fabulous saturday

last weekend we were able to go home to visit our families.  and it sure was one awesome weekend.   our saturday consisted of:

shopping with mom and sister

(not quite the same shopping bags i brought home, but you get the point)

+

the greek festival

(i love love love greek food)

+

utah state fair prca rodeo

(love me some cowboys, too!)

+

spending the night at the fair

(lights, animals, games, people watching... fabulous)

+

caramel apples

(my favorite fair food.  de.li.cious.)

+

fabulous company

(emily, josh, lindsay, ryan, reagan, michelle, and spencer.  you know who you are and we were thrilled to spend some quality time with you)

=

awesomeness

it really was a fantastic day and the day after was spent lazying around with the family.  seriously, i don't think it could have been any better.

tou 1/2 marathon

ok, i am finally getting around to blogging about my 1/2 marathon experience.  and what an experience it was!  

so, let's start off with the week leading up to the race.  as i mentioned in my previous posts, i spent a whole week at lake powell.  that meant no running.  and then the few days before the race that i was going to run a few miles (monday and tuesday) i was sick with food poisoning.  i started getting really worried that the lack of running the week and a half before the race would make so that i would struggle during the actual race.  i didn't want to see an entire 3 months worth of training go down the train.  so, i went against what everyone told me and i ran 7 miles on wednesday and then the last 10 miles of the actual course on thursday.  yeah, not the smartest thing ever. but i really wanted to make sure that mentally i knew that i could run that far.  and those runs weren't too bad.  only problem, i didn't give my body enough time to recover before saturday's run and i know that i didn't run as well as i should have because of it.   

so, friday night i got off work and wanted to take it easy.  i went and got my registration packet and then josh and i ate at wingers (there were a million people at the olive garden and at chili's and all i really wanted was a pasta!).  we then met up with the moss's and got some cold stone.  again, probably not the smartest thing ever but it was yummy and hanging out with them took my mind off of running.  

i tried so hard to get to bed early that night but my mind was racing and i couldn't get to sleep.  here's a play by play as to how the rest of the day went.  

1:30 am:  finally fell asleep

2:30 am: woke up

3:00 am: woke up

3:30 am: woke up

4:00 am: woke up and couldn't get back to sleep.  my mind was racing and i was getting so nervous.  

4:45 am:  finally got up and started getting ready.  woke poor josh up.

5:15 am: picked up hilary (my neighbor across the street) and headed to the park. 

5:30 am:  hopped on the bus

6:00 am:  finally made it to the starting line.  it was still dark outside and freezing cold because we were up in the canyon.

6:15 am:  met up with collie and her friend ashley

6:50 am:  put our jackets and sweats in the "clothing" bus.... brrrr

7:00 am:  the race is supposed to start but doesn't

7:15 am:  still standing in line with 2200 other people wondering why the race hadn't started yet

7:25 am:  the race starts.  i can see the people ahead of us start to move but it took a whole 3 minutes for us start moving

7:28 am:  cross the starting line.  i was so cold that i took off in hopes that i would warm up.  there were so many people, i spent the entire first mile weaving in and out of everyone.

mile 3:  feeling good.  finally warming up

mile 5:  run into (haha, literally) my friend liz.  she's amazing and has run this half marathon before.  we ran together for a few miles

mile 7: (coming out of the canyon)  the downhill part was over.  my legs were cramping up, but i kept pushing along

mile 7.5: saw a kid with a sign that said "you can do it lilly!"  in my mind, my name was lilly and this little kid was cheering me on

mile 9: feeling tired.  i knew my family would be there somewhere along the way and i didn't want them to see me walking.  so, i kept running.

mile 11: the steady incline portion.  ugh.  my least favorite part of this run.  keep running!

mile 12:  phew!  past the worst part, and finally made it to the road where the finish line was.  people were everywhere and i kept telling myself that they were there to cheer me on.

mile 12.7:  see josh and spencer on the sidelines.  hallelujah!  what a boost that gave me!

mile 13: the finish line is in sight, but there is no way that i can run any faster.  my previous goal of sprinting to the end was not going to happen.

mile 13.1:  see my parents.  cross the finish line.  see josh's family cheering me on.  holy moly.  i finished?!  i can stop running now?!  thank goodness!

i finished the entire race in 2 hours and 6 minutes (without stopping and walking once) and i felt good about doing so well on my very first race (way better than my goal of 2 hours and 30 minutes!)  the only thing i regret is running so many miles the few days before.  usually, i am able to put myself on "auto-pilot" after running about 3 miles, but this time my body was so sore that i wasn't able to tune out.  i ended up feeling every mile that i ran, and it was exhausting!  

also, initially, i didn't think i wanted many people to come and watch me cross the finish line.  i didn't think it was that big of a deal.  but knowing that i had family and friends waiting for me at the finish line was one of the only things that kept me going!

this is hilary... she's amazing and ran the race in 2 hours flat!

it really was so awesome to have my family and josh's family waiting for me at the end of the race.  i am so lucky to have such an amazing support system!

and here is my cute husband.  there is no way on earth that i would have been able to finish this race the way i did without him.  he encouraged me to push myself in all of my runs and was there to help me when i was achy and sore.  josh is amazing and i am so grateful that he was with me throughout my whole training process!

after the race, we all headed over to angie's for some yummy breakfast food (i was starrrrving) and then josh and i headed back to the house so we could both get some sleep.

so, now what?  that's the question that everyone asks.  am i still going to run everyday?  is it time for a full marathon?  the answer is, i don't know.  i know that right now, i am in the best shape i've probably ever been.  i started this whole process thinking that i was going to lose a bunch of weight and my stomach and legs were going to be super toned and i was going to look amazing.  because most people who run often look amazing.  and the reality of it all?  that didn't happen.  i'm no size 2 and my legs still jiggle in my short shorts and i definitely don't have a toned stomach.
but... i feel good.  i feel like i accomplished something i never thought possible. when i first started this whole process, i could barely run 2 miles without feeling like i was going to pass out.  and now i know i can do 13 miles without stopping. i feel like this was not only a physical goal, but an emotional and mental one as well.  i feel like if i gave up running, it'd be like throwing away all that hard work.

so, i'll probably continue running often.  i don't have time to run 7 and 8 miles everyday, but a healthy 3-4 miles sounds good to me.  and maybe next summer i'll run a few more races.  like some 5k's or 10k's or the wasatch back relay.  or even the half marathon again.  so i can beat my time.

i guess we'll just have to wait and see!

my best friend's wedding

the day that our lake powell trip came to an end was also a big day for one of my best friends, chana. after dating for a while and an 8 month engagement, chana and zach's wedding day had finally come.

i was determined to make it to their 4:30 ceremony even though we were still on the houseboat in powell at 10 am that morning. but, with the help of our family friends, they helped me hop on the ski boat with all my stuff, rushed me to the docks, and i literally ran to my car and started the long drive to layton. i made it to murray around 3:30- just enough time to run to my parents house, change my clothes, and brush through my hair. i hopped on the road again and literally made it to the chantilly mansion with 10 minutes to spare. phew!

chana's wedding was "so her". the colors were bright and fun. the cake and decorations were awesome. the feathers added the perfect accent to the decorations and flowers. everything looked amazing. including the bride.

chana and daddy brent walking down the isle.
the ceremony was beautiful and the bishop did a great job. even zach teared up a bit.

introducing mr and mrs pierce!
after the ceremony, the bride and groom were pulled in every direction to get some pictures taken. they finally were able to show up at their own wedding luncheon with just enough time to get some food in their systems and give us a little speech.
some of the old roommates from good old brentwood.

chana and i have been through a lot together. we met the first day of our freshman year in college and were roommates for the next 4 years. we worked together in alaska for 2 years. we've traveled all over the country together and visited a few foreign countries. she's been like a sister to me and i couldn't be happier for her and zach to finally be married!

we were able to enjoy the rest of her reception. chana had an ice cream bar for dessert and it was awesome. i had way too much ice cream for my own good.
cutting her fabulous cake.
at first i thought they were going to be nice, and then zach did this. so chana got him back.

mel is the next one to get hitched!

working hard for that garter. can you see her fabulous shoes?!

lining up to bid the newlyweds goodbye. they were off to an all-inclusive resort in mexico. lucky kids.

congrats to chana and zach!

a fabulous week at the lake

right after our camping weekend, i headed straight to murray to meet up with my family and 2 other families for a week long trip to lake powell. i had never been before and i must say, the lake did not disappoint. we had a fabulous time and i thought i'd jot down a few highlights:

- our location was awesome. we traveled out about 2 hours outside of the bullfrog marina and found this little canyon with the perfect cove in it. because of the concave rock overhead, we had constant shade the entire time. i soon realized why this was such a luxury! it gets hot down there!

- the houseboat we stayed on was awesome. there were 16 of us and we didn't feel cramped or in each other's way at all.

- the upperdeck was fabulous for lounging around and reading books. in fact, i finally finished breaking dawn. what an accomplishment!

- the slide was awesome. you'll see why a bit later.
- lazy days on the boats. the family that owns this houseboat owns a boat shop and are die hard skiiers/wakeboarders/footsurfers/wave surfers, etc. so we had a few boats to take out depending on what we wanted to do.

- hiking to the ruins. even though it was in the middle of the day and over 100 degrees outside, we decided to make the tedious hike to the top of a rock wall to see some ruins. had i not been so dehydrated, i may have enjoyed it more.



- lots and lots of wake surfing. i think we spent at least 5 hours each day doing this. it was was fun and even though i was nervous, i got up on my first try!

- mitch was able to show us some of his sweet butt-surfing skills
- slide competition. i don't have all the pictures, but this was definitely a highlight of the trip. everyone had to come up with names of their slides and then we were rated on execution and creativity. this was me and my dad doing the "he-she". the next one was initially called the toe touch, but was later renamed as "the wedgie"

other highlights:

- lots and lots of laughing

- lots and lots of delicious food

- getting up at 6 am to watch the professionals ski on untouched water

- using steak to catch catfish

- laughing at darlene's inappropriate comments

- participating in the funniest game of curses ever

- watching the second funniest game of curses ever

- floating in the sun on a floatie. those things were amazing.

- star gazing at night

- hanging out with my family

- no sunburns!

- no cell phones

only lowlight:

- no josh. hopefully if we get invited again next year, he can get off work and join in on all of the fun.

oh a camping we will go

one weekend in august, josh and i decided to go camping with his parents and spencer. in the past josh had camped at a place called causey reservoir (just past pineview up weber canyon) and suggested we go there. we went up there the week before and realized that if we wanted to camp out there, we'd either half to backpack in or canoe in. my vote was to canoe and that is what we did.

after loading up a canoe and paddling for what felt like forever, we finally made it to the tip of one of the little canyon fingers where the river flowed into the lake. this would be home for the next 3 days. the scenery was awesome and i was so glad that there weren't tons of people everywhere.

after getting everything out of the canoe, josh and i paddled all the way back to the parking lot to get dave, kristi, and spencer. then we paddled all the way back again. i thought my arms were going to fall off.

we finally made it, set up camp, and headed out to do some fishing and canoeing. that's pretty much all we did the entire weekend.


that first night we ate food, played games, and then hit the sack. dave and kristi were in a tent, josh and i were in a tent (a teeny tiny one) and spencer opted to leave his tent at home and sleep under the stars. well, at about 2 am that morning he realized that was a terrible idea when he started getting pelted with rain and hail. josh and i woke up, felt bad for spencer out in the rain, and yelled at him to come into our tent. i don't know how on earth we all fit in 1 tent, but it sure was tight and cozy. it rained and rained and thundered and lighteninged (is that a word?!) and rained and rained some more. the next morning, everything was completely soaked- including dave, kristi, and spencer's bags with their clothes in them. we had to set up a makeshift clothesline to dry everything out. what a bunch of hillbillies!

i pretty much froze to death the whole next day. it was cold and rainy and i didn't bring quite enough warm clothes to keep me comfortable. so, while everyone spent the day fishing and walking around, i spent a good amount of time bundled up in my sleeping bag reading a book. that night, we cooked up all of the fish that the gang caught during the day. we also made s'mores (a personal fav) and i found out that dave had never eaten one! so i made him one that was cooked to perfection. don't let this face fool you... he loved it!
so, earlier in the trip, the gang came across a rattlesnake slithering across one of the walking trails. it freaked us all out a bit, but we didn't think too much of it. however, a bit later, everyone was out fishing and i was walking through camp alone... minding my own business... and all of the sudden i hear a "ssssssss" sound. i looked down and saw a yellow and black rattlesnake about 3 inches away from my shoes and his rattler was shaking like crazy! i freaked out, tried to scream but couldn't, and ran away as fast as i could. my heard was pounding a million miles a minute and my tears started watering up. i went and found everyone and told them what happened (it was a different snake that i had seen) and we all decided that if we saw another snake (especially one in our camp!) that we'd pack up and leave. luckily, no more snakes were spotted for the rest of the trip. that last night, however, dave and kristi found this "snake" while walking around and brought it to me so i could remember that awesome experience.


packing up and heading out. i was glad that we ate so much... our canoe was much lighter on the way back!