Vacation, the Flu and Exercise

As I shared the other day, I started my Christmas vacation very enthusiastic about the prospect of running throughout it. After all, I was headed to sunny Florida! Why wouldn't I want to run in warm weather on the beach?!

Then, the flu decided it needed to take out my family over the holidays. First, my mom got sick. That meant missing virtually all of our family Christmas festivities. However, her fever broke before we headed down to Florida, so she still came along. Next, my sister got sick. She, unfortunately, was at the peak of flu horribleness when we left, so she stayed home. I woke up the morning we got to Florida with those beginning twinges of a sore throat and cough. Through some fanatical tea drinking and 12-hour nights of sleep, though, I was able to get through things with a bit more comfort than my mother or sister!

Sister (left)

Shirt: C9 [similar]

Pants: C9 [similar]

Shoes: Nike [similar]

Me (right)

Long Sleeve Half Zip: Nike [similar]

T-shirt: Gap Fit [exact]

Pants: Yogasmoga [exact]

Shoes: Newton Running [exact]

So, we did manage to get in one run before the flu struck. Christmas Eve Eve (two days before Christmas) was unseasonably warm in Indianapolis, so we took advantage of that and went for a run while listening to some One Direction (we're both fans and pretty unashamed about that). A few days later, though, my sister was down for the count and had to opt out of our family trip to Florida. My bout with the flu, though, fortunately held off until I was safely ensconced in 75-degree weather.

Sports bra: Lululemon [similar]

Shorts: Lululemon [similar]

Shoes: Newton Running [exact]

Sunglasses: Oakley [exact]

It was KILLING me not to go running in the amazing weather we have been having here in Florida! I've always been told that you shouldn't run if you have both body symptoms and head symptoms (e.g., muscle aches and pains combined with sinus congestion), so I waited until the body symptoms subsided to get my run on. I probably wasn't quite at the point where I should've been running yet, but I took it super easy (walk-running) and relaxed for quite awhile afterwards. Also, I'm not typically the running-with-no-shirt-on type, but I figured it was warm and everyone else on the beach was in bikinis, so why not?

Wine at the Line

Happy Saturday!

Last night, my little sister got married! It was a beautiful ceremony and, naturally, we all had a bit too much fun celebrating!

My lovely baby sister!

However, I decided I wanted to do a five-mile race today, so I had to power through the pain. This particular race, Wine at the Line, goes through a winery outside Indianapolis and promises a glass of vino at the finish. Normally, that would be very appealing for me! But, after a night of a few too many drinks, it was...a little less attractive. A few years ago, one of my friends told me that she thought running was the best hangover cure. While I can't say I necessarily agree with that, it definitely wasn't as bad as I was expecting!

Long Sleeve T-shirt: C9 [exact]

T-shirt: C9 [exact]

Tights: Under Armour [exact]

Shoes: Newton Running [exact]

After a week of heat and humidity here, a cold front blew through last night and dropped the temperatures down to the 40s. I had only brought along summer running clothes, though, so my mom and I had to make a last minute trip to Target for some extra layers! The pink T-shirt is part of a new line of reflective items at Target. I've been looking for some reflective clothing since it's getting dark earlier, so I didn't mind spending a bit of money on this! I didn't really need another baselayer (I've got tons from living in a ski town for two years!), but I was super grateful for it when the wind picked up at the race! Despite freezing my ass off while waiting for the race to start, my layering ended up being perfect during the race.

Back to San Francisco tomorrow!

2013 in Review: Part 3

Missed the other posts? Check out Part One and Part Two.

July

I had my first visitor to Park City! Katrina came out to visit and we had a great time wandering around everything Park City has to offer.

 I spent many a Sunday at the Park Silly Sunday Market enjoying Five Wives vodka lemonades.

I went home to Indianapolis for Aly's wedding shower and enjoyed sister time with these two lovely ladies.

Some family friends threw their annual summer bash while I was home, so I got to enjoy good company, lobsters and martinis.

Aly got some fun pre-wedding gifts.

Before heading back to Utah, I went to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game with the family! 

Family at the Indians game! 

August

Since half marathon month had arrived, I continued with the last bits of my training plan and saw some lovely sights on the trails in Park City.

I went to the Kimball Arts Festival.

Josh (aka my twin) drove through Salt Lake City on his way back to school in Arizona, so we got to get together and have a drink at Bar X before he had to leave.

A wildfire broke out near Park City. 

While the wildfire was scary, it did make for some very gorgeous sunsets.

 

Katie moved to town and we became fast friends!

 Half marathon #2 completed! Dad came out to Utah to run the race with me.

The next day, we went for a hot air balloon ride over Park City and it was gorgeous! 

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott came to work and did an athlete social with our staff. He's a wonderful guy!

And, finally, I volunteered with Hurricane for Hope, an event benefitting The Speedy Foundation.

September

I went shopping with Katie and got this awesome shirt.

I went to a sheepdog festival, which I never knew was a thing until...well, I went to one.

 I had a really good hair day.

I returned to Colorado Springs for the first time since moving away for the USOC Communications Workshop...even stayed at the Olympic Training Center!

Brandon, Jenny and I had a little intern reunion at The Finish Line, the dive bar across the street from the Olympic Training Center.

Afterwards, I headed up to Denver and visited with my friend and former roommate, Karen. Unfortunately, we didn't take any photos together, so here is a photo of her cat, Lucky.

I took a full week off from work to head back to Indiana for my brother's wedding! I started the week off with a 5k run, which I ran with my cousin Sarah.

For Aly's bachelorette party, we started the day with a wine and painting party.

And finally the big day rolled around! We got Starbucks for Aly that morning, but they butchered her name.

Wedding time!

And I officially have two sisters now!

Dogs and Black Diamonds

I haven't posted anything substantial in awhile...no particular reason why, but figured I'd at least pop in and give an update on my life.

I've been enjoying the last good skiing of the year (I even skied my first couple of black diamonds last weekend!) and started volunteering at a local animal shelter. I've really enjoyed volunteering! It's been a great way for me to get my fix of animals without actually adopting one (my lease doesn't allow that and I'm gone far too often for a pet - it wouldn't be fair to them!). My favorite at the shelter so far is a 10-year-old pug named Edgar. He's just a big cuddler who wants nothing more in life than to have his belly rubbed. Although I really want him to get adopted by a loving family, I also really love having him at the shelter to play with!

I've been watching the TV show The Taste. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a cooking show take on The Voice where the judges (Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludo Lefebvre and Brian Malarkey) sample dishes blindly. Each of the judges has a team and can eliminate their own team member since it's a blind taste. I've really enjoyed it - particularly the banter between the judges! During the last episode, I posted something on Twitter and got tweeted at by Nigella!

Not gonna lie - I was pretty excited! I've enjoyed Nigella since before The Taste, so it was definitely cool!

I'm headed home for Easter in about 10 days...pretty excited to see the fam, check out Aly's wedding dress and get fitted for my bridesmaid dress!

So, now I will leave you with a photo of my first black diamond. Sad to see ski season end :(

30 Questions: Family Dynamics

Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

Okay, I've kind of been putting this one off. It's not because I don't want to share my family dynamics...it's not that at all! It's just that there's a lot more to this answer than a simple "Then is was ___ and now it is ____."

So, family dynamic of childhood.

My brother, sister and I were pretty imaginative kids. My parents kind of let us do our own thing, which cultivated that imagination. We ran all over backyards and basements, dreaming up ridiculous TV shows (complete with theme songs) that we starred in. We made "potions" from whatever we could find. My parents were always there for us and we did get in trouble when it was warranted, but they let us figure ourselves out and make our own mistakes. 

Among the kids, I was sort of a silent ringleader. My brother and I would gang up on my sister (as she was the youngest and generally the most likely to tattle/whine/etc.)...but I somehow always managed to avoid getting in trouble even though my brother was not so fortunate.

And now, the dynamics of today.

We're all friends. Parents, siblings...we just hang out. Clearly, there's still a slightly different dynamic between me and my parents and me and siblings, but we all like each other. I talked to my mom and dad on the phone almost every day. When I'm home, I go out to the bars with my siblings. My whole family plays drinking games together. We like going on vacation together.

In short, it's pretty awesome.

I'm pretty blessed to have such an awesome family!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I kicked off my 2013 in Florida with my family...including my soon-to-be sister-in-law!

That's right, everyone...my brother proposed and his girlfriend Aly said yes!! I'm super excited to welcome her into our family (although she's pretty much been a part of it for awhile now)! 

Congrats to Jordan and Aly!! 

30 Questions: Predicting the Future

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

I'm going to cheat and not really answer this question because I don't try to really think about where I'll be in 5-10-15-however-many years. It's not because the future freaks me out (cue Motion City Soundtrack song) or because I'm a commitment phobe. It's because I spent a good five years of my life planning where I'd be in the future and guess what? I was totally wrong and couldn't be happier about that.

So, my approach to the future is just to go where the ride takes me. That's not to say I don't have goals. I'd like to get married and have kids. I'd like to continue to have a successful career in Olympic sports. However, I'm on no strict timeline for any of those. It's out of my hands, and I'm completely fine with that.

So, all I'll say to where I see myself in the future is that I see myself living my life and continuing to go with the flow!

30 Questions: Childhood Memories

Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

Those of you who know me well know that I have an absolutely horrible memory (well, unless we're talking about song lyrics or very random trivia). This applies to me as a little kid, as well. So, most of my childhood memories are lacking in detail because I don't remember much of them!

My biggest memory from childhood is baking cookies. Whether it was Christmas or just making chocolate chip cookies, it was always an event. My brother and I would always make a game of sneaking to the refrigerator to snag a taste of cookie dough while it was chilling. There was always a fight over who got to lick the bowl or the spoon. Usually, I cheated by "accidentally" leaving a lot of dough on the spoon and claiming that. Christmas cookies were the biggest of all our baking - it was an all-day event, starting with making the dough, then chilling it for a few hours, then absolutely destroying the kitchen in a cloud of powdered sugar and flour as we rolled out the dough and eventually iced the cookies. And every year, we took a picture like this:

Next stop on the memory train is family travel. I remember going on my first cruise when I was in 4th grade with my mom's entire extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents). To a 4th grader, that ship seemed like being let loose in a big city! We went to our kid's clubs and snuck through the casino even though we were convinced we'd get kicked off if we got caught in there. Also when I was little, I went to Washington, DC, with my dad. We waited in line with some Chinese tourists at the Washington Monument who were obsessed with my blonde hair and wanted to take pictures with me. I wore little dresses around because I was at an age where I liked to do that. It was a great trip for a young girl to go on!

Finally, I remember creating crazy, imaginative games out of nothing with my brother and sister. We still laugh today about some of the things we came up with! We had "games" called Alaska (this was mainly just hiding under lots of blankets), Kitty Kitty Kittens, the Return of the Alien Show and many, many more. Most had their own theme songs to go with them, too. We were very creative children who really found a way to have fun with just about anything. 

So, there are the memories. And as a bonus, here is my famous photo from my infancy.

Keeping the Roads Hot

So, I realized the other day that I haven't remained in a single state in nearly a year (and I will be going a full year without staying in one state since I have travel plans through January). I thought it'd be fun to relive my travels a bit and preview those to come!

November 2011

Indiana and California

December 2011

Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and California

January 2012

Florida and California

February 2012 (my only one-state month!)

California

March 2012

North Carolina, Georgia and California

April 2012

Indiana, Michigan and California

May 2012

Indiana, Michigan and California

June 2012

Oregon and California

July 2012

Oregon, California, Georgia, France and United Kingdom

August 2012

California, Indiana, Georgia and United Kingdom

September 2012

California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah

October 2012

Utah and New York

November 2012

Utah and Colorado

December 2012

Utah, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida

January 2013

Florida, Arizona and Utah