July is winding down.....

Well is seems that I have yet again fallen behind on my blogging. I don't know why this seems to happen....I guess I just like to procrastinate a bit. Whenever I update my blog I feel accomplished and happy. Then the next time I go to work I say to myself oh I just updated my blog, so I can wait until next time I work to update it again. This turns into maybe next time....and here I am a month later catching up on my blogging. Maybe someday I will be more consistent.

Anywho, a lot has happened since the last time I blogged. We began our co-ed softball league!! We have quite the roster and have won a game so far. We had a rocky start...coming off a year long break...but not to worry, we still had fun the first two weeks and look forward to the rest of the season. Last week I found myself feeling down and discouraged because I hated the saying life isn't fair. I felt mad because we as a team have held ourselves to a higher standard and yet we still can't win a game! But then I was reminded by my siblings that winning games aren't usually the way the Lord blesses because we choose the right. Talk about a slap in the face! I just have to remember to keep an eternal perspective. So from that moment on I decided to stay positive. We may not win a game all season, and we may not win the tournament, but who else gets to say that they get to gather with their family and friends and have tons of fun? And we get to do this on a weekly basis! This alone has reminded me to stay grateful for this tender mercy. Softball is definitely NOT my sport, but I took it upon myself to be the manager and give everyone high fives, smiles, and good lucks/jobs. So bring it on co-ed season!

Our roster is mainly made of Livingston, Spaulding athletes, but rounded out by some close friends and cousins. We are led by none other than the Tenacious Chief. He is the oldest person playing and you would never know it! He pitches every game and bats, not once calling for a pinch runner. The rest of the Jeeps Roster is as follows: Nish and Jeep, Koda and Mandi, Ryan, Kiana, Dalaki and Kayla, Amy, Devin, Dylan, Angie, Dave, and Jordan. With this bunch we have tons of fun! Maybe this year I'll actually get on base, rather than striking out, or getting thrown out at first! But when it all comes down to it, we are in this league to have fun and support our amazing town.

We had Koda and Mandi's wedding at the beginning of the month. We had a great time with family and friends on their special day. It was blistering hot down there in St. George, but Mandi looked beautiful and they both looked so happy! We had lunch at Mongolian and had a great time. Ryan and Jessica got to spend most of the day with us so it was fun. We then went to another lunch at Aunt Rhonda's. I sure do love my family a whole lot and enjoyed spending time with the ones that were able to come. The reception was beautiful and I had fun dancing with the younger ones. And yes, you heard me right...I actually danced...ha....they especially liked it when I twirled them around and around then dipped them. The night was topped off by going back to Rhonda's and having an epic game of Spoons. Kiana and I then drove back to M-town with the famous Melanie. We got caught up on life and had a great time of course. We even slept on the trampoline...it took us back to our childhood and we remembered some great times. Melanie then made me wonder when she said, "It is crazy to think how much our lives have changed since the last time we all spent the night out here." I looked up at the star lit sky and then over at Grandpa's house. My eyes filled with tears and longed for a hug from Grandpa. I nodded and said, "It sure is crazy to think about."

Some more highlights include, fun times at the hardware store. I really enjoy my co-workers and keep busy trying to help the customers. I am really bad at knowing what certain things are and where they are located, but slowly, I am finding my way around the store. I also like seeing friendly faces from around the community and helping people.

The ELC keeps me busy. This last week one of the website's programs were down and people went nuts! I swear I received close to 70 calls of people needing help. We finally got it back up and running and things went better. I just have to give a quick shout out to all of those people that have called in that were so nice to me. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I can always hear the panic and confusion in people's voices, but the ones that keep it together and treat me with respect earn major brownie points with me! I appreciate the ones that sincerely thank me for the help and then wish me a good day. Those kind of people give me hope and make me grateful for the way I was raised...to treat people nicely. But I have to say...my biggest pet peeve about some of the callers are when a parent calls because their child is having a problem....I just want to tell them...ma'am or sir....let your child grow up and do their own dirty work. Let em live a little. But yeah, other than helping over the phone, I have been keeping busy by helping study abroad students from Austria! They have great accents and are so polite. It has been pleasant working with them.

This past weekend was an epic one. Nish, Dad, and I ran in the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. We have only missed like two years since it started and we have loved it from the beginning. We get to see the gym rats...they are the brains behind the race...and we get to see random friends that the race brings in. We also made this a special weekend and made it into a road trip. We traveled on through Cannonville to Escalante, on to Boulder, then to Teasedale, and through the WC where we got our family portraits done by Faun Jackson!! It took a LOT of planning on my part, but we were able to pull it off! The Durfeys let us use their house to get ready for the pictures. They are so good to me! I haven't been to see them in awhile and I hugged them for a long time, remembering how much I missed them! I thanked them over and over again for letting us get ready at their house. They are seriously so nice! For the pictures we went into Loa for a few places and then went to Big Rocks to capture Faun's vision of us. It was great working with her. She had so much confidence in Kiana and I, so we were able to help in organizing it all. I can't wait to see what she does with the crazy indians! :)

Back to the Half Marathon....it went so much better than I expected!! I seriously have not been training like I should have and I was getting nervous about finishing in a decent time. Luckily, I had my trusty ipod and was able to take my mile splits as I ran. THIS SAVED MY LIFE! I put myself on a rather slow pace because I knew I could do it and as the miles went on, I kept cutting more and more time off each split. I was amazed at how great I felt with each mile. Multiple times throughout the 13 miles, I would look up and simply smile. I looked out across the amazing scenery and felt so grateful for not only the ability to run, but for the feeling I get when I run, the feeling of utter happiness. I know not everyone has this outlook and that is fine, I just feel blessed to have this love for running. I was taught this passion throughout my life by my father. After I finished my race I stretched for a bit, got some water, then headed back to find my dad and sister. As I caught a glimpse of the two I felt such gratitude for both of them. I look up to them in so many ways and running is at the top of my list. My dad is a champ. He may be over the hill by a couple years, but he has the knees of a 35 year old. And Nish, I have been chasing her best times my whole life and still find myself trying to be like her. As they finished the race I smiled as two of my biggest heroes accomplished something great. I am so grateful for them and for the person they have helped me become.

This week also has great promise in store....we're heading back up to Idaho for a double wedding for Mitch and Beth. No, it isn't my grandparent's wedding....it's William Mitchell and Sarah Elizabeth's wedding! I can't wait to see the fam again, and to road trip WITH Nish and the fam.

But for today I'll be working all the live long day in the ELC, reading, yes I said reading...I decided to re-read and finish The Work and The Glory series :) I will of course stumble, to find new crafts and recipes and I'll probably watch more JB videos :) Til next time..........

Oh and if anyone is wondering....the end of this month will mark TWO MONTHS LEFT until Dallon comes home...but hey...who's counting? :)