Some Catching Up To Do

Boy has it been a while! Let's do a quick update:

 

I ran Ogden's half marathon last May, I believe it took me about 2 hours
and 49 minutes,so a minute or two less than my last marathon. Of
the 3816 registered, I finished as the 1990th across the finish line. 
But finish I did, and in the pouring rain no less.  It had rained all
night and continued on throughout the day, but I managed to stay

mostly dry with a poncho, with the exception of my feet, hands, and
face. I threw the poncho off at the very end so I would be recognizable.
Here's the pic!

 

It's a HORRID picture, I know, I took a picture of it pulled up on
the computer because I just can't afford to pay $38 for ONE picture,
but I needed proof of a very important event. I have volunteered
for the Ogden marathon six times and at each one, I've promised
myself  that I would BE IN IT one day. And that day came and it was
as amazing as I thought it would be. I loved the race atmosphere,

the volunteers, and of course, my whole family being there at the
finish line. This race was a lot bigger and more crowded than the
Hunstville half marathon, so it was fun to experience another race.
I finally got the "trinket" that I had  seen others get and wear proudly,
and I hung it right next to my other medal, and I love glancing at
hem every now and again in my bedroom, it helps me realize that I am
capable of doing hard things, things that take awhile to accomplish,
that in no way cater to my need for instant gratification that I have
struggled with all my life.

 

And guess what? I'M DOING IT AGAIN THIS YEAR!

Yep, Justin and I are signed up for the May 17th event, so I will be
reporting on that in a couple of months. I wasn't going to do another
one, but that leads me to my next update...

 

We still aren't pregnant. We've been trying since summer, but it
just hasn't been in the cards for us yet. It is suspected that I don't
make enough of the hormone Progesterone on my own,
which can mean I can't "hold onto" an egg once it has been released.

I've been tracking all sorts of things and I've been on clomid at times,
but in February I decided to stop fixating on all of it so much and
just let it be for awhile. And that is when I decided I needed
something else positive to concentrate on and I thought another

half marathon would be just the thing. And I've always wanted to do
something big like that with my husband, and he was totally game, so
we started training last week, and its going to be an amazing thing
that we work on and complete together.

 

Over the past year we have gone on a few amazing trips. We went to
Chicago in July and then California in August. I will do some separate
posts of each in a little bit so I can get the entire experience
(complete with pictures) documented.

 

My mom moved up to Oregon in August, it has been very weird not
having her around. We never saw each other a TON because we are
both introvert homebodies, but it was still different knowing she was
just a 20 minute drive away if I needed her or she needed me. That's
not there now and it is something to get used to for sure. My whole
family that I am close to is within an hours driving distance. Parents,
grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles... they are all
right here.  When I married Justin I got my first sense of what is
was like to have family living in a different state. I will say that it
sure makes the times when you finally DO see them a whole lot
sweeter. We went to Tahoe for Christmas to stay with Justin's
family, but at the end I flew up to Oregon to stay with my mom
for a couple of days, and it was so nice. It was relaxing and we got
to spend time just the two of us, like all those years it was just us.
We shopped and watched movies and ate good food, it was just the
best.  I missed Justin of course, but distance makes the heart grow
fonder, and it made coming home that much sweeter too.
I think we will get back up to my mom's for mother's day.

 

While we are on that subject, something else crazy happened...
Justin's sister's boyfriend of several years got offered a job in
Medford Oregon, right there where my mom is! Because it was
such  an  amazing offer, they accepted and bee-bopped right up
there in January and have loved it. My mom and Shannon hang out
and do  things, and that fills me with such happiness because I
don't want my mom OR my sister-in-law to be without family around,  
so it has worked out absolutely perfectly. I take care of Shannon's
mom and she takes care of mine! Heavenly Father sure had a
hand in that one.

 

Last update... I've started working with my grandpa on his Tire
Crafting business. Long ago he invented/created the pattern for
the tire horse swing, which launched all kinds of other projects
having to do with old used tires. He put all his ideas in a book and
has  successfully sold it for over 20 years, and because he is getting 
a little older now, he needs to pass the torch to someone else, so I
created a new, modern website that we will sell the books on,
and in order to protect all the assets I actually started an LLC
that we will do business under. I hope to do all kinds of amazing
things for the  environment, and publish other works that promote
recycling and gardening, so we named the business Green Arts Publishing.
I'm so excited for this new  chapter in my life, and I have great hopes
that it will lead to positive things. I will probably start another
blog for that, but I will have to work up to that, I still love my
job with Intermountain Healthcare, and don't want to stop doing it

any time soon,so I just have to use my time wisely.

 

Well, that's it for now, I will try to post again soon!

 

Loves,
L