PAR-TAY!

My birthday and Nick's birthday are a week apart. It's fun to share your birthday with your best friend AND we have the 4th of July right in the middle so it's literally a party (parades, fireworks, paid holiday...) for a solid week!  This year I tried to go all Pinterest (on a budget) and decided to throw a little party with family and a few friends.

The kiddos gettin their badminton on!

 Ice cream cake per the birthday boy's request

Thirty, Flirty and THRIVING!

So I turned the BIG 3-0! Transitioning into a new decade really wasn't too bad (I did most of the freaking out when I turned 29) I'll be honest, it was bittersweet but instead of dwelling on what my life isn't at the moment, I reflected on the events of the last decade and who I've become.  This birthday brought me to tears (some sad) but mostly just because I was overwhelmed with gratitude and felt so much love from the people in my life.
I had to work on my birthday this year, it really wasn't a big deal. Of course there is the curse of working on your birthday (you're doomed to have a crappy day) my patient did code and then the family decided to withdraw care BUT as bad as that sounds it really wasn't.  I just started working on a new floor the cardiac ICU (well not new but new....) and they were really great.

Vanilla Coke (I haven't had caffeine or soda in almost a year!)

and Kneaders French toast sooo yummy!

My sister's visited me at work and brought me delicious sugar cookies

Just what we needed after a crazy afternoon

 From the hubby when I came home from work

Our awesome neighbors that live above us made me dinner 

and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake!

Their cute little boy (he and Nick are best buds)

enjoying my birthday cake :)

One of my BFF's Julie (met at UVSC while serving on the Institute Council) made me this amazing 30 survival kit. The girl thought of EVERYTHING and it was AWESOME! Sadly I didn't get a picture of it.  Saturday Nick and I went out to dinner to celebrate. We went to La Jolla Groves in the Riverwoods, nice atmosphere and super yummy food.  I didn't take a picture of us but I did of my dessert! Haha! 

Run...Drive...Sleep??...Repeat

Last weekend was one of the funnest, craziest, most exhausting two days and I would do it all over again in a heart beat!  Two weeks before this was all supposed to happen, I got a excited phone call from my girlfriend telling me a spot opened up on her team.  Because I had been training for a half marathon she knew I would be ready to go.  Nick was great and agreed to let me do it, he was hesitant because it costs so much--"you're paying how much to run for 2 days and not sleep?!" Let's just say this is my birthday present this year.....
I knew Connie and I work with Lindsey, the team was mostly made up of Lindsey's ward. I told Nick I was so lucky to meet awesome people.  I really am so grateful that 1. I even had the opportunity to do this  2. I was in shape and ready to do this with last minute notice.  As much as I'm looking forward to doing it again next year, I'm hoping I won't be able too cause I'll be pregnant or have a baby.....

Picture Overload from Van #2:

 Off and running my first leg

 My first kill and it felt so good :)

 Our sweet van move over tour de France 

this was tour de Wasatch Back!

Ran through some gorgeous country in the middle 

of nowhere Utah

 This pic makes me laugh probably my favorite from the weekend

 Poor Paul took a spill running down Snow Basin

good thing we had a van of RNs!

 You don't want to know what's under the pink coban

Runner's feet are nasty! My poor toes :(

 Waiting to start leg #2 (my hardest leg)

 3.6 miles uphill

Trying to feel human the next morning

Finishing my 3rd leg

Lindsey's before pic

Lindsey tackling Ragnar Hill

(Guardsmen pass)

 Connie was a machine and ran Lindsey's last mile 

PLUS her 4 miles up Ragnar hill!!

 "Check my CK levels, I thinks I'm in Rhabdo!"

 Team Reese's Pieces

Pain You Enjoy

06/09/12

My goal this time around was to beat my first time (St George Half Marathon was 2:12:56) and I really wanted to have a strong finish.  My younger sister Amy was the only one crazy enough in my family willing to train and run it with me.  My two cousins from BYU-I were running the full marathon and their family came out from Chicago to cheer them on.

We woke up at 3:30 AM to bus up to the starting line, so this isn't the most flattering picture taken at 4:00 in the morning.

The starting line was up Provo Canyon (the full marathon started in Wallsburg above Deer Creek Reservoir). It was a beautiful morning, just a little chill but not cold. The course wasn't as downhill as I thought it would be (and there was a head wind), even though it was a drop in elevation the canyon still has quite a bit of uphill. I grew up at the mouth of Provo Canyon so I really felt like I was running in my own backyard.  Mile 8 we came out of the canyon and started down University Ave and I was still feeling good.  My parent's neighborhood was right in front of mile 9 and my whole family was outside to cheer us on.

 Amy is in the pink top black shorts

and I'm just behind her yellow top blue shorts

Nick joined me at my parents house and my girlfriend Connie joined us at Wills Pit stop, they both finished the last few miles with me.  About mile 10 I hit my wall and started to slow down, Amy had already taken off and was ahead of me.  Nick and Connie were amazing support running next to me and encouraging me the last (and hardest) few miles. I remember seeing mile marker 11 and thinking only 2 more miles, that's only 20 more minutes.  The finish line was on Center St in Provo in front of the Tabernacle and I could see it down University Ave but it felt SO FAR AWAY!  At 100 N the finish chute started and Connie and Nick left me (but still ran along the side) I remember Connie yelling above the crowd "RUN AMBER RUN! PUSH IT!!!"  I don't where or how but I just kicked it up and crossed the finish line strong. 

 TIME 2:03:05

I beat my previous time by almost 10 minutes! My average pace time was 9:23 min/mile!!

Amy did awesome and finished in 1:58:02 We waitied around for my cousins to finish the full marathon. Austin was hoping to qualify for Boston unfortunately he didn't but he still made amazing time 3:28:57

This was Ethan's first marathon and poor guy starting cramping with 12 miles left but he still finished with a time 4:21:05

Watching the full marathoners cross the finish line almost almost makes me want to run a full marathon 26.2 miles!  Who know's maybe next year? EEK!  I know I'm talking crazy talk but guess what I'm doing this weekend?

RUN, DRIVE, SLEEP (??) REPEAT

Stay tuned.......

Race For Red

Saturday May 12 was the Race for Red put on by the Cardiac service line at the hospital I work at.
I've been training for my half marathon and after running 8+ miles paying to run a 5k is kinda a waste BUT since I am a cardiac nurse I felt I should support my work.  I didn't really have a goal, I was just doing this for fun. Nick ran with my phone that has a running GPS app on it.  He was a few steps ahead of me and at mile 1 I asked if we were doing well.  The phone said we were running a 8:30 min/mile! He thought the phone wasn't working and didn't tell me our pace. I had no idea how fast we were running. The last mile I started to slow down and became really discourage (I was thinking I was running a 9:45 pace). How on earth can I run 13.1 miles in less than a month if I can't run 3.1 miles at this pace! As we were approaching the finish line I saw my manager and remember thinking: either he's running really slow or I'm going faster than I thought. Nick started yelling at me "Don't let Ian beat you!"  I pushed it (thought I was going to throw up) Ian crossed two seconds ahead of me. 

Finished 27:08 

My fastest race!

"You're Like a Mother"

A few months ago, during a difficult time, I decided that I wasn't going to go to Church on Mother's Day this year.  I just didn't have the emotional strength to sit through it and I didn't want to make a fool of myself (and draw unwanted attention) by crying through all the meetings.  I told Nick and he gently told me that he would support me in what ever decision I made.  
Like the hymn "Each Life that Touches Our for Good"  I have a few very special friends who, unknowingly, have helped me through their examples faith.  Not all of their trials are similar to mine (although a few are) but each one of them have found peace through their faith in a lovingly Heavenly Father.  Long story short: My Mom was asked to speak in sacrament meeting and I was asked to teach RS (so much for not going to church!)  
The lesson in RS was on prayer and "opening your soul to the Lord in prayer."  As I was preparing the lesson during the week one of the suggested questions for the teacher was "What would you say to someone who feels that her prayers have gone unanswered?"  So as to not drag this out too long, a lot of pouring out my soul to the Lord, scripture study and discussions with my wonderful husband occurred.  I felt the love of my Savior and Heavenly Father stronger than I have in a long time. 
Sunday was a beautiful May day and we went to my parents ward. The bishop had asked each speaker to remember all women in every circumstance.  My Mom did a wonderful job as well as the other speakers. One of the sisters shared from this talk given by Ardeth G Kapp who was a member of the presidency of the General Young Women's. TALK: "You're Like a Mother"
I'm so grateful for all the women in my life who have helped me, strengthen me, encouraged me and just been there for me.  I am so grateful for my wonderful Mother, Mother-in-Law (who raised a wonderful son) Grandmother and Great-Grandmother who all have been examples of righteous women.

Happy Nurse's Week

But seriously....

I Love that my job is more than just a job, 

it is who I am

I am a Nurse