Turkey Trot in Smithfield, UT

We (Audrey and I) had a great Saturday! We left early in the morning and headed West for Utah. Thanks to our new car we made it without any problems, and arrived right on time for the Smithfield Recreation Turkey Trot. We were signed up for the 10k (6.2 miles). We got our SWAG bag, and then changed into our race clothes.

The temperature was in the middle 40's, but the sun was out and it felt amazing. The race started at 10:30 a.m. and I would guess there were about 50 runners signed up for the 10k. They also had a 5k and a one miler.

The course was beautiful, we started heading off towards some mountains and a little bit up hill. Around mile 2 we started into a residential area and back downhill which was nice. I started out pretty slowly, and gradually sped up, passing quite a few people in the last two miles which I ran at about an 8:10 pace.

I finished in 52 minutes and Audrey finished in 49:22. She got 1st in the 25-29 division and I got 2nd. After the race we ate at Chili's for a reward, and then headed home. All in all it was a great day and race. Here are some pictures!

This is before the race. I was all set to go.

As you can see Audrey was set as well.

I was just crossing the finish line. I know I look retarded, but I totally beat that kid behind me! He was quite a ways in front of me and I sprinted at the end to beat him. Take that, uh!

I needed a little break before I could get anything to eat. And I think that this is my standard pose after a race. The "hands back and legs sprawled" recovery technique.

And after it was all over!

finally another race

Tomorrow, Saturday, Audrey and I are running in a 10k (6.2 miles) Turkey Trot. Close to Thanksgiving hence the name. It is in Smithfield, UT about 2 hours away, hopefully the weather stays good. It's supposed to be about 45 degrees or so which is just about perfect.

Wish us luck! I'll post pics and results sometime next week!

sickness

I finally got sick... It has been at least a few years since I have been really sick. And even a few more years before that since my stomach decided to work in reverse mode.

But, this past Saturday the flu bug decided to unleash it's fury on my immune system. I subbed at the high school on Friday, and I think that I might have caught it there from all the kiddos. Saturday afternoon I started feeling sick, and took a nap from 4:30 until 5:30 p.m. I work at our Teen Center every Saturday night from 6:00 p.m. until midnight, so I decided I would try and go. I made it until 9:00 and couldn't handle it anymore. I felt horrible.

So I had to close the Teen Center early (the kids weren't too happy, but they got over it pretty quick). Got into bed at 9:30 and by 10:00 my stomach started working in reverse. It was one of the longest nights of my life.

I had to call our Elders on Sunday morning and let them know that I wouldn't be able to be at Church. Then Sunday ended up being one of the longest days of my life because all I could do was lay around.

Before Saturday I would think, "Oh it would be nice if I was sick, I could lay around, watch TV, and be a bum all day." The part that I forgot though was that you feel completely miserable the entire time, and it's not so much fun.

I think sin invades us that way sometimes. We think, "Oh it would be nice to do this or that, whatever I want." But then we forget how miserable we are afterward. We step outside of God's plan for our lives, and we get beat up. The same way I feel after being sick; beat up.

Our problem is that we forget. We forget how horrible sin really is, we forget the consequences, and we only remember the "instant gratification". Like being sick, we forget the part about how bad we feel, and we remember or even trick ourselves into thinking that we can get a day off and not have to do anything.

Don't believe it! Being sick stinks. If you haven't been sick in a while, and you are thinking it might be nice, let me tell you that it's not.

Pics of our new apartment

Audrey and I are completely moved in and settled into our new apartment. So I figured that I would take some pictures so that you can all see where we are at. Audrey does a great job of setting things up, and making it feel homey and safe. It's a great place, and God has blessed us with all that we need. Our Landlord bought a new fridge and stove for us, and we just bought a new to us washer and dryer for a good price.

Our Living Room - That's the front door, our couches and chairs are to the right, that big screen in the middle is for our projector. We have the piano next to the screen on the left, and our table at the bottom left of the picture.

This is our guest bedroom. Two single beds that we aquired in Iowa, it has two big closets off to the right, and a dresser, and a door leading into the bathroom.

The Master Bedroom. It is quite large, we have two nightstands next to our bed. Two dressers, our entertainment center, and a large closet that is off to the right.

Maya is enjoying our new place. She is getting lots of love, and special visits on our couches and chairs.

She likes to be close to us all the time. Either playing with us, or crashing on the floor next to us. Yesterday I was playing with her and she bashed her head into my lip. It didn't bleed, but sure hurt me way worse than her.

Come and Visit! We will show you a moose!

Facial Hair

I'm growing a beard.

I read a story about a guy who just started running and he said, "Anything that is this hard should make you grow hair."

I thought it was pretty funny, and true at the same time. So far my beard is not as manly as I would like it to be, but maybe if I keep running it will grow in thicker.

Our next race is Nov. 22nd it's a 10k in Smithfield, UT. Hopefully the weather is decent.

That's all I have for now.

Nov. 5th - Not quite as much recognition as Nov. 4th

Isn't it great to know that I got up this morning the exact same way that I always get up?

Now that question might sound weird to you at the moment, but let me explain. With all the hoopla yesterday and who is going to be the next person to "lead our country", some people might get so caught up in it that they lose sight of the big picture.

What is the big picture you ask?

It's that I woke up this morning the same way I always get up. That all the stuff surrounding the election really hasn't changed anything. And you know the more important thing, that quite a few people have pointed out already is that God is still in control!

Where is our hope really? For me it's in God, not Obama. And it wouldn't have been in McCain either if he would have won. Jesus is my president, and when I look back on the past, God uses the people that are in power, no matter if they are hethen or if they are blessed by God.

So as we are coming closer to Thanksgiving I thank God that HE is still in control of our world, and that I woke up the exact same way today as I did yesterday.