Refreshing in Fall

Did you hear it? In the walls that creak, in the potatoes that boil, in the chill of sheets.

It turned fall.

Last week, 90 degrees and all, was lovely. Windows rolled down and the breeze through my hair, I casually asked Ty for his bet that it would be 90 on December 1. He bet me a million dollars to the negative. I’m quite certain he was surer than I. I’m also certain I’d like to know where he’s hiding the million.

All bets aside, I do love fall. The colors of red, orange, yellow, even deep purple. I was born in the fall. I hope I die on the last day of fall – to experience it one last time, but not the winter that it brings. Winter is not my thing.

I feel calm, even with the chilling rain. Thank goodness for fall.

I have been working on an inner peace lately. On a knowledge that I don’t need to know and definitely don’t need to understand everything. Or anything really. It’s been a little up and down, as I’ve always been the one with the questions of “why?” “how?” “when?” “who?” Since childhood, I have asked my fair share.

I’m learning only now that some questions have no answers. But you don’t have to know everything to be happy. In fact, if you did know everything there was to know, I have no doubt it would damage some of that sought-after bliss.

For me, I am determined to enjoy fall. Every unkown bit of it.

You Can and You Will

Know this, that you are brave. You are stronger than you think you are.

That hard things will happen, but hard things will not ruin you. You don’t have to be afraid.

These things – the things that are hard – You might feel for a brief, dramatic moment that your life is ruined. You might wonder for longer than a moment if you will ever be truly happy again. But things. Things will be ok.

I knew. I knew as I typed this that something was coming. Life was so perfect. I knew the happiness I was feeling was a great blessing to help with the rough road ahead. I didn’t understand fear or suspect it, right on the surface I just knew. It would happen.

The road is rough now. I asked, received, lost. Yet, my soul has never been more submissive. My faith is gaining traction, and I didn’t even realize it had been stagnant. My marriage has never been stronger, or my love for my husband more startlingly profound. My desire to be better has never been so acute.

Right now, I am fully aware that certain things matter and certain things just don’t. Life matters. Love matters. Soap scum and mile times do not.

And suddenly, I am dealing. So will you, when you must.

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day that says ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

Increasing Stride

There’s a running analogy for pretty much everything in life, you know?


I was thinking about that the other day as my brother-in-law asked me how to increase his stride. He’s new to running, otherwise he would know that my stride’s not necessarily one to emulate. But I know HOW to increase stride and improve times, even if I don’t DO it.


For a better stride or time, you increase your speed or you increase your incline, or better yet, you do both.


There’s an exercise that sounds ridiculous but is actually valid called “fartleks.” I know, I know. You won’t forget the name so easily. Put simply, you begin your run at a normal pace, then pick a spot approximately 100 yards in front of you and sprint to it. Repeat throughout the run and do this one or more times a week and you’re bound to pick up the pace a bit.


Doing hills and doing them as fast as possible will have a nasty effect on your run enjoyment level (unless you’re awesome and it gives you a high – hats off to you), but will have a solid effect on your time and that pretty little stride you’re searching for. Really, it will. And my dad says it will grow hair on your chest. So far not true, thank goodness.


Back to life, isn’t it interesting how you grow in life often through the same techniques? Difficult times, trials of stress and trials of the uphill climb variety teach us who we are. They help us shake off the love handles, you could say, leaving us with a purer faith and a stronger character. They suck. Yes. But most often we’d keep them for the fact that afterwards we realize what we’ve overcome. 

Collapsed Perfection

I left the house for work last week in a hurry – looked around as I went out the door and thought, “I should clean this place before I go, but NOBODY is going to possibly be here while I’m gone and I am sooo late and today’s important....”

I left the dishes in the sink from the previous night’s homemade jam endeavor. I left the pillows on the floor, where they landed the night before after we collapsed on the couch after said jam making. The crockpot was on for dinner, hardly noticeable with all the other dishes left to drain along the counter.  

I just left. Of course, my mother-in-law stopped by for something located on the cluttered counter that afternoon while we were out. As kind as she is, as great as she is … oh, man, of all the people to see it in that state. I could do nothing but laugh, so I laughed. What fabulous irony. 

My own mom instilled in me this dire sense of cleanliness and homemaking. She drilled this concept into my sisters and me – from the 7 a.m. Saturday wake-up calls with the vacuum to the Thanksgiving pies. She is very talented at balancing a job, a family and a home. My sisters also got that vibe down to a science. I’m not there yet and may never be.

I’m realizing more and more in this wife world I’m in, I can’t do everything I wish I could do. I make crappy breadsticks. I don’t sew. I haven’t washed the blinds since … a while.  I don’t invite the neighbors to dinner. Heck, some nights I don’t even make dinner, Tyler does (thanks, babe).  

I do not measure up to my own expectations. Fortunately, the more I think about it, the more I’d say they’re screwed up. I’m demanding perfection, but my perfection is not attainable. My expectations and failings haunt me on many occasions, mostly when I lose myself by inflicting comparison. I bring myself back to peace with the thought that my husband is happy and I am happy. And I go for a run. Perfection is not what life’s about anyway.

Trying On the Course

I have taken up golfing. And when I say I’ve taken up golfing, I don’t mean that I’ve taken to being good at golfing. I can drive when I hit it, my put is quite floppy, my sand aversion is, well, rough. But I have started to enjoy golfing. Tyler’s been golfing for pretty much his whole life, so he’s really good. For me, I love riding in a golf cart with Ty, I think golf courses are beautiful and I actually quite like the game. The whole process is relaxing.

Tyler found the sweetest deal on a starter left-handed set, surprising me one Saturday. I think I’ve just about used them enough it was worth it now. 

I’ve even experienced my first golf wound – this bump on my wrist is nicknamed a “bible cyst” because back in the day they used to tell people to hit it with a bible and it would go away. Tried that, didn’t work. Going to have to visit the doctor soon. I think, scratch that, I know (ask Tyler), I’m swinging too hard. I was a softball player first, for heaven’s sake. 

Before I met Tyler, I used to take classes just for the excitement of learning something new. I took basic Web design, CPR, swimming, tennis and I was about to start cake decorating and photography. This is just another chance to learn, even if I may never score out of the 60s (I’ll let you guess if that’s on 9 or 18 holes…). It feels good.

We Went to Moab with a Broken Camera

I had visions of all the amazing images we would share. Tyler and me, floating down a river with the magic of the orange rock looming above us. Tyler, then me jumping off the cliff. Tyler and me in a two-man canoe navigating the rapids like pros. Us, playing a game of balance on the side of the big raft. Etc. Etc. Etc. We would pass them down from generation to generation and our great, great grandchildren would show the picture to someone and say, “see, my grandparents forever ago were cool. They did awesome things.” 

Well … the waterproof camera miraculously recovered after the trip had occurred. It’s possible the batteries were faulty. I like to think this was a trip and a memory that only Tyler and me can share.

Whatever it was, the rest, I can just tell you, was just as I’d hoped. We arrived and went straight to the pool. Camping was great. The next day’s river rafting guides were as authentic and granola as ever. I find them fascinating.  We rafted on the six-man for the first half, stopped for lunch, then took our turn on the small, red two-man canoe. I was to steer, Tyler was to power the skiff. Once we got the communication thing down and I stopped spinning us in circles, it was really not so scary and a lot of fun. And a great workout, I might add. 

Back at the campground, mid-afternoon was not all that “cool” with the heat and all. We spent our time in the pool, then when things got too much – we hit up the Wendy’s in search of A.C. We played cards for the next few hours. 

When things cooled down a bit, we took our chance with our mountain bikes on the slick, orange rock. There was no one anywhere around for millions of miles it seemed. I am too scared sometimes. I was thinking of wildlife attacks and flat tires for approximately 1/3 of the ride. But when I let myself, it was really beautiful and exciting. 

Fun to be in Moab, fun to be just us, wish I had some pictures, but I guess a few words are going to have to do. 

What to do in the Month of July?

Well, if you’re me …

You go to concerts on rooftops and in stadiums to see fireworks. My very musically versed sister invited us to a concert in downtown Provo – an outdoor concert is one of my favorite things, and this one was quite nice. The next night, we attended the Stadium of Fire. It was patriotic and full of fire and works. Our first night of getting together was right outside the Stadium of Fire, watching the show two years ago. We’ve come a long way.

You celebrate babies and freedom. We welcomed a new niece to the family – Maya Kate – and joined her sisters along the Ogden parade route for the 4th of July festivities.

You realize Harry Potter is not such a bad dude after all. I finally gave in and agreed to read the Harry Potter series with Tyler. Turns out it’s not so bad after all. I’m quite enjoying Ms. Hermione and the twin Weesleys.

You go to Real Salt Lake soccer games and try arena football on for size. We've decided that Real Salt Lake is currently our favorite team to watch. The stadium is awesome and the games are exciting.

You stress at work and the event ends up on TV. The governor was here. The mayor was here. About 700 others were here and 500 more watched online. After months of planning, the ground is finally broken and the fancy spoon shovels have had their day in the sun. In about two years there’ll be an $85 million dollar building on the site. Thank goodness I’ve got some time to recoup.

Then, you plan a trip just for two. I can hardly sit still. We’re headed to Moab in mere hours for a day on the river, a few nights in a tent (hardly roughing it when the grounds boast showers and a swimming pool) and some mountain biking too. I’m so excited.

July, all-in-all I’ve enjoyed you. Thanks for sun and lightning and good times.

Life is Good

One day I did a triathlon with my husband, Tyler. He never did them before, but now he does when I do so we can be together when we train. It’s really nice, having him there. My parents were there at the race to cheer. They’re really good like that. 

I had to swim with the boys, which I didn’t care for much. My odometer was broken, so I road my bike very fast, faster than maybe ever. Then I ran and my dad yelled that I could catch Tyler if I hurried. I thought he was joking (Tyler is very fast), but I hurried anyway. I finished. Two minutes behind Tyler and 16 minutes faster than I ever had before. I placed 16th among the women. I felt tired. And good about that. I love when you finish and you’ve accomplished something you didn’t know was possible. It makes you wonder what else you could do. 

The next day we traveled over an ocean and landed in Hawaii. It’s beautiful there, in case you didn’t know. I love the green and the slight breeze (when it’s slight) on the beach. And Tyler. He was the best part. Tyler’s whole family was in Hawaii. We hiked and we played games and we tanned (or attempted to tan, in my case). It was a really great trip – one I’ll remember a long time. I loved the hiking. I got sea sick on the scuba diving, but I conquered a fear, and we touched an octopus. Tyler also touched a sea urchin, not such an awesome part. I liked the turtles. Boogie boarding was fun. It was really great to have some time away. 

Now we’re back and it’s a lovely summer, although it’s moving a bit fast in my opinion. We went on one last ride on the scooter, then sold it. We sit on the porch swing and Tyler makes smoothies. We decided to conquer the Harry Potter book series together. We talk about our days. We play tennis. It’s nice. I’ll snapshot the past few weeks and keep it in my mind for moments when the going is rough, just so I can remember that although life can be crappy, life can also be pretty good.

All in the Mind

The rains came down and the floods came up … so far so good on my house still standing though. Not too many floods this way, but the water has risen to a height we're unaccustomed to because of all the rain.

We finally got a chance to do our first lake swim this week and it went … well, it went. The water felt like it had melted off the mountain just moments before and rolled into Utah Lake. Quite nippy.

Typically our route is shallow enough to be able to touch the bottom, if necessary, the entire distance. But about 100 feet out and the bottom was nowhere in sight. I struggled this particular swim. You see, there were these reeds floating in the water pretty much everywhere. Which meant, I felt like there were snakes swimming around me, pretty much everywhere.


Oh, how I hate snakes. Ever since my parent’s cat left one slithering behind the bathroom door when I was 15, I have had issues with snakes. So not once, but several times during the swim I shivered, stopped and screamed a bit, thinking of black snakes up my wet suit. Tyler was ahead of me lucky for him, but I’m sure the onlookers on the road had a fun time with that.
 
I’ve always said mindset is an important thing to anything you try to accomplish in life. I’ll take that one step further on the swim – mindset in open water is vital to survival. I’ve got one more week to bring mine back into focus.

The Freedom Phase

We often called our first year of marriage the Gift Card Phase. We got a lot of gift cards for our wedding (so totally awesome), and we bought pretty much everything we needed for our new place and went out to eat and had a lot of fun with them.

Those gift cards stretched for almost the whole year. But with just a few movie tickets and half a Coldstone card left, I think we’ll have to declare the phase officially past. Unfortunate, I know. I LOVED the gift card phase.

So what’s next? I think our next phase will be rightly named the Freedom Phase. 

 It started when Tyler graduated. He did amazing, passed all the classes and tests and received his Masters of Science – Finance degree. We’ll proudly hang that diploma above our other two and celebrate no more homework for a very long time.
 Then, Tyler got a job. It seems to be not just any job, but an awesome job. He is a financial analyst for Deseret First Credit Union’s corporate offices. He does a lot of Excel and numbers all day, which he really likes. The company and the friends he’s making are all cool.

We now have freedom that we’ve never had before. Since we’ve known each other, Tyler has been gone at least three nights a week either at work or class. I work in the daylight hours, so we didn’t have a whole lot of playtime together. This whole nighttime together thing is novel and fabulous.


And I’m in the process of overcoming some of my big fears and becoming a little freer too. First, I’m getting scuba certified for our trip to Hawaii in June. I am terrified, but I really want to do this. It’s a mind game for me to remember that there is air coming out of my tube, and it’s enough air to sustain me. I’m getting better.

Oh, and last weekend, we spontaneously went to St. George with our good friends Beth and Ryan and I tried downhill mountain biking for the first time. Turns out I loved it. It was super fun. We may need to buy a new set of bikes in the coming years…

It’s hard to tell quite yet, but I think I may like the Freedom Phase better than the Gift Card Phase. And that’s saying something.

Missiles in the Night

We’re playing in this field next to the city buildings, about a block away from my office. My entire family is there except for Tyler who is in Europe on business. White, cloud-like jet lines begin to appear in the sky, lots of them. It’s a cool sight, and I’m pointing them out to my nephews. Until the jets start dropping missiles.

The missiles continue for several minutes. We’re all ducked and huddling in a circle. We don’t get hit, but everything goes black around us (it was the middle of a nice spring day, but apparently when the power goes out, the sky goes dark as well). We check to make sure everyone is ok, then we see a group of what looks to be police officers carrying those big plastic shields. They’re coming towards us and my dad and I start to stand up to see if they can help us get to safety. But then one of them talks in a weird robot voice and tells me to give them the keys to the city so they can get the documents they’re looking for. I give them my car keys and they go away. Do I look like a person with keys to the city?

I still have cell phone service, but have an uncharged phone. I try to call Tyler to tell him I’m alright, but my phone goes dead. Blasted iPhone battery. We all walk the 13 miles to my condo. We are there and my boss is calling my mom to tell me I need to come back to work and send out a press release so everyone knows the company is fine and operating as normal. We don’t want the stock price to drop. A missile hit right next to the building, my husband might think I’m dead – I do not want to go back to work to send a release.

I can't remember Tyler's phone number to call him on another phone to tell him I'm ok. I keep trying to think, but I can't remember any numbers right then.

Then I woke up. It was 3:30 a.m. I almost woke Tyler up, just to confirm it was only a dream. It was a vivid, deep dream and my heart was racing. I woke up again at 4:30. 5:30. 6:24. I just got out of bed after that. All in a night’s work lately. I'm done with dreaming for a while I think. I’m tired. But safe, just in case you were wondering. Thank goodness for Fridays.

The ad said the car was for sale. “My family is changing, so I need to change,” he wrote. (You’d think he was making an announcement on family growth or something with a statement like that. Not so, my friends, not so.)

It made me sad. Tyler decided it was time to sell his bachelor cool, zippy little Mazda Speed3. I loved that thing. He picked me up for our first date in that car. I remember the sweet sound of the turbo-charged engine when he’d come home from work. I remember how every once in a while he’d show off a bit by beating someone from the line. I remember how cool my nephews thought it was – car seats didn’t really look the part in it, but that was kind of the point.

 It was a part of him.

Most likely the jobs will be in Salt Lake. And since mine is not and our condo is not, gas mileage has become an issue. It needs to be better than a turbo can be. We test drove and decided on a 2010 Honda Civic. Tyler says he loves it more. That’s good, because I was worried. Worried he felt like he was giving something up.

But his car is still cool. Not quite as cool. A different kind of cool. I’ll miss that Speed3.

Time to Ride

I realize there’s been a lot of sap on the blog lately. I’m not such a sap person, but it’s just that time of year I guess. Back to none sap for a little while, I promise.

Tyler is almost a graduate (again)! And for his graduation, I thought it would be cool if he got a legit road bike. We bought him a hand-me-down last year on the cheap, but it’s a bit too small and doesn’t have a lot of torque or whatever it is. With road bikes, lightness is a big factor and his is too dense.

So yes, this was my idea. Buy him a totally amazing bike that would be the talk of the neighborhood. But Tyler wasn’t having any of it. We went to the bike shop. I almost had him convinced. And then, somehow he devised a plan to get two bikes for less than the one I had chosen for him. “That way,” he said. “We can both get a new bike! I like that better. It’s fair.”

I fought this. I didn’t really need a new bike. Mine is the same as his, a hand-me-down, on the cheap sort of thing. But, I don’t need to go fast. I don’t even like to go fast. And this is him graduating, not me. And…

I lost the debate. Two new bikes. They are totally sweet and awesome, as promised. I hide it, but the truth is I’m really excited. The coolest part is, because we have friends in high places (i.e. the manager of the bike shop), I sold my old bike for just $30 less than the new one. New bike. $30. Matching bikes. Cool husband. So cute.

Any ideas on a new graduation gift? I’m fresh out. 

Just Like Yesterday

I had all the intent to go for a run this morning like I do. But the alarm went off. I stood up, walked across the room … and I just couldn’t do it. I reset the clock and went back to bed for an hour. How embarrassing. That kind of thing is rare for me. But once in a while I just rebel against myself.

I won’t blame the daylight savings, because I got plenty of sleep (and who would blame daylight savings for anything? It’s so lovely!). I will blame the totally amazing, super dang cool long weekend we had. You see, on Saturday we celebrated one year as Mr. and Mrs. Gibb! How great is that?! (Really great!)

Tyler planned such an incredible few days. First stop, The Cheesecake Factory. Never been there and I’ll be going back as often as I can. It was a really cool atmosphere and really good food. And the Reese’s cheesecake was a definite plus. Then we continued north to a little bed and breakfast in Ogden Canyon called the Alaskan Inn. It was dang cool. Tyler chose one of the individual cabins, which I really loved. It was such a great feel, a great night and an amazing breakfast in the morning. Served right to our door. Awesome.

But, that’s not all; we checked out after breakfast and ended up in Park City. I thought we might get a quick bite before heading to Sundance for a few hours on the snowboards, but that was not the plan. I never realized that Tyler had grown to know me so well until he pulled into the Park City shopping outlets and said, “You have $50 you can spend on whatever you want.” Did he know that I’d fantasized about this very thing happening to me since the 10^th grade? No. He just knows me.

After shopping we ate at one of those totally upscale restaurants on Main Street. It was pretty good and better because the gift card made things do-able. I’m going to miss this gift card stage of life.

Our first year of marriage has been the best year of my life times 10. Of course, ups and downs happened. Of course we had to learn a lot of things about each other and about ourselves. But I loved every minute. When we were dating, my family would always ask if I was sick of him yet. That happened a lot with me and guys. I knew I loved him because I knew that would never happen with him. Being with him will never get old. He really is my best friend. He is so cool. And so was the weekend. 

Today's His Day

Today’s a big day for Tyler. He turns 25. I would like to say he’s old, but I’ve got a year on him so we won’t go there.

I’ve been planning for weeks on how to make his birthday something incredible. I won’t tell you what’s in the works, because he might read this, but I’m crossing my fingers this one’s a good one. He deserves it.

Tyler Gibb is an incredible guy – the best person in every way for me.

He is talented. And he’s not just talented at your average guy things – although he is at those too. He’s one of the best at snowboarding, soccer playing, triathlons, slacklining, you name the sport or game and he will beat me and probably you too. He can also crochet. He made me a pearl necklace and earrings for Christmas. He gives a mean backrub. And he can cook like a champ. He’s got skills.

He is smart, but more than that. For example, in his last year of his undergrad in marketing we started to date. A few months in, he decided to try and go on for a master’s degree in finance. At that point, I honestly didn’t believe that a year later he’d be in his last semester of grad school. I obviously didn’t know Tyler well enough then. He is not the most book smart in his class. He’s smart, but more than anything he works so dang hard. I would hire him any day. Anybody hiring?

He is good. I know that sounds odd, of course he is good. But you don’t understand. He is genuinely good inside and is always trying to be better. Perhaps even more than the fact that he tries to live a good life and he has a very strong testimony in God and in an eternal plan, is the fact that he but encourages the same attributes in me. I love that.

Ok, Ok, this is a long post and I don’t want to embarrass him too bad. I just love him and I hope his 25^th is one of the best.

Oh, and did I mention he’s got dang nice abs and a killer smile?

Happy Birthday, Ty!

This Time Last Year

I went to a bridal shower a few days ago at work. It took me back. One year ago on that same day, it was my shower they were throwing. I was embarrassed with all the attention on me. They had cupcakes because I love them, and they decorated the table with sweet wrapping paper, which I’ve decided is an incredible idea. They wrote to me all the advice they had, and I tried to remember it.

I looked at the soon-to-be bride, and I thought about what she might be feeling, both excited and super nervous and really just not knowing what to expect as far as the marriage thing goes…

If it were last year, that night I would have been making an offer on our first condo – Tyler by my side. Later on, my family would have arrived in town from all over the state; they’d have pizza and talk to me about the wedding plans and all. I won’t sleep. Because the next day, I am doing something I’ve been working towards and praying about for a really long time. The next day is the day I go through the temple for the first time. Going to the temple is a very big step in life as a Mormon and a very big deal for me.


The day was incredible. It was that day that I realized more than ever that God loves me and that I am in love with someone who is in love with me. And he held my hand and looked at me and smiled at exactly the right moments.

This time last year was the most incredible, overwhelming, terrifying, happy time of my life. I wonder if the bride-to-be is feeling the same way? I bet she is. I would tell her that after all of the extravaganza is over, life is still good. Better than she could ever think. Even though she will soon have the title of “wife” and he “husband,” they will still laugh together. They will still play cards and go to dinner and hold hands. It’s better than she could ever imagine. 

Why Running Funny?

Some people have asked me why I named my blog what I did. Running Funny. I can explain. It’s got a little bit to do with the fact that I like to run, and I talk about it sometimes. But mostly it’s because, well, you see – I run funny.  I really do. One time I went to a physical therapist, and he stood behind me to watch me run. And he just kept saying, “hmmmm, whoa, hmmmm, whoa.” Then he called some other trainers over and they all hmmmed and whoa’d together. This was not a “hey, honey” hmmmm whoa either. It was a “well, what the heck, I didn’t think legs could do that.” Just call me a modern miracle, gentlemen.

But I have a really good dad who’s a really good runner, and I wanted to run with him. In high school I started running in the dark in the backyard so no one could see. Then it was a few blocks in the early morning before my dad went for his long run. Then it turned into more blocks, and more great conversations and “exploration” runs than my dad or I can count. We’ve done two half marathons together, (along with my hardcore sister, Janna) and when my knees started hurting (I DO run funny…) - I took up triathlons.

I stopped hiding in the backyard. I stopped caring (let’s be honest, I stopped caring MOSTLY) what people said or how they looked at me when I ran. I just started running. I love it: I would even say I need it. There’s no better way to clear your head.

As I’ve grown up, I’ve realized a few things. One is that you should do what you love, no matter how you look. I do a lot of things differently from most people. What is normal anyway? But no matter how many times I second guess myself or how many times I think I’ve looked stupid or said something embarrassing, I always try to remember that life is for loving, yourself included. And I keep on running.

Soccer Wife

You should know that Tyler is a dynamite soccer player. Second-team, all-state and all. His handling with the ball is something I’ve admired since we started dating. He’s a leading scorer and quick as lightning. It’s so fun to watch. 

But, did you also know that I play soccer? Oh, you didn’t? That’s because I do not. Not even a little. So, when Tyler told me about his dream of having a Gibb family soccer team, I got that ball in the back of my throat that makes it hard to breath. I didn’t want him to see it. But I was panicked.

In the end I knew what I needed to do. He wanted this. And I wanted him to have it.

I cannot tell you how much fear I had to get over. It was a lot. You would think with a 6-5 basketball star for a father, I would have inherited some amount of skill and grace. Not the case. I played softball quite well, I can do other things just fine. But my feet. Ugh. They’ve given me grief. At times in my life (particularly the awkward stages between 11-16), my feet struggled to keep me upright. It was a rough time and left a few scars and fears of public humiliation that I’m not quite over apparently.

So, this next part might come as a shocker. I kind of like soccer. Oh, I’m still not very good. But I’ve learned to stand in front of the man (or woman) with the ball and try not to let them pass. I’ve also learned that I really love my husband (and not just because he’s a stellar athlete). I’ll do anything for him, because he’d never ask me to do something that’s going to hurt me. Soccer’s fun. It’s something new. I’ve broadened my horizons and taken on my fears and a couple men twice my size. All’s fair and the memory of the Gibbie soccer team is a good one.

Winter Not So Blues

December was lovely. But after the holidays... After all the family has gone away, the alarm clock has been reinstated, the running has been resurrected. After the head/chest cold combo that had me leveled and still has me coughing. What then?

A winter girl I am not. It gets me down. Too dark. Too cold. Too icy to run free in the road. But I really do try to fight it, because I’d rather not be down (not really a good color on me). So I have gone into high action mode in the brain. I am thinking and re-thinking all the totally sweet and awesome things I can do to make it until the 80s (in Fahrenheit, not fashion sense to be sure).

Now, the trick of tricks is working around a schedule where I see that man of mine only one night during the week before 10 p.m. That will just have to mean that the weekends will be phenomenal. Another task to overcome might be our cash flow diet. If you know of free, you just chime in. We won’t let anything (cheap) stop us though. We have a winter to conquer and a lot more fun to have. I don’t want to waste a minute.

My plans are not all fun and games. Maybe it’s the New Year that’s got me feeling the need to purge and purify. Whatever it is, I’m feeling it. Like last night, I spent two hours with rag and bucket. Baseboards. Need I say more? We’re going deep. It’s a bit cold, but I’m thinking of tidying up in the garage and storage shed in the next two weeks. On the inside, we’re going to sift through clothing and donate the remnants to the local D.I. 



Not all, but most, will be fun. And games. We are going to a free art exhibit. Experience something new. I have fun doing anything with Tyler, so we might as well throw some culture in. We are going snowboarding. Tyler will snowboard backwards so at least there’s some sort of a challenge. I will try not to snowboard on my face. We will throw some exercise in at home or in the club house. V-day weekend we are hitting the road to St. George with our good friends Beth and Ryan. I can hardly wait.



And the list continues. We are going to take my nephews to the dinosaur museum. We are going to do a 500 piece puzzle. We are going to play every game in the closet – and I have high hopes of winning one. We are going to get 2-for-1 massages. We are going to celebrate our Anniversary – Tyler’s on top of that. We are going to watch Despicable Me – I’ve heard good things. We are going to make personal pizzas. (Ummmm … Tyler doesn’t know most of these things – excited yet, babe?!)

Anyway, there's a lot more, but, you don’t need all the details. It’s just going to be great. Until May. When life and the weather get a little brighter. Thank goodness.

Sick and the Fire that Wasn't

I am taking the second sick day of my working career. It’s not like me, but I’m legitimately under the cold weather (and sick of the cold weather, for that matter). I called my boss, Tyler made me an awesome breakfast, then I went back to bed for two more hours. I was pretty impressed with myself.

I put our sheets in the washer. I got a cup of dry cereal, and I sat on the couch to rest some more (honestly, it took it out of me). Well, 10 minutes down and the fire alarm was going at full blast. My first thought – the washer! I mean, let’s be honest, Tyler usually does the wash. I’ve done laundry most of my life though, so you wouldn’t think I’d lost the touch… but anyway. I threw the cup of Lucy Charms (I regretted that later, I just vacuumed, for heaven’s sake) turned off the washing machine, checked for smoke, then got out of there.

It’s cold outside. I forgot my shoes. The alarm was going off in the whole building, not just our condo. The other ladies of the building and their little kids (or dogs, as the case may be) followed me out. You always wonder what you’ll actually do in case of an emergency. I did not turn off the gas – thought of that later. Sorry, Dad. I did call 911. I gave them the directions in what hopefully sounded very calm and collected (probably sounded sick. I’m sick. Ugh.)

The emergency guys came – first the police officer, then the fire truck and ambulance, complete with lights and sirens. And then and then … it turns out it was construction work that set it off. They checked the condos. We were cleared to go inside 30 minutes later or so. We’re safe and I’m grateful for emergency guys, especially when they have to come for nothing.

Not much of a story, but that’s the eventfulness of the day. At least I finally blogged again! I’ll be around again shortly. For now, I need another nap.