Construction Ahead!

As you can tell, my Blog is currently under construction. I will be taking some time to work on it with the help of Kate Darowski. The only problem is I, for some reason, cannot find the time.

I am so behind on all of my posts! When loading my pictures from my camera on to my computer today, I realized that I have pictures back from December I haven't loaded.

I will be posting little clips of what has been keeping us so occupied. I am so excited for this week though. I get to go to...

Las Vegas


California's beaches

The Jay Leno Tonight Show
AND . . . DISNEYLAND!


I will be going with Kate, Racheal, and Danielle. It is kind of a celebration/goodbye trip for both Kate and Racheal. They will be leaving in August and September for school and I will miss them both VERY MUCH!
We had to make Disneyland our destination because Kate, in her 23 years of life, has not been to Disneyland. We are all so excited and know that we will have plenty of pictures and hilarious stories to share!

Sore?

2 Weeks from today, I will be very sore. As many of you know, I am trying to qualify for the . . .


By running the . . .


My goal time is sub 3:30

If you have time June 11th, in the morning. Come and cheer all of us crazy masochistic runners. It is a real boost to see someone you know cheering you on to push it till the end.
The marathon starts at 6:00am so hopefully I will finish between 9:20-9:40. We will see?

Treadmills, Shoes, ....and an Ultrasound?

I had my first ultrasound today. Wait WAIT! It was on my feet :) Ha ha, let me explain.

About 3 weeks ago I had a guy around 25-ish get on the treadmill next to me and run for a mile then he got off. I thought it was a little strange but he came back after 25 minutes to run more.
I really dislike treadmills because I can't help but watch the numbers in front of me, it keeps me from enjoying the run. I always cover the numbers with my jacket and when I have a mile left, I usually take my jacket off of the numbers to see where I am at. Right when I was about to leave he stopped me and starting asking about my running schedule/history. He was apart of a BYU study where they are testing Vibram Shoes and how they change your running.

They said if I did the study I would get a free pair of vibram shoes. Psh why not! The qualifications are to run 15-30 miles a week over the next 10 weeks and to follow the running schedule. I am doing that as it is and so I will be just logging my runs for their schedule.
There are 2 groups, the Vibram Group and the Control Group. I was randomly selected for the Vibram study and I will slowly be incorporating the vibram shoes into my runs. Starting with 1 a week. SLOWLY being the key word.
While I was waiting for my MRI on Saturday, after I had been selected to be in the Vibram group, there was a man just finishing up his MRI leaving the exam room. He was on Crutches! I sympathetically asked, "What happened!" He said with a smile, "I broke a metatarsal." I responded, "Yes, but how?" Then he looked at me and smiled hesitantly, "Just running." I looked over at the man helping with the study with, I'm sure, a look a fear.
I immediately explained that I can't break my foot. I have a marathon to run in 2 months!! The study organizer went on to explain and reassure me that the injury was caused by using the vibram shoes on long runs too soon. The schedule used to say, run 1 short run this week in the vibram shoes. They are no including, short run = 2 miles. He explained that the marathoners count a 8-4 mile run as short run. The poor guy was supposed to run the UV Marathon too.
Anyway, today I went to BYU and they took an ultrasound with the cold gel and took a bunch a pictures of the muscles in my foot. Then they had me do running bear foot, with shoes, and in the vibrams while I hooked up to monitors.


It is really interesting to watch how everything is done. I think I will have Joseph come and take pictures when they test me again for the results in 10 weeks. For now my focus is Boston!

A Wonderful Gift

For Christmas this year, I got the greatest gift ever . . .

A Garmin Forerunner 405
I feel very spoiled! We always have a strict price range and Joseph broke the rules this year. He got exactly what I wanted and will use everyday. I love it! Who wouldn't when you can race against a running buddy, save your routes, easily watch your average speed, and have it all load automatically on your computer by just walking past your computer.
Thank you Joseph!

Grey's

I have a guilty pleasure to confess. I love a tv show called Grey's Anatomy.

I began watching this show with my friend Melissa as a freshman in College. To be honest, a lot of my math 1010 classes consisted of driving to my friends apartment and watching episode after episode ha ha.
Recently my mom and sister just got into it and they are watching it non-stop.

Since I have been married we haven't had tv, so I am a little behind. A couple weeks ago, I was so tired after a trip to Park city with the girls and decided I will watch 10 minutes of grey's before I go to sleep. Joseph was over playing Halo with Eric and I wasn't expecting him home for a while. So I decided to start 10 minutes of an episode before going to bed. It was 11:00 and I was so excited about going to bed early.
I then started episode 23 of season 6. Big Mistake! If you know Grey's, you know the episode I am talking about. (Ha ha, I sound so crazy and obsessed). Anyway, I couldn't believe it! In the first 5 minutes this scary creepy guy gets in the hospital and begins shooting all the surgeons. I could feel my heart pounding and I was so nervous waiting to see what would happen next.
There I was in my bed alone yelling at the computer, "No not Alex . . . Not Bailey NO!" "If Bailey dies, I will stop watching this show." ETC.
I had to text Catalina because I had to talk to someone and I thought she might still be awake. Being the nice sister she is, she offered to come watch it with me, "You can't watch that alone."
I ended up finishing the season finale and going to bed finally at 2:25am. It was all done so well! I just had to share. If you watch any grey's episodes, make it these.

Can you say . . . Slacker?

Ha ha, it is funny but when I say that title in my head, I can hear my mom's voice. She used to say that to one of us kids when we were slacking on school work or something. It is so funny!

Some of my friends have made it known that I have been slacking on my blogging updates. I will make a better effort to get back to my 3-a-month posting.
Shall I do a little catch up now? Events since my last posting:
- I had a birthday and turned 22.
Joseph did a great job and invited a bunch of friends over for cake and games. Thank goodness Joseph knows me well enough to know that I don't really like cake. He created a special cake for me called, Dunford Doughnuts.
We celebrated our 2 year Anniversary! And that same month went to Miami with my parents, Catalina, and Rhett. I was so excited to take Joseph because his Oregon is my Miami. What a beautiful place I have missed.

How could building a pillow out of sand, laying on the beach, and listening to the ocean be anymore relaxing?What is Joseph doing?
Yes, he was sleeping.
What would make Joseph happier than this??? Really? We all know the answer to that.

FISHING! He and my father went deep sea fishing one night. I know when he sees this picture he will think, "we caught bigger fish than that", but I chose this picture because it shows the sheer joy he has fishing.


Ha ha ha, I love Miami, The FOOD . . .
(Cuban)


The BEACH . . .


And of course the PEOPLE!

Miami is just entertaining all around.


We made the trip to Key West


Joseph even made friends while we were there. He misses his friend Speedy. (He used to have a pet rooster :) ) What a cute guy!

I LOVE MIAMI
Sorry it took about 4 month to post this ha ha. I will continue the catch up game with a few more posts. Thank you everyone else who keeps their blog updated. I love checking in with all my friends and family! Have a great week!

Marathon 2

Things were great leading up to the marathon. I really had trained well and felt I would be great, that is if the weather didn't become an issue. But of course it did! That is right, don't try running a marathon when temperatures will be up to 100 degrees that day. It was the hottest st george marathon my parents have seen.

It was fun going to the starting line the morning before. I had butterflies all day.


The first time I ran the marathon, these bonfires were so needed. Not this race!


The marathon started and everything was going great! I felt a pebble go in my shoe on mile 8 and just ignored it. I figured it would cut into my foot and stay there and not do that much damage, so I didn't bother with it.
I kept a great pace! I had to repeat in my head, "take it slow", on the down hill though. I didn't want a repeat of the first marathon. I got to mile 20 and I was 12 minutes ahead of my Goal time 3hrs and 40 min! I was ecstatic! I really had to get under 3:40 to qualify for Boston and I was doing it. All along the way I watched people drop off left and right. It got too hot too fast! Literally people were collapsing.
I got to mile 21 and that's when all my worries became reality. I got really dizzy and felt I was going to throw up. I couldn't let that happen, if it did I would get dehydrated too quickly and have to get on a shuttle. After about 3 minutes it passed. I then began running again and got really cold and had chills all over. I thought "Great! Heat exhaustion." I was then stopping at every station to get hydrated. And I then accepted the fact that I wasn't going to make my time. Really, really disappointing. But I didn't cry until later that day when I had to explain to my brother Dano that I didn't qualify. That was hard, we wouldn't be going to Boston together. Anyway, by mile 24 my muscles began seizing and cramping. I was so close but having to walk on and off since mile 21. I had made a new goal. I wanted to finish under 4 hours.


I would love to thank those workers at the stations who rubbed my quads and knees with Icy Hot and had the water and Gatorade ready for us. I have a special thanks to that wonderful woman on mile 25 who had a big gulp sized cup full of Ice Cubes! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Having that in my mouth for that last mile was so refreshing and needed. I then turned that corn and saw it just ahead of me. The finish line! It makes me so happy to hear and see my family. I immediately heard Rhett, "Olivia!" It really pushes me harder. There was the clock . . . 3:56. Honestly, I was so excited to just finish, lay down, and take off my shoes. It was over :)
Sorry about these next photos. They aren't the prettiest.

Battle wounds, Joseph had to take pictures when I showed my family right when I finished. Thanks Catalina for the flip flops!


Everyone was pouring water on them to keep cool and it drenched my socks and made terrible blood blisters.


Remember that pebble? There wasn't a pebble. This was what I ran on ha ha.


We will see how the next one goes :)