Happy Memorial Day (a few days late...)

Last weekend was lots of fun, and Memorial Day was a really good time, too. I woke up and did a run with my relay team (all 12 of us will be running a 200+ mile race in September, so each of us will run 3 different legs of the race, each of us running somewhere between 12-20 miles total, I will be running just under a total of 18). We ran along a beautiful part of the Charles River that I have not run along before, it reminded me of the greenbelts in Kingwood, only greener and with a river. Then we had a ward barbeque at the Johnson's home in Belmont. Brother Johnson is a counselor in the bishopric, and his wife is Jane Clayson Johnson (famous news caster, did Good Morning America, and some other morning shows, etc). There were lots of great people there, wonderful food, and fun times-including frisbee and croquet. Maddie (Alison's sister), Melissa (my roommate), and Rachel enjoying a sunny day outside at the barbeque

Some fun ladies-Aimee (from Maine) and Carly (from Alaska, who is also Boston's craftiest, most creative person)

Rachel, me, Alison and Maddie having a lovely time!

Here is Melissa and I right before we left the barbeque and headed out for more fun.

Our additional fun included a short stop at the beach, dinner, and a movie to finish off the Memorial Day weekend. I definitely played way too much this weekend, in addition to Memorial Day, and with a busy week of student teaching, I am suffering from allergies, lack of sleep, and some student teaching stress. Overall, life is good. I am debating taking a trip to Maine this weekend with my friends (that is where Rachel is from) or staying home to play a bit and get caught up on lots of other things...hmm?!?!

Life has been CRAZY

So I have not blogged in a while, but it is because life has been crazy. I finished up all my classes, but still had to work a couple more weeks at my assistantship at BU. Then I also started student teaching. I was excited at first, then overwhelmed and discouraged with my placement. Needless to say, I was kind of a nervous wreck, on the verge of emotional breakdowns for a couple of weeks in May. I was stressed about multiple things and just always had a lot weighing on me and a lot on my mind. I was feeling incapable and inadeqaute. I was feeling like student teaching was not going to be a good experience, from interactions with the teacher at my middle school. Last weekend, I was literally at my breaking point. We had Stake Conference on Saturday night, which was a wonderful session. Then on Sunday morning, while watching the Stake Conference broadcast from Salt Lake City, our lovely chapel in Cambridge, MA caught on fire and we had to evacuate. That was a huge ordeal, many of you got my email, and I will put the details of that in a separate post. That broke me. I just didn't think that I could handle any more, and especially not with my chapel, or refuge from the world, gone. It was a sad day (big understatement). However, a week later, I am here to say that I made it through. I had a wonderful week of teaching middle school physical education, and my teacher actually had a lot of positive things to say about each of my lessons, along with the constructive criticism. I am feeling much better about my student teaching experience and much more capable. I have had a good week and a good weekend. I have been teaching, exercising, spending much more time with friends, and enjoying Boston, and making time for the most important things. Back: Rachel and I, front: (L to R) Amanda, Alison and Madeline. We were celebrating Alison and Amanda's birthdays by going out to dinner. We feel like this could be our little family picture. I am grateful for good friends who love me here in Boston.

The birthday girls, Alison (now 25) and Amanda (now 24)-Rachel and I threw them a little surprise party.

Since Alison and I are now both 25, we are trying to be 25...I am the 2, she is the 5-random, I know.

Here is Maddie, Alison's sister who is here in Boston for the summer with us until she heads back to BYU for the fall, being the 2 and Alison being the 5. We are having too much fun, eh?

And here are Amanda and Alison being 24, Amanda had her b-day and turned 24, and Alison was still 24 for a couple more days til her b-day when she turned 25.

Here is Maddie and Alison, sisters; Maddie made Alison's favorite pudding cake-oh, so yummy!

Here is Amanda with her b-day cake, Rachel made it, the funfetti kind!

Here I am at the park on a Sunday, we were reading and enjoying the beautiful weather. I decided to roll down the hill, but had a white shirt on that I didn't want to get grass stains. Hence the blanket tied tightly around me. It was a long hill, and I got really, really dizzy.

I love Boston this time of year; everything is so so green and there are so many things blooming and blossoming. These are some pretty tulips on the Boston Temple grounds. Unfortunately, I did start to get some allergies this week; I think it is because I have spent so much time outside everyday at my middle school for student teaching. Well, enjoy the rest of the month of May, it has gone fast!!!

Half Marathon pics

Scroll down to my post written yesterday to get a detailed play-by-play of the half marathon experience. It was amazing, challenging, hard, and so rewarding all at the same time. I loved it! Alison, left, and me, right, doing our pre-race warm up in our motel room. Alison is stretching, and I am umm, meditating?!

Strike a pose! (L to R) Melissa, Candice (my roommates), me and Alison doing a little stretching yoga, while overlooking Lake Winnepausakee

This should have scared off most of the competition-we are strong! (I am like a foot taller than everyone else...sometimes I forget how tall I am!)

Some pre-race jitters, but mostly lots of smiles and energy before our big 13.1 mile run

If you look to the right of this picture, that is me first in line, with my hands at my side like a soldier, I was really anxious to pee and use the port-o-potties and the race was going to start in 10 minutes!!! There just weren't enough there, and people just were not going fast enough.

My pigtails left, and Alison, waiting at the start, and checking out our competition.

Okay-find the woman in yellow top/blue shorts with glasses, then find the tall man with glasses, and then I am to his immediate left...do you see me?! and my crazy face?! I am pretty excited and was pretty energetic like that, pretty much through miles 10 and 11...at mile 11, I hit a wall and had to push hard through the end.

Alison's younger sister, Madeline, was our personal cheerleader and our photographer...here is one she took of the Lake. The run was quite scenic.

Here Alison and I are crossing the finish...she needed me and the perfect pace clock that runs in my body through mile 11, and I needed her to get me through the last 2 miles...we finished fast...that time is wrong since we started a little after. We made it in 1:56.20...under 2 hours!!!

Here is our group after the race-Team Sweetfeet, I am in the back row, 2nd from the right. Oh, it was awesome to finish!

Alison and I at the end-we are making a V for victory...we make the best team and the best running partners ever!

Happy Mother's Day!

I just wanted to wish a happy mother's day to my mother, of course. Without her, her sacrifices, her love, her support, her encouragement, her teachings, and her prayers, I would not be the woman that I am today. Thanks, Mommy, for everything you have done and always do for me! You are my bestest friend in the whole wide world, and I am glad that I get to grow-up and be just like you! My mommy

My mommy and I in Tokyo-I want to look just like her, so I wear fake glasses to attempt to pull off her look.

I also wanted to wish a happy mother's day to my sister, Allyson. She has been and continues to be a woman of faith, hope, and strength. She has always been such an example to me, and given me a path to follow. I wanted to be a missionary just like her, and I hope someday, I can have the chance to be a wonderful mother and wife like her. Thanks for being such a wonderful friend, and a fabulous big sister. I love you, Ally!

To my sister-in-law, Ruth. Happy Mother's Day to the mother of 5, soon to be 6, precious children, who makes being a mother look easy. I am grateful for the relationship that we have developed over these years, and for your help and advice in trying to help me be happier and have more fun. Thanks for believing in me and thanks for sharing your children with me!

To Stacey, the newest member of my family, and another sister-in-law. As a soon to be mother, I know you will be wonderful in your efforts. You are such an example to me and you live your life in such a righteous manner that I know you will create a special home for your children. I am excited to be your sister-in-law and I am excited to be the auntie of your children!

Ruth, Leigh, Allyson, and me in back-I love that I get to be a part of such an amazing family, I love that all my favorite people share themselves and their families with me, and I love that I have so many stalwart examples to live up to.

And to Leigh, who is last in the post, but certainly, certainly not least. I love you, Leigh! I love being your sister-in-law, and you are definitely one of my favoritest people to talk to. You are a very strong woman, your testimony is inspiring, and your love is easily felt by all who you come in contact with. Thanks for being you, and thanks for being fun, and thanks for being faithful even when life is not perfect. I know Heavenly Father has so many amazing blessings in store for someone as good, obedient, and committed to the gospel as you are. I am so excited for y'all to be in North Carolina.

And so to all the women in my life, my family, my friends, to those with children and grandchildren and to those without, you are women who inspire and motivate me to be better. I love all of you. I love how good and nurturing you are. Thank you.

To those of you with children, thanks for sharing them with me. As a young single adult woman, I want more than anything to be a mother. I love children. And I know many of you look at my blog, wish you had my life, and wish you could play, be single, and put your mother/wife responsibilities aside from time to time. But you have no idea...you have no idea that yes, life is good and I make the most of it, and I am truly blessed, but I would give up everything in a heart beat to be doing what you are doing. My heart aches to be a mother, to teach and nurture children, and to help this world be a better place through sharing the gospel and through raising a family of my own. Thanks for giving me hope and the desire to still have that, hopefully, be a part of my life sometime in the relatively near future. Happy Mother's Day-you are loved, and you are appreciated!

AMAZING HALF MARATHON

So last night I drove up with my friend, Alison, her little sister, Madeline, and my 2 roommates. We stayed the night in Alton Bay, New Hampshire and then woke up bright and early to run the Big Lake 1/2-marathon. I have been Alison's training partner for most of the half-marathon prep, and we decided to stick together again today. Good thing we did, she needed me for the first 11 miles, and I needed her for the last 2. We started out great, running 9 minute miles, and a couple of friends who we passed said, you better slow down. We didn't, we felt great. So we kept going at 9 minute miles, sometimes closer to 8 minute miles, and did really well. About mile 6.5, they had Gu and I wasn't ready for mine, but I put it in my pocket. I was ready for it at mile 8, but need water to get it down, and they didn't have water til mile 10. Ugh! It was pretty humid with all the rain we have been getting in New England, I had sweat a lot, so I was needing fluids long before that. At mile 10, we were still doing well, and the hills we had just ran were not nearly as bad as everyone had told us they would be. At mile 11 though, I hit my wall and proceeded to finish the last 2 longest miles of my life; I think I was a bit on the dehydrated side. Alison kinda panicked cause I was breathing hard, superfocused, and not chatty and energetic like I normally am. She was worried, so at that point it turned her role to encourage me and stay only a few feet ahead. I told her to go on, 'cause at mile 12 I felt like I was dragging...she refused to go on and said, you have gotten me this far, I am not leaving you. As we neared the finish, I found some extra energy and we kicked it in through the finish, crossing the finish together with a time of 1:56.20!!! We had thought a goal of under 2 hours might be a stretch. Needless to say, we totally achieved our goal, and despite 2 difficult miles to the finish, we really didn't slow our pace much at all...my body was just struggling. We hadn't even trained at a sub 9-minute mile pace, but we totally ran it today! It was awesome, and felt so amazing to do it!!! I loved it, and will definitely being doing more half marathons, and then someday down the road, I will try to train for another full marathon (hoping to not deal with broken foot issues ever again). I am a little sore, but feeling great. Pictures will follow soon, I have to get them from Madeline's camera, she was our cheerleader/photographer, etc.

May 1st

Tonight we went to our friend Holly's show, she is studying at the Boston Conservatory, and it was her and other very talented students at her school, singing, dancing, and performing. It was lots of fun to watch. Before hand, we met up with some friends for Thai food. They had a regular menu, but then they also had a student menu (as opposed to a children's menu!?) Anyway, it was lots cheaper, so I decided to order from it, after having to show my Boston University ID :) Well, you could say I was pleasantly surprised when they brought out my meal and this is how it was served... Yes, that is basically a school lunch tray! Kinda random, kinda fun, and like one friend said, it kinda makes it seem less appetizing...school lunch=less than ideal memories for some. Everyone else had normal plates and bowls for their meals. Oh, well...the food was yummy, and cheap for me!

Every Friday in April, and then today, I would pick Isaac up from the Jewish synagogue (he really is Jewish, not like some nieces I have that go to Jewish synagogues for preschool and are Mormon :) where he goes to preschool and we would have lunch, run errands, go to the playground, go to the library, etc. I have been babysitting him over the course of the year. So today, after walking through some rain on the way home, it cleared up and we went to the park. Isaac actually took this one of me, with the green racket that we found on the ground.

And here is more evidence of springtime! It is absolutely lovely in Boston, everything is green and everything is blooming! I love all the flowers, in the ground, on the trees, on fences, etc.

I love surprises, don't you?!

Well, like I had mentioned, I am all done with my courses for my Master's program, and now I just have student teaching. I haven't really had much of a break though, I have been running a bazillion errands, and doing lots of things for other people, and just still feeling exhausted. So Thursday was a long day, and I had to work in the afternoon, and then we had a celebration for our tutors and all their hard work over the course of the year (all part of my assistantship this year). When I got home, much to my surprise, I had mail! and lots of it. I got 2 particularly fun things. I opened a box from Amazon to find the Deluxe Edition of Dr. Seuss's book, Oh, the Places You'll Go! I was so excited, this is definitely a favorite children's book with an important message. It was sent from my wonderful brother, sister-in-law and their kids. I love it! Then there was a big box from Cherry Moon Farms, and I was like...what is that? and what would I order from there? and who would send me something from there? is it jam? random. So I open it and find these beautifully delicious contents...

Yep! It's a fruit basket, and I love my fruit and I love to be healthy, but there are also some nuts, and a little box of chocolates (just enough to indulge and not feel too guilty). Sound like someone knows me?! I searched for a card or something, and finally found it...also from James, Ruth and the kids! Thanks so much! I love y'all and appreciate all the nice gifts. The food will go to good use...I will definitely eat it, and then burn it off running :) When you are single, and the kind of person who just expects things of herself, and forgets to celebrate major accomplishments...it is nice to know people love you, think about you, and are perhaps more excited about your acomplishments than you remember to be. Thanks again!