Utah fun, family fun!

This past weekend, my whole family was here in Utah, with the exception of my brother Travis (above) and his wife and 3 kids. It is always a good time when my family gets together! Again, this past weekend, we had a lot of fun (and missed Travis and family)! We hiked, we ate (a lot, but strangely, less than at normal Stratton functions), we laughed, we played pool (and more pool), we had foot races (Alyssa is quite fast down the sloping hill in Grandma's back yard!) It was sad to send Matt and Mandy back to Texas, but we will see them at Christmas! When Mandy finally emails me pics from the weekend (hint, hint!) I will post more of the festivities. As a side note: Travis is actually trying to ward off aliens (or some other such nonsense!) with the couch cushion on a trip to Las Vegas for the NFR in 2005! (Lots of good memories from that weekend!)

It's not a real thing, it's our thing!

If you know me, you have heard me talk about my friend Rhielle. She is my running buddy! And the best tent mate for Cross Country Camp a girl could ask for! Cross Country Camp is our own little creation. After really starting to hang out with Rhielle after the Moab Half marathon 2006, she asked if I wanted to do a vacation......nothing but camping and running trails every day! Last year we went to Durango and Telluride. Upon arriving in Durango, we learned about the Kennebeck Mountain Challenge. A 13 to 16 mile (nobody know the exact distance) mountain run. See how happy and cute we are before the race! The scenery was amazing and there were great trails to be run everywhere we went. That's why we are making it an annual thing. Everything I know about trail running I have learned from her. Because of her, I am no able to run and enjoy trails {even if I do fall and do some serious damage to myself.....Jupiter Peak Steeple Chase :)} Again this year we did the Moab half marathon. Rhielle is such a great friend she stayed with me all but the last 5K. The guys she works with even gave us the "Mono Pace Band" as I was recovering from mono at the time and had to maintain a much slower pace than I am used to. On Sunday morning, we hiked up to Delicate Arch to watch the sunset.....what a beautiful place to be! Rhielle has now started doing triathlons.....quite a feat when you consider she had never swam until January (seriously, not even swim lessons as a small child!) Not only has she done triathlons, but she took second place in her age division at the Woman of Steele triathlon in Bountiful over the weekend. Rhielle is a strong, amazing woman! I am proud to call her my friend......and I am a better person for knowing her.

Oh, it's a Meggie Jake original!

A few months ago, I headed to JoAnn's to pick out some fabric for my new "gym bag." Every time since then when I have asked Megan about its progress, I get a "it's not even cut out yet." Well, on Saturday I headed to my parents (where Meggie is now a resident) for Waffle Day! As I was waiting for my waffle to cook, Megan tells me to wait there as she has something for me. I then close my eyes and hold out my hand (as directed) and this beautiful bag is slipped over my wrist. I was shocked and amazed! It turned out even better than expected and I absolutely love it! Meggie really is AMAZING!! As a side note, this is actually a diaper bag. However, because of the numerous pockets inside and the great cell phone pouch on the strap (what a great feature!!) I wanted one as a gym/anything bag.....for those times when you have quite a bit to tote, but not enough for a huge duffel and you still want to look cute and fashionable. If you're interested in ordering one of these beauties {keep in mind, they are custom made, so it may take a few days (or even a couple weeks)to get one} you can contact Meggie Jake at meggiejake@gmail.com

Chad (Mel) fell down!

Yesterday, my friend Eva called me to go on a bike ride up the canyon. (She is training for a half-Ironman in August, and I haven't ridden my bike in about a year!) So, I agreed as I want to get on my bike again, and start training for a triathlon myself. I met her at the mouth of Provo Canyon and we preceded to head up the canyon. It was a gorgeous afternoon and I actually felt pretty good and quite comfortable on my bike. Numerous times I have ridden with others who have tried to explain all the gears and when and how to shift. However, it has never made sense, until yesterday. Eva is an amazing cyclist (OK, let's be honest, she's an amazing athlete and one of the most wonderful people I have ever met!). And, with her help, I was able to finally understand the gears on my bike and how and when to shift. Things were going great.....I'd even managed to clip in and out a few times with no trouble! (Those of you familiar with clipless pedals, can hopefully relate and understand how difficult they can be to use at first.) Well, we rode up South Fork to the girl scout camp. As I was turning around, I decided that I probably couldn't navigate the U-Turn without getting off my bike (I'm still a novice and not that good yet) I was making my U-turn to the left, but decided to clip out my right foot. The next thing I know, I'm tipping over and can't unclip my left foot. Very shortly, I was on the ground, bike on top of me. If you know anything about Stratton's, you know that we find it quite humorous when people fall off their bike! I assessed the damage....none to the bike and just a few scrapes and bruises to me. By the time we got back down the canyon, my right calf was pretty much a bloody mess! I had been bleeding for about 25 minutes and it just didn't look great. I got it all cleaned up (thanks to help from my mom) and have a nice bruise and a couple of puncture wounds (those chain-rings can make a mess of you if you're not careful!) Really, there's nothing that a little time and Imogene won't cure! All in all, it was a great ride, fantastic company and a fun afternoon. I just have a few "war wounds" to who for the day!

Artistic expression

On Friday night I went to an artists reception and showing of my friend Tony's MFA project at BYU. I am always amazed at the talent of others! I definitely did not get any artistic talent of which to speak. Fortunately, I am a great lover of others talents and can appreciate all their efforts and hard work. If you are in the Provo are, I highly recommend taking a short trip to the HFAC on BYUs campus. You can check out all of Tony's great art. And, for you photography fans, there are some really cool black & white photos on display as well. Great job Tony! I love the art work and am in awe at your talent!

Summer Vacation

So, last night was the season finale of The Office. If you have yet to watch (seriously, is there anybody who hasn't seen the office?) I highly recommend it. It is truly one of the greatest comedies on TV right now. It makes me very sad that the season is over and I must wait until the fall for more funnies from the office gang! Luckily, I own seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, so there is always "Office" fun to be had at my house.

Skirt Sports Next Top Model!

Last night Salt Lake Running Co. had their first ever "Diva's Night." Nicole DeBoom (pictured at left) was there to do a little presentation about triathlons (she won Ironman Wisconsin) and her line of athletic apparel, Skirt Sports. Because one of my friends works at Salt Lake Running, I was asked to be a model for the evening. My duties consisted of wearing cute workout attire, (hello, it was great skirts!) and talking to all the women that were there and telling them the benefits of the clothing I was wearing. My favorite item was the Roller Girl skirt, mostly because it has these neat little pockets in the "GirlShort" of the skirt. When I got up in front of everybody to show off my stuff, I pretty much took over the presentation from Nicole and went on and on about how great this item was. She loved how excited I was about her designs (of course, because I sold more product than anybody else!) And, she even said to me, "I think we could be best friends!" I whole-heartedly agreed, and have made a new "best-friend!" Nicole is a fantastic person who is so great to talk to. Although she is truly an "elite" athlete in the world of triathlons, she gave so many tips and helps to all the first time triathletes that were in attendance. She did mention that she didn't have a rep in the Salt Lake market and I told her to sign me up!

I can't wait for Cross Country Camp this summer......Rhielle and I will be going to Boulder this year and we are already planning on meeting up with Nicole and her staff for a run. I love being part of a sport where I can immediately find new friends that want to workout/train with you no matter your skill level.

I think the best part about Nicole, she's a total tom-boy who wears skirts to show off her feminine side.....the perfect combination of girly and tough.....my kind of woman!!

Parlez-vous Francais?

Nothing says "summer" to me quite like a French Pedicure! I just love the simplicity of white tips. And, as an added bonus, your toenails always match whatever you are wearing!

Fortunately, this morning, I managed to find the time to give my feet this, oh so summery look! It's amazing how just this change in my feet makes me happy. And, makes it feel so like summer again (as if temperatures in the 80s aren't enough)

Hunny lover!

me: "The amount of honey consumed in this house is phenomenal!" D: "I know, I just spent $23 on honey." me: "Twenty-three dollars!?! On honey? Seriously!!" Pooh, you've got nothing on us!

Converstaions of the single

me: "What about your acting jobs?" D: "Well, that's work!" N: "So's dating!!" Truer word have never been spoken.

Feeling Groovy!

After months of not feeling well, being exhausted and drained of all energy, I am finally feeling back to my old self! This week I have been able to do most of my usual workout at the gym without getting tired. And, I even have plenty of energy to get through the day. You never realize just how important your health and well being are until they are taken away from you. Even though I now feel good, I still have to take it easy. So, if you see me out running, biking, swimming or at the gym; remind me to take it easy! (At least until the fall, unfortunately) I have come up with a good motivation/mantra to help me in this endeavor: "Think of the jacket." So, when you see me, all you have to say is, "think of the jacket" and I'll know to slow down, relax and just enjoy my workout (until the fall!)

PS-- if you're wondering what "Think of the jacket" means, you'll just have to wait....that's another story for another post!

There is such thing as free lunch

Whoever said there's no such thing as a free lunch, obviously never worked in sales! It is nice to have people interested in receiving your business, so they are willing to buy you lunch. Typically, I only get "free stuff" from FATCO (First American Title); however today things were a bit different. Old Republic, which is right across the street, was having an open house and feeding lunch to all the Realtors in the area. I wonder when Access Title is going to buy me some lunch?

"Keep Looking Forward"

Last night I saw "Meet the Robinsons" in 3D! I highly recommend it to those with children and those without. It is a great story about not giving up.....always a feel good story line. And, the animation is fantastic. The Robinsons are such a great, quirky family and so full of love; you might ever find yourself a little teary eyed at the end. Especially as they pay homage to Walt Disney himself. It may be billed as a kids film, but it is for both old and young!

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." --Walt Disney