13.1

I completed my first half marathon! A group of us (along with 5000 other runners) went down to Moab this past weekend, some to run the 1/2 and the rest to just play. So, while some of us were killing ourselves on the run, everyone else went on various hiking and biking adventures.

I am not ashamed to say that I crossed the finish line at 2 hours 30 minutes exactly. I walked away with a lovely blood blister on the bottom of my foot and some severely chapped lips from the wind but all in all I feel pretty great. Later that day a small group of us hiked up to Delicate Arch (a 3 mile round-trip hike). Crazy, I know. But it was a beautiful hike, amazing view and a great way to top off the weekend.

Auntie M

I love being an Aunt. I mean to brag when I say that I have the cutest nieces and nephews around. This week was an especially cool week to be Aunt Mina. On Wednesday I went to see Karli's school play with Karl, Teresa and Emma. Karli played Woman #3 in Fiddler on the Roof and her performance was spot on. I look forward to more from her young yet blooming career. At intermission I took Emma to get some refreshment at the concessions. As we were walking back with bottles of water, popcorn and chocolate she looks up at me and whispers, "You're the best aunt." Melt. Not sure if that was the popcorn talking but I'll take it. I sure do love my Emma.

Then tonight I went to see Kaitlyn perform in a colorguard competition in AF. I sat in the "Proud Parent" section as I stood in for Kaitlyn's mom who is now traipsing through Venice. I'd be jealous except for the fact that I got to witness an awesome performance from the Mountain Crest team. I caught Kaitlyn's attention before they started so she knew I was there. "I danced that one for Aunt Mina!" she tells me when she comes out after their number. No wonder it was so good!

Needless to say, I'm a sucker for these kids. They know it, I know it, we're all okay with it.

Aloha

Aloha!!

I got back from a fantastic trip to Hawaii last Thursday and have been running ever since. But I have to say it was so worth the trip!

I went to Oahu with these lovely ladies (Sarah, Me, Julie & Jennia) and I could not have asked for a better crowd to hang out in Hawaii.

Some of the highlights on the trip include...

1. Seeing Heather & Robert with their new baby, Hadley. They let us stay with them Friday night and even woke up Saturday to make us breakfast. Pancakes or no, they are fantastic friends! We also went to church with them on Sunday and they had us over for lunch. It was a perfect way to spend our Sunday afternoon in Hawaii. I'm so glad I got to see them and even more so that I can call them my friends.

2. Hiking Diamond Head. Rich (a fellow MBA student who had the same idea to spend his week off in Hawaii) took Jennia and I to Diamond Head. It was a fun hike with a great view. We even had our own "Rocky Balboa" moment after running up the stairs to get to the top.


3. On our way to Hanauma Bay we passed this cool staircase (turns out it's an old set of railroad tracks) and it was calling our name. So, Sarah and I decided to take it on. I guess you're supposed to wear hiking shoes but when you do things spur of the moment flip flops will have to do. There turned out to be just over 1100 railroad ties/stairs to the top. Killer. But the best part was seeing some whales from our view at the top.


4. Food. I threw caution to the wind and ate a lot of great food on this trip from a snow cone at Matsumoto's to bubble drinks at the asian market to malasadas puffs full of custard. One word: YUM!

5. Temple trip and day at the PCC. The last time I went to Hawaii they closed the temple 3 days before I arrived and I was so disappointed. But the wait was well worth it. The celestial room is now one of my favorites. We hit the PCC right after and had a great time watching show after show.

6. Water Sports. We signed up for surfing lessons. Yikes! I think we were all a bit nervous but had a great time. Jennia made it up every try but the rest of us had our ups and downs, mostly downs. We got a few cuts and bruises from the coral which just made for some great bragging rights. Wednesday morning Jennia and I went to Hanauma bay to get in some snorkling and saw some awesome fish. Made me miss Mombasa!

Now it's back to homework and classes...

HAWAII

I bought a plane ticket! Some other girls in the program and I decided that winter+school is taking its toll so we are off to warmer weather. I had some skymiles saved up and got my ticket for $10! Perfect for a budge-conscious graduate student. We are going to Oahu which means I also get to see my friends Heather and Robert and their new little baby, Hadley. In the meantime I get to finish accounting projects, piles of readings, and a midterm. Needless to say I am counting down the days, 18 to be precise. Can't wait!

Thursday Is the New Friday

In the last few months I have come to love and appreciate Thursdays as I never have before. Our midweek-days are typically ignored, and for good reason. If you are like me we are usually recuperating from Monday and trying so desperately to reach Friday that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday all seem like a blur. I love the feeling one gets on Friday when you know you've made it through another week and the weekend lies fresh and free before you. And since I have been in school with classes only held Mon-Thurs I get to feel that one day sooner each week. So, all I can say today (Thursday) is TGIT!

Finals, Running Errands, Flat tires & Family Parties...oh and Merry Christmas!

I know. The title is exhausting. Living it was even more so. But I finished my first semester of finals! I'm so glad to have that behind me. One semester down, three to go. Not sure if I passed my classes but they keep telling us that 1) grades don't matter and 2) everyone survives so I am holding them to their word.

I found out last week that I got into the Moab 1/2 marathon to be held in March so I'm now trying to work up my endurance and speed. During finals I decided to multi-task by running my errands. Literally. So, I ran 1 mile to the post office then another 1/2 mile to the bank (3 miles round trip) and decided to keep going awhile longer and ended up running 6.5 miles! Not too bad, I think. Now I just have to double that and I'm good.

So, my friend Lynne was in town from Michigan this week and a couple of us drove up to Salt Lake Friday night to see her. We chatted until 11pm when we decided we should head back to Provo. On the way home I started to hear a strange noise and then came the strange shaking. I started to freak out and the girls riding with me at first thought it was just the road with construction and all. Well, long story short we finally made it off the University Parkway exit and I pulled into the closest gas station. When I got out I could see and smell my back tire smoking. Flat. Three girls, two guys (a new friend, Parker, and a not so new friend, Broderick, joined the ranks to help) and 45 minutes later we were on our way. Monday will now be devoted to getting my tire and oil changed. Merry Christmas to my car!

Sadly, our family Christmas party to be held on Saturday was canceled due to inclement weather but some of us still had an impromptu get together at my place. Pauline was driving to Nephi so she came the rest of the way to Provo with Jadon and some darling North Pole cupcakes. Danette came down with a sewing project. Glen stopped by with Ilham and the adorable Brody. Rebecca dropped in last with Lainie, Morgan and Nicole. We ate, held the baby and all had a great time. This is when I learned from Morgan taught me that "a hypothesis is an idea you can test." She's four, mind you. I also discovered how very un-kid friendly my condo really is but both the kids and my carpet survived so we're good.

Still Here

It's a strange time to finally pick this up again. Finals are creeping up and I should most certainly be studying right now but instead I started to catch up on everyone's blogs and decided that mine was well out of date.

I won't bore you with much detail of the last 3 months but I will say that it's been quite the ride. I started the MBA program at BYU with 2 weeks of orientation (whew!) and a river rafting trip in Idaho. I was given the best group of study partners anyone could ask for (The Six Pack, as we like to call ourselves) and have survived the great internship hunt which consisted of info sessions, informational interviews, first interviews, dinners, fly backs and...the wait. And the results are in! I will be working at HP in Palo Alto, CA for three months next summer. I'm quite excited for the opportunity and am glad to know where I will be going come May. School is great but I often miss the slow-pace of Mombasa. They say the grass is greener on the other side and as I sit here looking out my window I can most certainly guarantee that today it is!