First Glimpse of Fall

We did our traditional drive through Cedar Canyon to see the changing leaves today. It was sandwiched in between two busy stretches of work for me so I was grateful for the little break with my family in the mountain air. It was cold enough to finally pull out some cute fall clothes which always makes me happy (Fall is really the only time of year that I am excited to look in my closet every morning.) We drove the winding road up the canyon and were greeted with beautiful leaves in every hue around every corner-it was really the perfect time for our annual drive.

It was just beautiful and a perfect way to start the season. It finally feels like fall. We had a nice hike and took plenty of pictures. Emma had a blast chasing Daisy, running around and throwing sticks, and flashing goofy faces for the camera. As a bonus, it completely wore her out and she has already been asleep for a half hour (Which is why I even have time to write this.) I think I'll finish the evening off with some hot cocoa. Happy fall everyone! 

13.1

A few months ago, my dear friend Kelsey texted me and said something absolutely crazy along the lines of "Hey! Let's run a half marathon together!". I, of course, laughed and replied "Yeah right!". A half marathon?? I am not a runner. Sure, I'll take a jog around the neighborhood now and again to get my heart going, I've even done a 5k or two. But a HALF MARATHON? That was definitely not on my list of things to do. However, after a little convincing on Kelsey's part I went temporarily insane and said, "Okay!" and just like that, I was committed.

 

Soon after, Kelsey sent me a crazy training schedule and I knew that if I was going to do this, I had to be doing it for myself. If I was going to commit to this, then I had to really commit to it. Otherwise, I knew I would never finish. I told myself that this half marathon was going to become a way for me to show myself that I could do hard things. Proof that I have grit. 

I soon learned that I was right-it was definitely going to take grit! Because of our crazy and conflicting schedules, we were going to have to run early in the morning-really early. Some days we started before 5 am which meant getting up around a little after 4! (Yikes!) There were days when my side ached or my muscles were sore and I just didn't feel like I could run. Those were the days that felt the best to finish. 

Other days were just fun! Kelsey and I talked about just about everything under the sun that we could think to talk about to keep ourselves occupied. We enjoyed sunrise after sunrise and actually started to feel really good on our runs. We spent mornings laughing and acting way too silly for our ages.  We joked about all of the calories we were burning and all the food we were going to eat to make up for said calories after the race.

After our 10 miler, the longest distance we ran during training.

The longer we trained, the harder it got and the more determined I felt. There came a time where I set aside any remaining doubts and said to myself, "I'm really going to do this." I was ready to go. Of course, after that came a million little worries. What if we hadn't done enough training? What if something happens race day and I can't finish? What if Kelsey gets sick or something and I have to do it by myself?? I focused on the finish line. I focused on how good that was going to feel and tried my best to push those worries away. 

Race day came. Kelsey and I met a few minutes early at the pick up spot where we excitedly climbed onto one of the buses and headed up the canyon. When we arrived at the drop off it was 38 degrees so we huddled around one of the fires along with several other runners. We warmed up and did some stretching just in time to walk up to the starting line. Many of the runners were late to the starting line so the race was late to start. Kelsey and I were front and center at the starting line and we were ready to go. 

5 am bus selfie. Blech!

The first mile was easy. We were surrounded by so many people and we were excited to be there. Miles 2-4 were a little harder. The decline was harder to run than we'd anticipated and we hadn't really had a place to practice that gave us an idea of what that would be like. It was really steep and it took a mile or so to get used to. Around mile 4, we both started to feel really good. The canyon was beautiful and that was the best way to see it and really take in it's beauty. 

When mile 8 came, things got tough again. I reminded myself that I had known it was going to be hard and worked to find ways to keep myself motivated. I even reminded myself that just last year, I had done something much more difficult; brought a new life into the world. That was the hardest thing I've ever done and if I could do that, then I could finish a few more measly miles. So we kept going. 

Kelsey and I had talked about speeding up when we saw the finish line. In those last miles though, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to do that. I was sure that I was moving as fast as I possibly could. When we rounded that corner though, I can't explain the feeling. We went for it. I'm not sure how fast we were actually going but, it felt like we were flying. 

We did it! I did it! We ran the whole way and we NEVER stopped. I could hardly believe it-and my legs felt like absolute jello! The important thing though, was that I'd proven to myself that I could set my mind to something and follow through with it no matter how difficult it got or how badly I wanted to quit. I'd been able to say "this is a really hard mile, everything hurts" and also know that I was going to keep on going no matter what. 

It meant so much to me to have my family cheering me on. Kelsey's family was there to support us, my parents, Sam's mom, Sam, and my sweet Emma. Their support and love, the beautiful flowers and treats, and the best Emma hug ever at the finish line made every mile worth running. I'm so grateful for my amazing support system. And of course, Kelsey. I wouldn't have even thought about doing this without her. It's something I never thought I would do let alone COULD do. It was hard but, I'm so glad we did it together. It's something I'll never forget. 

Oh! And the medal was pretty cool too! :)

Summer Wrap Up

It's been another summer to remember. It's starting to get cooler in Cedar City and soon enough it'll be fall. I am excited for all of the new fun that fall will bring. (I am already anticipating Halloween with Emma this October and long drives up the canyon to see the changing leaves). I have to say though that I am a little less anxious to see the summer pass this year. I've enjoyed sitting out on the back patio in the evening and watching Emma play in her pool, taking her outside for "showers" under the hose to cool off, ice cream runs, and spending time with family. Maybe it's even just that another summer passing means that Emma has gotten a little bit older-she really is growing like a weed, especially her hair! I can't believe how much she's changed in a few short months. I'm grateful for all of the memories this summer has brought.

 




Farm Days: 

About a month ago, we bought a share at the Red Acre Farm. It has turned out to be one of the best things we've done and one of my favorite summer memories this year. We love picking up a basket of fresh, organic, local veggies and fruit every week along with a dozen organic eggs. It's helped us to eat healthier, feel better, and it's really pushed me to improve on my cooking skills. I love experimenting with the fresh herbs we get or creating dinners with the veggies that come in the basket every Wednesday. I've learned how to prepare fruits and vegetables that I honestly didn't even know existed. We get so excited to see what we'll get each week that we jokingly say it's like Christmas every Wednesday. As an added bonus, I love taking Emma along with me to the farm each week. It's an activity that the two of us have had a chance to share and bond over every Wednesday because Sam is usually at work when we pick up the basket. We go see all of the animals and she can tell me what each of them say. She loves to give a little snack to the goats and gobble with the turkeys. On the way out she stops to smell all of the sunflowers that line the pathway to the car. She even likes to snag a piece of fruit or a carrot while moms back is turned-she can be pretty sneaky. We even took grandma and grandpa S with us one week to give them a tour! It's been a really fun memory.

 

 

 

 

 Visiting grandpa at work:

Emma is pretty lucky because her grandpa works at the coolest place EVER. The other day we went to visit and grandpa gave us a private tour of the jungle. We took a "jungle cruise" on a paddle board and rode through Tiki Beach, Kong's Jungle, and even Pelican Pond. Emma LOVED it! She's been learning all of the animals and their noises so she went nuts over them (especially the monkeys and the elephant.) Add all of those awesome animals to water?! She was in heaven. She had fun squirting mom with the wall squirters, rode the frog slide, and even rode the big slide on grandpa's lap. If you have kids and you haven't taken them to the newly remodeled Sand Hollow Aquatic Center, you really should. They will love it. It's been transformed into a jungle playground and I'm pretty proud to say that my dad is responsible for the entire vision and execution of the new fun theme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rattlesnake Creek & Brian Head Peak:

My favorite days are the days that Sam has off of work and we've got nothing to do so we just pack some snacks and head up the canyon for the day to escape into the mountains. A couple of weeks ago we had a chance to do just that and Sam took us to a trail that Emma and I hadn't been on yet called Rattlesnake Creek Trail. It was beautiful. Emma started out in the pack but, after a few minutes she decided she needed to be out and walking on her own. I took her out to let her walk for a minute and she just took off! She walked the rest of the hike by herself-didn't even want to hold my hand! She must have fallen 15 or 20 times but, she just kept getting back up and trekking forward like a champ. She kept up the pace too! Sam and I could hardly keep up with her. Only stopping to sniff an occasional flower or pick up a stick, Emma walked a good 1/2 mile or more by herself! She is an adventure girl for sure. After our hike, we took a drive up to the highest point on Cedar Mountain-Brian Head Peak. Breathtaking views. It was hard to enjoy them with Emma screaming the whole time though-she wasn't happy that I wouldn't let her wander around near the cliff on her own. (There's a reason why we call her "little miss independent".)  With all of that walking and playing and crying, Emma was tuckered by the time we got back to the car. She slept the whole way home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She wants to do everything daddy does.

 

 

Emma's really been a handful this summer-she can throw tantrums like you wouldn't believe and her energy is NON STOP. Not to mention that she gets into everything and can destroy the house in ten seconds flat. I've discovered the challenges of being a toddler mom. What I really want to remember though is hearing her make the sound of a rooster for the first time at the farm, pausing from whatever I was trying to get done to read book after book as she would go into her room and bring a new one out for me over and over again,  watching her independent spirit on our many family outings, snuggling with her on the couch on the nights she decided she'd rather stay up and watch Minnie's Bowtique than sleep, and hanging out with aunt Livvy on her visit from Portland. I want to remember her and grandpa's tradition of going to get the mail in her special "mail hat" every time we'd come to visit, the silly squinty-eyed face she makes when you tell her to blink, the image of that adorable gap-toothed grin on her face running down the dirt trail at the cabin, the proud look on Sam's face the first time we heard her exclaim "ish!" (fish), and her cute little piggy tails. Those are the things that have made this summer unforgettable to me.