Gone Cruisin'

Josh and I have been married for three years! In celebration of that, and just because we needed a break, we went on a cruise for the last week. We had lots of fun, but it was a perfect vacation, because by the time it was over, we were ready to come home instead of longing for more. (Not ready to go back to work, because I don't think we ever would be, but at least ready to be in Utah, with our own food, with our own bed, with our own TV, and WITHOUT people trying to sell us (basically) crap everywhere we went. We went on a 7 day, Royal Caribbean cruise that left from LA, then went to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. As is always the case with me, these pictures are in no particular order, because I don't care enough to make them that way.

This is the stage where most of the shows were held. And here is exhibit A: this show was the farewell the last night of the cruise. We also saw illusionists who had insane tricks, a juggler, two comedians, an ice skating show, a tribute to the Temptations, and the cruise variety shows. I thought they were all entertaining.

This is the deck, I don't know who needed that explanation but there you go.

This is Josh in our room. I actually thought our room was kind of fun, because it overlooked the promenade on the fifth floor. So we didn't have an ocean view, but a mall view-I guess you could say.

Josh took this picture of me in our room, from the promenade.

Another shot of the deck. I thought our ship was pretty nice, and it actually had enough pools that we could swim sometimes, unlike our last cruise!

They also had a rock climbing wall. You can tell that it isn't too difficult, but I couldn't even make it to the top! I guess I was just exhausted from the 20 lbs. of extra food I ate over the week!

Josh FLEW to the top. I barely had enough time to take pictures of him.

And if this isn't the most flattering picture, I don't know what is.

For anyone who's been on a cruise, you know that they make animals out of the towels everyday. This was my favorite-the monkey!

In Puerto Vallarta, we took a hike to this waterfall. It was actually in a town called Yelapa, and it was absolutely beautiful!!!!! So here's a picture of Josh freezing his buns (he's the one standing on the rock in the back in the green swimsuit.)

See, B-E-A-utiful!

And I am the one who appears to be blind in this picture

This is the small fishing village, Yelapa. The town has about 1,200 people, and just got electricity about 4 years ago. It was quite an experience to go there, and see how different people live.

Man, I picked some real keeper pictures of me, eh? We went snorkeling in a place near Puerto Vallarta called Majahuita. This was definitely the most interesting part of the trip, and the story we will probably tell for years. See, we all jumped in the water to go snorkeling, and I have really dry skin, so the salt usually stings a little. When I got in the water, I felt little sharp stings every few seconds. I pulled my head out and asked Josh if he felt it too, and he said yes. Then we heard screams from several people in our group. Josh and I tried to rough it for about fifteen minutes, and finally decided that the few fish we were seeing just wasn't worth it. We got in a kayak, and asked people what the stinging was. Apparently there are microscopic jellyfish in that part of the water, that our tour guides were fully aware of, and just tried to find places that weren't so bad. When we got out of the water, we all had little red dots all over our skin. I like snorkeling, but not when it comes at that expense.

And... blackmail for Josh.

This is the actual city of Puerto Vallarta.

In Mazatlan, there was a resort that let us use their pool, towels etc.

If Josh had his choice, this is what he would have been doing 90% of the time...Sleeping

Ah... Beautiful sunsets.

This is the beach in Mazatlan. The beach there was so nice. The sand was soft, and really looked golden everywhere, the water was perfect.

This is the view of the promenade from our room.

Josh in Cabo

This is our ship "The Mariner of the Seas"

Shopping plaza in Cabo.

The city of Cabo behind us.

And, a picture of Josh and I (again, probably no need for explanation). Like I said, we had a lot of fun. We were able to relax a lot, eat good food, see so much beautiful scenery, but it's good to be home.

Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat.

This is the team I was on for the Wasatch Back. I stole this picture from my sister-in-law's blog, and honestly I wouldn't know like half of their names if she hadn't posted them on her blog. So the back row is Rob, Christie, me, Joan, Bruce, Justin, Shauna, Kelly, and Chad. The front row is Tammy, Cat, and Cherilee. The people in my van were Rob, Christie, Justin, Shauna, and Cherilee.

Background information: After the Top of Utah last year, I decided that my next goal was to run the Wasatch Back this year. Well I talked to some people about being on a team, and got a couple people that said they were interested, but it eventually all fell apart, and I was pretty bummed. Then a couple weeks ago, my sister-in-law, Cherilee called and said that the team that she was filling in a spot on, needed another person to fill in another spot. I was pretty worried about running again so soon after the Utah Valley Marathon, but I just couldn't help myself, since really this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, luckily, I recovered quickly from the marathon, and the Ragnar Relay started Friday morning. Our team was named 24 Sore Soles, and we finished as a team in 30 hours and 12 minutes.

This is going to be really long-I'm sorry, I just don't write in my journal much anymore so this is going to take the place.

For those of you who don't know... The Wasatch Back is one race in the Ragnar Relay series. You get a team of 6 or 12 people to run a relay starting in Logan and finishing in Park City. They encourage you to come up with a team name, decorate your vans, and even wear costumes if you would like, so it's a pretty fun atmosphere, and really unlike any other race. You split into two vans of 6 people, and take turns in your van running a leg of the race-anywhere from 3 to 9 miles at a time. After your van of 6 people have finished, the next van of 6 people in your team take turns running their legs, and the first van meets them and picks up where they left off. Each person on the team runs three legs, and the total process takes anywhere from 18-35 hours. The total distance I ran was a little over 18 miles. I figured that if I could run 26 miles straight, I could run 18 miles over two days. However, just so you know, running the Wasatch Back is a very different kind of running than running a marathon. In a marathon, you know that you just have to push yourself for about 4 hours, then you can stretch and cramp up and sleep and ice the rest of the day. (Actually, I haven't been able to do that after any of my races, but hypothetically I guess that would be nice.) Also, in marathons, for the most part, they try to make every circumstance perfect for you; start early in the morning, have a good portion of the race going downhill, honey buckets every couple miles or so, food and aid stations along the way, etc. etc. The Ragnar is the opposite. If you were to take everything crappy about running and combine it altogether, you would have the Wasatch Back. For example, my first leg was at about 10:30 in the morning on Friday and it was 5.6 miles. I didn't think that sounded too bad. As Josh likes to put it, after all the training I've done, I could run 6 miles in my sleep. (That's what Josh says, I don't exactly agree.) It was so hot!!!!! I don't know if it's because it's been raining so much lately, so I'm not used to the heat, or if it was because I was on a straight road in between Hyrum and Paradise, and there was nothing to look at, or if I am really just a fair weather runner. But it was so hot, and with more than a mile left, I was done. My team was worried about me because they said that my face was very red (they don't know me that well, and don't know that my face always goes red.) Cherilee ended up getting out and running the last bit with me, and I know my team was just so excited to have some one fill in who couldn't even finish their first leg without help! But whatever. I got in the car and did not feel good-I think it might have been a lesser version of heat exhaustion. Then the rest of our team ran their legs, and we met up with the other half of our team, I don't even know where, but eventually made our way to Snowbasin. We got some food, used a real bathroom, and I slept on the lawn just in time to start on our next set of runs. My next run was at about 7:30 at night, in Morgan, and it was 4.9 miles, and I really couldn't complain about anything. The run was short, in comparison to some, I started right when it started to get cooler, and I ran mostly in the shade, and I was at least able to run the whole time without feeling sick-which I was starting to wonder if it would ever happen again. But after I was done, my knee really started to bother me. I hurt it in the marathon and was just hoping to be able to get through the relay basically. I tried to stretch it out and ice it, but when you're in a van most of the time, there's not a whole lot you can do. At about 12:00 am we got to a high school in Coalville, which had community showers and a gym floor that we could sleep on until 3:45 am, when we had to start again. At that point my stomach was not liking me. When you run, then eat, then sit in a van for hours, then do it all over again, your stomach starts to fight back. With all that being said, can I just say, that I have never been so comfortable as I was in my sleeping bag on the gym floor. I didn't think I would ever be able to fall asleep with everything that was going on, but sure enough, my teammates woke me up and I felt pretty refreshed and ready to start again. My last run started on Saturday at 6:30 in the morning, and I ran around Jordanelle Reservoir in Heber. I was really nervous about this run because, whereas most of the people in my van got their hardest run over with on Friday, this was my hardest. It was 7.9 miles, and had some pretty significant hills-and you're talking about a girl that just doesn't run hills-ever! So I started on a downhill and within half a mile, I asked my van to pull over because I needed Ibuprofen and a band for my knee. Then I started going again, and about 100 feet later, I asked them to pull over again because I needed a band for my other knee, and they put some numbing cream on them both. Then I started going again. My knees were bothering me, but usually I can just run through it, and I stop noticing the pain so much. I went for almost 4 miles, and I knew that if I stopped, my knees would just hurt more. But at about 4 miles, I started on an up hill, so I stopped to get a drink and walk a little, and felt like I did pretty good on the first hill, but then there was another one, and a downhill, and another up hill. My team knew that I was in pain and was worried about me. One of my teammates asked me if I wanted her to run with me, or if I needed her to run for me. I was determined to finish, so I told her I would keep going, but after just a few hundred feet, I knew that I couldn't run anymore. So I decided I would let her finish the last about mile and a half for me. I told her that and started crying, because I really don't like quitting-especially when it comes to running, but I knew I was going slow and I didn't want to bring my whole team down. She said that she would just walk a little bit with me, and then we would try running again. Luckily, I made it over the last uphill, and somehow, because I was talking and didn't think about the pain, or I got adrenaline or something, I was able to finish. So then I cried again because I was so happy that I was able to finish and didn't have to quit. Our whole team finished at about 2:30 pm in Park City. We were really lucky in our van because the second van had to run in the heat of the day on Friday, through the middle of the night, and in the pouring rain on Saturday. If you thought I had it rough in my part, I really had one of the easier portions. I ran a longer distance than most, but my legs weren't as difficult as far as elevation climbs and falls. I know I made this all sound like a pretty bad experience, but what I didn't mention was that it was a lot of fun, and you learn a lot about teamwork and endurance. I have a love-hate relationship with running. It's not like I enjoy every minute, but it's definitely worth it in the end. So at least I can say that I've run the Wasatch Back, and when people ask me if I would ever do it again, I tell them ABSOLUTELY- (I would just train specifically for the Wasatch Back, because apparently it's not for light hearted runners like me)

26.2 Miles of the Pain You Enjoy

I ran the Utah Valley Marathon yesterday. I actually ended up finishing nine minutes SLOWER than my last attempt, which kind of bites-but really what can I expect for barely training for it. The course was pretty good. The first ten miles were in Provo Canyon which was really nice, then about ten miles of this walking trail that went alongside the river. The last six miles were basically winding in and out of neighborhoods, and ended at Provo Towne Center mall. I have to say, runners always talk about "The Wall" at about mile eighteen and I never really felt like I have hit "the wall" before. I sure did yesterday. Before mile eighteen, I was on pace to finish about 20 minutes faster than my last marathon, and I felt pretty good. But after mile 18, I hit the wall, then I hit it again half a mile later, then again, and again and again-pretty much for the last 8 miles. Luckily, Josh, ran the last 2 and half miles with me again (I think only because I was in a pretty bad mood at that point, and he didn't want to have to drive 2 1/2 hours home with me in the condition I was in.) Josh's mom, and his brother Jake, also followed me in their car for the last couple miles, and they tried very hard to motivate me, but nope, it just couldn't be done! So, yep, there it is. I didn't do nearly as well as I wanted to, but I've learned that any day that I run a marathon will be better than I day that I sit on my couch watching TV.
I cropped my legs out of this picture very much on purpose. As if the top half doesn't look bad enough!
There is rarely a picture taken by the Anderson family that doesn't include a dog. So there's Josh, Marley (Josh's brother Jake's dog), and me.
My dad, mom, me, and Josh. I don't know why I'm telling you-I think most people who look at this blog could've figured that out.
And a lovely picture of my backside. Nice pose! But there's my sister, Bethany, who luckily works at the Provo Town Center, so she stepped out for a minute to see me finish. Thanks to everyone who came to see me, it really does mean a lot to me.
And what would a post from me be like if the pictures were actually in order, right? So here's me crossing the finish line. Yea! So now I'm pretty sore, and yesterday I decided that given the choice between running for 4+ hours to go 26 miles, or driving for less than half an hour to go 26 miles-I choose driving! Just kidding! I still don't know why I do it- but next week I'm running the Wasatch Back so everyone pray that I can move my legs by then.

Welcome Gretchen

My sister Emily had her baby, Gretchen Lily Heath on Friday, the 5th. She had her at 12:05 pm. She was 7 lbs. 8 oz. and (I think) 21 inches long. Mom and baby are both doing great! Look at all that dark hair!

Embracing Cache Valley

So, first, a little history. Six years ago I decided to go to Utah State, and I figured I would go to school for three or four years and then I would probably be in graduate school or get married or something, so then I would move away from Logan. Six years ago, when I first came to Cache Valley, I loved it and I felt so blessed to be here. As most of you know, my sentiment has recently changed. I want you to know, I have nothing against Cache Valley, I think just because of my mindset, I've been ready for a change for quite some time now, and the longer I'm here, the more I think I may never leave. So one of the girls that I work with said that she has decided that she needs to start embracing Cache Valley instead of being bitter about being here. The same thing could be said about me a thousand times over. So this week I went on a hike with Lacey, that same girl that I work with, on Friday and I also went on a hike with Josh on Saturday. I realized there are quite a few things to embrace about Cache Valley. (These pictures are totally out of order and I don't even care!)








Josh and I at the Wind caves
















Lacey and I hiked to the top of the China Wall, and that is me on top of it. I know, I should stop my whining because, seriously, there aren't many places where two hikes like this exist minutes away from your house!