No - the point is - I got up and ran 3 miles.

I got up this morning and ran 3 miles. Okay, 3 miles isn't that big of a deal. No really. Monday I ran 5 miles (on a treadmill), and felt like I could've done 2 more. Thus, 3 miles, for me at this point, seems like a back track (get it? track? run? I...ahem). But the point IS, I got UP in the morning and did it BEFORE work. I also went running at the BYU indoor track - which we all know running on a treadmill is easier than actually RUNNING running "somewhere" (in circles even).

2 years ago I used to get up every single morning at 5:50am, go down to the fitness room in the Brigham Apartments where I was residing, and work out. EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. Before my 8:30am class. Amazing isn't it? I had a solid routine. Work out, School, work, homework bed (look at all the working!). And it went on like this for an entire year. I THEN, started taking a cycling class at the U on Tues and Thurs. THUS, I was not only running in the mornings, but switching up the routine every other day. I really don't know how I was such a work out rock star. Oh wait, yes I do. Sigh, can I tell you a secret? I was chubby. TRUE! A little rolly polly in the old days. It was mostly what some refer to as "baby fat" in High School. Mostly just a little squishy here and there but nothing to detrimental to the old self-esteem. Then Snow College came and I began running some. The downfall was actually when I moved to SLC and became inundated with juggling a job and school and all those things poor students have to juggle. The work out stopped most abruptly and the "freshmen 15" began to manifest itself. By the end of my first year at the U, right after spending 6 weeks eating butter, soft serve ice cream, and crepes in London and Paris, I suddenly came to the stark realization that I was well on my way to becoming a short, round, tub of gooey chub-chub. That's right I said it, chub-chub. Thus, with the promise of never getting married tagging along with health concerns and poor self-esteem, I started my rigorous morning exercise routine. 20lbs lost later, I was a happy camper again.

I've changed my work out routine in a variety of ways now. I'm a fairly active person anyway, but for the last years I've been working out in the evenings and not every day. It's kinda fallen into every other day and in the winter months when there are now outdoor physical activities to be had - well, it drops even more dismally. I've been meaning to start my morning regime again, but have yet to find the motivation (nor get to bed early enough) to accomplish it even once. Plus, now that my running distance has increased from those morning work outs two years ago (2miles to 4-5miles) I need a little more time in the morning to accomplish my running goals and feel like I really did get a decent work out. Besides, in addition to running, I like to do some stretching, ab scrunching, and arm work outs as well. The summer months are UPON us folks!! SUMMER MONTHS! Minimal clothing! Aaaaand, now I have someone I want to look normal in a bathing suit for - it's just a little extra kick in the "get working out now" arse.

So, the point of today is - I GOT UP and ran 3 miles in THE MORNING. And, I just want you to be proud of me :)

Great Reasons to Date Before Marriage

That seems like an odd title doesn't it? WELL not in Provo Utah! Alright alright, it happens in other places too - other places in Utah that is - within said LDS culture that is - but really, it's all connected somehow to the mother ship of two week courtships and 1 month wedding plans - Provo, Utah.

Provo is kinda sorta maybe full of weirdy's. Granted, LDS folks are a peculiar people, it's true. The world is going the way of Sodom and Gomorrah: morally it's a mess, and ethically it's a disaster. When people are surprised that a person returns a lost wallet or helps a stranger pack in their groceries, it's an indicator that the world is in a rather sorry state of existence. Thus, in such a place, to find a group of people who not only profess to uphold what seems out-dated: i.e family ideals (stay at home mum, many kids), morals (no sex before marriage), and high necklines, but even live that standard, is...well, somewhat peculiar. There is a difference, however, between peculiar and weird. Provo, my friends, is WEIRD!

I want to rant about all the reasons Provo is weird. I really do. But I'm going to ATTEMPT to go with only one rant today and save the lame date ideas (picnics on State Street meridian), the curious "keep up with the Jones's" attitude, the overwhelming amount of mothers who (try to) look like their teen daughters conundrum, the "peroxide drone" theory, and finally, the really really crappy drivers rants, for another time. Don't worry, there WILL be another time. Today, I want to talk about why one should date before they get married. Many of my fellow LDS brotha's and sista's have chosen to marry an individual without really dating them. Now, shall we define dating? Lets. I think dating/courtship is the act of exclusively dating one person, without interest in seeking out other dates from other people, for a period of time in order to get to know them and determine if they are a suitable match for (in our case) eternal companionship....or in other words, marriage and family. THIS idea of companionship and eternal families is probably one of the most important principles taught in the LDS church. In fact, it's one of the reasons we are considered peculiar. Thus, because of this push for families in the church, there is a push to "put yourself out there", do "go on dates", and to "actively search for someone you can spend eternity with." I've already defined dating - and one aspect of it (dating) that I think is completely thwarted in the blood-bath attempts of singles to sift through the eligible singles pool and find someone they can bear to marry, is the "dating for a period of time, to get to know" part.

We can all name couples who dated for, and I do not lie to you, 2 weeks and were married within a month. A MONTH! Furthermore, HOW how HOW can you expect to know someone after 2 weeks to get engaged to them?? Okay, now, I am a believer in inspiration, and I'm also a believer in timing and all of that. But really, REALLY, I can't imagine wanting to marry someone after "knowing" them for 2 weeks. This is weird, not peculiar. I guess I can't judge(well I can, but maybe shouldn't?), but what I propose is, at the very LEAST, date someone for a month before proposing. And not only date them for a month, but there are specific months that, if you insist on getting engaged to a total (must be hot) stranger, I urge you to consider the following "one month (if you must) to marriage" plan. Furthermore, I might suggest either Spring or Fall for your season of choice to select a month from. I'm going to go with Feb, March, or April...OR, October, November, or December.

WHY YOU SHOULD DATE FOR A MINIMUM OF A MONTH in SPRING OR FALL BEFORE GETTING ENGAGED TO A PERFECT STRANGER...

• Guys, you should date a girl while she's on her period. I know I know. That seems weird, but seriously trust me. If you can love her when she's feeling fat and miserable and in pain all she does is rant and rave and maybe cry and want to hit you in the face - well you know what to expect every month for the rest of her (and your) menstrating life. We won't talk about menopause...cause after 30 years of menses I'm sure you can handle, by that time, menopause.
• Girls, pick out of the afore mentioned months to gauge the importance of sports in your mans life. Spring equals baseball beginnings and March Madness. Two big events in man sports life. Fall signifies the beginnings of Football season and the ending of Baseball season, again two big events in the sports world. Sit with him, if he's a sports man (I like mine cause he's not really - I'm so proud), during a crucial game and see what happens. If his team loses and he punches you in the face - well clearly there is an anger issue there. If his team loses and he kisses his overly enthusiastic sports buddy instead of you, well, I don't need to say RED FLAG do I? If your dates are contingent upon him catching every single game, well, again...you choose if that's a deal breaker or not. Cough...breaker.
• Seasonal Dating. Spring and Fall give you warm, summer-esque days, and cold, winter-bundling days. It's suggested to see how your "dating prospect" reacts and or changes with the season/weather. S/he may get depressed and angry when it gets cold - and if you live in Utah - that's about 4 months of angry to deal with each year for 50 years. Think about it. Also, think of the sweat ladies (and guys!). You have to see what happens when s/he sweats - as in saturation and smells. I just can't handle some smells....that of BO is the worst.
• Covers stressful School Times. Usually, here in Utah, we date students. We marry young(er) than most others. Date someone during a really stressful school time (thus end of Fall semester or end of Spring semester) and see how it goes. If they turn into a ranting raving lunatic who (heavily) relies on Prozac to make it through each semester, well...just consider how well they can handle LIFE without exploding all over you. Nobody wants to be exploded on. Everyone stresses; but how folks handle that stress is really telling of who they are. It's that whole "get to know them" idea again.
• Spring and Fall fashions. MONEY guys! The new styles are in and the ladies are ready to transition their dull wardrobes they've been rotating all winter or all summer into the new season set before them. It's a magical time really. Watch and see how many times that credit card flashes, and having said that, it's also the time for new hair. Make sure you love summer hair her as well as winter hair her. Not to mention tans and short sleeves are traded for tights and sweaters. This is crucial from cold weather clothes being more forgiving than summer wear clothes. I believe women will spend more money within the season transitions than any other time - and guys, you should really examine how much money that really is and IF you want to or can keep up with it.
  
• Winter Flab, Spring Thin. See who fattens up come winter and who slims down. If she starts out normal in the Fall, you're probably guaranteed she can shed the winter pounds in the Spring. A month is a good way to gauge health practices. See if either partners rockin bod is due to youthful metabolism or good habits. Superficial, maybe. But I also don't want my hubby croaking of heart disease because his genetic gifts can burn off bacon wrapped in bacon now - but not when he's 40 years old.

So there you have it Provo. If you INSIST on getting engaged before really knowing anyone and pushing the marriage envelope as quickly and efficiently as possible into your well-structure time-tables, just consider my "month" dating suggestions and seasons. Clearly I'm not trying to convince anyone to date before they get married - that would make some Provo-ites heads implode (and we can't have that) - but I am suggesting at least, at LEAST, find out minimal emotional tendencies and telling characteristics BEFORE you get engaged. That month will give you at least one more to break it off before the wedding (should there be a need of course). I foresee great things in this plan for all. So let it be written...

Jeff Dunham - The Dead Terrorist. This is aaaawesome

No really - it can't get any better. Or can it? (Oooo, foreshadowing)

Another Marathon Weekend. They're my favorite.

No I didn't run 26.2 (.6?) miles. Shudder. I really don't have the ambition to do it. I have the "consideration" to run a half marathon someday (Moab Half specifically) - and I also have the notion of running the Wasatch Back Relay in June (notion meaning I've paid and not trained - yet...oh man I really have to get on that), but the title of this post does not indicate firstly my running a marathon and secondly, hinting that this was not the first. Lastly, I don't care how crazy you are - "another marathon" can't be anyone's favorite.

Phew - now that that's cleared up - do you want to know what my "Marathon Weekend" is? Well, I'll tell you...

Last weekend the boy and I had a "Marathon Weekend." Meaning - we hung out everyday all day starting on...Saturday morning and launching through Tuesday night. I know! Emery County weekend was to blame for the majority of it - then of course we went to SLC, then OF COURSE it was Presidents Day, then....of course...boy had the week off from Law School AND was ill so who else was there to baby him? Exactly. A Marathon Weekend. So. Much. Fun. (except the sick part).

This weekend was another "marathon-esque weekend." It didn't span as many days - but it was still a "(mostly) all day togetherness" for several super days of fun activities in a row. Okay - maybe it was a half-marathon weekend, the days being fewer. Never the less, this is what we did: 

Friday, after fighting Internet pornography and realizing activism could be a part time job, thus perused a variety of other job options I could adopt during the day, I went and bought a dress at Banana then, drove to SLC (the boy already being there)  and hung at the boy's house, with the boy's fam, in the boy's Aves (I just thought I'd stick with the possesive pattern). The meal was catered by Bombay House (Mmm), and accompanied by enjoyable company and good conversation. The boy's fam is friends with really interesting people. The folks his 'rents had over this weekend were from San Fran, but originally met up in Malaysia, both of their families being there for a time. Neither are Malaysian (right Cliff?) but both are extremely nice, very interesting people. Anyone who knows me is aware of my heart-felt belief that I was supposed to be British. The British with their innate sense of propriety, their cleverness, their dashingly handsome men, their Queen, their barble and squeak...oh yes I could go on. That said (and said and said), one of the guests was quite British-like, mentioned that he'd served in the Royal Forces (I know!) AND, AND his family was involved with a Tea Company in Malaysia. Very, VERY, particularly awesome to me. I stayed at Cliff's that night, and on Saturday morning...

We ate at Eggs in the City. DELICIOUS "side-joint" in SLC (about 13th So and 17th East). I needed to mention the addy because, well, we drove around for about 15min looking for it (I thought it was on 15th and 15th...ish). But once we found it (via text a la Ryan) - life was good. Mmmm. Usually, you will wait close to 45min to be seated on a hopping Sat morning, BUT, DO NOT DISMAY. It is incredibly worth it AND, our patience won us a booth. So there you have it. Visit Eggs in the City on 13th and 17th, not 15th and 15th, and enjoy the scenery (a lot of hippies and random SLC characters of interest - one of which being a waitress covered head to toe in the most vibrant, "era-inspired" tattoos you can think of. Example: Pin up girls on both calfs (calves?), shiny red cadillac on forearm, and Van Goughs "Starry Night" covering shoulder. Top her off with bleached blonde hair, punk inspired tank tops and skirts, and a nose stud. Super cool) amazing French Toast (their specialty) AND, come to find out, incredible Eggs Benedict. I remember always hearing about eggs benedict, reading about it, but I've never considered having it, mostly because I had no idea what it was...or rather, no idea what hollandaise sauce was. I'm not a huge risk taker with food, although I will try anything so long as I didn't pay for it and it's just a sampling (I don't want to commit). I absolutely HATE ordering wrong - especially if I'm hungry - which for breakfast I usually am. Cliff got the eggs benedict though and it was an unexpected explosion of pleasure in my mouth when I tried it. I am happy I have discovered this breakfasty delight. The rest of the day, Nik and I went shop shop shopping. She had to get work attire and I just tagged along (and by tagging along I mean I bought some earrings and a couple new rings). Cliff, being a responsible law student, did "homework (I put it in half quotes because I think he slept through half of homework time and then did homework the other half). When the shopping was shopped and the homeworks somewhat done-did, we entered into the second leg of the half-marathon weekend...

The Ballet. I know...I know. The (wonderful, cute, sweet...in manly ways) boy got tickets to Cinderella. And let me tell you, he LIKES the Ballet too. He doesn't watch nor really like football (which is fine - I only really like College Ball anyway), BUT he likes the Ballet (the symphony, the opera, plays....) so, I'd much rather have a man who 1. takes me to things like the Ballet AND enjoys them, vs. one who falls into football comatose for however many months each year...only to lapse into basketball and baseball comatose until football comatose sets in again. Sigh. Although, he did mention he'd rather go to a mediocre ballet than the UofU vs BYU football game and I have to admit (depending on the U's season - and even then no one can predict this game) I'd go to THAT particular football game over a good ballet. I mean come on Cliff, you can get ballet tickets any other day yes? It's the U vs BYU game!! He's a BYU boy though (should he HAVE to pick one) soooo, I can't blame him for being less than interested in his team. Snicker. Snap! We went to the Ballet. I wore a new dress. The boy looked dashingly handsome AS usual. And we both mentioned later how the star male ballerina (which he called ballerino to make it masculine) seemed to be....er...more abudantly equipped (endowed) compared to every other male dancer in the performance; the Jester being 2nd runner up (oh come on! They wear TIGHTS! You HAVE to look). We wondered if that was a requirement for being the star...or perhaps the deciding factor? Ha ha. Oh dear...moving right along. The Ballet was very well done. The music was genius and I was in awe of two things: the costumes, and how effortlessly the male dancers picked up and pranced around with the female dancers. They made it look so beautiful and so natural. We ended the evening with some Hires Big H. That's right!!! I love those little joints - and it's a nice equalizer to such a cultural event: ballet supplemented with tuna and cheese sandwich, fries, and a (get this - Cliff's Dads creation) caffeine free (it was late), Diet Coke with cherry...mmm. I slept at Cliff's again, and we ventured home early Sabbath morning to the hell...er...land that is Provo. 

Sunday included worshipping at our various meetings of...er...worship. We then wrapped up the Half-Marathon weekend with a meal provided by myself and company (white bean chili (moi) and biscuits a la Brooke), with a lovely, tarty lemon bar enjoyment for dessert (from a box - I wasn't too dessert ambitious), and a night of star studded Oscar awards. The only movie I was interested in that was nominated was Juno (that sentence struggled) - and it won for Best Screenplay, so I was happy. All the rest I've not, and will likely not, see - but Cliff seemed pleased with the results while constantly exclaiming "DAH! I need to SEE that! GR!" everytime "There Will be Blood" was mentioned, awarded, and hinted at. On that note - Daniel Day Lewis did win the Oscar for best actor. Should you have missed the show - the results (you care about) are here. Oh, it's also needful to note the writing was terrible. I guess the writers have been on break too long. J. Stewart was a decent host, and had some pretty funny comments, those being his own comments and not the scripted ones most likely. Another note, Helen Mirren, the infamous British actress most recently seen in The Queen (for which she won Best Actress last year - brilliantly done) and National Treasure 2 (a failure), has incredible breasts. No really. The ONLY reason to see National Treasure 2 is to witness what a great chest this woman has; taking into account they are REAL, and she's like 60 something!! I couldn't get over it. THEN! seeing her at the Oscars looking just a buxomly hot was amazing. I told Cliff about her breasts in National Treasure 2 (as the only redeeming part of the film) thus, when she appeared on TV during the Oscars I said "Quick! Look at her boobs! Look!!" To which he mentioned he didn't think he'd ever dated anyone who asked him to look at breasts before. Ha. Well at least I'm unique (and really - if you didn't catch on - Helen Mirren has fantastic breasts).

There you have it. Another winning half-marathon weekend. I'm going to saver the fun we had because the boy has a dasterdly evil assignment due next Monday and thus, being the smart responsible (OCD) law student he is, will likely be consumed by it the majority of this week - and likely the weekend. :( BUT - at least I have the memories...oh, and a Wasatch Back Relay to train for. Hmm. Another marathon weekend after all it seems - but not even close to my favorite kind.

Theatrical NOOOOOOOOooooooooo!

(No really. I can't believe it. Did you know that Jumper is only the FIRST installment of a TRILOGY (no I will NOT provide a link - just say No!)?!?! Oh heeeeeell no! They're going to attempt to make 2 more - 2 MORE - of THIS movie! THIS one! I....wha....how....who.....hack...vomit...really???!??!? Good people of the Internet(and/or non-superficial movie go'ers) - let us not stand by whilst this atrocity is created and produced in our very midst! I ask you to unite against atrocious "writing", dismal "acting", baseless and and unfounded "plot-lines", and the cruelty of Hollywood to deceitful marketing of a ridiculously and pathetically constructed and barely "sensational" (but not nearly enough) special effect clips to sucker in unsuspecting "action/sci-fi/epic" fans such as myself to suffer this torturous, now deluge (trilogy!!?!?!), of movie making failure(s). I sign my name to stop production of the next 2 (2!?!?!) installments of this "movie." Send food to Africa instead with your millions of soon to be wasted Hollywood film dollars. Or seriously, just make something...I dunno...WATCHABLE?!?! If that's asking to much, how about BEARABLE?!?)

I want those hours of my life back - seriously.

Cliff (the boy) and my brother Seth were astounded at my complete duress and surprise that the movie "Jumper" completely failed to represent anything worth spending money on to go see. I must admit I was a victim of clever Hollywood movie promotion and marketing. It made me completely forget that Hayden Christensen is a bad actor and that in and of itself should've been my first clue. Two Star Wars movies should've been my first clue!! How do these people (Bill Paxton, Kirsten Dunst. Mr. Christensen) keep getting jobs?!? He's not even that good-looking. And really, do not get me started on Rachel Bilson. Shudder. Now, I've only ever seen a handful of The OC episodes, and RUMOR has it she's pretty funny in that show. However, if Jumper is any indication of her "budding" film career, listen to me sister, STICK with the Teen-Soap operas and brainless Bimbo roles. I realize the dismal writing in this movie wasn't your fault. I realize that trying to play off Hayden Christensen's single "concerned, watery eyed" look is probably difficult, and furthermore, being the "tack on" love interest in a movie that really could've done fine and dandy with just a "stop in Singapore" interest, is asking a lot. But, Samuel L Jackson and Diane Lane, both notable and successful actors (meaning they have been known to actually be good at what they do - although clearly make mistakes sometimes) seemed to pull of their shallow and poorly written characters surrounded by the same ridiculous and disadvantageous working conditions, why not you? Sigh. I seriously considered asking for my money back. Cliff was flabbergasted I had actually expected something out of this film, so he wasn't as annoyed with it. I guess going in knowing that the film is going to be dismal helps you not feel so...used! Seth called a little later and I mentioned it was horrible; he laughed and said "What did you expect? It's Hayden Christensen." ALRIGHT guys! I get it! But CLEARLY I've learned my lesson. The best part of this movie outing was my ice cold Diet Coke and the company, and that only made it bearable. Afterwards I went to the music store next to the theater and bought the Juno soundtrack. Sigh...it was a sweet relieving ointment to the itchy irritation that was "Jumper", the crapiest movie of 2008.

It's so good to go home...

This last weekend was my little brother, Nick's, farewell. He's leaving in one week to serve a mission in Madagascar. How completely cool is that? Completely. He will be speaking Malagasy, and there is some irony behind that. I call my little bro "Poo's." Yes, "Poo's." So, when I heard he was going to be speaking a language like MalaGASy, I had a very mature moment in which I proclaimed "Elder Poo's is gonna speak Gasy? Perfect!" Snicker. What? I know I've put on this very witty and clever facade, but sometimes you just need some good old fashioned poop jokes. Tell me I'm wrong!

Another surprise we got Sunday morning was finding Seth, my brother who has been working in the Carribbean since October, showing up at the church service to our happy astonishment. It was fairly amazing and a great topper to a fantastic family and friends weekend...the pics explain it all.

Brent and Mum

Caitlin and Taryn

Jamie, Chris, and Eric - happy time

Grandpa and Seth (the long lost Caribbean brother)

The little (yes little - all of them) brothers and moi.

Gasp! Who is that dashingly good looking boy? A Gillette razor model? Pay no attention to the girl.

Yes yes, the boy came too. And really, he was basically a rockstar with the fam. ROCK-Star! He impressed all those who needed impressing and THEN some. He's already training for cattle wrangling with Grandpa. Now that's saying something...