I Need Dis . . .

Just in case you are unfamiliar with where I got my title, it comes from a meme.  Usually these words accompany the picture of a cat, or other cute fuzzy thing, reaching for something they want, but should probably not have.

 For example:





I have been feeling a lot of these kinds of feelings lately. And not just about food.

Last week I was at PetsMart to pick up my cat's prescription food.  It was a Friday, and the Humane Society comes in on weekends with a few of their animals, to increase chances for them to find homes.  When I go to pet stores, I like to take my time and look at everything. Like visiting a tiny, free Zoo.  As I worked my way back to where the prescription cat food was, I looked over who the Humane Society brought today; a few cats, including some very cute kittens.  A couple small, yappy type dogs, and at the end of the row, a handsome Black Lab named Tonka. He seemed so mellow for only being 2 years old, laying calmly on the floor, watching the people go by. As I was reading his info, we made eye contact. 

I was in love, and was certain the feeling was mutual.

I tried to deny it.  I went over to look at the fishies.  Did you know they have ones that glow neon under black light?  WANT!

I felt like I was being watched, so looked around. Tonka was looking right at me, past the little family who was visiting him.  We made eye contact again, and his tail started to wag. I looked away, not wanting to get attached, but failing miserably. I kept sneaking peeks.  He was always looking at me, tail starting to wag as soon as he saw me looking back.  My mind tried every rationalization it could think of to immediately adopt this beautiful, 88-pound sweetie and take him home to my tiny condo with it's sad excuse for a yard.  But I couldn't do it.  With a breaking heart, I bought the cat food I came for and left.

I told Josh about it when I got home.  I expected him to tell me I was crazy for even considering it, and that he would have divorced me if I had brought a dog home (especially such a large one) without consulting him first.  Instead, he seemed interested.  He's got a soft spot for animals, one of the things I love most about him.  But try as we might, we just couldn't justify bringing a such big dog into our small space. 

A few days later, I checked to see if Tonka got adopted that weekend.  He didn't.  So I told Josh I wanted him, to heck with the condo board and their weight restrictions on dogs.  From the plethora of pit bulls I've seen being walked by, we would not be the first to bend the rules. But this needed to be a joint decision, with both of us 100% sure, or else no go. I asked him to think about it during the week, and that we could talk it out that Friday. 

I tried not to get my hopes up, but I couldn't help picturing taking the dog on my runs.  Having play dates with the Zauggs puppy, Olive.  Long walks, or even hikes in the mountains on weekends.  Trips to Bear Lake. . . Friday came, and I waited nervously for Josh to get home. Sadly, the answer was no.  He thought about it long and hard during the week, and almost gave in a few times.  Although we are planning to move to larger quarters within the next year, we simply do not have the room right now. Not to mention the stress it would cause our spoiled cat, who is used to being the one and only object of affection. Strange as she may be . . .

Yes, she sleeps like this all the time.  No, I don't know how she breathes.

I was a little sad, but I knew Josh was right.  It's ok though, Tonka got adopted, just not by us.  Hopefully by kind people with a nice, big yard.  The doggie bug has bitten me hard, though.  Perhaps I can talk Josh into a someone a little smaller.  Christmas is coming, after all . . .

Speaking of being bitten, I learned a new term last night as I was being a total baby-hog with my newest niece, Emelia.

Isn't she pretty? I want one.

Baby Rabies.

Similar to the White Plague (marriage), it seems to be contagious. And I am surrounded by pregnant people and new babies at work, in our social circle, and in my immediate family.  And after baby-snuggles last night, I have caught Baby Rabies big time.

Clarification: No, I'm not pregnant.  But hormones, the ticking of that pesky biological clock, and peer pressure are telling me I need a baby ASAP. 

Not sure how to communicate this to my husband without totally freaking him out.  (Or if this need will mellow back out to the vague want I'm used to in a week or two)  But right now it's feeling like I need a baby, or at least a dog, in my life soon.  Or I may start dressing up the cat and pushing her in a pram, or become one of those sad women who buy the creepily lifelike dolls and treat them like a living child.

So if my husband suddenly heads for the hills, and I have a new collection of creepy baby dolls complete with names, birthdays, and favorite foods, you'll be able to guess why.

1 Year Ago II

I heard my Bridal March song start, and the doors opened to reveal the room full of loved ones.  Staring at me.  And THAT is when the nerves kicked in. I forgot to look for Chrys's Axl Rose dance, or anything else for that matter. Finding myself as center of attention is the stuff of nightmares for me.  I can't quite remember if I actually did slip and almost fall stepping into the room, or if I was just so afraid I was going to that my brain made it a memory.  I do know it was probably one of the less graceful walks-down-the-aisle Canterbury Place had seen.  I forgot to practice actually walking in my wedding dress.  Up to that point, during pictures and such, to move from point A to point B I would simply hoist the thing up to my knees, walk to where I was going, then let it fall back down to the floor.  Trying to walk without it hoisted, I kept stepping on the hem and stumbling a little.  As much as I tried to convince myself nobody noticed, I'm pretty sure everybody did, since it was about every 2 steps the whole way to the alter. C'est la vie! Good thing I had my Dad to hold me up!

I wish I could remember more of what Judge Dawson said during the ceremony. I don't suppose anyone took notes I can borrow?  I can remember a few things, but not much.  I remember if I looked at Josh for too long I'd start tearing up.  I remember no matter how hard I tried to stand still, my legs kept wiggling.  I remember being distracted by how pretty and sparkly the chandelier was. Next thing I knew, we were officially pronounced man and wife.  There was a little music mix up.  I had given the venue people a CD with the songs for the wedding at our rehearsal, but had since picked a different song to use as our recessional song. Instead of Muse's "Starlight", which is a fine song, I decided I wanted The Scissor Sisters "Best In Me" and gave them the new CD, but the old one was played and "Starlight" it was.  Little bit of a bummer, but we were married, Hooray! so what song we walked back down the aisle to doesn't matter much in the long run.

After that it was a flurry of marriage certificate signings and pictures getting taken.  I had ordered a pair of garters (one for throwing, one to keep) off of Etsy, and they would just not stay put on my chicken-esque legs.  About this time they decided it was time to head south, and a few times I had to find a quiet corner to discreetly reposition one or the other of them from my ankles back to where they were supposed to be.  Awkward.  I was really not very good at the bride thing.  Lots of smiling and posing for pictures, I'm not sure how long that part lasted.  Didn't seem like long to me, but for those trying to keep kids occupied I'm sure it felt like hours.  After we had posed with all of the different combinations of family, it was time to head in for dinner. 

The few things I remember are having to explain to Josh why everyone was clinking their forks on their glasses, realizing that eating in front of an audience feels very weird, wishing I had figured out a way to bustle my dress so I could maneuver around the tables and visit with people, the adorable "kids table" that was my main source of entertainment (particularly Dax and his 100 punch refills.  That boy knows what he likes), and a little bit of the speeches.  I was too much in my own happy, slightly overwhelmed bubble to register much of what was happening around me.  I'm glad The Canterbury provided a nice lady to pretty much babysit us and keep the show going.  I also remember the cheesecake we had for dessert, because I love me some cheesecake.

Let's see, I believe we did the cake cutting next.  Dad had threatened me that if any cake got smushed on either of our faces, we would be paying for the wedding ourselves.  Josh had hinted at maybe getting a little frosting on my nose, but he behaved himself and didn't even do that.  My friend Sarah, who I've known since the 7th grade, has a very nice mom who makes cakes for a hobby, and it was her mom that made our cake.  Unfortunately my cake topper I chose just wasn't cooperating and wouldn't stay put on top of the cake that day, so it was a pretty table decoration instead.  But the cake sure was yummy!  Chocolate with raspberry filling.  MMmmmm.

Are you tired of this yet?  I kinda am.  Almost done!

I had thought it would be fun to have a little dancing at my wedding.  Mostly, I was trying to avoid the dreaded reception line.  I've stood in enough of those as a bridesmaid. Dancing sounded like waaaay more fun.  My parents even took lessons!  Me and Josh didn't, so we just did the "Jr. High Sway".  I tried to foxtrot with my Dad, but again that dang gorgeous dress got in the way.  And the fact that I'm not very graceful to begin with.  Still, those 2 dances might be my favorite memories. 

Josh and I had a very early flight the next morning, so we requested the limousine come early.  I was so excited for that limo!  I'd never been in one before, and who knows if I'll ever get to again.  I had requested the classic limousine, but during the evening got delayed elsewhere. The limo company asked if it was ok if they sent the Hummer limo instead.  To be perfectly honest, I always have and probably always will think those hummer limo are a bit on the ugly and tacky side, but hey, a limo is a limo. 

It was getting late in the evening now, and time to toss the bouquet.  Since I knew there would only be a few single people attending, I had wanted to open the floor to ALL the ladies, and whoever caught the bouquet got a gift card.  Same thing with the fellas and the garter toss.  Hard to overcome tradition, however, so it was still mostly the nieces and nephews that participated.  I can't quite remember who caught the bouquet, if anyone.  I do remember it fell to the floor and broke apart, so most of the little girls were walking around with mini-bouquets.  I think it was Dax who got the garter.  Or his dad, who then handed if off.  Feel free to correct me if I'm not remembering right.

With our ride on en route, it was time to change and get my things ready to go.  I almost cried when I took off my dress.  As cliché as it sounds, I did feel pretty special and princessy that day, and changing back into real people clothes felt a little bit like the magic ending after the Ball. When I bought my dress I had every intention of selling it after the honeymoon, but now I just can't bring myself to do it.  Even though we have no room for it and my parents are keeping it for me.

Anyways . . .

When the limo was ready, Josh and I walked through the sparkler line (good job, everyone!  It was an impressive sight from our perspective) and got in the ginormous limo.  It was HUGE.  I could lay down on the seat and still have plenty of head and foot room.  And it was pretty fancy, with lights everywhere.  After the initial excitement it seemed a bit silly to have such a huge car for just the two of us, but it was lots of fun to feel like a celebrity for a bit.  We had told the driver we were headed for the Radisson by the airport, and figured we'd be there in a few minutes since it was so close.  I'm not sure if the driver was trying to give us our money's worth of time, or if he had to take a longer route that he could maneuver the limo through. Or maybe he was enjoying the company of whoever was up there with him.  Although our driver was a guy, we did hear some rather feminine giggling and one pretty girly sneeze come from the other side of the partition.  We just kept driving and driving and driving.  Josh and I were starting to get a tad worried, but finally we pulled up to the hotel and our wedding was officially over, and married life just starting.

So there it is, our wedding as I remember it. Finally officially blogged.

1 Year Ago

(*Disclaimer*  These wedding posts are mostly for myself, so I can remember what these days were like in the future.  Therefore, they will be full of silly details no one else will care about. I won't be insulted if you bail.)

Next thing I know, it's about 7:45 in the morning, and the alarm on my phone is going off.  I had set it for a few minutes before breakfast was due to arrive, so I wouldn't miss it should I doze off.  Good call on my part! The plan was to veg out in front of the tube all night, or at least until I got drowsy, then set the sleep timer on the TV to turn itself off if I fell asleep.  Instead, I had zonked out so fast that the TV was still on when I woke up.   What I thought would be a long night of jitters and anticipation, turned into a night of dead-to-the-world sleep, and so passed really stinkin' quick. 

So here it was.  The Big Day.  Taa-Dahhhh!

For the past couple weeks, it seemed like every married woman I knew told me horror stories about how nervous they were on their wedding day.  I'd politely listened to harrowing tales of head-to-toe stress-induced hives, fainting, violent vomiting, etc.  Figuring it must be a universal experience, I lay in bed and waited for terror to strike.

And waited . . . and waited . . .Nope.

I felt just fine.  Cozy, calm, happy, . . .and hungry.  My omelet, danishes, and hot chocolate showed up about this time.  (Have I mentioned I love room service?)   The hotel was sneaky, and room service orders had to cost at least $10.  With just the omelet and a beverage, the price would be about $9.50.  The 2-pack of danishes was the least expensive option to bump the price up enough.  I ate most of the omelet (which was huge), and decided to save the danishes for a snack later.  Time to get moving!  Stuff to do!  People to see!

I went back to the Gateway, since I had some gift cards to spend, and also needed to get flower girl and ring bearer gifts.  It was a beautiful day!  Remember how wet and cold April was last year?  Earlier that week I had shivered through my Bridal photos, which had been postponed from earlier in the month due to bad weather.  Finally that day, Spring was looking and feeling like Spring should.  Bright, sunny and wedding-perfect warm!  A cashier asked if I had plans for such a nice day, and almost fell over when I told her I was getting married in just a few hours.

Time to have Brunch with the fam!  I was getting a little nervous by this time.  Not cold feet nervous, but I was worried that I hadn't planned to give myself enough primp time.  One big wedding day regrets is that I was paying too much attention to the clock, and not enough to my family.  Some of whom had traveled a very long way to be there. Dan, Lori, and their family flew in the night before, and Janice and Scott were down from Oregon.  I was happy to see everyone, though!  All the kids seemed to be enjoying seeing each other again, and the food was delicious!

Time flew.  It seems like I had just gotten there, when it was time for me to go back to my hotel room and get ready.  I do wish I would have asked someone to come back with me and keep me company while I was doing my hair and make-up.  I'd been living alone for a few years at this point, and I'm probably more comfortable than I should be with being by myself.  But that day I admit to being lonely while I was primping.  Since I did it myself and kept it simple, I was done in about an hour.  I had originally planned to get my hair professionally done, since that seems to be what brides do. I wanted something very simple, since my veil would be covering it.  Most pictures I saw looked too juvenile and prom-like than what would flatter a 31 year old bride, then BINGO!  I found a nice, simple, twisted bun.  And better yet, it had step-by-step directions, so I could do it myself and not have to worry about scheduling salon time.  I practiced it frequently and got pretty good. But since my hair is my hair, and not the smooth, straight, cooperative hair the model had, I was glad I did have a veil to hide the little bits that insisted on sticking out.  I gathered my dress, veil, and a few other neciessities, and headed up to The Canterbury Place. 

Due to the ginormous bun on the back of my head, my head was at a weird, tilted forward angle during the drive up. Not comfy.  Last thing I needed right now was a crick in my neck, thank goodness it's a short drive.  I got to the Canterbury a few minutes after 4, and saw Josh and his cousin/best man Jesse walking in as I was parking.  I did not for a minute think Josh would jilt me at the alter, but I do admit a small feeling of relief to physically see him there.  Just a quick wave and smile, even though I didn't have my dress on yet. No sense in tempting fate or bad luck or what-have-you.  So up to the Bride's Room . . .

The Bride's Room at the Canterbury Place is a lovely, dreamy, romantic place.  With precisely squat to do, besides get all dolled up.  Since I was already basically done with the doll-ing when I got there, and was waiting on the photographer to get some shots of my dress before putting it on, I was wishing I had an xbox and TV like the Groom's Room has. Absolutely nothing to do and at plenty of time to do it.

 Bored.  Bored.  Boredboredbored.

Time to venture a trip downstairs to see how everything looked all set up. Very much a sneaking down on Christmas morning feeling, except I held myself back from shaking the presents.  I may have "squee"-ed" a time or three. Those blue and purple orchids are now my favorite flower. The dining room looked great, and the arch and chandelier for the ceremony were so pretty!  More cars were coming, so back upstairs to hide until my grand entrance.  Manda was the first to arrive to the inner sanctum,  and brought her fancy phone that could play music.  YAY!!  It must have been feeling the vibes, since all it played were romantical type songs, which for once I didn't mind.  Now that my bridesmaids, Mom, and cute little flower-girls were around, that Bride's Room was way more fun.

This is when time sped up and memories begin to blur.  I remember it was a team effort to get me buttoned into my dress.  The photographer was snapping pictures, and when he had me pose with my mom, and I started to get a tad sniffly.  And then there was the adventure of needing to use the teeny-tiny bathroom in my big, poufy dress.  Another team effort, but no photographer to catch that one.  Then all my wedding party had to leave to be in place for show time and I was all alone for a few minutes.  I was excited and ready to do this thing!  Then my Dad came in, and after a few more moments, it was TIME.

Part II coming soon.

6 Months Ago . . . part 1

I was just days away from my wedding!  I've been meaning to write about it before I start forgetting details, but this has been the fastest-moving 6 months in (my) history. 

Here's the first installment:

The week before the Big Day, I was one big bundle of nerves.  I wish I had been finished with packing to move before that last week.  Wedding jitters combined with trying to decide what to pack for the move and pack for the wedding and pack for the honeymoon cruise and what to get rid of and dropping boxes off at Josh's and dropping stuff off at the D.I. and cleaning all the things and get it done RIGHT NOW and get to work on time and try to find time to sleep and glue the sparklies on my wedding slippers and boy I'm drinking far too many highly-caffeinated drinks . . . not fun.

Lucky for me, I had a magic dress.  My wedding dress was a sample on sale, so I got to take it right home with me same day instead of waiting months and months.  Not only was it soooo beautiful, it possessed magical calming powers.  Whenever I was feeling super-stressed I'd go to my closet, unzip the bag that held my lovely treasure, and *POOF!*, butterflies settled down and I was able to focus on being more excited than stressed.  There must have been Xanax sewn into those gorgeous little flowers, so perfect for a spring wedding.

*sigh*

 

I know this is uncharacteristically girly for me.  I'm just as surprised as you are.

 



I took most of the week before the wedding off of work, thinking I would have packing and cleaning under control by then and could use that time to leisurely finish the few little bits I'd have left, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy my last few days of being a bride-to-be.

Didn't quite work out that way.

Instead, despite my Mom and Dad coming down to help, (VERY appreciated!) I worked frantically right up until the afternoon before the wedding, when I had to admit defeat.  I was 97% done, but was all out of time. I was down to 1 hour before being due in Woods Cross for pedis with Mom, Chrys, and Manda.   Panicked, I told my landlady (Josh's aunt, Dorrie) my situation, and she told me it was fine if I left the last bit til after the honeymoon, and to go have fun and pamper myself.  Relief!!  So I quickly showered, grabbed everything I would need for the next week, and threw it in my car.

 Except for my dress, which I very carefully placed in my car.

There was some confusion as to the location of the nail salon where our reservations were, The little shop was tucked back away from the road and not easily seen.  Manda found it first and guided us there by phone.  As I was able to sit quiet and still for the first time in about 10 days, warm water bubbling around my feet and ankles, I began to really relax.  Ladies, we should make getting pedicures together a regular thing.

After about an hour of pampering and getting cute little flowers on my toesies, it was off to dinner.  I had wanted to eat at Thaiphoon at the Gateway, but it was shut down and closed forever. So we moved the party to Z'Tejas instead.  My good friend Sarah met us there, and we commenced eating (I LOVE their corn bread.  Yum!) and talking and laughing.  I heard some words of wisdom about putting up with learning to live with a new husband.  Much less nervous now, but still some butterflies a-flutterin'. 

Post-dinner, we adjourned to the Radisson by the airport.  Josh and I would be flying out super early the day after the wedding, so being near the airport would allow us to sleep a little longer. 

Like, 5 whole minutes.

Ok, in all honesty, Josh's condo (now OUR condo.  In the ghetto.) is maybe a 10 minute drive from the airport, so we very well could have saved money and spent the wedding night there.  But I'M THE BRIDE, and I wanted a nice hotel room, dang it!  With room service!! (the height of decadence, in my limited experience with decadence.)  I splurged and got a hotel room for 2 nights, so I could have the room all to myself the night before and as my bridal staging area on the Big Day. Waaaay more glamorous than my plain-ol' bedroom and bathroom in Magna, and a good 15-20 minutes closer to the venue in Bountiful to boot.

I think I read it used to be a trolley depot, hence the interesting architecture.

Can't tell in the pic, but that bed is HUGE.

Chrys stopped at a candy shop at the Gateway for some goodies for us to munch on as we hung out in my room for the evening.  We piled on the ginormous (bigger than my current bedroom, I'm almost positive) sleep number bed, and had fun testing all the settings. Uuuuuuuuuppp.  Doooooooowwwwnnnn.   Firrrrrrrrrrmmmmm.   Sooooooofffffttttt.   After a nice evening of low-key girl time (just what I needed), I was feeling much calmer than the anxiety-ridden near-wreck of a few hours before.  Assuming I'd be too nervous and excited to sleep, I took a nice long bath, made double sure everything I needed for tomorrow was present and accounted for, filled out my breakfast room-service order (YAY!!), and settled in for the night on the huge island of a bed to watch some TV.  And then . . .

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

to be continued . . .

2013 Resolutions, and Honeymoon Dilemma

I'm not usually one to make New Year's Resolutions, but there are some things I seriously need to work on, and perhaps writing them someplace semi-public will help me. So if anyone notices me slipping,  (especially on #1) feel free to call me out.

1 - Turn off TV and/or laptop in time to be in bed by 1 A.M.
      Working til 10 P.M. kinda feeds my nocturnal tendancies. This will be the last time I'm sitting here at 4 A.M. (hopefully) It just isn't healthy. Fun, but not healthy.      

2 - Change Employment Situation.
     Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the job I have.  And until I find a new one ...

3 - Improve current job skills.
     I'm in a rut.  I can do better. And I need more CEUs.

4 - Go to the dentist.
      I know it's totally gross that I haven't been for a while, and I'm worried I'll end up with missing or messed up teeth.  But I don't have dental insurance and dentists ain't cheap.  I need to suck it up and go anyway. And also .. .

 5 - Eat less sugar.
     Sounds silly, but my sweet tooth is becoming a serious problem. 

6 - Renew old friendships/ Make new ones.
     I am totally guilty of something I swore I would never do.  I have let myself get way too socially dependant on my fiance, and let many friendships just kinda fall by the wayside.  Not good.

Speaking of the fiance, we are having trouble deciding what to do for our honeymoon, and times a'wastin'.  Our choices are:

• The good old SoCal tour - a couple days at Disneyland, Universal, maybe SeaWorld or San Diego Zoo or Magic Mountain (I've always wanted to go to there!)
• A cruise.  For our time frame and budget, a 4 night Bahama cruise looks to be the best option.

Josh hasn't been to Disneyland since he was little, and has never been on a cruise, so both experiences will be new for him.  I just can't decide which I'd rather do!  I've always wanted to take a boy to Disneyland, holding hands down main street, watching fireworks, etc. But, then I imagine how fun it would be to introduce him to snorkeling and turquoise water and tropical sunsets all the happy that goes with it.

Sigh.

 

I just don't know what to do!  Not that I'm complaining. I wish  I had this kind of dilemma more often!  (Oh, which wonderful place shall I frolic about with this cute guy I love? Woe is me for having to decide!!) I'm kinda leaning towards cruising, he sounds more interested in SoCal.  Any advice?

Catching up

So obviously, I excel at procrastinating. 

To sum up the last year and a half or so:

I'm still at Massage Envy. I love (most of) my clients.  I'm grateful to have a job, particularly one that gives me weekends off.  That's all I'll say on this subject.

I got engaged this last June, the weekend after my birthday. Took me completely by surprise. My Fiance's name is Josh, and he's good at keeping a secret without dropping any hints whatsoever.  He's a Utah boy, grew up in Magna and went to Cypress High.  We met 4 years ago (!! Doesn't seem that long!) I'll save the 'how we met' story for another blog.

Being best man at his friend's wedding. Looks nice in a tux, no?

 

 Halloween

 

 

I'm currently living in Magna.  Josh's aunt has a basement apartment that was built for her daughter and twin grandsons.  The daughter was moving out about the time my lease was up at my last apartment, so they offered to let me have it for 1/2 of what I was paying at my last place.  My commute has increased from 4.5 miles one way to 18, but that's been the only real downside.  Well, that and their little shih tzu that yaps at me each and every day, no matter that I've been living here for months now, or that he just saw me 5 minutes ago.  Oh well.  Small price to pay for a very nice 3 bedroom apartment, with internet! And cable!  I'm so spoiled now.

 

My cat, Tala, is still my constant little fuzzy companion. She rarely lets me out of her sight for more than a few minutes.  Even when I caught a stomach bug and had set up camp on my bathroom floor for a most of the night, she was right there next to me. Snoring away on the linoleum, even though there are much more comfortable places she could have been sleeping.  She's shy and hides from most of my visitors, and Josh was not happy with me when he found out I had adopted her last year. Luckily, they bonded this last spring while I was away and asked Josh to feed and check up on her.  Now they're good buddies, much to my relief. I wasn't about to give up either of them.

 

After taking last winter off, then easing back into it very, very slowly, I'm back to running.  My IT band is all better now.  Was having some trouble with my 'wonky hip' around the Disneyland 1/2, but thanks to strength training and lots of stretching, that worked itself out so now I'm able to run with no problems. Currently training for the Disney World 1/2 marathon, and am looking forward to our upcoming trip with my entire family!  Also planning on signing up for the Salt Lake 1/2, which is the week before my wedding.

 

Speaking of running, I've got 12 miles to do when I get up, so I'd better get some sleep now. 

Whoever Said Life Is Beautiful Wasn't Cleaning Up Cat Barf.

My neighbor's on again, off again internet happens to be on again at the moment, so I thought I should take advantage of it while it lasts and update my blog a bit.  There hasn't been much running going on since my last posting.  I developed what my doctor referred to as an "overuse injury of the hip stabilizers" on my left hip after my last half-marathon.  He did give me rather hesitant permission to run the Ogden Marathon Relay, and I was able to do my leg in decent time, even with walking breaks, and relatively pain-free.  But the pain was coming back so I took another 3 weeks completely off any weight bearing exercise at all.  And let me tell you, it SUCKED.  I am officially one of those crazies who is addicted to running.  I've been substituting other exercise, like swimming and yoga, but it's just not the same.  Yoga is nice, but it just doesn't get the heart rate up as much.  And swimming is hard.  I can only go a few laps before I'm totally exhausted.  I am running again as of last Saturday, but starting completely over from square 1.  Only a couple miles at a time for now, making sure I'm taking extra good care of my now weakened and stiff hip.  I'll slowly build up to running longer and faster, and hopefully will be back where I was by the time the Disneyland 1/2 rolls around. 

It was my 30th Birthday on the 6th, and my Mom and sisters were nice enough to leave their husbands/children for the weekend and go to Vegas with me.  I had a great time, and I hope they did, too.  I think my favorite part was all the ridiculously delicious (and unhealthy) food we ate while we were down there. (Fluffer Nutter Shake at the Sugar Factory, there are no words.  Crepe Suzette, might beat out waffles as yummiest breakfast food ever.)  And Freemont Street, which was a new and very fun experience for me.  That place is a party!

 I just like being in Vegas.  Can't wait to go back in December.  Again, I took my camera, but it pretty much spent the whole time in my purse.  I really need to start taking pictures of stuff like this!  Luckily Mom and Manda are much better at it, so I will have to borrow pictures from them.  Like this one of a very expensive bench that was basically ceramic seats on marbles.  Yep, MARBLES.  Waaaant!

Unfortunately, just after we got home my cat got sick.  (Which is scary for me, being for the first time the sole responsible party should this sweet thing die of a curable ailment.)  I won't go into the gory details too much,  but I had to invest in some carpet cleaner and was getting tired of the sound of vomiting cat.  Obviously, the poor thing was pretty sick, but I didn't know why.  She's an indoor cat, I hadn't changed her food, so why is she suddenly so miserable?  Turns out she had at some point eaten about 5 or so inches of what looked like plastic safety seal that goes around the lids of food containers, like for yogurt or cottage cheese.  Not good for little kitty's digestive system.  That was Friday, and for most of Saturday she seemed fine.  Then she started sneezing.  And sneezing.  And sneezing some more.  Sunday night she was sneezing so bad that neither of us slept much.  I felt silly calling the vet again, and I almost talked myself out of it.  But figured its better to err on the side of caution. So back we went on Tuesday.  Luckily it turned out to be a minor upper respiratory infection that's common for cats to get after they've been stressed. The vet didn't even charge me! (Phew!!)  So finally things are settling down here in my little apartment.  Shouldn't be too long before I can spend a whole day without worrying about cat barf or snotty sneezes.  It's a good thing she's cute.

Nap attack while playing with a toy. 

I just blogged about my cat again.  That's it, next time there will be boyfriend pictures just to make myself feel less loser-y.