Cold.

Things that happen when it is -3 degrees outside during the day-

Ice forms on the windows, inside your house.

Your car won't start without a little complaining.

You stand by the door before you step outside, gathering the courage and remembering that the pioneers had it worse.

Your eyes hurt instantly as soon as they hit the frigid air.

Your water bottle that you accidentally left in the car is frozen solid, as is your ipod and occasionally your iphone.

Fun fact- negative temperatures cause your phone to die within 20 minutes if left in the car.

Going to gym is so much harder, especially when you refuse to wear long pants.

The sun can be shining all day but the temperature does not go up at all. As a woman who grew up in Arizona, I do not understand this at all.

Dreading church because it means exposing your stark white legs to the elements. I have yet to build my Sunday winter wardrobe.

Basically, this cold snap better be over soon because I want my low 30's weather back, please. Low 30's = paradise. Seriously.

Let's be clear- I am not complaining. I don't mind this cold at all, because I am inside all day anyway! And even though this state is trying its hardest to make me hate it, I still love you, Montana. Your mountains are everything to me.

It's a deadly beauty, but I fall more in love every day.

Life is so fantastic.

So many news things, guys! First, I can't remember if I mentioned that my license came through, but it did finally! So i've been working full time now for 3 weeks and I absolutely love it. I'm not sure what I was doing before I had this job, because it is my life now and it's everything I have ever wanted in a job. I work Mon-Thurs and I am totally loving my 3 day weekends :) I get to sleep in past 6 am, and I can go to the gym for as long as I like, and I can watch Netflix to my hearts desire. 

Speaking of, I moved to a new place in another town that's about 12 miles from work. Not bad, by Montana standards! Haha. And I am now living with a roommate in a small two bedroom house. It is a HUGE upgrade from where I was at in Hamilton, and my roommate Meghan is very chill and easy to get along with. But we finally got internet yesterday and I hooked up the Wii to netflix so now my life is complete again. And today I bought a brand new MacBook Pro (which I am typing on right now). I wouldn't have bought it so soon but I received $500 from a contest I entered at Runner's World that I totally forgot about until they notified me that I won! So that went towards my new computer.

Anyway, Thanksgiving was amazing! I didn't go to AZ, rather I made the 4 hour drive to the Great Falls area to spend the holiday weekend with Sydnee and her family (the same family me and Chic visited in July). It was awesome! The weather was perfect the whole time, Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic, and me and Sydnee totally rocked at Black Friday shopping. I got basically a whole new wardrobe at Old Navy because everything was 50% off and it made me go a little crazy. Haha! So worth it. All in all, it was a successful and joy-filled weekend. 

Now I have two weeks until I fly home for Christmas, and then after Christmas I have a ski class that start in January that I am so so so excited for. I've only gone skiing once when I was 16 and I think I remember picking it up pretty fast. I'm in better shape now than I was when I was 16 so I think this will be a really fun experience for me and it will hopefully be the start of a new passion for me. I'm still working on getting back into running, but my feet are still a little reluctant. I'll be doing to bulk of my running on treadmills this winter (I just got a gym membership!) and I am hoping to train for a marathon this summer. I'm shooting for the Big Cottonwood Marathon in September in Utah! I did the half over a year ago and it has been my favorite race.

Well, for the next four or five months I just have to focus on staying warm and enjoying what an actual winter has to offer! I'm so happy to be in Montana and I am not sure what I did to deserve such an awesome life! :)

I hate coming up with titles

Good evening from chilly (okay, freezing) Hamilton, Montana! I am writing this from the library because somehow I have lived without Internet for one month now. One month. Every day I thank my lucky stars that I have an iphone because without it I would be a mess, sad to say.

But, things are about to change! I found a girl on craigslist who needs a roommate for her house (we will each have our own bedroom) and I am moving in this Friday! And joyous news, we will be getting internet in the next couple weeks! I think I might cry from joy. I have been without Netflix for FAR too long. And you can make fun of me all you want, but I love the internet and I love the convenience of it.

My State of Montana PTA license FINALLY came through on Monday. Guess how many times I had to take the stupid jurisprudence exam before I passed? FOUR TIMES. I know. When I got the email saying I didn't pass the third time, I think that was the most mad I have ever been in my life! The test is 25 T/F questions and so they didn't tell me which ones I miss. Okay honestly I'm sick of talking about this...basically, I'm just glad I finally passed. Ugh. So now I have been a practicing PTA for two whole days now, and I am exhausted already. Haha! But I love being busy and I love how tired I am at the end of the day because it means that I have done something worthwhile. It has been over two years since I've worked at any job, and this is my first post-college, big girl job!! And I LOVE IT. The people I work with are amazing and everyone is always looking out for each other. Oh and did I mention how nice the paychecks are? Woof. I am not used to making money at all so this feels reeeaaallly good.

What else...oh, I had to stop running because my left foot hurts so bad, and it doesn't even hurt near any surgery site so that is way confusing. Jocelyn (one of the PTs at work) thought maybe it was just added stress from working plus running, and my foot is not quite used to bearing the weight in that area of my foot yet. All I know is that I am highly frustrated but I guess it came at a good time because it is getting too cold to run outside. Once I get a gym membership next week (FINALLY) then I'll really focus on weight training and using the elliptical and stationary bikes. I have some elaborate plans for racing next summer so I better be able to run soon!

Thanksgiving is next week! Can you believe it!? I am driving over to Great Falls for the holiday to celebrate with Sydnee's family and I am beyond excited. Sure, it'll be my first Thanksgiving away from home but I'm going home for Christmas so I'll be fine. Here's to hoping the weather is good for the drive! This will also be the first year in a long, long time that I can go Black Friday shopping!!! And it'll be the first year I can buy presents for my family! Mostly I need to build up my winter wardrobe, as I have next to no winter clothes. That, and work clothes. I need to basically start from the ground up with work clothes because I don't really have any. How cool would it be if I could wear yoga pants every day like I did when I was in school? Alas, it is slacks and a nice shirt every day. No jeans :( which I fully expected but it still hard! Oh well, it's an excuse to buy new clothes which I haven't done in years anyway.

Well that's about the extent of new things that have happened in the last month. Here's to hoping the next month will be just as great! Who am I kidding, it's ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!

My First Week

So, it's officially been one week since I moved here to Hamilton, Montana. And so far it has ranged from fun to boring to beautiful to frigid and everything in between. I am mostly bored though, because my state license has yet to come through. However, there is an end in sight because all of the paperwork is in the mail as I type this, so I'm hoping by the end of this week my license will become active. Good thing, because I NEED to start working before I go completely mad! Haha. I'll just give you a day to day rundown of my first week...

Wednesday: Arrived in Hamilton around 2:30 pm. Got my keys, made about 20 trips up and down the stairs and attempted to put my stuff away in the limited space that I have. Here's the deal with my apartment- I picked it because it was available immediately. For what I'm getting, the rent is way too high. There is no closet, kitchen sink, microwave (which I realize is rarely included anyway) and zero storage. It's a studio, so I expected it to be a little cramped, but no closet?! Come on! How can someone live?? Haha. So, my clothes are basically still sitting in the garbage bags that I packed them in. Luckily, I recently was able to find another studio down the street with an actual kitchen, a bed, a dresser, and a CLOSET! Not only that, but it is much, much cheaper and totally worth the rent. But, since I had to give 30 days notice (and pay rent for those 30 days) in my current place, I won't move until Thanksgiving weekend. I'm not worried because I can totally handle living without a closet and microwave for another month, as long as I start working next week! haha.

Thursday: Went to visit my work and meet everybody. best experience ever and everyone there is so incredibly nice. I know I made the right choice in coming here, just so I can meet and work with all these awesome people. My boss, Jeff, is LDS and a big time hunter and horseback rider and basically I couldn't be working for anyone better. The rest of the employees are women and I know I will get along with them just fine. I just want to be working RIGHT NOW instead of spending my days at the library or watching movies! haha. After I visited work, I drove the 40ish miles to Missoula. I went to Target and bought some drawers for my clothes and an ice scraper for my car (which I had already needed that morning, haha). I then drove around downtown for a bit, and I had intended to eat at a popular diner but parking wasn't free so I skipped that and came across a Great Harvest and their sandwiches were just what I needed. So good! After that, I drove back home and took a 3 hour nap which I then regretted later. Haha.

Friday: I ran a bunch of errands in the morning, then in the afternoon I went hiking with Lindsay from work. I was kind of worried about not being acclimated yet, and turns out it was just as hard as I knew it would be. haha. It was only an hour long hike, but dang it was steep! It was on the east side of Corvallis and the top rewarded us with fantastic views of the whole valley. I loved it! And it felt good to get out and sweat. Friday night I relaxed and watched movies on my laptop, since I don't have internet. What?! I know. It's new for me. haha.

Saturday: More errands, and I drove up the west side of the valley to find some good views. I didn't really know where I was going exactly but I just followed the map and came across some gorgeous views. The mountains are so bright and vivid this time of year, and I was able to fully experience the fall colors. After that I went running around the downtown area, and I am happy that each run gets easier and easier. Also, no pain from my feet which is a huge blessing!

Sunday: I had looked forward to this day all week! After not being around Mormons (that I knew of) for 3 days I was feeling so deprived, haha. Spoiled! I went to church at 10 am (glorious) and it was the best church I've had in a long time. Everyone came up and introduced themselves to me, and I got offers for Sunday dinner. Everyone also wanted to find me a better place to live after I told them my situation, haha! The Bishop of Hamilton ward is Bishop Rogers, and he is actually the Institute teacher in Missoula! Lucky me! Then, and this was awful, we figured out I was in the wrong ward :( I was supposed to go to Blodgett Canyon ward at noon, but for some reason when I looked up my address on the church website it told me to go at 10 am. I am kind of sad about that because I met SO many cool people in Hamilton ward, especially the Hawkes family who gave invited me over for family dinner and who are taking me to the trunk or treat tomorrow night! Bryan and April both remind me of our family friends the Tonioil's, so basically they are as cool as they come. I think I will end up splitting my time between the singles ward in Missoula and Blodgett Canyon ward (since that is where I'm supposed to be) and I know both wards will be a great experience for me. The Church up here is strong and full of the most amazing people.

Monday: Ran some errands, went running, and didn't do much else. I spent some time at the library (free internet!) and caught up on tv shows. it doesn't help that I'm addicted to a show on Netflix (Pretty Little Liars, don't judge) and I don't have internet at my place. As soon as I move in to my new place, that'll be the first thing I get! Haha.

Tuesday: much of the same, running and library. Haha. Tuesday night I went to an institute class that a married couple does in their home. There was only 3 of us but we had great discussion about the organization and restoration of the Church. Sometimes small settings are the best! I look forward to this every week now.

Today: ran some errands, made some phone calls, and as I type I am sitting in the library. I wonder if the employees here will ever get sick of me? Haha. I may go running later but for now I'm just feeling lazy, the usual.

So basically, everybody pray that I can start work ASAP because I can feel myself slowly starting to lose it. Haha! Being lazy and unproductive isn't so bad when you have people to hang out with, but when it's just me by myself it is straight up unbearable and mostly I just want to start working so I can pay my parents back for all the money they spent to get me up here. That's the only thing keeping me going! So once again, prayers are appreciated.

I know I sound all negative and stuff, but I am so insanely grateful that I have the chance to come up here. I needed to do something totally crazy and different, and I would say this fits the bill. I look forward to all the good times that are to come, and I only hope I am up to the task. Here's to hoping that I find what I'm looking for!

In case you wanted to feel jealous today...

This is where I'm moving to on Monday :)

The Decision...

Y'all remember that one time when (the biggest douchebag in the world) LeBron James had that hours-long ESPN special where he eventually announced his decision about where he was going to play basketball and get paid millions of dollars? Well this is more important, okay?

A couple weeks ago, I had a huge decision to make. Stay in Arizona and make lots of money, or move to Montana, fulfill my dream, save a little less money, but have the time of my life? I'm not entirely sure why it was such a hard decision for me. Probably because there were SO many variables. Eventually, all of the Arizona opportunities fell through and I was left with one choice: move to Montana.

I can't adequately put into words how excited I am. I signed for an apartment yesterday in Hamilton, which is only 10 minutes away from Corvallis (where the physical therapy office is). Now I just have to get up there and get my license active as soon as possible. I am nearly done with the application, and hopefully I can convince them to get my PTA license up and running quickly. I am planning on leaving on Monday the 21st. As in, less than 6 days from now. Womp.

I need to furnish an entire apartment in the first couple weeks that I am up there. I plan on sleeping on an air mattress until I can find a bed. Hopefully I can find a hot Montana boy to do all the hauling for me :)

Okay but in all seriousness, I am putting dating and getting married a little lower on the totem pole of priorities for a while. Basically I am not expecting much for now because I just have no idea what to expect. If I am meant to meet somebody, then I will. This I do know, there are not a lot of single, LDS women my age in that area, and this puts my odds very high :) My friend Amber (who is awesome enough to give me a ton of kitchen stuff for free!) said she wouldn't be surprised if I was the hottest girl up there. Haha I'm not setting the bar too high, but we'll see! I'm excited to make friends in the ward and hopefully some families will take me in as their own! Montanans are the most humble, nicest, and down to earth people I have ever met. I am so excited to get to know them.

Anyway, these last few days in Arizona will consist of packing, making sure my car is in top shape (we don't want a repeat of this summer's Montana trip) and making sure I see everyone before I go. I am so excited to start this new chapter of my life and I am definitely looking forward to bringing everyone along on my journey through this blog! Here's to the city girl in a small town...

new shoes and my first RUN!!

So, Monday was a great day. I got cleared by my doctor to start running again! Only problem is my old running shoes were so run down that I knew I need new ones. After a lot of sad puppy dog faces to my mom and promises of paying her back once I get a job, I was allowed to go buy a brand new pair of my beloved Mizuno Wave Riders. My mom couldn't quite understand the need for new shoes though, which led to some hilarious (to me) conversations.

Mom: "But you already have a pair of perfectly good shoes."

Me: "The cushioning is worn out and that can cause injuries."

Mom: "Who even replaces shoes every 5 or 6 months, anyway?"

Me' "Any runner with a brain. Shoes don't last more than 500 miles at most."

Mom: "A lot of people run in old shoes all the time."

Me: "A lot of people are also idiots."

Chic: (after I had already bought the new shoes) "Um, those are exactly the same as your old shoes."

Me: (face palm) No duh. Because they are a great shoe and I want to run in them again."

Honestly if I was talking to other runners they would totally get it, but even after watching me train for and run 2 marathons, 5 half marathons, and several relays you'd think my family would get it! Haha.

So yesterday, I headed out for my first real run, post-surgery. I have two new feet, might as well break them in like I break in new shoes.

I'm not gonna lie, it sucked.

I haven't ran a single mile since early March, and now that my feet are completely different than they were back then, my body is not only not used to running at all, it isn't used to my new body mechanics. My right foot (the one they fixed in May) felt great, only little tinges of discomfort here and there but not any pain. My left foot (2 months out from surgery and the one that has caused me a lot of grief) didn't know what was happening. The pain wasn't too awful but it was enough to where I think it showed on my face. If my foot could talk, it would probably say "stop, idiot."

BUT, I was able to get through about a mile of walking a little and running a bit more. I came home and had to head off to a choir practice and wouldn't you know it, my left foot was throbbing for most of the night. I honestly think my foot just needs to get used to being pounded over and over again. Haha.

Today I ran again. Two miles, this time. And it went much, much, MUCH better. I think I ran more than I walked and there was A LOT less pain than yesterday. I figure that the more I run, but still keep the intensity low, the better I will feel. I won't be doing any speed work soon, nor will I be doing any sort of high mileage for a while. But I think that high frequency, low intensity is the key here. My feet just simply need to get used to pounding and pushing off harder than if I were walking.

The way things have improved even between yesterday and today, I see no problem with running the turkey trot on Thanksgiving, which is a little less than two months from now. By that time, my right foot will be over 6 months out, and my left will be 4 months out. With the way my right foot feels NOW at 4 months out, I'm really excited to see how they will react to racing again.

This is just the beginning of the greatest time of my life!! So many great things happening soon :)

Good, Better, Best.

Job hunting has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. I have had a couple interviews, but so far they have ended in disappointment. Until yesterday. I received a call from an outpatient clinic in Montana- yes, my dream state and the place I have wanted to live for as long as I can remember. From what he told me, this is the perfect job, minus the whole 1,000 miles away from home part. So I got all excited! Last night I was convinced that I was moving there, and that it would finally be a dream come true! Yeah, I'd probably end up living in a trailer or something, and yeah, I could possibly be setting myself up to be an eternal spinster by moving to a small town, but at the same time I was ready for an adventure.

Then this morning, I had an interview at an office in Gilbert. Right down the street from my house, in a beautiful clinic with an awesome staff of mostly LDS people. The man I interviewed with seemed very positive about taking me on, even though I was completely upfront about the Montana position. He understood, and told me he was in no rush, and to think about it. All of a sudden, my feelings and priorities changed. I could make much more money if I stayed in Arizona and took this job. I could potentially pay off my students loans much more quickly. I could even begin saving money (something totally unheard of for me).

So now it is a choice between two excellent things. On one hand, my dream location. Montana. The mountains and small towns are thing that I daydream about on a regular basis. I know for most people, it doesn't sound ideal or appealing at all, but dang it, I am not most people! I have dreamed about living in a small rural town for as long as I can remember. When else will I have the chance to just up and move to where ever I want? So do I follow my heart, and do what I've always wanted to do?

On the other hand, staying in Gilbert. I could be responsible, save money, pay off student loans, be close to family, and continue to live in the state that I love dearly but sometimes hate at the same time. I hate that nothing changes here. I left for two years and came back, and nothing changed. So do I follow my head, and the logic that tells me I need to be a real adult now and take responsibility for my life?

This is what is plaguing me, this battle between my heart and my mind. I've never had to make such a huge life decision before. And making a pros and cons list doesn't help me much, because "mountains" will always beat "money" for me.

I am hoping to hear back from the Gilbert place in a couple days, and if they offer me a job I don't think I'll be able to turn it down. But at the same time, will I wish for the rest of my life that I had taken the job in Montana? Even if only for a couple years? These are the things that keep me up at night, so if anyone has some good advice/bits of wisdom for me, that would be greatly appreciated!

That Big Hole in the Ground

The Grand Canyon. I sometimes forget about the this big hole in the ground. I drive by the turn-offs to the south and north rims every time I drive to Utah. It wasn't until this weekend that I was able to fully appreciate the beauty and grandeur that is the Grand Canyon. 

I have a friend who is super adventurous, and he hikes the GC a couple times a year. I would have joined in a heart beat if I still wasn't recovering from my last foot surgery. As it is, I volunteered to be a driver, to get the car from the north rim to the south while the hikers traversed 24+ miles of unforgiving desert. 

Friday morning, I left with the first group and we headed up to the north rim. Arriving at about 5 pm, we decided to do a short hike from the campsite to the grand lodge. Now, since my surgery 6 weeks ago I haven't walked any long distances, and any walking I've done was on concrete and flat ground. I wasn't so sure about an almost 3-mile round trip on dirt and rocks and tree roots, but surprisingly the more I walked the better my foot felt! The lodge is beautiful! It is situated literally right at the edge of the cliff, and in the large front sitting room there are three huge bay windows with the most breathtaking views of the canyon. I could have sat on those couches all day. There's also a sitting area outside with more chairs, all facing the canyon. I would have given anything to sit there and just relax and read a good book. 

Shortly after dark we headed back to the campsite. Since there wasn't much to do and we didn't have firewood and it was quickly becoming freezing cold, we made our beds and attempted to sleep. All I can say is I wish I had brought a foam pad and another blanket to put on top of my sleeping bag! I was freezing most of the night, even all bundled up in my clothes, and although I'm used to sleeping on the ground I guess I'm getting old because I could not get comfortable! Haha. As it was, not much sleep was had by anybody that night, especially the other group because they arrived at around 1 am. 

Morning dawned cold and a little foggy. The 5 hikers seemed nervous but excited to get going. After packing up camp, we all drove the short distance to the Kaibab Trailhead. After some pictures and a prayer, they were off! I was almost nervous seeing them go. I know how dangerous the canyon can be, but I also had no doubt they would all make it out to other side in one piece. 

Stephanie (the other driver) and I hiked a short distance down the trail to get a glimpse of the canyon, but the trail was in the trees for some distance so we decided to drive to the lodge instead. Once there, we hiked out to Bright Angel point (half mile round trip) and enjoyed the amazing views. 

Around mid morning we left the north rim (which I was really sad to leave, it is gorgeous!) and arrived in Jacob's Lake. Of course I had to buy a cookie (or two) and we also needed to fill up on gas for the journey to the south rim. Since Stephanie hadn't really been to any of the popular stops along the way, I took on the job of tour guide. We stopped at some good lookout spots and then at Navajo Bridge which has awesome views of the mighty Colorado as it winds its way towards the GC. The river was as muddy as I have ever seen it, no doubt to all the rains in recent weeks. 

After Navajo Bridge, there aren't any more scenic spots so we set our sights on the south rim. When we arrived around 2 pm, it was already fairly crowded. We stopped at some of the early lookout spots, and even braved the crowds at the Grand Canyon Village. Around 5, we decided to get to Bright Angel Lodge and Trailhead and await our hikers. The walkie talkies that we had finally worked when we were at the trailhead, and they told us they were at what was called 3-Mile House. Another hour or so and they'd be out! 

Once Luke got cell service, he texted me and said him and Dave were behind the other three, as they were both having a rough time. Stephanie and I hiked down the trail a short way so we could see the switchbacks and watch for the other 3. We cheered them on when we saw them, then hiked the rest of the way out with them. Another hour or so later, the last two straggled out. They were both miserable but happy to be out. 

After showers for the hikers, a meal in the small town just south of the park, and lots of caffeine for me, we were finally on our way home. I was exhausted but somehow we all made it home in one piece, arriving around 1:15 am. 

Even though all I did was drive, I still had a total blast! Steph and I had fun exploring both rims and pretty much just being tourists. The crowds of foreigners were crazy but very interesting. I heard a lot of different languages, mostly French. Anyway, here's a picture dump! 

Job Searching equals HELL

So I am convinced that AZ is at it's worst in September. It still feels like summer, but it's not quite fall. It is still blasted hot, and there's not even a chill at night. It makes me reminisce about Utah's September. The colors are starting to change and the nights are perfect. There are good things about Utah and good things about Arizona, and I'm having a hard time deciding where I want to be now. I'm not gonna lie. I miss Utah. I mostly miss running there. That state has all of my favorite races.

I'm still in the middle of job searching, and can I just say that IT SUCKS. It seems like no matter how hard I try, I can't get on top of it. The majority of jobs that are available are either traveling jobs (not out of the question) or jobs in skilled nursing facilities, which I am convinced I will hate every waking second of working there. But I actually have no idea because I've never been in one. Who knows? I definitely do not want to work weekends or Sundays, which is why I've really been trying to get into an outpatient setting. The hours are set, and I've always been more interested in sports/orthopedics anyway. I did have an interview at an awesome clinic in Gilbert (inside Mountainside Fitness!) but they decided they wanted to go with a PT because they needed somebody to cover for the hours that the other PT is there. Forgive me if I'm wrong but ISN'T THAT THE POINT OF A PTA?! As a PTA, I am a valuable tool in growing clinics. I can see patients that the PT has already evaluated, producing a higher patient load while lowering costs. I swear, some people are sadly misinformed or just have no idea what the role of a PTA is. It drives me crazy.

The only thing I can do is keep moving forward. I have applied in many states, given my name and resume to as many recruiting agencies as I can, and still have come up with nothing. The one job offer I had wanted me to work every or every other Sunday. I can put up with a lot of things, but losing my Sunday is not an option. I have told myself from the very beginning that I would never work on Sundays. I had to once during my clinical and I felt dirty and just miserable all day.

Am I being too picky, or is I own personal happiness more important? Should I just take any job I can get (even if I will be miserable every day) or should I hold out for the job that I want? These are the questions that keep me up at night!!!!

Breaking Bad

Can I just take a moment and talk about the greatest show on television?! So during my awful week last week, where I was suffering from hives and itching and all that, I discovered the greatest show in existence. Now, I realize this show is in its 5th and final season (sob) and so it has been around for a while, and I realize I have had several friends tell me I need to watch it, but GOSH DANG IT why did I never listen?! This show, oh man this show is addicting. And it is all I can talk about. And people must think I'm crazy.

Here's the gist on this gem of a show: it is about a chemistry teacher (Walter White) who, upon finding out he has cancer, somehow decides that cooking and selling crystal meth is the only solution to his financial sorrows. He doesn't want his family to end up destitute when he is gone. So he teams up with an old student of his, Jesse (the love of my life) who has fallen into some druggie ways and has been a small-time meth dealer on the side. He's your typical punk kid with no respect for anybody. But I still can't help but love the kid. First off, he's gorgeous. Aaron Paul is one excellent actor and I don't think anybody else could have done such a stellar job with the character of Jesse Pinkman. His character arc over the 5 seasons of the show is what makes him so amazing. You'll just have to watch to find out what kind of person he becomes.

I think that's why I love this show so much. None of the characters are stagnant. The people they were in season 1 are so different than the people they are in season 5. The writing in this show is some of the best television story-telling I have ever seen. And at the risk of sounding like an obsessed fan (which I'm pretty sure I am), I am not kidding when I say that it is truly the greatest show on television. Ever. And I have watched a lot of TV and so obviously my opinion is valid. Haha. Just do yourself a favor, and watch it. Fair warning though, there will be violence and some language but if you can look past that, then you can enjoy it for what it really is. I can't say enough about it. And I'll leave it at that.

Also, I dare you not to fall in love with Jesse Pinkman. Because you will eventually. I promise.

My Body Hates Me

Scene: Two weeks had passed since I got my second foot surgery. Things were going good, except for the fact that I was bored all the time and had pretty much watched everything on Netflix. Well, wednesday night my operated foot started itching. And I mean itching, almost like there was a million mosquito bites on my entire foot. I removed the ace wrap and during the night managed to nearly destroy the white gauze wrapping that surrounded my foot. I had scratched my foot so much to where I was bleeding in some spots. Well, over the next couple days, the itching continues. My mom buys some new gauze, and we unwrap my foot all the way (not gonna lie, the incisions looked nasty), clean it up a bit, and then wrap it up all new again. And then on Saturday, I wake up and BAM my lips look like Angelina Jolie's. Huge. Red. And super uncomfortable. I hated life that weekend. I didn't go to church because I seriously looked like I had a botched plastic surgery. Luckily my doctor's appointment was Monday morning. I called my dr Sunday to tell him about what was going on, and he said he would take a look and see what was going on the next day.

Well the next morning, we unwrap my foot and lo and behold, any skin that was covered by the steri strips (strips of cloth-like stuff that basically kept the incision closed) had erupted into large, pus-filled blisters. My doctor informed me that I had built up an allergy to tincture benzoin, which was the substance they used to make the steri strips stay on the skin. During my scratching, I had made the blisters worse and transferred some of the substance to my face by touching my face after scratching. This was why my lips blew up like they did. Well, since the incisions weren't healing very well, he cleaned the areas, applied some new medication, and wrapped it all up again and said I needed to stay an extra week in the boot. :( This was sad news. I was so looking forward to riding my bike and finally working out again!

Well cut to two days later. I had broken out into hives all over my body and my new dressings on my foot were soaked through with dark yellow pus. Um grooooossssss. So I went back to the doctor, and he cleaned me up again and put even more gauze on it, which seemed to do the trick. I'll spare you guys a picture of my foot with the blisters and stuff because it is nasty! So now I've been an extra week in the boot, my hives took over my life for four or five days (before a steroid treatment finally kicked them to the curb) and I am really, really hoping that I will finally be rid of the wraps on my foot and my stupid walking boot for FOREVER. Doctor's appointment is tomorrow so fingers crossed that the incisions look good!

So basically after the most hellish and miserable and depressing week of my life, I am about to be free again! I'm really hoping for good news, mostly because I am so sick of wrapping my foot in plastic bags before I take a shower.

Alicia vs Feet, Round 2

After my Montana trip, I wanted to get my second foot surgery done asap. Luckily I was able to get scheduled for Aug 1st, and my life since then has consisted of Netflix, movies, books, laying around, sleeping in, and eating. So, needless to say, I am currently very, very excited to get out of my walking boot and back into a routine that somewhat resembles a normal life.

This one was different this time around. I actually had people visit me! Haha. Also, I managed to be on one crutch by Monday, and no crutches the next day. Last time, I went a whole week until I was on one crutch and then I barely managed no crutches a couple days later. I think it might be because I knew what the pain would feel like this time around, and so I was able to put up with it more easily.

Another big change was that my foot has been itching now, non-stop, for five days now! Enough so that I managed to destroy my wrapping and give myself bruises and blisters where I was scratching! Yeah, I wasn't messing around. My mom eventually bought me some lotion, so I unwrapped my foot, cleaned it up a bit, and put on some new wrappings and lotion on. It now feels a little better and hopefully my doctor won't be mad at me on Monday for taking off the wraps. Haha!

Basically, Tuesday is a new beginning. I am SO excited for bike rides, swimming, the gym, and starting my training. I can't run until October 1st or so, but I am going to start upping cardio in other ways so that when I do eventually start running again, I won't be back at stage 1. This means the elliptical and spin bike will be my new best friends. I am also going to focus on weight training, especially legs and core. My muscles in my legs used to be pretty robust and strong, but since my first surgery they have all but wasted away. I am just a flabby and weak version of my former self! Haha. I'm excited to get back into shape. I spent an hour or so the other day planning the next 10 weeks of training and working out and it is honestly the only thing keeping me going.

Once I start running again, then it starts to get crazy! First, the turkey trot. I have high hopes for my first race back. I am hoping to get in under an hour, and I know with plenty of hard work I can achieve this goal! After that, there aren't many races until February. Ragnar. My favorite race and my favorite weekend of the year. I should start putting together a team soon! After Ragnar, I might possibly consider the Phoenix Marathon. Not the half. The full one. I know, I must be crazy BUT I have my reasons that shall remain unnamed for now :) I won't sign up until I know I can handle high mileage without damaging my feet. I won't know more until about 3 months before the race, which is plenty of time. All I know is that I've had dreams about training and racing and I cannot wait to get back into it. I've realized I'm kind of nothing without running. I'm about to find myself again!

Other than that, nothing new in my life except the dreaded job hunting. Ugh. My previous jobs were all pretty much handed to me and so job searching for my first big girl job is so hard and intimidating! I could potentially go anywhere, to any state, and it is kind of sending me into a quarter-life crisis. I have put off growing up for SO long and now that it is finally here, I don't know where to start! I've applied for many jobs and so far haven't had any luck but I have no doubt something will work out eventually. Anyway, that will consume my life for the foreseeable future, and I'm hoping I can get on my feet as soon as possible!

Montana Trip (part dos)

Settle yourself down and be ready for a doozy of a post, full of pictures (yes, me! I put pictures in a post!) and too many words.

We finally made it to Belt, MT. It's a tiny town of about 800 people, and there's no stop light, just a couple stop signs. I honestly could say it is my dream town. It is nestled in a small valley and is therefore protected from all the worst weather. It is surrounded by green hills on all sides. The Urick's house is just amazing and so adorable. It is tucked underneath a grove of trees at the end of a dirt road just outside of town. I fell in love immediately. The house, the trees, the meadows, the creek nearby; it is my idea of paradise.

Something about small towns just make me happy. Making money is not a huge goal for most people. Houses are small, stress is low, people are just generally happier. My iPhone didn't work in some parts of the house, and I found that I didn't care! Technology isn't a huge deal in small town Montana like it is in Gilbert. I felt like I didn't have a care in the world. I love that everybody knows each other in that town. Some people say they wouldn't be able to handle living in a small town because it's so far from everyone else, Target is too far away, they would get bored, they wouldn't be able to handle the isolation. I don't know about all of you, but I know I would love living in a small town for all those reasons!! It's hard to put into words exactly what it is about small town life that I love. I think I just envy how much simpler, stress-free, and slowed down life is. Not that my life is all that crazy (because it isn't), but I just felt so renewed after my short time in Belt. I want to go back!

Sydnee, her brother Clint, Chic, and I headed to Glacier National Park the day after we arrived to Belt. I was so excited! The drive there wasn't too crazy exciting, just miles and miles of green wheat fields blowing in the breeze. Can we talk about why they call Montana "Big Sky Country"? Guys. They are not kidding. It is physically impossible to take in all of the horizon in that place. It blows my mind how much sky there actually is! I had the misconception that Montana is mostly mountains, in fact it is the complete opposite! The area that we were in was very flat, and the majority of those flat areas are turned into agriculture. Good thing the wheat fields are beautiful! (To me, anyway.) That's why GNP is so shocking to the eye, the mountains rise up out of the flat land very suddenly. The peaks cut into the sky like knives. The landscape in GNP is so breathtakingly beautiful that pictures cannot even begin to capture the epicness of such a place. I'm still going to post my favorites though :)

Our first real view of Glacier National Park. I almost cried.

Sisters!! 

Sydnee and Clint. The best two people in Montana!

The most photographed place in the whole park. Goose Island.

The first day we went for a hike along St Mary Lake.

Sigh.

This bighorn's name is Big Nasty, as named by the park ranger.

The air coming out from under this snow pack was freezing!

My friend, Big Nasty.

It was a 4-mile round trip hike to Avalanche Lake. All of those waterfalls were loud!

This glacier water was freezing cold. It felt like knives!

The round shape of the valley is carved out by long-gone glaciers.

Just chillin.

The stripe in the middle of the mountain is The Going-To-The-Sun Road. Built in the 1950's, it stretches from the east to the west side of the park and is 52 miles long. Not for the faint of heart!

Big Sky Country sunset.

Wheat fields for miles. I loved it!

On Sunday, we went to church in Whitefish, which is a town 30 miles west of the park. Fun fact, my Grandpa had gone to church at this same building only a couple weeks before, a couple days after he started his Canada-to-Mexico biking trip. Whitefish is a beautiful town! I loved the West side of Glacier NP, it was much more mountainous than the East side. 

After two glorious days in Glacier, we headed back to Belt. I had to return the rental car on Wednesday, so we headed back to Idaho on Tuesday. I almost cried when we left Montana. I honestly wanted to stay forever. During those four days there, that was the happiest I had felt in a long time. We made it back to Idaho that night, and waited around all the next day at the Mattsen's for our car to be finished. The mechanic called me around 8 p.m., informing me that it was finally done! Chic and I were shortly on our way back to Utah in my faithful Roadrunner. We arrived in Orem late that night. Once again, we had another fun day the next day hanging out with Heather and Kayla. Little girl was crawling so much better than she was even a week previously! Too much cute for me to handle!!

The next day, after 12 exhausting days of stress and bliss, we headed back to Arizona. It felt really good to be headed home finally, although I did feel like I left my heart back in Montana. I cannot wait until that wonderful state and I are reunited. Hopefully sooner than later.

I could only find two drawbacks to Montana. One, the winters. The winters there are hard, snowy, cold, and LONG. Two, everything is super spread apart, so gas a big expenditure there. Belt was 30 miles outside of Great Falls, so to go to the movies, big grocery stores, or basically anything else, you were looking at a 60-mile round trip. However, the driving time passes quickly because their speed limits are a bit higher there. Can you say 70 mph on country highways?? The race car driver in me loved it. 

Needless to say, I will be back in Montana eventually, maybe and hopefully for a longer term thing. If I could find a PTA job there, I would be there already! That's how fast and hard I fell in love. Now if only I could make that happen between me and a man. :)

Montana Trip (Part 1)

Ever since I saw a friend's pictures of Glacier National Park several years ago, I have wanted to go. When I moved up to Utah and had a roommate from Montana, I knew I definitely needed to go. Sydnee and her family were nice enough to let us come up and stay with them in tiny Belt, MT (20 miles outside Great Falls). That place is amazing! But, before I can get into the awesomeness that is Montana, I have to talk about the 5 days it took us to get there.

Day 1- Monday, July 1st. The little sister and I leave hot and sweaty AZ for slightly less hot Utah. We make it with no problems and arrive in Orem at our brother's house that night.

Day 2- Tues, July 2nd. We hang out with Dustin, Heather, and little Kayla who is just learning to crawl. I think I may be biased, but she is the cutest thing ever. We have a relaxing day of eating out, Netflix, and teaching Kayla to climb on the love sack.

Day 3- Wed, July 3rd. We accidentally sleep in, but are the road by 10 a.m. I planned on filling up again in Idaho Falls before jumping off into the great expanse that is Montana. We pass Pocatello, then a small-ish town called Blackfoot. Two minutes north of Blackfoot, I hear a thunk noise, the engine light comes on, and the car begins to decelerate. I'm surprised I didn't panic, because honestly I had no idea what was happening. I pulled the car over to the side of the interstate, and immediately called AAA, which I had never used before. All I know is that I had the card in my wallet and my mom said to use it in case of emergency.

Well this sure felt like an emergency to me! They called me a tow truck, which arrived about 20 minutes later. Not bad! The driver was a super nice guy who felt bad for us two girls stuck in rural Idaho. He was LDS and really helpful, probably not the same experience we would get in AZ :) He took us Danny's auto repair in Blackfoot, and we waited while they looked at the car to figure out what was wrong. Silly me, I thought it was just a simple battery problem. Turns out it was really complicated!! Something about the timing belt, water pump, pistons, all this car stuff that I knew nothing about. Long story short, the car took A WEEK to fix!!

So of course when we find out that it was a long repair, we had to find somewhere to stay until we could figure something out! My parents, bless their hearts, were working on finding us somewhere to stay from 900 miles away. My mom found a Bishop Mattsen (the Church is true, y'all!) and him and his family took us in! There's not much I can say about them because they were honestly nice beyond words. Treated us like their own! So luckily we had a place to stay that night.

Day 4- Thurs, July 4th. Oh, the blessed Independence Day! Here me and Chic thought we would be spending it in Belt, instead we spent it with complete strangers in a small town in Blackfoot. My mom had reserved a rental car for us the night before, and I had to use my credit card in order to get it. However, I hadn't used my card in forever (or made a payment on it) and so there wasn't enough on it to rent the car. I was so sad! I was hoping to get to Belt that night. I debated getting a hotel room for the day until the payment went through on the credit card the next day (dang you holiday!) and me and Chic were just gonna kick it in Pocatello since the Mattsen's were on their way out of town for the day.

However, the Mattsen's said "nope, you're coming with us!"So we ended up spending the day with most of their entire extended family at a lake in eastern Idaho! You would think it would be awkward but we were just grateful to be doing something fun on the 4^th. Their family took us in and treated us like one of their own. It was a super fun day!

Day 5- Friday, July 5^th. The credit card has to work this time. It just has to! I called the credit card company early in the morning and specifically asked them if I made a charge for x amount of dollars, would it go through? They said yes and so we were once again on our way to Pocatello to get our rental car. Luckily my mom was able to find us a cheaper one than the one before, and I was excited to finally be on our way again! I was on edge when the guy ran my card, and when his face fell as he said, “I’m sorry, it declined” I thought I was in nightmare. WHAT. Hands shaking, I quickly called the credit card company again and asked them why my card wasn’t going through. I could barely keep my voice calm because I honestly was about to lose it! Well they fixed the problem in a couple minutes, the card worked, and we GOT THE RENTAL CAR finally! And that takes us to part 2. Also if anyone can think of a good spiritual application for this story, please let me know. I know that breaking down and going through all that stress was supposed to teach me a lesson, I'm just not sure what it is!

I miss running.

You guys. I have not ran a single mile since February 23rd. Do you know how messed up that is? I managed to finish Ragnar, but after that race I couldn't run at all. My feet hurt way too much at the end of the day and it was so disheartening! And since I got my first of two foot surgeries on May 16th, I have missed running like I never thought I would. Watching friends train for and run races just brings this aching into my heart. As of right now, it looks like I won't be able to run until the end of September. I try not to think about it, but at the same time it makes me so excited. I feel like I have a new lease on life. With these new feet (I know, I talk about my feet way more than a person should) I should be faster and more efficient. I will run without pain. I get to run without bulky orthotics in my shoes. 

I have dreams about training for races. I just spent the last hour reading some of my race recaps from last year and it made me so freaking excited for this fall, and basically the rest of my life. I already have grand plans to run two full marathons next year. Phoenix and Big Cottonwood. Also I want to run as many Ragnars as I can. I'm thinking Del Sol, Wasatch, Vegas, and the Zion Trail and McDowell Mountain Trail Ragnars. Also Top of Zion relay. Also Red Rock relays. Guys, there are just too many races that I want to do! I expect most of my spending next year to be from races. I have to make up for 2013, right? Just writing this makes my heart full with joy! AH!!! October could just hurry up, please.

Although I may not be able to run, I can still do some easy hiking (aka nature walks, haha). Which is why next week, I am travelling to MONTANA for the 4th of July!! I have an old roommate from Montana and because that state has been on my dream vacation list for as long as I can remember, I figured it was now or never. Chic (the 15 year old clone of myself) and I will be driving to Utah on Monday, and heading to Montana on Wednesday. Thursday we will celebrate the 4th in the style of Montana (think small town parades and rodeos) and then the next two days we will spend in Glacier National Park. Be prepared for pictures galore because there are no words to describe how excited I am for this trip. I am my best self when I am in the mountains, and I am definitely at my happiest as well. 

Oh and guess what is happening on July 19th? My better half, my Mexican, my beaner, my BFFAEAEAE is coming home from her mission!!! Hannah Banana Mae Mecham Garcia (one of those may not be her actual middle name) is coming back into my life. You guys. YOU GUYS. My life has been incomplete since she left. I want to cry just thinking about her coming home. Oh gosh.