2017, by the numbers

I really like doing this year-end review by the numbers. Another year on the books. Happy New Year, everyone!

Traveling:
Miles driven in my car: 17,669
States lived in: 2
States lived in/been in (including airports): 11
States lived in/been in (not including airports): 4 
Airports been in: 12
Countries visited/lived in: 1
Round-trip plane trips: 4
Amusement parks visited: 0
Times driven to Utah and back: 6.5 
Nights away from home: 46

Work: 
Jobs held: 2

States where I am an LCSW: 2

Personal:
First dates went on: 0
Second dates went on: 0
Books read: 62 (20,583 pages, per Goodreads)
Places lived in: 3
Wards member of: 2
Roommates had: 0 (2 if you count parents, 3 if you add in one sister...)
Cars driven: 4
Blogs posted: 11
Friends on Facebook: 312
Calligraphy classes taken: 3

Physical:
Massages received: 5 

Races run: 7
Run/walk miles logged in RunKeeper: 550.1
Overall pounds lost: 9.8

Entertainment:
Restaurants visited/ordered from: 103

Times went out/ordered/got food from restaurants: 143

Movies watched: 27 

Plays/musicals attended: 4 

Spiritual/church:
Callings held: 3
Blessings (including setting aparts) received: 4
Temples/temple grounds visited: 6
Number of proxy initiatories completed: 67
Number of proxy endowments completed: 16
Number of proxy sealings completed: 0
Live sealings attended: 0

101 List:

101 list goals completed: 14
101 list goals in progress: 13

My Year in Facebook Statuses- 2017 Edition

January

• This winter needs to be over! I got stuck in snow four different times while driving home from work and almost got into two accidents. I was very fortunate to not have any damage to myself or my car and to have co-workers or random strangers come to my rescue each time. But I think I want to hibernate until all this snow is gone.
• So...I was trying to get to the Hyundai dealership to get snow tires and instead got stuck in my parking lot. Tow truck ETA is 6:30 this evening. Can any of my friends rescue me sooner?Update: landscapers got me out. The dealership didn't have any winter tires in stock. On my way to a tire store. Because I am not going back to my complex without winter tires. Thanks for all the concern! Update #2: Tim at Big O Tires on Fairview and Cole is awesome and very helpful and new winter tires are being put on now. :-) Update #3 (hopefully last one about this ever): The snow tires are handling beautifully. Though when I tried to get back into my complex again, I got stuck. It was a mess. I even saw an SUV struggling. I managed to back out and stayed away until they cleared the lot. But now it's clear, I'm home safe, and I might actually be able to make it through this winter.
• I really want to plan a small vacation to somewhere warm towards the end of this month/beginning of next month (I really need something to look forward to as we ride out these crazy storms). Nothing super long... just a couple of extra days tacked on to a weekend or something. Any suggestions or adventure buddies?
• So... I cancelled my paid memberships to dating sites a few days ago because nothing was really happening and I don't want to keep throwing away money. (And let's be honest, dating is kind of the worst.) But in the last few days, I've gotten more "flirts" and "likes" on my profiles than I did in the previous few months combined. So I think that maybe dating sites make your profile a "featured profile" temporarily when you cancel your membership so that you come back and pay again so you can see who the heck these guys are. It's a conspiracy. Thoughts?
• Am I too young to become a snowbird? Because I'm done with this winter. I just want to be warm again!
• A couple of friends were going to come up from Utah to watch Once with me this weekend, but with the weather they aren't coming anymore. :-( But...this gives you the opportunity to come watch it with me instead! I have two extra tickets for the 8pm performance on Saturday (at the Morrison Center). Each ticket is $41.22. Who's in?
• Power outage. Fun... :-(

February

• First day of the season for Boise Galloway and I dropped two minutes on my magic mile time from six months ago and I kept within 5 seconds of my pace each lap. Love seeing that progress!
• I'm considering finally getting a new credit card, as I still only have the one I got when I started college 9.5 years ago. (Yikes! Feeling old.) I think I want something that will give me good travel rewards regardless of airline. (I used to be loyal to Southwest, but it isn't always the cheapest out of Boise.) I might also be open to a credit card with other good rewards or maybe cash back. Suggestions?

March

• Hit double digits for the first time ever on my run today! Being able to complete a half is within reach. :-) 
• Beware the Ides of March is right! Grateful for a speed workout that let out some of the tension and frustration after a crazy day of work... and I'm especially grateful for the warm shower and cozy pajamas after said speed workout.

April

• I realize that April Fools' Day is not the ideal day to announce this... But Karen and I just registered for the St. George Marathon this October! (This running thing has gotten a bit out of hand.) Feel free to join us in our insanity. Registration opened this morning and goes on until they hit their 7800 runner cap.
• I was looking at my carpet today and realized how dirty it is. And I just vacuumed yesterday! I guess the vacuum cleaner I took from my parents' storage unit isn't working well. (Sorry, Mom and Dad). Anybody have recommendations on a good vacuum? Or have thoughts on robot vacuums?

May

• Some days are a struggle and they become even less fun when you somehow manage to lock yourself out of your car. Oh well. Thank goodness for Hyundai Roadside Assistance? (At least this gives me an excuse to miss hill training tonight. So...Maybe it's a good thing. Haha.)
• Came home to a 24 hour notice to enter on my door so my management company can do their biannual and HVAC inspections. I apparently need to remove all items from under all my sinks (obnoxious), make sure there's access to all HVAC and water systems (fine) and make sure all smoke alarms and light fixtures are properly installed. Normally not a problem, but of course, my smoke detector started beeping and now I have to go out and buy a 9V battery tonight. (All while hoping they they remember to re-lock my door tomorrow, since they didn't one time they did a check and my roommate came home to a wide open front door.) Renting is so fun sometimes.

June

• Glacier this month! What are the are the must-dos that I need to add to my list?

July

• Loved spending the last week with both sides of my family as we celebrated my parents returning from their mission. But as great as this last week was, I'm grateful to be back in my own apartment. Being an introvert in a family of extroverts can be exhausting! Good thing I love them anyways. I mean, I am stuck with them for eternity. :-)

August

• I've been feeling for a while that a big change would be coming in my life and now I finally know what it is. It is with incredibly mixed emotions that I'm announcing that I've accepted a position as (job) at (company) and will be starting with their new semester in three weeks. Boise has truly become my home over the last five years (it's almost the longest I've lived anywhere in my life!) and I'm going to miss it, my job, my co-workers, and my friends so much. I've grown so much in so many ways over the last five years and closing this chapter of my life won't be easy, but I'm also very excited to continue to grow both personally and professionally as I move to Salt Lake and tackle this new role.
• Okay, guys. Looking at housing is overwhelming and I would love any help/suggestions. I'm looking to move to Salt Lake County. Requirements: 2 bedroom (or a really large one bedroom, as I have a lot of stuff), W/D hook-ups, covered parking, safe area. Bonus points if near TRAX or in a really good singles ward/area. I'd prefer not to spend over $900/month in rent, though I could higher. Suggestions?
• Momentous occasion today: first time anybody has thought that I was pregnant and actually asked me if I was. (For the record, I'm not. Unless there's another virgin birth going on that I'm not aware of...)
• It's my birthday today. I always feel a bit awkward letting people know that. I struggle being the center of attention or feeling like I'm forcing people to do something for me. But with all the craziness going on in my life right now, I'd love a gift from you. I'd love to hear a favorite memory of the two of us or just something you appreciate about me. If that's not your style, memes are also appreciated. Absolutely no pressure to do so. But I think this is a better way for me to celebrate a birthday than just a lot of people wishing me happy birthday because Facebook tells them they should. Regardless, thank you for being in my life. I'm so lucky to have you.

September

• Had to scrape my windshield this morning. I'm not ready for this weather!

October

• What did you guys do today? I got a bit sunburned...And ran a marathon! I still can't believe I did it. Training has been hard physically and I've really been struggling with my mental game. There were even a few times today I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. But I didn't get swept and I finished! My body isn't super happy with me right now, but I am so happy with myself. Now I know I can do anything. 
• Ok. I need to get a new personal laptop. I don't need anything fancy... just something for internet browsing and Microsoft Office. And I need to get it before NaNo because I do NOT want to do that by hand. Any suggestions?
• My GPS wasn't working this morning, but I successfully navigated where I needed to go by just using the grid system! It works! I did get slightly lost when the grid didn't entirely connect, but I figured it out and feel very accomplished.
• More fun from my previous management company: got mail from them today and I opened it, expecting it to be a check with the rest of my deposit back. I was interested to see how much money they'd give me back (didn't think it would be much, knowing them). But nope. It was someone else's statement and bill. I don't know how this company has stayed in business and actually taken over a lot of the Treasure Valley. I'm so glad to be (almost) done with them. Here's to hoping they didn't send my check (or info to steal my identity) to someone else.

November

• It's a Sara Bareilles kind of night.
• I now have a Utah driver's license and license plates and a Salt Lake County library card. Guess there's no going back now.
• I was a NaNo rebel this year, working on several different projects instead of just one novel. But I wrote 50,000 words total, and with an hour and 15 minutes to spare... I'm counting it as a win! 

December

• Looking at getting LASIK. Have any of my Salt Lake friends had that done? I'm likely looking at going to either Hoopes Vision or LasikPlus and would love recommendations or insights.
• Running hills at 6000 feet is either going to help me get a lot stronger and faster or it's going to kill me. Let's hope it's the former instead of the latter.

Meridian Temple open house and dedication, make-up, and a brief life update

Once again, I am behind in blogging. But I need to update on a few things before I do my "year in review" posts tomorrow.

Over two months ago, I was able to cross "go to a temple open house" off of my 101 list. I was able to go back to Boise for a quick trip and got to help with the Meridian temple open house. I've been to plenty of open houses before, but never got to help usher, so that was neat. I especially enjoyed my first couple of hours, where I was at the doors and welcomed and counted people. (I even got a clicker counter to use, which reminded me of my good old speech therapy days.) They then switched me out and I wandered around and relieved people who needed a break. (I tried to, at least. Only one person took me up on it.) It's a really pretty building, inside and out, and I'll definitely have to go back and do a session there one day.

Then, a few weeks later, my dad and I popped over the border into Franklin, Idaho to watch the dedication broadcast. I'm glad I was able to go. It's kind of weird having been in Boise during all the groundbreaking and construction but not during the open house and dedication. I couldn't just not be part of it!

Also, as another 101 list note, I'm crossing off "try a new make-up brand/type." I bought some Senegence. Not totally in love with LipSense. I'm just so lazy when it comes to make-up and rarely use lipstick. But their foundation and mascara seem to be working okay for me.

In November, I won NaNoWriMo again. I was a total rebel, as I was writing four different things. But I did write 50,000 words in a month, so I'm counting it.

As far as life goes, definitely staying busy with my new job. Lots to do. But I love the people I work with and it's a really fun time to be there and help with a lot, especially being in a newly created position. Also, my parents moved into their new house and I'm living with them there currently. It's lovely, though I'm not loving the commute. I've been pretty spoiled to never have my commute be longer than 20-25 minutes. At least the train has been nice to at least do things during part of the commute. I probably need to start looking for my own house to buy, though. Eek! I don't know if I'm grown up enough to do that. Haha.

I'm still running. I've done 3 of 12 races for my race a month for a year goal. I did 10 miles today, which was the most I've done since the marathon, and my body is really feeling it. I need to figure out what race I'm doing in January and I'm debating if I'm up for a half or not. I ran into a kind couple at my December race and they introduced me to an awesome Utah Facebook community of runners, and that's been nice to connect to people at least virtually that way. I know I need to try harder to make some friends here, though it's hard when I don't entirely have the desire to. (#introvertproblems) But runners are great and this Facebook group seems super supportive, so I probably should tap into that more. I should also probably try harder in my new ward, but it's so ginormous and overwhelming. They're splitting into two Elder Quorums and two Relief Societies this next year though, so maybe it'll be a bit easier then. But for now, I'm grateful for my friends who were already in Utah who spend time with me. I'm lucky to have such great people in my life.

Marathon

I ran a marathon.

I still kind of can't believe that happened.

Just over a year ago, I ran my first 10K. I knew the next season with Galloway, I'd be training for a half, and I started training for that earlier this year. But when I saw that my friend Karen had "run a marathon" on her 40 before 40 list, I thought that maybe I could do that, too. So we signed up for the St. George Marathon and started training.

Leading up to the marathon, I was really struggling. My training hasn't been great since I've moved. It's hard to pull myself out of bed when it's darker and colder and I don't know the area as well. It's even harder when I don't have people to run with, as running has become such a social thing for me. I've had some foot, hip, and knee pain that's bothered me some. But I didn't want to give up on this goal. Though my parents and some friends were questioning me week of if I really still wanted to do it, I still went down to St. George.

As I was in my hotel room Friday night, I was really nervous and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off.  (St. George has a strict cut-off at mile 23.1. It's only a bit slower than my race pace and I've been worried about that since the beginning.) I called Louise, the Boise Galloway director (and my running coach and friend). She told me that she had tried to talk me out of doing the marathon, as she saw that I wasn't enjoying running as much since signing up for it, as I was always so worried about it. She told me that I better have fun or she would slap me and if I wasn't going to have fun, I might as well not get on the bus in the morning. She said just to enjoy the day and do my race. I think I needed that rebuking.

So I got up early Saturday morning (sometime around 3:30am, I think) and tried to start enjoying the day. It was actually pretty nice walking to the buses, but really cold at the start line. I grabbed a mylar blanket they were handing out and wrapped it around my legs and just tried to enjoy the atmosphere. I also got my foot professionally taped, and I think that really helped. As the time for the marathon approached, I still couldn't believe I was doing it, but there really wasn't a backing out at that point. The race started a bit late, which made me anxious, as the sweeper said that they weren't adjusting the cut-off time and we still had to be at the cut-off by 1pm, even though we were starting later. That meant I'd have to run each mile a minute faster than planned. But then... we were off. It was a really pretty morning as the sun was coming up and it was just really peaceful and pretty. People spread out pretty quickly, with people passing me all over the place.

A few miles in, Karen came up from behind me and we ran a few miles together before she went on ahead to run her own race (and she did awesome, finishing almost an hour ahead of me). I continued on, with it kind of being me and the road. The scenery along the course was pretty diverse and beautiful. From the meadows, to the Veyo hill/volcano, to the gorgeous red rock. I tried to take it all in, and actually didn't even listen to podcasts like I normally do. I kept repeating my mantra over and over, "I am strong, I am powerful, I am enough."

That "I am enough" one became important. After I had talked to Louise, I realized that I was so scared of being swept because to me, that symbolized total failure. As she pointed out, it wouldn't be the end of the world if that did happen. But in my head... it kind of was. And as I thought about why that was, I realized it was because it would reinforce some of my more negative thoughts about myself, about never being enough. So with that mantra, I was reminding myself that I am enough, even if I fall short sometimes.

As I enjoyed the course, I was just was really impressed with the St. George Marathon. Yes, it was pretty. Yes, it was a decent course. But I was super impressed with the volunteers. In addition to handing out water and Gatorade and snacks, they also handed out Vaseline (which I was so grateful for around mile 7, when I realized the body glide I put on wasn't going to be sufficient) and even had nurses at aid stations putting on IcyHot wherever you needed it. I stopped at three different stations to get that done. My lower back kind of starting spazzing out around mile 10, so that was great to have that and it calmed down. And I'm pretty sure there were PortaPotties at every mile marker. (Bonus: by being a slow runner, there's pretty much never a wait.)

As I continued to try and enjoy the course, I tried to notice accomplishments along the way. When I got to the 13.1 check-in clock, I looked at the clock and then at my watch and then at the clock again, and realized that I had run my fastest half marathon. When I was around mile 16, I was able to see my parents, which was a bit of a fun surprise (they said they were going to the spectator spots, but I wasn't sure where they were). And when I passed 20 miles, I celebrated running the farthest I ever have. (I definitely slacked in my longer runs towards the end of my marathon training.) I met a few people and enjoyed talking to them. (Slow runners are fun and generally more easy to talk to, as they're open to just having experience instead of beating a certain time. Or maybe I just tell myself that to feel better about being a slow runner. Haha.) As it got closer and closer to 1pm, I got nervous as I wasn't going to quite make the cut-off by that time. But some of the other runners said that they heard that they had extended the time due to them starting late. And it turns out they did and I definitely celebrated passing the cut-off point, as I knew that I was going to finish the marathon at that point. Once you passed the cut-off, you could take as long as you needed. And at that point it was only another 5K. Super doable when you break it down like that (though I think it ended up being one of my slowest 5Ks ever). And even that last 5K was super supported, even for us slow people. I know a lot of spectators had left and they were cleaning up the aid stations, but they were handing out ice in addition to everything else, and I put some cubes between my visor and my head and it felt wonderful. There were also icy cold washcloths towards the end, and a random St. George girl was in front of her house, misting people with a hose if they wanted (I definitely took her up on that). There were police officers on motorcyles kind of accompanying an older man who was running his 40th St. George Marathon (yes, a 70-year-old man finished about the same time that I did) and the police officers were singing over their microphones, including "The Final Countdown." That really made me smile. The sweeper passed me with about a half mile to go, but it didn't matter at that point, as I beat him to the cut-off (only by a few minutes, judging by when he said he crossed it, but I made it).

It was an absolutely amazing feeling crossing that finish line (in just under 7 hours chip time). There were so many times I wasn't sure if I was going to make it (even during the race), but I did it. I did a really hard thing! It was so taxing both physically and mentally, but I made it. Louise told me that after her first marathon, she saw someone wearing a shirt that said, "Now that I've run a marathon, I know that I can do anything." I really felt that after I crossed the finish line and I'm hoping to hold on to that moving forward. (Though I'll admit, that it's already been a struggle over the past 2 weeks.) I can do hard things. I'm continuing to do hard things. And, just like the marathon, I'll one day be able to cross that finish line and be amazed at what I was able to accomplish... while enjoying the super awesome misters. Haha.

(And yes, I accidentally got sunburned during the marathon. Whoops.)

So I was able to kick off this 101 list with a bang! Marathon complete! And as far as running goes, one of my other 101 list goals is to run a race every month for a year. I was planning on doing that starting with the marathon, but my foot got a bit injured during the race somehow and my runs have been really slow and pathetic. (Walking around during the course of a normal day aggravates it sometimes.) So I need to figure that out so I can continue in that goal, as well. But if nothing else... 5Ks count as races, right?

Second 101 list completed... and starting a third

My second 101 list ended on September 28. I completed 59 of the 101 things, which was less than I completed on my first list. I was a bit sad when I realized that, but I had so many great adventures from things I did on the list and I'm grateful for that. Doing 101 lists help me to do things that I would otherwise only think or dream about doing. Bucket lists are easy to procrastinate, but with only 1001 days, you really have to get things done!

Things I don't think I blogged about from my list that I did end up doing in the last little bit:

• Study church lessons beforehand for a month ("beforehand" may have turned in to reading the Sunday School lesson in sacrament and RS lesson in Sunday School, but I'm counting it)
• Go to a fine dining restaurant (My parents took me to Tiburon when some other dinner plans fell through. It was so good!)
• Tiburon also fulfilled my dining by candlelight. Not quite what I pictured when I thought up that goal, but it works.
• Read 10 different books as recommended by 10 different friends. I totally forgot about this one, and got three more recommendations with just a few weeks to go, and I was finishing the last one literally an hour before my list was over. (Why did my friends pick such long books?)
• Take a community education class (still in progress, but I started it, so I'm counting it)
• Write in journal at least once a week for length of project.

And with that, I am starting my third 101 list today!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Funny how life changes so quickly.

About a month and a half ago, I got a call with a job offer. I had applied a couple of months before and was surprised when I got a Skype interview, then was surprised again when I got an in-person interview. I was really surprised when I got the job offer, especially when they originally said they'd take a week or two to make their decision and I got a call towards the end of the third week. It was a tough decision, as I really was enjoying my life in Boise and accepting this job, moving to a new place, and kind of starting my life over was a big deal. However, I've been feeling for a while that a big change would be coming in my life and I kept being reminded how necessary change is to growth. Staying in Boise was the comfortable status quo and accepting this job and moving was all about change. I wanted to stay comfortable, but I knew that wasn't what I was supposed to do. I accepted the job offer and then immediately called my boss to give my two weeks notice, knowing that after the two weeks, I'd just have a week to move and be ready to start my new job.

It was a bit of a crazy few weeks. I am grateful to my family and friends who helped make that a bit easier. The timing was nice in that my parents are now home from their mission, so my mom was able to help me move (just like my dad had helped me move to Boise). I even was able to move in with my parents, as I didn't have much time to find a place. Now I'm not stuck in a lease when I decide I want to move somewhere else or even buy my own place once the market comes down a bit.

I am enjoying my new job. There's a lot of work to be done and a lot to figure out, but the people I work with are great and I think I'm up to the challenge. It's nice being near some friends who are around here as I work up the strength and courage to make other friends (going to a singles ward does not sound appealing right now). I've already thrown myself into some "extracurriculars"--two calligraphy classes that I'm taking with my friend Sara. Continuing running has been a bit difficult with the move, change in weather, and some physical issues, but I am still doing that. I even went back to Boise last weekend to run the FitOne Half, which was great. Two years ago, I ran the 5K, last year I ran the 10K, and this year I ran the half. It's a great race. I also finished my second 101 list and am going to be starting my third. But more about that in an upcoming post.

Change can be really hard. But I'm continuing to remind myself that it will lead to growth. And that is what life is all about, right?

St. Thomas vacation and eastern Idaho total eclipse

With my parents coming home, we were able to go on a big family vacation for the first time in over three years. It was a big deal, and so we certainly made it a big vacation. We were able to go to St. Thomas and it was so wonderful and relaxing. I didn't love the long travel time to get there, but it was so nice while we were there.

I mean... how could it not be when this was the view from the patio of our hotel suite?

And this was the view from the deck of a house that a family from the branch lives in. They used to live in Utah and went to the eye doctor's office where Aubrey works, so when they saw her at church, they were so sweet to invite us over for dinner and give us pointers about what we might like to do. They also invited us with them to go up to the top of Paradise Point on Wednesday night (when it's only $5/person instead of $21) and that was neat. It's also where I finally picked up some souvenirs.

Lots of just playing in the ocean and pool. (I got sunburned on the first day we were in the water, though. Whoops.) We ate out quite a bit, and I was able to finally go to a restaurant that starts with the letter X, so I was able to cross off "go to 26 different restaurants starting with each letter of the alphabet" from my 101 list. The deadline for my second 101 list is rapidly approaching! I also slept a lot, which was lovely. Those beds were so comfortable. And heavy curtains to totally block out any and all light is so wonderful... I sleep best in pitch blackness.

We also went to St. John one day and I got a couple National Park Passport stamps and we went snorkeling. When I think of snorkeling, I think of seeing lots of colorful fish. That wasn't quite the case there. But one of places we snorkeled, we saw literally millions and millions of tiny fish all swimming together in these schools. You'd swim right over them, but they'd all move if you got too close. It was a cool phenomenon to see. The other place we snorkeled wasn't as clear of water, but we saw a few sea turtles and stingrays. We also went to some sugar plantation ruins where we got attacked my mosquitos and bees. (That part wasn't so fun.)

One thing that wasn't super relaxing was on Thursday night, I got a job offer. I'm so glad I got that job offer at the end of the vacation and not the beginning, so it wasn't hanging over my head and keeping me from relaxing. I really didn't sleep well Thursday night. When we were in the NYC airport flying back, I called and accepted the job offer and started making my life a little crazy.

But before getting completely back to reality, I took one more vacation day and went with Karen and Stu and some of Stu's family to his grandpa's home in Pingree, Idaho. It was so nice to be away from civilization a bit and just relax some more after having made a big life decision. I enjoyed swinging in the hammock Karen and Stu brought and reading. I liked learning and playing the game Cover Your Assets and eating yummy food. On Monday, we drove up to Moore so we could be in the path of the total eclipse. That was so incredible to see. I'm so glad we were able to go.

Parents home!

The week after Glacier, my parents got back from their mission. They came home on Sunday July 2, and I took the whole week of work off to spend time with them and other family.

The last three years have kind of flown by for all of us, I think, but it was so nice to welcome them home. Aubrey, Tyler, and I made posters and there were a lot of family members that came to the airport to welcome them home. I surprised myself when I started to cry when I saw them coming down the escalators. I wasn't quite prepared for that. But lots of hugs, tears, and laughs ensued for all of us.

We then spent the first half of the week having a reunion with my mom's side of the family, and the second half with my dad's side. It was a little hard at times for me because I'm an introvert and need my alone/recharge time, and there wasn't a lot of that to go around. But it was really nice spending time with everyone and hearing stories, laughing, and catching up.

On Sunday before I drove back, I was able to hear my parents speak/report in the ward my mom grew up in. The chapel was packed with my parents' missionaries, family members, friends, and even some of my dad's former mission companions! I know there are so many stories to tell. But I really want to share some important lessons I learned from things my dad taught his missionaries that I think we can all learn from.

One thing my dad talked about was "so templo," which kind of translates to "only temple." Sometimes, it may be easy for missionaries (and us) to think about getting people to baptism and not past that, but that isn't the right focus. Our goal should be to help people make all the necessary covenants to return to live with their Heavenly Father--not just the first covenant. Our goal should be to get people (including ourselves) to the temple. He helped his missionaries to do that by having them teach a "Spirit of Elijah" lesson, where they could read Malachi 4:5-6 and then ask about close family members who have passed away. The missionaries are inviting their ancestors to join the lesson and use that Spirit of Elijah to bring the the Spirit into the lesson and increase the investigator's desire to make covenants and get to the temple to perform these ordinances for their deceased family members. Super cool.

Another thing that stood out to me is the importance of listening to the first prompting. My dad pointed out that spirits speak spirit to spirit, so we should be very aware of those "thoughts" we have, because they are likely promptings. As one of my uncles would tell his stake, "A thought is a prompting until proven otherwise." (Assuming it's a good thought, of course.) My dad shared some really neat experiences of following that prompting and the miracles that came from that. However, going along with that, Satan is a spirit, and he also communicates that way. So he will come after the first prompting and make us doubt it, make us think it's only our thought and that it was a silly idea. That's why it's even more important for us to hang onto (an do) the first prompting. I know it's definitely something I need to work on doing better.

I know I probably am not doing these concepts justice. I think I should just convince my dad to start a blog where he can talk about all this great stuff. (Hint, hint.) :-)

Glacier National Park and Half Marathon

Man... I'm so behind on blogging! Where has this summer gone?

I went to Glacier towards the end of June and it was absolutely amazing. I had never been, and so I used the excuse of doing a half marathon through Vacation Races to go and I convinced my friend Chelsea to join me.

We flew into Kalispell and got bumped up to a truck from the much smaller vehicle we had originally rented. I'm glad Chelsea was driving, because that thing was huge! (And she really enjoyed driving it, so win/win.) We stayed at a lovely Airbnb with a very nice couple in Columbia Falls the first couple of nights. I'm going to mix up timelines a bit because it's been a while. I know the first day, we went ziplining, which was super fun. And I think we explored some cute little shops. On Thursday, we went on a hike to Avalanche Lake and explored the park some, including going on a horseback ride. Exploring the park that way was neat, but man... that works your legs!.I got pretty sore.

Luckily, we had a day to recover from that before we had to run. On Friday, we went over to East Glacier Park Village to a motel where we got a little cabin. We were originally supposed to only stay there Saturday night after the race, because it was already booked Friday. (It was really hard to find lodging with this race going on!) Luckily, somebody cancelled and since I had let the manager know we were also interested in Friday, we got to stay there and had a much shorter drive to the bus loading for the race. We were also able to explore the park a little more, pick up our race packets, and drive the course.

The race was absolutely beautiful. So, so gorgeous. There's a pretty intense climb the first five miles, but man...awesome views. Can you believe these are pictures that I took literally in the middle of a race?

I stuck with Louise and a couple other Galloway people in addition to Chelsea for those first five miles. At that point, everyone else kind of went ahead as it started going downhill. I stuck with Mandi, a Galloway gal who has run with my group when she's there as she's coming back from an injury. It's been hard for her, as she's normally so much faster. But she was great company and super supportive. We did :20/:30 pretty much the whole race (with a few extra walk breaks and some photo stops). There was another tinier hill towards the end that didn't even register as a hill to me when we drove it, but I definitely felt it. It seemed harder than that insane first hill! We also lucked out with the weather. Gorgeous day. But a really fantastic race. And I just love the huge community feel during the race. Everyone is so awesome and supportive and us back of the packers were really just enjoying it. And there were people around us! Big change from the Tulip Festival. My mental game was definitely better. Plus, even with the walking, a bathroom break (my first every in a race...So momentous), and the photo ops...I got a PR! My Garmin clocked me at 3:34:20 and my official time on the printout was pretty close to that. 

My first vacation race was such a good experience. Now I want to do all of them. :-) 

The only downside of the vacation was I was talking to a Galloway guy who was in our same motel the afternoon of the race and I got burned. Luckily, we tracked down some aloe vera (which was hard in that tiny town) and I survived. But boo for sunburns! Oh. And I guess the other downside was that we didn't get to stay longer. It was such a gorgeous area and such a fun race! I would have loved to explore more... especially since not all of the Going to the Sun Road was open. But I had a blast, got another few stamps in my National Park Passport and more smashed pennies. Yay for awesome vacations!

Half marathon, a new digital piano, and other quick updates

Just over a month ago, I ran my first half marathon! It started out great. It was decent weather, and it was nice running through the Thanksgiving Point gardens and seeing all the beautiful flowers at the tulip festival. However, the race was harder than I expected... there were lots of ups and downs over the second half of the course and I was struggling. But with Karen by my side and using the wonderful Galloway method, I made it through. So, so grateful for Karen joining me at the last minute so I didn't have to do it alone. I've come to realize that one of my greatest struggles with running is the mental aspect and I was getting really discouraged that race. We couldn't see anybody running around us and that really messed with my head. But Karen kept me going and we finished and got our medals! It's nice to be able to accomplish goals.  

I have another half in less than a month, and I somehow was crazy enough to sign up for the St. George Marathon this October. Eek! Somehow, I've kind of turned into a runner. I met up with my running coach (the program director for Galloway here) earlier this week and we went over my goals and she made up an initial plan for me, including running and core and strength training. She also gave me a journal to keep track of workouts and a "Mental Training for Runners" book by Jeff Galloway. Hopefully that will help with the mental battle.

I also was able to cross off another thing off my 101 list. I wanted to either fix my old digital piano or get a new one. When I saw this digital baby grand at DI, I knew I couldn't pass it up! Though I haven't played it too much, it makes me so happy each time I see it.

In other news, I was able to see Kristin Chenoweth perform at BYU a few weeks ago and it was amazing! She is an incredible performer. I always appreciate good singers, but it's always so much better when they're so fun between their songs. I laughed so much... and a few of her songs even made me cry.

And I know I had already crossed off checking out a book from each of the Boise libraries in the Boise library system on my 101 list... but they added a new library! So I went there yesterday and got a couple of books.

And today was the Idaho Falls Temple Rededication. I was able to go to two of the sessions at a stake center pretty close to where I live (not like I was really doing anything else today) and it was really nice to feel the Spirit. I was able to go to the open house with some friends a few weeks back and I look forward to going and doing a session there someday. 

Externally Motivated

I've recently realized how externally motivated I am.

I mean, I realized this about myself before. Some roommates and I had sticker charts during my last year in grad school for things we were working on. I once told my friend Meagan (who is a massage therapist) that she couldn't give me a massage that weekend if I didn't work out every day that week (and you better believe I did end up working out every day that week). I completed an Ironman in a Month challenge because if you completed it, you were entered into a drawing for prizes. But even with all these examples, I never really owned how externally motivated I am, because we should do things just because they're supposed to be done, right? Sticker charts are for children being potty-trained, not late 20-somethings who are just kind of lazy.

Enter Habitica. I had heard about this app a bit before, but finally downloaded it last Sunday. And guys, I'm in love. It's a website and app where you can "gamify" your life and get rewarded for completing habits, daily items, and to-dos. Your character gets better and stronger and earns more rewards the more you do....but if you don't do things, the character's health decreases and you can lose the progress you've made in the game. You can also join quests with your friends to hold yourself even more accountable, because if you're on a quest and miss a daily, everybody on your team takes a hit. I'm super impressed with how involved this website and app are. And they're totally free! You can subscribe for a certain amount a month for extra features, though I'm finding that the free version is meeting my needs right now. If you think you'd find this helpful, I'd encourage you to check it out. I know I've been a lot more productive this last week than I normally am and I really hope to keep that motivation going.

End of PSA.

In other news...

This winter was rough. (Hence not much blogging.) We set all sorts of records for snow. I had to get snow tires. (Which I got off yesterday! Hooray!) It was hard constantly seeing snow on the ground all the time, constantly having to watch for ice, and never feeling warm enough when I was outside. I even ran away for a long weekend to North Carolina to see some friends because it was warmer there. (It ended up not being super warm a couple of the days, but there wasn't snow on the ground, so that was a win.) And, of course, it being dark on the way to and from work is never fun. Now that the weather is getting better (and Daylight Savings Time is here!), I feel my mood rapidly improving overall, so that's happy. I don't think I realized how much the weather was impacting me mentally and emotionally.

Life is settling down as it doesn't feel as in flux as it has been. I didn't get a job in Utah that I applied for, which really helped me to throw myself more into really making here home, including spending more time with friends and activities and not just staying home doing nothing. I'm still in my current apartment...partly because there really aren't too many cheaper options for similar apartments and partly (mainly) because moving is a pain. I really like my apartment, just not the management. However, they haven't caused any issues lately, so I can't complain.  I am now month-to-month, so I can leave if I decide to. I'm trying to move forward in various goals. A friend tutored me a bit on my sewing machine. I'm doing some mending, but then hope to maybe start working on some of my 101 list sewing goals. I'm taking another calligraphy class (this time, it's copperplate, and it's been a lot harder for me than the other scripts, but it's really pretty). Galloway has started up again and I'm a pace group leader this season. I'm training for my first half marathon at the end of April and then doing another a half marathon outside of Glacier National Park in June. Got a PR on a 10K yesterday. Lots of good things happening. Both I and my Habitica character are progressing. :-)