Kayaking

Andy and I decided that we needed to start taking advantage of the really nice days here in Washington, because they don't come very often. The Saturday before Memorial Day was really really nice, so we rented a double kayak and paddled around Lake Union and Lake Washington. I had so much fun taking pictures, it was so beautiful! We rode past a bunch of houseboats - it's crazy how small they are and you know they probably cost millions of dollars. I sometimes think it would be cool to live on a houseboat...but the thing that worries me, is if we have kids and they would be way too close to the water. My mind just goes crazy thinking about the accidents that could occur. So pretty sure we will never own a houseboat on the lake. And that's the only reason why...the money wouldn't be the issue. :) 

Paddling was pretty easy, for the most part. We reached this one area called "The Cut", it's a narrow passage where you cross from Lake Union into Lake Washington. It was super crowded in there with boats and the water was really choppy. It would come up and splash us and soak out butts, that wasn't too much fun. Once we crossed over into Lake Washington, we were pretty tired and there wasn't a ton to see over there. We just kind of relaxed and pumped ourselves up to go back through The Cut. By this time, we'd been out for about an hour and half, maybe. We probably could have kept going, but we were dumb and didn't eat before we headed out and didn't bring snacks. We were both starving...so we started heading back and the way back was pretty tough! The wind was against us and when we went through The Cut, there wasn't a single boat going our direction so we had to battle that! But it's good that we had plenty of time to kill because we certainly took our sweet time. 

We both really enjoyed paddling through the lily pads. I kept expecting to see a fat frog sitting on top of one...didn't happen. But I really don't think I've ever seen a lily pad before, I loved them! We were out there for about 3 hours, I think. I got some nice sun and a sweet tanline on my legs. I can't wait to do it again, but next time I might try Stand-up paddleboarding...we'll see. Because if I'm the only one to do it, and  everyone else kayaks... I would fall way behind and that wouldn't be fun. So we'll see. Anyway, if anyone want to come visit us in the summer, we can go kayaking!! :)

Sweet baby ducks!

We tried to stay under this bridge long enough for it to go up, but we  didn't think it would happen. After we passed it, it started going up!

Very artistic shot of Andy :)

I told Andy I wanted to paddle all by myself...it was tough!

Don't mind my garments hanging out of my sleeve...so annoying! 

Kiss kiss

Lake Washington

Lily pads. I don't think I've ever seen a real lily pad before!

Sleepless in Seattle house - the blue one

We paddled right under the freeway. It was pretty cool.

Family Pictures

Okay, okay. I'll do a quick post so you all can see the family pictures. :) I am really happy with how they turned out. Check out McKenzie's website for her information if you are interested (she is in Utah, ps).

{Famous} Kellie

My friend Michele text me today and said "Every time I watch Bernadette on Big Bang Theory, I feel like I'm watching you". I didn't really believe her because I just don't feel like I have one of those faces that is a "look-alike" face. But guess what? I have a FAMOUS look-alike! Therefore, I am famous. 

Just imagine me with blonde hair...I really see it in the eyes. Crazy!

Catch up

I know it's been a few weeks, but I need to finally write about my race! I am definitely not excited to write about this race, for one - it wasn't very fun! And for two - pretty much every single picture of me is disgusting. AND I WILL NOT PUT DISGUSTING PICTURES OF ME ON MY BLOG. :)

So I didn't really prepare much for this race (as stated in my previous post) and I was really nervous! And at the last minute, my friend Michele decided that she didn't want to do it (which I'm okay with, because I really didn't want to force her!) I was able to sleep VERY well the night before, probably because I wasn't excited for this race like I was my last one. I woke up feeling refreshed, but just kind of down and not pumped up. I got all ready (no make-up this time, I learned my lesson last time) and we headed out. I told Andy and CJ to pump me up with some good music because I was just so nervous. So we played some good tunes on the car ride to Snoqualmie (like "We are Young" by fun.), seriously greatest song to pump me up!

We got to the high school and I still just couldn't shake my nerves. I stretched, ran around, did jumping jacks...and did the worst thing I could have possibly done - drank a Gatorade energy pack pump-up thing. They suggest you take it 15 prior to running and so I did...but I soon learned that I need to not drink or eat anything right before a race.

I'm a little concerned...

And here's my amazing husband. So wonderful and supportive.

There I was, starting my race. There were two mid-30's ladies running in front of me and they seemed to be at the same pace as I was. So my goal was to just stay behind them. Probably around mile 2...I had lost them. I mean, I could still see them...but I was not right behind them like I wanted to be. So I was kind of beating myself up the whole time while I was running; I was holding back the feeling of throwing up the whole time; my legs were burning, my tummy was gurgling... it just wasn't the greatest experience. I literally felt like I could not lift my feet another step.

Start of the race

But I always did! My goal from the beginning was to not walk and to finish under an hour. I DID IT! But at first... I thought I had failed. When I crossed the finish line, the time said 1 hour, 18 minutes. I was PISSED! I was yelling at myself in my head for going so slow and I just kind of had to walk it out. I don't know why I was so mad...probably just because I knew I should have trained more and I was lazy instead. Ha! So after I cooled down and my cheering team ran over (Andy, CJ, Mom and Dad) and they told me my time. I was so HAPPY! At that point, I could say how proud of myself I was... I did it! I accomplished my goal! I chowed down on some oranges and a bagel and chugged lots of water. And then I was just happy...and proud. And for some reason...super talkative!! I kept just talking talking talking and didn't really care what I was talking about or if anyone was listening. It was so strange. I was crazy sore after, but it was totally worth it. And now, after running an 8k, I've decided I am okay with sticking to 5k's from here on out. :) No, I'll run other races too...I'll just know now that I have to actually train. I can't just wing it (if I want to enjoy it, that is). 

Ahh...there's a smile. I'm nasty...but I'm smiling. 

The course was actually really great! It was fairly flat except one small part. I ran past a lake that would have had the reflection of Mt. Si in it if it wasn't overcast (but so thankful it was overcast, because one part during the race there was a lot of sun and it made it really hard to run).
So there you have it folks, the story of my 8k. What a great experience... :) Not fun during the run, but definitely proud of myself for the accomplishment.

Here are my stats (I'm only going to share the good ones):
Final time: 53 min. 27 sec.
Average mile: 10 min. 45 sec.
I was 245 out of 369 finishers (not tooo bad...)

Pre-Race Day Detox

So I'm crazy...for some reason after I ran my first 5K I thought it was so much fun and "easy" that another 5K just wouldn't cut it. I thought I needed to step it up a notch. So what did I do? Sign up for a half-marathon? No no no, I'm not that crazy. But I did sign up for an 8K, which up until a week ago, I thought was only 4 miles... I thought to myself "I can do 4 miles, that's just one extra mile, no big deal"; then I found out the truth - it's 4.97 (so basically 5 miles!). That .97 is pretty important in this case! Now I have to do 2 more miles than I am used to, and on top of that - I haven't trained at all. Oh, and you want to know the best part? THIS RACE IS ON SATURDAY!!!


So to say the least, I've been a little nervous and frazzled. I mean, I have been running on the treadmill and elliptical and lifting weights, but none of that amounts to 5 whole miles at one time. And beyond working out, I've been eating pretty unhealthily. Sometimes I tell myself that if I'm working out, then it's okay to have those couple of cookies for dessert or it's okay to have that hamburger and fries for dinner. I think I have a serious food addiction...I have THE HARDEST time saying "no" to food - even when I'm not hungry. Everything just looks so good, and even if it's not that good...I still eat it. Why? Because I don't want to waste it. This is a serious problem I have - Cue in Detox!


I've been wanting to do a Detox for a long time, but it just always seems way too hard and I would have to buy random stuff at the grocery store (like ginger root, and spinach, and fresh parsley - definitely not things I have on hand on a normal basis). So I've just always given up on my idea of doing a detox and continued to eat my hamburgers. :) Not this time! Have you ever felt like super sluggish and fat and bloated? And just walking up the stairs seems hard and strenuous on your legs? I've never felt that bad before, and that's when I decided I HAD to follow through with my detox this time. Now I didn't go all crazy and drink lemonade, cayenne pepper, maple syrup nastiness - I still wanted to be HEALTHY afterwards. So I just searched for some Detox drinks that I could do for a few days in preparation for my race. And there are a ton out there, and you don't even have to have a juicer to make them. I made all of my drinks in my blender.


Day 1: I made my drinks the night before so that I didn't have to worry about it in the morning (very good idea, by the way). I had a fruity one for the morning and a veggie one for lunch and dinner. But then I froze the fruity one and it wasn't thawed by breakfast time, so I had to drink the veggie one...it was LITERALLY the grossest thing I've drank. Not just because of the taste (the taste wasn't actually that bad), it was more the texture of it - so thick and frothy and leafy (because I had both spinach and romaine lettuce mixed in). So I kept adding water to thin it out, and that obviously made MORE of drink. I seriously gagged at least 3 times (and I don't gag with food or drink - I usually have a good stomach for that, I guess). By lunchtime, my fruit one was more thawed so I ate that, and it wasn't too bad, very ginger-y which I wasn't a big fan of. But I really felt pretty full after drinking them. I played in 2 softball games later that night and  I was feeling pretty good and full of energy. I was afraid I'd be starving, but I was still getting some really good nutrients.


Day 2: My smoothies for Day 2 were sooo much better! I had learned my lesson that veggie drinks are not that great, but you can make them better by adding pineapple! :) So I had a mango-pineapple smoothie for lunch and a watermelon-lime-peach for breakfast. They were delicious! I don't think they filled me up as much, but at least they tasted good. That's all I cared about. I had a veggie one that I chugged down real quick for dinner...it seemed to curb my hunger for a few hours, but at this point I was feeling a little hungry and my cravings were starting to kick in. Andy decided that he wanted Captain Crunch for dinner and that cereal has never looked so good. Haha! But I resisted and drank my nasty veggie-drink. 


Conclusion: I had read a bunch about detoxing before I did it and everywhere mentioned how you might get grumpy and you won't feel very good...but I didn't really experience that (and part of that is probably because I only did it for 2 days - but I didn't really want to do it for longer because I have my race on Saturday). I wasn't grumpy, I didn't feel like crap, and I really think it helped my body feel less sluggish. So my conclusion is that it was helpful, but I think I needed to do it for a longer period of time to feel the full effects. Has anyone out there done a detox before? I think it was just a good cleanse for my body to wash out all the crap I'd been eating and to start fresh on a new "diet" (really just trying to eat healthier, not any particular diet).


Anyway, this post has gotten longer than I expected it too, but I realized I hadn't updated on anything for a while. After my race on Saturday, I'll post some pictures and news of how I did. I just hope that I can run the whole time and keep my time under an hour...we'll see. 


Let's see - what else is going on in our lives? I mentioned above that I played in 2 softball games. Yep, Andy and I joined a city softball league with some friends. We've had 2 practices and our first game was this last Tuesday. Apparently every time we play, it's a double-header, which I'm not too excited about because our 2nd game was no bueno (we're talking, 22-2 was the final score and the mercy rule was put into effect, meaning they called the game at the 5th inning because we were down by so many runs). BUT... we WON our 1st game! I can't remember the score, I think we won by 1 run or something. I was playing 2nd base and I wasn't that great, but it was still fun. I kept getting confused with all of the little things I had to pay attention to. I've never really played organized team sports before, so I think it makes it hard for me to focus on every little thing. Like, sometimes I wouldn't even remember if there was someone on first base, I would only think about the batter...and there was another time where I ran through 3rd base...ya, not supposed to do that. Haha! Oh well, we'll get better I think. And if not...we'll still have fun. But I really like that it gets Andy and I out of the house and doing something active. Hmm...what else? I'm still YW Secretary, even though we got a new President and 2nd Counselor. It's been interesting, but fun at the same time, getting to work with someone new. Andy's job is going really well, they seem to love him and say he's a "keeper". :) Yay! I'm so proud of him. We are coming to visit Utah at the end of May (we'll be there May 30-June 4). So excited to see everyone (except my little Lindsley and family...still sad about that) - but at least we'll have time to see everyone else. Well I think that's a good enough update for now...I'll keep you posted how my race goes! Wish me luck!

St. Patty's Day Race

I still can't believe I ran a 5k! It was my New Year's Resolution... and I ACTUALLY DID IT!! I don't think I would have done it so soon, if it had not been for my good friend Michele. She is so gung-ho when it comes to races and anything athletic. She has already signed up for a half-marathon in June...but she wasn't able to convince me to do that one, yet. 


I had about 2 months to train for my 5k - which seemed like long enough. But it kind of goes by pretty fast when you don't always follow your schedule... I was at first walking 5 minutes, jogging 7, walking 5 - and then all of a sudden I had to jump up to running 24 minutes straight! If I had kept up my training better it wouldn't have been so bad. No, I wasn't that bad, but the last 2 weeks I was pretty lazy. 


So the Thursday before my race I decided I just had to get it done with...I had to run 3 miles. I set out to the park where I knew the trail around it was 1/3 of a mile - so I had to go around 9 times. Oh my... I really thought I was going to die. I ran it in about 36 minutes, so that made me pretty happy. Now I had a time that I could kind of expect to shoot for. 

Michele and Andy (don't mind Andy... he was all drugged up because of a sinus infection. But he still came to watch us run... such a sweetie!)

Me and my sticker!

Andy and Kellie

 Saturday morning rolls around (after a very restless night sleep) - I couldn't sleep because I was afraid I was going to miss my alarm and miss the whole race. I had to wake up at 6:20 am on a Saturday! - anyway, I wake up and I am super pumped. The weather in Bellevue isn't the best, kind of rainy and overcast, but I had run in that before. So I get ready - including mascara and eyeliner, because I HAD to look cute (this is important for later in the story) - I had my 4-leaf clover sticker on my cheek, my green ribbon in my hair and my cute shirt... I was pumped! I just wanted to run out the door and get going. I was so excited. We met up with Michele and drove to Snoqualmie (just half an hour east) and oh...guess what?!? IT'S SNOWING!!! Not sticking, but definitely snowing. We keep telling ourselves that we are crazy and there's no way anyone else is going to show up. But we were still going to run! We sat around for about an hour and a half before the race started (note to self, do not get to the course more than half an hour early!) And people did show up! There were around 500 or so runners, including kids. 

Michele and I right before the race... in the snow!

Here we go!!!

View of the start of the race

Andy's parents came to cheer us on, it was so sweet of them to endure the snow to watch us run. It was really encouraging to have family support. We got in line, and they counted down to the start of the race. I was super excited and nervous. I had to keep telling myself that I need to pace myself... I couldn't start off sprinting, or else I wouldn't be able to run the whole thing. Because that was my main goal - I didn't want to have to stop and walk. And I didn't!!! It was amazing. I was just running along with the snow pelting my face (think back to my mascara and eyeliner, you can just imagine what my face looked like!) But in all honesty, I wouldn't have changed a thing. The snow was a good distraction so I wasn't focused on running and my legs killing. I was a little cold, but once I got running - my face was the only cold thing and I could easily get over that. The course was more hilly than I was expecting, but it wasn't bad at all! I ran up those hills and I don't even remember panting or breathing super heavy. I was just so filled with adrenaline at finally running my first race. Seriously, if you think that you might want to run a 5k - DO IT! Don't be scared...because I really didn't train that much and I was able to do it and enjoy it. 

Post-race (lucky for me...this was after I wiped off my nasty black mascara eyes!)

Andy was such a sweet husband. He was so proud of me and he kept telling me...all throughout the day. It made me feel so good, because I just can't really think of anything that I have done (physically) that Andy has participated in. I set a goal for myself and I achieved it. Here are my stats from the race: Out of 504 finishers, I was 352; I was 28/38 in my age group; 158/261 in the female group; my total pace time was 11:28 and my race time was 35:33! Pretty sweet, huh? And if you wanna see a video of me crossing the finish line - check out Andy's facebook page. 


Now I'm looking forward to my next race! I'm trying to get into a race in May that will be an 8k, but if I don't do that one I have another race in August called the Dirty Dash that Michele and I are going to do. It's more of an obstacle course in the MUD! So freaking excited for that one... I've always wanted to do a messy race. 

What you can expect from the Dirty Dash! Aww Yeah!

Pictures

So I'm a little behind on pictures for this blog of mine. So I'll just condense a bunch of events into one post, ok? Okay.
Here are a few snapshots from my birthday when Mom and Dad came to visit.

This is me and Daddy on Saturday morning...please disregard the sleepiness look

 Mom and Dad wanted to check out our offices. This is Andy's (well, not really anymore since today is his last day)

This is a weird close-up of me at Andy's office... 

 We took Mom and Dad to Alki Beach in West Seattle. This is where I would love to live when we buy a house one day. It's beautiful over there and there is such a great view of the Seattle skyline.

   A little bit of artsy-photography of the pier and the city. 

 This place is called "The Harbor Steps". It's a ton of steps that head down to the water. It's really pretty. Look at my cute parents - Dad in shorts and Mom all bundled up.

 This made me laugh. Both Mom and I saw the boys walk through this "gate" and we both stopped to snap a picture. 

 On Sunday, Dad made a delicious dinner with the scraps of food that I had in the house. It was AMAZING! 

 Again...please disregard the sleepy, ponytail look...

Okay, and now we are going to pretend for a little bit. I was dumb and didn't take any pictures on Valentine's Day. So we are going to pretend that this is what my dinner looked like...

But in all reality...it was not-so-good-steak, delicious caeser salad (that's easy to make!) and some glazed carrots (those were pretty tasty, too)

  These flowers are real though! Andy always does such a good job when picking out flowers for me.

 And here is a fun little photo-shoot of Andy opening and signing his offer letter from Waggener Edstrom. We were so excited - we both couldn't keep from smiling!

 Reading...

 Signing...

 Mailing...

Well I think that's all for now... Hope you enjoyed the Picture Show.