2012 Races

If you're reading my blog through google reader, you wouldn't have seen my new '2012 Races' sidebar.

If you haven't seen it, you're missing out. (:

There are some awesome races coming up.

Here are some of the races I'm the most excited for -

runnercross -

alone, or with 2 teammates (I'm not sure which I'd prefer) - it looks like a really fun mud run/obstacle course. if you haven't done a mud run yet... well, your life is not complete.

adventure race for africa -

I am soooooo excited for this one! I think it'll be awesome. I need at least one teammate, but if more people are interested, we can talk about people doing different legs, or other teams, etc. lots of options with this one.

(it's the same day as this half, which makes me kind of sad because that half looks fun too, but the adventure race looks even awesomer... {I know that's not a word!} it's also the same day as this team event which looks like fun too, but I think I'm still sold on the adventure race.)

vigor stairs -

vigor was started by the sister of a friend of mine - she's the one doing the other team event on the same day as the adventure race, so if you can't do the adventure one, do hers! (: this stairs race looks like it will kill me. in fact, I'm kind of planning on that. but if I do survive... I'm thinking it'll be awesome.

pirate swim club run / walk the plank -

I don't know anything about this other than the race title has the words 'pirate' and 'walk the plank.' which makes me think this will be a fun race. and it's in magna. which may or may not be a selling point...

most races found through runningintheusa.com.

Just Now...

...

jumped on the treadmill for 1/2 an hour for the first time in... waaaaay too long

got my nieces and nephews in their pajamas (well, told them to get in their pajamas - they're old enough to get in by themselves) (:

helped them pick up the family room and kitchen

turned on 'camp rock'

went and took a shower

got dressed

am preparing to go to the hospital to be with my sister and brother-in-law as their 7th(!) child makes her way into this world

it's been a good day.

and keeps getting better!

Weird Dreams

The good news is -

I know how to test for a stroke even in my sleep.

Here's What Will Happen

 today-
- leave work in 7.5 hours (yay!)
- go to verizon to hopefully finally get my blasted phone working properly
- 4:30 - meet friends for frozen yogurt
- 5:30 - get to the temple for my shift in the baptistry (first time back after the last few weeks off)

saturday -
- 8-??? - play in the regional volleyball tournament (done when we're eliminated, however long that will be)
- afternoon - clean things up, do laundry, clean fish tank, PACK
- evening - hopefully get to friend's birthday party in park city

sunday -
- 9-12 - church
- 12-??? - visiting teaching stuff
- rest of the day - finish packing (unless i'm done) and relax (hopefully!)

monday -
- 10 - plane departs for DENVER
- 11:30 - arrive in DENVER

next 2 weeks and 1 day -
- spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her family, meet my new niece who will be born while i'm there (unless she comes before monday...), and love it!

Here's the Plan

A good friend of mine doesn't like Christmas music.

I find this tragic.

My mission (and I chose to accept it since I assigned it to myself): send her one Christmas song a day starting the day after Thanksgiving (I listen to it earlier - and right this second - but she refuses to do so and I will respect that) all the way until (and including) Christmas day.

I have a list of four songs and artists I would like to include, three artists who I'm going to include but I don't know which song yet, and one song with no artist selected.

At this point, I'm taking suggestions. Comment, text, facebook message, whatever - let me know your favorite Christmas song(s). I reserve the right to refuse. (: But I will listen to each suggestion.

I'm going to try to convert this girl to Christmas music - or at least some of it.

Here's one of the songs I'm going to include -

Oh, and I figure I may as well post them to my blog the day I email them.
Just so I have a record. (:

Birthday Follow-up

Well, it happened.

I turned 30.

And the world didn't end.

I didn't really think it would.

Really...

I had a really nice day (couple of days).

It started a day earlier when I was out to lunch with my internship supervisor (turned co-worker). While we were eating she asked when my birthday was (she knew it was coming up) and when I told her it was the next day, she insisted on paying for lunch. Which was really nice.

Thursday (my actual birthday) my mom came up to my office, brought me a plant for my cubicle, and took me out to lunch. We tried a new-to-us restaurant and it was pretty good. Our meals were served with mole sauce which neither of us loved, so I scraped it off of my enchiladas (previously my only mole experience was when it was served to me on top of an iguana omelet... yuck).

Thursday evening a friend arranged for a group of people to go to a frozen yogurt place to celebrate. I had been kind of torn between celebrating and not, but Amber kept offering to do something. So I finally stopped being difficult and let her. And I'm glad I did. It was a lot of fun.

Following that, Amber and I went back to her place where I proceeded to do what I hadn't done in a looooong time - stay up way past midnight. It was after 1:30 by the time I got home. Way too late for a 30-year old. (:

During the day on Thursday I heard from lots of friends and all my family in some way or another. I got two awesome phone messages from a niece and then a nephew singing happy birthday to me. Those are my favorite messages (little kids singing any song really, so feel free to leave random messages of your children singing on my voicemail). (:

The next evening a couple of friends of mine from the master's program wanted to go out to dinner. The three of us have tried to get together about once a month for lunch or something, and they decided to combine it with my birthday. I had taken Friday off from my temple shift in case I needed to crawl into a corner and cry (which never happened, thank goodness). When I got to the restaurant to meet them I saw that they had invited another guy from our program and his family, my parents, and a friend of mine from my ward (thank you facebook for letting people who have never met get in touch).

The surprise was complete with balloons (a must for surprise parties, I'm told) -

And a present from Katie who made this after remembering I mentioned this quote a long time ago saying that I intended to eventually cross stitch it and frame it. And now I don't have to!

I love it.

And I think it's a great addition to this picture grouping.

Thanks to everyone who emailed, called, texted, facebook posted, took me out etc. - or thought about doing any one of those things -  to wish me a happy birthday. It was a great couple of days. (:

I Am So Blessed

Earlier this year I blogged about some drawbacks to getting older. In September, I started thinking about how blessed I am to be getting older and how much I have to be grateful for. I had it in my mind to create this post early and schedule it for publishing on my birthday. - Yep, the day is finally here, I'm 30. - So, on 29 September, I started this post. I'm planning to add and edit throughout the next 41 days so it's all ready for publishing by the 42nd day. Here goes!

In no particular order (and not a comprehensive list)...

I'm blessed because -

- I have a family who loves me
- I have grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, in-laws and 21 (soon to be 22!) nieces and nephews whom I love
- I have the gospel in my life
- I have the blessing of being able to repent
- I have been able to work at the temple once a week for a year and a half, and I work with some pretty great people
- I have had really good health for pretty much all of my life
- I have really good friends in my life
- I have had the blessing of being able to get two degrees
- I have two dogs who love me
- My natural hair color looks good on me (:
(that's what my mom tells me)
- I have a body that allows me to push it to do hard things and doesn't hold it against me
(for too long anyway...)
- 1 marathon, 4 half marathons, and multiple 5ks and 10ks, as well as 1 half-marathon relay
 - I have working senses that allow me to see, hear, taste, smell and touch beautiful things
- I had an internship that turned into a real job (with benefits!)
- I've learned to be happy in whatever situation I'm in
(it's a process, and sure I have harder times than others, but overall... I think I'm doing pretty well)
- I have never struggled with addiction to harmful substances
- I have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep on
(thanks Mom and Dad!)
- I don't know what it's like to really go hungry
- I have a car that gets me where I need to go
(even with it's recent repairs)
- I have a Savior who lived and died for me because He loves me that much
- I have had one dating relationship in which I learned a lot about myself
(hey, it's more than zero...)
- I learned to drive a motorcycle and got my motorcycle license
(again, thanks Mom and Dad)
- I am a certified SCUBA diver
(ditto to above)
- I have the ability to learn and grow from my experiences and mistakes
- I have the ability to feel joy and pain
- I know how to laugh
- I live in a place where I am surrounded by beautiful things
- I am happy

Happy Thursday (weekend eve!) Everyone!
I hope your day - and your life - is filled with reminders of wonderful and beautiful things around you.

God lives.
Jesus Christ lives.
And I am so blessed because of it.

So Funny

Perhaps you've already seen the result of Jimmy Kimmel's challenge to parents to videotape their kids while they tell them that they (the parents) ate all the kids' Halloween Candy.

If not, well here you go.

So funny. And so sad.

I love the last two little boys, and how the older one is still really encouraging his brother who tries to add two and two, at the same time he's dealing with his parents eating his candy. So sweet!

Wow. All I Can Say is WOW.

Today the memory of the woman who had her face ripped off by a chimpanzee came to mind. It wasn't completely random because I had been reading the file of a man who shot his head off. (yes, that's what I do.) So, I googled her. And then I youtubed her (like that word I just made up? for only $5,000 a use, you can use it too :).

This is what I found -

Which led me to this -

Which led me to this.

Modern medicine is truly amazing.
As is the strength found in some people.

I'm amazed.

This Man is Hilarious

part 1 -

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

and part 2 -

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive