40 line, 3 word update each... just trrrry to interpret : )

**SAMPLE**
Life is a highway baby... I think I drove 40 hours in two weeks... (later update, later 80 hours in 6 weeks... who loves road trips?! : )


**FULL SCOOP** 
I am taking off to DC soon... here is 40 line, 3 word update each of my recent adventures I made... have fun trying to interpret!! : )

1. Heidi C-section TODAY!!
2. School lunch grandkids
3. Swam with grandkids
4. Ate yummy salsa
5. Saw Mom NM
6. Played catch grandkids
7. Cleaned prego's house
8. Ate at Chilis
9. Got temp-job call
10. Bob wants me (temp-job guy)
11. Crazy decisions DC
12. Need be there
13. Temp no go (see above)
14. Motivation to go
15. Interview when arrive
16. Microsoft skills tests
17. Other networking plans
18. Pack up go
19. Drive drive drive
20. Love phone GPS
21. Loved MCDs StrawberryLemonadeFreeze
22. Saw "don't pick up hitchhikers near correctional facility" sign
23. Saw suspicous hitchikers : )
24. Called PoPo justincase : )
25. LOVED driving scenery
26. Listened to books
27. LOVED St. Louis & Elk City, OK : )
28. Enjoyed state stereotypes
29. Ohio -- tired, Erin (friend/neighbor)
30. Scared Dad TV : )
31. Harry Potter Erin
32. LOVED home ward
33. Sister/Fam visit M-day
34. 4 yr. old Niece say, "I can't keep up with you and David" ha! : ) (or something like that, also asked why I wasn't married : )
35. Watched "Waiting for Superman" again (and y'all should too!)
36. Cheap Massage, Erin
37. PF Changs, Erin
38. FHE with Dad
39. Email catch-up
40. Musana Conf. call

Bonus: This, now SLEEP!!!! : )

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years ago... 17... again...?

**SAMPLE**

17 again… However you feel about the movie… this is in honor of/dedicated to my “Second Helping” ; )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNqwRL4Ir8o …enjoy!

**FULL SCOOP**

Ever thought about where you were exactly a year ago? Or 2, or 3? So, it’s not quite to the day… : ) but I’m a pretty reflective person… okay, I’m really reflective… I’m reflective in regards to both the future and past. I have been known to make 5 year plans… with details for where I would be every season with a plan B, C and occasionally a D with a disclaimer to each of those that includes my “open to revisions/flexibility factors” – Meaning, though I like having a plan, I love NOT having a plan almost just as much… I just like to know my options : ) (I mean, as a veteran girl scout, it’s my duty to be prepared). (We’ll save my planning methods though for another day… that can get pretty involved… : )

Moral of the story… as much as I consider the future, I frequently consider the past… the past little while I have been reflecting on where I was a year ago, and consequently the year before, the one before that, etc. etc.

The following are the results (according to the general Summer/Fall period of the year):

1 year ago (2008)

· Mid-Summer: Turned 21!! Was an Especially for Youth counselor in Ohio (Kirtland, special edition – SO neat : ) Then a family “reunion” – immediate family and some extended came to visit and we all stayed at this 4-H camp… together, so great, got to sing camp songs for our lunch with a 100 sweaty pre-teen 4-H’ers : ) And sister nearly got married! They mutually called it off about 2 hrs before… so brave! She is now happily married to a different man who adores her… : ) Shortly after went to one of my best friends’ wedding in UT – growing up is hard to do… but exciting too – all in all, LOVED IT! : )

· End of Summer: Attended another one of my best of friends’ wedding (best wedding reception I’ve gone to!) and visited some other friends in CA, and again, bittersweet :)

· Very end of Summer: Started packing and headed to DC for a semester long internship with the Washington Seminar – to quote one of my friends, she called it her “BEST DECISION” : )

2 years ago (2007)

• Mid-Summer: Spent my birthday and the 4^th of July in Philly (and was recorded in the Guinness book of world records for participating in the largest salsa dancing party!) and went to Maine with my parents ($13 one-way flights!!)… gotta love the east coast!
• End of Summer: Finished up doing a few EFYs at BYU-Idaho (aka – Heaven on earth : ) and loved every minute! First time back on campus since the previous fall – also bittersweet…
• Very end of Summer: Family reunion in Idaho, hiked Mt. Timpanogos (wahoo!), settled into my first BYU apartment with one of my very best friends (we always planned on living together since we were little… years later, still worked out!) and got ready for my first semester as a new transfer student! (Reason I transferred? That whole prayer thing… just felt right : )

3 years ago (2006)

· Mid-Summer: Was at BYU-Idaho – loving summer semester, going to a little nearby lake in between classes, working my little heart out doing Women’s Events and going to Bear World!! : ) (fabulous nearby Idaho attraction) And went to my family’s “Mountain Man Rendezvous” aka family gathering where we camp, hike, shoot guns, throw knives and tomahawks and pretend we our mountain men, cute isn’t it? : )

· End of Summer: Campaigned for Student Body Office… and rocked it! ; ) j/k I had an AMAZING campaign team and circle of supportive friends… wouldn’t have been able to do it without them…!! (and a whole lot of sweat and tears and everyone working their little hearts out -- but for reals… I have been truly blessed with wonderful associations and friends… I love you! : )

· Very end of Summer: Went home for a whirlwind “break” and headed straight back to school to begin preparations for a busy semester, kicking it off with New Student Orientation… always great.

4 years ago (2005)

· Mid-Summer: Spent my birthday and the 4^th of July in DC and road tripped with my sister to Houston and back (she was moving) stopped in New Orleans (pre-Katrina) and had our car broken into within about 10 minutes of parking it… not gonna lie… I’m still a little bitter… j/k… kind of : )

· End of Summer: Went to an activist camp of which I was one of about 2 republicans with 40 democrats : ) and learned the art of activism!! Then came home and went sky-diving with another best friend and friend’s brother – you'd be surprised, not too bad, it really is much more fun than scary - for reals! (just do it, you know you want to!! : )

· Very end of Summer: Got ready for my first semester of college! Packed my goodies, had my parents drop me off, went to New Student Orientation and met my roommates who I soon came to love again, as some of the best of friends – BYUI – Another BEST decision.

And here it is…!

5 years ago (2004)

· Mid-Summer: Ha ha, most summers would have been conditioning for soccer!! (took a break my Jr. and Sr. to focus on other activities : ) Headed to Switzerland to visit my sister living there… gotta love having family live in cool places!

· End of Summer: Came back and gave blood to celebrate finally being of “legal age” to give : ) *See Second Helping below… Then just had family visit and enjoyed bonding!

· Very end of Summer: Showed our horse for my last time showing horses in our county fair… sad day… but good times : ) Wrapped up summer and began my senior year with our football team winning a game when the previous year our soccer team had more points than they did... per game… (soccer, best game: 18 goals – football, best game: 14 points…) anyway, it was an exciting start to a fabulous fall!

And THAT was a whirlwind blast of my past 5 years...! (well, at least of the summer times : )

Much love, K*

YOUR TURN/READER THOUGHTS: Where were you 5 years ago? And/or where were you/what were you doing when you were 17?

**SECOND HELPING**

Snippet from my blog entry as a 17 yr. old about turning 17… (and a little about dating, ha ha... : ) get ready…! (funny how people change… even funnier is how they don’t ; )

“…After buying a CD just to listen to the one sweet 16 song on it the night before I turned 17... I tried to think of what I could look forward to, because 18 is cool because... you are like, an adult, yet still a teenager, so you are kind of in two stages of your life at once... just kind of an interesting concept I think : ). Anywho (and you can vote and such!! Good times!) So one might think okay, just another year of more great dates right? Well, since we all know the record from last year, pfff, forget that one, who needs those anyway right? I actually I am kind of glad because... well around times when I actually need one... like prom and homecoming... (or rather would like one: ) it is always exciting to see how close I can get to the dance while still not having one : ) he he... Anywho, I have accepted that fact and am happy about my present state : ) so moving on. What is exciting about 17? Um, as I mentioned earlier... most people would say... "Now you can watch R movies!! Wahoo!” {But} since I have chosen not to do that... I needed to find some other fun way to celebrate my 17ness!

“So I thought about it... and realized that every time I have heard about a blood drive they always say you have to be 17 and over some weight, (the weight I got covered baby! But the age was always a different story : ) and not that I love pain or anything, but giving blood is healthy for you and... saves lives!! I mean seriously, who doesn't like the feeling of being needed? Right?! It is wonderful to think that because I gave my blood and one hour of my life... someone can live the rest of theirs. Amazing isn't it? Anyway, so I read about an upcoming blood drive, the first I have heard of since my birthday and just decided I had to go! Also, since Labor Day is coming up this weekend, it is even more in need, because sadly, there will most likely be accidents and people who need it, so of course, all of the more reason! Anyway, It was such a great experience!!

“Since I have been young, I have had to go to the doctors for various health reasons and have had to had many shots and blood samples taken at different times, so I am somewhat used to the process, but it still gets me everytime! I usually am not too nervous about it, but when it is just about time, I just get so giggly! I usually don't get that nervous about much really, but when I am either really happy, really tired, or scared nervous, I giggle like crazy. Those of you who have been there during my giggly times... I am sure can agree : ) It is awful though when I can't stop, I love to laugh, but... oh man, sometimes I just giggle so much, I realize how stupid I must look and giggle more! So it is fun and a good giggle, because I would rather giggle than cry, but goodness, I am sure I seem like a fool, but at least I am enjoying myself! : )

“Anywho... so when they did it I kept giggling, but they were all so nice and friendly so it wasn't too bad : ). Thankfully they were just like, if only everyone laughed instead of cried, we would have a great time! Anyway, throughout the hour, we had plenty of good times. But it was funny because towards the end I kind of started to feel whoozy and voices started to get quieter and echo-ish and I was feeling kind of light headed, so I decided maybe I should tell them and did and immediately these 2 guys hopped up and layed my chair down propped my feet and brought a cool wash cloth the second I opened my mouth! Dang, if only I had service like that anytime I wanted ice cream! So yeah, it was fabulous and I am so glad I did it. A small contribution I know, but it was I think of the most fulfilling things I could do to celebrate my 17ness : ).

Anywho... I had a great week! That's about it! : ) eh heh heh, not much really as you can tell from what I wrote... j/k! : ) -- loves! - K*”

26.2 Miles...

**Sample**



I think this video is supposed to be inspiring... it kind of made me want to cry... and in a sick and twisted way maybe secretly excited...??

Other goodies...
www.mapmyrun.com - Great resource for mapping routes/distances in your area!
http://www.halhigdon.com - Your personal coach to making long distance running almost seem feasible : )
http://www.stgeorgemarathon.com - Where all of the fun begins : )



**Full Scoop**

So my sister has decided to pick up a bad habit... and she's trying to get me started... it's called "marathoning" (I may have just made that word up... : ).

First, let me just tell you a few things. I love being active and did various sports in high school including track, those were good times on days we weren't running stadiums... on particularly hot days, on a rare but blessed occasion, our coach would give us a couple bucks and let us run to the ice cream stand for practice -- Now, I definitely like to push myself, but let's just say... I really enjoyed the ice cream runs on occasion...: )

So once upon a time I was like, yeah, I'm going to run a marathon someday! Then it hit me, why on earth would I ever do that to myself?? But since I do like to run and set crazy goals, I decided I would settle for just running two half marathons and call it good... someday... (until this last semester 3 miles was the farthest I'd ever gone... and that was like once...)

(see second helpings (SH) below for more background...)

Mental this is a summary of what happened when my sister asked me to run the St. George marathon with her:

1. Mental internal laugh
2. Laugh out loud
3. Secretly consider it remember initial desire years ago
4. Remember my brilliant idea to just run 2 halves (= one!:)...
5. Sister... "so?!"
6. Consider the actual chances of getting in since it's a lottery...
7. Remember it's 26.2 miles...
8. Do want to help my sister out
9. Still think it's crazy
10. Decide, heck, if we get in, I can always walk! : )

The results?! "Congratulations!" (see SH)

The best part? That same weekend there was a 5k and you could either run it or just run a mile... still scared of long distances, I opted out and just ran the mile : )

FAST FORWARD:
...My pride says I have to do it and I start training, run, meet http://www.halhigdon.com, buy better running clothes, run longer, find comfortable routes (http://www.mapmyrun.com), start listening to audio books, run more, find crazy people to run with me, keep putting one leg in front of the other, start out running boys... : ) run farther, almost start to look forward to runs...

PLAY:
As of last week, I woke up and was supposed to do a midweek run of 6 miles... but the night before I realized, I need to do this for myself and stop telling people my sister roped me into it -- I am the only one who is going to get my tail to the end! (Though I am still just doing it to finish, maybe someday I'll do another for time... *gasp* did I just say that?!:)

So, I knew I could do 12... so I did!! The craziest part? I knew I could have gone farther if I had to... even crazier? I almost enjoyed it : )

...we'll see if it lasts... I'll keep you posted! ; )



**Second helpings**

Well... where my sister's habit began and how she is trying to get me hooked...

She qualified for the Boston on her first marathon and after getting about 3:32 (excellent time PS for any runner, especially for only her second!!) she decided she wanted to do another one to get a better time. Long story short, there is a lottery to get in the St. George marathon, so when she asked if I would put my name down on the ticket so she would have another chance of getting in, which led to the summarized list of events listed above : )

DECISION TIME:
(Sister phone call) So... I say sure, put me down (as I'm praying inside I get the nice sister points but we conveniently won't get in by chance...) of course, after we had already signed up and a day before we find out if we are in, my sister calls and says, "I think I would be okay if we don't get in" after remembering how your life basically starts to revolve around planning your runs... GREAT! She is just a few days too late!

"Congratulations!"
You know those moments they people will never forget when and where they were? This was one of those. During an evening class the day of the lottery I saw my sister tried to call... fear struck... the queasiness began... I could already feel myself aching after a long run... ah!! I knew it was all over. So I of course had to check my email and lo and behold, there it was, "Congratulations! You will be running the St. George Marathon!" (or close enough:)

Game Plan...
Since I'm just doing it to finish and not for time, I'm doing it run 10 minutes, reward yourself and walk a minute... and I LOVE it -- it gives me the energy to run faster and the mental strength I need because I can just tell myself, "10 more minutes" (7 times:) instead of... oh, just 70 more minutes! All I can say it, Hal Higdon, my personal website coach:) says that's what lot's of runners do, and I'm totally sold! :) Moral of the story... if I can do it... so can you! (well... I haven't done it yet... but... I WILL! : )

Much love, K*

YOUR TURN/READER THOUGHTS: Have you ever set some kind of "physically competitive" goal for yourself, or wanted to? (feel free to add advice : )