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Sunday, April 26, 2015

Spring Fever

It has been a wild few weeks!

Boyfriend had to go out of town for a bit, leaving me and Kitty to party. Then, I spent some time at home with my parents and my new niece Gabby, leaving Boyfriend and Kitty to...nap?


Now we're back in one place, and it is wonderful! We both took Wednesday off to spend time together and things are getting back into full swing. I even did my first post-marathon run! Six miles up the big hill by our apartment.

We're both winding down our second semester of graduate school. After this, I'll have two semesters left and Boyfriend will have three. It is exhausting working full time and going to school full time. I am taking extra classes in the accelerated track, just so I can finish before him, but ... eternal bragging rights ... ;)

For our one year celebration in March, I gave Boyfriend a bird feeder. We love it! In the mornings, we can sit and watch the birds! We're 90. They're just so fun to look at! We all like it, except Kitty. She makes these weird yipping noises because she wants to hunt, kill and eat them.





Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Running ... Away Part 2

I didn't die!!

Poster Emily made me :D
Things went really well! I was slow and everything in my body hurts. It was a journey! I wanted to quit a hundred times and I went through the whole spectrum of emotions-- from deliriously happy, to so defeated. I am so glad I did it though. I listened to a ton of Taking Back Sunday and Katy Perry. The last few miles I had Roar on repeat.

 
I feel accomplished :) During the race, I reflected (because there was so much else to do) on my life. Not the whole 25 years, specifically the last two to three and everything that has changed.

I've done four marathons now. The first three very clearly marked major life events, I don't tend to be cheesy, but it feels symbolic. My first marathon was the day after my college graduation. Yep. That was how I chose to celebrate; in bed at 8 p.m. and up and out of the house by 6. It was a real party. The next was a few months later, just one week before I was getting married.













After I got married I didn't run for awhile. I said I got busy, tired, distracted ...when truthfully I got miserable. To steal from Ann Prachett's Sacrament of Divorce, "I knew how we treated each other, and it wasn't well." Being married didn't change how we treated each other either, in fact it made things worse; unhealthy and unsafe.

Eventually, I broke away and out of the cycle. Eighteen months after my last marathon, and with no training under my belt, I signed up for another race. This time I ran the 26.2 miles, three days before my divorce would be finalized. I don't know if it actually had anything to do with what was going on in my life at the time, but that race was euphoric. I had literally been running from so many things in my life that it felt good to work it out on the pavement.

Spencer, Paula, Me, Mom
This year, nothing big is happening. Not in my life at least. Except the realization that everything is OK. Well, not OK -- better than ever. It has been a wild ride, with some drastic changes, but I'm OK with them. I know that to be happy, I can't hold back. I don't regret anything, I'm not the least bit sorry and I would do it all again. Every. Single. Thing. Every "mistake". I have realized I don't want forgiveness from anyone but myself. Because all of my missteps got me to where I am today and that is a wonderful place to be.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Running ...Away!

I have a marathon this weekend!

What the what?!?

I'm actually looking forward to it. It is my fourth overall. I ran the Salt Lake City marathon last year and did better than I ever have done before. Maybe, that is why I am so excited to run it again this year. I have three theories:

1. I did great last year and am looking forward to running it again, even if I don't do as well. The Salt Lake Marathon has so much energy. It is perfect.
2. This last year has been one of the best of my adult life, I'm happy, I'm carrying that momentum through to this race.
3. My brain could be broken? While I'm happy, I'm also busy. I'm working full time, going to graduate school full time so that I can graduate in four semesters and I moved again.

Either way, I'm looking forward to Saturday.

Support Team:
Cute baby & dumb friend
cute dad, mom is running the 1/2

Playlist: A lot of Brand New, Katy Perry and Taking Back Sunday
Gear: Arm band for iPod, Minimus New Balance Shoes
Plan: Eat at every aid station, FREE FOOD!
Goal: Last year I finished about 3:54, I would like to have a sub-four again. But with work and school, training has been minimal, so I just want enjoy my race and not die.

This week has been a little rough, Bella (the dog) has been sick. I keep monitoring to look for perkiness. The tests from the vet are inconclusive thus far. So I'll run out that worry too :). I'll write an updated post after. Unless I die.


Sunday, April 5, 2015

Part Two of Dealing with a Hoarder: Someone Who Breaks Things or Throws Them Away

Happy Easter!

This was a great weekend. Boyfriend and I made wonderful granola bars to send off to his sister who is on deployment. They turned out great, were easy and were something I had never made before. So, hopefully she likes them.

I'm also supposed to make a confession. A few weeks ago I complained about all of Boyfriend's hoarding. I mean...come on. It is a little ridiculous. But, I'm not the only one who didn't know what I was dealing with.

The same night I wrote that blog, I accidentally threw away the screws that hold our TV onto the mount. He MADE me dig threw the OUTSIDE garbage bin to try to find them. I gave up almost immediately, which made him incredibly happy*. I found the first two screws. He found the second two, one of which I immediately dropped back into the trash. It was an accident. Finally we  dug all the screws out and the TV was assembled without trouble.

We went about five weeks accident free. A pretty decent amount of time considering we brought the cat home too. Until this weekend ...

Last night ... I ran over Boyfriend's phone with his own car. It was an accident! I was backing out of my parents driveway and he was running after me when he dropped his phone inconveniently underneath the wheel of the car. We didn't know what was going on until the sickening crunch and it was already too late.

Poor phone. Poor Boyfriend, what is he getting himself into?