The Honeymoon!!

John and I got to take an amazing honeymoon to Cancun, Mexico thanks to his Uncle Bill and Aunt Maria. It was awesome, we spent 4 nights, 5 days there and it was so relaxing. We have both been to Cancun before so we didn't feel like we needed to run around and see everything, which was so nice. The first two days we were there it rained a lot but we did get in some beach and pool time! We stayed at an all inclusive resort and I am sure I ate way way too much!
We went snorkling one day and it was awesome!! We had a guide that showed us around some of the reef and we saw a Lion fish, those really cool spiky fish that are red and white. We swam around for like 45 minutes and towards the end I was so tired, swimming is hard work. I got sunburned too, despite putting on sunscreen twice before going out.
We also went to the flee market where we got a hammock, a pancho for Whitney for watching Willy, a shirt for me and two ceramic wall hangings. It is always so fun to negotiate with the guys selling stuff and get great deals!
We also went to Walmart one night, it was kind of funny to see a Walmart in mexico and everything was so cheap!! We got a punch of pastries for $2.00, which in America probably would've easily cost over $10.
I could've have just laid on the beach the whole time, I seriously love the beach.
It was the perfect vacation, not to long but long enough to relax and recharge. We both missed little Willy so so much!! I know he is just a dog but to me he is like my child and I was so happy to get home to see his cute little face.

The BIG Day

I woke up the morning of the wedding not really feeling any different than any other day, except I was in a hotel room with Emily instead of in my bed with John.
I got up and went down to get some continental breakfast and then read through my vows about 18 million times so just in case I lost the paper they were printed on I would have some idea of what I wanted to say.
Emily and I stayed at the hotel until around 12:30 because we didn't have to be to Millennial Falls until 2:00 and we just wanted to be lazy.
We went and picked up Nicole and headed to Millennial Falls to get ready to go. My friend Stacee had arranged to have her cousin do my hair and make-up, so she curled my hair and did my make-up while everyone else got ready to go.
Then it was time to put on the dress, which surprising took my mom, Morgan and Whitney to get the buttons on the halter part done up. The whole time my dad is saying, "It's after 3, let go take pictures." Because I had told him the plan was to get ready and take pictures at 3 p.m.
When I was finally dressed and ready to go I had everyone else go outside so just John and I could see each other for the first time that day. Of course we both cried a little but the look on John's face when I came down the stairs was so cute!
Then it was picture taking time. It was HOT!! Like 95 degrees, so we were all sweating and trying not to melt while we took pictures. I wanted to get as many pictures taken as possible before the wedding so we would have plenty of time to talk with people after the wedding and not have to worry about taking a million more photos. A few people arrived early so we wrapped up pictures and the girls went back upstairs to cool off and wait until it was time for the ceremony to start.
Now I was starting to get a little nervous but it wasn't until about 5 minutes before the ceremony when my dad came upstairs to see if I was ready that I got really nervous. He was crying and that of course made me cry and I got a huge knot in my stomach, it was finally here!!
My dad went back downstairs and I waited as my bridesmaids made there way down the aisle with the groomsmen.
Then it was McKenna's turn. She was so cute. I couldn't hear what she was saying but I could hear people laughing so I know she was being cute. As I was waiting to come down the aisle I saw her trying to pick the flowers back up because she had ran out.
My dad and I arrived at the front and he handed me off to John and it was ceremony time! Mack did a really nice job with the ceremony, right in the middle of his little speech a duck from the waterfall behind us decided to fly over which was kind of funny.
I read my vows and cried of course and then John read his vows and I was so impressed!! I had been bothering him for weeks about writing them and was worried he wasn't going to do it (because he kept saying he didn't want to) or that they were going to be silly but they were honestly so good and so sweet and I still carry the copy of them around in my purse. I am hoping to frame both of our vows with our Marriage Certificate someday when I get around to it.
We exchanged rings and kissed and that was it! We were married. I forgot to get my bouquet from Emily before I headed back up the aisle, oops and as we were walking back up the aisle McKenna comes running out to John and yells, "That is MY prince," and grabbed onto his leg. So she walked with us back inside. Everyone else followed and their were hugs and congratulations and then dinner.
Dinner was amazing, we had stuffed chicken and roast potatoes and salad and rolls, I wish I had eaten more because it was so good!
Halfway through dinner McKenna comes running up and said something I couldn't quite understand it took me several minutes to figure it out but our reception host had given me the microphone so we could do speeches when we were ready and McKenna wanted to say "Ladies and Gentlemen" in the microphone, where she learned to do that I don't know but when it was time to give speeches I let her say it and it was so cute. Emily and Orisis both gave awesome little toasts and John and I walked around talking to each table.
Then the reception started and we took a few more pictures and some other friends and family came to offer their congratulations. Then we danced!
Again while John and I were dancing McKenna informed me that John was "her prince" and danced with us. Then when it was time for me to dance with my dad McKenna stomped her little foot and pointed at me and said, "Paige, that Nanna's Prince."
I danced to "Thank You For Loving Me," by Bon Jovi with my dad and it was perfect. He cried again, which of course made me cry again (thank goodness for waterproof mascara) but it was so sweet to see him get so emotional.
We cut the cake, no shoving it in the faces though! I didn't want frosting all over so we played nice. And then the real party began, we danced and had a great time. Even my Grandpa John got in on shaking it!
Before I knew it it was time to go home! I changed out of my dress and John and I got in our fancy rental car and were off to the hotel, which when we arrived were surprised with a big suite with a big jet tub! In our car Millennial Falls had left a gift bag with all of our desserts and pieces of wedding cake to snack on, so I had wedding cake for breakfast the next morning.
All in all it was an amazing day! And I am so thankful for all the friends and family that came and supported John and I and made everything so special.

Wedding Preparation

I have been missing in action for a few weeks but seeing as I got married and went on a honeymoon I think I deserved a break! Since writing about the few days before the wedding, the actual wedding and the honeymoon all in one post would take forever to read and write I am going to break it up into 3 separate posts to make it easier for everyone.
I worked Monday and Tuesday the week of the wedding and Tuesday night went out to dinner and had some drinks with the girls, nothing to crazy but it was a good time!
Wednesday was a little crazy. We got up went to breakfast with two of my sisters, my Aunt Becky and cousins and my grandma. We had breakfast at the Park Cafe in Salt Lake and it was so so good! McKenna decided she was going to love my hair during breakfast and was literally cuddling with my ponytail, that little girl is so silly. Then we went and got pedicures which felt so good, my feet needed a good scrub down.
After that Nicole, Emily and I went to my apartment to grab a few things before heading down to the rehearsal.
The Rehearsal went well, except McKenna didn't want to walk down the aisle, she wanted to stay with Aunt "Mergen" but she did it and everything went well and we were all ready to go for the wedding day!
I went home and got to relax for a few hours before heading off to the "rehearsal" dinner and to meet the remainder of John's family who had come in for the wedding.
At dinner Mckenna stuffed a whole chocolate covered marshmallow in her mouth, she had chocolate running all down her face and couldn't talk for a full five minutes, it was incredibly funny.
John stayed and visited with his family for a while and Morgan took me to my hotel room where Emily and I would be staying for the night.
I took the longest shower ever, watched TV and got ready for bed. The whole day everyone kept asking me if I was nervous but so far I hadn't been nervous at all. I slept well and didn't feel too worried about anything, which was good I guess.
Don't worry there will be nervousness in the post about the actual wedding!

The Ragnar Experience

I am happy to say that Ragnar is over and we finished and I survived and I can even walk normal!! The whole thing, training, preparation and the actual race was quite the experience! But I can honestly say it was a good experience.
I was nervous about the whole thing from the very beginning and not just because I was getting married such a short time afterwards but because I always doubt my ability about racing and preparing for races and I was especially nervous about letting me team down!
The whole adventure started Thursday night with dinner at Olive Garden and then shopping for food at Walmart, it is amazing how much food the six of us thought we needed for two days, we actually ate a good percentage of it but we did go a little overboard.
The next morning we got up decorated our van (SUV actually) and headed to our starting place just outside of Ogden, the other van was a little behind because they got a late start so we hung out for an hour or two and then we were off. Sammi Draper started us off and was a serious rock star!! With a hurt ankle she still ran way faster than I ever could! Then I went and ran my 3.5 miles and then Angie ran and then Whitney and the Morgan conquered a big giant 7-mile hill with no van support!! I couldn't have done it, I need people cheering me on. Then my mom ran and we got in the van and were getting ready to head to the next exchange to stretch out on the grass and get some much needed rest before our runs through the middle of the night but unfortunately that didn't happen. As we got to the bottom of the big hill coming out of Snowbasin we found out our Van #1 had lost its brakes completely so Angie, Sammi and I took Lori, Michelle, Jacoy and Jobi in our van to make sure they got to their runs on time and we kept going. By the time a new car arrived and we were back in our original groups and we got to the next big exchange we had a little more than an hour to stretch out and relax. I laid down on the grass to try to sleep but started to get really cold so I went to sleep in the car but it didn't get better! I was shivering, felt like I was going to throw up, had to use the porta-potties several times and I am pretty sure I had a fever. I was supposed to be running 7 miles and I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it! But I got my running clothes on, forced myself to eat a banana and an oatmeal muffin and slept a little on the way to my exchange. The run went really well!! I was 30 seconds ahead of pace and I felt good the whole time. After I handed off to Angie things went from bad to worse, we had to pull over on the side of the road so I could throw-up and I was still shivering. In the next several hours while Angie, Whitney, Morgan and my mom ran I threw up several more times and couldn't stop shaking! Waiting at the exchange for mom to come in I was finally able to sleep for a few minutes but then Sammi, who had been sleeping near the front of our van on the ground opened the car door and yelled that she had just got ran over! I was the only one there and she was crying and shook up of course but that was understandable. Apparently a big 15 passenger van had ran over her hand and arm and didn't even know it and drove off. I couldn't believe it. She had a big bruise down her arm but was otherwise okay!
We finally got to go to a hotel and take a quick shower and sleep for a few hours. I woke up feeling much better and again forced myself to eat something so I would have a little energy to run. It was hot, like 92 degrees when I started and 5.5 miles seemed like forever. I did good for the first mile or two and then I started feeling sick again, around 3 miles I threw up but kept going, a half a mile later I threw up again and my mom saw me and made me get in the van. If you see the pictures on facebook this is when I was crying!! I was so upset that I wouldn't be able to finish and was so mad at myself for making Morgan have to run more, especially since she had already run so much!! Morgan ran for a mile and then I decided I wanted to finish the race so I did the last mile. It felt awesome to be done!
Angie and Whitney were super rock-stars powering up the biggest hill I have ever seen! Four miles straight up would be impossible for me but they killed it! Morgan ran down the huge hill and then exchanged with my mom to finish it out. We rode the shuttle to the finish line at Park City High School and when I got there we saw my dad, John and McKenna. McKenna ran up to me and said, "Paige, Paige did you win the race?" I told her "Yes, we did win the race." Because finishing was our only goal!!
When my mom came around the corner to the finish line I ran out to meet her and almost started crying because it was such a big accomplishment.
We finished in 38 hours and 30 minutes, a little slower than we hoped but we finished nonetheless!
I am so so grateful for being able to do the race with my mom, two sisters and two other awesome girls, I know I couldn't have done it without them!! I need cheerleaders to cheer me on and they total did that! And they rocked their own runs of course. It reminded me of all the reasons why I loved playing team sports. It is so much fun to come together with other people who have the same goal as you and then reach that goal together! And it just made it that much more awesome to do it with my mom and sisters.
I don't know if I will do another Ragnar but I know finishing this one is something I will remember forever!

Sometimes you just need a reminder

I have been so nervous about the Ragnar. I keep worrying about not finishing and letting my team down and to be honest, how much I suck at running. And then something amazing happened.
My little sister, Morgan, posted the most awesome message on my facebook page about how I inspire her because I never give up and always work so hard. It was super sweet and almost made me cry. I almost felt guilty reading it because all I have felt like doing the last few weeks is giving up!!
Sometimes it just takes one little thing to remind you that other people think you are awesome and that they believe in you! And sometimes that is all it takes for you to believe in yourself again!
So in the name of inspiring and being inspired I leave you with these thoughts.
Remember, even when you don't believe in yourself, someone out their believes in you. Remember, that no matter how much you think you such, someone out their thinks you are awesome. And remember that no matter what there is always someone that loves you!

When will we learn?

This morning on my way to work I saw a woman driving down the road putting on her make-up. I'm not taking about applying a little chap-stick at a stop light, she was full-on rubbing on her foundation and driving at the same time. Several weeks ago I saw a lady putting on mascara while she was driving and I can't even begin to name all the people I see texting and driving every single day. To me texting, putting on make-up, drinking or doing any other number of stupid things and driving is like smoking. There is so much data showing how bad it is for you, yet people still do it! Every time John texts while I am in the car with him I tell him texting and driving is worse than driving drunk but he never believes me. He would never drink and then drive and would kill me if I even thought about it but doesn't think twice about sending a few texts. They have done studies!! At the University of Utah they took volunteer students got them drunk and had them drive through a simulated street, then they did the same thing with sober people that were texting. Those texting had more accidents, slower response times and worse driving skills overall.

On facebook this morning I posted about the woman driving and said I hoped she crashed. I didn't have room to say, "I hope she crashed but not into someone else and not bad enough that she was badly injured but just bad enough to learn her lesson." Many of you may think this makes me a horrible person to wish ill on someone else but I have no sympathy for people who knowingly do stupid things. 

When are we going to figure out that distracted driving kills people?!! 

My little sister, Morgan, was in a car accident last week. She rear-ended a truck, she was fine but her car was not. When we were at my mom's house this past weekend I asked her (out of ear shot of Mom and Dad of course) "Morge, be honest were you texting when you crashed?" This was the conversation that ensued. 

"No, I wasn't, I don't text and drive." 

"Since when?" 

"Since when do you think I text and drive?" 

"I have seen you do it when I was in the car with you!!" 

"I don't text and drive, not since two 19 year-old boys from Rich got killed texting and driving." 

I was quite for a moment and then responded. 

"I am sorry it took those boys dying for you to learn your lesson but I am glad you did." 

Again that may sound selfish but its true. I truly am sad that someone else's family members died but I am grateful that it wasn't my sister and that she has hopefully learned how dangerous distracted driving really can be. 

I will admit I have texted while driving in the past, I would be lying if I said I didn't, but I don't do it anymore. If I am talking on the phone and traffic or weather gets to bad for me to talk and drive I hang up. 

The thing that baffles me most about people doing all these things is it is not just you the decision is impacting. More often than not those injured or killed in drunk driving accidents are the ones that weren't drinking, the innocent bystanders. By making the choice to drive distracted you are choosing to not only play Russian roulette with your own life but with the lives of everyone else on the road with you, which to me is just plain unacceptable. 

The Body is Amazing

The more I learn about the body and the complicated things it does just while I sit here and type this blog the more it amazes me. I have been working with a personal trainer for the past 3 months, following a pretty specific meal plan (I will not call it a diet) and working out regularly. I have a few more months paid for but I have been concerned about what is going to happen when I no longer have to report what I ate to my trainer every night and have no one but myself to be accountable too. Well today my body took some of that worry away.
We had a pot luck lunch at work today and while there have been days I have eaten "off plan" foods today was the first day in several weeks that I have eaten an entire meal of foods that I haven't eaten in a while, including white rolls, broccoli salad, hamburger dip, tortilla chips, carmel popcorn and some cookies. Less than an hour later my body is not pleased. My stomach hurts and feel all gross. I do not like this feeling, I don't like feeling super full and like I ate a bunch of stuff that is not good for me. I guess this is nature's way of keeping me accountable because I feel like as long as I can avoid this feeling, even after I have no trainer to report too, I can stick to my new healthy lifestyle and keep the weight I have lost off for good!!
It amazes me that in 3 short months the body can adapt to a totally new diet and learn to dislike other certain unhealthy foods. I have also been told that if you give your body the nutrients it needs it will no longer crave things like salty and sweet snacks, I am still waiting for this to happen. Salty snacks are not a problem for me just the sweet ones and I am convinced that no matter what I give my body I will still crave yummy treats. But back to the body being smart. My body has "learned" the right amount of food I should eat, I put learned in quotes because I suppose it has always known how much and what I should be eating I just wasn't listening too it. That means that although I weigh most of my food now I won't have to do this forever, because I have learned what is enough and know exactly how much fuel my body needs to function.
I now have hope that I won't have to follow a "diet" for the rest of my life!! If I continue to learn and listen to the cues my incredibly smart body (this is not being conceited, your body is smart too) is giving me everything else will take care of itself.