warrior dash pics

these pictures are all over the place. so just sorta follow along and read the descriptions. i realized that in my previous post i forgot to say where the race was. we were in copper mountain, and from what i did see it was very pretty. much like a miniature vail. the village area was lots of fun, and that was the start/finish of the race, along with some live music and hanging out.

the view from our condo

post race: hanging out
me, christina, and annabelle

my friend brandi has 3 kiddos, the middle on avery has taken an attachment to chris, and at one point in time came up to him and said "hold me" in which she just fell asleep on his lap.

chris and avery

chris and sleeping avery

chris and avery playing

leaving lunch, post race, avery getting a ride from chris

our tank tops:
the buff and the beautiful

pre race: the group on the shuttle to the start

friday before the race:
kortny, chris, april, charlie, and justine

post race:
me, brandi, denise, april, annabelle, christina, kortny, justine

post race:
robbie, daniel, charlie, bobby, jerry, john, chris

during the race:
chris and i

pre race:
me, annabelle, april, justine, kortny, brandi

pre race: the group

post race: the group all muddy

post race: chris and i

i am proud of completing this race, and once i finished the race a friend reminded me of this quote "no matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody on the couch." true true.

not my idea of fun

the proof

this past weekend i sorta completed a race called the warrior dash. i registered for this race back on march 8th. 5+ months ago...thinking in my head this would be a great race to do 20 pounds lighter...especially since i figured losing 20 pounds in five months would be no problem. and well that subject is whole different post, so instead i'll focus on the race.


i did this race with about 15 of my friends, including Chris.


Chris and i drove up to the mountains friday afternoon. have i mentioned how much fun we have together? our conversation on the way was a great mix of serious conversation and god awful laughing! always a good time with this guy!


we had an early night friday night as all of us ran in the first wave of the race at 9am. we had group tank tops that read "the buff and the beautiful" and with a shot of fire the race began.


i was nervous going into this race because i knew some of the obstacles i wouldn't be able to do. and i didn't know if i would be "forced" to do them, or if i could just run around them.


the first portion of the race was just a run, which lead to the first obstacle of running through hanging tires. no big deal.


second obstacle was going up a wall with a rope at about a 45 degree angle. again not that big of a deal, although chris did have to push my a$$ up over the last edge of the wall. (thanks baby!)


third obstacle was a high/low. jump over a wall, squat under barb-wire. i had no desire to do the "up" part, but did do the down part.


the terrain between obstacle's three and four was a bunch of unevenness. i didn't like it, and at this point in time my right ankle was bothering me because of the strange gravel and the feeling of walking sideways.


the fourth obstacle was the mud pit, again with barbwire, forcing you to actually get in the mud. i was thankful that my friends advised of wrapping duck tape around my shoe so my shoes stayed on. needless to say i did do this obstacle, but i didn't "swim" in the mud, rather i squatted under the barbwire which got caught on my bib/tank a couple of times.


the fifth obstacle was a web of rope you had to crawl through. accomplished.


the sixth was i can only imagine of a dark hot tunnel. this one i didn't do.


following the sixth obstacle was what i assume was the seventh obstacle they titled "the summit" which is just a god awful uphill climb. it's this huge U-turn of a hill that you do that just seems it might just last for forever. at this point in time my knee's starting hurting. no bueno.


upon the decline are the rest of the obstacles that i didn't even attempt. they included but are not limited to:


a rope wall, crawling over a rope blanket, a balance beam, and climbing up a wall. all of those i didn't do, and just happily ran around.


the twelfth obstacle was two jumps over fire! oh yes, i am that hott!!! ;) ok, not really. accomplished.


during the race i kept thinking how nice it would be if i could look up and enjoy the beautiful scenery that surely surrounded me. but i was too scared of tripping and falling. ...i mean really, what is the point of having these races at a beautiful locations when you can't even appreciate where you are?! the other thing i was asking myself was: am i having fun? i knew that once i completed the race that's what my friends would ask me. did i have fun? the answer to that question is, no. this race is not my idea of fun. this race is something that i did because my friends invited me to do it, and i like to do stuff with my friends.


am i glad that i did it, yes? but then i didn't really do it, because i cheated. i didn't do all of obstacles. but if someone asks if i've done the warrior dash i will say yes. and i suppose i am happy i can say that i did it, but i doubt something like this will happen again in my future.


i'm super happy Chris was there to do it with me. like me, he basically did the race to spend time with me, not because it is his idea of fun.


stayed tuned for more pictures!

moving

i talk a lot about change in my blog. about the change i've created in my life over the past 2 years. i've noticed that big life changes seem to take the course in two year increments. people meeting, getting married, having kids. two years. i've changed my life over the past two years while keeping the faith that someone would change my life.
well it seems as though those two years have begun.
i've received lots of comments and questions in regards to why i'm moving, where i'm moving to...the curiosity behind the selling of some of my home items. well now the answer to your questions and comments.
i am not going anywhere.
chris is moving in.
it's right. it's great. it's a process that has been underway since i returned from albuquerque last month and will become official next month.
i've had my moments of freak out just because i've never done anything like this before, but i'm happy and everyday that passes i'm learning more and just getting more happy.
things are progressing exactly how they should.
at the end of the month we are driving to nebraska, where chris is from, so that i can meet his mom and younger sister. then the first weekend of october we'll venture to new mexico for him to meet my parents.
i truly can't believe that this is my life!

barbell strength 60min

the calm before the storm

this weekend was a relaxing one for what is to come.
friday night chris and i had a very enjoyable "date night" with dinner and a movie with a twist. we checked out a new mexican restaurant jack 'n grill for dinner then headed to westminster city park to celebrate Chloe's 3rd birthday followed by a showing of "toy story 3". super super cute movie. i honestly expected to cry because i know a lot of people who cried during this movie, and i can definitely see some moments where tears were forming, but no tears were shed.

super cute little brother, ian

yummy monster cupcakes

saturday night was a early surprise birthday party for charlie! justine planned this surprise a month in advance just to throw charlie off, and it worked!

this little party was VIP all the way. justine reserved the whole patio area at Brio to help celebrate charlie!

chris and i

before the surprise

me, annabelle, and denise

charlie = the birthday boy, christina and i

chris and i

after dinner we headed to the glenn to continue the party.

christina, annabelle, brandi, april, me
denise

pretty low key for what's to come! it was great to hang out with all the "VIP" kids since it seems like i had been awhile since we had all hung out outside of the gym.

core 30min

lots going on

have i mentioned how busy things are? when i returned from albuquerque last month chris and i took out the calendar to go over the rest of the year and the plans ahead. we are pretty much booked every weekend now through the end of the year.
here's a snapshot:

• weekend 8/19 ~warrior dash
• weekend 8/26 ~ suppose to go camping, now going someplace else (details to come)
• weekend 9/2 ~ Chris in TX
• weekend 9/9 ~ move (details to come)
• weekend 9/16 ~ celebrate Chris' bday or go to ABQ
• weekend 9/23 ~ Chris' friends from NE visiting
• weekend 9/30 ~ possibly go to ABQ
• weekend 10/7 ~ celebrate mom's bday
• weekend 10/14 ~ open!
• weekend 10/21 ~ go to AR for Chris' friend's wedding
• Thanksgiving weekend in NE
• Christmas week in NM

So things are crazy busy. i'm enjoying it and love the ride and where it is going.

8/13
run/walk 45min

a little bit fairy tale

You know how you sometimes read those stories that make you say out loud “wow, that person is so lucky.” Or, “I would love for something like that to happen to me.”??? Well right now that is my life. I can’t even try to explain the type of happiness going on around me right now, but I can’t help but share some of the things that have happened recently.

I’ve shared with some family and friends individual stories about my life, one of whom is my friend Sarah. I’ve mentioned her before just because of her love of love. I would often talk to her about my discomfort in my single status but always try to be strong in realizing that being single is ok. That throughout my journey and overcoming being depressed I was happy. Well during one of our conversations (via text) we were chatting about the reality show “The Bachelor”. Like most people (or maybe not for that matter) I keep important texts on my phone. Mainly ones that I know will bring me up when I am feeling down, or ones that have special meaning to me. Well back on October 19, 2010 I asked Sarah: “Why do we watch these shows?!”…or something like that. I actually don’t have what I wrote saved in my text messages, but what I do have saved in my phone is her response: “Because we want to be Cinderella.” I have her response saved, because it is true. For me wanting to be Cinderella is more of a feeling, it isn’t the beauty and glamour. It’s the love and the support, in addition to a little bit of sparkle! What they say about everything being more colorful and vibrant when you are in love is so true. Right now my whole world is bright!

Here’s a little story:

The Sunday I returned to Denver from Albuquerque I was on a morning flight. I knew I would be anxious to get back home and see Chris, so I took the first nonstop flight that morning. The Thursday prior I had dinner with Chris and his Dad. While Chris’s dad was in town Chris did some car shopping. That Thursday he test drove some cars and while at dinner I asked how the day went. Chris advised: “I test drove some family sedans.” I sarcastically commented: “Well, that’s good considering you have a family!!!” His response: “No, I just have a slow girlfriend!” Ha ha, very funny. At the end of dinner while saying good-bye, Marty (Chris’ dad) invited me to come see him and his family in Nebraska anytime.

Once I arrived in Albuquerque Friday morning Chris and I had talked, and he was at the car dealership getting ready to buy the car. I could tell he was excited. When we talked later that day he let me know that they couldn’t get the numbers to work, and that he didn’t purchase the car. I was a little bit surprised by this, and my gut told me he was lying, but I decided to let it go and not give him a hard time about it.

We had spoken a couple of times on Saturday before my parents and I went to church and then dinner. While driving home from dinner I saw that I had a missed call and a voicemail from Chris. The message was a simple one stating he missed me, and was excited for me to come back home. I thought the message was a little weird considering we had already spoken that day, but it was sweet and appreciated nonetheless. Later that evening I drove to see my cousin Kari and while on the drive I called Chris and asked him what he did during the day. He let me know he went to Cherry Creek Mall just to walk around. I asked if he went for any specific reason, and he said no. Again, nothing too unusual about this, as Cherry Creek is a very nice mall and Chris does like to walk around it. Once I arrived at Kari’s I made a sarcastic comment of: “I bet he went to look at diamonds!” Please know, that I was completely kidding, but for some reason in my gut I knew it was true.

Moving along to Sunday morning at the airport, and Chris picking me up at passenger pick up. He pulls up in his new car! He’s super excited, and I ask him why he lied. He makes a witty response of having to be sneaky, and that seeing the look on my face was worth it. We get into the new car that has dual temperature setting (one of the selling features since I’m always so cold), and he is showing me the GPS system etc… Once on the main road exiting the airport he reaches behind the passenger seat where I am sitting to grab something. I thought that maybe it would be flowers or a card, instead he puts a Zale’s gift bag on my lap.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This immediately gets my heart racing because something like this has never happened to me before. Very rarely have I ever gotten a gift just because, let alone a gift that is obviously fine jewelry!!! I smile at him at ask “What is this?!” He says “It’s not what you think. Just open it.” I open it up and it is a beautiful diamond pendant necklace. So so beautiful, that I start crying. I ask him what it is for. And his simple response is “because I love you.” I repeat my question, and he replies “I can’t think of a better reason, can you?”

How amazing is it, that I have this amazing man who truly spoils me every way possible and then goes and does something like this!?!?

I feel so fortunate. Things with Chris and I are just right. And if you are trying to put together a time line in your heard, let me just acknowledge that yes things seem to be moving fast. But Chris and I are very comfortable with that, and know that this is our relationship and our time line of how things go are only between the two of us. Neither one of us does something that we don’t want to do. And that is what’s important.

The past couple of years have been full of first's for me, and my experience with Chris is now included. Never have I been in a relationship that just seems so easy, and one where I have so much fun. Never have I been given a diamond anything, let alone a diamond from my boyfriend. Never have I felt so comfortable and at ease to include this person into my everyday life.

Right now I truly do feel as though I’m living my very own fairy tale with my very own prince charming.

barbell strength 60min

for sale

if you are in the denver area and are in need of any of the following please contact me.
pictures will be posted on facebook later this week, or you can email me and i'll send them to you.

• california king mattress/box springs



• queen mattress/box springs/frame



• 36in RCA tv or a 36in Sharp tv



• entertainment system that holds a 36in tv
  



• bedroom set - headboard, dresser with mirror, dresser (2), nightstand.



• PS 2 game system



• kitchen stuff
  



• queen size sheets/pillows
  



• coffee pot/maker



• end tables



• desk



• kitchen table with chairs



• tall lamp

i'm sure i'll update this list as i think of items. but that's all i can think of for right now.

master step 60min

~all kinds of crazy~

i must admit, i have a
girl crush on
minka kelly.
she's beautiful.
even her name, gorgeous.
oh and i just learned
she grew up in albuquerque.
who knew?

********

i had a dream this week that i was
camping with the
kardashian sister's.
and kim proposed to me
and her sisters were giving me a hard time because she proposed without a ring,
and i accepted.

*******

just heard that a second
H&M store
is coming to denver.
to cherry creek!

********

i forgot a fork for work
both
yesterday
and today.

*******

i love surprises.
both
giving
and
getting.

********

thank you emily
for your mom's
chicken spaghetti.
that was dinner
last night.
yumm-o!

*******

when i put on mascara i always start with my
top lashes.
right eye first,
then left.
then bottom lashes.
right eye,
then left.

********

i really love my library.
but i wish it was closer.

********

the current bus schedule is stupid.
there is a bus at 7:26am then again
three minutes later
at 7:29am.
the next one...
not until 7:43.
lame.

********

i'm so not ready
for the craziness
that will be the
rest of august.

********

treadmill 45min
back

in response

i often wonder who reads this blog. and what actually makes a person respond to a particular post. well i recently got this anonymous comment on my "on being alone" post:

"Funny how perspectives change based on relationship statuses. When women are in a relationship, they look back at their single days and are proud of their "self discovery" days. When they are single, they look back at their relationship days and want those back and are depressed. Please remember both ends! It helps us grow."

this comment made me think, so much that i want to respond. yes in my early single days i was depressed. but i wasn't depressed because i wasn't in a relationship, i was depressed because i was unhappy with myself. i think their is obviously a big difference. at the time i knew i required a lot of "work" before i would ever be available to enter into a loving, healthy relationship again. i also knew this work would take a lot of time, and would be extremely hard, and emotional. so rather than do something about it, i stayed depressed. i stayed on what was the easy road and just kept on living my unhappy life.
eventually something clicked, and i wanted to change. i wanted to be happy. i started on my journey to be happy again, in the hopes that part of the end result would be the loving and healthy relationship i was yearning for.
the last year of my life, i have been single, and i've been happy. i came to terms that my life would be exactly how i was living it, without the factor of love. although still hopeful that it would happen for me, i fully accepted my life the way that it was. i enjoyed my time out with my friends, and i also enjoyed the time i spent alone. i honestly think the longer i was single and enjoying my alone time, the picker i became. if i was out on a date and knew that i would have a better time at home by myself then i knew that wasn't the relationship i was looking for.
i also very much appreciated and still do appreciate my alone time. i am still my own person now that i am in a relationship, and i still have my own time. even as a single person from 3 months ago, i appreciated my alone time. did i often think it would be nice to share my time with someone?, absolutely. but i took my time by myself to focus on me. and i feel now that time served me well, because now i don't mind focusing my time on Chris and our relationship.
i believe that i can have that happy balance. and that my alone time went through the cycle of which it was suppose to go. depression, denial, acceptance, change, happiness. all of that happened because of me, not because of my "relationship status".

treadmill 15min
core 30min