From the ages of 4-11 (I can’t remember the exact ages that I lived there because I think the large amounts of sugar over the years have fogged my memory) I lived in St. George, Utah. It is warm, beautiful, surrounded by red rock and a runner’s paradise.
I have some good news (especially for myself and Brooke), we are going to St. George, Utah on February 21st-23rd for the SHE RUNS RETREAT AND 1/2 MARATHON!!!
The race is held on Saturday, February 23rd and the 1/2 marathon starts at 9 a.m. and the 5k starts at 9:15 a.m.
Here is the coolest part… you can sign up to attend THE RETREAT which is going to be the bomb.com.
The retreat starts on Thursday night from 5-9 pm (there will be a Glamour Girl Glow Stick Run that night and a Zumba Dance Party), there will be awesome activities all day on Friday and the retreat continues on for the Satruday race until the finish. There is also going to be yoga for runners, self defense for women and pilates… this is going to be a good time.
On Friday I will be talking about proper training for all of the popular distances and times of life… I CAN’T WAIT.
So come. Be bf’s with me and Brooke and all of the other fabulous women at the She Runs Retreat! Register HERE!!!
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When we were driving home from my trail run yesterday morning we saw an awesome park that we had never seen before. I told Billy that we had to go eat lunch there even though I had already complained all morning about how cold it was outside.
We got there and they had an entire area set up specifically for Bocce Ball. We ended up talking to a group of people that go and play twice a week there… they were hardcore. Once we became friends I handed them our camera to take a picture for our daily family portrait. Monday is going to be a sad day when Billy goes back to real life. Maybe I will just go up to his campus everyday so that we can still get our portraits in while it is light outside.
Don’t be jealous of my awesome lunch bag. It is even insulated.
Pretty classy lunch of turkey sandwiches, grapes, cheez-its and chocolate covered pomegranates. That is Billy’s sparkling water in the back, not mine.
After we ate lunch Billy asked if I wanted to take a walk around the lake. Um… of course I do.
I made it .13 miles before I said that we had to go home to sit in front of our space heater. My Utah cold endurance is so long gone.
Brooke wouldn’t even smile for the picture, she was more than ready to go home and get back in pajamas.
Bangs Friend and I have this thing where we like to switch off making dinner for each other as often as possible. I benefit from this deal so much more than she does and I am starting to feel guilty because she always brings over incredible things like the below bowl of glory.
That would be the Pioneer Woman’s potato soup with cheese and bacon on top. Bangs is brilliant and actually cuts open the bread bowl, adds a little butter and then toasts the bread bowl for a few minutes in the oven. TRY IT.
I contributed my brownies made from a box. At least they were Ghirardelli.
We watched The Bourne Legacy while we ate. Those kind of movies stress me out, my palms were sweaty the entire time (I am sure you really wanted to know that).
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Where did you grow up? How many times did you move?
-Syracuse, St. George and Orem (all in Utah). 3.
Ever played Bocce Ball before? Are you good at it? Do you get competitive with games like that?
Favorite type of soup? Last soup you had? Any delicious soup recipes to link in the comments so that I can make them?!?
Brownies or cake?
84 comments
Elizabeth @ My Neon Running Shoes
That park is beautiful! I grew up in Houston tx! Still here haha. Yes I have played bocce ball once in my life and I really enjoyed it.
Now for your most important question… Brownies or cake? It totally depends. I’d say brownies but they must be really undercooked. Although if cake has 4 inches of frosting on it I choose that. It’s still a hard decision so I’ll have one of each.
Brandy
I have never played Bocce ball!
I’ve lived in several different houses all in TN but we moved to AL after college & got married.
Potato soup is def my fave! I have a couple of recipes that I use & I love the bread bowl! Yummy, now I want potato soup for breakfast. :)
Definitely brownies!
Khushboo
Soup in a bread bowl sounds like the perfect dinner on a cold day!
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries
Soups are that much better in bread bowls! Yum! I love so many different kinds of soups, but my favorites are creamy tomato, minestrone, and clam chowder.
I grew up in the Phoenix area until I went off to college near Los Angeles, and now I’m here in good ol’ Eagle Mountain, UT. ;)
Aaaand I’d most definitely go with brownies over cake. Those Ghirardelli ones are the best!
BeePie
I was wondering what you’re going to do with Brooke while you’re running the half marathon?
I just posted a new recipe that you might be interested in (I resolved to try one new recipe a week this year). It’s pretty easy and healthy, too. Maybe you can get Bangs to make it for you :)
BeePieRuns
oops – put in the wrong website – it’s beepieruns dot blogspot dot com
Julie @ Sweetly Balanced
This looks like so much fun!!! I’m sure that you and Brooke will have an amazing time!!! I play Bocce ball every year in Cape Cod on the beach and I just love it!!!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats
CAKE. I grew up in Kansas City, MO and never moved. Sitting in my parents house right now that they’ve been in for almost 28 years. And I’ve played bocce ball and I get SUPER competitive with games like that because it doesn’t really take a ton of talent like most sports do. I sucked at sports.
Kari @ Running Ricig
That retreat sounds awesome!
Nicole@TheKidlessKronicles
I grew up in MA and never moved until I went to college in NC.
Never played Bocce Ball.
Favorite soup is Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice (Panera’s or Paradise Bakery).
Brownies. With peanut butter chips.
The Kidless Kronicles
Sarah @pickyrunner
I want to run the race!!! It sounds AWESOME! Maybe once I graduate and finish track and cross country I will. I don’t think my coach would be happy missing conferences for it in his “prestigious collegiate program”. I don’t get it!
Also LOVE your jacket!! Where’s it from?
Karen @ Runner Girl Eats
I love playing bocce at the beach :) I have only moved 2 time between birth and 18 and the houses were only about 2 miles from eachother. That retreat seems awesome and I am super jealous that all of your fun activities are on the west coast ie near impossible for me to crash :/
Deb
So excited for your upcoming retreat and run. Will you be pushing Brooke on the run? I bet she will LOVE that!
That soup (and brownies) look amazing. I love bread bowls. Sometimes I’ll make a spinach dip and fill a bread bowl – not very often though, because I’m too inpatient and end up eating the dip before the bowl is cut.
I lived in one house my entire childhood, from 2 – 18, in Maryland. It was in the flight path of Andrews Air Force Base, and believe it or not, I miss hearing the planes fly by. When I hear one now (very seldom) I find myself stopping what I’m doing and looking up … totally subconscious act.
We are expecting 60 degrees this weekend – yahoo! Hope to get a couple runs in. Gotta love 6o degrees in January, in Maryland!
Have a great day!
Meagan @ Managing Meagan
I’ve never tried bocce ball before… I wouldn’t even know how to begin to play.
Sounds like you’re soaking up all the fam time you can get before school starts getting crazy again. Good for you! Enjoy!!!
Rachel C.
We have the same lunchbox! I love mine even though some days its still not big enough for all the food I need at work
Kate
Those brownies look deeelicious!
I grew up in Yorkshire, UK but we moved twice as our family got bigger.
My favourite soup is a homemade country vegetable soup. I make a batch regularly from whatever veg we have and I’ll have it for lunch for a few days.
Your race sounds like such fun! I grew up going to fell (trail) races as I’m from a family of fell racers but it was always cold! I’m shocked I now find off-road running brilliant and so much fun :)
Brooke is growing so fast! I bet you can’t wait to put her on solids and start testing her reactions to ice-cream / sugar
Holly
Does Bangs friend need some more people to cook dinner for?! We are totally hiring ;) Looks delicious!
Steph @ Water, Extra Ice
I grew up in Lakeville, Minnesota..! I lived in the same house for 18 years, until I moved away to college..where I then proceeded to move TEN TIMES in just over 4 years. Whew! Needless to say, I was beyond happy when my husband and I bought a house..because I knew I would finally get to stay put for a while. Stability can be a healthy thing, ya know?
I love soup..and one of my goals this winter is to make a really great soup. Have you ever been to Panera Bread? They have an amazing broccoli cheese soup. I found a copy cat recipe of it online..and it was SO good (and not too hard to make)! Here is the link to the recipe in case you want to try it..! :)
http://pinterest.com/pin/183803228513583948/
Jessica R @ fromthekitchentotheroad
I played bocce ball for the first time last summer. It was a lot of fun. I grew up in Torrance, CA (in LA county) and Spokane, WA. We only moved that one time. Once I became an adult and could live on my own I moved about a million times.
Deirdre | Oh Well Whatever
I have heard St. George is beautiful, that weekend sounds amazing! So excited for you.
Beautiful lake!
I was born in San Francisco and stayed for about a year, then Minnesota and stayed for about a year until my Dad lost his mind over the winters and by the time I was 3 we landed in Balboa (so cal) where I spent my entire childhood. It was amazing, I went to that little school on the ocean front. Glad I didn’t have to move around a lot.
kim@hungryhealthygirl
I usually go for cake, but right now after seeing a couple of brownie photos around the blog world….I’m craving brownies. That race looks awesome. I wish I were closer. Have a great weekend!
Natalie @ Free Range Human
Definitely brownies unless it’s cake made by the woman who made my wedding cake. SO SO GOOD!!!
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
I grew up in Alberta, Canada and that’s still where I’m currently living. I’m seriously considering a move though, because I’m a complete wimp when it comes to the cold and it’s constantly freezing here so I spend the whole winter not wanting to go outside. Maybe I just need to start looking into eating more soup – tomato is definitely where it’s at for me.
Yo Momma Runs
Can’t handle the cold either. One day I’m saying how much I want it to be cold for running, but then it is and I hate it. :)
Candice
I grew up in Bountiful.
Woke up to more snow then I can ever remember having in my life… Its crazy.
I made butternut squash soup last! It was easy and delicious! http://www.bodyofamother.com/2013/01/simply-healthy-butternut-squash-soup.html
I’m a total brownie person!! Especially with vanilla bean ice cream…
But Texas sheet cake holds a special place in my heart.
Laura
That retreat is over my birthday weekend..someone needs to be my friend and take me!
I grew up exactly where you are living now but now live in Utah. I miss California a lot though!
Holly KN
I know you asked a bunch of questions, but I’m going to ignore them today, and instead discuss Sweaty Palms.
Oh, my goodness: YES. This is the primary reason I don’t watch movies that often. I normally have cold, dry hands. But put me in front of an action adventure/suspense/scary movie, and my hands turn into Niagara Falls. Most recently, this happened during the intense battle scenes in The Hobbit.
My husband is usually a good sport about it, and will still hold my hands – except I also clench into fists when something startling happens. It’s amazing he hasn’t suffered a broken finger (or six) yet…
And…uh…brownies. Always.
Kattrinja
I LOVE bocce ball! Our old neighbors had bocce ball and we played with them in the backyard all the time. It is so fun. We weren’t super competitive or anything, but it was a fun summer night game.
The retreat sounds so awesome and I would love to do something like that. I once did a yoga retreat in Costa Rica and it was amazing. Now we are too broke to spend money on fun stuff like that (unless the fun stuff only costs $1). One day maybe! I’ll just have to call my daily runs during lunch hour around the White House my own daily retreat.
I grew up in many different places (Greece, Maryland, Japan, New Hampshire, Italy, England). And I have moved more times than I can count if we’re talking about houses. I’ve lived in three places in the last three years. It’s horrible. I HATE moving.
I’m not a huge soup fan, but I love butternut squash soup. And a Minestrone soup that I make. Oh, and a Creamy Chicken Soup that I make. Ok, so maybe I do like soup.
Kattrina
And I can’t spell my name! Sorry, the baby was crying and I was trying to type as fast as I could.
Jenn@ Run It My Way
I grew up in Newfoundland, Canada. I LOVE it there, even though I don’t live there anymore, it’s my favourite place to visit. We moved around a lot though, I think about 7, maybe 8 times before I was 20? I went to 5 different schools… I hated moving and leaving my friends but when I went to university it was cool knowing so many people!
Ashlee
Ok now I am craving Boudin’s sourdough bread in a really bad way. YUM!
Shannon B.
I grew up in Champion, Nebraska, moved to Lincoln, Nebraska for college and haven’t left (20+ years), however I have moved to different address within the city.
I had never heard of Bocce ball until the National Special Olympics were held in Lincoln, NE I volunteered and was an assistant judge for 2 days. It was a WONDERFUL experience and I learned a fun yard game!!
I don’t like chocolate, so neither, unless of course we are talking white cake or blondies… :)
Rebecca@Runningfoodbaby
Wish I could join you on the retreat – sounds like my cup of tea!
I like butternut squash soup the best – I could eat it every day!
Here is my recipe:
http://runningfoodbaby.com/2012/10/butternut-squash-soup/
Emma @ Culturecopia
That retreat looks like it will be so much fun! Have you ever spoken at an event like this before? I wish I could go but sadly I’m a little far away :P
Jade
That retreat sounds so fun! Love woman bonding time! Did you know that thebomb.com is a real website? I ALWAYS say things are thebomb.com and one of my friends pointed out that there is an actual website called that. Funny!
Crystal@TheFastFitRunner
I really can’t even believe that bowl of soup was not from a restaurant. All I want is soup these days (and Haribo Gummy Bears). I am literally drooling at my desk.
Erin @ erinruns
Brownies!!! I have a good friend who is an excellent cook and she swears Ghiardelli (spelling???) brownies forms box are better than scratch. So, looks like you made an excellent choice for dessert :)
Allison
Yummmmmmmy. I want that bread bowl!
Andrea @ Andrea Out Loud
CAKE! omg i love cake :)
Amanda, RD- The Nutritionist Reviews
That soup in a bread bowl looks amazing! Cute coat too : )
Sharsti
So can you bring babies with you to the retreat? Who would watch them when you run?
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey gorgeous!!!! Yes you can! My mom might come or I will push Brooke in the jogging stroller! Come!!!!!!!!!!
Elizabeth @ My Neon Running Shoes
So babies are welcome at the retreat? Or would you need someone there additionally to watch them?
Chelsea @ LittleOneRuns
i’ve never even heard of that!! brownies all the way!!!
Run with Jess
That retreat looks AH-mazing!!! Can I sneak in your suitcase?
Sonia the Mexigarian
and now i must have soup in a bread bowl and Ghiradeli brownies. Perhaps I will make the brownies for Saturday’s festivities.
The retreat sounds amazing! If only I had the funds for it :( My yoga studio is doing a retreat to Costa Rica and I just wish I could afford the trip. lol.
Lived in Santa Clara pretty much all my life until I moved to San Diego for college. Moved back, then up to Sunnyvale and then to San Jose foothills.
Megan D
I was talking about the retreat to Ross and telling him it would be completely normal of me to go down to St George 3 weekends in a row. And he went all 8th grade chick on me and was like ‘Why don’t you just go and then you and I don’t need to go to St George together. Blah Blah Blah.’ This doesn’t mean I am giving up! lol.
I gre up in the same house my whole life in North Ogden. NORTH Ogden. People may mock me for saying that, but it is a different town and if you have ever been to Ogden, you would know why people clarify ;) My parents now live in Pleasant View. I lived in St. George for college, graduated, then moved to Logan and graduated from USU. So I love St George dearly.
I have never even heard of that game before. I must be super cool.
I made minestrone soup on Wednesday and had some left over for lunch yesterday. Probably not near as good as Pioneer Women. That lady is awesome….and she loves her butter. You should make her Italian Dripped Beef Roast. SO easy and so good.
Brownies all the way. And you look super cute in your coat with your houndstooth lunch box. Very Jackie O.
Renae
Those brownies look delicious! I want some now! That bread bowl also looks amazing. i might have to try to make recreate that sometime soon.
Amy N.
That lake looks gorgeous! And that run sounds absolutely incredible!
And your bangs friend is priceless! That soup looks so spectacular!
MeganB
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Kale-and-White-Bean-Soup-106153
This soup is awesome. My favorite one yet. Except I add celery and use chicken sausage instead. I’ve alo made chicken taco, beef barley and black bean soup this week. Wow, that’s a lot of soup dinners.
Sierra
I can totally relate…my husband went back to school on Wednesday and it’s sad times. It was amazing to have him home during winter break and spend some time together. This grad school thing is not for the faint of heart.
Are those the brownies from Costco? If they are, that makes me feel better about myself. A family of two totally needs the costco sized box of brownies, right? At least you share….I can’t say the same about this household.
michelle kim
I grew up in Korea until I was 6 and then I’ve been living in Saratoga since then.
That retreat sound AMAZING!!! I’m so jealous!
Andrea @ mainerunnergirl
That retreat sounds like so much fun! Favorite soup recipe : http://luluthebaker.blogspot.com/2011/09/cheesy-vegetable-chowder.html?m=1
I add all kinds of vegetables (it’s good with corn and cauliflower!)
Kim @ The Family Practice
Janae I was seriously just looking at this race this morning! I had no idea you were involved though – how awesome is that?!
Kelly - IRUNLIKEAGIRL
I grew up in NY but love living out here in SF. Had to laugh when the top news story last night was that the temperature was going to drop below 40 degrees (both hands to face). And cake beats brownies any day for me. But who are we kidding, what i’m REALLY interested in is the frosting!
MM
You guys are adorable!!!
Brownies all day and night unless it’s The Sweet Tooth Fairy in Utah.
MM
Then I choose cake!
Rachelle
Oh I love your family portrait. Cutest dang family ever. If Billy’s silly little law degree doesn’t work out you guys should just be models. Seriously love you guys! :)
Have a great weekend Janae.
Liz @ Tip Top Shape
I loved the Bourne Legacy. Those are my favorite types of movies!!
Blogging Runner
That race looks lieke so much fun, I wish it was closer to me! I grew up in North Haven, CT and I moved 3 times but never more than 5 – 10 miles away from my previous house. I have lived in Rhode Island and Boston but now my goal is to live somewhere warmer!
Annette@FitnessPerks
Cute coat that you have on! ;)
That bread bowl looks ahhhhhmazing! Wow.
Annette@FitnessPerks
p.s. my friend, Amy (she taught fitness classes with me in Provo), is the head of this retreat! COOL! & small world :)
Laura @ the things i love about life
what the heck is Bocce Ball!!! never heard of it, must be an American thing :)
Jean
I managed to become vice president of my high school’s bocce ball team despite the fact that to this day I don’t really know what it is-I even made it in the yearbook picture (there were about 30 VPs so I wasn’t that special)! I know you throw balls around in the sand, but that’s about it!
Stacy
I was born in Seattle, moved to Roy, Utah when I was eight and then my family moved back to Seattle where I currently reside.
Favorite soup: French onion! Love it!
Hilary @ PeanutButterSpoonfuls
Grew up in DC and my biggest move has been to Utah where my cold tolerance is REALLY being tested by this storm.
Sue
I grew up in Ithaca, NY. I moved 30 minutes away after I got married. I “think” we moved 3 times before settling in the house where my mom still lives. LOL. I have never played bocce ball but it looks like fun. I have to say my favorite soup is tomato with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side. Have a great weekend.
Sue
P.S. I have the exact same lunch bag “tote” as you do. Now I can say I own something that a celebrity owns. LOL.
Jen
Mmmm tomato soup yum especially from panera
I get sweaty when watching certain movies too
I don’t like either choice I’d choose tiramisu yummy!!
Kay
What a great run/retreat combo, I’m sure you will have an amazing time!
Mmmm that bread bowl soup looks amazing!
I played in a bocce league last summer in DC, it was fun!
Marissa @ City Farm Girl
The Ghiradelli Brownie mix is the absolute best! I’ve thought about trying some trail running…what muscles do you find are most affected by the transition to trail running?
Kristen @ notsodomesticated
Wow, that bread bowl looks incredible! I love lots of different soups, but I think a good tomato and roasted red pepper bisque is a favorite … paired with a grilled cheese sandwich, of course. ;)
catie
oooh, i’m jealous! that retreat sounds like a blast!
i grew up in kansas and we moved four times before i turned two…ended up in wichita. then once more to a suburb the day before my ninth birthday. then after college, i moved back to wichita and my parents moved three hours away. go figure!
my favorite soup is butternut sqaush. i made a jalepeno bacon butternut squash slow cooker soup and it was fabulous! and EASY! here’s the link: http://paleopot.com/2012/10/paleo-butternut-squash-soup-5-slow-cooker-varieties/
brownies. i actually don’t like cake. i know, i’m weird.
Andrea
I love bocce ball! Tat is so nice you and the hubs have been able to spend so much time together exploring and doing/seeing new things since he’s been on break.
I think I’ve moved so many times but most have been since I turned 17 Tacoma, Ogden, university place, Layton, and Roy . All in ut & wa.
My favorite soup is a tie between gorilla sop and broccoli cheese
Steph F.
Let’s see…I moved 5 times before the age of 11. I lived in Northbrook, IL, then Grenwich, CT, next on to London, England, back to Northbrook, IL, on to a different a different part of Northbrook which equaled another school change, and then Milwaukee, WI where I stayed through high school. Whew! My goal is to have my girls spend their entire school career in ONE school distrcit :)
I’m not a huge soup eater, but a friend sent me the recipe recently and I have to say the soup is pretty amazing (even better as leftovers!):
http://jamiecooksitup.net/2012/03/chicken-gnocchi-soup/
Lindsay
That sounds like such a fun race! And I so love the Bourne Legacy!
Sara@fitcupcaker
I grew up in ky and still live here! that bread bowl looks amazing!
Katrina
Ummmm are you referring to Syracuse, NY?? If so, I had no idea and that is right near where I am… Maybe we crossed paths as youngins and just didn’t know it. :)
Shay @ Whine Less, Breathe More
I grew up in this area. We moved/rented several times the first eight years of my life. Five that I have memories of. Then in the middle of my second grade year, my parents finally bought a house that they lived in for 16 years.
I’ve never played Bocce Ball before.
Soup is great this time of year! Last soup I had was Butternut Squash from Trader Joe’s. Good stuff!
Brownies!
Shannon
Syracuse for me too:) except it’s Syracuse, New York! then moved to Washington State right outside of Seattle. I’m the least competitive person my husband knows. I love making brownies and sometimes we make them with peanut butter chips…oh my that’s delish! Love soup, that is one of the reasons why I love fall/winter:) Here are some links to just a few of my fav recipes:
http://hugsandkisses-handmadewithlove.blogspot.com/2010/12/let-there-be-soup.html
http://www.5dollardinners.com/lasagna-soup/
http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/03/01/spinach-tomato-orzo-soup/
Arrienne
Grew up in Ogden, Utah and still here! We love it:) This is my all-time FAVORITE soup recipe. This is the one I take to friends when I want them to be my friend. I always use a Costco rotisserie chicken so it’s right up your alley!
Get a rottiserie chicken from costco, take all the chicken off and chop into small pieces.
Saute a medium onion diced, until tender. Add 1 can (15 oz) chicken broth, 1-2 small cans green chillis (mild), 3 cans (15 oz) Great Northern white beans (drain, and rinse). Put this all in a pot to simmer while you are adding the other ingredients.
Spices: Add 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp. cayenney, 1/2 tsp. black pepper.
Add chopped chicken and continue to simmer all ingredients for 30 minutes.
Add 1 cup sour cream (can be non fat) and 1/2 cup cream.
* You can serve with lime flavored Tostito chips and grated cheese, or just breadsticks, or nothing at all it is yummy all by itself!
Lisa
So bummed you’re not doing Dogtown! In any case, let’s cross our fingers for nice weather.
Sharisse
That retreat sounds awesome! Is there one anywhere in NorCal?
Nice hat, Billy!
Laura Lok
Oh man so close yet so far I will be in vegas for a wedding on the 23rd. Dang dang dang
Athena
I was looking at your family portrait thinking, wait a minute – I have the same bag! Great taste in lunch totes :)