2011

I sometimes thought about updating the blog during 2011 but it never seemed to happen. Today I have done two posts! I did one of just pictures and this will be the written explanation. Lets blog!

2011 was a very busy year. Treven started graduate school (yea Trev)! We also did a lot of traveling, it seems every month we had something, sometimes two places to go to! We loved every minute! 2011 was a good year for us!

We had our good friend Joe come to visit us in February from Florida. It was actually Treven's birthday present/surprise! It was fun to see Treven's face when I walked in with Joe behind me! We went to blackhawk for some casino time, celebrated Treven's birthday, and went skiing.

March was a quiet month my friend Linda and I ran the Platte River Half Marathon. I was nervous the night before because we were supposed to get snow, but the heaven's smiled on us and it was cold but no snow!

May had me jetting off for a girls weekend with my Mom, Chelsea, and Grandma. We were in St. George and Las Vegas for some serious shopping! We had fun shopping, walking the Las Vegas strip, and eating chocolate Carmel corn.

July we spent our 4th celebrating in Florida with Joe! Treven, Paco, and I spent 5 days basking in the Florida sun! It was fun to go boating and fishing on our first day there! We also went to Orlando and spent the day at Universal Studios! It was a lot of fun going to the Harry Potter world! We spent the actual 4Th on the beach during the day and watching the fireworks go off from the pier once it was dark.

September was a busy month for us. We spent Labor Day weekend with our friends Jake and Dana in Glennwood springs. It is our favorite Colorado mountain town. We went to the lava hot springs, biking by the river, and hiked up to hanging lake.
Then a few weeks later we once again got on the plane and headed to California! But this trip wasn't one where we sat around all day, nope we did the Ragnar Relay from San Francisco to Calistoga. It was 190 miles that took our team of twelve runners 35 hours to complete! By the end we were sore, tired, and most of all stinky! This race landed over our anniversary and what better way to spend it than with 10 other runners who hadn't showered in two days! Once the race was done Treven and I did get to relax and enjoy the sights of San Francisco! Our anniversary dinner was supposed to be at a nice restaurant but on the way there the two days of running and being out in the sun caught up to me, I got sick and after seeing the restaurant bathroom for 30 minutes we headed back to the hotel. Later that night when I felt better we had a romantic meal of In-N-Out burger on pier 39, well as romantic as that can get anyways!

In October we drove to Moab, Utah where we met up with Joe's mom to run the half marathon. Treven of course beat everyone, but I got a personal record on that race so I was super happy!

November was another busy month. At the beginning I flew to Boise so I could watch my brother Corey test for his black belt in martial arts. It was a test that lasted almost all day and by the end he was so tired. He is now a black belt so everyone better watch out! It was also fun because after the weekend I drove to Twin Falls so see my good friend Kristy and her three kids! Twin boys and an adorable baby girl. Kristy used to live in Denver and I was so sad when she moved but it was fun to spend a couple of days catching up and playing with the kids.

Thanksgiving was spent in St. George and watching Chelsea eat a lot of mashed potatoes! And of course a quick trip to Vegas for some shopping. I also discovered I am not much of a golfer.

December was very busy but we had a great time over Christmas. We spent some time with Treven's family in Idaho. It was fun to do a Christmas Eve brunch with his family. We then headed back to Salt Lake and spent Christmas with my family. We got to go see the house that looks exactly like the house in UP, played games, ate lots of food, and enjoyed every ones company.

That in a nutshell is our 2011. How grateful I am we have such a blessed life. I hope everyone has a great 2012! Hopefully I will be better at chronicling our adventures this year!

2011 In Pictures

Feburary 2011

Skiing

March 2011

Ran the Platte River Half Marathon

May 2011

Girls Trip to Las Vegas!

July 2011

Florida

September 2011

Glennwood Springs

and

California

Running the Ragnar Relay

October 2011

Moab Half Marathon

November 2011

Boise

November 2011

St. George

Thanksgiving

December 2011

Utah/Idaho

Christmas

Christmas Eve

There is something about Christmas Eve that makes think I like it more than Christmas day. It seems that one night a year the whole world stops and takes a breath. I always feel peaceful and the song Silent Night seems to fit the mood of Christmas Eve. As a kid the anticipation was fun and now as an adult I love that it seems to give everyone time to spend with family and reflect. My family is scattered this year, we are in Denver, Corey is in Boise and my parents are in St. George with Chelsea. I hope they know how much we love them and hope they have Merry Christmas wherever they are on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, my heart and thoughts are with you guys. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas it is such a wonderful time of year.

It's been awhile

It has been awhile since anything has been updated on the blog. It has been a busy few months and with the holidays coming up I'm sure it will be busier. To start, I have gone back to school and determined to finish. I am majoring in Health Care Management and it has been a big adjustment. I did decide taking on 12 credits and working full time is a little too much so next semester I think I'm going to take 9 credits. I went and visited the parents over labor day weekend. Mom took me on a hike that was more than we bargained for but oh the views at the top. Speaking of my parents had a scare when a wildfire went out of control they were evacuated and looking at the pictures it was a miracle that so few homes were lost. They were able to return the next evening. We celebrated our 5Th year anniversary! We went to glennwood springs in the mountains for the weekend. We rented bikes and took a spectacular ride through the mountains. I wish we would have had our camera it was a beautiful ride that we want to go back and do in the spring. Treven and I ran the Moab half Marathon couple of weekends ago. I wasn't going to run it since I did almost no training for it but Trev said to go and see what happens. Everything was going great until mile 10 then I decided it wasn't such a good idea. By mile 12 every step I took was painful, by mile 13 I was holding back the tears. But we both finished! Thanksgiving is going to be weird since Treven works all week I am flying home, I think it will be my first thanksgiving at home in 4 years. Overall we are just busy and enjoying life.

After a grueling hike it was great to relax

Spectacular views!

There were 3 lakes total

We didn't realize how close the fire was until these pics!

Cruising

We were able to go on a great vacation to many wonderful places in the Caribbean. We left from Miami and went to Cozumel, where we spent a day sailing, snorkeling, eating good food, and laying in the sun. Then off to Belize where we did zip line and cave tubing. The cave tubing was cool because you can float down the river through these caves and that was amazing. Then we went to Roatan which is an island off of Honduras and that places was beautiful. It looks like it came out of a post card. We did scuba diving there where we saw sea turtles and eagle rays. Our last stop was the Grand Caymans where Treven and I split off from my parents and went jet skiing it was a rush to fly through the waves! It was great to spend my birthday on the Cayman islands! We had a great week of playing in the sun and relaxing too bad the cruise boat found Miami port again and we had to come back to reality. Now it is time to plan our next vacation!

Heading back to the boat after a day in Cozumel

They had this thing you could sit in and the wind would take you flying!

Walking to the place where we would go cave tubing

The Zip line All four of us ready to scream like little girls down the zip line!

Weirdos Beautiful Roatan
Waiting to go scuba diving

The water was very clear and blue
My birthday, even on a cruise boat I got sang to
The best vacation!

Caribbean

I can almost smell the Caribbean air......
We are now booked and ready to go on May 2nd leaving Miami for a 7 night cruise seeing Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and the Grand Cayman Islands!!! This will mean we are spending my birthday on the Cayman Islands and I can't think of a better way to celebrate it! I just wish it was sooner!

An Answer

Awhile ago I started a radiology program, I eventually quit my job at Time Warner to pursue my schooling and my student debt went from almost nonexistent to substantial loans. Then I realized, I hated being a rad tech and after a lot of tears I quit the program. Most people know I was bitter over the whole ordeal. I didn't understand why it felt so right when I prayed about it for it to turn out the way it did. I quickly found a great job that has pointed me in the direction I wanted to go in, but I was still bitter.
I prayed a lot, I felt like I was entitled to the answer of why I felt I needed to quit my job and go into school for the rad program. For some reason I felt the answer of finding my current job of office manager wasn't good enough, I felt like there was more to it. So I prayed for a long time and became more frustrated that I never got an answer. I eventually stopped praying about it and chalked it up to, my prayers weren't being heard or Heavenly Father just didn't care how I felt about this issue. It is something that has always simmered beneath the surface and has made it difficult for me to pray about things for awhile because I felt like he didn't care.
Today I feel like I got the whole answer to something that has bothered me for a long time. I received a text message from a co-worker who still works there saying they are shutting down the entire division I used to work for and everyone is being laid off in April. I know that had I not gone into the program I would probably still be working for Time Warner and this post would be very different. It would have been about joining the ranks of people who had lost their job and the hopeless situation of finding a new one along with thousands of other people in the Denver area. Had I not gone to school I would not have found the job I work now and I would be very lost in where to go to next. But I have a great job and I know what I want to go back to school for and FINALLY finish my degree and I finally can let my bitterness go. I am beginning to understand more and more about prayer and that we are not just left to fend for ourselves. I just need to learn that things will not be done on my timeline, I'm not sure if I will ever learn that lesson :)

2010

Treven and I had a great holiday, it was very different though not going anywhere for Christmas but we had a good time. On Christmas Eve we went and saw the Nutcracker which I thought was a great way to spend the afternoon. We went to his sisters house for dinner that night and went home to spend the evening watching Christmas movies. In the morning it took all of 5 minutes to open our presents, so different from being a kid! Then brunch with some friends.
Now it is 2010 and I am wondering what I am going to do for a new years resolution. After some time I have decided I want to spend this year learning new things. One thing I have decided for sure is I want to take cooking classes and learn how to make something more complicated than spaghetti! I have ideas for other things but need to make some decisions. I also want to go back to school, watching Treven get ready to graduate has made me want to go and finish what I started. AND I want Treven and I to go on a real vacation since we haven't been on one since our first year of marriage. So that means less trips to see family this year so we can save our money and vacation time, sorry family. Can't wait to get started!

Christmas Letter

We are not good at sending letters and so once again we have failed so we will put it on our blog.
This year has been eventful in many ways and not always in a good way. Some things have been tough, we went through a stressful time of not knowing if Treven would still have a job or not, thankfully it blew over but not without some sadness as Treven had to watch several good friends get laid off in the process. My car was hit by a large SUV but luckily as bad as the damage was I was not seriously hurt but still deal with some issues. I try not to look in my rear view mirror when I am at a stop because I have had full blown panic attacks anytime I feel a car is coming too fast. I watched the driver who hit me come at speeds greater than 50 mph as I helplessly was at a stop light behind other cars. The impact was horrible and an experience that left me shaking so bad I couldn't talk or function, Treven had to come to the scene because I couldn't function.
We have also had some great experiences that balance out the not fun ones. Treven in May completed his first full marathon in a great time of 4 hours and 15 minutes, I could not have been more proud of him as he smiled ear to ear at the finish line. A few short weeks later I completed a sprint tri-athlon that was so empowering I felt on top of the world. In October both of us along with my parents and my friend Jodi did the Moab half marathon. I think both Treven and I have started down the path of race junkies as we hope to do several more in the upcoming year.
We have been able to go and visit friends and family through the year. I think we both really enjoyed our trip to Idaho. I loved visiting my friend in Twin Falls so see her ADORABLE twin boys. Then off to Payette to see friends and go white water rafting on the salmon river.
We were able to see the phantom of the opera, Treven had never seen a broadway show and he really enjoyed it.
I was asked to teach Primary singing time and was scared to death at first. But it quickly became a calling I really liked and miss sometimes now that I am not longer doing it.


We have had a great year overall and through these experiences we have grown so much closer as a couple. As we went through one of our toughest trials when a family member of Treven's disappeared for a time and left behind a note and his possessions. During this time we learned truly of the power of prayer as we said many. I learned that sometimes prayers are not answered right away but we are not left alone. As we searched and the days rolled by it became increasingly frustrating that we were not getting any inspiration of where to look. Eventually after a week this family member returned home and it has changed his life and ours as well. As the months have past and I have often thought about this I wondered why no one felt anything of where to look or even if the person was still alive.
As I talked with a friend she gave powerful insight that I feel is the reason. She said if our prayers would have been answered right away and he would have been found then our prayers would have been answered, but what about this family member? What would it have done to him, he would not have had his experience he needed. He needed to know if he wanted to be apart of this life and of this family. For years he has been distant and in his own world. Since he has come back he is a changed man for the better. Sometimes prayers are not answered in the time or way we want but it is not without reason. If we would have found him the first day or two maybe he would not have learned what he needed to learn. He had to come back because he wanted to, and he did. Our immediate prayers to find him were not answered, but the prayers people had been saying for years asking for him to have a change of heart were answered.

During the Christmas season we wanted to say how much we love God, his son Jesus, and our church. We are grateful for the trials that have been put before us this year, we are truly stronger because of it. We are very grateful for our families and friends. How blessed we are that God was so loving that he put Treven and I together, we have had 4 years of marriage and I can there was no one that would have been better. This year has taught us that we need to leave things in God's hands and know he has a plan for us and we are not left alone to fend for ourselves. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and we love you all!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas this year is to make it through an entire Jillian Michael's workout video without the urge to puke...... It's not like I'm asking for the world!!!!

Facts of Life

Recently we have had events in our lives that has really made me think about what I want in life. We are leaving Thursday so we can spend a weekend with my step-grandpa Frank, it will probably be the last time we will see him in this life as he has not been doing very well. I haven't talked about it much basically because I hate the conversations you have when you tell people someone in your family is dieing, it basically goes, "I'm sorry that sucks......." followed by a long awkward pause because really what do you say to a person in that situation? Nothing ever seems good enough. It has given me time to reflect on what this man means to me since he came into my life when I was a teenager by marrying my grandma. It is no secret I did not like him much at first, I thought he was grumpy and it was tough for me to adjust going to HIS house to see my grandma. But through the years as I have watched him and my grandma and the way that he truly accepted her family as his own I have been impressed by many things which I would like to incorporate into my own life. I think everyday I hope that something will happen I hope that the doctors will do a test and find out that somehow he has been cured and that he will be around for years to come. But that is not the case and time marches on becoming the greatest enemy. All I can do as I watch helplessly is hope that when I am old and gray I can look back on my life and be proud of who I am, what I have done, and how I have change people's lives. I have watched how much him and my grandma have accomplished in 9 1/2 years of marriage and I know that if they can serve multiple missions, travel the world, and be there for their family I have big shoes to fill.
This weekend will be hard as I know that when the weekend comes to a close I will have to say goodbye to someone who has made a difference in my life. I can only hope I can take into account the lessons I have learned from him and make a difference in people's life just as he has done in mine.
Grandpa I love you.

Moab and Stuff

Life has been crazy busy at work and at home in general and with a snow day I guess I need to stop procrastinating and get some stuff done! First, my work has decided to open up a second office so my life has gone into overdrive. So if I'm kind of non existent I'm not blowing anyone off, promise.
A few weekends ago Treven, myself, my friend Jodi, her hubs packed up their car and headed to moab so we could run the moab half marathon. I admit I was nervous but not near as nervous as I was for the tri-athlon back in June. Poor Treven was really sick but was not going to miss running after he has been training so hard. We were able to spend Saturday in Arches National Park and then met up with my parents who were also running the race.
Sunday morning came way to soon and before we knew it we were on our way up to the starting line up the scenic highway. I was nervous because before the race the farthest I had ran was 9 miles and now I had to do 13.1! But it was a fantastic day in a beautiful setting, perfect weather, and lots of jitters to keep me running! Jodi and I had a goal that we wanted to finish in under 2 hours 30 minutes, as we past mile 10 we realized we needed to pick up the speed and I don't know where the energy came from but we FLEW the last three miles, and finished under 2:30. Our final time 2:27. Treven and my dad finished in one hour 47 minutes and my mom not far behind us at 3 hours. In my professional opinion of one race :) it was a fantastic place to run and I am excited that Treven and I will be going back to moab in Dec to run their run in the sun 10k.







Along the run More scenic stuff on the run

After the race recovering

The whole gang who ran, my dad, Treven, mom, me, Jodi

My favorite pick of the girls!

The famous arch in Utah

That was not an easy rock to get up on!

Treven and I, so happy to be done!