Letters

Dear Sunshine:
I am so glad that we have been able to spend more quality time together lately. My skin has desperately needed that bit of color that you so willingly provide. However, I wish very much that you would rise earlier in the mornings (I know, it's hard for all of us to do), but I really love it when it's light outside when I run. 6:00am would be ideal. Thank you.

Dear Clean Eating:
We don't have a perfect relationship but when I'm good, you make me feel so great! And boy, there are so many options for delicious meals:

1. Celery with homemade natural peanut butter! So delicious and incredibly easy! (And we all know how much I love Peanut Butter. After having REAL peanut butter, I can never go back to the store bought kind. Seriously.) Celery is also wonderful with homemade hummus.
2. Yummy Lunch Salads: Lettuce, red peppers, chicken, carrots, celery and oil & vinegar dressing.
3. Cucumber Salad! My favorite! Cucumbers sliced, red pepper, chicken, 1 spoonful of plain yogurt and seasonings! (I used black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.)
4. Stuffed Red Peppers: red pepper stuffed with cooked and seasoned barley, topped with mozzarella cheese and broiled in oven until cheese melted. Tomatoes added on top. Could also put in cooked chicken or beef with barley.

Some of my other favorites have been: hard boiled eggs, Peanut Butter Quinoa Bites (sweet enough for me without agave or chocolate!), green smoothies, Plain Whey Protein Isolate (add to oatmeal, green smoothies, fruit smoothies, etc.), carrot chips, Cinnamon Quinoa Bars, and Banana Egg Pancakes.
And can't wait to try: Raspberry Eggs and Lemon Crepes!

Dear Weekend:
I want you to come faster. Conference, home, family, sunshine, sleeping in, and home cooked meals.

Dear Rue 21:
Although you drained a good chunk out of my bank account last week, I sure am loving all my new summery outfits. Most favorite--white pants, plaid shirt, tan flats.

Dear Race Training:
Unfortunately my sanity is not allowing me to run the Utah Valley Marathon (thank goodness I can defer my registration to 2014), but Ragnar here we come! I am ecstatic!

Dear Thyroid:
From the signs, I'm assuming that its you that's been giving me all the troubles lately--dry skin, breaking nails, falling out eyelashes, fatigue, and worst of all, forgetfulness--not acceptable in my job. Something will have to be done soon.

Dear Lake Powell:
I am desperately missing you these days. I can't wait to try out my new water ski on your beautiful blue waters this summer. Please don't miss me too much.

Dear Y Awards:
You are coming up so quickly! Amazingly, I am not feeling stressed yet. We have definitely done a good job of prioritizing our tasks. Can't wait for you to get here April 10th! Miss Gillian and I will be grateful when we pull you off successfully as the event of the century!

Dear New York:
Our plans to see each other are going to have to wait another year and a half. Some changes have come about. However...

Dear San Francisco:
I am now hoping to see you sometime soon instead!

Sincerely,

 

Premature, On second thought

So I just had a thought.

As much as I LOVE Fall, the previous post was probably a bit premature.

Before I wish summer away and fall to begin,
there is one major highlight that absolutely cannot be overlooked.

With the predicted weather of an average of 98,
in less than a week I will be in heaven on earth.

Lake Powell.
Stoked beyond reason to peace out to this slice of paradise!

A Shiny New Set of Wheels

Remember this day? When the anticipation was killing me??

Well thanks to a wonderful Daddy, my shiny new set of wheels is all finished!!

Wahoo!!

 Yep. Lovin me some Mazda!
Check #53: Own a Mazda.

A Run, Skip, and A Scoot

A Run:

With only 9 days left until the Wasatch Back Ragnar, am I fully prepared with the coolest, and hopefully fastest, new running shoes.

A Skip:

I'm skipping for joy in anticipation for when this new mode of transportation is complete.
Thank you Daddy for finding a smokin deal and for being such a great fixer-upper!
Even though you can't tell by the picture, there is wreck damage underneath that's being fixed.

FYI: Almost checking off #53: Own A Mazda.
(See right side bar. But with that, I might never check #55...)


A Scoot:

Let me just tell you a little story.

So remember back in 1999 when pokemon cards were the rage, Harry Potter's adventures had just begun, gas was only $1.22 per gallon, myspace became popular, we knew every word to any Backstreet Boy song, and life didn't get any better than when the Razor Scooter came out??

Well, back then, razor scooters cost like $200. And with as much begging that I did, I'm impressed that my  parents didn't cave and get me one. Instead, they taught me to be a responsible saver and save my money to buy one myself. But guess what? 75 cents a month just didn't add up fast enough before I wanted to start saving for a car instead.

However, now that I am an absolutely responsible, saving adult,
my childish dreams have not been deterred.

With the price significantly lowered, and my saving money significantly increased, this little beauty came today.

And I'm going to ride it every day to work until it's too cold.
 Yes, it will definitely enhance my youngest-employee-in-the-whole-BYU-Athletic-Department image.

Gotta keep up appearances right?

With all these new modes of transportation,
the world is just impatiently waiting to be explored!

A European Adventure

Please take a European Adventure with me--blogger style!

(Rather than bore you with billions of details, I've just included main events and favorite pics!)

Traveling Day:
Ever flown in a double-decker-ten-seat-across plane? Yep. I didn't think it would get off the ground either. Don't worry though. It did. For 8 hours.

Layover...Waiting...Waiting...Waiting...

Zurich, Switzerland

One word: Bratwurst.

Interlaken, Switzerland

Train Ride up through the Swiss Alps

 Ever wondered what is underneath all the snow in the Swiss Alps? Yep. An Ice Palace.

On the tippy top of Europe!
Most beautiful site I have ever seen!

Beautiful Swiss Country

Principality of Liechtenstein 

No flag at the Castle? The King is out on "business."
I didn't buy it either. He probably needed a break from his 3 square blocks of land that he reigns over.

Bottled water? Nope. Glassed Water.

Innsbruck, Austria

Hotel Neighbors: The Psych Ward. Perfect.

Touring through rainy Innsbruck

 Exhausted from touring? Oh! Why not take a break at McDonalds?

Swarvoski Crystal Musem

Weirdest. Place. Ever. Not nearly as cool as it sounds.
Let's just say: dancing mannequin exhibits, Rated-R video clips inside crystal pyramids, crystal jelly fish, etc.
I think I'm scarred for life.

Beautiful Innsbruck

Travel Stop

Couldn't help taking this picture while singing "Climb Every Mountain."

Ramseu, Germany

We just happen to stop in this beautiful German village at the time of a funeral. It felt like something out of movie or one of those "pinch me moments" when the church bells started ringing and the funeral procession marched out of the tiny church in their traditional clothing and up the hill to the cemetery all in front a pristine backdrop of the Swiss Alps.

Berchtesgarten, Germany
Lunch by the lake in beautiful Berchtesgarten, Germany.

Ever heard of Hitler's "Eagles Nest"? Yep. This is it. On top of the mountains above Berchtesgarten.

Salzburg, Austria

Sound of Music Anyone?

This is such a beautiful city!  

Unfortunately, my camera battery died after the first day here. I still haven't been able to get pictures from other people, but they'll come!!

Of all the cities that we went to in Europe, Salzburg is the city that I feel like I could actually live in!

Vienna, Austria

 Beautiful architecture and history everywhere!




Boating down the Danube Canal. Such a gorgeous day!

On this particular day we found something very special. Ever heard of Portabello Road? (Bedknobs and Broomsticks) Well, we found it. Welcome to a European Flea Market! 

It was so amazing and so fun! Oh the possibilities... Coulda spent days there... But seriously.

We may or may not have been given free beer. Welcome to Europe people--no underage drinking.
They just hand it out on the streets.

Europeans enjoy their Amusement parks too. And so do many American Tourists...

Church in Vienna

Prague, Czech Republic

Didn't believe it at first, but as the days went by I came to completely agree that 

Prague is the "Most Photographed City in the World."

For my Dad. Oh how he would love this. 

It would make touring around a city so much more enjoyable for him!

Oh and we did actually see/play in a few soccer games in Europe. 

Between 4 games, BYU Women's Soccer dominated Europe: 31-0.

Nighttime in Prague

 And of course we did TONS of shopping!!

We discovered this enchanted cemetery next to our hotel. The history that laid underneath the beautiful foliage was incredible. Like something out of a dream.

And on the final day we took a boat ride.
Made me want to go to Lake Powell. Of course.

With 3 stamps in my passport, I am now a world traveler.
Check #3: Go to Europe.
And I look forward to another day when an opportunity like this presents itself again.
Maybe it never will. But there is always hope!