Day 148

Once upon a time, there was a man named Lloyd.

Lloyd grew up working very hard to help support his family.

When he was in his twenties, Lloyd moved to a small town called Williamsburg, Idaho, where he worked on a dairy. It was there that he met a beautiful young woman named Lucy. They had a wonderful courtship, and spent their free time going fishing, dancing and to ball games. Then news came that his mother had fallen ill with the stress of his brother being gone serving overseas in WWI. Lloyd rushed back to Utah to be with his mother, and was heartbroken as she passed away so unexpectedly. While still recovering from the shock of losing his mother, he received his own orders from Uncle Sam. Before showing up for duty, he made one last trip to Williamsburg, to bid his sweetheart farewell. While he was there visiting, he fell gravely ill. He did not recover enough to report for service until the war was over. 

So it was that Lloyd Herbert Hansen asked Lucy May Kunz to be his bride. And on May 23, 1919, that dream became a reality.

Lloyd and Lucy Hansen
One fine looking couple

Together, Lloyd and Lucy raised 9 children to adulthood.

At the age of 58, Lucy became mortally ill. From her death bed she composed a letter to her children that read in part:

"Please get together at least once a year, if you can, and hold those family ties that will bind you through all eternity."

 Their children were touched by their mother's plea, and firmly decided to obey her wishes, even as they became older . . .

Eight of Lloyd and Lucy's children in about 2000, and the ninth photo-shopped in 

and had their own children, who in turn had their own children, who then had even more children.

Less than half of Lloyd and Lucy's posterity, as of 2002

The youngest of the nine children was named Gordon. He had a son named Steve, who then had a gorgeous daughter named Stephanie. That's me, of course. 

Every Memorial Day, for as long as I can remember, we have met in Lewiston, Utah, which is where Lloyd and Lucy (My great grand-parents, in case you've lost track) raised their family. I took this for granted for a very long time. It has only been recently that I have come to appreciate the fact that I know each of my great aunts and uncles by name, and, even more amazingly, they know me by name as well. 

During this annual event, I am also guaranteed to see my cousins. I've always been pretty close to my cousins on that side of my family. As the oldest, I've also felt a great deal of pressure to set an example for the rest of the crew. There is no time that this is more apparent than when a picture is being taken of us. I have consistently striven to have perfect photo etiquette, no matter what chaos ensues around me. As the years have passed, most of them seem to have caught on.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C - Today
(We're short a few cousins, and have some additional significant others)

I love my cousins. They really are some of my favorite people. I'm so glad that they are stuck with me through virtue of blood.

This year I had a shocking realization of my own age. Do you see that girl in the Hello Kitty sweater next to me? Her name is Brooke. I frequently baby-sat her and her two brothers (Ian in the white shirt, and Eric in the black and white pants) when they were very, very small children.

She used to be my mini-me.

Also, in a shoes-off comparison, I am officially the shortest of my blood-related cousins, even though I am the oldest. What up with that?

 I truly do love every member of my family. Each person is strikingly unique. Just about the only thing we share in common are our noses and fantastic sense of humor. These are the people that I want to spend all of eternity with.

After all, they're the only ones in all of creation in whose presence I feel normal.

Day 147

I just watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the first time. I really liked it. Not to get all cliche on you, though, but there is nothing that can do justice to the books. I knew that, and that is why I haven't seen the movie for this long.

 I resisted reading the Chronicles of Narnia for years. I thought that they were children's books, so I was not interested. Out of pure boredom last summer, I finally caved and listened to the audio version.

I have never been more surprised by a series of books in my entire life. As a Christian, there is so much in those books that speaks to me on a much deeper level. I have to admit that I found myself crying on more than one occasion while listening to them. They are a simpler model of beautiful truths that I love to be reminded of.

I really do like the movies, they just have impossible shoes to fill. One thing that I love about the movies is that they always have songs on their soundtracks that make for stellar Sunday listening material.

Side-note: I totally saw Switchfoot in concert, once upon a time. They were fantastic.




Carrie Underwood co-wrote a song for the latest movie. It's one of my new favorites. You can find the song here, but I really wanted to post the lyrics. Why? Because this is my blog, and I love the words to this song. Also because she's got some fierce copyright holds on this song that prevent me from posting on my site.

There's A Place For Us lyrics

There’s a place out there for us,

More than just a prayer or anything you've ever dreamed of.

So if you feel like giving up cause you don’t fit in 

down here,

Fear is crashing in, close your eyes and take my hand.

We can be the kings and queens of anything if we 

believe.

It’s written in the stars that shine above,

A world where you and I belong, where faith and love 

will keep us strong,

Exactly who we are is just enough, there’s a place for us, there’s a 

place for us.

When the water meets the sky,

Where your heart is free and hope comes back to life,

When these broken hands are whole again,

We will find what we’ve been waiting for,

We were made for so much more

“Please, Aslan,” said Lucy. “Before we go, will you tell us when we can come back to Narnia again? Please. And oh, do, do, do make it soon.”

“Dearest,” said Aslan very gently, “you and your brother will never come back to Narnia.”

“Oh, Aslan!!” said Edmund and Lucy both together in despairing voices.

“You are too old, children,” said Aslan, “and you must begin to come close to your own world now.”

“It isn’t Narnia, you know,” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”

“But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan.

“Are are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.

“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

C.S. Lewis - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Day 146

Sometimes I'm a fool.

Sometimes I'm a fool with a new camera.

Sometimes I hand my camera off to a friend's mom to take a picture of our group when it is still set on "video" mode.

So, now you know how much I perk up when I'm told that another picture is about to be taken of me. 

Today was the day that Lauren gave her talk to report home from her mission to Arkansas. Her talk was wonderful and she is a positively beautiful person. She is also single. Any of you single men who would like to get to know her better, just let me know.

Also, Vikki and Kelley are on the left of that "picture". Their genetically blessed girl, Elena, will be entering the world within the next couple of weeks, and they are moving into a new house at the end of this week. I love that crazy couple. I still owe them brownies for the duct tape suggestion that Kelley contributed.

Day 145

Not much to say.

I spent most of today icing and heating my knee. I would rather be running.

I also got in some hoops with my dad and brother, though. So, that was cool.

Day 144

Today did not start off too well.

Kelsey and Natalie came over and we went out on our two miler. Awhile into the run, I noticed a sensation that can only be described as feeling a cold chill, but only inside of my right knee. Then my knee started to ache. Right over halfway, my knee felt as though it were tightening up and it became quite painful. I decided to do something that I have not allowed myself to do since I started my training. I stopped running and I walked for most of the remaining distance. It felt fine when I walked, but as soon as I would attempt to jog, it would begin to hurt again. My first reaction was to stress out about it. The past few months of my life flashed before my eyes. I panicked. As I was walking back home, watching the figures of my friends fading into the distance, I called my mom and tried to fight back tears of frustration as I explained what had happened. As I talked it out with her, I decided that the best decision would be to alternate between ice and a heating pad this weekend, and rest it. This also means that I will be skipping my 4.5 mile training run tomorrow. I can't type that without wincing. That being said, I have determined not to stress out about this or treat it like a big deal. I'm just going to rest for a couple of days, get a knee brace, and be back in the game next week. No big. I have come way too far to call it quits now, so don't you worry. I have no plan of backing down. All the same, I can't push myself to injury, so I'll just play this by ear. I've still got to give my body credit. Endurance training, particularly when you are overweight, is very rough on your body. This is the first serious sign of wear and tear that mine has shown. I still feel confident in my over-all health.

In the near future I will be completing a half-marathon and I will be running the whole way. Ya'll can hold me to it.

In other news, I went blacklight bowling tonight with my old friends, Vikki, Muriel, Mariska, and Sabrina.

Vikki did not bowl because she is currently carrying a serious bowling ball on the front of her, in the form of a baby that is due within the month. Muriel is getting married within the month, and was busy doing some prep for that, so she showed up late. When she did show up, she was some pretty fierce competition. Mariska had never gone bowling before and had no idea how to even hold the ball. I walked her through some bare basics, then stepped back and prepared myself to encourage her relentlessly through a night filled with gutter balls. Instead I watched in amazement as she earned several spares and the only strike of the night. I managed to pick up a few spares, but my over-all game was far from anything to write home about. Then there was Sabrina. She turned my residual bad mojo from the knee incident right around into joy. I have never in my life witnessed someone with a remotely similar bowling technique to Sabrina's. Hers usually included a little hop somewhere, and then a backhanded roll, but it was never exactly the same. I asked her permission to share her technique with the world via my blog, and she graciously agreed.

Take notes, internet, because this method actually served her pretty well in tonight's game.

Day 143

First off, I had a bunch of friends move into a house that is round for the summer. It is called . . . (wait for it) the Round House. Expect it to come up in posts throughout the summer, because it is going to be one happening place. On Tuesday, I ended my birthday by going over there for a toga party.

Unlike most kids our age who have toga parties (Toga! Toga! Toga!) we are members of the LDS faith, so the strongest drink we had was milk. We just hung out and watched Hercules. I also discovered that my camera has a smile detector. Seriously, I can set it so that my camera will automatically take a picture once it senses that someone is smiling. I tested it out with my buddy, Nate. We frowned, and then as soon as we smiled it took the picture.

Not the most flattering picture, but it knew the second I was smiling.
My camera has the capabilities to take over the friggin' world.

I have never been more impressed with a camera before. My camera is a genius. Imagine the possibilities this presents for photographing small children, who are notorious for frowning in pictures.

The biggest news, however, has to do with my new shoes and socks. I decided to be brave today and break in my new shoes on a 4.5 mile run with no tape. It payed off in a big way. My feet weren't nearly as sore as they have been after previous runs, and I had no blisters.

Then I sat down to calculate my time.

Then I checked my answer several times.

Then I texted Kelsey (Who was recovering from a couple previous runs this week), in shock.

Some of you may recall that I was pleased as punch just last week when I finally broke the 12 min/ mile average. I've worked long and hard to get that far, and I fully expected to work another month or so before I made any notable improvement on my speed.

Well, with the help of my new shoes and socks, I broke the 11 min/ mile mark today. I averaged about 10:50/ mile or 5.5 mph for 4.5 miles. I'm fairly certain that I have been given Hermes' shoes.

Dude could fly

To top it off, my iPod serenaded me with the perfect song in the home-stretch.

Day 142

I am now 23 years old.

In single Utah girl years, that's like 38.

Today has been a fantastic day. I started it out by eating some of my cheesecake for breakfast. I then did my 6 mile run solo, since Kelsey is out of town today. It was super humid, but the rain was nice enough to let up for awhile.

Then came the presents.

Folks, I try not to be materialistic, but I was pretty darn stoked. My family gave me some new clothes, a new digital camera, new Nikes, and running socks! Here I am, in a picture taken on my new camera, modeling some of my haul.

All of these gifts are exciting to me, but the shoes and socks are of particular importance. When I run, my toes tend to point out a bit. My faithful Asics were designed for someone with the opposite problem. Thus, they could lead to an injury for me and they could very well be contributing to my feet giving out before the rest of me. My new Nikes have more support on the outer part of the foot. From jogging around the house in them a bit, I can already tell a difference in the way that my feet land. As I've already mentioned, the socks should help to get rid of my blisters. So, hopefully now there will be no stopping me. It may seem odd, but I'm going to miss my Asics. They've gotten me to where I am now, which is a far cry from January. They've been there with me through some of the most challenging mental and physical walls I've ever faced. I've done my best to take care of them. I've tried to keep them clean. I've only used them for running.  

But, my oh my, if these new Nikes aren't just sexy beasts.

I'm putting enough miles on my shoes now that their structure is really important. My Asics accompanied me on my run today, and afterwards, I was left with an aching in my knees. I have the sneaking suspicion that my shoes could be the culprit. So, I now retire my Asics. Like many members of the retirement community, they will likely be spending a lot of time in the garden from now on.

Today is also a day of reflection. I am now leaving behind my 22nd year. It was a year of unspeakable lows, and highs that were once unimaginable. 

When I die, I want to be able to say that my 22nd year was the year that I reached my heaviest and most unhealthy point. 

And when I realized how miserable I was, I changed. 

Go ahead and put that on my tombstone.

22

23 (Well, 2 days shy of it)

Those are the same size shirts, they're just covering a different sized girl. 22's shorts don't fit 23 at all. 22 never stood a chance of zipping up the snazzy black ones that 23 is wearing. The second hike was also more strenuous and yet more easily conquered. The first girl was an emotional wreck. 22 had just gotten out of a relationship that she never should have been in. She thought very little of herself. 23 is much, much happier.

So, here's to 23.

I get the feeling it is going to rock pretty hardcore.

Day 141

I just finished baking this strawberry cheesecake:

Or, at least, that's the recipe I used. Only, I made mine with a chocolaty graham crust. I really wish that my camera was in working order, because mine turned out absolutely gorgeous, if I do say so myself. The recipe can be found here, but be warned, there is nothing remotely low-fat about it. I just made it now so that it can set overnight and be ready for my birthday.

Baking is something that I've really missed. I love making real comfort food. It used to be that when I'd get sad or stressed, I'd cook. I know for a fact that more than a few pounds were added to my frame due to that. Thinking about it now, I can see that running has been my replacement for that habit. I've been feeling kind of down lately, and ark-worthy weather has made running more inconvenient. So, it is the perfect time for an "off" day, where I can bake to my wee heart's content.

I hung out with Kelsey a bit today. She's so awesome. We swung by a local running specialty store to see if they had any recommendations for my blister predicament. The salesman brought something to my attention that had never occurred to me: 

Cotton socks are evil for running. 

Blisters need heat, friction, and moisture to form. Cotton socks hold in heat, have that stuff on the inside to rub against your foot, and they keep all your nasty foot-sweat right up next to your skin. Armed with this new knowledge, I have decided that I will be trying out some better socks.

You know you've reached the boring grown-up stage of life when you are excited to ask for socks for your birthday. 

Day 140

As promised here are some pictures from my weekend. Many thanks to Tressa for lending me her camera when mine broke. The first couple are from my party, the rest are from our hike to the Wind Caves.

Attempting to play Scum

We were more successful with Signs

The last time I wore my hiking shoes was to the Festival of Colors

Tres and her brother's dog, Toast

Karl, Toast, Nate, Elise, and Tres tackling another switchback

That's me overcoming my fear of heights

We ate lunch in a side cave while it rained a bit

Day 139

I woke up yesterday, looked in the mirror, and for one of the first times in my life, I thought to myself, "That girl looks healthy."

Waking up this morning was a lot more difficult. My head was swimming in a funk. My friends had invited me to join them at the farmer's market, but I knew that I really needed to run this morning. It was both physical and mental. I set out on my run with my goal mainly being just to finish the 4 miles. I ended up setting a new personal best, averaging 11:45 mins/ mile, or just over 5 mph. After my run, my head felt a lot more clear, I had more energy, and I was happier. Then my friends and I went on a favorite local hike up to a spot called the Wind Caves. I'm feeling more surprised than anything, because my body really isn't sore. I feel incredibly tired, but my body is proving itself to be more capable than I've been giving it credit. I took pictures of the hike today on Tres' camera, since mine has developed ADD, and is having trouble focusing. I'm hoping to get those pictures and post them on here within the next couple of days.

So, that's where my body has been most of the day.

As for my mind . . . Well, I think Mr. Buble says it best.

Day 138

I started out this morning with a great two mile run. I kind of felt like Forrest Gump, when he has all of those people who fall in behind him while running across the country. It started out as just me, and then Kelsey and Natalie joined in. Then this week there were six of us. I'm really loving it! The run goes by so much faster when I'm surrounded by friends. 

The party was awesome! Thanks to everyone who came and hung out for awhile. We started out in the carport, but then it got too chilly, so, after a couple games of lightning, we made our way inside.Once inside we chatted and played signs and ate some more. I had such a great time! My only regret is something that I should have seen coming. I had a Big Mac today for lunch. No fries or soda, just the burger. It was delicious. However, between that and the plethora of delicious dishes that were served at my party, I was not provided with the amount of nourishment that my body has become accustomed to. I was tired before the party even began. I tried really hard to fight it, but I think that vibe perpetrated the party, because everyone was gone by eleven. I'm really glad that so many people were able to stop by. I'm planning on having more parties this summer, only they'll be when it's warmed up and we can do things in the great outdoors.

One unfortunate event tonight, was my dropping of my trusted camera. It now refuses to focus. Tres let me borrow hers, but I was only able to get a couple of shots in. However, I can't get hers onto my computer right now, so I'll post them when I can.

Happy weekend, internet.

Day 137

Kelsey and I just ran 4 miles. I set the pace a little faster than usual, so we finished in 49 minutes, which comes to just over 12 minutes/ mile or 4.9 mph. That is a new high score! (Imagine that last part said in a deep, old school video game announcer voice.) Woo-hoo!

I used my new fancy duct tape. That might be what gave me the little extra boost this morning. I mean, really. Just take a gander at how happy my feet are.

This is definitely an upgrade form the standard, industrial tape I've used thus far.

Just an FYI, that some may consider TMI: I use the duct tape to prevent sores on the bottoms of my feet, but I have to tape all the way around because my feet sweat on long runs, and then the tape slips. The method pictured above has worked awesomely.

Last day of work today. There is very little happiness to be found in that statement. However, today we're taking a field trip to a place with skating, bowling, and a stupendous indoor playground. So, that's cool.

Kayla is heading back home after work today, which is also sad.

I suck at goodbyes, even the ones that aren't permanent.

I much prefer, "Hasta luego."

I think that's what I'll stick with today.

Oh! I and I just realized that I didn't give a weigh-in for this week. My bad, sorry to anyone who noticed. So, here it is: I have lost a total of 48 pounds now.

Sweet.

Day 136

It's Kayla's last night at my place, and we were going to party, but work left us both exhausted, and it's not exactly the right weather for a picnic. On the way home we decided that our idea of a party tonight would involve having some soup and introducing her to the doctor. What's that you asked? Doctor Who? Precisely.

I decided to introduce her to my favorite reincarnation of The Doctor, David Tennant. Like myself, Kayla is a big fan of Buffy. So, imagine my surprise when she declared that Doctor Who is too creepy. Still, she sat through a few episodes before calling it quits. After the first one creeped her out so much, I tried to stick to ones that were more tame. Unfortunately, that meant that I couldn't show her my favorite episode. Here's a clip from it:

I thought that the concept and episode were kind of ridiculous until about halfway through, at which point I had my blanket pulled up to my chin and I had stopped not only blinking, but also breathing. It is easily one of the most intense things that I've ever watched.

So, I steered clear of that episode with Kayla. However, now she is safely tucked in bed in the other room.

I just can't stay away from that episode.

Guess who's planning on having nightmares tonight.

Hopefully not too vivid, though. I need sleep and for the rain to stop between 9 and 10am tomorrow morning. Kelsey and I are now the proud owners of pink and purple duct tape for our feet, and we've got 4 miles with our names on it.

Day 135

Ran 6 miles.

Kelsey came with me and was a rockstar. The furthest she'd run before today was our 4 mile run last week. We finished in 1 hour and 15 minutes. That means that we kept a pace of a 12 1/2 minute mile, which is about what I've been averaging on shorter runs, so that is good news. Also, I'm not nearly as sore from this run as I expected to be. I wasn't devoid of energy for the rest of the day, either. That is also good news.

I did a lot of other stuff today, but now I'm literally nodding off.

Real quick, though, WELCOME HOME SISTER ECKARDT!


Holy pants, I missed you girl.

Day 134

New attempt at a v-log (Although, with how well the video turned out, it's pretty much a podcast.)

It was late at night. My camera quality is sketchy at best, but we think we're pretty dang funny, and hope you agree, at least a little.

Day 133

Just chillin' with Kayla in my room. She's sleeping over for a couple of nights. We're both just computering, and talking about our first loves, favorite songs, and Glee. We are currently chowing down on a late-night snack. Normally, I'm not big on those,but I just realized that I'm pretty far below my recommended calorie count for the day and I have a 6 miler tomorrow morning. That is a bad combo. Eating this late may mess with my sleep a little, but I need to give my body some energy, and eating a big breakfast right before a run is a perfect idea for anyone who happens to enjoy getting sick on the side of the road. So, I settled on a 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on a 100 calorie thin bun, topped with onions and tomatoes, grilled in the toaster oven. Kayla had a grilled cheese with tomato soup. We ate on the floor of my room. This was not a problem as far as the sandwiches were concerned. Kayla's soup was another story altogether.

 The girl just could not seem to get her soup-eating act together without a table. She attempted many methods before finding one that worked. To sum up the advancing of her technique, shorty got low.

I'm thinking I might attempt a new v-log. Perhaps this time involving Kayla. I haven't told her yet, though. I'll bet she'll be enthused. Bless her heart, she seems to think that a mention on my blog is the equivalent of an interview with Conan. I'll just keep letting her think that I have that kind of following. Ignore that number to the right. It's part of a conspiracy to keep me humble. Yeah. That's it.

Day 132

Yesterday afternoon I went with Kayla to see Prom because it was in the dollar theater. That movie is awful. I'm thinking that it may have been directed by Rebecca Black. We were hoping for cheesy-funny. What we got was just plain badness. I just found out that she's chillin' at my place for the next few days, so I'm thinking we'll watch a great movie at some point to rid ourselves of the lingering stank of Prom.


After sitting down in the theater, I felt like moving around. I texted Amy, and we went frisbee-ing for awhile.

It's not like either of us are frisbee champs to begin with, but the wind did not help matters in the least. We would watch helplessly as the frisbee would begin its descent toward the intended target, only to be shot back up into the air by a fierce gust of wind.

We still had a great time, though. I love to just chat with Amy.

After Amy and I parted ways, I made my way over to the Round House, where my friends are summer residents. 

We played some truth or dare Jenga, and I was introduced to a girl who, just hours before, had accidentally pierced her chin all the way through to her gums with a paring knife. She was fine, though. To my dismay, she would not test whether or not water would go through it.

Then came Sunday.

The day of rest.

As stupendous as Saturday was, I needed today to just rest and "re-center", if you will. I've got a week full of awesome coming up, and I'd best be ready for it. 

Quick preview of some of this week's events:

• Kayla staying over for a couple of nights
• My first 6-miler
• Various end of school-year activities at work
• My Party
• Hike with friends on Saturday
• My extraordinary friend, Lauren, returns home from her mission for the LDS Church.

But, at the moment, my list looks like this:

• Bed

Day 131

Awesome 4 miler and good, long chat with Kelsey this morning.

The pool is finally warmed up, so I took my first swim today. I think I'm finally excited for cross-training days now.

Blissfully went to get ready for the day. As I was getting in the shower I looked up and saw THIS :

Well, not this one exactly, but one of his big, ugly cousins

Somehow, seeing that thing when I'm naked makes things a thousand times worse.

I've known this day would come. I live in a basement and it's been a wet spring. These villains were just biding their time, getting bigger. I hate spiders. The only thing I hate worse than seeing them is killing them. I usually just vacuum them up. A lot of times I'll give them a slow death by hairspray. If I'm feeling brave, I might scoop them up on something and sprint to the toilet to toss them in. I never squish them with tissues, though. There's something about the crunch (GAG) that I just cannot handle.

My panic at discovering the spider brought about the natural thought process. As long as there are spiders, cupboards that are just out of reach, things that go bump in the night, knots in my back, and times when I just need a hug, the thought, "Gee, it would be nice to have a husband right now," will cross my mind. 

But, for now, that revolting, vile, awful, disgusting, contemptible, loathsome creature was hair-sprayed until paralyzed and then washed down the drain in boiling hot water at full blast.

Tell your friends, sucker.

Day 130

The last 24 hours have been fantastic.

• I spent last night watching Hairspray and (sigh) Thumb Wars with Nate and Jordon. I still love that movie (I am not referring to Thumb Wars, by the way). It also managed to trigger a conversation about how the guy who gave me my first kiss managed to miss my mouth and full on get my nose. That particular memory is guaranteed to get a smile out of me every single time.

• I woke up this morning and did a two mile jog with Kelsey and Natalie, two of my awesome co-workers. It was so much fun to have company other than my iPod during a run. It was all the more better that this company was fun to talk to, after I got my breathing under control. Kelsey will be joining me for a 4 miler in the morning, and I'm really looking forward to it.

• After our run we got to talking, and somehow came to the conclusion that I should have a party here at my parents' house for my birthday next week. This party will be kind of like a pot luck, only the food that the guests bring will be chosen off of a list of foods that I create. The food on this list will be things that I have been craving over the last few months. I'm excited for that, but I'm more excited to be surrounded by friends in my backyard, again. I haven't had a real party here in years, and I am one social lady. I'm honestly grinning like a fool just thinking about it.

• Yesterday I'd worn my Chacos to work. I didn't think much of it until I tried to run and it felt like someone was using a power sander on my blisters. I just about lost my mind yesterday because it was a beautiful day and I actually felt like playing Cops and Robbers, for once. Standing on the sidelines was maddening. Today I made sure to bandage my feet and wear good socks with real shoes. Because of that, today went splendidly. I was chasing down kids, climbing up rock walls, going down slides, and giving underdogs like nobody's business. It was awesome. It was one of those days when I felt as though I was having as much fun as the kids around me.

• After work, Kayla and I decided to have a spur of the moment outing to Wingers. People, I was so good . . . right up until the end. You see, I ordered a really light salad with grilled chicken on top. Our poor waiter seemed to be having a rough night. He kept on forgetting Kayla's extra ranch, and then they put the chicken for my salad on some chicken alfredo instead. He offered me the pasta for free, or the chicken with the alfredo sauce on it, and it pained me to tell him that I couldn't. I turned down free pasta. I was so proud of myself. Then Kayla suggested that since I had just had a very light salad and had skipped out on the pasta, we should split a dessert. I was sitting there debating the financial and caloric dilemmas this posed for me, when the waiter came to the table and told us, "Desserts on me tonight ladies." I took it as a sign. We didn't hesitate to order their amazing mint chocolate chip concoction. 

One big Asphalt Pie

• Lastly, while at dinner, Kayla showed me some bruises on her arm that she said look like a vampire bite. I believe they more closely resemble the marks that would be left by a pygmy hippopotamus. She's convinced that she is a slayer and managed to stake the vamp right before it punctured her skin, thus leaving only bruises. I still think they look more like they were caused by trauma from blunt rather than sharp objects, thus I lean more towards the theory of an unfortunate encounter with a herd of pygmy hippos. Also, no vampire worth its weight would try to bite a person there. 

The bruises of questionable origin

So, an uncoordinated vampire

or a pocket-sized hippo?

We'll let you be the judge. In any case, she's my friend because we can have ridiculous conversations like this.

Day 129

A text convo with my friend, Jordon, confirming that I am introducing him to one of my favorite musicals tonight:

Awkward hand time

Me: Hairspray?
Jordon: Yes please!
Me: Sweetness. I'll be there right after 6. Be excited.
Jordon: You talkin' Christmas excited, or (mutual friend) when he sees a puppy excited?
Me: There's gotta be a happy medium. Christmas is too little. (Mutual friend) with a puppy is a bit too much. More like redneck winning the lottery excited.
Jordon: Oh dang!!!

Hot diggity dog. I'm going to do my best to refrain from singing along.

Last Minute Entry



— MOVIECLIPS.com

Day 128

"Miss Stephanie, are you wobbly?"

That was the question posed to me today as I attempted to maneuver a difficult game of hop-scotch. An honest answer to that question would have been, "Yes. I have been for the past 23 years."

I have previously alluded to my lack of athleticism, but it truly goes deeper than that. I suffer from an all around lack of coordination and balance. 

One example of this is how I didn't really learn how to ride my bike until I was 14. The rest of my childhood looked something like this, only without the smile or the carpet underneath me:

The bike I'd just fallen off of had training wheels
and was sitting stationary in my front room.

I also never learned how to do a flip on the trampoline, double-dutch jump rope, or numerous other childhood activities that require reflexes in order to avoid pain. My mother recognized this unfortunate trait in her firstborn, thus I was never allowed to ride anything with wheels unless I had on my helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and possibly wrist guards. I remained oblivious to the danger I posed myself.

Then my tom-boy phase struck. From third through fifth grades, I was determined to recreate myself as a woman to be admired for her ability to play all sports to perfection. Every recess without snow, I could be found with the boys out on the baseball diamond. I was never any good, but it was not for lack of perseverance. I thought the lesson I was about to learn was that, "practice makes perfect". I ended up learning two very different lessons: "Always keep your eye on the ball" and "Never mix love and sports."

The year was 1996. I was in Mrs. Packer's 3rd grade class. It was a beautiful day, and the boys had let me be pitcher. I'm certain they were regretting their decision, because I had just thrown yet another bad pitch. From behind me I heard my crush call out some words of encouragement. I turned towards the outfield to give him a smile. That's when I heard the catcher, a boy by the name of Nathan, cry out, "Steph! Turn around!" The smile was still fading from my mouth as I turned around to see a softball directly in front of my face. Then everything went black. I opened my eyes to find myself staring through the blades of grass as I watched Mrs. Packer sprint across the field towards me. The next thing that registered was the pain. I tried to fight back the tears as Mrs. Packer helped me to my feet. Then I saw the blood. It was everywhere and still pouring from my face. That was when I stopped trying to be brave and cried like the little girl I was. After spending awhile in the nurse's office, the blood finally slowed and it was decided that my nose was not broken. They called my mom to bring me a change of clothes. I spent the remainder of the school day with tissues and ice clutched to my nose. The sidewalk was stained with blood, from where I ran past on my way inside, clear into the next school year. My love of pitching was stained for a whole lot longer than that.

Alas, I was but a poser.

My balance is not something to be tested. I have been known to trip over my own feet. Anytime that I pretend any differently, I have payed for it.

Then I took up hiking. As a teen, this seemed like the perfect solution. I could be outside and active, but not really worry about making a fool of myself. Just stay on the path, and life is dandy. One of my family's favorite hiking spots was in Yellowstone. My favorite hike in Yellowstone is to a place called Fairy Falls. The summer after I graduated from high school, we were on that hike and I was feeling confident in my abilities. At the bottom of the falls,there is a small pool of water. I'd always wanted to go to the other side of the pool, but I didn't want to get my feet wet when we were just about to put in several more miles hiking. As I was wandering around the pool, I spotted some logs set up just perfectly across the creek leading out of the pool. I kicked the logs and they didn't budge. So, began to test my weight on them and they still held firm. Slowly, I maneuvered my way across the creek. About halfway across, I had to switch logs. I picked up my left foot to step over, and suddenly everything was bad. I was lying in the creek, watching the sunglasses I had gotten on my service trip to Mexico get caught in a swift current. I panicked and tried to scramble after them, but I was caught in all sorts of debris. By the time that my dad helped me out, my glasses were long gone. After picking various small rocks and sticks out of my leg, and resting for awhile, we continued on to a less traveled part of the trail. It wove its way through some marsh, so there were (what else) logs laid down to avoid being ankle deep in mud. After my previous foray into the world of walking on logs, I was decidedly more hesitant in this crossing. As he waited for me to finish my trek, my dad took this picture:

Notice that half of me is still wet.
And I'm flailing about like a spaz.

I used to think that the path to take was to simply accept my fate, acknowledge my limits, and never push them. However, I have now come to realize that route would mean a life without growth.

I have come to embrace the fact that there are always an array bumps, bruises, and scrapes to be found on my body. It just means that I'm pushing my limits, and actually living. Even if it is a graceless life.

Day 127

I am 1/3 of the way done with my Half-Marathon Training schedule.

I've done all but 2 of the days. For some reason, I've been having a hard time getting myself to cross-train on Mondays. It's going to happen next week, though.

Also, I accepted repeated challenges presented by grade-schoolers to see who could wall-sit the longest. I didn't really think it through before accepting. No more of that on long run days. My quads are screamin' for mercy.

Day 126

I just finished another 5 mile run.

It was a fantastic day to run because there was a light drizzle on and off to keep me cooled down.

I finished it in exactly 1 hour, give or take a few seconds. That means that I have a new PR (Runner speak for "personal record", even though it's supposed to just mean in a race, so I'm taking some personal liberties with its use here.) of a 12 minute mile pace, or 5 mph.

It feels great to see some real improvement, especially after an off weekend.

Day 125

I gained 2 stinkin' pounds this past week.

This did not please me.

I'm back on track today,though, and I've got a 5 miler tomorrow and then two 4 milers later on in the week, so I honestly don't expect this weight to hang on through tomorrow.

Still, I needed a pick-me-up. I tried on what 4 months ago was my favorite outfit, even though it was a bit too tight. Every time that I'd wash the shirt, I'd have to stretch it out before I could wear it. It was freshly washed when I tried it on this morning. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Day 124

To the mom who has taught me how to face all of life's challenges with courage,

And to all the rest of you who have dedicated your life to nurturing others, I wish you a

Happy Mother's Day.

To learn more about the most amazing woman in my life, click here.