We did it!

The Top of Utah Half Marathon is finally over! I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have wished for this day to just come already! I'm really glad that I did the half, I might not have finished as fast as I wanted, and the weather just made it harder, but I now feel a sense of accomplishment, and that makes it all worth it!

I was lucky enough to do the half with my wonderful mom and mother-in-law, and my good friend Ashley that I just met this last summer in summer school. Somehow I was able to convince all three of these crazies to run this thing with me. Are you ready for some pictures? Okay, here you go.

 Linda, Karen, Me, Ashley (Linda and Karen had already finished and were running in with Ashley and me). We were just really close to the finish!

 Same thing as above!

 Linda and me at the finish with our aweomse medals! There were so many people, we couldn't find my mom! :(

Oh! There's my mom! We are all awesome for being crazy enough to do this. What were we thinking??

Like I said, the half marathon was a great experience, and it was aweosme to have something to work towards during the summer. I'm really glad I did the half marathon! At least I think I am...is being sore worth it? Yes, yes it is.

I would also like to say THANK YOU a million-billion times to my awesome husband, Tyler, for being there for me during those three really hard months of training, for being my waterboy on my long runs, for supporting me before, during and after all of my races, and for being there to make me get up in the mornings. Without Tyler, I wouldn't have been able to run 13.1 long miles yesterday, so, thank you Tyler!

I think I will probably stick to the 10k distance for a while. Maybe at sometime in the future I'll do another half...maybe. Anybody want to do one with me?

P.S. Ashley, did you want to make the TOU half a tradition for us? Or do you still want to kill me for dragging you into it?

Monday Happy List #4...on Wednesday!

So, I really don't know where the first half of my week has gone. I really intended on doing a happy list on Monday, but, I just forgot. So, here it goes!

1. My half marathon is on Saturday, then I can stop stressing about running and only do it when I feel like it.
2. Tyler took me to get a chocolate brownie shake as a reward for getting things done that I REALLY did not want to do.
3. I have been sleeping pretty good the past couple of nights.
4. When I wake up and I look gross (haven't brushed my hair, I've got the whole 'morning-breath' thing going, AND I'm in desparate need of a shower) and Tyler tells me I'm pretty.
5. When I look in my fridge and it actually looks like there is food in there!
6. The feeling I get about 20 minutes after a run (when I've stopped sweating) and I just feel awake and full of energy!
7. Knowing that I have a husband who will support me no matter what.
8. When I know that Tyler is on his way home from work or school, and how excited I always get to be with him!

How Ironic...

Yesterday, Tyler and I went to the grocery store to get some sweet and sour pork (the kind you cook at home). Well, right as we walk in I saw some grapes. It was just on Monday night that Tyler and I decided that we really need to start eating more fruits and veggies and less potato chips and ice cream, so we journeyed to the fresh produce side of the store. We got grapes, lettuce, broccoli and bananas. Then we added some yogurt to the shopping basket... then we got our pork. As soon as I was getting pumped about eating healthier there was a knock on our front door (because it would be really difficult to knock on our back door) and what do you know? There was a plate of goodies sitting there.

Oh, the irony...

Happy List #3

1. Tyler and I got all of our laundry done today!
2. I had lots of blog updates to read this morning.
3. I didn't have to intern today.
4. Marshmallow Matey's for dinner? Yes please!
5. I didn't get any new blisters on my feet today.
6. The Friends episode where Joey wears women's underwear was on today. Love it!
7. Got one more follower on the blog today!
8. I got to spend lots of time with Tyler today. Those are the best days!

Ok, I know I didn't have a list of 10, but the days are just kind of a blur. Happy Monday everyone!

Happy List #2!

These Monday Happy Lists really are a great reminder for me to count my blessings. It helps me to look for the simple things that make me happy! So, here we go!

1. Tyler is done with summer classes!
2. I slept in this morning! (a.k.a. No Running.)
3. I got to eat breakfast with my Sweetie!
4. I didn't have to go to my internship.
5. I got a new running shirt.
6. We had strawberries in our fridge that I got to snack on.
7. Watching movies at work! (Maid in Manhattan)
8. Breakfast for dinner! (Waffles, hash browns, scrambled eggs...YUM!)
9. Happy Endings
10. Watching So You Think You Can Dance YouTube videos

Little Letters

Dear Tyler: I love you. I am so happy that your summer semester ends tomorrow. You are going to rock BOTH of your finals!  Love, Sweetie

Dear Drivers License Division: You make me angry. Why do you have to be so inefficient? Wish I didn't have to come see you again next week because today's wait was just too long. Sincerely, Katie Landgren ( P.S. Do you need to see every form of identification I possess to get this letter?)

Dear Running: I really wish I enjoyed you so that training for this half marathon wouldn't feel like such a chore. Sincerely, The girl who hates getting up in the mornings.

Dear Tyler's Summer Classes: I'm so ready for you to end tomorrow, I'd like to have my husband back in the mornings. Sincerely, A wife who wants a little bit of summer with her husband.

Dear Laundry: Please just fold yourself. I'm not looking forward to it tonight. Sincerely, The girl who got you dirty.

Dear Future Self: Don't eat oatmeal ever again. Remember how you didn't like it tonight? Sincerely, Present Self.

I did it!

Today, I decided to prove to myself that I can run 3 miles without stopping. Something I have yet to do in my entire life. Yes, I know that 3 miles doesn't sound like much when I'm supposed to be running a half marathon (13.1 miles) in about 3 1/2 weeks. Really though, it feels like a big accomplishment, and I'm really proud of myself for getting this far! I'm proud of all of the progress that I have made in the last two months! I just want to say thank you to Tyler for making me get out of bed in the mornings to go for my runs and for always being there before my races and at the end of my races cheering me on (and taking pictures). I would also like to say thank you to my mom and to Linda for their words of encouragement, and for going on this half marathon journey with me.

What have you done today that you are excited about?

The crazy month of July!

July was an absolutely CRAZY month for Tyler and me. We call July our celebratory month -- Our anniversary is July 7th, Tyler's birthday is July 12th, and my birthday is July 25th. Crazy, I know. For our celebratory month we decided to just get one bigger present for us to share, then only spend about $5 for birthdays. So, what did we get ourselves? Drum roll please...

 A Kindle!

I have been wanting a Kindle for a long time now! Can I tell you a secret? It was totally worth purchasing too, because I love it! We got it just a couple of days before our anniversary, and I have already read the last 5 Harry Potter books on it! Yes!

For our very first anniversary we did something special. Something that a lot of people don't do on their anniversary...we went to a family reunion! Yep, you read that correctly, we went to a family reunion. It was with all of my dad's extended family, and it was down at Zion Ponderosa (Zion National Park) and we had a lot of fun! My mom was nice enough to bring the top of our wedding cake to the reunion so we could do the traditional "eat the top of your wedding cake on your first anniversary" thing. It tasted really good! Even though we didn't really celebrate our anniversary by doing anything spectacular on our own, it was still awesome to be able to get away for the weekend and spend all of that time together!

Tyler got really lucky for his birthday. He got to go to school and work! We went out to Olive Garden for dinner that night and watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! I felt bad because we didn't get to do more on his birthday, so I let him do/have pretty much whatever he wanted for the whole birthday week!

My birthday started out BRIGHT AND EARLY! My mother-in-law Linda had a great idea...the Deseret News 10k. Yippee! The race started at 6:05 a.m. so I had to wake up at a whopping 4:30! I haven't seen that time on the clock for the longest  time! The race was okay, I cut 2 whole minutes off of my previous 10k time! My mom and Linda both killed me though. I wasn't surprised, they are amazing! After the race we went out to breakfast at the Original House of Pancakes with some of my family, and some Tyler's family! Before heading back to Logan, Tyler and I went bowling with my parents, and I was the overall winner for the day! Yes! I also had a personal record -- I bowled a 164 and a bowled a turkey all in the same game! Birthdays are fabulous! Once Tyler and I got back to Logan, we just chilled, watched the Bachelorette and then went to bed. We were all partied out!

 I really do love being able to celebrate all of these things in the same month! I get to reflect on the time that Tyler and I have had together, and I get to celebrate my sweet husband's life, and it really makes me remember just how lucky I am!

Monday Happy List!

Here's the deal... I really dislike Mondays. You see, I always seem to drag a little bit. My morning runs become increasingly difficult, and the day just seems to last FOREVER! So, I'm going to start writing Monday happy lists, meaning that I have to write a list of 10 things that have made me happy during my Monday! So, here goes my first Monday Happy List!

1. It was raining hard when I got up to go for my run, so I got to get back into bed and slept for another hour and a half!
2. My apartment really cooled off because of the rain.
3. I get to spend time with Tyler.
4. The Bachelorette finale is tonight! Is it going to be JP or Ben F.?
5. I had a delicious hot dog for lunch! 
6. There are Milky Way Rice Krispie treats waiting for me in the fridge at home.
7. My work shifts have been shortened by 30 minutes, so I only have one more hour to go!
8. I had a ridiculous dream last night that I can laugh about.
9. This is Tyler's last week of summer classes!
10. My legs are still sore from a day at Jordanelle last Saturday! (I sure do love being sore!)

Okay, so maybe this happy list wasn't the most exciting list, but I'm sure I'll get more creative as time goes by! What would be on your Monday happy list?