I ran FAR!!!!!

The time had come! I had trained my hardest and the time had arrived!  My whole family participated in the Famous Idaho Potato Races.  My dad, Trent and Karissa all ran the 10k.  Devin, Tyleen, Me, Kendra and Connor ran the HALF MARATHON! and Jenica beat us all and ran the Full Marathon.  Now, if any of you don't know, the half marathon is 13.1 miles long! and the full is 26.2 miles long.  It took lots of time, energy, sweat, and for some, even tears! buuuuuut we all were ready!

  

So the night before we gathered up all the things we needed and lined them up on the counter.

 The half and full marathoners started at the same place.  We all got there with plenty of time to go to the bathroom a million times, get super nervous, take a few pictures and freeze our little hineys off.  Jenica started a half an hour before us, and I am so glad that we all got to be there to cheer her off!  Then by the time all the half marathoners had to line up the sun started to poke out from behind the cloud and the wind decided to slow down and by the start of our race, the weather couldn't have been more perfect. 

I started training in January and just a couple of weeks before the race Connor decides that maybe he wanted to join in on the fun.  He ran a total of three times and called the training complete.   One of those times he ran a 9 mile run with me and Tyleen.  And instead of just running one or two miles with me then taking off (like the other times he ran), he decided to do it all with us at OUR pace.  Before this, he said he'd just run the half with me, thinking that it'd be fun to just do it together.  AFTER the run, he then decided that he's not going to be able to go as slow as me and he probably wont run with me.  I knew that would happen even when he said he was going to run with me.  Anyway, we're all huddled together and as soon as that gun went off to begin the race, Connor was OUT OF THERE! He immediately started weaving through everybody to get to the front. He didn't want to get stuck on the trail we'd soon be getting on behind a bunch of slow pokes. sooooo off he went! And what do ya know?! The kid that ran three times for his training ran the half in about 1:35 and got 3rd in his division and 49th overall. This kid is a freak of nature and it makes me sick! :) but because he ran so fast they gave him a ribbon and a little stuffed potato as a prize!

Kendra was another one of those freaks of nature that only ran a few times before the race and still was able to rock it.  I am so glad she was there.  She ran with me for the first 9 miles.  While we were running we'd sing the songs on our ipods to each other or tell stories to the point we were laughing WHILE running! You're probably thinking, well that doesn't sound like you were trying very hard.  But we were! We'd keep checking our time and we were still a little ahead of our normal and were still going strong so we kept it up. This picture was at about mile 6 I think when we spotted Cortney at the park! Boy were we happy to see her! The picture is blurry probably because we were running so fast! :)  At about mile nine though, kendra decided if she was going to beat 2 hours she had better pick up the pace and leave me behind.  I was still on track for my goal of 10 minute miles so I just stayed at my pace and watched her go.  

But for all of those that are trying to decide if they should do a race. Let me just tell you one thing, DOOOOOOOO IT!!!!! I knew it'd be so fulfilling, but it was SO fun!  

 We did it!!!!!!! The Full and Half Marathoners got medals as soon as they crossed the finish line.  I was the last half marathoner from my family to cross the line, so I had a good size cheering squad as I came into the end.  And let me tell ya what, it was AWESOME!   The whole race I was rockin it, but by mile 11 I was feeling pretty tired.  I had made it that far without walking so I knew I'd be mad at myself if I did when I only had a little ways to go.  So, I just told my legs to just keep running!  And by the end to have my family screaming and cheering for me, some how I was able to finish the last bit strong! Nothing felt better than crossing that finish line! All that hard work and time, had paid off!! 

 We had to take a picture of how we REALLY felt after the race.  EXHAUSTED!  But seriously, how awesome to be part of a family that is all healthy and active enough to participate in such a cool thing!  Even my mom was running around all day trying to catch us along the trails to cheer us on!  I am so glad that Devin convinced all of us to participate in this! I don't think we could have asked for a better route, better weather, or better people to do it with! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!

Oh! I almost forgot to mention how well I did!!! My finishing time was 2:10 (exactly 10 minute miles), I got 597th out of 1046 (doesn't sound very impressive i know), and 29th in my division! I know it sounds crappy compared to Connor's stats. But it was my goal to finish with 10 minute mile pace so I am happy!!!!!

"Y" I Otta!

We're almost out of here for the summer and we decided we needed to hike to the Y before we left.   Monday after Easter I got the day off so off we went! And let me tell you something, its a pretty good hike! I'm not sure how long it is, but it was the perfect length. Just long enough that it felt awesome to get to the top but not too long that I felt like I was going to die before I got there.  

You can pretty much see all of Provo from there! Also, the neighborhoods at the bottom there is where I run all the time!

We sat right in the middle of the Y and had lunch! We also brought a kite to fly, but it wasn't windy enough. We'll have to try it again soon!

That's right, I hiked to the Y!!!!!!!

HE'S DONE!!!!

It has been a LOOONG semester! He took REALLY hard classes, and was in the library ALLLLLLLLL the time studying and it is my pleasure to announce, HE IS DONEEE!!!!!  He took his last final and I was dying for him to come home and officially start summer!

So, since this was such a ginormous accomplishment I decided I needed to do SOMETHING to celebrate.  So, what'd I do?! I made a sign of course! When he came in it was hung up right where he could see it right away.  Then I made a yummy Congratulations cake and had one of his favorite candies.

It's been so fun having him done with school. I'll come home from work and he'll be sitting there on the couch or, get this, MAKING ME DINNER!!!!!!!!   What else could you ask for?!! What better way to start out the summer?!

Guilty Pleasures

Alright, I have a confession to make!! I haven't been on here much lately, but it's not because I have been busy or anything. Nope, not at all. All I do is work, eat, run and sleep aaaaaaand watch shows on netflix. Which, by the way, is the BEST thing EVER!!!!! And lately, I have been watching The Hills. If you haven't heard of it, its a ridiculous show about these pretty girls and their lives in Hollywood.  I watch it all the time, and I have no idea why.  These girls are absolutely ridiculous and dramatic and I really have no idea why I love it so much, but I'm admitting that i love it!!! Connor has come home the past couple of days and found me sitting in my nice comfy red chair watching it. And everytime he shakes his head and tells me to stop watching that silly show before I start acting as ridiculous as them. He's totally right, I'm wasting my time! Buuuut I can't help it!!!! I get pulled into their silly drama and I just think their clothes and hair are so cute. I just can't help myself!

is your family cool enough for the front page of the news paper? OURS IS!

I have the coolest family in the world. Months in advance we asked for days off from work, making ourselves available for State Basketball. This is Kendra's last year, so we wouldn't miss it for the world! Thursday, Karissa, Trent and I jumped in the car early enough to make the game that night. Jenica left sometime that same day from Rexburg to get there about the same time. Tyleen and her friend Cassie were the smart ones and got there the day before. We went straight to the gym, got out team tshirts on and were ready to cheer our hearts out!

The first game was intense. Middleton was the #1 ranked team and were paired up against #2 in the FIRST GAME! They played hard enough Thursday and Friday night to get to the State Championship Saturday! We were so excited for Kendra! Our family is pretty obsessed with basketball. But all my life, I think Kendra has been one of the most obsessed in our family. From the time she could hit the hoop with a ball, I remember her playing in our backyard for hours. By herself! It was so fun watching her play, but it was even more fun watching her ROCK IT at the championships.

After every game, we'd come home and watch the news for the highlights from the tournament. It was fun to have such a famous little sister on such a killer team. I am so lucky to be in such a supportive family. I am sure some probably observed us at the tournament and thought we were crazy. My dad was telling Kendra to drink Gatorade until it came out her ears. My mom was downing tums like they were the new candy cause she was so nervous. Devin got reporters asking him what his name was cause they were taking so many pictures of him because he was such a crazy fan. Trent was always sitting behind Devin so was never shown in the pictures :) hahah poor guy. Karissa was stoked that at the last second could come and was loving every minute watching basketball and was probably wishing she could be out there playing too. Tyleen cheered so loud she lost her voice. And Jenica and I cheered as loud as she could and were loving every second of it.

Sunday morning we checked out a couple newspapers to check the coverage of the game. And who got a BIG picture on the FRONT PAGE of the newspaper?! That's right! OUR FAMILY DID!!! noooot the team, not the coach or a player. But the LIMB FAMILY!! I looked online to find the picture, but I couldn't find it. It was of all of us holding up the sign Tyleen had made that we held up as soon as the buzzer went off. It's a killer picture and I wish I could find it! So, after the excitement of seeing our faces on the front page we turned to the sports section and who did we see?! KENDRA!!!! The Limb family is famous!

I put some pictures I got from online of the tournament. I had such a blast with my family. While we were watching other teams we'd be telling stories and laughing so hard that our stomachs hurt. And while we were watching our team, we'd be cheering so loud our throats hurt. It was the best weekend ever and what better way to end a fun weekend than with ANOTHER STATE CHAMPIONSHIPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!

You can see the sign in the back of this one

Limb family cheering their hearts out after an awesome three pointer!

Victory tastes so nice

That's my famous sister, Kendra Limb

And a little side note. I am proud to say that ALL of my sisters have played in a state championship game. You could probably say that, my family is just the cooooolest!

Training....Me? wait a minute...

So one day everyone in my family got a text from Devin and it said something like, "There's a bunch of races in Boise on the same day, I'm running a Marathon and everyone should do one. Whoever doesn't is a chump!" haha I can't really remember what he said, but I'm sure it was SOMETHING to that extent. And if you know me at all, I am NOT a runner! I am part of a family that likes to conquer big things, go on ginormous hikes, jump of enormous cliffs. All of these crazy things where, I try to do the same, but really, lets face it. I am just not as hardcore as the rest of em! BUUUUUUT when it comes to running in one of these races, I WANTA DO IT! I've never been a runner, and I know that I will never train for something like this if I didn't have the rest of my family doing it.

I originally decided the 10k was for me. I thought it'd be perfect, I'd get to where I can go running without dying again and I won't kill myself trying to go too far. Buuuuut you know my family had to convince me it just wasn't good enough. "That's a race for Dad, you can do more!" Sooooo, I'm in the process of training for a HALF marathon! And if you don't know, that's 13.1 miles. I know, it sounds absolutely crazy. But, the training has begun. Before this, I had never ran more than four miles in row in my life. But, the other day, I am proud to say, I RAN FIVE MILES!!!!!!! That's right! I've beat my record.

At first running was extremely painful and horrible. Now, I'm sad if the day goes by and I didn't get my run in. It feels good, and lets face it! The muscles in my legs have never looked better! :) Alright, I'll keep you posted on how the rest of the training goes in a while. Can't wait for another big run where I break my record again and again and again!

The Holidays!

I realize its now February and I never posted anything about the wonderful holidays! Our Christmas and New Years were the BESSST!!! Before we move on to Valentine's Day coming up and everything else exciting going on, I need to say a few things about what we did!

This was our cute little tree we had in our apartment before we went to my house for Christmas. Even though its little and doesn't have any ornaments, I still loved it.

After making such a big deal about bring our camera while packing, this is the only picture we have our Christmas morning. :) This was us, bright and early, right before we went downstairs and saw everything Santa brought us!

My favorite dinner of the year is Christmas Eve. Yummy ham, my mom's homemade rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, and so much delicious food! Originally I was going to have to work on Christmas Eve and miss all of my favorite traditions, but luckily we got it all worked out and I was able to drive home late the night before. So, I didn't miss a thing! Christmas eve ROCKS at the Limb House!

This year having lots of people home for Christmas, the presents start to build up fast! Having Karissa and Toby's little boys there this year made it so much more fun. I think the excitement ran through the whole house. We were all just WAY too excited to see what Zeke would do when he saw how many presents Santa brought everyone!

Christmas was perfect. For the first time I got to have all of my favorite Christmas traditions with my best friend! Being married is the best!!! Of course Connor did a good job at spoiling me like crazy and making this one of the best Christmases ever!


A quick word on New Years so I will always remember the fun time I had. First, I had to work, but I was able to get off work at five so I still had the rest of the night to party! When I got home Connor and I decided we'd go to Brick Oven Pizza for dinner! And my oh my, it was deeeeelicious! After we stuffed our faces, we went to the cheap movie theater and saw Despicable Me. I had heard so much about it, I wanted to see it really bad. And if anyone was wondering--It's a WAY cute movie and totally recommend it! After the movie we realized we can't bring in the New year without CHIPS AND SALSA!!! no no no, what where we thinking?! We ran over to the store and got our favorite kinds. NOW the New Year can come. We went home, played an intense gave of Settlers, ate some chips and candy, then finished the night off with another movie I had been dying to see! How To Train Your Dragon! Also, another real good movie.

If that's not that best way to finish a year and of bring in another, i don't know what is! I had my hilarious and fun Hubby, chips and salsa, good movies, and fun games. I am pretty sure that is most of my favorite things right there! OF COURSE IT WAS GOING TO BE A BLAST!

Well 2010, you were a goooooood year to me. But, I am excited to bring on 2011!!!! Let's see what adventures you bring us this year!