Category Archives: photos

training tidbits

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1. Seven mile run in Arizona in June = bad idea. It doesn’t matter that I was up at 6:30 or that most of the run was in the shade, or that I had a water bottle with me. At 6:30, it was already 95 degrees, I don’t care how shady it was, it was still 95 and one water bottle was not enough. Not when it’s gone by mile four because I drank half and poured the other half on my head and the last mile and a half were not in the shade and the temperature had gone up by five degrees in the hour I was running.

2. New shoes are a bad idea for a seven mile run. Granted, I had done a six miler in them, but that was in Utah, where it wasn’t 95. I have my first blisters of the training season…and I was even wearing my lined socks, the ones that have two layers, the ones that are never supposed to give you blisters. Well, I came home with four…two on each foot.

3. I loved the running skirt…for the first two miles. I just need to purchase some anti-chafage stuff and then it will be fantastic (I would love any recommendations). I highly recommend trying one out! I was surprised by how much I loved it, even if it isn’t the cutest thing on me…which brings me to number four.

4. I love that, when I’m running, the last thing I think about is what I look like. I may think about it while I’m getting dressed, but once I’m running, I just don’t care…well, not beyond wanting to make sure I’m not flashing someone.

5. If you are going to run with a dog, make sure it’s one who is used to running as far as you are going. I took my brother-in-law’s dog, Nevica, with me the other day (it was only three miles). He laid down after about two and a half miles. Just stopped cold and laid down. So I dragged him the last little bit (not literally, he got back on his feet) and then he threw up promptly upon arrival back at my sister’s house, the poor thing. And just so you know, my brother-in-law was the one who told me he’d be fine. I never would have taken him had I thought it would cause him to vomit…and yet I have a feeling puking after running is very likely in my future and I keep doing it. Hmm, what does that say about me?

6. I am going to really miss being at my sister’s. She has a pool that I can jump into as soon as I get done running. It’s fantastic! That’s all I thought about during that last mile of the seven.

7. Music really does make a huge difference when running. A few of my recent favorites:
Sexy Back – Justin Timberlake
Find A New Way – Young Love
Hyperlink – Eiffel 65
Don’t Matter – Akon
Freedom 90 – George Michael
Give it to Me – Timbaland feat. Nelly Furtado and JT
Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz
The Sweet Escape (Konvict Remix) – Gwen Stefani
Where Does the Good Go? – Tegan and Sara
Too Young to Fight – Young Love
Say it Right – Nelly Furtado
Living in a Bubble – Eiffel 65
Irreplaceable – Beyonce

8. And, on the whole music thing, I am once again going to advertise for Nike and Apple. Seriously, the Nike+ with the iPod nano is the best purchase I have made for this whole marathon thing. It’s so nice that I don’t ever have to look at my watch (or the clock on my iPod) because, at every mile, a lovely voice comes on and says, “one mile completed”, or “halfway point”, or “two miles to go”. I love it!

9. If you are a female nonrunner who is thinking about running a marathon, you need to get this book. Anne sent it to me (she’s also training for St. George) and I am loving it! It is informative and hilarious.

the new do

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So here’s a little self-portrait (I did the best I could…which means I put the camera on top of the t.v. in the guest room at my sister’s house). I didn’t go pixie, but I definitely cut a good couple of inches off. And, considering I had this done at 6 am and it was almost midnight when I took the picture, and I’d flown two hours, I think it still looks pretty good. I love my stylist! Seriously!

spt – americana

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This week’s self-portrait challenge: It’s as American as apple pie!

“This week’s challenge is to look around your home and help us showcase the history and folklore of America! Dust off your Americana relics! Let no wagon wheel go unturned! Let no bobble head doll go unnoticed!!”

Not an easy challenge for me. First of all, my home is not my own. Second of all, even thinking about when my home was my own, when I lived in my own house that I decorated, I had no Americana. None. Zero. Zilch.

Ever since I can remember, any home I’ve lived in has been full of ‘les objets d’arts étrangers‘. My grandparents lived in Japan for three years, so there house was full of Asian paraphernalia. My mother loved to travel, so our home was full of Hummel figurines, Lilliput Lane Cottages, Lladros, and any other number of assorted foreign pieces.

And I followed suit, only my obsession has been centered around the francophone countries (with the exception of a few Lladros which I picked up on different trips to Spain). Having started studying French at the age of 11, living in Belgium as an exchange student and then going on a mission for my church during which time I live in both Switzerland and France, I suppose the love of all things French makes sense.

So, here are some photos of the few things that I have pulled out of storage, as well as a picture I “stole” off the internet. Interestingly, most of the stuff I pulled out of storage is kitchen related (that’s what happens when you work at Williams-Sonoma for three years as a second job for the discount).

The truth is, I own nothing that I would say falls into the category of “Americana”. It’s not that I’m not patriotic (I love this country), but I guess I think that this is where I live and I want to display the things that show where I’ve been.

And while I have a number of Lladro, this one happens to be my favorite. This particular figurine was commissioned by the LDS church when they built a temple in Madrid. Combining my faith with my love of Lladros (which probably stems more from me associating them with my mom than actually loving porcelain figurines), when I had the opportunity to go back to Spain for work a couple of years ago, I knew that this was the one “souvenir” I wanted. Luckily, I purchased it right before my bag was stolen and my credit cards were long gone.

I have to say that I absolutely love SPT. It makes me think about things I don’t normally think about it…and that is kind of rare, since my brain never seems to stop. Oh, and the picture of the pillows at the top is just because they are red, white and blue. That’s the most American thing I own…my bedding.