God Bless Us, Every One.

Merry Christmas!

I know I'm a day late, but obviously Christmas day was too fun-filled with festivities to waste time blogging!
I just want to spread cheer and love to all our friends and family, and remind us of the true reason for the season.
I am so thankful for Jesus Christ and for the opportunity we have to celebrate His birth and life.

Warmest wishes for peace and joy :)

Joy to the World

Please watch this short music video.

http://www.joytoeveryone.com/

I thought it was very uplifting (the story behind it is as well). It is a great reminder of love and peace this season, and of the true purpose of our lives on earth.

Merry Christmas!

13.1 Round 3

Today I decided to run ANOTHER half-marathon. And to train through the winter, AGAIN. It is currently 35 degrees and snowing. Eeek! (Think burning lungs, frozen toes, and runny nose)

This will be my third half-marathon... and I still say "I AM NOT A RUNNER." I don't particularly enjoy running. I've been a swimmer my whole life, and I'd much rather be in the water. But apparently I'm an amphibian because I have sprouted legs.



The first half-marathon was a challenge set forth by my runner sister, to have all 4 of us sisters train for and participate in one together. It was an awesome experience, running on Surfside Beach in Texas....but the 3 months leading up to it, I was here in Utah, running in the snow. I promised myself I'd NEVER do that again.

Then last year I got roped in again. My husband's family(cousins, aunts, uncles) has this awesome tradition of running the Canyonlands Half together in Moab every March. I knew it would be amazing to train with my husband and cross the finish line side-by-side. So, as the newest member of the family, I joined the club and trained through the winter, AGAIN. I promised myself I'd NEVER do that again.

Here I am, another year gone by, and chatter about the Canyonlands comes up again. My first instinct was NO WAY! I promised myself I'd NEVER do that again. But somehow, perhaps after reflection about my tightening holiday waistline and desperate need for motivation to exercise, I find myself preparing to train through the winter, ONE LAST TIME...

And I'm actually excited. Excited to train, to run together, to work towards a goal, and to get in better shape!

I'm still too wimpy to brave the snow. Any suggestions for not dying of boredom while on the treadmill for 10 miles?

One of those moments

Life is made up of gadjillions of moments. The good, the bad and the ugly. And I strongly believe in cherishing the good. Whatever they may be: surprising, awe-inspiring, comforting, blissful, satisfying...they are all wonderful. And even though my life is not 100% good moments, I try my best to recognize them while they are happening, (or at least after-the-fact). Because focusing on the good helps me to be a happier person!
Today I had many good moments I'd like to share. Whether they are unique to today, or occurances of everyday life, it's always moments like these when I take a deep breath and say,
"I love my life!":

• I yawn with first stretch of the morning, in my comfy bed.
• I step into the hot shower after the gym.
• I wake up and see an EMPTY sink.
• I get a compliment from a stranger.
• I watch the first snowflakes fall from the sky.
• I catch a glimpse of a breathtaking mountain view.
• The last bit of laundry is finally clean, folded, and put away.
• My professor says exactly what I need to hear, and it makes perfect sense.
• I put the finishing touches on our first Christmas tree.
• My husband looks at me like he did on our wedding day.
• The perfect song comes on the radio when I get in my car.
• Someone special calls me, just when I need to talk.
• I get to the gas station right before the tank runs dry.
• I witness a magical moment between mother and child.
• I realize that actually have time to make a yummy dinner, AND food in the pantry.

What about you? What good moments did you have today? :)