Run, Jen, Run!!

This past weekend was my big half marathon. For those of you who don't know, I am not much of a runner. Up until this summer the furthest I had ever run was a 5K (3 miles). I am an aerobics girl at heart so I'm not exactly sure what possessed me to run the equivalent of running from my house in Provo, to my parents house in Orem, and BACK, but I did it and despite all my hatred of training I actually enjoyed the race.

I got up at 4am because I couldn't sleep. I assume it was not excitement to run, but more fear I would oversleep or possibly excitement for the run to be over in just a few hours. Jana & I arrived at the race at 5:45am to make sure we could board the bus since the race made a big deal about not missing the bus. Unfortunately they did not plan for the amount of runners registered (don't ask me why) and the buses had to make 2 runs to pick up all the runners. For those of us on the first bus run this meant freezing in the canyon while waiting for the other runners to arrive. After 1.5 hours in the canyon and 30 minutes after the initial start time we started running. The race is mostly downhill for the first 8 miles & Jana and I were cruising. We were running about 9:30 minute miles which is 2 minutes faster then we normally run (11-11:30 min miles). We were feeling good & just enjoying our music and conversation. After 8 miles the run flattens out, which after going at least slightly downhill for 8 miles flat ground feelings like you are going uphill. When all was said & done we ran the entire race (only walking through the water stations so we could actually drink the water) in 2 hours and 13 minutes, a 10:15 min mile. I was very proud of myself and almost shed tears of joy as I came to the finish line. It was great to have Mom & Dad there cheering me on. I'm grateful they came.

For those of you wondering I still have no desire to run a marathon, but I think I could maybe do a half marathon again. For all the boredom of training the race did make it worth it (sort of).

Movies, Movies & more Movies

The past week has provided me with a lull in my summer schedule. I have wisely (or not so wisely) been using this time to see movies that I have wanted to see. I have in the last week seen 4 movies in the theater. Fortunately all 4 movies have been worth recommending:

• Bourne Ultimatum - Wonderful, even better if you are in love with Matt Damon as I am. I have seen all 3 "Bourne" movies now and would rate this one #2 (the first one was the best). However for being the 3rd movie in the series it was great. So great that I saw it twice!
• Simpson's Movie - If you love the Simpsons you will love this movie. If you don't watch the Simpsons then you will not get most of the jokes. If you do then you will be rolling laughing.
• Stardust - A fantasy movie & chick flick. I had no idea what to expect with this movie, but it was definitely one of the better movies I've seen in a long time. It was funny, romantic, and had a very interesting plot. Good for men & women!
  
• No Reservations - A great chick flick and somewhat of a tear jerker.
  

Needless to say I need something else to fill my time. Good thing that this week I was lucky enough to book a vacation to Kauai, Hawaii at the Marriott for free. Thanks to Jana's parents who don't know how to use their time share and it was about to expire. Here is a picture of where I'll be staying. You are all jealous now I know.

I love the sun!

As many of you know I am somewhat of a sun worshiper. If there is a "false idol" in my life it would be the sun. This is why when a friend of mine invited me on an all expense paid trip to Lake Powell I didn't hesitate in saying yes! However, I had no idea that 3 days in August 2007 would make me into a "Lake Powell Snob."

Nicole and I went with our friend Adam and all his friends. Some married, some single. The guy in charge is loaded (and married) to say the least & we were not disappointed when we got on our houseboat and had a flat panel TV in every one of the 5 bedrooms (yes more bedrooms then my house). Since there were only 10 of us on the trip we had more then enough space to do whatever we wanted. They also had an awesome ski boat (16 passengers) that made getting up on the wakeboard easy. It also put out a huge wake to jump, if only I was skilled enough to dare to jump it. I also got to "surf" behind the boat which I found quite fun. Too see my mad skills behind the boat you can go to here.

We also were able to go to Rainbow Bridge which I have never done while in Lake Powell. It is a huge natural arch that goes over the canyon. It is honestly incredible to see it in person and to know that it was just made by water, but here is a picture.


Here are a few other pictures from the trip:

Houseboat Kitchen & Front Room:

The boys playing "Guitar Hero" video game....


Me at the top of our hike to the "cookie jar." I was very disappointed that there were not actually any cookies in the cookie jar. I had my heart set on oatmeal chocolate chip.




Needless to say I don't think I will experience Lake Powell like this again. I had a taste of being rich & I'd have to say....it is very tempting :)

Someone thinks I'm hilarious

***Note for those of you who only read the email & don't go to the link, you miss out on all the pictures***

It has been confirmed this past weekend that I am funny, well at least to an 18 month old little girl. I went to visit Amber, Scott, & Ashley this past weekend. Life has thrown me some curve balls lately and thus the main purpose of the trip was to go on a trip where I didn't have to think about being social, my job, or anything else.

Most of my time was spent entertaining Ashley. Although she hasn't quite learned the "sign" for Jen I feel I am quickly becoming the favorite aunt. A couple of my favorite moments with Ashley involved "hiding" from her around the corner, scaring her and then chasing her. Even after 20 times in a row she thought I may have been the funniest thing ever. I also learned alot about which animals call the barn home. FYI, it is not the elephant....LOL! We also had a great time playing the piano. In fact she taught me some tricks by using her feet. It does add an extra 5 "fingers" which when I'm playing the piano it seems I don't have nearly enough fingers to actually play what I want to play. Leave it to the toddler to come up with the solution.


This weekend was also a sad reminder of how much Amber can accomplish in one day. Seriously there may be something wrong with her!! Has she been granted more than 24 hours in a day?? Perhaps she has access to a secret genie?? Or maybe she is just Mary Poppins (I'd better keep an eye out for an umbrella). Seriously, I don't do half of what she does on a daily basis and I am single. I definitely learned that I do not know how to cook, I can't even pretend. Now I knew this before I got to Logan as my meals often consist of peanut butter (from the can), cottage cheese (again from the can) or something the Olive Garden or Cafe Rios has made for me. However, after trying to "help" Amber cook I now know that it is even worse then I thought. It isn't a good sign when you have to ask how to use a rice cooker, burn the pie filling on the stove, and then just give up & play with Ashley. Let's remember that I'm the older sister.....shouldn't I be teaching her? I was definitely well fed this weekend, from BBQ pizza on the grill (thanks to Scott), Hawaiian Haystacks, and an awesome raspberry pie. The McAllister's know how to host a guest. I refuse to step on a scale until next week though :)

Maps are important

Maps are important to have in your possession and more important to read. I learned this the hard way this weekend. Nicole & I had decided that we wanted to hike Timp. One of us who shall remain nameless (not me...LOL!) had hiked to Timp before and was positive that you hiked past the Timp Caves & then continued on to the top of Timp. So we woke up at 6am (to avoid the heat) and started our hike to Timp Caves. As we reached the additional 2000 ft in elevation to Timp Caves the trail abruptly ended. After consulting with the park ranger we were informed that the trail to the top of Timp started 7 miles further up the canyon and not at Timp caves. Sadly we then hiked back down to the bottom of the caves, drove 7 more miles and then started our ascent to the top of Timp. We began hiking at 9:30am instead of 7:30am. The trail is beautiful and a not too challenging, however it did get rather hot as we were hiking in the middle of the day. Don't worry, I was kept cool by my soaking wet sweaty back. Seriously, it was so gross, good thing I was not trying to impress anyone.

Needless to say, Nicole & I were done hiking about 3 hours before the trail said we were done. It was a long hike down. We ended up hiking 17 miles in one day. However, I do feel pretty cool that I know I have hiked to the tallest peak around these parts (11,000+ feet). As a result I have never had such sore calves in all my life and my toe nail is coming off. So sad.

Maybe I am a camper.....

Maybe I am a camper.....

Last week I let it be known that I was not a camper, however after receiving my new vacuum this week I have determined that not only am I a camper, but you might as well call me a "mountain woman" with all the dirt, dust and hair I have been living in for the past year within the walls of my own home. I'm not sure why I even bothered to shower this past year.

After going through 2 vacuums in the last 3 years I determined that the time had come to bite the bullet and invest in a good vacuum. After doing some research online, with friends and going through some test runs at Sears I was sold on buying a Dyson. Consumer reports rated it #2, but since I don't care about cat hair (we all know how much I hate that Ricky) I didn't think cat hair removal was a huge selling point for me. I found a refurbished Dyson on Overstock for $329 which is $110 cheaper then buying it new. The big selling point for the Dyson is that it never loses suction & you don't have bags, belts or anything to replace.

I received the vacuum on Monday. Since that time I have spent hours (yes, hours) vacuuming everything I can see in my house. The suction on the Dyson is just as amazing as the marketing ploys say it is. The best thing so far is that it sucks up hair. As a girl this is very, very important. My previous vacuums have just had the hair get stuck on the brushes or worse....pushed it around into a nice little ball for me to then pick up. The Dyson actually sucks the hair up into the dirt bag.

Overall I would tell everyone that having a great vacuum is a must buy. Fork out the money & buy a good one. It is well worth it. It is like a bed, you shouldn't be cheap when you spend so much time in it.

Kumbaya.......

As expected this past week was much less eventful then the previous week. However, this weekend did remind me of one particular thing.....I am not a camper!

This weekend was our ward camp out up in Kamas, UT (near Heber). As a member of the activities committee the ward camp out is much, much more then showing up & setting up your tent (although you have to do that also). We had been advised to plan for 200 people so our fun began Thursday night when we got together and put together 200 tin foil dinners. Let's just say that I would prefer to not cut raw chicken for a very, very long time. We packed up our stuff and headed to the campsite which was really some undeveloped land owned by our Bishop, but near a chapel so we had access to the restrooms (very handy). Once we arrived we then had to cook the 200 tin foil dinners we made the night before, which went surprisingly quick. Once that was complete I was able to socialize & enjoy the company of those around me, although their numbers were more like 100, not 200. We sat around the campfire, had "girl talk" and looked at the stars. I am constantly amazed by the quality of people in my ward, especially the girls. Once it was time for bed I had to blow up my pool floaty for my mattress and then I was ready to sleep, too bad not everyone was ready to sleep as tents do not have the same types of walls as are in my home. So after 4 hours of sleep, we awoke and made breakfast at the church (breakfast burritos), cleaned up camp, and headed home. Needless to say I find camping more work then a vacation. Although it is relaxing I'd rather have someone else make my food and clean up my room.

Other notable or not so notable things that happened this week were:

• I nearly died of smoke inhalation. Lung Cancer may be just around the corner......
• I saved $1900 by having a guy in my ward fix my floor drain instead of a "professional" who wanted to charge $2000. I had it done for $100.
• The wasps no longer have a home in my home. Their homes have been filled with foam. I'm sure they are very upset.
  
• My NuSkin girls softball team is one win away from the championship. We are currently undefeated.
  
• I continue to run and I'm still waiting for running to become fun or make me super skinny (neither of which has happened yet).
  
• I attended "Taco Night" with friends in the ward. It was your basic "stand around" as we like to call them.