Christmas 2013

Christmas decor doesn't go as far in a small space. Next year I will likely collect a couple more collectibles. We did finally decorate the Christmas tree. Chase says I am in charge of weaving the lights into the branches every year from now on. I must admit, I strung those lights like it was my job. My dad taught me well. And I told Chase he is the tree-toper-puter-upper. I think it's just a thing in my head- the dad (or future dad) puts the star up. Just because.

Christmas. What a fabulous time of year. Busy as all get out, but so worth it. I thrive on busy so the hustle and bustle of tis-the-season-prep doesn't bother me a bit. I enjoy it. The first Christmas party of the season took place at Jeff and Lisa's- Chase's uncle and aunt. They just completed an addition to their home and it perfectly fits all ten million people on the Thomas side of Chase's family. It was an ugly sweater party- so I appropriately wore a darling sweater I had purchased at H&M the week before (the darlingness doesn't photograph well- I swear I am not pregnant and I haven't gain 30 pounds). We played the game "Names." I enjoyed it, but I learned a new level of intensity can be generated when people that love each other want to destroy the other team. Santa came, as always, and I was not forced to sit on his lap. #idontknowhim

The next party was at my Grandpa Merrill, my mom's dad, and Joan's home. That side of the family has gone through some major overhauls in the last five years- some more fortunate than others. Five marriages, three divorces, five new babies, a few graduations, and everything else under the sun. This Bean family looks different than it did not too long ago. But one thing has not changed. Grandpa takes his roll as patriarch of this family seriously, and every Christmas he tells us a story and gives some advice. The man loves. He just loves endlessly. We almost lost him this year. A terrifying experience. I didn't have much time to be terrified for the need to hold my mother together. Grandpa has always had a bad back. He worked in a warehouse in his teens hauling 100 pound bags of sugar. The story for this year's Christmas tale started here. And instead of telling us all how that job nearly killed him 70 years later, he told us how his bad back prevented him from enlisting in the army initially. Later, he was able to conceal his bad back and go into the air force. The air force has been one of the most defining characteristics of the man's life. So of course, he is grateful that 70 years ago, he ruined his back hauling sugar. Gratitude. So, earlier this year Grandpa was in the hospital for months. First, he fell. He went in for an injection to help the pain. He got staff infection from the needle. He had an MRI that told us there was a hotdog size pocket of infection wrapped around his spine where there is hardware from a surgery a couple years ago. He lays in bed in unbearable pain for weeks. He begs for pain meds… that's something you don't see everyday from a man of his strength. He couldn't eat or move or practically blink. He was moved to a pain clinic. Then he was moved back to the hospital because no one could figure out a combination of antibiotics to clear the infection and pain meds to keep him from writhing. Finally, my mom called me late one night and said he was going in for surgery. He was so weak from lack of movement and nutrition that putting him, at age 86, all the way under might have meant he just might not resurface. My mom, Lauren, and I went down to the University Hospital to see him. Some darling men from his ward gave him a blessing. After that, we knew he would be ok. And he was. After a long recovery, Grandpa is now home. He swims, lifts weights, rides a bike, and rocks a cane and a gangster lean. He is determined to get better and get stronger. What a man, James Merrill Bean.

Christmas Eve. We skied with my dad, Jessica (dad's fiancé), Avery and Zach. For a few runs before meeting Mom for a few more and lunch. It's always a good time sitting in Needles lodge next to a giant fireplace with arguably the most beautiful view in the world. It's definitely one of my favorites. Snowbasin means a lot to me. So does my mom. I have a lot of her in me, and I wouldn't change it. That night we spent some time at Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds house with some of the family. We ate soup and cookies.

Christmas day. Chase and I woke up around 7:30 to open presents. We are the type to do most of our shopping together so the after Christmas returns are kept to a minimum. This year, I got a bunch of clothes. And then I opened a Steve Madden box. Seriously, Chase is so on point. Boots will ever be a bad choice. I definitely did not see that coming. I got him some things he asked for/needed. And A beautiful over coat from BR. Alas, he wanted a down coat instead. It's fine. I will likely buy the same BR coat again next year so he has to keep it.

Christmas breakfast, you know the casserole and pull apart rolls and oranges, took place at Fowler's this year. De-light-ful. A swear, I never get sick of talking about how much I adore traditions. Namely food traditions. And this year we had a nephew to enjoy! Last year we did too, but he was three months old. This year he was excited to explore his gifts! Grandma got him a pack-pack for our upcoming trip. Oh, I guess I should mention that my mom got all of us a CRUISE for Christmas. She outdid herself again. More on that later.

Then Chase and I took off to Ogden to see his family. More casserole and cinnamon rolls (HOMEMADE). Connie and Tony got me the most adorable coat. I seriously almost got teary. It's a BR coat (yep), and I feel like a princess in it. I am turning into my mom… I have like a drizzilion coats and I want more. My mom is a coat woman. We all exchanged gifts and ate and ate and sat and talked. Sounds about right for a Christmas brunch.

THEN Chase and I headed to Grandma Jan's. Grandma lives alone and loves her shag carpet. She recently fell and broke her collar bone so she is even more frail than she used to be. I gave her a hard time like I do every year about the tree that is framed above her fireplace. It's felt with her mother's jewelry pieced together to form a tree. I love it, but how are we supposed to wear Great Grandmother's family heirlooms if there are glued to a felt Christmas tree? Anyway, Grandma is a woman who has grown sweeter with age. She is just as sweet as can be. And just as we were leaving, Connie and Tony brought her some breakfast because no Grandmother of mine goes without Christmas casserole.

THEN we went back to Bountiful to visit with the Thomas side of the family. What a riotous group. Food and presents and singing and wild stories from cousin Bridger and ahhhing over Whitney's engagement ring (the newest soon-to-be cousin) and wondering if cousin Tasha will have a girl or boy (GIRL!) and Grandpa Thomas's grandfatherly pre-prayer pep talk.

THEN we drove back to Ogden to be with the Calton family for dinner. This family never deviates from the traditional Christmas dinner (thank you). I made Great Grandma's pie and dad fried the turkey. It's essentially Thanksgiving over again. We got to see our cousin Katie and her husband! They have lived in Korea for almost two years, and we missed them. I must say, the most memorable thing about my Grandpa Calton is his love affair with his late wife, Patricia. She has been gone for about 8 years, and I don't recall a Christmas or Thanksgiving when Grandpa has not professed his love for her. He calls her His Dear Sweet Wife every time. He advises everyone one of his posterity, "Be kind to one another, love each other, because one day, one of you will be alone." How true it is. What an example. One other thing that I love about Grandpa- whenever I talk to him on the phone, I say "bye Grandpa, love you." And he says, "And I love you Sweetheart." And the inflection in his voice is the same every time. I ought to record it or something. I love that sound.

And finally, we went back to Bountiful to Grandpa and Grandma Reynolds house. We exchanged gifts, had dessert, and watched a darling old Christmas move… the one about the performing sisters and the two army guys that end up saving the old hotel? So classy and sweet. We played Rummi Cube during the movie. That's one of those things that will always remind me of Grandpa Darrel.

And that was Christmas this year. Chase and I have been skiing the last few years on Christmas. It's another tradition we wanted to start. But I guess this year we thought we would drive all over kingdom come to be to every single family member on Christmas. And it worked, and it was fun. It really felt like Christmas. Something about being with tons of people all day that love the heck out of ya just feels like Christmas. Christ wants families to be together forever, and that includes Christmas. So, happy birthday. That night when Chase and I finally went home we read Luke 2. It's such a short account of what really happened. Just look at the novel I have written about one day of parties. And the single most important day in history, save maybe the resurrection, gets only a couple pages of scripture. But I think that's how it's supposed to be. Use your imagination, and feel Christmas, rather than reading the literal words. This year, I felt Christmas.

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.