I'm in the Phoenix airport right now...

...and quite frankly I'd rather be IN the air but since I'm not, put me in a pool! I'm on my way to Salt Lake City for a week and had a lay-over in Phoenix. Love the city, not the air port. During my TWO hour stay here, the lady announces over the speaker that our plane is delayed and will actually be leaving at 9:25 pm instead of 8:10 pm. Sure, go ahead and just add another hour to that already long lay-over! She then proceeds to tell us that the air plane that we were supposed to take has some 'technical problems' and so they're going to have us board a different plane that we're all waiting for. Not kidding, by the time five minutes had passed since that announcement I heard THREE other plane delay announcements all for the SAME airline. Now I'm wondering if that whole technical plane delay was just an excuse. Should I be mad it's taking so long or scared to get on this plane?!?

And now...

Welcome to New Mexico!!!
(and I mean it...come visit us!)

So, I copied my friend April and took a few pictures during my run yesterday which I will be posting below so you can see what it looks like here. I'd also like to share a few things I've noticed about New Mexico (Albuquerque) and the people who live here...differences, if you will, that I have noticed from growing up in Utah.

#1) EVERYONE has dogs. Oh, you think people have dogs in Utah? No, you're WRONG...There are WAY WAY more dogs here and their owners walk them religiously...on a leash and pick up the poop! Now I can handle that! When I go out to run in the mornings, I see people everywhere walking their dog(s). Yes, I have seen up to 4 dogs with ONE person. Is that even allowed? I have this secret fear of dogs I see running around free and not on a leash. I'm scared that a dog will run up and attack me and bite my ankles causing damage preventing me from ever running again. It's a total phobia, I tell ya! But I can rest easy here because I have yet to see one unleashed.

#2) In addition to all the dogs being waked, I've noticed that the HUMANS here are really quite out doorsy and active. In so much more of a way than the people in Utah are. When I say that I mean, that MUCH more of the population than I ever noticed in Utah spend time actively doing something outside. For example: There is this place called the Academy. It's this HUGE square block of property (3.34 miles all the way around to be exact. Yes, I clocked it, thanks to the GPS watch) that is owned by a private school. The school actually takes up a very very very small corner of all this property. They have fenced it off but allow anyone to use the land. Don't be fooled, we're in New Mexico people, there is no GRASS there, it's all natural...but there are trails that go all over this way and that and then a gravel trail that actually goes all the way around the outside of the fence. Gary and I have ran there a few times and no kidding, there are always at least 75 other people there walking, running, biking, etc. around too! It's crazy!

#3) The people here are friendly. On my runs in Provo, I made it a point to say "Good Morning" to EVERY SINGLE PERSON I passed. It was a little game I'd play with myself and I'd guess the average of how many people would actually respond back...well, let's just say that very few would actually say Hi back and NO ONE would ever say Hi first...yes, I tried that too. Strange eh? Well, I pass way more people when I run here (see #2 as to why) so I have more opportunity and HONESTLY, I get 100% responses and a lot of these friendly people even manage to say Hi before I do! :)

#4) I just noticed that all three of the points mentioned above have to do with things I've noticed while I've been out running. I need to get out more.

I'm sure there will be more in other posts but right now I'm excited to show you my pictures...

This is by far my most favorite run I've discovered since being here. There are trails just like this EVERYWHERE, it's so cool! Now, don't get me wrong, it's no Provo river trail...the water and shade (trees) are desperately missing, but I'm getting over it...slowly. Brown eh? Big shocker to me too.

I run on this trail for about a mile and then through a little bit of residential to get to another trail that takes me back home. I thought I'd take a few pictures of the houses I ran by to show you what the yards and houses look like here. If you can't quite make it out (I know, it all sort of blends together in some sort of BROWN-NESS), it's brown rocks, brown gravel, and brown bushes, and a brown house...with a FEW green plants. There are actually very strict laws here in Albuquerque that let you have only a certain percentage of your property as grass. Of course, if I had to choose, the grass would be in the backyard, which is probably what these people (and the entire city) did. It is pretty in it's own brown sort of way though. I actually kind of like it. Definitely LOW maintenance, true?

Here are a couple pictures of the homes. I have to honestly admit, I LOVE them! They just fit here...and I can't wait to buy one someday!

And then, JUST as I'm about finished with my 'residential' route and about to hit another trail, I see THIS....How lucky am I?! I honestly NEVER thought I'd EVER live closer to a Temple than I did in Provo, well...I was wrong! This beauty is less than TWO miles away and actually even resides on the very same street as I! So, it's always a highlight and worth the small part of residential running, to be able to run by this in the mornings.

And then, after I get home from my run, I eat this. I know I've posted about Autumn Wheat before, but I just wanted to let you all know, it's still yummy...and SO delicious when you top if off with from fresh fruit! And SO totally healthy for a quick breakfast after a good sweaty run! Then I change my clothing...and go HERE...yes, EVERY DAY thankyouverymuch. OK, I need a job. And here is the cozy place...
More cozy kitchen...just LOVIN those cabinets, aren't you? We actually really like our apartment. It's in a really great area and our ward is devine!
Sticking along with the theme of #2 above, there are tons of camping, hikes and walking paths etc. around here. Last weekend we hiked with a bunch of people from Gary's work up to a place called Tent Peaks. It reminded me a lot of Lake Powell (without the water, of course) There were these slot canyons you had to crawl through. I kept reminding myself that we're in MONSOON season, one big rain fall and we're all swimming for our lives! :) It was really a lot of fun...

Now you see why it's called Tent Peaks eh? There were these cool rock formations ALL over the place. So, the slot canyons were created by water (I guess) and the tent peaks high in the air were created by wind...I'm going to have to research this a little further.As you may or may not know, there are quite a few Indian reservations surrounding Albuquerque. We drove through this town on our way back to Albuquerque from hiking and EVERY single house had these outdoor stone ovens in their back yards I'm pretty sure this was a Navajo community. (Sorry, the picture is not so good, I took from the car as we were driving by) They use these ovens to cook their bread in. Cool eh? I'm thinking I need to get my hands on some of this bread one of these days.
One of Gary's FAVORITE things about New Mexico is the "New Mexican" food. This is different from the regular delicious Mexican food we're all used to. If you look closely, you can see the RED and the GREEN Chili Sauce on this plate. This is NOT like the sauce you get at other Mexican places, I've never had it before in my life, but it's yummy...and totally worth a visit to the Fears residence in Albuquerque (Hint Hint). Everywhere you go, they will ALWAYS ask you if you'd like 'red or green' Gary's answer is: Both and mine is: Green.And, the BEST part about living in Albuquerque is:

Some of you know I'm a bit obsessed with checking out cooking/recipe blogs. MANY of them have all talked about Trader Joe's and I've just had this burning desire to visit one but there is not one in Utah. Well, you can imagine the JOY that filled my bosom when I spotted this baby on a drive not two miles from our home. Needless to say, I've been there a few times this week and will definitely be posting another post dedicated to this this store alone!:)

We love and miss you all! I'm jealous you all got Pioneer Day off...It was another day at the pool for me and a day at work for Gary! :)

Let me just start by saying...

That I hate birds and birds hate me. The reason I hate birds is because they started to hate me first! This morning, during my run, was the THIRD time I've been literally attacked by birds. Like, I'm talking birds flying right at my head numerous times and nearly scalping me! WHAT AM I? 

And speaking of running, I am not much of a sweat-er type of person. My face just gets really really red and I 'glisten' a bit but I bet I've only had a drip or two actually run down my face maybe five times in my life. Random...I know. But I considered it a lucky gift. Until I moved to New Mexico...we're talking DRIPPING, my face and neck totally WET, my shirt? wet like a MAN! What is this all about?? Is that gross? Cause I'm still sitting in my running clothes right now and I STINK! :)

Stay tuned for New Mexico pictures!!!! (after I eat breakfast)

Oh CaNaDa!

Let me begin by stating that I look absolutely beautiful today!

LOVE Calgary's public transportation system. Maybe one of these days, Utah will get it figured out. Can you see the excitement? We're on our way to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!The Calgary Stampede! LOVE IT!

Here is a picture of my FAVORITE ride. Yes, I used ALL of my ride tickets on this ONE ride...over and over and over again. This is us at the Dog Show...lots of crazy cool tricks that I could NEVER get my dog to do.

And here they are...the JEWEL of the stampede. The Tom Thumb Doughnuts. And I don't even like doughnuts...not even the Krispy Kreme ones!...but these are good...really good...I'm pretty sure they make a killing! I'd sure love to bring one of those doughnut machines to my house! On second thought, maybe they should stay in Canada...far far far away from me.

My mouth just salivates looking at these delicious little pieces of fried goodness

OK, purpose of picture was NOT to show how cute Chan and I were lookin, it was to capture the crazy hair of the SECURITY guard standing just behind me! Check it out...we thought it was sweet

Another day... Picnic at the park with all the family. All the Canadian residents kept commenting on what a nice day it was, FREAK, it was FREEZING! Which is why all us American residents are covered in blankets!

I think I paid my last visit to Peters' Drive In. It's just not the same and makes me quite sad...still good food...sort of, but NOT like it used to be. Or maybe my memories of it are much better than it ever actually was. Can anyone else agree with me on this one? I had NO banana chunks in my shake - my #1 complaint

We took our food to this hill that overlooks the downtown Calgary. Check out all the cranes...serious construction and it's ALWAYS like that! I guess there are way way more on the other side as well...so we were told by Uncle Kevin. 

We also did a family hike up in Banff. This picture is to show you how many people were waiting to get in the park on this day. Banff is really worth the wait and $20.00 to get in! You'll see why in a minute...

Pretty eh?

Still pretty, eh?

Pretty some more, eh? :)

OK, so we were hiking back down and came across this crazy tree. It was BENDABLE! Or so the picture appears that way, right?!? Well, we thought we were cool.Then we went to a lake and went canoeing and had bbq and fun and I have NO idea why I have no pictures of this part of the trip. After that we went into Banff for a few minutes...I couldn't resist the following two pictures. I'm standing in the middle of the road (obviously) and took a picture of the mountains...totally pretty. And then I turned around and took another picture of what was behind me. More pretty-ness!

Another memorable event during the family reunion was we all gathered together at the grave site of my Grandpa. I have to admit, the last time I was at that spot was when we actually buried him so it was a very special experience. 

I'm so glad I was able to go to Canada for the reunion. My only regret is that Gary was unable to be there with me! I missed you Garbo! Thanks for letting me go without you!

I feel it my duty to inform you...

So, on the eve of our Ragnar Relay, we had nothing else to do but hit the Logan Wal-Mart. During our wandering, we came across THIS:

And I've been eating it EVER SINCE!

It's sort of like (and made by the same company as) THIS but sort of even better:

If you didn't know about this already or have not purchased yourself a box you are MISSING out on the Just Bunches goodness. Go HERE to save $2.00 off your first box and feel indebted to me for the rest of your life! :) Gary and I can't get enough of this in our yogurt. 

He loves eating it plain as cereal too. I actually enjoy mixing a little bit of this with any regular bowl of Honey Bunches...to give it a little bit of extra crunchy divinity. 

Go buy some and let me know how much you love them too!

This is the desert?!?

This is the city I live in, TODAY! And every day for the past week! It's monsoon season...no one told me about this before I moved here! DARN YOU!

4th of July recap

After the Fears Family Reunion, Gary and I took off back to our New Mexico home. During the drive home, Gary brought up the July 4th 5K run that we have ran together for the last two years and mentioned wanting to run it again. This would mean another 10 hour drive in exactly one week! I dread the long drive but was SO excited to come celebrate the 4th in Utah AND especially run the Freedom Run...my FAVORITE run of all!


Gary left work early on Thursday July 3 and I tried to have everything ready and packed and we were back on the road by about 3:00pm. It made for a long day and a very long drive, but we finally made it to Provo at about 1:3oam. Of course we had to drop by the Parade Route to see Chandra and Lincoln who slept over with some friends saving a big plot of land for the many family and friends who all meet to watch the parade together.
The Freedom Run is my FAV! I think I love it because so much of the run follows the parade route (before the parade starts) and there are THOUSANDS of people all there saving spots for the parade and cheering on runners. Another part of it is just the fun holiday! Steph, Jason, Gary and I all ran...and it was so much fun!After the run we hurried back to our 'reserved' spot on the parade route to watch the parade.

It's always fun to see BYU Athletes in the Parade! Gary sure gets excited to see the Football players. This made Gary EXTRA EXTRA excited for the next football season! :) I have to admit, I'm kinda excited too! Hopefully we can make it up for a few games this fall.My very favorite thing about parades are the bagpipes. LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I think this all started when I was just little and living in Calgary. Our next door neighbor would get his bagpipes out every night just as we were being put to bed. He would walk back and forth on his back porch and play for hours at a time while we tried to go to sleep...Jason doesn't like them (because of that) and I love them!And another one of those "Only in Utah" parade entries! This is the crowd favorite every year. My heart just beats an extra beat when these great looking men and women walk past me down the street! How fun it must be for these missionaries to celebrate the 4th in Provo, UT!Thanks so much to Channy and Doug for reserving a big ol plot of land all night long so family and friends could all sit together at the parade...I'm guessing they probably didn't get much sleep. Ya think?
What about these two? Lincoln and Freddy also hung out and saved spots for us too Lincoln told me that they didn't go to sleep all night...they couldn't even make it to a bed.After the parade, we changed into our swim suits and went swimming with some of my family. Gary must have been so tired from the long/late drive and the run, he fell asleep on the floatie for a VERY long time! Some friends called my Mom earlier on the 4th giving her three extra tickets to the Stadium of Fire. Chandra and Doug went and Gary took the other ticket...He really wanted to go and I really wanted him to go too because he'd never been before. Needless to say, when he returned, the camera will FILLED with pictures like the one you see below! Ha!
July 5th was fun too! Gary and I got up REALLY early and went with my parents and Bran and Steph to see the Ballons take off. It was fun, except that once in the air, none of the balloons were able to make it back to the field
...After that we hiked up to Stewart Falls. Jason, Shannon, Haley, Steph, Brandon, Gary and I took off thinking and slightly remembering that this hike was a quick short and somewhat flat hike (which is why we brought Haley with us). We were wrong. It was two miles and none of it was flat. It wasn't that difficult for the adults but poor Haley...two miles in dirt on the side of a mountain was a little bit much for her! Needless to say, we made it and had lots of fun at the end!