Best Summer Ever . . .

. . . and slowly it has become cold and lonely!

Wow what a depressing way to start my blog post! Really though, this summer came so slow and ended so soon! It Snowed on Timp Mt. this morning! I am in denial. It can't get cold just yet!
Anyway, I have had a very busy and eventful summer. Honestly, this is what I blame my lack of blogging on. There is no time for blogging with so many fun things to do.
Also, my friend Kate is a much better writer/blogger than I am, so I will be including some links to her blog posts. Read them. You will quickly find yourself falling in love with her witty remarks. Also, big thanks to Kate and Racheal for being the photographers of this summer. I am including a ton of pictures with just a little summary on this post. Read what you want. I know! It is long.

Here is a brief rundown, Ready?! This summer was full of . . .

Hikes!
Getting bored at work, talking to grumpy people can get old really fast. "Thank you for calling Ancestry, this is Olivia. How can I help you?" Customer: "Yes, you charged my card without my authorization . . ." VTO! Forget this, let's go for a hike!

For more pictures and Kate's post click here.

Weddings!
Angela Got Married! June 3rd Angela and Davey were sealed.
ZUMBA!
I really wanted to stay focused for my marathon training this summer. I kind of put that aside to Zumba 4 times a week. Allison has the best choreography and knows how to have a fun time dancing to great music. My love for zumba and latin dancing really grew this summer. I have a Zumba family that I will never forget! Allison, Brooke, Leslie, Jen, Noelia, Karen, Maria, Skyler, and my mom, Nina! I love you all!


Road Trips!
We planned a trip to California! We, again, needed some kind of escape from our monotonous work. We loved taking pictures at the beach! Need Proof? Kate's Post has unlimited pictures!


Kate Darowski has never been to Disneyland! 23 years of seeing all the magical commercials and advertisements and only imagining what it could be.

Yes, she loved it. How could you not? We some how went on the perfect day. I know you wont believe me, but we waited probably 18 minutes in a line, MAX. Kate's post!Meeting Celebrities!
While in California we were of course starving and stopped by Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Who did we walk by on our way to our table? Melanie! The Winner of SYTYCD! After a pep talk in the bathroom ( ha ha ha), we got the courage to go and ask for a picture!


Lucky little Kate won tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was really fun!Running!
I love to run! (Not sure why, but I just typed that with the Marry Popins tune in mind. You know? The song, I Love to Laugh?) Anyway! June 11th I ran the Utah Valley Marathon and am so happy to say, I did it! Third Marathon is the Charm? I qualified for Boston! It is all a fun story, maybe I will tell it someday. Kate ran the half marathon and did GREAT! Want to see?



Chelsea Hansen called me on Thursday night June 16th, 5 days after the Marathon, and told me her company had 2 open spots for the Ragnar. PSH! Of Course Joseph and I will run it! We packed up and were running the next day!
The Ragnar is just a bunch of crazy runners who, on very little sleep, run as a team of 12, 197-200 miles in about a day and a half (36 hours). If you're fast like the BYU cross country team it could take about 17 hours. Ridiculous right?! If anyone ever needs a runner, please call me!
Movies!
Harry Potter was my favorite for the summer. Yes, Harry Potter is more than a story or a movie to me. I grew up with Harry Potter. I was sent the first 2 books from my aunt Velia when I was 10 years old. 5th grade? I remember always having something to look forward to. A new book, a new movie. It all ended July 2011. I have to thank Kate for her talented writing. She has expressed exactly how i feel about Harry Potter and the last movie. If you love Harry Potter, please read.

Yes, we had tickets to the midnight showing of HP, thanks to Racheal! I do enjoy the movies, but they don't even compare to the books. Yes, I cried during this movie, a lot. It is okay if you don't understand and laugh at me. Joseph does. I have enough people who understand and can relate. I love Harry Potter. Thank you, JK Rowling, for bringing Magic to my life :)
Canyon Adventures!
An undocumented event was the drive in Joseph's 1994 toyota camry on the back of Cascade mountain with Craig and Kate. I will never forget the scary nerve raking event full of scary stories and scary driving. Let's just say Joseph believes his car is a Jeep made for off roading. We had no idea it would last about 4 hours ha ha ha ha! I wish we had some form of pictures!

Scootering down the canyon with Racheal, Jack, Sandro, and Joseph. I don't know if I will ever get tired of this activity.


It was dark and Joseph was sneaking into the picture. I believe Sandro somehow punched Joseph in the throat. It was funny hearing everything happen and then getting a picture of the after math. I am still unsure as to what exactly happened.
The moonlight lift up in Sundance was a first for me. I was a little scared at times with Joseph seeing how far he could lean forward ha ha.
I can't remember why we were all laughing so hard in this picture, but it makes it a great picture.

This summer was short and sweet and will be extremely hard to beat. (I didn't mean to rhyme there) . Thank you Friends and Family for making it what it was. Summer 2011!

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!