The Beginning of the Season

First, this week was Connie's birthday, happy birthday! What a fabulous woman she is. Tony made dinner (take out Costa Vida) and we all watched the Carry Underwood remake of The Sound of Music. 

The same week was the last week of finals and it was packed with fun (aweful) projects (busy work). I quit working at El Matador the week of Thanksgiving so that finals would be that much more manageable. And I am glad I did. By the time Friday night came, Chase and I were both ready for a fun weekend. Chase and I headed to Park City for the Tanner company Christmas party. It's always a very formal affair. The event took place at the beautiful Stein Erickson hotel. The drive up through perfectly lit trees and a slow falling snow was romantic. The party was darling; an opening social with exotic cheeses and nuts, dried fruits, hot cocoa, and a view that kills. The company is lovely too; everyone is so friendly. The food was filling to say the least. The entertainment was Peter Brianholt and his band. He ended the night with the whole group singing Silent Night. I love this season. 

Chase and I had planned on staying in Deer Valley that night, but we got a call from our neighbor; Chase's car alarm was going off! We had no way to fix it so we had to go home. The next night, we decorated the tree. I love the fancy, formal trees. I really do. However, I adore the Charlie Brown, memory lane, eclectic tree more. Looking at our tree is like a scrap book; totally mismatched and meaningful. I love the ornaments from our first Christmas. The gardening angel that my grandma Pat gave me. The pop can that chase painted. And the three ballerinas that my mom have me. I think she may have been trying to tell me something. Then we decided to go back up to Park City during a snow storm, but not before Chase gave a poor guy at a bus stop a ride to work. Such a sweetie. We went to dinner at Kneader's to warm up with some soup, headed to the outlets for some killer shopping, and went to the house for the night. In the morning, Chase's car decided to give us more fits; on the way home we thought the transmission was going out on the freeway. It turns out we had run out of gas! Apparently the electrical is having issues because the gage said we had 40 miles left! It turned out to be an adventure though. We were able to roll up an exit ramp, walk a block to a gas station and buy a gallon. And a hot chocolate of course. It was fun! 

Aaaaand the fun promptly ended when we got home; finals week. Chase manages to work and do REALLY well on his finals. I managed to study all day everyday and barely survive. Waiting for scores to come back is a sickening feeling. But being done with my very last full time semester ever feels euphorious (unless I do a PhD... In 20 years). 

On Tuesday of finals week we attended the Utah Broadband Christmas party. It was so so fun! We went to Hale Theater for the performance of The Christmas Carol- I highly recommend it! It's quite something. We then had dinner at the theater catered by Goodwood- delish! And just when we thought the night was over, the owner got up and announced a company tradition- Costco giftcards!! What?? We had 30 minutes to spend $300 or give it up. It was a blast! They closed the whole place down for us to run around like crazy. It was the funnest!! 

The next night, I was able to go to The Forgotten Carols with Lauren and my mom (ok, so finals week wasn't all pain). Some people hate it, some people love it. We had never been, and we loved it. It's definitely cheesy, but there is sub a sweet message. And wow, Kurt Bestor's son has an amazing voice! We enjoyed it. 

And the end of the week, we started a new tradition! Love traditions. Megan, Connie and I went to Salt Lake for a girls night! We checked in to the Marriott (right next door to Nordstrom!). Such a perfect location. First thing, we went to... Nordo's!! Duh. We shopped hard for a couple hours before having dinner at Sixth and Pine- cuddos to Connie for making a reservation or we would not have eaten at all... And for the little red envelopes. Hello! Afterwards we shopped some more before heading to the hotel for the night. NOT. We decided we neeeeeeded ice cream. Have you been to the Harmon's on State Street? Can there be a pretty grocery store? Yes, and Harmon's is it. We each got our own pint of ice cream (Ben and Jerry's whaaaaat) and a beverage and breakfast. Bagels and shmear. After realizing we totally over estimated how much dessert we needed, we laid around talking till 3 am. Waking up, we all felt hungover, whatever that feels like. Nonetheless, we shopped more! We ate more! And we gabbed like school girls the whole time. I must disclose; we went into baby gap and all about died. We need babies in this family! No pressure on either of us, but that will be a fun time whenever it comes! Finally, we got pedicures. How could Connie have planned that any better? My shopping feet needed it! Thank you, Connie and Tony and Megan, for a perfect weekend. 

Chase's Birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Trees.

There is just too much to be thankful for. Every year it kind of surprises me how excited I get for the last part of the year. This year in particular! Chase's birthday this year was perfect (from my humble point of view). He got spoiled on Sunday with his family- all of his favorite food and the whole family. The next day, his birthday, I invited all of his friends over to our place for a surprise party! It was great. I am pretty sure I gave it away, but whatever, it was a blast. We had homemade chili (that turned our perfect) and hot cocoa and cake! I surprised Chase with a grill/smoker! He wanted one, and I got a screamin deal--it doesn't get better than that. Thank you too all of the friends that made the trek down to Bountiful to celebrate with us!

My best friend is getting married. MY BEST FRIEND IS GETTING MARRIED! Emily, I am so happy for you. We were invited to attend a surprise engagement party for the lovely couple the night he popped the question. A few days prior, I happened upon the most gorgeous ring holder that spoke to me, and it told me it needed to be for Emily. I cannot believe how perfect her ring is on her finger. I am in love with it. I am so grateful to have such an amazing friend be a part of my life. I think a lot of people have that friend that they can see less often than they would like, but it never puts a dent in the bond. That's Emily. Love you sister. I am so glad you found the man that is eager to take care of you for a very, very long time. 

Halloween- we put our costumes off until the last second, but wow, did they turn out. We love The Big Bang Theory. Further, I love Sheldon Cooper. The day before Halloween, we decided to be Amy Farrah Fowler and Sheldon Cooper. #shamy. It just worked. We had a little party at my moms house with he homemade beef stew and Lauren's homemade donuts. Too much fun. The best part had to be Hudson showing up at the front door with a binky in his mouth wearing a dragon suit staring at us all dying over his adorableness--all while ten other kids waited for a piece of candy. When the grand baby comes to the door, no other child stands a chance at getting an ounce of attention. 

For Thanksgiving this year, Chase and I spent the morning at Snowbasin! Opening day is not full of face shots, but the novelty is fun! We stop at Old Farm for hot chocolate of course. We then headed to my moms house for a bit to visit and pick up our Christmas decorations that I was storing in my old room. Chase spent the afternoon cleaning his car… and he was happy about it. I stayed inside where it was warm decorating and making corn pudding!! Corn pudding is one of those things that is totally Calton. I am sure other people make it too, but it reminds me of home. It reminds me of holidays when I was little. I love traditions, and corn pudding is a delicious tradition. We had the big dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds home. I love that side of the family for being so small. It isn't too hard to get all 18 of us in one place to celebrate. Grandma is such a classy woman. She has place cards for each of us, some of which are written in her father's beautiful calligraphy. We drink from crystal goblets and eat off of gold trimmed china. She has gorgeous serving dishes that get passed around the table during the feast. And it was a feast. Turkey, potatoes, the best sweet potatoes I might have ever had, a pretzel and jello salad (it's way better than it sounds), corn pudding, rolls, green beans (to make us feel better about everything else on the plate), and pie. I was shocked when I went to bed that night not feeling like I had stuffed myself sick. Finally, my fabulous in laws always extend an invitation to my family to join them, so my mom, Avery, and Zach come over for dessert. I just can't get over the love of family.

I did something I am not proud of on Thanksgiving, too. I shopped. Thanksgiving is like a Sunday for me (although, I did go skiing, but that's a tradition too). It just felt wrong to go to target at 8 pm and leave the family. But, Megan and I did anyway. I spent way too much money, ended up taking a lot of it back, and had a lot of fun, too. 

Chase and I then headed to Park City. I love that place. My mom's condo in Deer Valley is for sale, and I pray three times a day that it doesn't get snatched up. We have spent countless days and nights there including Easters, tub tubs in the snow, late night movies, and everything else. I love that place. We spent one short night there with Lauren, Sean, and Hudson and a couple of their friends Corby, Amberlee, and their baby Ryus. Such fun, normal people. Our plans to shop the outlets all day got interrupted with a trip to the ER. Hudson was up all night (and so were his parents) throwing up. He was so dehydrated by the time we were on our way to the hospital that he didn't even have tears! It was weird seeing him so sad. For the next three days he was slowly getting better. The day he decided to run around laughing, he was definitely back to his old self. Then everyone else we know got sick, including Zach man. #fluseason

That night we attended a wedding dinner at the beautiful "This is the Place"…place. Gorgeous. Mike and MarLeice are a darling couple! Chase and I then went to City Creek. We spent less money than I had at target, and got better stuff. Blasphemy, I know.

Saturday night we met the Calton side of my family at my aunt Susan's house for Thanksiving dinner. My mom was invited too, something I am so grateful to Susan for. A delicious meal with people I don't see enough of. I made my best apple pie ever-- another tradition that I can't get enough of. The tradition I miss most about this holiday is Grandma Pat. That apple pie recipe is her mother's, and I think of them both when I make it every year.

Something unique to my family-- we don't trade holidays between mom and dad or in-laws. If my mother doesn't get all of the kids for any given holiday in any given year, she reschedules the holiday. Thus, we had Thanksgiving on Sunday too. #takethree. We all slept over at my mom's house and attended church together at our old family ward. All four of us girls went to Relief Society together, something that doesn't happen almost ever. Then mom showed me how to make her cranberry thing. I don't know what to call it because there aren't words. Yet again, a foodie tradition. I will never buy a can of cranberry sauce, ever. Thanksgiving at it's finest. 

This leaves us with December. Weather has been tuned in perfectly-- we have freezing temperatures and a blanket of snow. We bought our Christmas tree on take two- the tree farm in Bountiful that we went to had a sparing selection and the tree I wanted was $55. Um, no. The next day I was up north so I stopped in Riverdale at Robinson Tree Farm. My family has bought the Christmas tree there every year for a very long time. I ran around, ran, the lot comparing the trees. Chase and I like the skinny trees, the bluish ones. Mind you, it was about noon so I was the only one there. Also, it was like -10 degrees so I was in a hurry. I found the perfect, perfect, tree for $28. Ya, no thank you Bountiful. #PointOgden. I told the man at the lot how much I love them for having the best trees for the best price, and that I came from Bountiful to find our tree. He smiled and thanked me for my family's business. I paid for the tree and Chase picked it up on his way home. Chase is now part of the Subaru club, so it just makes sense that the rugged outback do the tree hauling (it took us less than 24 hours to find his car on ksl, test drive, buy it and sell the Passat. Good riddance VW). The tree remains undecorated in the stand in our living room-- which I kind of like. We had to give it some time to dry out, like a real tree, because it got covered in snow, like a real tree. The next morning the apartments smelled of pine, like a real tree. Not the stuff you put in a candle warmer to fake the scent, but like a real tree. In this family, we do real. Including trees. 

Fall Festivities

Let's start with the primary program. I was called to the primary presidency the first week in August. I was also told at our first presidency that I would be teaching sharing time for the whole month on September. And to top it off, I was put in charge of the primary program that would also take place in September. As much as I was excited, I was a little nervous! I tried really hard to learn all of the kids names during August. I think my month of sharing time went really well too! We talked about service each week; Jesus as the example, the prophet as an example, and ways we can serve those around us. I couldn't help but tear up during singing time each week. Hearing a tiny tot say prayers and enjoy church is a really humbling experience. I must say, the primary program was pretty cute too.

Summer: The move, new jobs, and our second anniversary

It's been a while, I know. Somehow taking on a journal, scrapbook, and a blog seems to overwhelm me. So I take a sabbatical every once in a while. Maybe I shouldn't do all three. Or maybe I love doing all of them. I guess I will take hit and miss entries.

Let's see. Summer. I began my Master's of Taxation program at Weber State University. I took 2 classes first quarter (12 hours) and three classes second quarter (18 hours). Let's be honest. I loved it. I ate it all up. I am really glad I started in summer. Summer quarters are so much better than semesters. I really wanted to get a 4.0, but hey life is hard. I got one measly -A. I am actually really excited about it. And I might be bragging a little. *high fives self* I also work part time at El Matador. That's all I will say on that matter in order to maintain my badge as a good employee. *palm to face*

Chase was also full time in school, and he started a new job! He worked at Target for about 3-4 months. Our friend Riley works in HR there and Chase had been thinking about a job at a bigger company for a while for various reasons. When the opportunity arose, he took it! He started work everyday at 4 am. Yep, AM. He worked anywhere from 4-9 hours a day, and then school. He took it like a champ too. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out as far as what Chase was looking for (like, um, sleeping at all), so he ended up leaving about a week ago.

Chase also left Sonora Grill. He worked there for over two years and he really did love it. Good food, good people, and good money. He began phasing out of Sonora a couple months ago by taking fewer shifts, and finally pulled the trigger a few weeks ago (that's right, he was working weekend nights AND 4 AM shifts at target and full time school). This kids is like a 6 ringed circus when it comes to how much he can handle at once. He makes me look bad! Did I mention he taught a spanish class once a week during all of this too? As of 3 days ago, Chase started at Utah Broadband as a technician. Our friend Lee who works at UBB recommended Chase. When the big guys saw his resume, they were surprised. Chase has no experience in this field. But Lee paid Chase the ultimate compliment, "We can teach a tech how to do the work, but we can't teach them work ethic. Chase has work ethic." Lee is a great friend, and he is spot on about Chase. It has been really fun to see Chase get so excited about this new opportunity, and I am really proud of him. Annnnd to top it all off, Chase has a golfing buddy whom he has been working with on the side. Since we have been married, Chase has been full time in school and juggling two-three jobs. And he does so beautifully.

I cannot write about summer without including our anniversary. What a day. What a weekend. It began Friday night at USANA Amphitheater at the Tim McGraw concert. Us kiddos bought tickets for Mom for her birthday in April, and we were finally celebrating. We also happened to pick up a gorgeous dresser in Salt Lake that night. After the concert we went straight up to Park City. Then next morning, June 15th, we found an adorable bagel shop for breakfast. A sweet lady was flustered behind the counter until Chase spoke to her in her native language, Spanish. The relief on her face and my husbands sweet smile was the perfect beginning to the day. Then we went on a shopping spree at the outlets. Chase and I are not huge shoppers, until we spend a weekend in Park City. I pretty much go weak in the knees when I walk into the Banana Republic outlet, and I think Chase experiences the same thing when he goes in the Nike outlet. My favorite part of the day was likely the bike ride that followed. Chase, who has done a lot of road biking, was very patient with me. I hadn't been on a road bike for a long time. I spent 10 minutes leaning against Chase, on my bike, practicing clipping in and out. But the next hour was complete bliss. We road and road. We ended up on the top of a hill that over looks the city. I specifically remember thinking, "This is the best days of my life so far." And it was. There are just some days that stick out in my mind that are overflowing with emotion for how much I love Chase and how happy I am with our life. This was definitely one of those days. We then had dinner at a gorgeous steak and sushi house, Lespri, and ended the day buying a bunch of treats and getting a red box. What a day. I love my husband and, maybe more importantly, my husband makes me feel loved.

More exciting news--we moved! I am so in love with our new place, I can't stand it. It's fabulous. I was able to buy a real dining table, real sofa and love seat set, and a KING bed. I was twitter-pated during the whole process. KSL and I became really close, and I got some steals of deals. Aside from the shopping spree, the apartment itself is perfect for Chase and I. It has two bedrooms rather than one. The master is twice as big as our old room. Seriously, twice. With a king bed in there, I can still do aerobics without any issues... but I haven't yet. The second bedroom serves as our office/ Chase's closet/ man cave. I have room to do scrapbooking (it takes up more room than one might think) and Chase has room to keep his golf clubs, road bike, and a manly leather recliner all situated on his side of the room. We also keep Chase's clothes in the second bedroom. That's right, we each get our own closets. That may not be novel to some, but I just came from an apartment with, literally, an 18 inch by 24 inch closet. Total. No bueno. I now have two full sized closets and three smaller closets (three!) at my disposal. And my do I dispose them. We call one of the small ones "the garage." There is enough room in there to keep all four pairs of our skies, boots, poles, our vacuum, broom, mop, and my yoga mat. And it doesn't even look like a game of tetris/janga either. My favorite part about the apartment is that everything I own can fit in it. I don't have to make trips to a storage unit anymore; priceless. My other favorite part is I have a double wide vanity and a full sized shower and a tub... and a sixth closet (essentially) in the bathroom. I never appreciated the value of a drawer or cupboard until I had a million of them to chose from. I guess I need to throw in how ridiculously grateful I am for a disposal, dishwasher, covered parking, and my own laundry machines. Did I mention we pay the same rent we did at our last place?? The list just goes on. Full sized windows, no stair well, soft carpet, a full sized oven, and linoleum. You know why I love linoleum? Because it isn't tile. Tile has grout. I hate grout. I am sure I will grow tired of my 30 year old, peeling linoleum at some point, but for now I love it. I love the bench that is outside under the tree. I love the orange-y brick and the pergola out front. I love having neighbors that you see only often enough. I love that Grandpa Earl is our landlord! I love that everyone around here calls our building "The Fortress" because it's hard to get into (I feel safe already). I also love where our precious home is settled.

Bountiful. This place is of divine nature. In no particular order, here is why Bountiful is the only place to live; I am minutes from the freeway. To all of my Ogdenites- you wish the freeway wasn't quite so far from the east bench, I promise. I am minutes from a Costco, Target, and Smiths Market Place (a classier version of Walmart). However, I don't feel like I am nestled right in the middle of Riverdale Road either. Our place is in a quiet little neighborhood near schools and a park. I am less than a mile from my best bud, Hudson, and Lauren and Sean. I really can't believe how great it is to be so close to those four (Tank of course). I love being close to Salt Lake. Suddenly we can go there whenever we need to and it's just so much faster. We are minutes from most of Chase's family and some of mine. And we are still only 25 minutes from Ogden on a slow drive. I have felt at home here since July 3rd, and we moved in July 1st.

Now, this is not a minor shout out. This is a very sincere "Thank You" to the folks of the Bountiful 5th Ward. Thank you. I have never felt so welcomed anywhere in my entire life. I mean that. The first Sunday Chase and I attended our new ward, we were a couple minutes late and we sat on the back row. I leaned over to Chase and said something to the effect of, "I don't want to have to learn to love a new ward." I was having a little homesickness for the Highland ward. It took me about a year to feel at home there. As we stood up at the end of the meeting, we were greeted by a hand full of strangers that wanted to know who we were. Sweet Bishop Petersen then snagged us both and showed us where all the Sunday school classes were. I had a surprised look on my face I am sure. We sat down in gospel doctrine and people stood from their seats to come greet us. I was astounded. It didn't seem fake either. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see us. We were asked to introduce ourselves. It was like saying, "Hey old friends, we're back" though I had never met one of these people before. Essentially the same thing happened in Relief Society and Chase reported that same thing for Elders Quorum. One week later, I was called to be the 2nd counselor in the primary presidency. That day they announced my new calling and then read our membership into the ward. Everyone laughed. My RS president, Janice, who I learned was my father-in-laws babysitter waaaaaay back in the day, came to visit me that week. What a lady. I was assigned a visiting teaching partner and teachees immediately too. My sweet partner, Bonnie Leavitt, has been in the ward a long long time and she is showing me the ropes. A couple weeks later Chase was called to be an EQ instructor, and of course a home teacher. I love this ward. I love what it is doing for Chase and I. And I love feeling at home.

State Track

This is always such a fun weekend. First, the Ogden marathon! Good luck to all. I hope to run the marathon in the next year or two. For the last ten years, my family has spent the weekend in Provo instead. State track and field. It's hell, pressure, sore legs, tears, and a privilege for the participating athletes. It's anxiety for the family supporters. It's a headache for the coaches. For our family, it's a tradition. 

This may be the last year. Avery is a senior, and Zach is more of a cross country guy. We will see. Avery ran a 1600m in 5:15. Any other division or any other year? She wild have been top  3 or 4. This year in 3A, the winning time was a state record by a fellow Ogden tiger, Sarah Feeny, with a 4:50.4. Unreal. And, she is a junior. Avery also ran the 400 leg of the medley relay. Ogden won by a land slide setting a new state record by 4 seconds. The next day, Ave ran the 800 and took third with a 2:14. Her coach calls her Taz, as in the Tasmanian devil because no one should be able to run like she can while only training for soccer. Finally, she ran the anchor leg of the 4x400. She got the baton in 8th and finished in 5th. Overall, the Ogden girls team took 4th. Way to girlies. 

This year, mom wasn't there. She has been in Europe for a week and she gets back this weekend. I would call her before everyone of Ave's races and give her a play by play. Of course that's hard when you are choking up during the whole thing, between screaming like a crazy person as she ran by each lap. 

Mom is enjoying Europe, but I think this is really hard for her to be gone. Especially missing state track and all of the end of tear activities for school for Zach and Avery. We are all glad he went though. She's never really done anything for herself like this. It will be good to have her back.

Coming Back

I know, I know. Posted more than once a day is dumb. But this entry needs to be separate from the others. I will make it short and sweet. I am coming back to running. I am so dang sick of not running it kills me. Short history: I have been running since I was 10. I ran seriously all through high school and loved every second. I was never injured, ever. Until my senior year. I had some issues that last year, but stayed a float well enough to earn an athletic scholarship to the University of Colorado, one of the top running programs in the country. When I amped up my milage that summer to get ready for collegiate cross country, I hurt my knee. It has never been the same. My IT band would hurt so bad I could barely walk. I essentially didn't run at all my freshman year of college. I redshirted the whole year. I had a strained achilles, stress fractured femur, and the knee to deal with. Let's just say I came home to Utah about 10 pounds fatter than when I left. I hated swimming for exercise, too. It doesn't work and I felt like an idiot at CU's campus pool doing swim running. I am getting heating just sitting here writing about the whole frustrating situation. When I came home for the summer after my freshman year, I decided to not go back. I went to Colorado to run, and I had barely run at all. Even with a nice scholarship, out of state tuition is a beast. I just couldn't justify it. So I went to Paul Pilkington. I had known him for years and I had thought about running for him at Weber State, but opted to go with CU. Given the situation, I asked for his help, and he gave me a spot on his team. I would get to run on my old trails with my old team mate Sarah Callister (who, by the way, had been running out of her mind fast all year, and still is). It took a long time to come back. My knee would flare up once every couple weeks and I would cross train for a few days. I never let it get as bad as it had been. I got to race a couple times in cross country, but I didn't do so with very much pride. I was in the back of the pack, waaaay back. I then got to run some indoor track, again, with very little pride. I was embarrassed at how slow I was racing. Then outdoor track came along and I got to run the steeple chase, and that is fun stuff. My roommate from my freshman year at CU, Shalaya Kipp, ran in the 2012 (I think) Olympics in Beijing in the steeple chase, so I tried to harness her chi. It helped a little I think. I was able to run at conference in Sacramento, but I took 9th, barely missing a scoring spot. Then summer came. Summer is when you do less speed work and more miles. That is not my perfect cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, I love 15 miles on a Saturday morning. But my knee does not.

I remember the day in September. The whole WSU team was doing mile repeats at the 21st street pond. I felt fast and healthy. I was doing 5:35 miles, three times. Way better than I had done since my senior year of year school. In the middle of the second rep, my knee locked up. It felt like someone had stuck a shovel into the outside of my left knee. I stopped immediately, hopping along on one leg and putting pressure on the painful spot; where the IT band meets the knee joint. I left practice, and never went back.

I did physical therapy for six weeks. In the last two years I had tried everything. The three or four docs I talked to said surgery or a sabbatical from running were my only options. I chose the break. I didn't run a step for a few months. After that, I tried a couple times to go "jogging" and I was unsuccessful. For the last year, I have been putting on my running shoes once every few weeks to test the waters. I haven't been able to run more than 15 minutes for a long time. But those were the best days. Normally it would last between 4-6 minutes before I would turn around with my tail between my legs and walk home. Walk. Luckily it was only ever a few blocks. I could hike, and maybe throw some jogging in that way. So I did. I did cross fit for a little while in there. I went biking a few times. But nothing really notable changed.

Then, three months ago, I decided to try some short, slow, intervals on the treadmill. I am lucky enough to have access to a really nice treadmill at my moms house. I would warm up at a glacial pace, run a couple 200's at a less glacial pace, then cool down at the glacial-est pace for a few minutes, before stepping off the treadmill in only minor pain. I continued to do this a couple times a week, increasing the length of the interval or the number of reps, taking an entire week off if my knee ever hurt. I got up to 4x400 at 6 minute pace with 1:1 rest with two more miles of warm up/ cool down at an 8 minutes pace. If you know anything about track, you know that's pathetic.

Then, it got warm outside. I decided to do some trail running. I discovered a route that took me 45 minutes to walk/jog (I don't use the term "jog" lightly. It's offensive to real runners. But seriously, I was barely even jogging. I have a saying written on my mirror in my old room... "If you run without sacrifice, congratulations, you just jogged). I had to keep reminding myself that I am "running" with sacrifice, so I am ok.

I repeated that exact same route 2-5 times per week for the last 6 weeks. And, my knee doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt! And, I have been able to really push myself. I can't do much up or down hill, but I can haul on the flats. I pay very close attention to how my knee feels. If if hurts in the slightest, I stop and hike/walk home. I have had to walk over two miles, rather than run, in order to protect the stupid knee.

So, that's where I am. I have one route I am comfortable doing. I did a different route two days ago with my old coach, Alydia, and that's when I ended up walking home. I think I will stick to my route and just appreciate what I can get for a while. I went and saw Meriko, a genius of a message therapist, yesterday, and I think she can help me get through the beginning phase. I also have an arsenal of other people willing to help me. My mom who, in the biggest way, will always support my running. My husband, who gave me a fist bump when I called Alydia and told her I wanted to run fast again. Alydia, who is going to train my ace back into shape. Missy Allred, who is already getting me on an injury prevention program. My sister Avery, who inspires me like she will never know. Watching her come to the end of her track career brings tears to my eyes and lights a fires under my feet. My sister Lauren, who makes coming back to running look easy.

I am so excited for this journey. Give me one year. I need one year, and I will be back.

The Color Run: Austin

The Color Run is a company based in Draper, Utah that started last year. They are already worth $30 million. The product is a 5k fun run with colored corn starch added in as a twist. We have some fab relatives (thank you Green family) that hooked Chase and I up with the opportunity to work for The Color Run as "weekend warriors". We basically show up at the airport on Wednesday, fly to a destination (Austin, Texas!), and work for three days, then fly home on Sunday. All expenses paid, plus a pay check. It was so fun! It's long hours of work, but it's so worth it! We got to meet 30 of the funnest people and work with them for the weekend. The highlights of the trip were many; dinner on Friday night was epic. We went to Rudy's, "the worst BBQ in Texas". You order at the counter, sit at picnic tables, and eat the best BBQ on the planet. It's just an awesome atmosphere. I will definitely return if I ever make it back to Austin. Highlight two; the bull ride. As we walked down 6th street, the most happening street in the city, we see a mechanical bull through a window in a bar. It was like 7 pm so it was a very mellow bar. After begging my way in (I didn't think to bring my ID with me because I wasn't planning on ending up in a bar...) I rode the bull! It seriously was so fun! Chase timed me and I rode for over 3 minutes! I waddled around like a penguin for two days because my legs hurt so bad, but it was worth it! Highlight three: getting Chase mostly to myself for a few days. We were working, but we got to see each other more than we do when we are home. I tell you, this guy is the best.

I guess I should throw in that I got my acceptance letter to the MTAX program at Weber State while we were boarding the plane for Austin. I was so happy, I can't wait to pay tuition!! But seriously, I am honored to be able to earn a graduate degree. Some people never get the chance. Others never realize the kind of opportunity it is, and just let it slip by. And, granted, some don't want a graduate degree. I want one.

I have now been to one week of 18 credit hours of master's level course work. I really like it! I said like, not love. It's hard work. It's also hard being at school everyday until 9 pm. I keep thinking Chase and I will have normal schedules at some point. For the next 8 months, it's night classes. I have to say I am really grateful that I have the professors that I do; quality professors make or break it. And I get my three favorite teachers for nearly the entire program. Now all that's left to do is find a suitable job for the next 8 months. Granted, I realize I should have done this like two months ago. But I found myself content with the option of having a few weeks break after my internship. Hopefully by the end of next week a job will be secured.

I love/hate April

So, let's cut to the chase. April was rough. I guess this is the part where I quit my complaining and focus on all the fabulous messages I heard in General Conference the week before, right?? On April 2nd, I was in a car wreck. I was turning left off of Harrison to go to the last Weber State basketball game. I saw a car coming toward me, but they hit their breaks, and the light was reeeeeeally yellow. So, I turned. The next thing I know, I was stopped dead in the intersection and airbags had deployed on the passenger side of the car. I immediately started crying, of course, and I called Chase. He was already at the game and didn't hear his phone so I left a message. The message sounded like a whimpering 7 year old. A few minutes later, after pulling the cars to the side of the road and calling police, Chase called back and sprinted to the scene. The accident happened about two blocks away from the game, so he was close! I am still sort of bitter about the whole situation; 1) the lady that hit me had two kids in the back of her car that didn't even belong to her. 2) I heard her say to the cop that she hit her brakes to stop, but then she decided to go anyway. 3) I loved my car. 4) Between my ticket for $120 (yes I realize that legally it is my fault because I failed to yield... like I said, still bitter) and the $500 deductible, that was one expensive left turn. 5) I still drive scared... which I hate.

Chase then took a handle of things and called the insurance company's 1-800 number, and it rang for like ten years (strike 1). About an hour after the accident, Geico, the other lady's insurance, called me. One point for Geico. The next morning we called and filed that claim with our insurance company. This was the only straight forward and helpful conversation I had with my insurance people for the entirety of this whole ordeal. I was told I would hear from an adjuster that day. Didn't happen (strike 2). When we did get ahold of her, she was rude, impatient, and extremely hard to contact. The whole process took way too long. I then contacted my agent. I was told to "relax". (strikes 3-99999). Seriously? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Then, to plop the cherry on top, they valued my car $2,000 below what was correct. They didn't use the right models to compare. I am really glad I did my homework and called them out on the mistake. But when I did, the adjuster got upset with me and suggested I "just settle this". I tell you what, she was messing with the wrong girl. I was very matter-of-fact when I explained to her why I am so dissatisfied with my experience with the company. With that, she adjusted the offer, and things were squared away... no less than three weeks after the accident. Needless to say, we will be switching our auto insurance company, likely to Geico.

As much as April was rough, some really great stuff also happened. For instance, on April 12th, my internship ended (not the good part, I was actually really sad) and I was offered a second internship for this coming January (the good part). I was absolutely ecstatic! After talking to multiple partners at the firm and hoping for an offer, I got it. Wow. I am going to be the first student to be offered a tax internship with Tanner. I am pretty excited! After receiving the offer, I contacted my tax professors to tell them the good news! After thinking things over, I realized that I needed to start the Masters program in the summer, or I wouldn't finish until after the internship next year. That would be no bueno; I am really into getting things done, particularly school, and done quickly. Considering the deadline to apply for summer had already passed over a week prior, I had to very graciously beg for a late application. The professors granted my request; I had two weeks to take the GMAT and apply to the program. That very second, I signed up for the GMAT ($260 bucks later). I downloaded a million different study apps to my phone, and geared for the day; 4 hours of testing that would decided my fate! To be honest, I only studied about 10 hours total. I was also working on wrapping up my classes for the semester. 

April 16th was another doozy. As I sat quietly studying at school, Chase called me...

"Hey Chlo, you probably ought to head home."

"Why?"

"Carl (landlord), just called me. The house flooded."

BOOM. 

When I got to the house, I cried. When I walked inside, I cried. When I saw my favorite leather boots sitting in and inch of water, I cried. Chase had already started called people to come and help us move. Yes, move. We had to get 100% of everything out of the house. We are talking about cleaning out the fridge type moving. Within minutes, the EQP was there with a truck and trailor, Ethen showed up with a truck, and Meg and Jeff and my mom and Zach came to haul stuff. Connie and Tony called from the airport to say they of course would be there to help if there weren't on there way to PARIS!! Lucky! (Those two decided about two weeks prior that they would visit Tony's mission, Paris, and G&G Reynolds in Sweden. Livin the dream!) It took about 3 hours to get everything out of the house and into my mother's garage. (The perks of living in a small apartment!) Then the real boom hit; we get to live with my mother for a month. (Let's be honest, it's not that bad. It's kind of bad, but not that bad). Carl says May 16th is the day we can move back in. Let's hope so. 

Moving forward. April 19th was a big day. My mother turned 48. Happy Birthday Mum! We were able to celebrate by attending a Charitable Chair Auction that the design program at Weber State hosts every year. My mom designed and executed a gorgeous chair that was selected as one of five to be on the live auction (out of 30 other chairs to be on silent auction). Considering it was her birthday, the sibs and I rallied with the my mom's parents to try and buy the chair as the ultimate surpirse birthday present. Any other chair, we would have been able to buy. But my mom's talent is too good to buy I guess! The chair went for $2200, double what the next chair went for, and $700 more than any other chair in the history of the auction had ever gone for. Well done, mother, well done. We bid up to $1950 before we had to quit. I wish we could have kept the chair for our family, but my mom made a great point; she can't get attached to everything she creates. Needless to say, I still cried. So rather than having a family heirloom, we will be going to the Tim McGraw concert in June instead, Yeehaa!!

April 19th was significant in another way; my parents' divorce was finalized. Bitter sweet. Of course, this is not something to ever hope for, but it has been a long time coming and I am happy my parents can move on and be better for what they have learned. It is much better this way. 

Next up, April 25th, the day of the GMAT. I arrived early and began my test with a kick butt essay, and drilled through the four hours of tested like it was my morning cheerios. I walked out with two of the four sections scores hand. I did really well on section four, and I could have done better on section three. The first two sections scores I won't find out about until May 15th. I did score 40 points above my goal, which was a relief.

April 23rd, Zach man turned 16! We went to Rooster's and ate a ton of delicious food in his honor. This kid amazes me. You know what he asked for his birthday? A computer. Normal right? No. He asked for the parts to build a computer! We sat at mom's house and watched him open box after box full of little parts. He proceeded to build a computer in two hours. Two hours! Apparently it's normal for it to take six hours on the first try. Nope, just two. This kid is brilliant. He researched the components for months so he would know what to order. And he did it. It totally works. I am impressed. Happy Birthday big man.

And finally, April 26th, graduation day! I really had a blast. I had lots of support from family. What a fun (long), exciting (drawn out) way to celebrate this accomplishment! I am proud of me, which is a nice feeling. I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting with a 3.44 gpa. It's not honors, its not a 4.0, but I am happy with it. I am excited to see what I can do in the Masters program.

April 30th, we bought a new car! We got an awesome deal on a 2010 Mazda3 with only 19,000 miles on it! It's a beaut. I love it! And we realized that night that it has swiveling head lights, awesome! And leather. I love leather. So, the month ended on some really great high notes. The month of May better be a little more relaxed, or I might just skip to June. June has always treated me well. 

Moving Up!

I love this time of life. So much is always going on! I am almost done with my internship at Tanner LLC as an auditor. I have to admit, the first month was HARD! I really had to focus on the commitment I had made in order to finish the job. But about half way through the internship, I hit a turning point. I really do enjoy it now! I am sad it ends next Friday. Right now I am looking into other employment options for summer and the next year when I go back to school to get a masters degree! I have always wanted a masters degree. I am so glad Lauren always set an awesome example of setting goals and achieving them. Her example has a huge impact on how I have made decisions with school. I am excited that this goal of mine is so close! But first things first, I graduate with my undergraduate degree in less than three weeks!!! Another goal; check!
On a less bright and shiny note, I was in a car accident on Tuesday. I was turning left off of Harrison onto 46th street and I was T-boned by a Pontiac. I completely assumed the car was going to stop. The light was very, very yellow. Lesson learned there! Never assume. Cause you know what happens when you assume? You get your car totaled! I am glad it wasn't worse, and that i am ok, and I am glad I have insurance. But that's another story... I am definitely changing insurance plans when this is over. I have been very under impressed by their services. I will find out on Monday, six days after the accident, what the real damage to my car is.
Finally, this bad week is wrapping up well; it's conference weekend! The first session was great. Two new temples announced, one in Cedar City! Conference is like a renewal. Listen, learn, and keep trying to improve for 6 months, then try again. Chase is almost through with school too! One more year!

Sundays

All things considered, I am writing this blog so I don't forget the little things that are important to me. Some entries may seem a little more journal-like than blog-like. That said, I love Sunday this year! All two weeks. The first Sunday, our ward changed from 12-3 to 9-12. I love it! Miraculously, we do better at the whole being-on-time thing when church is earlier.

Relief Society was interesting. I am recommitting to contributing to the lessons and following along better. Sunday school (Chase and I teach the 16-17 year olds) was awesome. Chase is the teacher, and I contribute comments. I am amazed how much he knows about the scriptures. This lesson, we ended up accidentally teaching the wrong one, but it was perfect. Chase introduced D&C. He always finds a way to talk about his mission during his lessons, which is perfect considering we have a bunch of boys who are within two years of serving. Finally, sacrament meeting. Fast and testimony meetings can bring a number of emotions. But never in my life have I ever loved a testimony meeting so much. Every person that stood talked about how blessed we are to have children. Our prego neighbor, Bonnie, who had just been released as primary chorister, spoke. A few kids got up. And so did Chase. The last time I bore my testimony in church, without a talk assignment, was probably 5 years ago (For records sake, I can remember baring my testimony four times; When my dad broke his back, once when I was in high school, and at the Ogden High Senior Seminary night, and in my ward in Boulder). And I have heard Chase speak in church a handful of times, but this was the first fast and testimony meeting that I have seen him stand. He talked about how his wife loves to listen to general conference on her new iPhone (and just the way he said "My wife"... it will never get old). It's true, I love the LDS app. He said that one night I had fallen asleep listening to "Help Them Aim High" by President Henry B. Eyring at the last priesthood session. He talked about how grateful he is that he had a dad who helped him aim high, and how one day he wants to do the same for his kids. For now, though, he said he is honored to have the opportunity to help the kids in our class aim high. I melted. I love him. I left that meeting filled with the spirit and in love with all the little kids in our ward, and proud of the man I married. He will be a great dad one day.

The following week was Stake Conference. Elder L. Tom Perry was the visiting authority. Chase and I have inconveniently been out of town, or otherwise missed stake conference since we moved into our ward nearly a year and a half ago. I am so glad we were able to attend this conference. The overwhelming theme was temple work. The challenge is not longer to attend the temple regularly. The new challenge is to find and do the work for your own dead. I have yet to do any family history work for my family. I am excited to get started! One of my favorite things about general and stake conference, is the overwhelming feeling of, "You're doing great". I never leave the meetings discouraged, which sometimes surprises me because I have a lot of room to grow! I used to take tons of notes and try to make crazy goals during conferences. But, since I have been to the temple, I have changed my mind. It's not about remembering the words, it's about remembering the feeling, and acting on that feeling. A new word I have been using to describe this thought is "marinate". If I hear the words and feel the spirit, the words and thoughts will marinate and stick with me so I can build and grow from them. All the time, I am more and more grateful for my membership in the church and my knowledge of Christ. Chase and I were talking on our way home from the Sunday session about what my dad calls "The Dart Board Theory". There is a figurative dart board, and each hole represents a walk of life. From the Kate Middleton, to the slave mother in the south, to the settlers of Utah, to the slums of South America; everyone throughout time has a dot on the board. Now consider your dot: how blessed are you to have "thrown your dart" and have it land where you are? The probability of getting my dot is slim; a great family, born into the gospel, living in this day in age, attending school, finding my husband. Every dot that surrounds mine is someone through time that has lived in poverty and sickness. The majority of dots have no knowledge of the gospel. The fact that I got my dot is something to be grateful for. I think it's pretty thought provoking.

Finally, I am here at Lauren and Seans's place in Murray. Lauren work's today so I get to play with Huddy all day! It's nap time, so it's blog time. He is the sweetest baby. He is so good, so cute, so perfect. He plays and giggles and spits up and it's all perfect. I have said this before; there is good reason Lauren was first. I totally believe in birth order. I can't imagine our family without Lauren first. I am so glad I can learn from her in all aspects of life, especially how to be the perfect new mama. On another Fowler note, Lauren and Sean are moving to Bountiful soon, yay! Twenty minutes closer to my favorite people. I haven't seen the house yet, but it will be perfect for the three of them, I am sure.

I have known Chase for just over six years now, and I honestly learn something new about him all the time. I love that boy, more than I ever thought I could.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Ok. Let's get a few things straight. Everyone knows that Christmas changes as you get older and older. But no one really emphasizes how much Christmas changes when you get hitched. It get's a little bit harder and requires more planning ahead. Here is how it get's planned: Spend Christmas Eve with her family, spend Christmas Morning with his family, have two breakfasts, four dinners, spend 2 hours skiing, and manage to spend 5 minutes alone with your hub. Ya that could happen... said no one ever. EVER. So, here is reality.

Ski a run with dad on Christmas Eve. Eat lunch with Mom, Zach and Ave in the lodge. Spend Christmas Eve dinner with mom and sibs and Grandma Jan. Sleep at home (yay!) and have Christmas morning with Chase. Then go to mom's for second Christmas morning and breakfast with Grandpa Bean and Joanie. Then hurry up to Snowbasin for 4 runs, and meet up with dad for one. Hurry home. get ready and go to Reynolds house for third Christmas morning. Have Christmas dinner with entire Reynolds family. Then go home and hang with the hubby. It is always fun, fast and flies by.

We also did Christmas with the Calton's a few days earlier. The whole clan came to Dad's house for dinner. After, Dad gave us his gift. He gave us girls beautiful bracelets that match and an outfit from Athleta. I love how simple he does Christmas. We gave dad a cooking lesson that all seven of us can go to, and of course a couple of books!

We gave mom something pretty special-- a drafting table. It's gorgeous. She bawled. It's one of the few times we have been able to figure out something that she wants AND she needs. I really cannot wait for her to finish up school and be able to show the world how talented of a designer she is. I will never forget the expression on her face when she opened her eyes and saw it. She couldn't stop talking about it all day. I know Christmas isn't about gifts, but this moment made Christmas really special this year. Mama has been through a lot, and to give her something that only brings her happiness felt really good. We also got to go to the Nutcracker with mom this year!

Chase got his first road bike this year! It's gorgeous. It's a Specialized Allez, and it's gorgeous. We got it about a month early because he found a steal of a deal. I got an iPhone 4s, finally. For some reason having the latest and greatest has never been a big deal for me, as far as phones go. So I didn't get the 5, but I must say I looooove it. No joke, my favorite feature is the LDS Library. I have listened to three sessions of the last conference since I got the phone (how awesome was the last Priesthood session???). I miss my blackberry that I had for four years, but mostly I don't at all! In fact I just downloaded my blogger app to my phone! Can you say BLOG time?? I love writing and preserving thoughts. I am not into keeping "stuff"but remembering people and events and reading my own words years later... I just love it.


Back to Christmas; we did indeed decorate for Christmas this year, even if it was only up for a few weeks. I found our Christmas tree at 90th South in Salt Lake four days before Christmas. We were so busy with finals and Megan's wedding, we thought we wouldn't find one. So when Riverdale Road failed us, I had no choice but to stuff a three foot tall tree in the back of Lauren's car and bring it home! Chase and Sean were in Arizona the weekend before Christmas to see the Cubs v. Cardinals game. My boy's first NFL game! And probably not the last. Next time, I get to go! Chase brought me home some of my favorite shirts for Christmas and (get ready) some olive oils and vinegars for cooking! Hello, classy man husband! They are so yummy!

I must add, having Christmas with a nephew around is just the bees knees. I just love Huddy. I have said it before and I will say it again; I really did not accurately predict how much love I would feel for my sister's child. I tear up if I think too hard about it. If this is an aunt's love, I can't imagine the love of a mother to her child.


These are the newest additions to the Bean side of the family at the Bean family Christmas party. The left most baby is Hudson (3.5 months), then Zandria (2 months), then Roman (4.5 months). On December 12th, Jake married Taylor, Zandria's mom! Congrats!

The week after Christmas we went to St. George for Dad's 50th birthday. He's old, yes, but he does not act old. He looks 40 and skies like he's 25. We stopped in Beaver (the new hot spot) and skied at Eagle Point, an old resort that reopened a few seasons ago. It's small, but really steep and zero crowd! We then headed to St. George where we cooked a fabulous birthday dinner and the old man blew out the candles. Then next day, Chase got to try out his road bike! There were a few issues to be addressed considering it was the maiden voyage, so my dad is getting the bike all tuned up for Chase!

For New Years Eve, Chase and I both worked (and holy cow it was worth it). We then watched the ball drop (PS I still never get a kick out of that... it really drops at 10 our time!) with Connie and Tony, and still had time to visit the Bennion's and their cutest little house party. So here it is, 2013.

Last year was a great year. We got closer to some of our goals and had a ton a fun. I am so excited for this coming year! A few things, among others, that will happen; I will graduate with my BS in Accounting from Weber State University. I am happy that I will graduate on time, considering I did a little transferring. I will start grad school too! I am going to do a Master of Taxation from Weber State. Chase and I want to take a trip, and larger trip than we have in a while, so we will see if that one pans out. Chase will continue with his undergraduate degree in Spanish, and pre-dental. We have a few things we want to improve on in our house, and even a couple things that we are determined to be perfect at! We have already started a new finance plan for the year, and it is going really well! I have a personal goal to listen to all of general and stake conferences, more than once (on my favorite app!) And little things; get to church on time (9am comes earlier and earlier every week!), read the lessons before hand, and get to know our ward better. I want to run more (vague, but true). I want to learn to love my husband better in the little ways. So many things to be better at, and gratefully, so much time to  improve. Happy New Year.