September 18, 2010...

...my first MARATHON - the Top of Utah Marathon in Logan, Utah!

Yep...it's official. I've been talking about doing it for a while but I finally signed up for the race today...payment and all. After a family friend (and old running partner) offered a free stay at his place the night before the race and I bought some sweet new running shoes today, I have no excuse.

My new shoes...I ran in them today and I already love them.

I've always wanted to do a marathon (the half I ran two months ago made me want to do it even more) and I figure now is a great time to do it. I have all summer to train and I'm already in decent shape. Saturday is exactly 12 weeks away from the race...so on Monday I'm starting a 12 week training plan. Hopefully if I talk about my workouts here I will be able to stick with them. One slight problem - I will be in Jamaica for my first week of marathon training...but hopefully I will still find it in me to workout. 

Hopefully I will be able to train injury free. My biggest fear right now is that my hip problems from high school will come back while I'm training. I just have to be really smart about my running...I need to get in plenty of cross-training and I can't overdo it. 

I don't plan on going too fast...finishing is definitely my goal. I'm aiming to hold my half marathon pace from a few months ago for the entire marathon. I can do it! I'm super excited about this huge goal. If anyone is looking for a little vacation around (or on) September 18, come up to Logan because I can definitely use all of the support I can get. I can't do this alone!

I'm 21!

On May 16 I turned 21...but since I have the best friends and family in the world, I got to celebrate a birth week instead of just a birth day. It started the Wednesday before my birthday. Ryan's family was gathering to celebrate his birthday (which was the next day) and they invited me to join. Sister Flake made dutch oven chicken and potatoes, a delicious salad, rolls, and even homemade ice cream and carrot cake for dessert.

Look how cute the table was

We were also celebrating Ryan's soon-to-be brother-in-law Clinton...he just passed his dental boards

 

This is what we walked in to see...doesn't it look amazing?!?

After dinner we had cake and ice cream. First we put 21 candles in the cake and sang to me, and then we added one more candle so we could sing to Ryan. 

People apparently aren't used to singing the birthday song twice in a row...so Ryan's song was pretty bad. I couldn't get a normal picture of Jess and Ryan because everyone was laughing so hard...sorry guys.

After dessert it was present time. Brother and Sister Flake were so nice to even get me a little present.

It was a super yummy cookie and a delicious smelling candle. They were so nice to think of me.

The festivities continued the next day when a group of us went bowling for Ryan's birthday. It was followed by cake and ice cream back at Jess and Ryan's apartment. 

That Saturday was the paintballing date and then Sunday was my real birthday!  After church Jess had me and some of our close friends over for a nice birthday lunch. Everyone was super nice and pitched in to help make Caribbean jerk chicken...it was delicious. Then we started making desserts for the dessert party at my apartment later that night. 

Carson iced dozens of mini cupcakes...

 

Jess and I worked on pretzels dipped in caramel and chocolate...

Torrie made a better-than-sex-cake at home...

and Ryan did...

this. No comment. :) No...he really did help.

The dessert party turned out to be really fun (after a slightly awkward start).

A blurry picture of me blowing out the candles on the cake Torrie made.

Friends.

My mom had told me to look for a package in the mail around my birthday...but I didn't actually get it until almost a week after.  I had just gotten home from the gym and I decided to see if the office had it...they did (and had had it for a week...thanks for telling me guys) so I called my mom and opened my family presents. It wasn't nearly as fun as being with my family on my birthday...but close. I was lucky to have Jess there to celebrate with me. Again.

Overall I had a great birthday...I am so blessed to have the family and friends that I do. Thanks everyone!

Paintballing

A few weeks ago Ryan and his brother Carson took me and Jess on a surprise date. They wouldn't tell us what we were doing, we were just told to wear a sweatshirt, jeans, and shoes we didn't care about, and bring a bandanna and a good change of clothes. Hmmmm.

They drove us to Hobble Creek Canyon and we stopped somewhere on the side of the road. Then, the boys started unloading their cars and it was obvious what we were doing. In the cars they had two guns for everyone - one pistol and one rifle - and thousands of rounds. The need for the bad clothes was obvious and we were told the bandannas were to protect our hair. How nice of them. They even gave the girls chest/back protectors.

Getting ready to go.

The first couple of games we played me and Carson against Jess and Ryan. Then, we switched it up a little. Jess and I were against the boys but they were only allowed to use a pistol...so they only had 8 rounds. We, on the other hand, had rifles with pretty much an endless amount of ammo. This was a really fun way to play.

We ran around shooting each other until it got dark and we couldn't see each other - much less find the flags - anymore.

Some background on this next picture: In the last game of the night I was working my way through the trees and the bushes...pretty much in the dark. Meanwhile, Carson was laying in the bushes, just waiting for someone to walk through the clearing in front of us. After getting through the bushes I crouched down to make sure the clearing wasn't occupied before making my move across it. I thought I saw someone on the other side of the clearing so I stayed still for a while. All this time Carson is feet away from me. He knows I am there, but I had no idea where he was. The dense bushes made it hard for Carson to line up a good shot...and he only really had one before he gave away his position and I could unload on him. Eventually I decided to make a run for it across the clearing. As soon as I left the bushes Carson rolled out from his hiding place and shot. He missed but I turned and started shooting him...we were maybe five feet away from each other. At the same time we both yelled out - he had hit me in the leg and I had hit him in the side...a few times. The shot didn't hurt any worse than any other shot at first...but on the way back I could feel that something was different. This picture was taken that same night.

Yes...that is a huge, multi-colored bruise on my leg. A perfect circle from the paintball hitting me square on.

As the days went on the bruise got darker...

And bigger...

And darker and bigger...

Until it was perfectly disgusting. 

I loved showing off this bruise...I really was super proud of it. Carson felt really bad every time he saw it though so it's probably a good thing it's gone.  

When it got too dark to play anymore we packed up the car to go to dinner. Before we left we asked some fellow canyon-goers to take a picture of all of us. 

We were all kind of a mess by this time
 

After the paintballing the boys drove us up to their house further up the canyon where the table was set for our dinner. The boys grilled steak and we made some potatoes, a salad, and garlic bread. It was delicious. After the clean up we sat around and talked for a few hours...it was a way fun night and I would definitely do it again...even if I was guaranteed the same bruise.