Pandora

Okay, I know Pandora has been around for a whlie, but I just decided to try it out for the first time.  And I think it's great :-)  I'm definitely hooked.  When I switched to my new position at work a few weeks ago, I went from my private office (where I would normally just listen to music on my iHome) to a table in a large room that I share with the entire Roadmap Leadership team.  It seems to be either eerily quiet in the room or kind of loud (if people are having meetings at our conference table or are on the phone, etc).  I bought headphones a couple weeks ago, but kept forgetting to bring in music... so today I checked out Pandora and am working on creating my music profile.  I'm building two stations - one for country and one for non-country... and Pandora is doing a great job of suggesting new music based on my preferences.  I've even found a couple new artists that I'm loving!

BSU Home Opener

I have been looking forward to September 24th for months - the day of BSU's home opener!  I even had my nails done just for the occasion (thanks Lyndsey!).

The tailgate was great, the game was okay (not the most exciting game I've been to - come on Broncos... let's see you play for the entire game!!), and the company was the best ever :-)

Looking forward to many more Bronco games with this guy!

Sub-25 Minute 5k!

Yesterday was the annual Women's Fitness Celebration.  A couple days before the race, I was looking back at my blog to see how fast I ran last year.  Based on my 2010 time of 27:22, I set a goal of finishing in under 27 minutes... so you can only imagine my excitement when I finished in UNDER 25 MINUTES!!!  My official time was 24:46.  I couldn't believe it.  And I was even more stoked when I looked at the final results online:

• I finished 12th in my age group of 30-34 (out of 105)
• I finished 57th overall for those in the timed running wave (out of 654) 

This race is special to me - I remember in 2008 all the training hours I put in just to be able to work up to running three miles without walking... and I remember what an accomplishment it was for me to run the race in 30 minutes.  It was fun this year to be able to train a little bit with Candice who did an awesome job of working up to her 3 miles.  I have really enjoyed our 6am gym dates :-)

Beki's Wedding: Part 2

Mandy gave me a hard time for not posting more about Beki's wedding after my blog post a couple weeks ago said more would be coming soon.  I guess two weeks wasn't soon enough for her :-)  Anyway, the photographer shared a dvd of [unedited] pictures, so I swiped a couple to place here on my blog!

Beki and Bryce sure had a lot of family travel to Rexburg to support them in their special day!  The ceremony was really nice.

There were some beautiful gardens on BYU-Idaho's campus... perfect for pictures!

The reception was the next day in Boise.  We had perfect weather for an outdoor reception!

And more family pictures...

Beki & BJ

The whole fam!

Matt & Me

And a couple more pictures of my cute niece Hailey - I sure miss her!

I Remember

I have been reflecting today (as I'm sure much of the nation has) on the events that happened ten years ago.  Those terrorist attacks of 9/11 shook our country to the core and brought us together like I have never before known.  I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news.  I was a senior majoring in Business Management at BYU in Provo, Utah.  I walked into my morning class - Operations Management - in the JKHB (Jesse Knight Humanities Building).  I got there a few minutes early, and those who were already there were watching the events unfold on the large projector screen at the front of the class.  Everyone was silent, horrified at what was happening across the country, almost unable to believe what we were watching was real.  I watched as the second plane hit the tower in New York City.  I think we were all in shock for a while.  Classes were canceled for the rest of the day.  A special devotional/prayer meeting was held at the Marriott Center.  We prayed.  We cried.  We were almost numb.  All I remember doing for the rest of the day (and week) was watching the news coverage.

I didn't personally know anybody affected by the attacks, but I often think about those who lost their lives that day - either when the planes hit the towers, or the pentagon, or for those brave passengers who took down the fourth plane in the field in Pennsylvania.  I think about those brave souls who lost their lives trying to save others.  And for those who have sacrificed since then in the service of our country in the armed forces.  I still remember...

"Camping" in Style

The whole gang (minus Joe & Kirstie Bradley who had to leave earlier in the day)

Back in January when we stayed in a cabin in Garden Valley, we decided we wanted to head back up north this summer for a weekend of camping and 4-wheeling.  We finally made it up this weekend!  Jared reserved an RV and a couple 4-wheelers, Jen's family brought up their 4-wheelers and a dirt bike, and another family brought up their 5th wheel.  I have never "camped" with an RV before, so this was a fun luxury!  I think I got the best camping sleep ever :-)

We stayed at a great campground just north of Silver Creek Plunge.

We cooked lots of yummy food - carne asada fajitas, waffles with bacon and scrambled eggs, dutch oven pork spare ribs with dutch oven potatoes au gratin, dutch oven rolls, and caesar salad...  I definitely ate better camping than I would have if I were home!

Jen, Meiken, Kirsten, and Amber - cooking up some tortillas for the fajitas.

Jared's friend Jared - grilling up the carne asada (and some hotdogs for the kids!)

I love dutch oven!

And of course we played!  We all got to take turns on the 4-wheelers, but I loved the dirt bike.  This was really my first time on a dirt bike, and I had a blast (thanks Hunter for letting me ride your bike!)  I thought I would be a little more nervous and stick to the main roads on the bike, but I did end up trying one of the trails.  So. Much. Fun!  I might need to get one :-)

Loving the dirt bike!

Getting ready for a ride

Our camping spot was literally right next to the creek, so Jen, David, and Chris all spent some time fishing... After watching David catch fish after fish, Jen was excited to catch a fish of her own!

People also enjoyed playing games, reading, chatting by the campfire, swimming at Silver Creek Plunge, and more.  Definitely a fun weekend in the great outdoors!

21 Days?

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, right?  I know that my dentist and hygienist would like me to take 21 days to try and get in the habit of flossing.  Maybe that's a good goal for October (seeing as I have a dentist appointment the end of October - they would be so proud of me if I told them I had flossed every day that month!).  Anyway, how long do you suppose it takes to break a habit?  I was so proud of the fact that I hadn't bitten my fingernails since June 9th.  That's about 3 months.  I should be cured, right?  To reward myself for the fact that I could see white on the tips of my nails, I've even been going in every couple weeks to get my nails done professionally.  Well, that all came to a screeching halt this week.  I broke down.  I bit my nails.  They are short and ugly and I'm so disappointed.  Hmmmm, I seriously don't know what I can do to stop.

Top Shot

Have you ever heard of the show Top Shot?  Well, I hadn't, but I think I may have to watch an episode or two.  Last Sunday at dinner, everyone started talking about how cool the show was, and it got them all excited to go out shooting.  My brother-in-law TJ even had a dream that he was on Top Shot :-)  In preparation, everyone bought new ammo, gathered their guns, and BJ even made a bowling pin target.  We all headed out to the desert yesterday for a couple hours of shoot-em-up fun.

Think we brought enough guns out with us? :-)

We all had a great time taking turns shooting the different guns... I was excited to hit a bowling pin with most of my shots.  The boys tried to knock the pin off completely!

Mandi & TJ

Me & Matt

Rachel & BJ

Dad

Spirit of Boise

There is something that is just cool about hot air balloons, so I was excited to attend the Spirit of Boise balloon event this morning with Kris and her family.  We watched as close to 30 hot air balloons filled up and took off into the beautiful morning sky.  Such a sight!  Makes me excited to use the Groupon that I bought for a hot air balloon ride :-)

Not Your Average Dog & Pony Show

I have literally been counting down the days to Boise State's season opener against Georgia... and this day couldn't have come soon enough.  My boys made me proud tonight with a big "W" over the Bulldogs.  Looking forward to an awesome season.  I love college (Boise State) football!!

My Baby Sister is Married

My baby sister Beki married her sweetheart Bryce Call today in the Rexburg temple.  I will post more soon, but wanted to just get up a few pictures of my beautiful sister on her special day.

Family Bowling Night

A few weeks ago I got an email from my mom detailing out their "agenda" for the time surrounding Beki's wedding with an invitation to join in any or all of the activities (i.e. fair Saturday night, dinner Sunday night, pedicures and then movie night at the Calls Monday night, bowling Tuesday night, family dinner Wednesday night, etc)...  I couldn't make everything on the list, but I was definitely looking forward to bowling night!  It was especially fun watching how excited the little kids got when they knocked down all the pins - wish I had gotten some video!  The night was also good because I broke 100.  Woot, woot!  Looking forward to our next "bowling night" :-)

Mandi and Hailey

Matt & Kylee

Sister Pedicures

When you get married, you want to feel beautiful... and one thing that can help you feel beautiful is to have your nails done!  On Monday evening, we decided to spend a little sister time at the nail salon.  Beki got a manicure - beautiful french tips - and then all three of us got pedicures. 

Beki and Mandi went with the foot soak and purple toenail polish.  I went with the gel nails... and with the first game of the season coming up this Saturday, I had to get blue and orange!  Probably not your typical "wedding pedicure", but they sure make me happy!