Give Me A Hand!

Oh man, this is killing me... whenever I injure a part of my body I learn to appreciate it more, but I have become especially aware of how much I take for granted having two good hands. I think I may have injured it tumbling or spotting at the gym, but I never remember any specific point of injury. It wasn't until I woke up the next morning, feeling like an elephant had slept on my hand, that I realized something was terribly wrong with my grabber. I though it had just fallen so asleep during the night that it was throbbing while the blood rushed back in, but it just seemed to hurt more as I gained consciousness. It has now been three long days of icing, laying around, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and creative living techniques (try putting on a bra with one hand, or cutting an orange with one hand...impossible), along with many embarrassing moments as I ran all my weekend errands with my hand up (it kills to let it hang by my side or swing while I walk). I am waiting for someone to be like hey you, you got a question to ask or somethin'? I have officially named it my "little chub chub", and I would really like it to go away! It has been soooo painful, and almost impossible to ever get comfortable. I even took Ibuprofen for the first time in several years... I feel like a hard core druggy. On Monday I am planning to get it looked at, I am hoping they will give me hand-lipo or something... I just want it to stop hurting!!! So, the point of this post is to make you feel sorry for me, and also to make you go try to cut an orange with one hand... or fold laundry, or shave your armpits...single handedly!

Love, The Michelin Woman

Silly Soap

I woke up this morning yearning for a warm and relaxing bath. While soakin' in the tub I decided to read our soap bottle, yep you heard me, I spent the next half hour reading every last word on our bottle of Dr. Bronner's Eucalyptus Castile Soap. I have been using Dr. Bronner's since I was a kid, and I am hooked for life! If you haven't seen Dr. Bronner's Soap before, look for it in health food stores or healthy body product sections of some grocery stores. You will see bright colorful labels, COVERED in little tiny, white font, words of inspiration and life's lessons. Since the ingredient list consists of only a few natural and organic products, that leaves lots of room for plenty of nonsense and good advice, unlike conventional body washes that have to fold their label twice over just to make room for all the toxic chemicals/drug facts they include.

If you try this soap, you will never use anything else! We have gallon jugs of different scents which we mix to make custom aromatic blends, like lavender-coconut, coconut-almond, or citrus-mint. It takes bathing to a whole new level of simplicity and toxic guiltlessness. Just squirt it on the Loofa and enjoy cleaning every crevice of your being, inhale... and finally rinse for clean, moist, and healthy (not just healthy looking) skin. According to Dr. Bronner, we only need two cosmetics, enough sleep and Castile Soap. Might I add concealer and eyeliner to that list?

In closing I would just like to leave you with the following excerpt from todays readings:

"Let him who is without fault throw the first stone, for only God is always perfect! So, when your fellow man you measure, take him at his best, with that lever lift him higher, overlook the rest! For we're All-One or none! Remember, more good is caused by evil than by good. So, do what's right! Maximize the good, minimize the wrong! Then the Kingdom of God's Law inspires-evolves-unites All-One! All-One!"

Not sure exactly where Dr. B. was going with this one, but all his jibber-jabber sent me into a deeply relaxed state of confusion... maybe that's the whole point?!

Be old school...GO TAKE A BATH!

Say Aaaaaaah!

Wearing pajamas to work everyday is only one great reason, although quite possibly the best reason, I am pursuing a career in Dental Hygiene. After graduating from ASU with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Spanish, I had trouble deciding exactly what I wanted to do, because the possibilities are endless with such a degree. Should I write for a magazine, should I speak at seminars, should I get into product marketing, should I be a spokesperson for a certain company...? It is nice to have lots of options, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. Although I aspire to one day become a magazine writer (early retirement plan), I got this itch to go back to school. This time, I wanted to study all the things I for some reason believed "I'm just not good at", and to learn about something totally different from before.

Dental Hygiene was amongst the many candidates of this endeavor, and the more I read about it, the more interested I became. In the mean time, Brady felt a similar urge, and was encouraged by TONS of people, to the point of being freaky, to pursue dentistry. So now here we are, putting ourselves through MORE school! It has actually been very interesting coursework, and I have really enjoyed interning at the dental office, where I get to put my, unbeknownst to them, untrained rubbery hands into patients mouths to suck up spit, and polish away the grime.

It is going to be a very long, although rewarding, process for the both of us, but as athletes, we know how to work hard for an end result and learn valuable lessons along the way. I should be done in about 3 years, and Brady... well, I always tease him that I will drop both him and our first child off at the School Bus one day. Dentistry is a profession for the most persevering of people, thats for certain. However things end up, I know we will be a great team (hopefully in our own Dental Office), and thankful for all the education we have, and have yet to receive.

Benefits of being a Dental Hygienist:
-Great pay!
-great hours
-flexible schedule
-human interaction
-get to be on your feet
-don't take any work home
-minimal paperwork
-directly helping other people
-quick gratification
and finally...
-get to wear pajamas to work!

Birthday Bonanza!

Yep, I had a birthday! I feel so grateful to be 24, and I am really looking forward to this new year for me. To celebrate, my sweet neighbor Kristelle and I went out to breakfast at this awesome restaurant called Twenty-Five & Main (I will have to go there next year when I turn 25...hehe!) here in St . George. We realized a few weeks ago at church that we have the same birthday so we were super excited to celebrate together.












After a yummy breakfast we admired their delicious and famous homemade cupcakes, we should have eaten one but it was a bit early for that. After a great breakfast I spent 5 hours at school and then my sweet neighbors treated me to another one of my favorite things... Frozen Yogurt! Brady was out of town, but I had an unbelievable day because all of my friends really went out of their way to make me feel special. This is super corny sounding, but reading the 70+ Facebook birthday wishes from friends and family made me tear up.

I always thought that as the years passed birthdays would lose their glamour, but not for me, I seem to look more forward to them each year. I have however, had my first "I can't remember how old I am" experiences over the last couple of months, but what does it matter anyway. As long as you feel vibrant and healthy, who cares! Birthdays are a day to celebrate life, accomplishments, opportunity, and appreciation, the number serves only as a cake garnish.

The Joy In Trying Again

I really never thought of it that way, "Trying again" that is. It's a process I would usually associate with wasting of time or money, frustration, disappointment, failure, embarrassment etc., but I have recently been urged to think a little differently. I have a quote by Thomas S. Monson posted on my wall, conveniently next to my goals, which reads:

"Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final."


This perspective really puts me in a good place, it is comforting to know that failure can bring joy, because it happens to us every day in one way or another. Sometimes we burn dinner, pay our bills late, forget an appointment, or hurt someone we love, but it is great to know that making amends with those "screw ups" that happen, can bring joy into our lives. Exactly how to incorporate those joyful thoughts amidst a real mess of a situation, I am not so sure, but I trust it can be done.

I think most of us have been told we should "stick to our guns", "fight for what we want","chase our dreams"... but when things don't go as planned, I see now that it can be part of "the plan". We don't always get what we want in life, or I'd be a billionaire hippie woman lounging in a beach bungalow with a few kids and my man Brady, eating coconuts right off the tree at this very moment! But as long as we keep at it we can find happiness, which ultimately is the sweetest gift. And when we are happy, we are much more inclined to be our "best selves" as well... two birds with one stone!

Salsa Fresca Josefina

Tonight I decided to create my own Salsa recipe, I believe it is an essential part of becoming a real Latina woman (: I didn't use any other recipes for guidance as I usually would, instead, I just took notes and made adjustments as I went, hoping to end up with a delicious fresh salsa recipe to cherish. I am pretty satisfied with the end result (I did eat almost half of it myself already), but it could be a work in progress. For now, here it is, my very own Salsa recipe, which for all intensive purposes I will call "Salsa Fresca Josefina"... you just have to go all out with these things... haha! Enjoy, and please let me know if you try it.

Ingredients:

For the dressing...
2T Olive Oil
2T Lemon Juice
2T Red Wine Vinegar
1 Sm bunch Cilantro stemmed
1 tsp Cumin powder
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp Oregano
pinch of Black Pepper

For the Salsa...
5-6 large ripe Tomatoes coarsely chopped (drain a little of the liquid and use the rest)
1/2 Red Onion finely diced
1/2 Yellow Onion finely diced
2 Green Onion stalk, snipped into bits with scissors
1/2 to 1 whole seeded and FINELY diced Jalapeno
3 cloves of fresh Garlic very finely diced
1 sm Cucumber peeled, sliced into matchsticks and then diced (I prefer English Cucumbers which come plastic wrapped and don't need to be peeled)
1 ear of fresh Corn, husked, rubbed with a little oil and roasted (on a BBQ or pan) until slightly blackened on all sides. Cut kernels from cob.
1 15oz can of Black Beans, lightly drained

Directions:
1. Begin by roasting corn so it is ready when you need it.
2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients for "Salsa", including the roasted corn kernels when ready
3. In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients for "Dressing" and puree.
4. pour pureed dressing over salsa mixture and gently toss until well mixed.
5. Let marinate for 15 minutes and serve with chips (Archer Farms Target Brand Blue Corn Chips are the BEST), Sour Cream, and Guacamole if you please.

Serves: A big party, or family... same thing!
Keep leftovers in refrigerator and use on eggs, meats, taco salad, or how I most like it... right out of the bowl!

Your Life Is What You Make Of It

LIFE IS GOOD!

Have you ever had someone try to convince you that life is "hard", "trial-some", "depressing", "dangerous", "disappointing", or any other dreary adjective. If you haven't, then that's great, keep hanging out with the uplifting people you have in your life. If you have been a victim of this dangerous and burdensome falsehood, then recognize the source and steer yourself far from it.

I was recently warned to "brace" myself for life's disasters, for deaths, divorces, diseases, and distress, (all of which I have already experienced to some extent), because "they will come and you have to accept that...life is unpredictable..." I was told. This really stirred me up as you can probably sense. I just don't believe that, not for one second! I am not going to wait around, living in fear that the worst is yet to come, or let someone try to convince me that I have no control over my future. There is too much good to be experienced, too much happiness to be enjoyed, too much love to be shared, to be spending all my time and energy armoring up for trouble.

Of course life throws challenges at us, some bigger than others, and some that will change your life or even end your life, and this is why we need to seek out all the good that we can. It is not ignorant to "toss the stones from your baggage", in fact just toss the whole bag! Live light on your feet, dance, sing, laugh, play, and enjoy every minute that you have, because I believe that is the best way to prepare for the worst. Life here on Earth is too quick to get stuck in the mud, or to spend all your time gathering an arsenal of stain remover just in case you get a little dirty. Swim in clean waters and bring all your friends and loved ones with you. Don't let "the media", a friend, or even family members make you afraid of "what could be next", because most of the time you are in full control of your life, each moment, each success, each smile, each "good day", is because you made it that way.

It is also very important to remember this simple yet profound principle:

"Thoughts become words, words become actions... Actions become habits. Habits become your character. And you character becomes your destiny. ..." and let me add to that, your influences encourage your thoughts in the first place, so choose them carefully.

Disclaimer: Okay, so I know things like food storage, family wills, insurance, schooling, etc. are VERY important, but establish yourself well and then expect the best... don't spend all day in your tornado shelter, just incase today is "the day".

Yummy For My Tummy

I bought a Jicama on impulse a few days ago, and as I often do at the grocery store, I picked what was fresh, in season, and lookin' good, and then I figure out what to make of it later. Rather than eating it plain like I usually would, I wanted to incorporate it into a recipe. I browsed through my great recipe book collection and found a deliciously enticing dish titled "Zucchini-Jicama Cakes With Tomato Coulis". Hmmmm... I wasn't even sure what coulis was, but I happened to have a Zucchini on its last leg, and some ripe tomatoes on hand, so I figured I would give it a whirl! It was an extra challenge because there was no picture to go along with it, which makes it hard to visualize what you are really going after. It turned out to be a delectable dish, a perfect fresh summer meal with a warm comforting touch. Here is the recipe if you want to take a gander at it, be prepared, there is a bit of chopping, dicing, and prepping, so you need to be ready to get up close and personal with your veggies & put your knife skills to the test. I recommend getting everything ready before you begin.




From The Vegetarian Planet Cookbook:
"Zucchini-Jicama Cakes With Tomato Coulis"





Ingredients:
-1 small Jicama
-1 med. Zucchini grated
-1/2 red onion thinly sliced & chopped
-1/2 C diced sweet onion
-2 cloves of Garlic minced
-3 Tomatoes finely chopped
-1 T Capers drained
-2 Eggs beaten
-1/2 C Flour
-Dozen fresh Basil leaves
-2 T Olive Oil
-Salt and Pepper
-1/3 C filtered water

Directions:
1. Peel the Jicama, cut in half, then into slices, then into match sticks, then dice.
2.Combine Jicama, Red Onion, and Zucchini in a large bowl, add a tsp. of salt, stir and let sit in sink in a colander for 30 min to drain any liquid.
3. Meanwhile make the Tomato Coulis:
-heat one T Oil in saucepan over med. heat.
-add sweet onion and saute 5 min.
-add 1 clove garlic, tomatoes, and water and bring to a simmer for 5 min on low, then add capers and season with a bit of Salt and pepper.
-set Coulis aside
4. Once the vegetables are drained, pour back into bowl. Add eggs & remaining garlic and stir.
5. Then sprinkle in flour & pepper to taste and stir until well combined.
6. Heat a large non-stick skillet or well oiled skillet at medium heat.
7. Drop 1/2 C batter onto skillet and cook 3 min. or until browned & flip to cook other side. You can cook several at once if they fit.
8. Serve warm with warm Coulis sprinkled over top (you may want to re-heat it a bit).

Should make about 6 servings.
Enjoy! Oh and if your like me, here is a picture to help you visualize what your getting after (:

Run Run As Fast As You Can!

Today was a "speed work" day in my marathon training schedule. On these days I like to head to the nearby Pine View High School track and put myself to the test. I usually try to avoid the P.E. classes, but every once in a while they are there when I arrive and I just have to run around them. I always think that some security guard is going to kick me out or think I have a bomb or something, but surprisingly, no one really seems to care that I am there. In fact, last week the PE. teacher kept telling the kids to get out of my way... I didn't mind running around their little social walking circles one bit, but I did think it was a bit odd that I could probably out run every single kid in that P.E. class. It was a pathetic scene all in all, P.E coach sitting on the bleachers with a few of the kids not interested in participating, several kids playing a very un-exciting game of kick ball, and probably 20 other kids walking around the track or just standing on it and talking about the latest gossip or worse...texting. No wonder why they are taking P.E. funding away from so many schools these days, they aren't getting their moneys worth anyway! Okay, maybe that is a stretch, but really these kids are probably at their prime age for physical development, strength, and agility, yet there they are spending their precious hour exercising the same way their grandparents do... seriously, what a waste! Some one needs to do some serious butt kicking here, and I am pretty sure this isn't the only High School where P.E. is nothing more than a social hour. And then we wonder why kids have all these problems with their health... maybe it's because it was never a priority in the first place. Kids will learn to value what adults teach them is important, thats why we don't let kids talk in Math class, or make Science class optional, because we believe it is important. So why don't we teach kids to value themselves just the same as their calculator? Shouldn't we teach them to value their bodies, their health, their livelihood, their physical possibilities?!
Okay so enough ranting and raving... my workout was great! I ran a mile warm-up, followed by 1x800m, 4x400m, 6x200m, and finally 8x 10 push-ups>100m sprint. Running on the track makes me feel kinda cool, and sometimes makes me wish I was Black too, and when the High Schoolers are there, it makes me feel really young and also grateful that someone taught me to take care of myself when I was young.

Go Ahead, Play With Your Food!

Sometimes after church I am pretty hungry but not sure what to eat, so I like to have a plan. I usually make something Saturday night that will be ready to eat when I get home from church. Today it was a yummy Kale Salad. I love making this salad because you get to massage it with your bare hands... I guess you could say it's a very "hands-on" recipe. Anyhow, there are several variations to this salad, Brady prefers the sweeter version which contains pine nuts and dried cranberries, but this time I made a more savory version. So if you are in the mood to play with your food then here you go...


Ingredients:
-1 head of fresh kale de stemmed (just pull off thick ends and save little kale leaves), rinsed and dried.
-2 chopped tomatoes
-1/4 red onion minced
-1 clove minced garlic
-1 sm avocado
-2 T lemon juice
-1 tsp Agave (optional)
-2 T red wine vinegar (or a similar more mild vinegar)
-1 tsp salt & pepper
-1 T olive oil
-1 T Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Directions:
1. Tear Kale into edible pieces
2. Blend Avocado, Lemon juice, Agave, Vinegar, Olive oil, Garlic, Nutritional Yeast, S&P in blender (I always use my Magic Bullet)
3. Pour dressing over Kale and with your bare hands massage it all together until relatively soft (about 2 min)
4. Toss in Tomato and Onion
5. Enjoy! and enjoy again tomorrow!

*For a sweeter version you would use orange juice rather than lemon, dried cranberries in place of tomatoes, rice vinegar in place of red wine vinegar, a little more agave if desired, and you would also top it with slivered almonds, or pine nuts. Or you can just do whatever you want!

Granola Bombs!

Tonight I had this sudden urge to make cookies... so I dug through my recipe pile (I have yet to determine a system for all my recipe scraps, so if you have any ideas please comment below!) and pulled out a yummy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. It reminded me of my favorite story as a little girl called "The Baby Blue Cat and The Whole Batch of Cookies", that I would beg my mom to read me all the time, in fact if you buy ever buy it, you should have my mom read it to you because no one can do it quite like she can.



Of course these cookies are not your ordinary junk food guilty pleasures, but rather healthy little morsels made from REAL ingredients, like Agave, Oats, Raisins, Cinnamon, Coconut Oil, Coconut Flour, Apple Sauce... you know me, no highly processed stuff in this casa! Here we like to make our treats and eat them too... and not feel bad about it! Also, as Brady knows, I NEVER truly follow a recipe. To me they are only a guide or inspiration, and in my kitchen I make the rules. Okay fine, maybe I am a bit of a control freak with the mixing bowl in my hands, but for me cooking and baking are a chance for me to relax, unwind, be creative, and expressive, so I do what i want and it always seems to taste better that way anyway (:
My cookies turned out great and my house smells like a giant cinnamon roll castle... if only that were truly the case! I reduced the fat in the recipe from two sticks of butter, which I am not fully apposed to so long as it comes from a wholesome source, to one half cup of Coconut Oil and one cup of organic cinnamon apple sauce. This created a more crumbly dough consistency, with a bit of a crunch to it once baked, reminding me of a perfect granola consistency. So I call them Granola Bombs!

Finals and Fun

If that isn't the corniest title then I don't know what is! That's why I love blogging... some stuff you write is pretty good, other stuff not so good, but regardless you always get published (: A few weeks ago Brady and I had FINALS. It was quite a stressful semester, and it took every last drop of motivation to "endure to the end". After our last test, our Biology final, we hopped in the car and headed off to Vegas for a few days of R&R. I love living in St. George, because we are a rather small town, but in only a few hours you can be to Las Vegas! So whenever we are feeling the need to escape or shop for a few days, off we go to Sin City. Of course we CTR as much as possible, but in Vegas, as long as your eyes are open you feel sinful just walking down the street sometimes. It's a good reminder to stay in school and away from drugs. As far as accommodations are concerned, we have a tradition of using Priceline.com to book our room. This is so fun because we enter our requirements into the computer along with a target price, and with the click of the mouse...our hotel is randomly chosen. It is always a fun surprise and a good opportunity to stay at lots of different hotels while also staying on budget. It is also convenient that two of my really good friends live in vegas. We used to all be on the same gymnastics team and now they are performing for Le Reve, which is an AMAZING circus show! We got backstage passes once, and it was so amazing to see all the technology and coordination that goes into their incredible performance. Last time we went to Vegas we ate dinner at Bobby Flay's (Food Network Celebrity) restaurant called Mesa Grill.
It was so yummy and Bobby was actually there for a special party. They serve the most amazing breadsticks and I talked our waiter into getting the head chef to write down the recipe for me... and he did! Great service, great food, great ambiance, I highly recommend it. See the recipe below, of course it makes like a bazillion breadsticks, so we will have to like tenth the recipe. Anyhow, if you are ever in Vegas, give us a call and we will be happy to come meet up with you for a little night life!

RAW Curiosity

My Freshmen year of college is when I became particularly interested in healthy eating, yoga, supplements etc. It was the first time in my life that eating wasn't purely a mode of survival amongst 8 other family members, or my meal choices limited to whatever was in the house. We ate very healthy growing up, but I now wanted to experience not so much consumption, but rather nourishment. In my quest I read everything I could get my hands on, college libraries and nutrition courses were great educational resources, and I would sometimes spend over an hour in the health food store just exploring the shelves. I learned most of what I know from experimentation, free literature, the internet, and nutrition lectures. There is one lecture in particular that really influenced my perception of eating. I remember picking up a flyer from the checkout counter at Whole Foods advertising for an upcoming Raw food lecture. I wasn't exactly sure what Raw food was, and I wanted to learn more about it. A beautiful woman named Kristen Suzanne gave a great presentation and non-cooking food demonstration of what is still one of my all time favorite Raw treats (Avocado Pudding). I have since incorporated more raw foods into my diet, mostly just through not cooking what doesn't need to be cooked, and lightly cooking what does. The purpose of this is to preserve enzymes, which are the "breath of life". When any living organisms lose enzymes, they can no longer assimilate nutrients so they turn in to dead organisms. A completely Raw food lifestyle is very demanding and time consuming (although worth it), but incorporating raw food into a typical diet is sometimes more simple then you would think. For example, rather then cooking your oatmeal over the stove, save yourself some time and electricity by soaking your oats in milk, cinnamon and raisins over night in the refrigerator. In the morning, just drizzle with (real) Maple Syrup and enjoy. The raisins and oats were never heated above 115 degrees F. so you just ate something Raw! That is just one example of the many ways to un-cook your life. You don't want to look parched so don't do it to everything you eat! Kristen now has a great blog, which you can visit at http://www.kristensraw.com & She is currently having a free giveaway too:
http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/2010/05/kristens-raw-23rd-awesome-giveaway-free.html#more

Moving Forward

After church I grabbed January's issue of the Ensign church magazine, still wrapped in its plastic covering, and headed to the pool side for some sunshine and good reading. Now that school is over for a minute I have time to study up on the things which matter much more to me... like the Gospel! I found the article titled "Leaving the Past in the Past" on page 25 to be especially helpful and a bit entertaining. I giggled as I imagined this particular excerpt taking place:

"Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is that charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past, leave it buried. Don’t keep going back with your little sand pail and beach shovel to dig it up, wave it around, and then throw it at someone, saying, “Hey! Do you remember this?” Splat!

Well, guess what? That is probably going to result in some ugly morsel being dug up out of your landfill with the reply, “Yeah, I remember it. Do you remember this?” Splat.

And soon enough everyone comes out of that exchange dirty and muddy and unhappy and hurt, when what our Father in Heaven pleads for is cleanliness and kindness and happiness and healing.

Such dwelling on past lives, including past mistakes, is just not right! It is not the gospel of Jesus Christ... In cases of marriage and family, wards and branches, apartments and neighborhoods, [it can destroy so many]."

He goes on to urge us to "keep our eyes on our dreams", and to "live to see the miracles of repentance, forgiveness, and trust transform our lives today, tomorrow and forever".

I loved this because so often we resort to our past to find happiness, disappointments, justifications, limitations, hurtful experiences, accomplishments and so on, which inhibits us from full heartedly progressing. I believe that my past is an essential part of who I am, but I have to make the most of today and each day hereafter in order to fully reach my life potential and heavenly fathers plan for myself and those who surround me.

Day 30: 100 Miles... Check!

Today I got a 92% on my Math test & Brady a 94% (one of his lowest believe it or not!), and we think we did pretty well on our Biology exam. I also finished my hundred mile goal with a total of 100.5 miles! It was a good day, and for some reason Brady and I are acting like school is out already, so we have stayed up until 2 a.m. just goofing around, doing random things. I still have 4 final exams, but the end is in sight and that is very exciting. I still have a lot of schooling to complete. This summer I will be taking Microbiology, Chemistry, and Chemistry lab... sounds like a vacation? no, not so much... but as long as I don't have any more Math homework I am A-okay. My last run was nothing too special, just a mid-night weave through the neighborhood... just me and the cricket chirps. They made me feel like I should be telling bad jokes while running to take advantage of the full effect. I don't really know any jokes though, I should probably learn a few. Shouldn't every one have a few good jokes on hand?
Tomorrow we are putting up some can lights in our house. The standard lighting in these new homes is quite minimal, so we are hoping to "light up our world" a little. I love doing stuff to our house, I find myself getting more excited about the Home Goods Department than I could have ever imagined. Mostly because I worked so hard all my life to have all that we do, a great marriage, education, great health, church callings, amazing friends, material things etc. and we have been so richly blessed! I am just excited about our life, and since we all have our up's and down's, I am going to savor the high points as much as possible.

Day 29 "The Eve"

Some people are just so nice, ya know... it's like they will do something to help you without even the thought of what's in it for them, or maybe because somewhere deep inside their human instinct is urging them to help a fellow out. I sometimes think the word "NICE" gets overlooked, perhaps because it has such a general meaning, but that is exactly why it is such a great adjective. If you are a "nice" person than you most likely are very helpful, kind, caring, thoughtful, personable, inviting, positive... And that is a great bunch of things to be! As kids we are always told to "be nice", so I think by the time we grow up we believe we have outgrown the term or it simply loses it's luster from overuse? If we could just "be nice", a lot of adult interactions would improve, as well as our communities and lifestyles. I try to be kind to others and what not, but I think if I had someone constantly reminding me to "be nice" , "share", "say thank you", "have good manners" etc., I might kick it up a notch. I think our elders remind us of these common courtesies as young ones, hoping it will last a life time, but sooner or later we get so caught up in ourselves, our plans, our troubles, our faults, our errands or whatever, to remember to be nice to people just because most of us deserve to live in a environment of kindness and compassion.
I ran from the school to work today. It was a very hot 2.77 miles. I have yet to become acclimated to these warmer temperatures being that the majority of my running has been in the early morning or late evening hours. It shouldn't be too bad getting used to the warmer weather, but I always forget how much temperature effects a runners heart rate, pace, form, and hydration. Nothing can be as bad as 115 degree 20 milers in AZ, so I am thankful I am not doing that again (:

Day 27 & 28

Brady is snuggled up in bed and I really want to join him, but I quickly would like to report that I ran 4.5 miles over the weekend and walked over 6 miles with a backpack full of groceries. Not necessarily by choice, being that Brady took the car to Price for a Softball tournament, however I actually quite enjoyed it. I see mexican ladies hauling bags full of groceries through town all the time, or sometimes just pushing the grocery cart all the way home, so in a sense I felt a deeper connection to my Latina roots. Speaking of ethnicity, now that the new immigration law is in full effect in AZ, I am a bit afraid to go visit the fam. I mean, what if I went out for a run or something and forgot to take my license, would they send me back to Mexico?! I guess that wouldn't be so bad if I got a free trip out of it... as long as it turned into a round-trip.

This coming week will be a very busy and stress filled week for us as we dive into Final Exams, but thankfully we are in this together, because it really helps to have a "study buddy". I am a bit sad for it to all be over though, because that means it is time for Brady to go to San Diego to work for the summer, while I stay home and take Microbiology, Chemistry, and Lab. It's just like the good old days I suppose, when he would be gone for 6 months at a time during baseball season, but now that we are married it is harder to be away... I just love him so so much and talking on the phone is not my favorite.

Day 24, 25, 26

Day 30 is soon approaching, and I am confident I will meet my 100 mile goal! Today I was so tired, but I knew that if I laid down on my bed for a little nap, that would be the end of me, so instead I threw on my running clothes and kicked myself out of the house. Sometimes that's just what you gotta do, get your booty on the other side of that front door and your chances are good that you will get movin'. I ran down to the local high school to check out the track, and now I am excited about getting into some speed work again. I just have to be a wise one this time around so I don't screw my knee up doing too much fast paced training. I've decided that I really would like to beat my last marathon time, and to do that I will need to lose 10 lbs and be very in tune with my knees. I have ITBS and it is the WORST pain when it flares up, basically like a knife to the side of the knee, no joke! Anyhow, so far so good, just lovin' the ice packs, the massage stick, and the extra dose of L-Glutamine (an amino acid supplement that help alleviate muscle soreness). Today I finished up with 8.4 miles and on Wednesday I ran 2 miles along with a great circuit training session at the Rec. Center. Let's see...My total miles logged thus far, not including hikes, walks, or bike rides, only running add up to exactly 90 miles. So I have 4 days to get in 10 more miles, and I've done it! I love goals, they give you a focus and good sense of accomplishment, which in turn motivates continual forward progression.

They say "If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail", and I think in most cases that holds very true.

Day 23

Today was one of those days where I woke up excited for it to be over. I could call them my "Terrible Tuesdays" I suppose, and they seem to be the longest days ever! That is such a bad attitude I know, I should be grateful to be alive another day. I mean, some people are fighting for their lives and would do anything to have just one more day to live and here I am just wanting to skip it entirely. But it's all over now and soon everything will change with the end of semester. I ended today with a late night 3.67 mile run and workout at the gym. It was a warm breezy night, and I took my hair tie out to re-do my ponytail then decided to leave it down because the wind felt so good blowing through my sweaty locks. Funny I know, I don't think I have ever really ran for a long period of time with my hair down, but it just felt so good and it was dark outside so why not? I probably looked like a runaway Pocahontas.

My "Daily Kick In The Butt" e-mail was a good one today:

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."

Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile

Day 19, 20, 21, & 22

Blogging sure makes you realize how fast the days go by. As you can tell, we had a very busy and fun weekend, so I haven't been able to record my miles for a few days. Saturday was especially fun. We spent the day at the Kite Festival, and then went to Spoon Me frozen yogurt which we love, then to the theatre with our good friends and neighbors the Jacobsen's where we saw "Date Night". It was a great movie! I ran 8.58 miles over the weekend, and a quick 2 miles today between school and work, along with a good full body workout. I felt pretty sick last night and this morning, but I followed every natural remedy I could think of and was feeling a lot better by midday, thank goodness for a strong immune system! I saw some footage of the big time world marathon today which was super inspiring. It is amazing how good those people are at running, it is almost unfathomable the pace that they can maintain for 26.2 miles. When you see humans travel that far and fast by foot, you realize that we really are "animals". Way back when, we used to have to run. We ran to get food for our families, we ran to go visit our friends, we ran to deliver a message, we ran to save our lives! It is in our blood to run... you just have to find a reason to do it and your instincts will slowly reveal themselves, I truly believe that.

Day 18

This morning was one of those mornings where I popped right out of bed as if I never really fell asleep, which is quite possible, considering we left our window open and I had what seemed to be an all nighter allergy attack. I never experienced allergies until the last couple of years. I always thought only dorky mom's had allergies but I guess that's not the case. I started my day with a 4.27 mile loop to town and back, and I basked in the beauty of the spring blossoms all along the way. It was a long day of school for us, Brady and I are so ready for the semester to be over! We are to the point of praying to stay motivated, even though all we really want to do is go play in the sun all day and do new stuff to our house. After school we came home for a bit and made some Raw Kale Chips using our dehydrator, which turned out to be delicious! I also made a Raw Banana Nut Ice Cream, which was super easy and really yum-o as Rachael Ray would say (: I have been looking forward to incorporating more Raw foods into my diet during the summer, because I love the way it makes me feel. Brady's parents Pam and Robert came into town again this weekend, so they spoiled us and took us out to the nicest and our favorite restaurant in town, Anasazi Steak House. They are known for their "Hot Rocks" on which they bring you your choice of meat still raw and you cook it and turn it until it reaches the perfect temperature of your choice. It's a fun experience, and they have really great sides, salads, and sauces as well. We wrapped up the day with the usual... tarea de matematicas, I am so ready to throw my calculator in the compost bin.

Amazing Raw Kale Chips

Ingredients:
200g curly leaf kale (if not ready chopped, you'll need to slice it into vaguely crisp-sized pieces, removing the stalks)
100g raw cashews
1 large red bell pepper
Juice of one large lemon
25g-50g nutritional yeast
1cm piece of red chilli
Himalayan crystal salt or Celtic sea salt to taste

Directions:
1. Chop the red pepper into small pieces and add to a blender with the lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
2. Add the cashews, red chilli and 1/2 teapsoon salt and again blend until smooth.
3. Add the nutritional yeast and blend again. Doing it in stages like this helps you to get the smooth consistency you need without over-heating it. 
4. Put the kale in a large bowl then pour the blended mixture over it and massage it in until all the leaves are coated.
5. Place it on dehydrator trays with Paraflexx sheets and dehydrate at 110 degrees. After two hours peel off the Paraflexx sheets and place the chips-in-progress on mesh sheets.
6. By the time they have been in for eight hours they should be seriously crunchy. If they aren't, just leave them in until they are! Taste, and if they're not salty enough, sprinkle some over and then enjoy!

Day 17

I finally got a new bike! It's like Christmas in April. Our bikes were stolen off the back of our car a few years ago, and everything finally worked out for me to get a new one. Brady got a new "Fixie" not too long ago, and a few days ago I found a bike that I knew would be perfect... it was pretty much love at first site. It's good timing too, since I heard on the news today that Utah has the 5th highest gas prices in the country...yuck! Plus, we share a car, which can sometimes be a hassle, so now we will be able to have more commuting options. Today we celebrated by riding our bikes to school and around town a little. I was in heaven! I just love zipping down hills, and passing cars stuck in traffic (: Biology Lab was fun today, we had to mock "mate" with several classmates and determine the genetics of our offspring, then Brady and I "mated" and had to draw a picture of our future offspring using specific Alleles. Our baby girl ended up being a chubby faced, close eyed, funny hair-lined, crazy lookin' girl. We were laughing the whole time, and praying that our real babies wont inherit the worst of every possible phenotype we have to offer. I didn't run today, but I got some good biking in to keep my legs loose and also went to the Rec. Center for a quick circuit training session, before heading off to coach. Brady made organic Buffalo hot dogs for dinner and they were delish! It was really a great day, aaaaaaaaaand guess what?! We have a red strawberry in our garden, maybe we will cut it in half and share it, with a small dollop of yogurt and honey.

Day 14 & 15 & 16

Sunday was great, Brady and I spoke in church so at least I was able to get my heart rate up a little... ha ha. It went really well, we spoke on gratitude, which was so great because after thinking about being grateful so much as I prepared, I have felt so optimistic and happy since. I was also called as Young Women's Personal Progress Leader and young Women's Sports Director. I am super excited about working with the Young Women! Yesterday I enjoyed a early 6.2 mile run along the soon to be frontage road out front of our house. I love morning runs, being outside and getting some fresh air is just a great way to start any day. Even if you don't want to go running, or even walking, I highly recommend standing outside your front door, looking toward the rising sun, smiling, and taking in several deep breaths while thinking of how grateful you are to have another day... try it, you will love how great you feel. Today I ran to school for Yoga class again. I found a shorter route so it only took me 5.91 miles to get there today. I am going to miss my yoga class in the summer, I will have to start practicing at home more often. My yoga teacher here at Dixie is so angelic and enlightening, I totally adore her. regular yoga practice gives me balance in my life, it teaches me patience, self-awareness, and keeps me in tune with my body and spirituality. Another thing for you to try... lay on the floor, play some soft music, and breath deeply as you relax all the muscles of your body... ahhhhh you will love it!

Check out these web sites for some enlightenment:
http://www.yogamint.com/
http://www.yogajournal.com/
http://www.yogasite.com/sunsalute.htm

Day 12 & 13

Yesterday was a rest day... we just cooked a ton of pizzas, watched The Proposal, and played Scrabble, but today I got a good 7.2 good miles in. Brady and I ran to the Rec. Center for a workout, and back, then I dropped off Brady where he was umpiring baseball games all day and I went all over the place! I started at the Tuacahn Saturday Farmers Market, which I have anxiously been awaiting the opening of. That is one of the best things about Spring, all the farmer's markets open for the season. The market was great, I especially enjoyed a special herb gardening lecture from which I gained a free Basil plant (The lady felt sorry for me since I accidentally killed mine in the night... I am not guilty though, it was the "frost" that did it!) I also bought some homemade toothpaste from a cool hippie girl, and a "Tamale in a Can" for Brady from a few Gringa's in a sleek Airstream trailer . After exploring the market I went for a run along the beautiful trails that swirl along the base of the Tuacahn mountains. I felt like a Mountain Goat... it was awesome! I also carved the word "RUN" into a big rock... just for fun. I love Saturdays! Now time to prepare my talk on Gratitude for church tomorrow... I am grateful for my legs that can run, and beautiful places to do it.

Day 11

Woke up a little early and ran to school this morning for my 8:00 Yoga class. It was a beautiful morning, a bit chilly but with a very promising morning sun. I navigated through a short cut, including a road with a big sign that read "Road Closed", I'm a bit of a running rebel I will admit, and ended up having to scoot down a steep dirty hill to get back into legalized pedestrian territory. Good thing I had a lot of practice at the volcano yesterday (read "Day 10"), so my superior dirt sliding skills got me right onto the road I had intended to follow. It was a very quick 6.2 miles & it made me wish I had the energy to run to school everyday. Yoga class was great, and I feel so lucky to be going to a school that offers cool classes like Yoga.
What I thought about? What the kids at the bus stop think of runners that go by?
What I saw? 10 feet in front of me.

Day 10

I am "in it to win it" now...well not exactly, but finishing with a PR will be a "win" to me! Today I registered for the St. George Marathon (voted #1 by Runners Magazine). I am so excited about training around here because it is so beautiful, and there are so many great trails and paths through the city. Today was a "recovery" day, so I took a break from running and Brady and I went on a 7 mile hike through Snow Canyon State Park. We also climbed to the top of an old Cinder Cone Volcano and looked down into the big concave. The hike up was sooooo steep, so we pretty much surfed down the crumbly lava rocks the whole way down. I was laughing the whole way down because i was just falling all over the place, and by the time we got back down to the car I had enough sand in my shoes to build a sand castle. It was quite the adventurous day and so much fun, I didn't want it to end!

Day 9er

If I didn't make the commitment to train and get good exercise, it would never happen. Rarely am I like "hmmmm I guess I will go on a run or get to the gym for a workout since I have nothing else to do", it's usually more along the lines of "well, I have 20 minutes so I will run laps around the parking lot", or "I think I will run up and down those stairs a few times", or "let me see how fast I can get the mail and be back?", and sometimes I will do my age in push-ups to wake up in the morning. It's never really like some cute little outing with the gym bag, and the Ipod, and the protein shake, because that's just not how it works for most of us. To live a consistently active lifestyle, you have to bring activity into your life on a regular basis, otherwise healthy habits will be very short lived. Your body doesn't really care if your on a fancy treadmill with a T.V., or in a grocery store parking lot, if your movin' it's groovin'! I logged 4.16 miles today. I felt faster, and i think my base miles are establishing themselves.
What I thought about: recruiting people to work with Brady doing summer sales.
What I saw: My shadows beautiful long legs.

Day 8

Today was all about making the time to run. I woke up early to finish homework, went to class, a meeting, grabbed a quick lunch and headed to work. Brady had to make a few stops on the way home after picking me up from work, so I would hop out of the car and run down the road until he would catch up again, pull the car over, and I would hop in. It was a great 3.55 miles of interval training to say the least. The weather was a bit rainy and cold, and the crisp air felt amazing pumping through my lungs.

What I thought about: Running faster!
What I saw: Some beautifully confused weather... sun, clouds, rain, wind, blue skies, you name it! It was a party outside today.

Day 7

It's official, the Easter Bunny loves me, I am all grown up and he still brings me goodies! Today was a beautiful day in St. George. We had our neighbors (whom we love) over for breakfast and Conference. Between sessions Brady and I went on an Easter adventure through the nearby mountains, he rode his bike and I chased him for 6.76 miles.
It was a great time to savor springs arrival. We made it back for the second Conference session during which we prepared a pretty darn good dinner, including a rosemary focaccia bread (amazing recipe I got from the art fair), whipped ginger yams, roasted tomato and garlic asparagus, deer roast with a mushroom wine sauce, and grilled chicken. Followed by another "PR" delicious carrot cake recipe. We wrapped up our celebration by watching "A Minute to Win It". That show is hilarious, we've already started gathering different things to host a game night at our house. The rest of the night was spent doing math, glorious math... This class gives me Alzheimer's.

What I thought about: How grateful I am to have my sweet husband with me all day!
What I saw: My Easter surprises scattered about the house.

Day 6

Today I walked 4.35 miles to the store and back. I bought a shower curtain, bananas, and "Nut Thin" crackers, loaded them up in my big backpack and walked back home. Brady was umpiring all day again, so it was just me and wherever my legs could take me. I sometimes wish that I had the time in a day to walk everywhere I needed to go. Although I love that "planes, trains, and automobiles" allow us to travel and see things that we otherwise might never enjoy, I sometimes yearn for the simplicity of the olden days when people walked or rode horses everywhere. I think I would thoroughly enjoy that... at least for a little while.

What I thought about: Today's Conference talks.
What I saw: A lot of beautiful and fragrant blossoming plants... I love spring!

Day 5

Rode Brady's bike all over town today. He had to take the car to mesquite to umpire some games, so I got to ride around in the beautiful sunshine. I rolled through the St. George Art Festival after school and admired all the creativity, not to mention the delicious homemade triple berry ice cream I enjoyed. Next I headed off to Barefoot Gymnastics where I coach and then muscled my way back home for a good little 4.5 mile night run. A great way to wrap-up a busy week, 20 miles of fresh air.

What I thought about: How underrated bike riding is, and how much energy it gives me to get around using only "man-power"... it is actually quite gratifying.
What I saw: Beautiful pottery, iron work, oil paints, stone creations... Art!

Day 4^2(lne(4X)+7^4)

No miles today... had to study and take a math test instead. I always vowed I would never be one of those people that "doesn't have time to exercise", but today that happened. I was due for a "recovery day" I suppose, however, 6 hrs of grueling mathematics is anything but re-cooperative. I feel like I just underwent massive brain surgery! Talk about worst trade off ever, running: one of my favorite things, and math: makes me cry like a baby. As long as I can figure what it takes to achieve 26.2 miles per 9:00 min./mile pace, I'm set, and all I need for that is shoes and a watch... okay fine and maybe a little math (:

Day 3

Watered the garden as a "warm-up" and then headed out the door for a 10K today (6.2 miles). Ended the run at the Rec. Center where I met up with Brady to get in a quick lift before heading out to breakfast at one of our favorite places called 25 & Main. I had the Acai smoothie and it was delish!

What I thought about: My sister Maggie & building a tree-house for our future kids.

What I saw: A little girl pushing her tricycle down the street after her brother, wearing 3" plastic high heels, a nighty, and jeans at 7:30 am... what a life!

Day 2

Ran 2.25 miles today at a very slow-poke pace, I think I was still sleeping. Did some running drills, push-ups, abs at the Rec. Center.

What I thought about: Logarithms ( I have a math test today)

What I saw: A tree decorated with tons of plastic Easter Eggs.

Miles in a Day?

8.25 miles ran today, along a BEAUTIFUL riverside trail that wraps around the base of a nearby red rock mountain.
What I saw: 3 bunnies and a crow the size of a small dog.
What I thought about: putting up a clothesline in our laundry room.

30 days & 100 miles

26.2 miles... that's what I will be doing on October 2nd of this year, as I run the St. George Marathon. I ran the the Seafair Marathon (Seattle) in 2008, and I'm after it again. Not sure exactly what "it" is, but there is something incredibly rewarding about running so freakin' far. You exhaust every facet of your being in only a fraction of a day, leaving you emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally stronger than you were just a few hours before... it changes your life! As a kid I never imagined I'd run more than a mile or two without stopping, nor did I have such a desire. When I was nine years old I ran my first race, a 5K (3.1 miles) "Family Fun Run" with my Dad and brother Shon, and It wasn't much "fun" to me at all! Middle School was the first time I can remember going "out for a run", at which point I became a "spontaneous jogger". I can remember how great it felt to run from point A to point B, it was rewarding to be able to set and accomplish a goal in a relatively short amount of time. I think that is when my "runners flame was first lit", but it wasn't until I underwent shoulder surgery my Junior and Senior years of High School, and Sophomore year of College ( yes 3 shoulder tears), that I really became a "runner". It was mostly all an effort to stay fit and make a good comeback for my gymnastics season, but it slowly grew to be much more. I know, it sounds like some sappy love story, but really, I gained a great relationship with running. I learned so much about life and about myself, and how many things I failed to notice when driving around in the car (handprints in the sidewalk, lucky pennies, secret trails, smiling neighbors...). I gained a new level of consciousness over many things. Success motivated success, and several pairs of shoes later I found myself at the 2008 Seafair Marathon starting line, a place I never imagined I would be. 26.2 miles later I was a new woman, I had accomplished something I never dreamed I would, nor want to do. Stepping across that finish line opened my mind to so many possibilities. I began contemplating over the many other things I might be capable of. All of my doubts became goals, and so many barriers were broken for me at that very moment.

I want to feel that all over again, even if it demands many months of training and dedication. So I guess "it" is that moment when you feel like your limits are stretched and possibilities endless, and that's what I am after. To kick things off, I will work on building up my miles once again. The goal? 100 miles in 30 days. Here I go!