Notice

Today I added a little tid-bit on the right side showing the marathon training schedule for the upcoming week. This (of course) will be updated weekly. All of those who wish to run the marathon with me next year, feel free to follow this training program. And if you'd like the original you can find it here. It is also required that you read almost everything on this website within the first two months of training so we don't hurt ourselves.

On another note, my dear mother had a surgery yesterday (nothing too serious). Please pray for her quick recovery! So far she's doing well; she's scheduled to come home from the hospital today. I'm sure that she would love to have visitors all week while she's stuck at home recovering. Mark and I will be with her on Saturday to watch General Conference and you're welcome to join us, I'm sure. I love my mother! She's the bomb dot com.

Weekends

So, weekends are supposed to be relaxing, right? Right... (If you've seen The Emperor's New Groove then you'll read that in Kronk's voice.) (Oh, right then I tried to YouTube Kronk saying "Right..." but I couldn't find anything. Sorry.) Back to business. Relaxing? Not this past weekend. We got off work on Friday night at 9:30 or so and left for St. George. We got to Spanish Fork and stayed at Mark's brother's house. We left early the next morning and made it to St. George by early afternoon. Finally. A few minutes to lounge around, since I don't consider being in the car "lounging". At 6:25 we were out the door on the way to Mark's 5-year reunion. It was fun, but most of his friends and the people he knew didn't come. The food was good though, and it's a good thing because we had to pay $40 to go to this thing. So then we wake up Sunday morning. Hooray! Killer Bunnies with Mark's missionary brother, Kai. We had fun playing a few games yesterday morning. Off to church to listen to Kai. Back to Kai's house for pie. And on the road again. We left around 3:30 or 4 and didn't get home until 11. It was great to see Kai one last time before he leaves on his mission to Dublin, Ireland, but I'm just tired of driving. And guess what I get to do after school today? and tomorrow? That's right. Drive. Because it's my job. I'm glad it's just a job and not a career. Otherwise, I'd go crazy. And I'd never want to go anywhere because I'd always feel like I was traveling too much. I apologize for all of the negativity. I'd excuse it away to being tired, but in reality I'm just sick of my job (even though it's one of the best jobs I've had and I have no idea how I'll do in the workforce of statistics sitting in front of a computer all day. I'll probably complain then too, except that I'll be making more money.)

Sorry that there are no pictures. I'm hoping to find the charger for our camera so we can start taking pictures again.

On to more exciting things. I've decided to run the Top of Utah marathon next year. I have no idea where it starts, but it ends in Logan. And I'm definitely not a runner. But for some reason I feel like I have to prove to myself that I can do this. I don't care if I walk the whole way. I haven't accomplished something similar to this since my junior year of high school when I swam a race that caused my asthma to take over my body until I felt like I was going to die. I've been much less motivated to exercise to my fullest since then. I'm terrified that it will happen again. But I need to start pushing myself again to achieve things that matter to me. If I could swim that race again, knowing that it would end my swimming career, I would have tried even harder to be the best that I could be. Truth is, I miss it; the glory of winning races. I've been dying to say that to myself and anyone else who would listen. I miss swimming. I miss ballroom dancing. I miss doing things that I'm good at, or at least that I used to be good at. I never play my violin. Or my keyboard. Or the other instruments stored at my house. I miss the symphony, the choir. Sigh. Oh, the feelings that talking about the weekend can provoke.

Recommendation

If you love and believe in Christ you ought to check out this website. The USU Institute has been hosting this art of Christ for a couple of weeks now. I took the time to walk through the room where all of the photographs are set up the other day, and I am so glad that I did. Some brilliant person also thought to play quiet church hymns in the background to bring the Spirit. And, oh, what a spirit was there. All I can say is that through this beautiful art my testimony of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has been strengthened. I testify that He lives. With all of my heart and soul, I know it. Through Him we can be saved; and He is the only way by which we can be saved. And He loves us! What greater knowledge is there?! He loves us and wants to save us. All we have to do is put in a little effort on our part and *bam*! We're there. I appreciate the work of those who participated in this beautiful event. The link to the website is at the top of this post. But if you get a chance, and are in Logan, you really should walk through the setup at the Institute.

Randoms

I really wish I could find my charger for my camera. I'm really bummed that I haven't been able to take pictures for over a month, especially since a lot of you haven't seen our new place! I tried to draw it on paint but it wasn't working out. Then I tried to think about how I would give you a tour with words, but I am not a good enough writer to do it justice. So, you'll have to continue to wait for me to find time to go through the last few boxes to see if the charger got stashed away in a box that wouldn't make sense. And before I do that, I must do the dishes.

A few of my friends came over on Saturday night. We were supposed to have a big Hairspray party, but there were only 4 of us total. Who cares? We had a great time anyway. I'd never seen the movie before (or the play for that matter) and the other 3 practically had it memorized. Despite (and maybe even because of) the fact that they were all singing along the whole time, I loved it! It was sooo hilarious! Anyone who likes musicals should definitely watch it. Heck, you don't even have to rent it; just come watch it with me!

Also, if you like music, you should definitely listen to this song and tell me if you like it. It's called "Proud of You" by 10 Years. It's a very calm song, and sad. And if you sometimes like to feel sad than this is a good song to listen to. Currently one of my favorites. Also, if you like music you'll like Pandora. It's pretty much the best radio station ever because it's all about what you like!

Oh yeah. My friend Kellie tagged me with a Quirks tag. I'm supposed to link to her (she's already on my sidebar) and then tag 6 other bloggers.

Quirk #1: I don't like to breathe in used air. Yes, I know, all air is technically "used" air, but if it is freshly used, like I'm right next to Mark and he breathes out, I have to hold my breath or breathe out while he's breathing out. I can't breathe in the air he's getting rid of.
(p.s. This was Kellie's Quirk, but it's one of my worst too! So I just changed the name of the husband, since it would be awkward for me to be breathing Nathan's air.)

Quirk #2: I hate hearing other people chew. I don't care if it's something soft or crunchy; it drives me up the wall. Also, chips and gum are the absolute WORST!! I remember sitting with my dad at the table while he ate chips, and his eating was the only noise in the room. I cringe just thinking about it.

Quirk #3: I have a hard time sitting through a whole lecture of chemistry. Usually I end up doing the Sudoku from the daily paper or playing Solitaire on my calculator.

Quirk #4: I can't seem to find any time to cook. I really want to be a good wife and make homemade meals every other day with fresh veggies and whatnot. Someday, when I don't work at night, I'll work on that. Until then, my cooking (skills?) will not get better.

Quirk #5: Babies make me baby hungry. And I don't want one so soon in my marriage, yet, oh, how I do.

Quirk: #6: I bite my tongue a lot. I think it has to do with a habit from when I was little. My tongue used to hang out (literally) just outside of my mouth. That was it's resting spot. Mom always told me to put it back in my mouth, but I think I was permanently damaged.

People I'm tagging: Aunt Carrie, Aunt Shauna, Aunt Rose, Steph Fisher, Adam and Dinae, and Bairdy-poo. Do it if you want, it's fun!

How Young? 30? Wow, Mom!

Happy, happy birthday, Mother, dear.
Happy days will come to you all year!
If I had one wish than it would be
A happy, happy birthday to you from me!

Mother, I love you.
Mother, I do.
Father in Heaven has sent me to you.
When I am near you, I love to hear you
Singing so softly that you love me to.
Mother, I love you. I love you, I do.

Mother dear, I love you so.
Your happy smiling face
Is such a joy to look at;
It makes home a lovely place.
Mother dear, I love you so.
Your lovely, shining eyes
Are just like stars that twinkle
Way up in the bright blue skies.
Mother dear, I love you so.
I'll try the whole day through
To please our Heavenly Father.
I'm so glad he gave me you.

Like sunshine in the morning that wakens day from night,
Like flowers in the springtime so colorful and bright,
Like happy songs of bluebirds that fill the air with cheer,
A person bright and lovely is my mother dear.

*Thanks to the composers of the LDS Songbook for writing with such inspiration and for being able to say so beautifully what I feel for my mother.

P.S.

You know that class that I'm always saying is so hard and the homework takes me forever? Well, we got an assignment YESTERDAY, and I am finished with it TODAY!
I feel like a genius.

And just so you know, I had to use spell check to spell genius.

Going Deep

I lay on my mat.
It's pink.
Pink isn't my favorite color, if you ask me,
But maybe it truly is.
My teacher tells her story.
I think about mine.
I explore my insecurities.
Where did they come from?
The accident?
The end of my swimming career?
I move forward.
How do I overcome these insecurities?
Embrace.
Drink them in.
Breathe.
Keep moving.
Feel the strength coming into my limbs.
Become aware of her voice.
Open my eyes.
I'm a new person.

Speaking of Faith: Yoga. Meditation in Action

And a couple more tid bits

The last post was made in avoidance of my homework. This one is made because I'm almost done with my homework. Look at these pretty pictures!


A dollar to anyone who can guess what they mean... And it has nothing to do with the last post - different data!!

Tid Bits

Ok. I think the ocean analogy (going from Can You Relate to Sunshine) is finally over. One more post of that might have washed everyone off of the shore of my blog... or just made you want to stop reading.
Anyway, I wanted to post a bit of the homework that I have been working on this past week. I'll try not to use any jargon that will confuse you.


You might be able to tell that these pictures have the same data points, but the U.S. looks different each time. That wasn't the hard part of the assignment. But it still makes me look cool, right? Here's the hard part:


I must explain something here. The data points are actually the average January temperature taken at that location; small dots mean low temperatures, big dots mean higher temperatures. Ok. Now these two bottom pictures show the predicted average temperatures at those locations (the upper picture) and the error associated with that prediction (lower picture). Now, isn't that neat? You can see in the prediction picture that lower temperatures are predicted in the north and higher temperatures are predicted in the south. And that's all done using the pictures at the top of this post. Feel smarter? Hmm.. Can't say I didn't try.

Sunshine

At last.. I have drifted through the ocean and somehow transported to a lake that reminds me of Lake Powell - can be scary in a storm, but is beautiful and fun otherwise. Ahead of me I see a soft sunshine and a boat with a slalom ski and tow rope. Beauty. Joy. Happiness. Peace, sent from my Savior. I know that these feelings I have today come from Him. In institute on Tuesday, the lesson I learned was "if we keep an eye single to the glory of God, He will bless us". Along with that, Bro. White asked us why we are going to school: to get rich later? to bless the lives of others? to further the light and knowledge in the kingdom of God? My first thought was, of course, to get rich. I reevaluated, and I believe that because of that I did better on the GRE than I had expected. The official scores will be mailed to me in a few weeks, so you'll have to wait until then. But I saw the unofficial scores and I am not displeased.

Now it's time to ski.

Sick, and Tired

I'm afraid that living in this ocean (i.e. stress of school) for the past week has given me a bit of a cold. Now as I sit here in the library working on the lab report that is due at 11:30 I wish I could just fall asleep. And I totally would, too, if it weren't for the fact that the dreams I had last night were dreams of this homework. It's consuming me. And if I were to fall asleep now, I would probably dream of going to class today with no assignment in hand. Those types of dreams are typically characterized as nightmares. So, I write this blog to give myself a break after only a half an hour of working, and I hope that my mind will better focus for the next two hours while I complete this wonderful second assignment of the hardest class I have ever taken.

Miracle

Rope, like manna from heaven, and more logs. A logical idea. Raft. Build a raft to help not only myself, but those I see floating around me.
The code that had to work before I could even start on the analytical part of the assignment due tomorrow is finally working. (Sorry if that doesn't make sense.) But the gist of it is: I can finish my assignment efficiently and to an appropriate standard.
And, no, I don't have much of a life outside of this world of ocean and school.

The Ocean (Cont.)

I'm still out in the middle of the ocean. But I have found a floating log and it keeps me above the water for the most part. I feel there will be many storms before I find my way to shore, some which may cause me to believe I will never feel the warmth of the sun again. The weather forecast shows a big storm in my ocean on this Thursday. Not because it's Sept. 11th, but because it's when I will take the GRE. How appropriate, don't you think? Yet I will keep holding onto this log until it's broken into a million pieces and will no longer hold me afloat. Then I will continue to swim.

Can You Relate?

Ok. It's the second day of the second week of school, and I'll be turning in my second assignment of the semester in my second class today in less than an hour. How mean can teachers get? I mean, come on people. Give us some time to refresh our memories or read the book to get started or something. I feel like I've been thrown into the current of a very fast moving river that's headed straight for the middle of an ocean... and I'm drowning... and even when the current slows down and melts into the ocean, I'm still in the ocean so deep and distant from shore that I'm not sure if I'll ever make it back to the shore. As someone wise once said, "You know what you do when [school] gets you down? Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. Ah ah ha ha ah ha, I love to swiiiim!" So I guess that's what I'll do. Just keep swimming. And if I fail, then at least I'll have died (hypothetically) trying.

Second First Day of School

Hello! It, again, has been a while since I've written. We've finally got internet on both of our computers instead of just one, and have set it up so Mark can potentially work from home. Cool! It'd be easier to work on campus, but if he has to at least he has the option of working from home. As most of you know, school has begun. I really like the first day of school because most classes get out way early and you have time to meet up with people you used to see and buy books, etc. Lucky for many students we get 2 first days. Most classes attended on Monday are only held Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That makes most Tuesday/Thursday classes have their own first day of school.

So far I really enjoy my classes. I've been given a preview to what I'll be doing, and my two hardest classes are on different days and both sound interesting. I'm also stoked for Intermediate Yoga and Beginning Raquetball. Good times! I've made a lot of new friends again so far, since most of my old friends have graduated or just don't have classes in the same buildings as I do. But it's always good to make new friends.

As for the request for pictures of the new place... Well, I can't find my charger for my camera so I can't really take any pictures. If you want to see it, you'll just have to come over and play a game of billiards or watch a movie with us. Otherwise, tough luck.

Happy First Day to All, and to All a Good Night!

Ahhh...

Well, we're into our new house. Even though it's a condo I'm calling it a house because it sounds cooler. But that's beside the point. I LOVE IT!! I really want anyone and everyone to come hang out with me, using the excuse that you want to see my new place.. Hey, it takes a lot to get people to hang out with me so I'll take it where I can get it. Unfortunately, we don't have internet at our house yet, so I'm sitting at our friend's house while they are gone so I can write this blog. I hope you appreciate it. But that's about the only downside to the place, and it's temporary anyway.

Other things in my life:
My car is still having problems. It seems like this is the year that everything has to go wrong so that it will run smoothly next year. I'm pretty sure that when I quit delivering pizza I will sell this car and debate buying a new one or waiting until I have a steady job. We'll see. And who even knows when I'll quit Domino's anyways...

Here's a shout out to Erin Elizabeth _________ who got married today. (I don't know her new last name yet.) We grew up in the same neighborhood and I couldn't make it down to her reception. So, congrats girl! Welcome to the club!

I got a new phone for free today, by mistake of the guy working, but I was ok with it. My old one is near and dear to my heart, but it was time to move on.

Lastly, it seems like there isn't much new, and I'm sure there isn't. But I'm definitely more than ready for school to start. I love school and I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when I graduate.. Guess I'll have to finish my grad school application so that I can keep going to school.

That's all I have for now folks! Someday I'll learn how to write blogs so that you don't feel like you're jumping from cliff to cliff with every paragraph. Until then, have fun jumping!

Good Morning, America, How Are You

So, it's 7:00 a.m. and I just woke up and can't go back to sleep. How nice. Usually I'm not a morning person, but today I decided to take this bit of quiet time to write a nice long blog while my mind is clear and it's not too hot in my house. I apologize for my lack of blogging and here are my excuses for why I've been slacking: Ever since the accident at/with Domino's my car has not been working properly. For the last 2 1/2 months we have been working to fix it. Turns out we were fixing the right part, but my Cavalier is picky and wanted the part from the dealer. So after all of the hustle and bustle of taking it to different places to have them fix it, we'd spent almost $1000 on it. In order to afford this Terrible Misfortune I have been working much more than I had anticipated this summer. I may have worked enough to have that money back (in addition to what we had planned on making this summer) but we don't keep track very well. But I must keep working the same amount that I have been because Mark and I decided to buy a nice washer and dryer for our new place, and they are pretty pricey. In my opinion it's totally worth it. If I weren't working I'd be sitting at home reading other people's blogs for the 100th time that day and wondering, "what ever shall I do?" So, there's my long version of why my blogging has been less frequent. One more thing on this topic - my camera is dead and I can't find the charger. I keep wanting to wait until I have pictures, but it won't happen until I move and find the charger again. Sorry!

Things have been interesting at our house while we are in the process of getting ready to move. It still doesn't seem real that we're buying our own place and won't be in the same ward anymore. This is the only place we've lived since we got married, so it has some sentimental value to me. We've got a lot of memories in this place. (Now if only I could remember what they were...) Anyway, Mark and I can't decide what to do with our second bedroom in the new place. It's upstairs across the hall from the master bedroom. Our options are a pool table or a guest room. I want your opinion!

Lastly, my cousin Tera "tagged" me with "Three Tags"

Three Joys:
1. Mark
2. Playing games
3. Playing with other people's babies

Three Fears:
1. Any kind of accident with Mark or our families
2. Nightmares
3. Graduate School

Three Goals:
1. Being a better wife
2. Workout more often (like, more than never)
3. Gain a stronger testimony

Three Obsessions:
1. Blogging
2. Texting
3. Gaming

Three surprising facts about me:
1. I just dyed my hair blonde and cut it short
2. I'm terrified that I will fail all of my classes at Grad School, if I even get it
3. I actually like working at Domino's

Three people I'm tagging:
1. Aunt Carrie
2. Kellie Buckner
3. Dinae Pitcher

Late Night Fun

Don't you worry, this post is rated PG.

My friend Amanda and I made bread. I screwed up and put twice as much water as I was supposed to. Of course, I didn't realize it until it was supposed to be time to let the dough rise. The mixture seemed a little runny. So, we threw it away and started over. Though we had all of that trouble, the bread turned out AMAZING! It was the perfect consistency and the crust wasn't too crunchy. Yum! The only problem with it that I can think of is that the loaves are a little lumpy on top. I'm not a pro at shaping it yet, but just you wait...

A few days ago, Mark went paintballing with his Domino's buddies (where he wasted everyone else). He wanted me to go, but I was too afraid. To me, running around shooting each other didn't sound like much fun (though there are some people I wouldn't mind shooting). Because of this, Mark decided to prove to me that paintballing doesn't hurt. So, at 10:30 we went outside and he shot me with the paintball gun from a good distance. It hit my arm and didn't hurt. I guess we'll be going paintballing sometime, maybe after we move.

Now it's time for a little Killer Bunnies with my best friend!

More Stuff

So, Mark and I signed the contract for our condo this morning. Our move in date is July 31st! Yipee! Anyone who wants to help us move is welcome to come. Also, we'll probably have a party that night or sometime that weekend. I'll keep you posted on that one!

Canada/Condo/Misc.

Mark and I recently got back from our 2nd trip out of the country this year. Granted, Canada isn't quite as exotic as Argentina, but we had a great time anyway. We left for Yellowstone on the 26th and stayed there a couple of days. We saw several bears and a zillion buffalo. It was Mark's first visit to Yellowstone so we hit a lot of the main attractions including Ol' Faithful and a whole bunch of other geysers and hot springs. On the 28th we made our way up to Waterton National Park in Alberta, Canada. If ever you want to go on a beautiful, amazing, long vacation then this is the place. We hiked a different trail almost every day and each one was equally amazing. Not even kidding! And pictures can never do it justice. Waterton is a small town built in a small valley next to a big lake and lots of mountains. When I get a chance I will add pictures of some of the beautiful places we saw. The most memorable hike for me was Crypt Lake Hike. It's 11 miles long, with some parts of the trail still covered with 4 feet of snow (especially in places where you'll fall to your death if you slip). The end lake was iced over so it wasn't very pretty, but the view along the trail was breathtaking! We spent a lot of time with a few of Mark's brothers and their families and some of his extended family. It was good to get to know them, since we don't see any of them very often. All in all, we had a great time! Funny story before I ditch the topic of Waterton: On the drive back from one of the hikes I was sitting next to my 4-year-old niece, Summer. Her grandma (Kathy, Mark's mom) said "Hello, Waterton!" as we pulled back into the valley. Summer looked at me and said, "What is she even talking about? Nobody ever really knows.." I busted up laughing.

A week before we left I enjoyed my 21st birthday. During the day I went on a small hike in Logan Canyon with Kathy. We then gave ourselves pedicures and cleaned out the old clothes in my closet to prepare to buy new clothes. As far as I can remember it was a pretty good day. This picture was taken while on the hike. Don't I look older?


Hmm.. What else? Oh yeah. Mark and I have found a condo to our liking that we are buying. It's in a place called Blackhawk condos in Logan. We've got things going and we're hoping to be moving in by the end of the month! So, plan on coming over for a party sometime around the end of July or early August. I will let you know when exactly.

It seems like I had a lot more that I wanted to say, but I just can't figure it out. Hopefully when I remember what it is I won't forget to post it. My memory is failing in my old age.