I think you should go to their website and find out how to get tickets. And then I think you should go. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be lucky enough to see you there. (:

Commercials I Enjoy (yes, there are a few)

i love that kevin bacon doesn't take himself too seriously


i laugh every time i see this
i could totally be a therapist...


and a nice feel good one

I Like Quotes

Came across these recently:

The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it's taken place.
- George Bernard Shaw

Forever is composed of nows.
- Emily Dickinson

Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as real strength.
- Ralph W. Sockman

Valentine's Flowers & Donating to a Cause

I'm not a huge Valentine's day fan. I'm not a hater either, but because I've never had a reason to celebrate it, it's just another day. However, last year I had a 'We Don't Hate Valentine's Day' party where I tied a pink ribbon around the Dingo's neck, had a few girl friends came over, we decorated (and ate) sugar cookies, listened to love songs, and watched a lovey movie. It was fun. I'm thinking I'll do it again this year.

This is why I bring something like this up more than a month in advance. If you buy roses through them, the money you pay will be donated to Community Health Connect, specifically helping the uninsured in UT County get medical and dental care. So, if you want to donate and you're a girl, ask your lovey to buy the flowers from here. If you're not in UT County it might not convenient since you need to pick your flowers up from there. They do have a pick-up option in AF though!

Speaking of V-day, I wonder which movie I'll watch alone this year...
(last year it was Valentine's Day - not worth it in my opinion. same kind of idea as Love Actually which is so so so much better - edited, of course! :)

2011

When I realized that November had passed me by without my mentioning Thanksgiving at all, I decided that I would make up for that in December and say one thing I was grateful for every day. That, by no means, was a comprehensive list, but it was a start.

Now it's 2011. My last day of 2010 was spent in my pajamas, with a throbbing headache that carried over from the day before. I've still got that headache, but I'm determined that my first day of 2011 won't be spent the same way. I'll get up, shower, and at some point today, I'll take the pups for a walk. The poor things have been neglected in that way for the past month+.

I like this quote.


A teacher of mine put it at the end of one of her powerpoint presentations and I wrote it down. I think it's really important to be aware of what your weaknesses are, but after that, it's really important to work on making them into strengths. I think that could be a good focus for 2011. And for always. Working on improving my weaknesses.

Here's to a brand new year.
Anything is possible.

Hope you have a good one.
I've quite possibly slept through it.
(I've scheduled this post. It wouldn't make sense to say 'happy new year' before midnight, now would it? :)

I wonder how long it'll take me to remember to write 2011.