More Summer Runs

I'm sure everyone out there is so sick of looking at sunrise pictures, but the beautiful morning sky really is what gets me out of bed each morning to run and I don't want to forget the beauty I see every morning!

One morning the sunrise shining on the temple was so gorgeous!

Love running around the lake

I seriously can't believe that this is my neighborhood!

The weekend before my half I ran 12.5 miles down Big Cottonwood to prepare and the sun shining on the mountains was so pretty - gorgeous scenery makes running so much fun!

I ran the Wastach Stake 5k and apparently I won winner for 1st Female and 1st in my age division - it was pretty easy since everyone running was about 50 years old :)

Last the best - 80's run for Kylee's bday! So funny, lots of honks and stares, but so worth it! 

Summer Runs

So there's this thing I like to do that I call Summer Running, cleaver name right?!  Pretty much I only run in the summer and then I stop working out the rest of the year!  In the winter it's just way too cold to get out of my car and walk inside the gym or to put on workout clothes.  But there is just something about early morning runs in the summer that help me stay sane, relax me even {what?!}.  And I have been lucky enough to have friends in my neighborhood who love it too so it works out perfect to run with buddies!

Since I only run half of the year I'm not amazingly fast or have any big time goals, I just run to get outside and enjoy the weather!  I don't care about my pace or my mileage, I just like to get out of a stuffy office or house and enjoy the summer.

My two running buddies this year - Sara and Eryn!  I wouldn't get up in the wee hours of the morning if it weren't for them!

I also really owe a lot of my running to living in Daybreak - it seriously is the perfect and most beautiful place to run.  The lake is a perfect, mostly flattish route with such pretty scenery.  If I lived most anywhere else I'm sure I wouldn't stick to running very well!  The beauty of my neighborhood gets me out of bed!

The most beautiful sunrise one morning!  Definitely worth the 6am alarm clock. 

Some of the girls signed up for the Utah Valley 10k in June.  I didn't sign up or plan on doing it because it didn't seem worth the time or money just to run 6 miles.  But one of my friends ended up not being able to do it so I ran in her place and it was so much fun! 

twenty-eight

How I am 28 years old?? I literally still feel like I'm 18! Too bad I'm almost 30 :( That seriously makes me want to cry! Despite the fact that I am somehow aging at a crazy rapid pace, my birthday this year was so much fun thanks to my cute hubby, family and friends! If you don't know, I looove holidays and like to make them special and a big deal so Al always likes to make sure my b-day is a fun day for me! 

The celebration started a few days before my birthday at Al's parents.  Me and Al have birthdays within the same week so Sunday's dinners are always a big party for us.  Al's fam knows me well - a big tub of Starlight Mint ice cream couldn't have been a more perfect birthday cake for me!

The day of my actual birthday I got up and got ready for work as usual, Al made me a green smoothie and I headed downstairs to leave when I saw this!! Isn't he the cutest?? Such a huge surprise! Each letter had funny names, words, drawings - and then 2 huge things of balloons AND flowers! He's a keeper! :)

Love these birthday Snap Chats from Meg and Kate!

 I took a long lunch break with my parents and Jack to go visit Ben and Rach in the hospital to see baby Russell who was born the day before. 

I am seriously obsessed with all of my nephews!!

 That night we went downtown to dinner at The Copper Onion

I can stuff my face full of food on my birthday, right?! So delish!

After dinner we went to see the gorgeous tulips at Temple Square and shop at City Creek

I'm pretty sure that when someone gives you a ton of balloons you have to go run around outside with them! :)

 It doesn't stop there! A few days later my friends took me out dessert at The Chocolate, my absolute favorite place!

Seriously love them all so much!!

Thanks to all of you for making my birthday so much fun!! Here's to another year!

As of late....

Even though IVF seemed to take over my life (and my blog) for awhile there, I did have a life besides IVF and here are some pics to prove it!

When I first started the IVF process I had a GNO with some of my ward friends to celebrate a few of us and things we had going on in our lives (IVF, birthdays, graduation, etc).  So fun to get my mind of shots for a few hours and eat chocolate!

Also during the IVF process we were able to let off a little steam by shooting some guns! I was a little freaked out at first since I had never held a gun, but after I got used to it I felt pretty cool!

The day of my Transfer Brooke and Chad were in town and blessed Spencer. I stopped by the blessing to hear it and then went and laid on my parents couch for the next few hours. Katie kept me company! 

We had such a fun date night with neighborhood friends at Pizzeria Limone - I am seriously addicted to that place! It was such a fun group of friends and I'm pretty sure we could have stayed there all night chatting away!

Lunch with Brooke and Joshy while they were in town! Come back soon!!

Some of the IVF drugs made me so sick - the only thing that would help me feel better is old-school Campbell's Chicken Noodle, Sprite and Zesta Crackers! So ghetto but it is honestly my favorite when I'm sick!

On the other hand, when I am sad there is nothing better than treats and soda to drown my sorrows away! Girl Scout cookies couldn't have come at a better time! This was my comfort when I found out IVF didn't work. Disgusting I know. Hence the fact that I have been sugar, fruit and carb free for 2 weeks - pretty sure my body is still on a sugar high!

Just one stack of Thank You cards to all the AMAZING people I have in my life who helped me through the IVF process, I have never been more overwhelmed in my life. I cannot believe all of the love and support we received. From treats, meals, gifts, texts, visits, prayers, messages, girls nights out, blog comments, flowers, etc. I truly do have the best people in my life and I couldn't have made it through this process without each and every one of you - THANK YOU!!

Me and Katie trying to take a normal pic together

A few nights after I got the results I went to Red Mango with some of my closest friends, it was a MUCH needed night out that lasted until after midnight chatting and catching up!

I love Jack's expression in this pic from dinner with the fam for my dad's birthday, I am obsessed with my nephews if you can't tell!

So ya, that whole "comfort food" thing mentioned above - these are just a few more addictions from the last month - Downton, back on the DC bandwagon, and Coconut Chips from TJ's. 

Love these two girls that I get to work with! We have become such good friends and I wouldn't be able to survive work without them!! Sadly Amy left us last week to move to Cali! :( We are the perfect little trio at work and Amy will be hard to replace - but if I had the chance to move to San Clemente I would leave in a second so I don't blame her! 

Before she left we went to dinner downtown at Eva's - sooo delish! Can't wait to go back!

Easter Sunday at the Hogan's! Becky had a little Easter egg hunt for the boys, it was perfect weather so we stayed outside all night.

 Some girls in my ward got together for Deidra's birthday last week at La Jolla Groves at Gateway, I really do live in the best neighborhood and have met such good friends. Our ward got split a few months ago and luckily I have met so many great friends in my new ward!

Yet another girls night! This time with my very best friends since 7th grade. I really, truly I am sooo lucky to still have these girls in my life! (Sorry for the weird eyes Dan and Meg, stupid iPhone!)

 Life has been so busy since our IVF results, luckily! I have been having a lot of fun and its been good to get my mind off things. I am excited for a fun and busy Spring and Summer that WILL NOT involve IVF, treatments, baby trying or anything of the sort. I have never been more excited to NOT think about or try to have a baby. It'll be a good and MUCH needed break until we decide to try again and who knows when that will be!