Half Marathon

On Saturday August 30,

I woke up at 5:30,

Strapped on my new running shoes,

and headed to Emigration Canyon.

The sun was slowly rising over the mountains,

There was a strong chill in the air

My stomach was filled with butterflies as I approached the 

Starting Line at the bottom of the Canyon.

Thirteen miles, 

I stretched out my chilled legs and patiently waited for the

 race to start.

Here are some pictures of the days event.

We started at the bottom of the canyon,  

the first two miles were all up hill.

The race was incredible, and the view was breathtaking!

I finished third in my age group 

and my overall time was 1 hour 51 min.

I was very proud of my accomplishment

Next race: Marathon

Over The Rainbow

I am currently sitting on a round lunch table,

a table that has spots filled with crumbs,

lap top open,

papers spread out everywhere.

School started a week ago, and I feel like I haven't been able to catch my breath,

trying to balance 17 credits and 35 hour work weeks.

Those last few moments at night between climbing into bed

and falling into an exhausting sleep,

is the time Adam and I spend together.

Catching up with each other, right before our talking becomes incoherent mumbling.

Being busy is when I function best.

Having a plan or task for every hour of the day keeps me organized.

I manage my time better and get more accomplished.

I have cooked more in this last week, than I have in a long time.

I live by my planer and check list.

The days begin to blur into each other, but hey, I am getting things done.

I feel productive because I am busy, always going somewhere

or studying something.

It is only now, in this moment,

in a room filled with hundreds of people,

where there is a constant buzz of noise due to talking and laughing,

have I felt more, than I have in two weeks.

There is a piano 10 feet away from where I am sitting.

A guy just sat down and began playing,

and suddenly everything seemed to disappear.

The song "Over the Rainbow" began to echo through the walls,

and I was overcome.

Overcome with gratefulness

grateful for his musical talent, for this building,

for music, for the opportunity to go to school,

grateful for family, for a body that functions well, for people,

the list continues.

He has been playing for ten minutes now,

one beautiful song after another,

I have put all my school work aside and just sat for a moment,

doing nothing.

In one of his talks Elder Ballard talked about

"enjoying the fleeting moments, the quiet moments,"

and although he was talking about motherhood,

his words resonated with me today.

Only in those quiet moments, where we pause

can we see and feel the tender mercies of the Lord.

Sorry for the long absence, I am back now, and will be more consistent.

At least that is the goal!

A long post coming this weekend with pictures of a race I ran in two weeks ago.

Nie Day

For the last two weeks, I cannot seem to get Steph and her family out of my head.
Our families are connected by the same set of cousins,
So when I was younger I spent a lot of time over there.
I thought Stephanie was the "coolest" girl.
I loved her personality, her hair style, and you can just tell she knows who she is.

This tragedy has left me thinking,
Especially during the quiet moments right before I fall asleep,
and in the early morning hours, before I get out of bed.
I don't know why it has affected me so much-
We have talked over email a few times, and seen each other at family things,
but for some reason this crash has affected me a great deal.
I keep getting the reoccurring thought of how grateful I am for the gospel.
Events like this are so hard to understand or explain,
and although the Gospel doesn't take the pain or suffering away,
it provides some comfort, some hope.
The hope that Heavenly Father knows what is going on, and has a purpose for everything.

Tomorrow has been declared as Stephanie's Day!

There are so many different blogs putting on Silent Auctions, and Giveaways.

Here is just a small list of what is going on:

Design Mom- Silent Auction

Notes from Kate- Another auction

Caitlyn and Ashley are teaming up for a fantastic silent auction

Courtney is auctioning some BYU items off.

I will try to keep the list going as I find out more. Please take a look!

Prayers

Stephanie Clark Nielsen is a family friend and fellow blogger.
She and her husband were in a terrible plane crash this past weekend.
They are on the slow road to recovery, so please put them in your thoughts and prayers.

For more information go here

Say

This weekend was good,
I went to the Farmers Market for more tomatoes, and delicious Basil Focaccia Bread.
I then spent the morning sewing some pillows for our couch.
(Pictures to come on next post)
They turned out so well, and I am in fact very proud of myself
due to my naive sewing skills.
My mom swelled with pride as her daughter that once hated sewing,
has now become addicted.
I feel like a whole new world of crafts has been opened up to me.


We spent the day with family,
My handsome brother Jon arrived home from Kansas,
So we ordered pizza, talked, and played Legos (yes, all of us!)
It is so nice to have everyone here, even if it is just for a few days.


I was sitting in the car on the way home from church yesterday.
Adam and I received a new church calling,
So we now attend a Spanish Ward in Orem.
I do not speak Spanish, I took three semesters at BYU and
I was in a Spanish ward while living in London (a little ironic)
but because of the lapse of time, and lack of use,
my Spanish Skills have dwindled.
Needless to say, our first Sunday there went well, the people were so warm and loving,
and it was nice to have a husband who
so willingly translated the talks for me,
and let everyone know that my lack of response
was not due to rudeness,
but ignorance.


As we were driving home from church with
"Sounds of the Sabbath" playing gently from our radio,
the song "I Am A Child of God" came on.
Usually when I hear this song I am filled with nostalgic memories of childhood,
and singing time in Primary.
I sing along blankly, not paying attention to the words or their meanings.
But today it was like I was hearing the song for the first time.
Maybe it was because I was feeling very dependent on the Lord this weekend,
as I stressed and worried about attending the Spanish ward.
Or maybe because it was time for one of the Lord's gentle reminders.

As the song continued, tears began to fall as I was overcome with gratitude.
I, me, one person in a world full of a billion people,
am a child of God.
Heavenly Father knows me by name, and cares about me.
As the song ended I was so overcome with gratitude for this knowledge.
It is so powerful and comforting to know
that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me.
A Heavenly Father that watches over me, listens to me when I pray
and values the fears and concerns that I have.

There are times to often to count, when I take the Gospel for granted.
Too many days where reading my scriptures
falls to the bottom of the list.
This song brought to my attention (again)
what a great treasure it is,to know where I came from
and to know what lies ahead.
I am go grateful for the reminders we receive every so often,
that let us know that He is watching over us,
and to remind us of the great knowledge that so many of us have,
a knowledge that is so easy to take for granted.

Movie Review

We went,

We Saw,

And

We LOVED!!!

Dark Knight was AMAZING!!

I have never felt so emotionally invested while watching a movie.

This guy was incredible:



You wanted to hate him because he was so evil,
but there was a soft spot for him, even though I had no idea why.
His performance was amazing!!

Christian Bale was of course as dreamy as ever.


I give this movie a A+, and can't wait to go see it at the IMAX.


On Saturday afternoon I went and saw this movie with some of dear girlies.

It was a very fun movie to watch.

The music was amazing, I need the sound track!!

The daughter's voice is amazing, I wish she would have sung more,

and despite what some reviews have said Pierce Brosnan does a good job singing as well.

But I would recommend seeing this movie with girls,

If your husband is anything like mine, it will not be enjoyed!!

Da da da da da da da da, Batman!!

Well folks, the day has arrived.



Adam is as giddy as a school girl.

We have had our tickets for a month.

Tonight at 8 we will be heading to the Cinemark theater at Provo Towne Center

Adam is determined to get perfect seats

Our movie starts at ten,

So we will be the couple sitting on the floor at the front of line

Me-reading Harry Potter

Adam-reading a historical novel.

We may even bust out the playing cards,

Two hours is a long time to wait!

Next week we will be seeing it at the Imax.

I will let you know which version I enjoyed more!!



(anyone want to see Mama Mia with me,
Adam will be too busy seeing this over and over)