New blog... yeah, another one :)

I'm doing my cupcake experiment again this year. I decided that since there will be a new recipe every week I would just make a cupcake blog like the hundreds of other cupcake lovers out there. If you want to check it out, go to and you can keep up with all the new flavors!

On a side note, I will be posting pictures soon from my photo-a-day project. I just haven't downloaded any yet :)

New Year's Reso.... ah forget it! Ha ha!

I had made a resolution last year to post once a week. Obviously, that didn't happen! It's been since our last Body Jam launch that I wrote on my blog and it's just about launch time AGAIN! I'm using the crazy energy we had last time to kick this one up, too. Hopefully it will be just as insane as the last!

One thing I really, really hope to finish this year is the photo-a-day project. My aunt did it last year and, yep, she has 365 photos to remember 2011 by! Since this is a leap year, I'll be getting 366 photos for 2012. I for sure want to finish this thing no matter what! I've taken my pictures every day, just have posted them anywhere yet. It's very possible I'll make a collage each week and post it on my blog. I'm not going to say I'll post once a week. That way, if I happen to skip here and there I won't feel super guilty.

So many things are coming this year! My second marathon - which inevitably means my second cupcake project (hint, hint, flavor ideas NEEDED), my 5th Canyonlands Half Marathon, hopefully my first half marathon in another state, the possibility of moving yet again to who knows where, starting out the year with a super cute boyfriend (ah, I finally said it...), photographing my first wedding with an international groom, and many changes I'm sure are coming!

That's it for right now, I guess. I'll keep ya posted ha ha!

My First Launch!

Last week we launched the newest release of Body Jam...


I'm not gonna lie, I was so nervous about this launch because it was my first official launch as the Jam Coach. Our downtown club TOTALLY pulled it out and we had over 80 participants! The dance floor was so crowded it was almost hard for people to even move! We had such a blast!


This is just part of the amazing group we had! There was so much energy in that room... it was the most amazing feeling in the WORLD!

Layton was definitely not as full, but we still had a fantastic time. We had a couple Jam sistas that I was so excited to have there!


These girls are so fantastic!

I seriously could not have asked for a better launch or a better team... Sherry and Dev, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Why I run

I've gotten out of habit, and that's a terrible thing. I loved how I felt when I was training for the marathon and running 5 days a week. I have a race in just a few more weeks, so I've been a little better this week with getting up and going, but I know I could be better. I just need to remember the reasons WHY I run, so here goes nothin' :)

First and foremost, I love the way I feel when I'm running consistently. It seems a little strange, but I have more energy and I feel great about myself. When I'm running, I can walk up the 4 flights of stairs at work and not get too winded, which I think is a very good thing. Really, I just feel fantastic physically and I'm looking for that feeling again... cuz, you know, I've lost that lovin' feelin'.

Second, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. When I complete a full week of training without missing a single day, I truly feel like I've done something to push myself in the right direction. It's almost like if I can do that, I can do so many other things that seem a little impossible.

Third, and maybe my favorite reason of why I run, is this...


and this...


and so many others that I haven't even tried yet! I'm still working on cupcake recipes, and the only time I let myself eat them is after a big race. With that said...

Let me grab my running shoes... I want a CUPCAKE!

The music made me do it...

It's been a slow and kinda boring past couple of weeks, but I promised I'd post this week and I try really, really hard to keep my promises. Let's just ignore the fact that I wanted to post every week and start fresh, shall we?

Since coming home from California, it's been back to business. I finally got to meet the cutest little baby in the entire world (who was born my first day in Cali) and it was the highlight of my week! He is just the sweetest little boy and I wish I could see him more often than I get to. But, thanks to the new season of Biggest Loser starting tonight (WOO HOO!!!) I will get to see him every Tuesday night!


Probably not the greatest picture, but you can still see how handsome this little guy is!

The week after getting home from California was actually a full work week, which, after working 3 or 4 day weeks and then being on vacation for a week, was pretty brutal. Good thing it only lasted a week, right? The next week was my birthday, so I took a day off to celebrate! It started with good run at the gym then to the SL temple (my first trip down there) with my good friend, Rino. It was such an awesome experience! When we got back, I got a much needed pedicure from another awesome friend... thanks, Mary! After the pedicure, I needed to get some shopping done for the par-tay! Rino met me at the Latin market and about $50 later we had enough carne asada to feed an army. Actually, I still have a ton left in the freezer, so if anyone has a hankering for delicious beef or pork, you know who to call. After the market, I headed to my parents' house and made red velvet cupcakes... for someone who loves baking as much as I do, why wouldn't I make my own cupcakes on my birthday?!

People came to party around 7:30 and we ate, talked, danced, smacked around a pinata, roasted pineapple, and watched a movie for the rest of the night. It was actually pretty fantastic! I'll post pictures when I can get to them...

The birthday weekend continued with a foto frenzy day (pictures to follow SOON) and a baseball game with few good friends. Another fantastic day of celebrating.

Sunday, I had a second birthday dinner with my parents, Amber, and my cute grandpa with delicious food and chocolate covered cinnamon bears :) I decided for some reason that my birthday was lasting all weekend long, so I fell off the wagon a little bit, but it's a time for celebrating, right?

Monday I gathered some friends, my parents, and my sister with her girls and went to the river! I had only gotten to raft once this season (so sad) and I requested that, if the river was high enough, we make a Labor Day trip. It was a little chilly, but overall a fantastic river trip. I especially enjoyed the part where I hit a wall of water on Big Kahuna... OH YEAH!

Since the celebrating has come to a close, I've just been working and working. I guess things have been a little more exciting than I thought. A friend of mine from the gym who works for the Job Corps. in Clearfield asked me to help her group of kids participate in the Let's Move, America campaign. Every night this week I get to go hang with these kids and teach them the Beyonce "Move Your Body" dance. Last night was kind of fantastic, so here's hoping the rest of the week goes just as well!

Oh, and I get to Jam in O-town with the Jamily tonight... can't get any better than that! I guess that must explain the title of this post :)

A little get-away... to DISNEYLAND!!!

The last couple weeks have been sort of fabulous. The 12th and 13th of this month I was lucky enough to run the Epic Cache-Teton relay with my oldest brother and sister. I ran last year with my bro and it was so much fun and I'm so happy I could do it again this year.
Because I had run the Ogden Marathon in May, our team captain decided to give me the second hardest leg in the whole race. I was seriously intimidated, especially when I saw the first hill I had to climb. This picture is right after I finished my first leg.


I can't decide if I'm sucking in air or water. Either way, it was so HARD! I got sick on my second leg with about 2 miles left, but I made up for it by helping out other people on our team. This is one of my favorite pictures from the relay, even if I am in my shorty shorts...


Our team finished in just over 31 hours. A little slower than last year, but it was still EPIC! Go Vilage Idiots!


The day after the relay, I decided to celebrate with a little trip to DISNEYLAND! I went with a few friends from the ward and ended up with more friends than when we left! There were a few (ok, a lot more than a few) issues along the way, but the whole week was pretty much a blast. This pretty much sums up every moment of the trip.


Oh, how I heart this picture! I was lucky enough to see a good friend who lives in California as well and spend time with her cute little family.


The best part...? Spending time with them at the BEACH! Every time I go to the beach, it reminds me of how much I would love to live in California.
The only bad part for me really was having to spend time with someone I wasn't really ready to spend time with just yet. Still, I wouldn't trade that week for anything in the world. It was so, so nice to get away from everything for a while and just have some FUN!
Here are a few more photos... just to make you a little jealous :)


Just the girls!


At the Chinese Theater in Hollywood... my hand fit with Marilyn Monroe!


Such a fun group!


Oh, I was so excited to see Woody and Jessie... Toy Story is one of my FAVS!


We got to stop at the Shelby Museum in North Vegas and I was oh so happy... never mind the fact that we were stuck there for about 5 hours... that's a whole other story.
Needless to say, I did not like coming back to work yesterday. DISNEYLAND!!!

Tears

I wanted to post once a week... really I did. I had every intention of writing at least once a week about everything that was going on. Honestly, I don't know what happened to that, but I'll try to catch up quickly.

I don't remember ever posting about the Gold's Gym Employee Challenge, but I won. All that torture of no sugar totally paid off and I am now the proud owner of an iPad 2! Since the challenge ended and the marathon came and went, I've fallen off the wagon a bit (or a lot). I decided today that it ends and I get back on track. I get tired of hearing people complain about their weight, so I'm going to end that right there.

I've gotten quite a few photo sessions lately, and I absolutely love it! Honestly, if I could quit my day job and do photos full-time, I would in a heart beat. Maybe someday...

Last weekend, I actually started a Photo Frenzy - something I'll do once a month where I spend an entire afternoon doing session after session for anyone who wants to come. I only had two appointments last weekend, but it turned out perfectly. Here is one of my favorites from the second session.


The end of June I had the opportunity to go to an IT conference in Philadelphia with a couple of co-workers. We had a pretty good time... even though we didn't get to go to a Phillies game. We visited a good portion of the tourist sights, went on a ghost tour of the city, and ate AMAZING Philly Cheesesteaks from the original cheesesteak restaurant. YUM!

Since I started going to the ward that I actually live in, I've met some pretty awesome people. Honestly, it's a little hard for me to make friends. I'm really kind of shy, believe it or not. Anyway, I was lucky enough to meet amazing people, including one amazing guy... long story short, my first official heart break commenced. I'll say this much, I can now say I actually know what it feels like. I'd never cared so much for someone before and it hurts. And so begins the process of mending...

I still have amazing friends and incredible parents who are there to help me get back on track. I seriously don't know what I'd do if I didn't have them :)

On a happier note... exciting news! Our Body Jam coach is moving to Chicago. Ok, that's not so exciting for us, but Nikki is stoked. I've been asked to take her place as the new coach. WHOA BABY!!! Really, I'm a little terrified. She has some big, flashy shoes to fill. But I'm so, so excited for this opportunity! Last night, we had a final Jam-fest with her and the O-town Jamily before she leaves and it was so incredible! Music was played, tears were shed, and sweat was dripped on the dance floor... and I loved every minute of it. I'm so lucky to have one thing where it doesn't matter how hurt or sad I feel, how awful my day or week has been, I can go for just one hour and be free and let everything go.

love

Oops... I did it again!

Typing that, the Brittney Spears song started running through my head. Some things just happen!

I will be posting results of the Gold's Gym Employee Challenge soon, but I wanted to at least try to get caught up with posting! I feel like it's been so long and my blog has been neglected... poor baby!

A couple weeks ago, it was Amber's birthday. I just have to say, it is so great to finally have best friends (ahem) that actually care about me and don't ALWAYS think of just themselves. Anyway, Amber is one of these friends and so I wanted to try and make her birthday as awesome as possible.

During the cupcake experiment, her absolute favorite was the cherry turnover cupcake, so making a GIANT cherry turnover cupcake for her birthday was a no-brainer. I made it the night before, hoping it would be completely awesome... but it turned out like this


Ugh... oh well. She still ate it and loved it and that's all that matters, right? Anyway, her birthday started off with a hair appointment, so naturally she wanted new pictures to show off her new do. We snatched Tiffany, grabbed some Jamba Juice (yes, I finally had a Jamba Juice this year) and went to a park for a quick photo shoot. I think this is my favorite from the afternoon!


Aren't we so adorable? Just kidding... but it's kinda true :) That night a bunch of people got together for a Bee's game just for her birthday and aside from it being a really, REALLY long game it was so much fun! We went to the Pie for dinner after at Amber's request.


What a great night :) it was just so much fun to be with a bunch of friends. I definitely think it is necessary to do this again very, very soon!

Aw, DANG!

So... I missed last week! I was focused completely on my trip to Arizona and totally forgot to blog! Oops. I'll make up for it, I promise.

The week before last week I pretty much just took as a recovery from the marathon. I did a few classes (even a couple extra) and barely ran at all. I really, really need to get back into training for the half marathon in July! I have to finish in under two hours! We'll see what happens.

I need to get something out. It turns out, adding sugar back into my diet has NOT been a good thing! My "free" days I go absolutely crazy and, honestly, the sugar makes me so cranky. Last Wednesday, I gave myself a free day and did pretty well while I was at work. When I got home, however, I found the mini eggs, frosting, cupcake and Reese's in the freezer as well as the cinnamon bears in the cupboard... and a shared Blondie at Applebee's. Ugh. I was so, so cranky from the sugar! It doesn't make me happy. It makes me upset. The same thing happened Sunday at my brother's house in Arizona when I overloaded on delicious cake, peach cobbler, ice cream and cookies. They were fantastic, don't get me wrong. But I just got so mad at myself for not having will power to slow down.

So, my new goal is to leave the "free day" for only special occasions and no more than once a week. Hopefully I'll be able to control my sugar eating! On the way to Arizona I read Bob Harper's book Are You Ready! and it was fantastic. It was all about loving yourself and respecting your body enough to carefully consider everything that goes in it. I'm already to the point where I need to review the first section of the book, but, I highly recommend it!

That's it for now... I will, very soon, post about the trip AND the amazing new toy I recently acquired :)

Ogden Marathon 2011

So, here it is FOUR FULL DAYS after one of the biggest events of my LIFE and I haven't even blogged about it yet! Well, that changes now...

Last Saturday, May 21st, I had the amazing opportunity to run the Ogden Marathon. I had trained for this race for so long I could hardly believe the time had come! Serious preparation (other than training) began Friday morning.

I woke up seriously early after a short yet wonderful night sleep to run a quick two miles and get to work by 6:30. I only worked three relaxed hours and headed for an awesome temple trip with one of my best friends. As soon as our work was done there, we headed to Salt Lake so I could get a photo printed for my parents. Next, I stopped at my apartment to pack (this is when the nerves started) for the next 24 hours. Tiffany headed home and I visited Amber at work because she said she had something for me... a card with cute little kittens and a long note. I won't go into details, but it was very sweet and very motivating. Because I was able to eat white bread last week, I went to Texas Roadhouse to get a dozen rolls because I had been craving them for weeks! Um... delicious! Next stop was my parents' house to bake amazing hot chocolate cupcakes that I would be able to enjoy the next day. I went to my niece and nephews' singing group program and to dinner with my parents, then back to their house for serious sleep.

Four a.m. came SO quickly and I was feeling really jittery. I grabbed two more TR rolls with a little peanut butter and a banana and headed out the door with my dad, who was kind enough to wake up before the sun to take me to the bus. I got very lucky and ran into a group of girls from the gym as soon as I got there, so I rode on the bus with them and sat next to a really cute girl who was also running the marathon for the first time. We rode for what felt like an eternity to the starting point of the race and waited in the mud for the run to begin. A long, long time after (ok, so it was only about an hour and 45 min) we started lining up. At this point I was just ready for the race to begin! The gun went off (I think, I didn't actually hear it) and off we went.

I ran into a few people I knew on the course, but for the most part ran alone. It was so nice! I would pass a mile and notice how quickly the time was moving. I felt pretty good the most of the time, pulling out the Tylenol at mile 13, again at mile 21, and Clif Shot Bloks at mile 22. As I pulled out of the canyon and approached the beginning of mile 24, my friend Sherry who I teach Body Jam with was there cheering me on... and I lost it. I cried for a minute and then got a major burst of energy that carried me through til I saw the finish line. It was insane! It seemed like hundreds of people - including some of my friends and family - were there screaming for all the runners. After 26 miles, I still had enough energy left to sprint for the finish line. The end was amazing. My clock time was just a few seconds after four hours and my chip time was 3:57:06. I was pretty stoked about that!

My biggest supporters through this whole process were my parents... and you can bet I almost lost it again when I saw them right before I finished. Any time I freaked or thought about quitting, they would kindly remind me that I was totally capable of pulling this off!

I was also lucky enough to have a fantastic group of great friends waiting for me. I know a couple of them were only there for the cupcakes (ahem, Trent, ahem) but, still, it was awesome they were there! I admit, a few tears were shed when I met Amber after crossing, but we had previously warned each other that would happen, so it wasn't a big surprise.

Let's not forget one of the main perks that drove me through the last 7 miles or so...



SUGAR!!! And it was oh so good! My cupcakes were delicious, both the hot chocolate and key lime pie flavors I sampled. The cinnamon bears (which was the FIRST treat I ate) were divine. And the Cadbury Mini Eggs... YUM O! And the real reason I ran and finished, and why I will probably run this race again next year...



The AMAZING feeling I had when this medal was placed around my neck...

Love...

Apparently I was tired!

Since I moved into my own apartment, my mom texts me every night to make sure I'm home and safe. It's really kind of awesome that she cares enough to make sure someone didn't get me. I'm usually pretty good at texting back to let her know I'm ok. If I'm not home yet for some reason, I just let her know when I am, although sometimes I forget. Last Saturday night was just such an occasion.

I had a few different parties I was going to, and I didn't get home until later. She had sent me a message while I was at my last stop, and I told her I would let her know when I was home and all locked up. Unfortunately, I was completely exhausted when I finally made it home that I went right to bed without even thinking about it. I got a text around one in the morning asking if I was home yet. Apparently I was super exhausted and texting in my sleep because my reply was this:

Home locked sleeping and HOPPING

Yes, I actually spelled out HOPPING in all capital letters. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. It may have had something to do with my dream, although I honestly can't remember. The closest thing I can come up with is that I was sleeping with both windows open because my air conditioner is broken and it got really cold that night. I may have meant to say I was FREEZING, but I can't be sure. I'm surprised I made the effort to put all caps in the text. It was seriously weird. She replied asking what I meant, but I didn't respond. I was sleeping. The next morning she asked if I was hopping on one foot or two... that completely made my morning.

I guess I'll never know! Here's to happy HOPPING!

Holy cow!

So... anyone remember when this chain was over 100 links long?? It is now EIGHT LINKS LONG!!! I can't believe the marathon is next week. The last few months have flown by. I still freak out for a few minutes here and there, but I definitely feel like I can do this. I'm so excited for this race... so excited to accomplish something that I've been training so long for! And mostly, excited to have a little sugar back in my life!

I feel so blessed to have come this far. I've heard of so many people that who have been training and have recently gotten injured and can't run. I've had no major problems (knock on wood) and I will be able to run. Now, just watch, with it being Friday the 13th something terrible is going to happen and I won't be able to race!

While teaching RPM last night, I realized it was my last RPM class before the race. I seriously can't believe it's here! I'm excited, just in case you haven't gotten that message just yet :)

Here's to running, feeling nervous excitement, and SUGAR COOKIES!!!

P.S. If anyone has marathon tips, any pointers are welcome.

Almost TWO WEEKS!!

If there's one food I love most over all other foods, it's cinnamon bears. I love the texture, the size, the hot deliciousness of each little bear! I love to grab a handful of them, eat the bodies (to determine which one is the HOTTEST) and save the heads for last... That may be a little morbid - although not as morbid as biting off their cute little heads first - but that's how I eat them. These little treats are the reason for my post today. As I searched online for a picture (courtesy of designmom.com) I kept getting more and more excited for May 21st.

Last weekend, I tried my third 20 mile run with a running group from the gym. We actually went to the marathon course and were going to run the first 20 miles of it. However, eating foods I'm not used to the night before, starting the run at 4:45 in the morning, trying to keep up with their 7:40 min/mile pace, and not stopping as often as I'm used to for water and "going" made me severely sick. After 10 miles, I got paralyzing pains in my stomach and I had to stop. This psyched me out completely. I started disregarding all the training I've done, the 20 mile runs I HAVE made, everything. I started telling myself I couldn't do this. I know it's all in my head, but I am the kind of person that can convince myself of something very easily, good or bad.

Thinking and thinking today, I have come to one conclusion. I HAVE to run this marathon... for more reasons than just accomplishing what I have been training for. Last week, my mom posted on my Facebook wall that she and my dad will have a surprise (non-food related) waiting for me at the finish line. As much as I hate that she told me THREE WEEKS EARLY because I can't stand anticipation, I like that I have another motivation. I also told myself that I cannot have sugary treats - cinnamon bears included - until the race (very food related). I have been thinking and probably dreaming about cinnamon bears for the last week. The closer the race gets, the harder it is to resist sugar. But, I honestly can't WAIT until I can have my cinnamon bears back!

Two weeks from Saturday...

Sunshine, please?!

I just have to say, I typed in three different titles to this post, only to find that one after the other I had already used on my blog. I decided on this because, well, I'm in desperate need of sun. The rain and snow (yes, snow at the end of April) are making me even more depressed since it should be closer to summer weather than winter!

Anyway, it's been a very interesting weekend. Friday night was, of course, cupcake night. I was super excited for this particular flavor... RED HOTS! The recipe looked easy enough, except for the fact that there is no way possible to crush Red Hots. The cupcakes themselves came out ok, a little dry (and a few a little burned), and the Red Hot syrup smelled absolutely amazing! My close friends and family know how much I love cinnamon flavored ANYTHING and smelling the syrup made me a little crazy. Anyway, the frosting called for some of the syrup and crushed Red Hots. I couldn't for the life of my figure out how to crush them, so ended up using extra syrup to try and make it more cinnamon-esque, leaving no syrup to spread on the top of the cupcakes before frosting. My niece helped me, and she said they were ok in the end, so I guess it was worth it. Other critics were pleased as well. I'll admit, I was so excited about this flavor that I sneaked one for myself and put it in the freezer amongst all the other treats I'm saving.

Saturday was pretty great. I finally got a pump class in after a week of launches and then Jammed out at a club in Bountiful to help with their launch. Later that afternoon I had a wicked awesome photo shoot (of me this time) with a really great friend who helped me with my diet during the competition at the gym. She's pretty much a photo rock star, and we both think we should go into business together :) After that, delicious Cadbury Mini Egg cookies at my parents' house (pictured here courtesy of OurBestBites.com) and bed...

Sunday we heard all from our bishopric because there will be major changes coming this week. I'll be going to the ward I'm actually assigned to, which is kinda of bitter sweet.

Last night, we had our final ward activity. It was really fun and I had a blast hanging out with the ward peeps. I hadn't been to an activity for a long time, I've been missing out! Last week a bunch of them helped me move apartments and I love them so much for that!

Anyway, that's pretty much it. Except for the rain... and snow... I'm just done! One more 20 mile run this weekend, which it had better be sunny for, and then the training starts winding down. Just over three weeks left! I can SO do this... maybe :) the cookies next to me smell pretty amazing!

Oh baby!!!

Just a quick post for this week only because I can't think of what else to write about right now... I'll put up more exciting news as soon as I receive some things :) not that it's more exciting than this, just an addition!

I received a text last night that my sister-in-law was dilated to a 6 and in the hospital. This morning, we got a message that the baby girl was born at 12:05 this morning and weighed 9 lbs 13 oz! I only got a quick picture, but she looks perfect! I'm so excited she's finally here, I just wish I were in Arizona to meet her!

Another exciting tid bit, I finally got to move to a new apartment. The people above me were so noisy every night and wouldn't respond to letters and calls from the front office. I was told the eviction process is just getting started, but it can take up to 12 weeks, so they offered to move me to a third floor apartment with no moving charges. AWESOME! It was kind of crappy timing with launch and everything and I didn't know how I was going to get everything moved. The complex called Monday and told me I needed to get everything finished or they would have to start charging me for two apartments. That night, so many people from my ward showed up and helped me move everything and even cleaned my old apartment! I almost started crying, I was so overwhelmed by their kindness. They are AMAZING!

So now, when I go to sleep at 9 or 9:30 I can actually GO to sleep and get some rest! Love it :)

Ummmm...

Bought a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Mini Eggs last night... just sayin'!

They're in my freezer until... :) LOVE EASTER!

Losing it...

Ok, if anyone is actually reading this (I'm hoping!) I really, really could use some help...

I am now officially less than six weeks away from the Ogden Marathon (aka Sugar Day) and I'm very quickly losing motivation. I've come to really loathe training. I hate waking up early just to go run and I just feel tired all the time. I'm starting to think that it's totally not worth the stress. Do I really need to run a marathon? I'm completely questioning it now.

Along the same lines, was it really smart to voluntarily give up sugar until the marathon is over? Every week gets harder and harder... sometimes I just want a cookie! It's weird, but baking cupcakes every week (which is actually really fun usually) doesn't make me want sugar so much, but seeing cookies and other treats everywhere really makes me want to break. Sunday, I brought home some cookies from my mom to give to a girl in my ward, and I seriously thought about eating one.

I know that I've been working hard and I've come so far (101 days and 20 miles to be exact) that if I quit now I would just be angry with myself for not seeing it through.

If anyone out there can lend some support, I would really appreciate it! There could even be some cupcakes in it for you ;)

Side note (as there usually is with every post): The Gold's Gym Employee Challenge ended last week. I weighed in on Friday to find out that I'm neck and neck with the girl who was in the lead. Haven't found out who won yet, but the anticipation is KILLING me! After I weighed in, I lost all motivation for sticking to a diet, so I need to get back on track to not gain it all back. That's part of the help I need, I guess.

Comments are welcome and appreciated!

10 years ago...

Ten years ago today, my granpa Arrington died. He was such an amazing grandpa and one of the best examples of a man I have ever known. He always treated my grandma with the most respect and taught his son and grandsons how to treat women as well.

I learned so much from him. I remember how patriotic he was. He was in the Army for I don't know how long. He was stationed in California when he married my grandma and I'm pretty sure he was away when my dad was born. I can remember him teaching my older brothers and cousins how to properly retire an American flag.

Growing up, he and my grandma would take us out for our birthdays to go shopping and go to lunch. I looked forward to this every year! I loved spending time with them, even when he would get caught up talking to someone he knew (which happened everywhere we went) for 20 minutes or so.

Most of all, I loved how he loved his family and especially my grandma. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. It seems there are NO decent guys left in this world that are up to his standard. I've met a few guys recently that don't have the greatest intentions when it comes to girls and, remembering my grandpa, I know I (and all the cute girls I know) deserve so much better than that.

I've been lucky enough in my life to be blessed with amazing examples of wonderful relationships. Both sets of grandparents were (or are) incredible, and they taught my parents well, too. I have the most exemplary family in the whole world and I can only hope that I end up as happy as they are...

Miss you, grandpa...

Finally... a GREAT March Moab Trip!

After last year's March Moab trip disaster (and yes, it was probably the worst Moab trip EVER), I was determined to make this year's trip a good one. The hard part was I waited so long to book my hotel that we ended up having to stay in Price and drive to Moab the day of the race. Usually, we just camp in town, but I originally thought I was going alone and didn't think it'd be safe to camp by myself. So I chose Price and booked it.

Anyway, those of you who know me well know I LOVE going to Moab! Especially for the Half Marathon every March. I was super excited this year because I've been training for the race for so long. I invited my old roommate and good friend Amber (funny, huh) to come along because she'd never seen me race and she's training for the Legacy Midnight Half Marathon in July. She was excited to get away for the weekend and I was DEFINITELY ready to go after my trip to Indiana.

We left as soon as Amber was off work on Friday and headed to Price. We had our awesome Moab jams playing the whole way down. We got to Price, checked into the hotel and went to Subway for dinner. Not exactly my first choice for a pre-race dinner, but nothing else sounded good to either of us. We hit up the Price Walmart for a few things we had forgotten and a couple movies and went back to go to bed.

We both woke up about 4:45 Saturday morning so we could leave by 5 and get to Moab by 7 for my packet pickup. Despite the fact that no human being should be up that early, it was a pretty good drive. We got to Moab, picked up my packet, and went to the finish line area. Amber waited in the bus line with me and got pictures like a proud mom. We met a cute girl named Jennie who I sat by on the bus and ran the first few miles with. She was really talkative and friendly and made the first bit of the race fun. After a while, though, I lost her and didn't even see her at the end.

The race itself was kinda tough. There was a strong head wind the entire time that made me have tears streaming down my face the first 5 miles. It was still a great race though! I had a goal to get in under 1:50 and my official chip time was 1:47:01. YAYAH! I was mucho excited!

After the race, we hung around the expo for, oh, 5 minutes because there wasn't much that was interesting there. We headed to main street for a little shopping where a guy complained about how close I parked to him, then up to Arches National Park for a little (and I mean very little) hiking. We spent most of the time in the car looking around which was fine. I don't know that my legs could have handled a hike to Delicate Arch this year. Then, we went back to the park and took a nap in the car because we were both so exhausted. After dinner at Zax (apparently my restaurant of choice for Moab, although next time I think I'll go elsewhere) we headed back to Price for the night. Being so tired, we went to bed pretty quickly.

We woke up a little later Sunday morning and started home. It was a really short, but really fun trip with a great run! I'm planning on going back sometime this year and hopefully staying a little longer. Thanks to Amber for being a good sport and coming along!

That said... bring on the Ogden Marathon!

Please help!

I've been wracking my brain to come up with cupcake flavors to bake for friends and family to find the best flavor to make for myself when I can have sugar again...

Side note: It's been 80 days without sugar. I go crazy sometimes, and other days I'm totally fine. Only a little over 60 days to go.

Anyway, I actually came up with SIXTEEN different cupcake flavors, but I only have NINE baking weeks left! I can't double up cupcake flavors, I really don't have time for that. So, if you would, PLEASE, vote for which cupcake flavors most intrigue you! The top five I'm making regardless, so there's really no need to vote for them. I just want to post them because they sound delicious and I smile every time I say (or write) them :)

Give me your top three, and (if I end up making those flavors) I will bring you one! But I really, really could use your help...

...if you're reading.

Cherry Turnover
Cheesecake
Raspberry Truffle
Cinnamon Fire
Hot Chocolate
Orange Creamsicle
Pumpkin Pie
Lemon Cream
Mint Chocolate Chip
Banana Chocolate
Peaches & Cream
Key Lime Pie
Golden Oreo
Strawberries & Cream
Coconut Cream
Chocolate Cover Cinnamon Bear (no idea how this would work, just curious)

Thanks!