Tender Mercy Tuesday: 62nd Edition

Hello my friends! It's been a little while since I've done a Tender Mercy Tuesday huh? Sorry about that - not that there haven't been blessings in my life....it's just I haven't taken the time to sit down and tell you about them.

Last night I received a wonderful tender mercy during my run. Now this might not make sense at first, but stay with me and it might make sense in the end. (I hope)

As you may recall, I have been doing ballet basically my entire life. So excuse me while I talk about dance for just a moment (this relates, I promise!) When you turn (pirouettes, chaines, fouettes, etc) there is a technique dancers use to not get dizzy: spotting. So, when you spot when turning and traveling across the floor/stage you pick a spot in the place you want to end up and you want this spot to be just above eye level so that your chin doesn't drop and the audience can't see your pretty face. BUT as you get closer to your destination, your spot has to change otherwise your chin is going to end up too high in the air, your focus too high and you'll defeat the purpose of spotting and end up a dizzy mess.

You're probably wondering right now what this has to do with running, well let me tell you!

See, when I run I like to pick an object to run to, often a lampost or a bush, or a tree. Something easily identifiable. Often, I pick this object with the thought that "if I just get to that tree then I can walk for just a second." Usually I then a pick another object to walk to...this process usually happens as I'm getting very tired and drained and am trying to push myself. Last week as I started running again (after too long of a hiatus) I found myself using this "trick" of pushing myself (or so I thought) quite often. Well last night, things went differently.

Soldier Boy and I decided to pick a new place to run besides the block around my house and jumped on his motorcycle to go to the City Park which I kid you not is less than a mile from my house. This City Park is HUGE. We had found a runner's map that ran a route around the park that was about 2 miles. We didn't end up going the 2 miles (we skipped one of the loops and took a shortcut. ;) ) but the great thing about this run is that I had a new realization. See, if I apply the theories of spotting to my run, then I go longer and keep up a very regular pace (especially if I'm listening to some good music, which I was!). See, instead of picking an object to run/jog to and then walking, as I got closer to my object of choice I would pick a new object to run to - BEFORE I reached the original object. Make sense? All I know is that it made my run so much easier last night - Saturday I had gotten really sick while running and was worried that last night would be the same. I am happy to report that for me, I have a new way to run and get through the hard parts (I even ran up TWO small hills WITHOUT STOPPING! This is huge for me as I hate hills) and a way to push through my runs. I am very excited to try this theory out again in the near future and hopefully use it in longer distance runs as I get more in shape.

Also - just a random fact about last night's run. After it was finished, Soldier Boy and I were stretching in the parking lot and all of a sudden fireworks started going off. It was a great way to celebrate the end of a great run for us and we chilled out on the grass for a bit before heading back to my place. :o) Good times.

34:03

See those numbers up above? yeah....that was my time in the 5k on Saturday! Awesome, right?!

34:03.

That is a minute and half FASTER than my last time of 35:35. :o) Also! I only walked ONE BLOCK of the entire 5k. That in of itself is a HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT for me.

See, the last time I ran 3 miles (about a week ago with Solider Boy) I had to walk a good portion of our run. So to only walk one block, that was an awesome feat for me. I am feeling so good about my accomplishments from this last 5k. Now I need to find one to run in each month for the rest of the summer. I'm looking forward to dropping my time to 30 minutes or less. :o)

WOO HOO!!!!

Thursday Thinga-ma-bobs

hey guys.

life is busy. I need to re-balance things out. Kind of like balancing tires on your car? Yup. Need to balance a few things out in my life. I should probably work on that this next week. in said balancing, I need to find time to be posting more again. I miss it. I miss you guys!

let's get this show on the road shall we?

• Soldier Boy aka my boyfriend is the best boyfriend. I love spending time with him.

• Last night had us in the craziest of laughing fits after something that he did. Oh man. I'm giggling to myself just thinking about it. 

• I love being able to laugh with Soldier Boy. It bodes well for us methinks.

• I don't work tomorrow. Huzzah. Seriously. This is good news!

• I have fun plans tomorrow...including finding out if my sister is having a boy or a girl, I can't wait to be an aunt!

• Starting Saturday Soldier Boy has his daughter for a whole week. I'm taking off Wednesday to have crazy fun adventures with the two of them. I'm very much looking forward to it.

• I teach Relief Society on Sunday. My lesson is not prepared. I'm trying to not be nervous about it.

• Because Soldier Boy has his daughter I will see less of him this next week. *sad face*

• I'm going to be moving at the end of the July. I don't know where to yet. Somewhere north probably. It needs to be month-to-month and reasonably priced. Any suggestions?

• I'm running in a 5k on Saturday. I'm hoping for similar results to the one I ran in October.

• I plan on running at least 3 more 5ks this summer. I need one in June. And August. I'm not worried about July or September. I know which ones I'll run then....

• My goal is to have my 5k down to under 30 min by the end of the summer.

• There are only 6 more weeks left to the dance school year. This pleases me more than you probably could ever know.

And that's about it. :o) Life is good. I'm busy - but not too busy (I think) and I'm very much looking forward to the future. I just wish I knew when "things" were going to fall into place. But then, I always wonder that. :P

Until next time peeps....Cheerio!

Friday Things!

Hello my dearest Internet friends! I apologize that it's been several days since I last posted, but with spending a whole day on a plane/in an airport and then enjoying the lack of responsibility that I have right now, I just haven't felt like posting! However, I thought on today, this being Christmas Adam and all, I would leave you with a few things..... :o)

• Being with my family is awesome. I haven't seen them since my sister's wedding in June and it's great to be able to spend time with them.

• I am starting to catch up on sleep and it is wonderful. I really love not having to wake up to an alarm clock every day. :o)

• Having the Brother-in-law around is...different. It definitely makes things more interesting. Not bad, just interesting. 

• I am intrigued to see what happens when there is more than one significant other around here. That will be fun times.

• I wonder what the coming year will bring. While I had a year full of growth and flourishing - it still feels like I did a lot of the same old same old. I guess that's an adult life for ya....but I still wonder what next year will be like. I'm excited for it to come so I can see. :o)

• I miss Monkey Man like crazy. When we said goodnight/goodbye on Tuesday night (really early Wednesday morning) I thought that the next 8 days were going to go by SO SLOWLY. But then we were talking last night and I realized just how quickly my vacation was going to come to an end. I think it helps that I'll still have a holiday and a few days before having to go back to real life once I'm back in Utah.

• Monkey Man got me a great Christmas present: a really pretty brown infinity scarf + black hand warmer things. (like fingerless gloves without the finger parts) He did a great job for the first gift giving-ness in our relationship. ;)

• I haven't been to the gym since Monday evening...but I'm going later this afternoon AND I am going running with my dad tomorrow morning. So that's good.

• Virginia is not that cold right now. In fact, when I stepped off the plane it was balmy 63 degrees. I love it. The house is a little cooler than that - it's the way the house was built, but the fact is there is NO snow, NO ice, and NO need for crazy amounts of layers. I am totally okay with this this year. In fact, I prayed for it. ;)

Basically, I am really enjoying my time off and my first real vacation in a LONG, LONG time. I don't really count the week I took off for my sister's wedding or any of the times I took off for other reasons and had a "staycation" as vacation. This is my first REAL vacation in a year and boy, do I deserve it! I hope you all have the best Christmas weekend ever! I'll be in touch...eventually. ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Hello my dears! I hope you are having the most splendid (or spookiest) Halloween ever! Mine has been pretty spectacular so far. This weekend had it's up and it's downs - but unlike Nottingham, the ups have definitely outweighed the downs. I've been trying to figure out how to best tell you all that has gone on...I think we'll do a day-by-day update. okay? okay!!

Friday

Friday was the "down" part of the weekend. I was ornery all day long, I was exhausted and I pretty much felt like crap. I've been fighting cold symptoms all week long and I just felt icky. I picked up a free pizza that I earned from Papa John's and sat on my couch moaning the demise of my BYU Cougars to the TCU frogs. sigh. I went to bed at 9:20 pm and slept for 10.5 hours. BEST THING EVER.

Saturday

I woke up feeling SO refreshed. I ran my 5k and did SO WELL!!!! I don't know my exact time (yet) but I know that it was better than the last time I ran a 5k. I'll be sure to post my time once I get it. ;) After that I came home and did a few pointless things before going on a TRIPLE date that I put together last minute.

See....I had this Groupon for miniature golfing for up to 6 people. (it was only $9!) It expired on 10/30 and so when SwingKid and I were driving home from the race I asked if he and his new girlfriend (who was in his Master's program. She's so nice and I'm happy they are dating) wanted to go. He asked if it would be weird,  I said no. So plans were made. I asked Monkey Man if he was available and he said YES! THEN looking for 2 more people, I thought of Surfer Boy (who has just started dating A* a girl in my ward who is one of my best friends and I just love that these two are dating!) and texted him, and him and A* were definitely in! So, if you were paying attention...I went on a triple date with my former crush and his GF and my ex and his GF. Weird? Not at all. ha ha ha ha. I didn't warn Monkey Man prior to this excursion that my ex was going to be there, but it did come up at one point. He laughed at me and told me that I had a weird relationship with him. I concurred with that statement. However, it was great fun being with two other couples doing something as simple as miniature golfing. After that triple date there was Stake Conference (which I will probably talk about more tomorrow) and then after THAT I went over to Monkey Man's place and we watched Captain America. :o) SO MUCH FUN! It was a great Saturday. :D

Sunday

I got to sleep in a little bit (no extra meetings!) and then went to Stake Conference. Monkey Man sat by me and at one point during church I looked over and thought, "oh my gosh. I have a boyfriend." It continues to amaze/shock me that I'm dating someone. It just sort of happened. And while I am not complaining, I am constantly finding myself in awe of the fact that I am dating someone. Has this ever happened to anyone else? I mean, really?! How does one just POOF find themselves in a relationship? Anyways, it feels nice to be with him and yet I don't feel this overwhelming dread when I don't see him. I am still me, still doing my own thing but with someone that I can share things with and I think that is the best possible thing EVER.

After church my roommate and I worked on her Halloween costume. I sewed a detachable wedding dress train to a shirt and then we went outside and trashed said wedding dress. It was AWESOME. I even drove around the block with the dress hanging out of my car. BEST THING EVER. She's one awesome zombie bride today! I finished off my evening with Ward Prayer and The Little Mermaid. :o) LOVE that movie so much.

So there you go. A not so little nutshell of a weekend...but fun none-the-less. Tonight Monkey Man is having a Halloween Party that I'm going to and all-in-all it should be a pretty good day. :o) Have a spooky kind of day!

Happy Friday!!

I am SO happy that it is finally Friday. This has been one VERY long week and I am very much looking forward to my weekend of Halloween celebrations!

So without further ado...Friday Fill-Ins!

1. Beware of spiders and other spooky creatures..

2. I am definitely not ready for the snow.

3. And since we are on the subject, I've decided I need to learn how to snowboard this winter.

4. Do you believe in supernatural spirits?

5. Where there is chocolate is where I want to be right now.

6. Any kind of soup is one of my favorite meals when it's cold out.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a couple of Halloween parties, tomorrow my plans include running a 5k, doing some baking and enjoying Stake Conference and Sunday, I want to enjoy the fact that I don't have any extra meetings and I can take a nap!

Oh thank goodness...

I am so extraordinarily happy that it is Friday. Life has been crazy, but I've been able to live and let live and not complain too much. :o) I'm just excited that I get a 3-day weekend, a 3-day work week and then another 3-day weekend. Go me! ha ha ha.

It's day 19 of the 21 Day challenge dear friends. Today's challenge is to wear somethign on your head. Now, Kayla told us it could be absolutely anything - even a flower clip! However, I wear ribbons, flowers and headbands on a very regular basis, but I have two hats that I just don't wear that often. I decided to bust out one of the hats and push my comfort zone a little bit. I have a hat I love that my mom gave me for Christmas that I don't wear very often, at all, BUT my hair wasn't going to cooperate with that hat. So instead, I went with this:

{hat: Target}

cute, huh?! I paired it with this new top and jeans:

{sweater shirt: JC Penney, tank: DownEast jeans w/belt: JC Penney}

I couldn't get the colors to come out right on my iPod touch w/instagram...but the sweater shirt is a really pretty cider orange kind of color. And my new jeans? Love them. They are so comfy! and I love a good dark wash jean. :o)

It's Labor Day weekend y'all. Officially the end of summer, or something like that. It's starting to feel like fall a little bit around here. The weather has definitely been cooler in the mornings and evenings, and I love it.  Here are just a few things that I'm doing this weekend:

• Going to the gym and running tonight - meeting with my trainer tomorrow morning. I'll probably be dead by the end of it.

• Watching a movie with friends and then going to a dance party tonight. I think.

• Teaching choreography tomorrow morning.

• Cleaning the church building tomorrow morning.

• Watching my BYU Cougars. Oh how I am excited to see them on the field again. They make my heart happy.

• Helping my roommate sort out kitchen stuff. It will be fun times, I'm certain of it. :P

• Hopefully making some good headway on Sister B's wedding gift. I want to get it finished.

• Teach my Relief Society lesson. Here's hoping it goes well....

• Watching the CES Fireside. love.

• an adventure of some sort on Monday - maybe the zoo?

Should be a busy weekend. I'm rather excited. Have a great weekend y'all!!

Thursday Things!

• Friends - the workplace is CRAZY today. Seriously. The first of the month is always insane, but today....today is majorly insane. Just sayin' - not complaining. ;)

• It's Thursday. I love me some Thursday. I'm rather excited about Blue Tango tonight. It should be good times y'all. :o)

• I need to do laundry. I should work on that.

• Roommate A is moving out - anyone need somewhere to live in UT county and want to live with me?

• I'm an awesome roommate, I promise.

• Going to a movie night tomorrow night. Will cute boys be there? Possibly. Am I excited? hecks to the yes yo.

• I have awesome friends. The end.

• I'm teaching Relief Society on Sunday. I'm a tad nervous about this.

• Went to the gym last night - ran and walked 2+ miles. It was awesome here's the results (including my warm up/cool down)

• I'm loving my pink running shoes. They make me feel awesome.

• Played volleyball last night. In my pink running shoes. See above statement. yup, it was the best game ever.

• Today is Day 18 of the 21 Day Challenge. It is so quickly coming to a close! I can't believe it! Today's challenge? Statement Jewelry! I was uber excited about this challenge. I had bought some earrings w/Sister B last week - hoping that I could pull them off, and then I found out that today's challenge was statement jewelery...yeah they totally fit that category so, without  further ado, my outfit:

{yes, i'm wearing giant feathers. LOVE them - JC Penney's}

{I also wore this necklace again. JC Penney's}

{the whole kit and kaboodle! pants: Target, shirt: JC Penney's/DownEast}

•  It is September First y'all! I LOVE the month of September. My littlest sister is turning 16 - and that's just insane!! Also, my half birthday is this month. woo hoo!

• I am ready for the change in season - I just hope that fall lasts a LONG time and that winter doesn't just go forever and forever like it seemed to do last year.

I think that's everything. Life is good. I am very very busy these days, but that's okay. I like busy. :o) Have a great Thursday y'all!!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 36th Edition

My tender mercy comes from my run last night. I rolled my ankle (not badly) about half way through. There was some pain, but as I walked it out, I considered just calling it quits and going home. It was my first run outside in a long time and I was mad at myself for not being more careful being outside. However, as I was walking in a circle, I decided that the pain wasn't that bad and that I could move forward and finish my planned run.

So I did. My ankle is still a little sore this morning - but there's no major bruising and the swelling seems to be non-existent. I feel like this is a huge tender mercy. I'm trying so hard to get myself into good cardio shape and to just be healthy overall. I very easily could've blown my ankle injury out of proportion and allowed myself to give up, but I didn't. I am so glad that I had the strength and the confidence to run it out. When I finally got back to my car, it felt good knowing that I had finished what I had set out to do.

:o)

In other news, today is Day 16 of the 21 Day Challenge and the prompt for today is: Menswear.  I thought about this one a lot yesterday afternoon/evening. I own a "boyfriend" shirt that is super comfy, but it's half-ish sleeved and just not something I want to wear when it's going to be 90+ degrees today. Instead, I dug into my closet and pulled out a tie that I borrowed from Dad ages ago to wear to school one day, and never gave it back. I love this tie, but hadn't worn it in a long time so I figured it would work for today's prompt.

{shirt and pants: Target tie: my dad}

The pants are a brown plaid with a hint of teal to them and the shirt is an awesome steel gray. Pair that with the maroon skinny tie and I feel like this outfit is a winner! I didn't button up my shirt all the way, mostly because I wanted to have that relaxed feel, plus I hate feeling like I'm being choked. :o)

Day 12

I just love my days off. So far today I have: slept in, gone to the gym, and watched Project Runway. Which, if you didn't see, my sweet friend who was booted off in week 2 is back again! This made my heart SO SO SO happy. :o)

Also - the gym? It was hard. Day 2 always is, but I rocked it out and finished strong. Week 4 day 2 was the same workout as Day 1, so my results are basically the same.:

I'm pretty happy with myself!

As far as the 21 Day challenge goes, today's Day 12 challenge is to jazz up the jeans. I love jeans. I really do. I wear them all the time. :o) So...here's my outfit!

{shorts: thrifted and altered by moi shirt: JC Penny}

I'm pretty happy with the look. Chic, but casual. :o)

I hope all y'all are having the most marvelous Friday. The weekend is here (or almost here for some of you) and I hope you rock it hard core! Still on my agenda: a visit to the temple, get my car inspected for registration, get my car detailed for its birthday present, drop off a birthday card for Grizzly Bear and decide on what I want to do with my evening - because I have options!! :o)

Love all of you. Hugs!

It a new day, a new dawn....

and I'm feelin'.....good! Oh my. I just love Michael Buble. He makes my heart quiver with joy. He's the best. :o)

I am seriously feeling so good right now! Part of that is because I got my hair done last night and I just love it. I went a dark, chestnut brown with red highlights and new bangs and it just looks fantastic, if I do say so myself. Let's move on to some Thursday things shall we? I have plenty for ya!

• Not only do I have new hair, but on Saturday I am going shopping with Sister B to get a few new items of clothing. Life will be good with new elements to my wardrobe. :o)

• Speaking of wardrobe, I am LOVING the 21 Day Challenge! It has been SO fabulous for me and I'm discovering new ways to wear things that I already have in my closet. It is rocking my socks!

• Speaking of the 21 Day Challenge, today is Day 11 and the challenge was to wear a dress or skirt. Easy enough! I love wearing skirts, especially during the summer. Keeps me cool. :o) Today I not only wore a skirt, but I went with remixing my item from Day 1. So without further ado, my outfit:
  

  

  {skirt: my roommate's from Gap, shirt: Kohls/DownEast, belt: Papaya}

  
  

  I sort of love this...Tucking in this shirt does feel weird and I feel like it does funny things...sort of. Overall, I like it. I added a pop of color with my bright pink heels (which you can't see). I almost wore my pink belt that I have...but it just didn't flow right.

• I love pencil skirts (which is what I'm wearing today.) They make my heart happy.

• I don't work tomorrow. This makes me SUPER happy.

• I am teaching my company for the first time tonight and I'm rather excited. It will be fun times for sure.

• I've mentioned this a few times this week, but I just can't contain my excitement. I'm going dancing tonight!!! Oh yes! This just might be the highlight of my week!

• I'm in love with Instagram. It is so fun to play with.

• I went grocery shopping last night and then made taco meat. I froze some of it for future meals and then ate a taco salad. Yummy.

• Work is insane. It's driving me crazy.

• This week's running schedule is sort of crazy. I'm trying to decide what is going to work best. It's a little up in the air.

• However, going running means I get to wear my awesome new, bright pink running shoes and that just gets me all excited.

• I have tickets to a UVU Volleyball game tomorrow night. I want to go, but not by myself. I need to find a friend to go with me.

I think that's all for now. Pretty much, I am loving today - even if work is insane and driving me to be slightly cynical. :P Oh well...c'est la vie!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 35th Edition

I have been thinking a lot the past few days on what I wanted to post about for my Tender Mercy Tuesday today. I was struggling with finding something to share that would be appropriate, but nothing was coming to mind. Then yesterday happened. Friday was a really awful day at work and I was not looking forward to coming into work yesterday. However, I knew that we should be fully staffed and that would make a huge difference from Friday where I was the only customer service specialist in the office. Well...my one coworker called in sick. So we were only partially staffed yesterday. It ended up being an okay day - and I attribute it to the fact that I was able to find the good in things as the day went on. This isn't always the easiest thing in the world to do, but finding the good in life has always been a talent of mine and I was glad I was able to put it to good use yesterday. blessings. :o)

In other news: I bought new running shoes last night. They are hot pink and full of awesome. See?

I think they made me run better last night than I would have otherwise. :o) After a 2-month hiatus from the gym, I got my butt on the treadmill and pounded out Day 1 of Week 4 of the Couch 2 5k program. With my warm up/cool down this is what the treadmill said I did:

I feel pretty good about that. I'm a little sore this morning, but as I saw my pink shoes on the floor of my bedroom, a part of me wanted to go running again today! Even though today is not a running day. :o) I think the pink shoes are going to be good for me! huzzah!

Finally, today is Day Nine of the 21 Day Challenge. I took a HUGE risk today and I'm pretty sure I look like some sort of vegetable today, but I wanted to push the envelope on Monochrome outfit day. So...without further ado, my outfit:

{skirt: made for my sister's wedding by my mom, jacket: BYU bookstore, shirt: DownEast bracelet: Gardner Village. not pictured: headband sash made to match skirt and earrings: green discs from claire's}

I'm pretty sure I look like a green bean, or lettuce or something. I am not sure I'd ever wear a monochrome outfit like this again...but who knows. maybe? I'm just not sure how I feel about it. I can wear mostly black, mostly brown all the time, but any other color and it makes me nervous. sigh. Anyways. There's Day 9!

It's Tuesday, and that means first day of ballet classes! woo hoo! Here's hoping you all have a great second day of the week! ciao!

hello monday!

Hello friends! This week is full of new and exciting things and as much as I LOVE my weekends, I was really excited to get through it so I could attack this week with vigor. :o)

Things that I am doing this week:

• continuing to work on the 21 day challenge. This week's prompts look like a lot fun while still being challenging for me. Watch for my outfits each day!

• While ballet classes for my studio officially started on Thursday, I was out performing at BYU Education week, so I had a sub. My first official classes of the year are tomorrow and I'm stoked for the new year! I'm teaching a new class this year and I am just so excited!

• I'm getting my hair done on Wednesday. I have never looked forward to a Wednesday so much in my life! My hair is driving me bonkers and I am excited to feel cute again.

• I don't work on Friday. I'm not sure all what I'm going to do that day, but I'm just excited to not have to work.

• I am going to Blue Tango on Thursday! I haven't been to Blue Tango in way too long due to the musical and I am so excited to see my friends again and dance the night away with them.

• I am going shopping with Sister B! I love shopping and my sister. So going shopping with her is a pretty awesome thing to have happen!

• I am getting back into my exercise regimen starting TODAY. I am going to do the couch 2 5k program again, but I'm starting on week 4. I've already scheduled the time in my calendar for when I'm going to the gym so there WILL be NO excuses. :o)

Doesn't that sound like an exciting week? I sure think so!! And now, the moment you've all been waiting for......Day 8 of the 21 Day Challenge! Mixing fancy with casual...I struggled trying to pick out an outfit - especially one that  I could be comfortable in all day at work. I almost went with a different top with jeans, but then I settled on this outfit:

{top w/belt: Papaya, jeans: DEB}

I LOVE this top. I feel so super cute in it and it's the first official outfit that I belted - mostly because it came with the belt. This top feels fancy to me and I always wear it with slacks or a black pencil skirt - but I totally dig it with jeans. One day I'm going to try mixing the fancy and casual with jeans and my Japanese top that I made....but not today. :o)

and.....that's all folks! Nothin' much is happenin' these days. Grizzly Bear and I are still friends....I think he still likes me, but he needs to ask me out on a date in order for me to want to be with him more. And really....that's about it. :o) until tomorrow dear ones!!