Sprint Triathlon

My first sprint triathlon... check.

I'm going to be brief about this because I could really go on and on. I trained for 5 months for this and when it was finally here, I looked at the ocean and thought I was going to pee my pants! We had to swim out to the yellow triangle buoy... not the orange one that's close... the yellow far away one. And the waves looked out of control. I wish a big wave had rolled in when I took this picture so you all can feel my pain, but oh well. ANYHOW...


My friend Rich did the triathlon with me and he was nice enough to rent a van so my mom and both my roommates could come and watch. And we all got to spend some time in Encinitas, CA. Very pretty.


This is Rich and I scoping out the ocean the day before the race. We are about to do a practice swim. Don't those wetsuits look nice??

The day of the race, I woke up earlier than I have in years and got all ready. It was really fun being at the event before it started because everyone is so excited and nervous and it was cool to be a part of that. And I got there just in time to set up my equipment and get down to the ocean to swim. Mom and my roommates made their way down to the ocean to take pictures. Here I am in the ocean... one of the pink caps is me.

I was so happy to be out of the ocean! I was really nervous during the swim because you just never know when a big wave is going to come and pummel you. (Maybe I should take lessons from the guy in the background who is lapping me. He's already got his wet suit down, and cap and goggles off, and the look of concentration... while I'm busy smiling at the camera.)


Next was the bike section and I'm sorry but I don't have any pictures of that for you. All you should know is that I avoided slipping on the slick, wet road, but I did loose my water bottle. Sad! And whoops!

Then it was time for the run. This is always the hardest for me because I HATE running! And because it's the last event and my body gets tired. But I finished in a respectable time.


And got a medal just for finishing.



So, all in all, it was an amazing experience. Lots of fun and a good excuse to see San Diego County. There are two more coming up in September and October here in Las Vegas. So if any of you want to join me, let me know!

Whew!

Hi there! I am finished with school! I passed all my tests and finished with flying colors (despite my fears since one professor told us NOT to study for her final and so I didn't study like I usually do and was freaking out because it was the HARDEST final ever!! Not nice of her!). I walked last Saturday and was reminded how boring graduations are. But I was glad I did it because it feels like I got some Graduate school closure.

I love being done with school and not working yet. It's the best feeling in the world! It feels like I have a summer break again. That's one thing I first started missing when I started my undergraduate schooling. I felt like my summers were stolen from me. If I wasn't taking summer classes, I was working. Full time. Which was a crappy situation, because I had to stop my tradition of watching Wonder Years re-runs. And that's just sad. But I feel like the public school system has set us up for disappointment in the "real world". We never get 3 months off... once we get jobs, our lives are over!! But for now I'm enjoying my time off, and my pseudo summer break. I've been passing my time by painting my apartment and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! I've been looking at this one junk cupboard for about 3 years now, always saying to myself, I have to do something about that. And today I DID!! And I took before and after pictures to show you.


Wow! I am still so amazed at how great it looks! And what was all that crap crammed in there before?? Sheesh!!

So, I have my long awaited sprint triathlon this Sunday. All I ask it that you all pray that I don't drown. :) But we get tee shirts, AND they said there will be a celebrity appearance! Who could it be?!? And I get to go to San Diego for the first time EVER and I asked some close friends to come with me for support, so it should be a fun time!

Spring Breaker!

Well, Spring Break was finally here! And I feel like I made the most of my week off. I took my yucky big test and immediately left town for Disneyland!! I went with some friends from my ward and we got a hotel room close enough to see Cinderella's castle. So fun!

I believe this was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. So dark. And scary. Say hi to my friends Lisa and Anne. Does anyone think Anne and I look alike? We hear that we do sometimes. What do you think?


Can you guess what this ride is?? Anyone, anyone? This ride is also scary but in a different way.

I took a video of Thunder Mountain Railroad... take a look at the end of this blog... you'll feel like you were there!

My friend, Anne got a little sick while we were here and sadly it wasn't the most fun Disneyland trip for her. But you can't win them all!

Two days later I got on an airplane and flew to Washington. I stayed with my Best Friend in the Whole Wide World. (Shout out to Jessamyn!!) It was super fun to see her! But I started to get a little sicky-sick. *Sigh*

I gathered my best friends from High School and we went to Seattle for fun and shopping. I love that place! And I love these girls! Being with them again was just like it always has been. They make me laugh so hard. So goofy!

Overall the trip was super fun and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Only I'd leave my germs at home. Now it's back to school and work for the final month. Then I'll be done FOREVER! It was a good last spring break.



(Don't forget to watch me!!)

Misty Pitt... Sounds good!!

As many of you know, I LOVE Brad! And apparently, he loves me too! Last night I had a dream where we shared a really special kiss and he told me that later this week he is going to invite me to go hiking and we are going to ride his motorcycle!! Isn't that nice!! During our conversation, I told him that I was really happy because I am supposed to be in possession of a ginormo poster of him, (Seriously, it's HUGE! When I get it back I have to do some re-arranging so it will fit on my wall!) I said, "How embarrassing would that be if you came over and I had a bigger than life poster of you on my wall!" And then we LAUGHED AND LAUGHED! And he told me that he just got back from Africa. HOW interesting!! He was a little self-centered and ego-maniacal, but I can look past it because it's TRUE LOVE! If any of you have any questions about what he's like, don't be affraid to ask.

Is it spring break yet?

This year for my spring break I'm doing something fun! Usually I am practical and decide to work for that week, but this is probably my last spring break I'll ever get. (sad!) So Brandon and I are going to travel to the Pacific Northwest!

To start, we will probably go to Vancouver, B.C. "What are you going to do there?" you ask... Tons of fun stuff!!

We are also going to visit Seattle. I LOVE this place! Especially the market! Hopefully my Best Friend in the Whole Wide World (BFWWW) and my BFWWW-in-law will spend the day here with us too. And another Best Friend has "penciled" me in her schedule to spend the day there too. Hopefully that pencil mark will turn into an ink mark!!!!

Next on our adventures, I think, will be the Olympic National Forest. Pretty! Washington forests like this ALWAYS have giant slugs. And they gross me out every time. But I'm excited to watch out for them!

And last, but definately not least, we will see the sights of the beautiful Olympia. My goal while being here is to find a tree hug-ish shirt that says "Olympia is organic" or something like that. WHOOO! Only one point five months!!

Sad day

The day has come for me to give up sweets. Since starting grad school I have picked up the WORST eating habits!! And I heard (from a guy at a bike store) that when training for an event, you have to be careful about what you eat. So far today I ate chips and salsa for breakfast, jambalaya with buttered garlic bread for lunch, M&M's, ice cream, and a treat my mom hasn't brought back from the store yet. And it's only 6:30. I still plan on eating dinner and brownies after that. :) So after talking to that guy, I decided I should cut the sweets out of my diet until the race. BUT... I'm not fully committed to giving up my sweets yet. I'll cut them out only on weekdays. Maybe when it gets closer to the race I will cut more out. But I love them so so SO SO SO SO SSSSOOOOOO much! Stupid triathlon!

BLEH!

So, today has NOT been the happiest day in my life. It's just one of those days... one of THOSE days. To cheer myself up I'm thinking about things that have made me HAPPY. :) Good idea, yeah?

1. Today I found out that there is a web site that'll show you movies for FREE! FOR FREE!! And not just any movies... movies that are in the theater RIGHT NOW! Here's the link. http://tvshack.net/. It's not the best quality, but free is free, right?

2. I am remembering my trip to Hawaii a few years ago, and one of my favorite things was laying on the beach reading the Twilight books. Maui... GOOD! Twilight... GOOD! Sunburned armpits... NOT GOOD!

3. Summer days at the pool. Every Saturday you can find me at the pool with my floatation device. AHHHHH!

4. Hiking the Narrows. That is the funnest hike I've ever done. EVER. Whenever I do that hike I keep thinking about it over and over... excited for the next time I can go. I love being in the water and being active and camping. This is the best combo since...

5. SWIMMING! I used to hate swimming. But now I can't get enough. I love it! As you may know, I'm training for a sprint tri so I've been swimming 3 times a week. I just love that I can see some improvements. I started out barely able to swim the length of the pool, now I can swim far... the new Michael Phelps (minus the pot). I love looking at the bottom of the pool (for some reason), I love that I don't get hot and sweaty, and I love that I can get a good workout without the stress on my body.

6. There is one memory I have that ALWAYS makes me smile. It was a few years ago, my friend slash roommate, Shannon, invited me to go to Island Park with her and her family and they rented wave runners! So fun! I love love LOVE water sports. So I was driving us and I like to go fast, maybe a little too fast. But I hit a wave and I felt Shannon let go of me, and when I looked behind me, all I saw was her body flying... FLYING off the wave runner. She airborne going sideways and so far away from the machine. I'm not sure how she didn't get hurt because it was a really hard crash. But that mental picture is one of my favorites.

7. Getting letters in the mail. Thanks to my good friend Robyn!! I'm horrible at sending letters in the mail, but getting them are my favorite!

8. Watching Gilmore Girls. I just love those two! I love the song too. They always cheer me up! It reminds me of when Kim and I drove across the country when she bought her new car. We drove all the way from Boston to Idaho Falls... that's 2,437 miles. One day and 13 hours of driving. Needless to say, we watched several seasons over those few days! So much fun though. We talked and giggled the whole time. :)

9. I really like painting my nails lately. I like to chose a fun new color. Yesterday they were a dark grape-y color. Today bright red. YIKES! But fun.

10. U-Swirl. MMMM!!!! Yogurt is such an amazing creation.