Sometimes life can throw you curves that you never saw coming. They can sweep your feet out from under you and it may even be a little difficult to get up and to look at the positive side of things. Last Monday I went to work with a job and left with a 5 days notice that I would no longer be employed at my job because of their financial difficulties. This whole week has been very bitter sweet. Some days it was a little more bitter than sweet.. :)
I have worked for Murdock for 2 1/2 years. I was planning on staying there until I graduated because it had been such a great job. It was extremely flexible, they worked with my school schedule, and the pay was pretty darn decent. On Monday I was a little bummed, but surprisingly okay with everything. The next morning I decided I wasn't okay with everything and spend the whole day SO SO ANGRY! I couldn't understand how someone could just go ahead and lay off their employees to save money. Just the week before, the dealership was having a promo and giving $25 gift cards to different customers who came in. Maybe since they were going to fire 7 people throughout the week they figured they could afford it? My poor husband has had to deal with me having these lame emotional break downs because I am so worried about finding a job and being able to make ends meet and pay the bills if I can't find anything before Christmas. I know I shouldn't worry about it because things will work out, but worrying is part of my nature. It'll be an adventure that's for sure! I have to keep reminding myself that God stretches us to make us stronger and that he'll take care of us if we keep paying our tithing and doing the right things. I know everything will work out, so for now I will keep looking for jobs and I will learn to be patient and grateful for everything I do have in my life.
"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."
-Victor Hugo
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Blogs
Blogs are a funny thing. Mike likes to make fun of all of us bloggers who put our husbands names in the URL or in the name of our blog. He's never posted anything on here, but I think Mike and Carlee sounds so much better than just plain Carlee. I'm also not creative enough to come up with anything better so he'll just have to deal :) Anyway, he thinks it's really weird that I post things that are personal for the world to see and that I don't mind. I've told him it's my lazy way of keeping a journal for myself, but he's right! Why would I allow everyone to look at my life or read my journal? :) I figure I read other peoples blogs for entertainment so I need to pay them back with a little entertainment of their own. :)
I was talking to my friend Lauren the other night about blogs and how much we love them. Both she and I really blog so we can stalk other people. I check my blog everyday to see updates for other people, which may classify me as a bit creepy or lame.
I think facebook has ruined any sense of privacy for everyone and no one cares about being private about their lives. Those kids on facebook who tell me what they had for lunch on their status or who leave a status saying that they are feeling really down need to cool it. To me they're only fishing for the 28 comments that say I love you. I'll pray for you. You are the best! Don't let the haters get you down! What's wrong honey?? and so on... That is why I love blogs. You can see what is going in the lives of the people you really care about and it isn't nonsense (most of the time :)) Some blogs make me so happy and I laugh my head off at a lot of stories such as the time my friend Suzanne peed her pants on a carnival ride in Mexico (funniest story I've ever heard!) Anyway, is this post weird? I think it's weird so I'll be done. Have a good one!
I was talking to my friend Lauren the other night about blogs and how much we love them. Both she and I really blog so we can stalk other people. I check my blog everyday to see updates for other people, which may classify me as a bit creepy or lame.
I think facebook has ruined any sense of privacy for everyone and no one cares about being private about their lives. Those kids on facebook who tell me what they had for lunch on their status or who leave a status saying that they are feeling really down need to cool it. To me they're only fishing for the 28 comments that say I love you. I'll pray for you. You are the best! Don't let the haters get you down! What's wrong honey?? and so on... That is why I love blogs. You can see what is going in the lives of the people you really care about and it isn't nonsense (most of the time :)) Some blogs make me so happy and I laugh my head off at a lot of stories such as the time my friend Suzanne peed her pants on a carnival ride in Mexico (funniest story I've ever heard!) Anyway, is this post weird? I think it's weird so I'll be done. Have a good one!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Race Pictures
And here we are before the race looking... oh so pretty
And after looking... not so pretty! Just pretend we look extremely attractive. :)
And after looking... not so pretty! Just pretend we look extremely attractive. :)
The Soda Screamer 13.1
Now for the race!
Another LONG post
Our race started and ended in a little park just outside of the main part of town. Since it was a Halloween type of race, a lot of the runners were dressed in Halloween costumes, which was kind of fun. It was a tad chilly, but absolutely perfect weather for running. Something I didn't know before the race was that almost 4 miles of the race would be trail running up and down a bunch of steep hills. Now, I trained on flat paved roads and only went up and down a pretty steep dip 4 or five times during training so trail running was a bit of a challenge. Anyway here's an overview of the race.
Mile 1: I felt really good. My muscles were starting to warm up and really warmed up on heartbreak hill. Running up all of those hills was a killer.
Mile 2: Still feeling good. We passed Superman so that's saying something. :) We were at a really good pace and things were warming up.
Mile 3: Grabbed a drink, ran through some muddy areas and up and down some more hills, but things were still going great and our pace was still pretty strong.
Mile 4: Just happy to be running.
Mile 5: Urges to throw-up come on. I have never gotten sick while running. Chelsie and I had run 10 miles the week before and I had felt great the entire time and I still had energy at the end of our run to pick up the pace. I figured feeling sick would pass and everything would be fine, but it seemed to get worse with every mile.
Mile 5: Still wanting to puke.
Mile 6: Had a GU and some Gatorade, which made me feel a little better.
Mile 7: We hit the end of the road on the course where we were supposed to turn around and run back the way we came. This area was so beautiful! The weather was overcast with the sun peaking through the clouds occasionally and the air was crisp and full of the smell of sagebrush.
Mile 8: Feeling a lot better from the GU and Gatorade, but still needing to stop and walk quite a bit.
Mile 9: We were back on a trail out in the middle of nowhere, next to a canal and it was once again, beautiful.
Mile 10: Back on a paved road and abandoned by my sister :)
When Chelsie and I had planned to train for this we planned to run the race separately, but when we ran together for training we were pulling out faster miles than she had previously done so she knew she could beat her past times from other races. It may have also helped that I begged her to run it with me because I get so bored running alone. Isn't she SO nice?
Half-way through mile 10 I was so close to tears because 1. I was so disappointed in myself and frustrated that I couldn't pull myself out of the rut 2. I was holding Chelsie back from her goal and 3. Well I felt like crap. I told Chelsie that I needed her to leave me so she could get her time. At first she didn't want to because she is too nice and was worried about me, but I assured her I'd make it and that she needed to go! She picked up her pace and was soon out of sight.
Mile 11: I started talking to myself A LOT and praying to try and get my body to do what my mind wanted it to do. I was only able to run about .25-.5 miles at a time without walking, but I figured as long as I was moving forward, it didn't matter.
Mile 12: I could see Chelsie about a 1/2 mile ahead of me and I decided I'd try and run as much I could to catch up. That didn't last long. :)
Mile 13: I started thinking about how blessed I am. The fact that I was out there in the middle of nowhere running as far as I was running was amazing. I was so grateful for the legs that carried me through those past 12 miles and for the heart that was beating in my chest, and for the hot air I was breathing out of my lungs and the crisp air coming in. I prayed a lot in the last mile asking Heavenly Father to help me to be able to make it and to have the ability to be proud of myself when it was all over even though the race wasn't going how I wanted it to.
The last stretch: I came around the corner where I saw the finish line and Chelsie running toward me. She came up next to me, grabbed me by the elbow, and started cheering me on. She told me I was doing so great and that I could do it! This helped me to push my feet into the ground as hard as I could. The finish line seemed like it was SO far away and I did think to myself 'So this is what Hell feels like', but Chelsie being there to push me forward was such a blessing and I got there! I couldn't believe I had done it! I was so relieved to be done and very happy. I sat down to stretch and got very emotional. I couldn't help, but feel so blessed.
I know that Heavenly Father helped me through the entire race and that he helps all of us get through other races in life. Whether it be the race of going to school, work or working through any tough problems in life, he's always there, watching over us and pushing us through. He also sends us wonderful people/angels throughout those races and challenges. They are right by our sides so none of us are alone and we can make it to the finish. Life is so good.
Another LONG post
Our race started and ended in a little park just outside of the main part of town. Since it was a Halloween type of race, a lot of the runners were dressed in Halloween costumes, which was kind of fun. It was a tad chilly, but absolutely perfect weather for running. Something I didn't know before the race was that almost 4 miles of the race would be trail running up and down a bunch of steep hills. Now, I trained on flat paved roads and only went up and down a pretty steep dip 4 or five times during training so trail running was a bit of a challenge. Anyway here's an overview of the race.
Mile 1: I felt really good. My muscles were starting to warm up and really warmed up on heartbreak hill. Running up all of those hills was a killer.
Mile 2: Still feeling good. We passed Superman so that's saying something. :) We were at a really good pace and things were warming up.
Mile 3: Grabbed a drink, ran through some muddy areas and up and down some more hills, but things were still going great and our pace was still pretty strong.
Mile 4: Just happy to be running.
Mile 5: Urges to throw-up come on. I have never gotten sick while running. Chelsie and I had run 10 miles the week before and I had felt great the entire time and I still had energy at the end of our run to pick up the pace. I figured feeling sick would pass and everything would be fine, but it seemed to get worse with every mile.
Mile 5: Still wanting to puke.
Mile 6: Had a GU and some Gatorade, which made me feel a little better.
Mile 7: We hit the end of the road on the course where we were supposed to turn around and run back the way we came. This area was so beautiful! The weather was overcast with the sun peaking through the clouds occasionally and the air was crisp and full of the smell of sagebrush.
Mile 8: Feeling a lot better from the GU and Gatorade, but still needing to stop and walk quite a bit.
Mile 9: We were back on a trail out in the middle of nowhere, next to a canal and it was once again, beautiful.
Mile 10: Back on a paved road and abandoned by my sister :)
When Chelsie and I had planned to train for this we planned to run the race separately, but when we ran together for training we were pulling out faster miles than she had previously done so she knew she could beat her past times from other races. It may have also helped that I begged her to run it with me because I get so bored running alone. Isn't she SO nice?
Half-way through mile 10 I was so close to tears because 1. I was so disappointed in myself and frustrated that I couldn't pull myself out of the rut 2. I was holding Chelsie back from her goal and 3. Well I felt like crap. I told Chelsie that I needed her to leave me so she could get her time. At first she didn't want to because she is too nice and was worried about me, but I assured her I'd make it and that she needed to go! She picked up her pace and was soon out of sight.
Mile 11: I started talking to myself A LOT and praying to try and get my body to do what my mind wanted it to do. I was only able to run about .25-.5 miles at a time without walking, but I figured as long as I was moving forward, it didn't matter.
Mile 12: I could see Chelsie about a 1/2 mile ahead of me and I decided I'd try and run as much I could to catch up. That didn't last long. :)
Mile 13: I started thinking about how blessed I am. The fact that I was out there in the middle of nowhere running as far as I was running was amazing. I was so grateful for the legs that carried me through those past 12 miles and for the heart that was beating in my chest, and for the hot air I was breathing out of my lungs and the crisp air coming in. I prayed a lot in the last mile asking Heavenly Father to help me to be able to make it and to have the ability to be proud of myself when it was all over even though the race wasn't going how I wanted it to.
The last stretch: I came around the corner where I saw the finish line and Chelsie running toward me. She came up next to me, grabbed me by the elbow, and started cheering me on. She told me I was doing so great and that I could do it! This helped me to push my feet into the ground as hard as I could. The finish line seemed like it was SO far away and I did think to myself 'So this is what Hell feels like', but Chelsie being there to push me forward was such a blessing and I got there! I couldn't believe I had done it! I was so relieved to be done and very happy. I sat down to stretch and got very emotional. I couldn't help, but feel so blessed.
I know that Heavenly Father helped me through the entire race and that he helps all of us get through other races in life. Whether it be the race of going to school, work or working through any tough problems in life, he's always there, watching over us and pushing us through. He also sends us wonderful people/angels throughout those races and challenges. They are right by our sides so none of us are alone and we can make it to the finish. Life is so good.
Night before 13.1
Last Friday afternoon, my sister and I took off to Soda Springs, Idaho. Population: 10. Okay, not really 10, but we seriously thought Soda Springs was a major city in Idaho. We thought wrong! Before we left Logan we thought about stopping somewhere to eat, but I just hurried and printed off a list of about 30 restaurants in Soda Springs instead so we'd be able to get there in time to pick up our race packets and bibs. Once we got to Soda Springs with it's whole 3 stop lights, 2 motels, and an Alco, we picked up our packets and then tried to find a place to eat. I pulled out our list of restaurants and proceeded to tell Chelsie the directions to the Village Pizzeria. The address was something like 11570 Deer Creek Rd. Truckee, CALIFORNIA. Haha! The rest of the restaurants were in Soda Springs, CA so we ended up eating at the Trapper motel cafe'! We went in to look at the menu and all of the employees were sitting in a booth eating something. We decided we'd eat there since there was only an Artic Circle, Taco Time, and Subway. The salad bar consisted of cut up iceberg lettuce, cheese, olives, and beets. We both had to touch our food to make sure it was cold.
The decor in the restaurant was immaculate! haha! I can't even describe it. Everything was so random, from a sombrero hanging from the ceiling, a kite, a wooden duck, cowboy hats, a hot air balloon, the list goes on and on. Chelsie even found the ugliest miniature wooden carousel in the bathroom (which she got trapped in because the door wouldn't open... HILARIOUS!) that someone took a lot of time to make super ugly. Anyway, the night was full of giggles!
If you ever want to jump into a time machine, stay at a motel in Soda Springs. We got our key to our motel and all of the sudden we were in the 60's. Our room was FABULOUS! We had some nasty brown carpet, it smelled like an old folks home, and the bed spreads... oh the bed spreads! Maroon, brown, navy blue, and germ infested. There was also a lovely faded painting of some deer for us to look at. We jumped on the beds a little and watched an hour of 'Say yes to the dress' (love that show) and lights out! Good news about the beds though. Our motel conveniently covers their pillows in plastic cases that sound like candy wrappers as its user turns his/her head... or breathes. I ended up taking the case off and proceeded to find hair that wasn't mine on the fabric case under the plastic one. Pleasant! But seriously, funniest night ever. Now that I've been to Soda Springs, I know how deprived my life has been!
The decor in the restaurant was immaculate! haha! I can't even describe it. Everything was so random, from a sombrero hanging from the ceiling, a kite, a wooden duck, cowboy hats, a hot air balloon, the list goes on and on. Chelsie even found the ugliest miniature wooden carousel in the bathroom (which she got trapped in because the door wouldn't open... HILARIOUS!) that someone took a lot of time to make super ugly. Anyway, the night was full of giggles!
If you ever want to jump into a time machine, stay at a motel in Soda Springs. We got our key to our motel and all of the sudden we were in the 60's. Our room was FABULOUS! We had some nasty brown carpet, it smelled like an old folks home, and the bed spreads... oh the bed spreads! Maroon, brown, navy blue, and germ infested. There was also a lovely faded painting of some deer for us to look at. We jumped on the beds a little and watched an hour of 'Say yes to the dress' (love that show) and lights out! Good news about the beds though. Our motel conveniently covers their pillows in plastic cases that sound like candy wrappers as its user turns his/her head... or breathes. I ended up taking the case off and proceeded to find hair that wasn't mine on the fabric case under the plastic one. Pleasant! But seriously, funniest night ever. Now that I've been to Soda Springs, I know how deprived my life has been!
Friday, October 1, 2010
10 Miles!!
I remember... oh about 12 weeks ago when I ran 2 miles for a long run and thought to myself 'There's NO way I could ever run 3!' The next week I surprised myself and ran 3, then 4, and so on. After I ran 7 miles with my sister I realized that I could totally do a half-marathon and I'd be completely fine. It is SO amazing what you can train your body to do. It's so fun to think you can't do something only to surprise yourself.
The furthest I had ever run before training for this thing was exactly 1 1/2 miles. Today Chelsie and I hit 10! I have never felt more proud of myself! Well, actually I was pretty proud of myself when I got a C+ in math 1050 (yeah, I know what you're thinking all of you smart overachievers, but you must understand that Math + Carlee = Disaster X 10) my junior year of high school, but that's another story.
On today's run, Chelsie was probably pretty entertained with my sweet power ranger jumps, singing, and cheering (she chimed in too, I'm not the only guilty one :)). It was a pretty fun run all in all.
We were chased by a dog today! That was eventful. Most of the dogs we've been potentially chased by have always been tied up, but not this one. When he came flying out of the bushes, we stopped, started yelling at him, and then his owner who saw all of this, called his dog back. I apologized to the guy for running past his house (Who am I? A couple of weeks ago I apologized to my friend Heidi for the sun because it was so bright and in her eyes... since I have absolute control over the sun!)
Only one more week till the half-marathon and I'm pretty excited! I'm so happy that Chelsie is going to run it with me. Running can get pretty boring after a couple of hours... or even 10 minutes so it's been so nice that I have had a running buddy to talk to the entire time and laugh with. It has been so great!
The furthest I had ever run before training for this thing was exactly 1 1/2 miles. Today Chelsie and I hit 10! I have never felt more proud of myself! Well, actually I was pretty proud of myself when I got a C+ in math 1050 (yeah, I know what you're thinking all of you smart overachievers, but you must understand that Math + Carlee = Disaster X 10) my junior year of high school, but that's another story.
On today's run, Chelsie was probably pretty entertained with my sweet power ranger jumps, singing, and cheering (she chimed in too, I'm not the only guilty one :)). It was a pretty fun run all in all.
We were chased by a dog today! That was eventful. Most of the dogs we've been potentially chased by have always been tied up, but not this one. When he came flying out of the bushes, we stopped, started yelling at him, and then his owner who saw all of this, called his dog back. I apologized to the guy for running past his house (Who am I? A couple of weeks ago I apologized to my friend Heidi for the sun because it was so bright and in her eyes... since I have absolute control over the sun!)
Only one more week till the half-marathon and I'm pretty excited! I'm so happy that Chelsie is going to run it with me. Running can get pretty boring after a couple of hours... or even 10 minutes so it's been so nice that I have had a running buddy to talk to the entire time and laugh with. It has been so great!
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