Not much has really changed this past week. I did some running, but other than that I just sat around and relaxed and enjoyed my time off from work. Sometimes there is nothing better than doing just that!

Once again, it is snowing and cold here. If it weren't for the wind I think I might actually enjoy the snow, but I swear it's practically the tundra here in the wintertime! All of this cold weather has me thinking about summer. There are so many things I want to pack in this year. I'm determined to go on as many hikes as possible.  Last year we barely hiked or camped at all and it's a shame because that's one of my favourite things to do. 

Ever since I decided to actually enjoy the outdoors I have been wanting to explore some slot canyons. They are so unique and beautiful and I love the colors that you find in Utah's red rock.  I'm hoping to go to Buckskin Gulch.

 

I think from this picture you can see why I want to go there :)

My little sister is so adorable!

I feel weird being an older sister. I mean, my Mom has 2 kids who are 13 and 11, but I never grew up with them and I have never met them so for most of my life I grew up as an only child. So it's weird having a sister. Especially since we are 17 years apart!  She is so cute and spoiled rotten but she's mine! I can't wait for her to get a little older so she can tell me about everything and force me to braid her hair and paint her nails.

Breathe Me

Well, the long weekend came and went. I love being able to have 4 days off, but sometimes I wish that I could have a normal 9-5 job and a short weekend. Maybe I would just be unsatisfied either way, I don't know.

I had a lot of fun this past weekend. Mike and I went to IKEA's Marti Gras party, it was kind of weird seeing a bunch of people I recognized from when I worked there. 

Also, I signed up for the OC Half Marathon. It's part of the 3 beach cities marathons. We ran the Surf City half marathon just recently and if you finish all 3 half/full marathon combo then you get a special medal! The final half marathon will be the Long Beach Half Marathon. If anything, it's a good reason to make a trip to California, which I love doing!

Anyway, Valentine's day was yesterday. I worked and came home and we didn't really do anything, but that's okay. We did watch 7 Psychopaths, which I found HIGHLY entertaining. I love Christpher Walken. I don't know what it is about him and Anthony Hopkins, but I love those old men. They are my favourite :)

13.1 Miles

I might be crazy, but I signed up for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon today.

I had been thinking about it for a little while and my friend told me the other day that he signed up so that's what really kicked up the interest a bit. Then, yesterday Mike Signed up for it as well! So, I did it! I missed the registration yesterday and it went up $5 today, but I don't really mind. Proceeds from the run go to the John Huntsman Cancer research center!
I am hoping to run this one in 2 hours, let the training commence!

Also, on the no sugar front (did I mention that I have been trying to cut back on that?) I am totally failing!  I have been great with avoiding juices and I have never really been interested in soda. But, I ate way too many cookies yesterday! It's so difficult!

I'm turning over a new leaf with this blog! I totally fell off the bandwagon. I wanted to write this for myself, but I have been really busy lately.

Mike and I moved to a new apartment. We love it there and have been having a great time buying new furniture and decorating! We got a leather couch and a Poang chair from Ikea. I love them!

We also got a massive poster of the atlas that we are planning on framing. This way, we can live out our dream of throwing a dart at it as a way to choose our next travel destination.

We have also been busy doing a little bit of traveling. We left last friday for Long Beach, California. We signed up for a half marathon a few months ago and we were set to run that Sunday. 

We stayed in a hostel in Hermosa beach. It had the best location we could ask for. About a block from the beach and right next to a little strip of restaurants and boutiques.

We ate lots of good food, including some Thai and a great Pizza at a place called American Junkie. The people were great, we really feel suited for that laid back west coast life style. And, we LOVED that everybody had their dogs with them everywhere they went!

The first night we were there we took the bus from Long beach airport all the way to Hermosa beach. It took about 2 hours and a billion quarters, but it was an adventure. We went through Compton and managed not to get shot.

We did a wine tasting Saturday night, which probably wasn't the smartest idea since we were running the next mornnig. But it was SO much fun. We loved it! And it was nice to enjoy some 70 degree weather for a few days.

I finished the half marathon in 2 hours and 20 minutes approximately. It was a bit slower than what I wanted to finish in, but for my first half marathon I feel pretty good about it.

The first 10.5 miles were great, but then it went downhill pretty quickly. I'm signing up for the SLC half marathon, so that's my chance to redeem myself.