Back in the Saddle!

So, it's been awhile. In the last two weeks I finished my internship, steamed Amy Grant's dress, got hired as a recruiter for the MPA program, went on the first ever MPA orientation rafting trip as a second-year mentor, and started my last year of school (hopefully) EVER! Oh, and I moved. I have been a little busy. 

Baby, baby! Just chilling backstage with Amy Grant after the show. 

Rafting with Andrew, my program BFF and Liz and Gee, my Sherpees! 

The lovely thing about all of this crazy is that thing are only going to keep getting better! I am super stoked about my classes. I am taking several nonprofit management classes. This is cool because that is why I am here at school in the first place - hooray for getting past core required classes! I am also taking a negotiations class that is going to help me to acquire a spine! I have been needing one of those for a while. I have a great ethics class that will teach me to be a good person - a definite necessity ;), and I am taking spin AND swimming.  Mmmm,  I do love me some endorphins! Take that grad school anxiety!

There is just no better way to start the day than to get up at the crack of dawn and take on climbs and speed intervals. I know this because I did it one time. Today. I had my first spin class at 7:00 this morning. I really hated life when my alarm went off at 6:00 so I could finish my ethics paper, but by the time I was sitting on that bike I was ready to go! Our teacher took it fairly easy on us today, but I still got my butt kicked. However, I did do my fair share of kicking back and I am excited to spend my mornings in a crazy sweat fest. By the way, we all sign up to do music for the class. Does anyone have recommendations for a good spin playlist?

I love change and new adventure. I don't think that anything in my life is the same as it was a year ago and I am so grateful for that. Things have either changed entirely, or they have just gotten better. It is so great to be able to see how far I have come, and to know that I just get to keep taking on this crazy adventure that is grad school. This year is going to rock!

Relay Recap

Highlights from the Relay

Getting in the van Friday morning with the rest of my team and feeling like I belonged there. 

Seeing Camilla, Katie, and Faith dance to Justin Bieber in a wheat field. 

Running an 8:17 mile in my first leg! Yup folks, that is my fastest ever!

Sporting my homemade tutu and cape for the "Brightest Running Outfit" contest during my first leg.

Seeing the "Best Light Show" contest. Everyone was decked out in flashing lights and glow-in-the-dark gear for the midnight run.

An endless supply of chocolate milk

Having a child vomit all over me at 11:30pm and totally staying cool

Walking up delirious after negative 2  hours of sleep to hop on an insane roller coaster with the rest of my team at 3:00 in the morning. 

My last leg. A 6.1 mile run along the Pend Orielle River in Priest River, ID. I would say it was probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. 

6 orders of "The Special" for breakfast at the Village Cafe.  6 plates full of eggs, steak, homefries, and toast. It was our first real meal since dinner the night before we started, so it had been maybe 36 hours. Mmmm. 

Crossing the finish line with my team and receiving my first finishers medal! 

Spokane to Sandpoint

It is 1:10am. I am leaving for Washington in about 4 1/2 hours! If you have recently read my blog you will know that my dear friend Camilla just moved away to North Carolina. Lucky for me, she talked me into signing up for this relay race long before she left. So, tomorrow I get to see Camilla again AND I get to run in my VERY FIRST RELAY RACE! I am just a little bit excited. Can you tell?  Well, some of that excitement may be my futile efforts to erase the nervous feeling that I have in the pit of my stomach, as I am about to try something that I never thought I would ever be capable of, but most of it really is just pure excitement. We are going to camp in Spokane tomorrow night and then we will hit the road Friday morning for the 180 glorious miles that will take us into Idaho by way of 12 runners, 36 legs, and one roller coaster! That's right. Roller coaster. Once you get to the theme park, the whole team boards a roller coaster and then the next runner takes off from there. How cool is that? Anyway, I need to go finish packing. I am sure that there will be plenty of pictures and stories to come. In the meantime, put some good things out in the universe for me so I can make it back alive!

UP

Last week I went out for a lovely adventure with my best henny friend who lives up in Herriman. In the midst of all this adventure, we got a little lost on our way to dinner out in Daybreak.  (BTW, if you are looking for a scenic drive that will transport you to 1930s rural America, go get lost west of Herriman) Luckily for us, our detour landed us not very far from the UP house! So, we took a little sidetrip and went to see this delight that is being highlighted in the Parade of Homes. We only did a quick drive-by, but it was still pretty magical. 

 The house is seriously exactly like the one in the movie. I hear that the inside has even been decorated to match the house in the film.  That is some pretty serious business if you ask me. 

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, we noticed that there was quite a big of commotion at the front of the house. Yup, that's right. There was an old man and a boy scout sitting on the porch!

This was the last thing I expected to do with my evening, but it was pretty darn cool. If you live around here, you should totally take the kids. People don't just rebuild animated movie sets everyday. 

Camilla the Thrilla

I have been dreading this post for a long time. This summer has been great, several very dear friends have moved on to new adventurous lives in faraway places, and I am afraid that today I had to say goodbye yet again. Luckily it was only a partial goodbye as we have the good fortune of meeting up Washington next week for our relay, but then there will be another goodbye and we just aren't going to think about that right now.   

Camilla J Hodge (aka The Blur) is off to North Carolina to start a PhD program! (Yes, I do only keep rock stars as friends) She will be studying Parks and Recreation Management. I really can’t begrudge her leaving; she was born to do this. Camilla is quite honestly one of the most brilliant people that I have ever met. She is perseverant, dedicated, and stubborn. PhD, you don’t know what is coming to get you.

For me, Camilla was one of those people who came crashing into my life and showed me how much cooler everything could be. I kid you not, I owe a great deal of my awesomeness to Camilla. Many thanks to my darling friend for the sheepen, Yogurtland, the inspiration of the yellow raincoat of justice, your love of MJ, my love of running, so many shared boxes of crackaroni and cheese, Sara B sing-a-longs, that one day that we ran in the canyon and it made everything better, for letting me fall asleep on your bean bag chair, and for believing in me. Oh, and for being my neighbor in 2007, even though we didn’t know it.

Milla, you are making me cry. I miss you already.

Do me a favor and look up that front desk clerk at that hotel will you?

VIVAN LOS BISCUITS!