Half Marathon and St. George

I started consistently running back in August 2013 in an effort to shed more baby weight. Once I hit my 5k goal I then decided to set a 10k goal. Once I hit my 10k goal I thought I would just be content having that be my max running distance. I gradually added a little more distance here and there and once I hit 9 miles my friends and family started encouraging a half. I had always told myself that the idea of running that kind of distance was ridiculous and that I was never going to be able to do that. So about a week and a half before the race I signed up for the St. George Half Marathon with 10 miles being the longest distance I had a ever ran before. I was excited and nervous  all at the same time.
The day I signed up I got horribly sick with a cold and a stomach virus. I started to worry that I wasn't going to be well enough to run. Luckily, by the day of the race I was feeling much better but I still had a lingering cough and some congestion. I didn't plan on being able to run my best or run the entire race-I was just wanting to finish.
I started the race strong and feeling good. I was keeping a decent pace the whole race until the 8-9mile. My right calf started tightening up and I lost speed and time because I had to stop to stretch the rest of the race. Luckily most of the hills were at the beginning so the end of the course was flat.
It was the perfect day for the race. I was a beautiful warm day to run a winter race in sunny St. George. I really enjoyed the course, the fresh air and the time to think.  I felt healthy and strong for the most part but the last couple miles were killer but I made it. For my first race EVER of any sort I think I did pretty darn good with a finishing time of 2:18:44.
Running started as a weightless a scheme but now it's just something I enjoy and crave. Overall I did lose some weight but nothing drastic. I do feel healthier and stronger.
Maybe one day I'll do a Marathon....hahah...yeah right?!

Kolob Canyon

Red Cliff Rec. Area

18 Months and FULL of Spice and Life!

Our little Miss Blakely turned 18 months on January 18th! We are having so much fun with her ever changing personality and new abilities. It seems like she is constantly learning new things and it always so surprising!

She brings so much joy and spice to our lives. Brock and I just love to watch her-she is SO entertaining! She is definitely learning how to communicate and get what she's after. She's gotten a little sass in her that she is learning to express with her words, gestures and facial expressions. She is such and expressive little thing. Her joy and happiness exudes from her countenance and she knows how to show love and affection. It is also very clear when she is unhappy, angry, sad or hurt. She has a scowl and grumpy face that puts you in your place when you've crossed a line with her!

Her personal preferences and habits have become more apparent. She is a creature of habit and routine. She handles being off schedule for the most part but she can get pretty crabby if her naps and bedtime are too messed up. She has to sleep with her Glow Worm, Stuffed Dora and a binky. She doesn't relax until she has all those things. Heaven help us if we ever lose part of her nighttime crew!

She talking up a storm! It seems like she says something new or puts new phrases together almost daily.  She is so friendly and loves to say "hi" to everyone. She is non-stop chatter....seriously, she even jabbers in her sleep!

Her favorite thing to do is to play with her Little People Dollhouse. She can play for hours if mom and dad will play too. She also loves to color, paint, (thank goodness for the Mess Free products) ride her bike, go for walks, watch Dora (she's obsessed) and open/close doors. She is a busy bee and is on the move from the time her peepers open til she finally gives up and goes to sleep. She is busy and messy but not destructive. We can leave our breakables out and she doesn't bother them-thank goodness!

She loves her Daddy and is so SO much! I'm pretty sure his arrival from work at night is her favorite part of the day. She squeals, dances and acts really nerdy when he walks in the door. It's the most heart melting moment(s) ever. 

In the last two weeks she has given up her morning nap which I am kind of bummed about. So now she just takes an afternoon nap. Her nap time just was cut in half and I am still trying to figure out how to function on just two hours of work time instead of the four that I've had. It's challenging!

She is still a really good eater most of the time. She has become a little more picky with things and it can be challenging to get veggies into her at times. Some days she just doesn't want to eat and other days she eats like a man. Overall she tries everything and I just feed her what we eat.  Her favorite foods are: Bananas, Steel Cut Oats w/Agave Syrup, PB& J, Easy Mac, Salad, Spaghetti, Hamburgers, Yogurt, Apples, Yogurt Melts, Graham Crackers, Milk, Chex and CHOCOLATE! 

Blakely is an absolute delight to have in our home. We love her to pieces and feel so grateful to be her parents. She teaches us new things daily and we couldn't imagine life without her! Happy 18 Months Baby Rae!

18 Month Highlights

Sleeps like a CHAMP

1 nap a day

Starting to attempt dressing herself-loves to put her own shoes on

She loves to give big "leg hugs"

Drinks out of a regular cup

Loves "Da Ball"

Picks on Boog and Brutus

Pretends all the time. i.e: eating, cooking, feeding babies, washing her body, acting like a puppy or kitty

She loves to look at books

Makes animal noises: Bear, Kitty, Dog, Duck, Pig

She can match her puzzle pieces to the right place, she just needs help getting them to fit in the spot

She is addicted to her Binky more than ever-FAIL

Loves to play in her kitchen and "cook" and "feed" us her yummy food

She only uses her Dora Dolls for babies all other babies are ignored

She loves jewelry, chapstick, mom's makeup, purses and her high heels

Her favorite show is DORA....she would watch it all day long if I let her

Loves playing with cousins and other family

Loves to laugh

Loves to be outside

Will NOT nap in the car

Packs Dora and her Glow Worm around

She can be kind of demanding/bossy-she knows exactly what she wants

She plays independently but loves to have us play with her too

Talking up a storm

WORDS:

Dough-A (Dora)-typically referencing the show

Dough Dough (Dora)-asking for her Dora dolls

Dough (Dora)-when she is talking to Dora directly

NoOOooo-Sassy most times

Yes

Yeah

Baba-Bottle

Ba-Binky

Cacka-cookie, cracker

Ollie-Grandma's Dog

Elliot-Grandma's Dog

Woof

Raaar

Meow

Tanku-Thank You 

Hup me- Help Me

DaBall-The Ball

Wasstat-What's that

Ho Me- Hold me

Num Num

Yummy

My Da-My Dad

Dada

Mum-mom

Momma

Jesus

Ma'am Ma-Grandma

Umpa-Grandpa

Book

Hi 

Bye

No Nap

No Mum

Icky

Owee Owee

This

Shoe

There

Galggalag-treat, cookie, chocolate

Off-refering to her diaper

23 Pounds 

Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Year's.

Quick Note: We got a new computer...FINALLY...so here's hoping that I keep up a little better!

THANKSGIVING

We had Thanksgiving Dinner with my side this year at my Brother's place. It was so nice and yummy! We had such a nice dinner and a fun evening hanging out as a family.  The men enjoyed napping and watching football while the women planned Black Friday shopping.

Run: 8 Miles

CHRISTMAS

The Christmas season was fun and busy as always! To be totally honest....we had a really hard time not being in Bozeman where our home and traditions are. Having most of our house in storage is kind of a pain for trying to make Christmas "normal".  Okay! That's enough of the "sob story".

We did  a lot of festive things including: Family Christmas Parties x3, Thanksgiving Pointe Lights, Temple Square, Festival of The Trees, Dickens Festival, Christmas movies, Donated to Homeless Shelter, yummy food, Christmas Eve Dinner & Christmas Dinner.

Christmas Eve we had a nice quiet day and went to lunch with my SIL for her Birthday. We found "Christmas Street" downtown to drive after dinner to see lights. Once we got home we opened Christmas Eve gifts and had hot chocolate. Blakely was over the moon about her Dora PJ's and slippers. 

Christmas morning was so exciting and fun for all of us! Blakely was a little overwhelmed at first but warmed up to the idea of playing with the toys that Santa had left her. She looked and played with her kitchen instantly and she was just so happy. We finally got her to start opening presents and that was fun to watch...until she lost interest and started playing with her kitchen again! (good job Santa) She also received a Little People Doll House that she adores, a shopping cart, jewelry, Dora Doll, clothes and some books. She had a RAD morning!!!

Brock and I got a new computer (only had to pay$2 thanks to GCards), new gym clothes and work clothes for Brock.

Christmas Eve Run: 9 Miles

Christmas Eve PJ's

(more pictures to come)

NEW YEAR'S EVE

For New Year's we decided to head to my sister's new place in Nevada for a visit. Brock had to work for half the day so we left late afternoon. Nette has a really nice and cute home in a pretty sweet town. It was nice to to see where they are at and what they are doing. 

She fed us some awesome New Year's food and we just visited all night! Blakely was ridiculous-she would NOT sleep. She was awake the ENTIRE 4 hour drive that we specifically planned during nap time and she wouldn't go to bed that night either! She was like a little walking zombie/party animal baby! She did finally fall asleep in bed with her daddy around 11:00pm, so they missed ringing in the New Year!

Ran: 7 miles

New Year's Goal:

Eat more Veggies

Eat Less sugar 

Work on Upper Body Strength

Run a Half Marathon

Finish the BofM

Go to the Temple more

Help Blakely explore the world

Save money

Be more forgiving

Think Positively
Donate more often to the Homeless

THIS MAMA WENT TO THE BAHAMAS....

....WITH THE PAPA OF COURSE!

 

 

Long ago we made plans with some of our old college pals to go on a 10yr anniversary cruise together. So about a year ago we started making plans for our trip and to all of our surprise ...we ALL made it!

We Left November 8th and met up with Adam & Mikelle in Florida and spent the night before the cruise on Cocoa Beach.

On Saturday the 9th, we boarded the ship with the rest of our friends and set sail. The party started instantly and we had such a blast with everyone.
Our first port was Freeport Island. Once we got off the boats we decided to rent scooters (mopeds). After some bargaining each couple rented a moped for the day. The locals gave us directions to a quiet beach to spend the day on. Our ride on to the beach had me a little nervous at times. We got lost and trying to remember to drive on the left side of the road was a little tricky. Once we found the beach we settled in and played all afternoon. Luckily, Brock is a good navigator and he found our way back to the ship with no problems.
Our second stop was Nassau Island. This island was INSANE when we got off the ship. The locals were crazy trying to get our business. The city streets were cramped and crowded and there were buildings and people everywhere. We finally got things figured out and took a taxi to the beach. It was a nice day but there was a storm coming so the ocean was a little crazy. We all put our snorkeling gear on and played in the waves. After a few hours, we could see a big storm coming so we headed back to the ship. We ate lunch and then went back out and shopped nearby. Brock and I enjoyed watching the ship leave port that night.
Our third and last stop was Half Moon Cay and was by far our favorite! We were shuttled from the ship to the island by ferry and we spent the day on Carnival's private beach. The weather was perfect, the water was amazing and it was HOT! We played in the on the beach with our friends, ate lunch and then we went snorkeling. The snorkeling was amazing! The water was crystal clear and there were fish everywhere. I found a SEA TURTLE! Seriously....I was SO excited! After we went back and played with the friends. I wish that day could have lasted for forever...none of us wanted to leave that island.
Our last day at sea was fun but kind of a bummer because it was stormy. So being outside wasn't great and we actually weren't allowed out on the decks because of high wind. It was a really rough ride and some of us were feeling a little gross. It got so rough that they were handing out barf bags around the ship. I crossed paths of a woman who had puke all over her face and shirt. I thought I was going to lose it right then. I was dry heaving when I saw her...NASTY! It was also Mikelle's Birthday so that was fun and exciting. It was also nice to relax, get some rest and get a workout in!
Life on the ship was so fun too. They had stuff going all the time. We sat in the Jacuzzi, sang karaoke, danced, played games, ate late night snacks & treats, ordered room service went to shows, took awkward and goofy pictures, shopped, ate A LOT, played ping pong and some of us used the gym. We had formal dining every night together and that was always so much fun. The food was hit or miss but the molten cake was amazing! The guys ordered a ton of food each night...I'm pretty sure our waiters hated us! We had such a blast together! I don't think I've laughed that hard for a long time.
We were so sad when we ported back in Florida. We waited with the Sevy's for almost an hour and a half for our shuttle to come pick us up and take us to the hotel. They had forgotten about us. It was really frustrating because we were so tired. We went back to cocoa beach to hang out for the afternoon until it was time to head to the airport. Our flight home was smooth and easy. I slept most of the way and Brock watched a movie. We were all feeling a little sea sick on our way home. It was nice to be back.
Blakely stayed with my parents and she did great. She had so much fun playing with Aunts, Uncles and cousins. She didn't even have time to worry about or miss us. When she saw at the Airport she was just frozen. She didn't make a peep or move a muscle. It took her a bit to process the whole thing. It was kind of funny! We sure missed her and we were so glad to be back together!