Cousin Eddie's Return

For Christmas this year, Troy and I thought Chad needed a set of Moose Mugs to complete his Cousin Eddie Christmas Eve ensemble...we were not disappointed. Chad even brought egg nog for the Moose Mugs. But, a bigger surprise awaited us on Christmas morning when Chad showed up in a blizzard wearing this lovely outfit. I have to say...the resemblance is uncanny. For all those "Christmas Vacation" lovers out there...this is for you!

Chad's Gingerbread

Because Chad was unsuccessful in bidding for my 1st gingerbread house, I told him that I would make one for him. Here is the finished product...complete with outhouse, snowman, and Otis the pug sitting on the porch. Hope you like it Chaddie!

Festival of Trees

My mom has been decorating a tree at the Festival of Trees for over 3o years! She's pretty amazing and keeps coming up with new ideas so that every tree is different and fun. This year her theme was "God Rest Ye Merry..." It's always fun to take the day off and spend the day decorating for a good cause.

This year, my mom signed me up to make a gingerbread house to donate. It was a lot of work...over 24 hours of labor went into my first ever gingerbread house. Luckily, we went out at 5 am the morning after Thanksgiving to buy my new Kitchenaid...which saved me a lot of time making the gingerbread and the 5 batches of icing. The theme was "Dickens' Bookshop" And I think it turned out pretty good! My mom and I had a lot of fun making the books for the window!

Thanksgiving Roundup...

We LOVE Thanksgiving. It's a pretty big deal. We had 2 turkeys this year...a traditional turkey, and one fried by Chad. Yum. I made 4 kinds of pies that we are still working on days later.

We were thankful for Troy this year as he had his 21st birthday on Thanksgiving. To celebrate, Troy and I ran in the Draper Human Race...a 5K to raise money for the food bank. It was a rainy morning, and we had fun, although Troy was pretty bored by mile 2. Luckily, he was distracted by the guy running with a giant turkey balloon, and really distracted by the guy running in full Indian costume...yep...headdress and loincloth. Good times for all...

Christmas...getting to know ME

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. I got this from Marti, and since I love Christmas, I thought I'd share my favorite things with all of you! Thanks for passing it along Marti! (Family photo is a couple years old...but there we are!)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Anything festive & fun...I'll use both.

2. Live tree or Artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the week after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Year's

5. Do you like eggnog? Yummy...YES...preferably in a moose mug!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Smurf rollerskates, dollhouse

7. Hardest person to buy for? Dad...he already has everything he wants

8. Easiest person to buy for? Missy...I just buy something I want

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Neither...like I'm going to send out a card with the family picture of...me? Nope...and I'm lazy.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Remember the 80's kids? Remember those t-shirt rings you wore with the giant t-shirts? One year I got a purple, orange, and cobalt blue leather one, with leather strings hanging down it.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? If you've read my blog you can probably guess...Christmas Vacation!!!!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?Usually early November. I'm almost done!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.

15. Favorite thing to eat (drink) at Christmas? Everything...but I especially loved the baclava our next-door neighbors used to make. We waited all year for that goodie plate!

16. Lights on the tree? Who doesn't put lights on the tree?

17. Favorite Christmas song? "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" & "Still, Still, Still"...although Donna Summers version of "O Holy Night" from Solid Gold Christmas is FABULOUS, too...

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home bound...but I like to visit, too

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yep...and I have the ornaments to prove it!

20. Angel on the tree top or Star? Stars

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crazy mall shoppers

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have a set of whimsical reindeers that I LOVE!

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Little bit of everything!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Snowshoes and someone who wants to snowshoe with me

Shrimp on a Treadmill

I don't know why...but this made me laugh so hard, I almost fell off my treadmill at the gym! SHRIMP...RUNNING...on a TREADMILL! I'm still cracking up. Up next...they are building a bigger tank for LOBSTERS! RUNNING ON A TREADMILL! Some people have way too much time on their hands...

Go COUGS!

There's that commercial on now that talks about fans' lucky jerseys, extra wishes, etc. pushing their team to victory. GO FANS! Well, Chad and Craig are certainly doing their part in custom-embroidered navy blue jumpsuits from IFA. Go fans, indeed.

Snow Canyon 1/2 Marathon

This is now one of my favorite 1/2 marathons. It was a beautiful day in St. George on Saturday with perfect running weather. The race didn't start until 9 am, so that meant I could sleep until 7 (although I didn't...I am too antsy). It's a smaller race, so it wasn't really crowded at the startline and everyone was really upbeat and friendly. The course was beautiful running down through Snow Canyon with great views. It was lot of fun, and I had one of my best races, finishing in 1:48.

Likes/Dislikes

Missy tagged me to write a list of my 10 likes and dislikes. I could probably just use most of her list, but I decided to try and come up with my own, although a lot of hers are mine, too. (Yep...you totally got me addicted to Starbucks' Caramel Apple Spice.)

LIKES:
1. Sunshine
2. Boating on the lake
3. Hot chocolate...who am I kidding...anything chocolate
4. Going out to lunch/dinner with friends
5. Getting mail...good stuff...or packages.
6. Vacation...to anywhere!
7. Christmas
8. Wedding shows on TV...Bridezillas is especially good.
9. Trouser jeans
10. Surprising people...in a good way
DISLIKES
1. Winter...more specifically snow. In traffic.
2. Putting laundry away. I have a weeks' worth sitting on my bed.
3. Mean people
4. Tight jeans...on me or anyone else.
5. Playing the guessing game with people about why I'm not married yet
6. Long boring reports at work
7. The fact that being a lady is apparently no longer cool
8. Cleaning out my car
9. Junk mail
10. Lima beans

I now tag anyone who would like to use this on their blog :)

We LOVE Halloween!

OK...So I'm finally posting some pics from Halloween. I was again dressed as a witch at work, which happens every couple of years. You just can't beat the classics! My coworkers were SO funny...they kept asking me why I didn't dress up. HA ha ha (that's my sarcastic typing.)

My mom attended the Witches' Tea at the Grand America with some of her friends. They dressed as chef witches...very cute and fun! My mom has such a great imagination!

We also had fun decorating cupcakes for my work party.

Jordan had a great costume this year, too. Britney Spears...love it!

What can I say? My mom is the Queen of Halloween...and that make me the Halloween Princess!

(I've got some more pics coming...I'm just lazy)

Spooky....more text messages from my bike shop stalker

HE's BAAAAACK. I had a month of nothing there. I thought I'd lost him. Nope...two brand new ones for your reading enjoyment. Plus...I'm starting to think he might think I'm someone else. He seems to think we are friends or something that talk to each other...

October 28
Hey! If you don't have anything to do tonight you should come with me to watch this show tonight! We have free tickets here at the shop! And...I'm bored. You should come visit me at work. I'll show you my new car! Ha ha.

October 24
Ha ha. So i guess a bunch of my friends are going to that witch thing this weekend. They also said I need to dress up and go...Ha ha. They're gonna dress me all up. Ha ha. Should I?

Haunted Hollow...

My mom and I LOVE Halloween, so when Draper needed a couple of witches for Haunted Hollow night, we were happy to get dressed up, scare some kids, and hand out candy. It's a lot of fun. This year was the biggest event ever...more than 700 kids showed up along with Frankenstein. Creepy!

Chicago

Usually when I go out to Chicago I am there for work training or I'm there to watch the kids, which is also work. So, this time I decided to just go out for fun. And it was fun! It was nice to have other adults there the whole time so I could be the fun aunt. Missy and I ran our Nike+ Women's Half-Marathon...2nd year of running together. It was fun running through the Chicagoland forest preserve...and there were no hills! The kids and Paul came out to cheer us on.

We also got to do some fun Halloween pumpkin carving which is much more fun when the kids are involved. Halle and I worked on this cat pumpkin...although I did most of the work and she just got excited about it. Thanks for the good times Walker family...see you in a couple months!

Trailer Park Otis

So, I'm watching Chad & Jordan's pug this week while they are in Australia. I was bored Monday night and took myself over to Target. While at Target. I saw the Halloween costumes for pets...and decided to get one for Otis. I then chased Otis around the kitchen with my camera to catch him wearing the mullet wig...I'm not sure that Chad will want me to watch Otis anymore.

St. George Weekend

BUSY BUSY weekend. St. George was SO crowded over the weekend. That's what we get for heading down over conference...to cheer on Paul as he ran his 2nd marathon in as many weeks, and to cheer on Troy as SUU took on Youngstown on a cold rainy day. It was also fun to see Missy and Halle who flew out for the weekend. Congrats to Paul who finished faster and had more fun at this marathon, and to Troy, whose team is now 3-3, which is awesome considering they hadn't won a game for a couple of years before that! And, a big high-five to both Troy and Chad who took on the 4x4 challenge at In-N-Out and showed those burgers that Buntings can eat.

Disappointment at Baja Cantina

Friday was a beautiful day, so Chad and Jordie decided to ride up to Park City to eat at Baja Cantina and invited me along. It was gorgeous driving up the canyon and through Guardsman's Pass. We had lots of fun looking at the changing leaves.

Then we got to Baja Cantina...our favorite Mexican place. It was a pretty busy night and the ordinarily good service was horrible. Our waiter stopped by maybe twice all night. There were four of us there and with over a 45 minute wait to get in and then a long wait for food, we finished off the one bowl of chips and salsa pretty quickly. We set the empty basket on the edge of the table, waiting for the chips to get refilled. We spent over 40 minutes waiting for our food. After our waiter passed by 5 or 6 times without saying anything, we asked for more chips. Well, apparently to compensate for higher costs, they are now charging $1.99 for each additional basket of chips. Chad's face says it all...

We were seriously disappointed. Raise the menu prices if you want, but you can't start charging for something that used to be FREE!

Um...maybe mountain biking isn't for me...

Yep. Another crash. This time in St. George a week before the marathon. It was a beautiful day...the trail was fun...until I fell, and then fell again...and one more time. Maybe this really isn't the sport for me. Check out the blood on my derailleur! Awesome!

Marathon Report

We made it! Some of us in better shape than others. Chad's body decided to quit on him just a few blocks from the finish line. He blacked out, hit his head and was laying on the side of the road for a while before someone came to help. Even with all that, he got up and finished the race...and still did it under 5 hours! He did such an awesome job! I'm so proud of him! Paul had a great 1st marathon, too...and he loved it so much, he's doing St. George in a couple of weeks!

Chad got a little help from the paramedics at the finish line and a nice IV.

The finish line at a marathon is so inspiring to me. You see so many different types of people and so many different levels, and you just know that some of the people crossing the line just had to gut it out with everything they had left. It's those people who struggle the whole 26.2 miles and keep going that show us the greatness of the human spirit.

"Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts."
Steve Prefontaine

Friday - Inspiring Women

Jennifer Lopez completed her first triathlon last weekend. SELF magazine named her the most inspirational woman, or something like that. Well, I have met women who are a lot more inspirational than J.Lo. Everytime I do a race, I meet women who have made incredible sacrifices to be there. They have full-time jobs, kids, and husbands. They don't have nannies, chefs, or personal trainers, or millions of dollars to help them compete in a race. They wake up early and run through the streets in the dark so they can get home and get their kids ready for school. I see them at the gym, swimming laps late at night after the kids have gone to bed. We all know them, we just don't always know the amazing things they are accomplishing because they do it for themselves and their families without paparazzi or fanfare. These women don't use excuses like "I don't have enough time," or "I'm too tired" and seeing them out there makes me realize that I have no excuses either. Thanks to all of you for motivating me!

Thursday - Motivational Music

More surprising to me than nutrition or shoes, I ran, and trained for, my first marathon with NO MUSIC. Yep...no Walkman for me...I was a poor college student and didn't really think about the power music could have during a run.

Now, I love my little iPod shuffle. I don't know how I ran without it! I like to space out when I run, and I load up my iPod with songs that help to motivate me. But, is it just a mental thing, or does music really help performance?

Dr. Costas Karageorghis, a professor of psychology at West London's Brunel University says, "With nonelite athletes, I've found that listening to the right songs before and during exercise will not simply just reduce feelings of tiredness, it will also increase performance levels by up to 20 percent," he says. "That means the rhythmic component of music is almost an analog for movement and decreased energy expenditure. If runners pick the right songs, they can improve their efficiency."

He also suggested some "perfect" running songs: "The Heat Is On," by Glenn Frey; "Reach," by S Club 73; "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," by The Blues Brothers; "William Tell Overture," by Rossini. WHAT? I don't know anyone who listens to that when running...

Some of my personal faves for running..."Soul to Squeeze" by Red Hot Chili Peppers; "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera; "Stronger" by Britney Spears; "Warrior" by Nelly; "Dreamer" by Chris Brown; and "Champion" by Flipsyde.

So, what are the best songs for running? Whatever motivates you! What are some of your favorites?

Wednesday - Aches & Pains

If you've ever been running, chances are you have been in pain. We've all felt it from minor discomfort to major @#$&! pain. Here are some tips from Runner's World on getting rid of some those little mid-run aches that can help you get back into your run.


1) Calf cramp: Standing on the side of the road, with feet below your shoulders, raise the ball of the cramped leg's foot up while keeping the heel on the ground. For a deeper stretch, lean forward, keeping the knee of the leg being stretched locked and the opposite knee bent. Hold for two seconds; repeat 10 times or more as necessary.


2) Stiff neck: Slow down or walk. Look straight ahead; slowly lower your right ear toward your shoulder. Press gently on your temple with your right hand. Hold for two seconds, release. Repeat 10 times on each side, more as needed.

3) Tight shoulders: Slow your pace or walk. Looking straight ahead, turn your head to the right 45 degrees and drop your head forward, bringing your ear down toward your chest. Place your left hand on top of your head and press down gently. Hold for two seconds, release, and repeat 10 times on each side, or more as needed.


4) Side stitch: While running, contract your abdominal muscles, and lean forward and into the side where you feel tightness. Push your hand against the point of pain. If the pain persists, take a quick pit-stop. Stand with your feet below your shoulders and gradually lean into the cramp. Hold for two seconds, release and repeat 10 times or more as needed.


5) Back tension: While running, focus on the feeling of pulling your navel in and up. If this doesn't relieve the pain, stop running. Place your hands on your hips and lean forward. Hold for two seconds, release, and repeat 10 times or more as needed.

If you have major pain that is interfering with your workouts...STOP RUNNING and see a doctor. There are times when you can't just walk it off. Pain-free running = happy running.

Tuesday Tip - Shoes

Looking back at my first marathon 10 years ago, I'm surprised I made it. I didn't know anything about nutrition, proper clothing, or most importantly, the shoes I should wear. The shoes a marathoner wears during the actual race should be in their prime. The prime of a running shoe is typically between 50 and 150 miles. The first 50 miles is to ensure that the shoe is compatible with the runner's foot. There is very little actual break-in period with running shoes because the materials used are very supple in comparison to leather boots or shoes that traditionally need to be broken in. It is possible that if a runner has a favorite should, they could pull a brand new pair out of the box and run the race. This is not recommended, but this is better than running on a shoe that has too many miles on it.

After a shoe has reached approximately 150 miles, it starts to lose its capacity to cushion and support the impact that comes from running, especially toward the end of longer runs. The typical life of a shoe is 300-400 miles. A running shoe is obviously still good after the 150-mile mark, but a marathoner runs the risk of having the shoe fail toward the end of the race when the foot and body need the most protection and support.

Aside from being uncomfortable, if the shoe fails at mile 18, 20, or 25, this may cause the runner to recover more slowly at the end of the race, and can even cause significant injuries such as stress fractures. So, how does a marathoner keep a shoe in its prime leading into a marathon? Here are some tips:
You should use the shoe you are going to run the race in during at least one long run. It is not recommended that you wait until the last long run because there is not another long run to correct any problems that may arise.
The shoe that will be used in the marathon should be purchased with enough time before the second to last long run to be able to do a few shorter runs on it before going out for 18 or 20 miles.
It's better to run on a shoe that has fewer than 50 miles than a shoe that has more than 150. If time is short, try to get a shoe as close to the one that has been used for the majority of the training program. A specialty shoe sales person should be able to help you find a shoe that closely matches the one you have been training in. Happy feet = happy running!

Marathon Tips...Round 2

It's that time again...the week before the marathon where I like to share a little running tip each day. Lately, it seems like I have been super busy, and just fitting in my morning workouts is getting challenging. Usually I have a protein shake after working out to get nutrition back into my body, but sometimes it doesn't sound good or I'm too lazy to mix it up. So...a good alternative is....CHOCOLATE MILK! Yep...easy and delicious as well as having a good balance of carbs, fats, and protein for a post-workout snack. For those of you who don't eat after work out because nothing sounds good..try drinking chocolate milk. It's important to get those nutrients back into your body...read this more technical info from the Salt Lake Running Company (my favorite running store!).

"Running drains your muscles of precious energy stores in the form of glycogen. The first two hours after a run is the crucial window when your muscles will absorb the highest amount of glycogen to replace what it just lost. Adequately replacing glycogen stores requires not only the right carbohydrates, but also some protein to aid your muscles in absorbing the carbohydrates. The best part about finishing a run is that you may eat some of the more sugary, higher glycemic foods. A runner needs one gram of medium to high glycemic food per pound of body weight in addition to one gram of protein per every four grams of carbs. A 150-pound runner would need 150 grams of carbs and 37 grams of protein within the first two hours after a run. It is best to eat half of that within the first 30 minutes and rest an hour or so later. There are replenishing drinks with this 4:1 ratio sold. A replenishing drink is best during that first 30 minutes. Later, eat a good meal to get the rest of the nutrition before the two hours is up. This one trick will speed up your recovery dramatically and recharge those drained legs for your next run."

SUU snaps 19-game losing streak!

We traveled down to Cedar City to watch Troy's first home game as a Thunderbird. It was pretty fun. Troy did a great job...he had a couple of sacks and a lot of tackles, even though he didn't play as much as he wanted to. And the T-Birds walked away with their first W in a long time! Way to go Troy! You can see he was pretty excited after the game...

Do Diet Coke and chocolate count as drugs?

You Belong in 1963

You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too.

What Year Do You Belong In?

Jordanelle Dam Hydroelectric Plant Dedication...

It has been a LONG week! At work we had a big project come to an end, so we were having a big dedication for the hydropower plant up at Jordanelle Dam. To demonstrate the power generated by the plant, we had a bicycle set up that generate power to light up light bulbs. I donated an old bike for the cause and the demonstration was a big success...even Govenor Huntsman took a turn. He rode his Harley up to Jordanelle and and spoke at the dedication. It was pretty exciting for us here at the District!

Ed! Don't step in the POOP!

Grandpa Ed and Grandma Ann invited Chaddie, Jordie and me up to ride horses and have lunch on Saturday. Grandma kept yelling at Grandpa, "ED! ED! ED! There's poop right there! Don't step in the POOP!" So, what does Grandpa do...walks right through the poop...probably just to spite Grandma. It's the Bunting way. We do not like being told what to do...we get that aversion to authority figures from Grandpa, obviously.

It was a beautiful day to be out riding and we all had a good time. Buddy was a good horse even though he liked to dawdle a bit and then had to run to catch up. Good times.