The Verdict Is In

"It takes faith and the courage to risk failure in order to realize one's destiny. Having had my share of failures throughout my career I know that it is well worth the risk."

- Ryan Hall, American long distance runner

So, remember about a week and a half ago when I said that I would do my best to chronicle my heroic effort to prepare for the Salt Lake Half Marathon? Well, it isn't going to happen. I went to the physical therapist again on Monday and there is just no way that it will be humanly possible for me to run in this race. Luckily I cried all my sad no-running tears for the Rex Lee run, so although I am certainly disappointed that I won't be able to make my April 16th goal, I am also incredibly grateful for all that I have learning in the time I have spent training. I have already done more than I ever thought I could, and it also doesn't hurt that I may have already signed up for another race. Hooray! Yup, that makes everything better. I will be running in the Sawtooth Relay in Idaho in June! It is a 6 man, 62 mile relay that is going to rock my little world. Many thanks go out to Camilla, Outstanding RMYL Graduate Student of the Year, for letting me tag along on this one. Actually, many thanks go out to Camilla for starting this whole thing in the first place. (Thanks for believing in me and cheering me on. You are the greatest!)

Back to the drawing board, 2 months to race time. Here's to failure, and not letting it get the best of me!

What Luck

Today was a great Saturday. I got up, went for a bike ride, made breakfast with friends, had girl talk, pretended to do my homework, and went home to help my baby sister get ready for prom. I cannot believe that she is all grown up. While we were there my older sister stopped by with the kids to come see their aunty getting ready for the ball. The first thing my niece asked me when she walked in was whether or not I had received her email. I hadn't, so she took me to the computer and made me log into my email so she could read it to me. It was just about the most precious thing I have ever seen. So I thought I should share. Translation follows below...

Hi , jel you Rock. like a. Rock star you are. Pretty, and you are cute. You are The Best aunt ever
I am going to watch Tagald To nigt want are you going to do' to nigt i am 6 yer's old to you are 28 rigt now
i no how to read i am a. 1st Gradr my tenchar is namd Mistm my bruthar is 4 my mom is 31. You hooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
i eat cake.

Hi Jel,

You rock like a rock star. You are pretty, and you are cute. You are the best aunt ever. I am going to watch Tangled tonight. What are you going to do tonight? I am 6 years old, too. You are 28 right now. I know how to read. I am a first grader. My teacher is named Misty. My brother is 4. My mom is 31. You hooooooooooooooooooooooo. I eat cake.

I am the quite possibly the luckiest aunty in the world.

Oh, and for those of you who have known Em since she was a baby...Here she is in all her gorgeous, grown up Prom glory.

When You're Weary, Feeling Small...

These quotes come from Elder Holland's talk from last General Conference, Because of Your Faith. They make me feel better on a sunny day when I am stuck inside in my accounting class...

In whatever country you live, however young or inadequate you feel, or however aged or limited you see yourself as being, I testify you are individually loved of God, you are central to the meaning of His work, and you are cherished and prayed for by the presiding officers of His Church. The personal value, the sacred splendor of every one of you, is the very reason there is a plan for salvation and exaltation. Contrary to the parlance of the day, this is about you. No, don’t turn and look at your neighbor. I am talking to you!

...I have struggled to find an adequate way to tell you how loved of God you are and how grateful we on this stand are for you. I am trying to be voice for the very angels of heaven in thanking you for every good thing you have ever done, for every kind word you have ever said, for every sacrifice you have ever made in extending to someone—to anyone—the beauty and blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

...No one of you is insignificant, in part because you make the gospel of Jesus Christ what it is—a living reminder of His grace and mercy, a private but powerful manifestation in small villages and large cities of the good He did and the life He gave bringing peace and salvation to other people.

Physical Therapy!

I went to see the PT today. Hooray! Heat, ultrasound heat, massage, stretches, electricity, and ice. I could get used to this. I am a little upset that I didn't start this a month ago, but I didn't know it was available. So, we won't waste time bothering with all that. I am on the up and up, and that is what matters.

Also, I got to go for a walk with some of my very dear friends this evening. The weather is getting better and walk season begins again! I am grateful that I can walk at all. Being injured makes you so much more grateful for the times when you are healthy. I can't wait to be able to appreciate being healthy again ;) Here's to hoping it is soon!

These Streets Will Make You Feel Brand New

Who's that Chick that's Rockin' Kicks?!

so, usually I see my Dad, maybe once every 2 years or so. It is hard to be away from him for so long, but we always make the very best of it when we do get to hang out. Often this comes in the form of an out of control vacay to the Happiest Place on Earth. But when we are really lucky, we meet up at his home in New Jersey and spend a day or two in fabulous New York. We splurge on fancy dinners and fancy shows, and have an all around marvelous time. This time we are splurging a little bit let so that we can splurge on THIS instead:




OH MY GOSH! It is like Christmas! I am already wearing my new running shoes and am going to break them in on Broadway! (Yes, I am wearing my kicks to the theater. Don't judge.) Anyway, I already feel like I am walking a lot better, and that makes me feel like maybe this whole half-marathon thing may be possible after all! There are good things in the world today...hopefully that will lend itself to me meeting Daniel Radcliff tonight. Keep your fingers crossed!

Who Says Walking Isn't Good Exercise?

I walked all over New York tonight. I was limping about half way through the day. I now have 1 muscle relaxant and 2 Alieve in me, and am warming up the heating pad as I type. My leg hurts, but it certainly isn't the worst pain I have had, so I think it will be ok.

I was on my feet ALL day today. Was is worth it? WITHOUT A DOUBT. The Guggenheim. Central Park. The MOMA. Cheesecake at the Carnegie Deli. Meeting Liev Schreiber in Times Sqaure. And to top the night off? Driving Miss Daisy with James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave. Today did not suck.

I would give you more details on the whole night, but it is really late. And I am going to start making a lot of typing errors soon...so I leave you with the promise of more stories and this lovely picture of my new best friend.

13 Miles in 30 Days

So, we are down to 30 days until the Salt Lake Half-Marathon. I have been out of commission for the last two weeks due to a very stupid leg injury that just won't quit. This does not bode well for me to be running 13 a mile race that is just 30 days away. But I am just not ready to give up, even if I have missed a huge chunk of ESSENTIAL training time. I was supposed to run the Rex Lee 10k last Saturday and I am not kidding you when I tell you that I cried when I drove past all of the runners on my way to drop off my homework. I was supposed to be one of them. I knew this running business had come to mean a lot to me, I just didn't realize how much it meant to me.

So, I am going to see what I can do. Seriously. If I never knew before what I was capable of, I am about to find out. I'm going to do my best to blog for all 30 of these days. There will be lots of cross training, core training, foam rolling and physical therapy. Oh, and homework, cause finals are coming up around the bend. It should be quite an adventure. Don't judge me if I end up not being able to do it...but pray like mad for me that I can!

Here's to 13 in 30.

Tuesday Playlist

Subway Train - New York Dolls

New York Boys - Pet Shop Boys

Talkin New York - Bob Dylan

New York - Cat Power

Fairytale of New York - Stars

Leaving New York - R.E.M.

Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle and Sebastian

Yeah! New York - Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

I'll Take New York - Tom Waits

and of course

Empire State of Mind - JayZ and Alicia Keys

Can you tell what is on my mind?

2 days to New York

Mr. Blue Sky

I don't usually post song lyrics, but this song has been running through my head all morning long.

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why,

You had to hide away for so long

where did we go wrong.

Hey there Mr. Blue

We're so pleased to be with you

Look around see what you do,

Everybody smiles at you.

Yesterday was an incredibly beautiful day! The sun was shining!We had our windows open all day long! I didn't have morning meetings yesterday (for prolly the first time in 2 months), and so I basked in the glorious morning. I took my breakfast outside and read my scriptures in the beautiful sunshine. It was the best Sunday I have had in a long time. After church we had some friends over for dinner and all of us were feeling strangely happy. We blamed it on the sun. Thank you sun! I never realize how much I miss you until you return in the Spring and remind me of the warm summer nights, and long, lovely days spent outside that have just become distant memories. Hello to evening walks, picnics, hikes, BBQs, camping, bike riding, and reading in the park. I have missed you all! Even though it is a bit cloudy today, it is March, and the sun won't be gone for long. There is hope! There is the promise of a new day! There is a promise or spring! Of Summer! OF SUN!

It is wonderful that life continues to challenge and define us, great that there is always more to strive for and assuring that we will always grow from these experiences so the future will be better still.

Deena Kastor

So Maybe I Jumped Out of a Plane...

‎...And once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, For there you have been and there you long to return...

Leonardo da Vinci

MBAs are incredibly lucky people. Each semester they get an entire week off of school to pursue jobs and internships. (Us poor little MPAs only get one day the whole school year.) But I digress. The point is that if you are an MBA and you already have a stellar job lined up, what are you to do with your week free of classes? Sit around and do homework all week? No! Jump out of a plane? Yes! So, my good friends Liz and Jamen (being the good MBA students with secure futures that they are) planned a little excursion to the south of the state to hurl themselves out of a moving plane at 14,000 feet above sea level. Having an entire day off that week and considering that several of my classes were canceled, I jumped (literally?) at the chance to tag along.

We headed out Thursday morning and made the 4 hour drive to Hurricane. None of us were very nervous when we left, but the closer we got to the airport, the more we started wondering if this was really such a great idea. The first thing that we did when we got to the airport was to sign our lives away.

The form looked something like this:

Please initial the following to signify that you will not sue us if something bad happens.

___ I understand that my parachute may not deploy, or the plane may crash, or that any number of unexpected things may inflict bodily harm to me.

___ I understand that I may be paralyzed.

___ I understand that I may die.

Hmm. That was comforting.

Next came a training video hosted by a lawyer who looked like ZZ Top. He also told us that we may die, but then they showed a video of some very happy people skydiving (and not dying) and I felt much better.

Our friendly instructor Rick then took us outside and put us through a quick training session. The next thing we knew, it was go-time.

The facility was tiny, so we had to go up one at a time, but that ended up being pretty cool because we got to watch one another jump. The best part about going down to Hurricane is that you get a 20 minute scenic flight over Zion Canyon before you jump. It was breathtaking. The weather was perfect. Then the plane door opened.

I honestly expected to freeze, freak out, vomit, or otherwise embarrass myself up there, but I didn't. When the time came, I just flipped my legs out of the plane, stood on the little step and waited for Rick to say "GO!".

And that was it.

It was amazing. There really isn't anything that you can compare it to. The freefall lasted almost a minute and then, once the parachute was deployed, there was the most incredible silence. As thrilling as the rest of it was, I think that the silence was my favorite part. The entire crazy world had fallen away. I wish that I could do that moment justice with words, but I can't. I guess you are just going to have to find out for yourself.

Here is a little mini photo journal of our adventures in Hurricane:

Here is Liz, all ready to jump!

Jamen being awfully brave and taking the first jump.

Maybe I was a little bit excited.

Ok, I was a lot excited.

Liz floating (falling) gracefully from a height of, oh, 11,000 ft.

It didn't suck at all.

We lived!

Who wants to go again?