12 weekend events + You could waste your life doing this…

1.  10.41 miles with Emilee @ 8:49 average pace.

An $11 tank that isn’t a running tank but felt great on the run and I think it is so cute.

2.  We had a great time playing outside until a wasp got Brooke.  I swear tiny insects are after my kids.

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3.  My mom took my kids on a dollar store shopping spree…

Brooke’s reaction when she told them they each had six dollars to buy whatever they wanted inside:

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4.  She took us all to lunch afterward.

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5.  I had a pimple on my nose that hurt a lot each time I put on my sunglasses.

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6.  Anytime Beck is in his chair, Beretta is there waiting and hoping for food.

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7.  Beck continued to get stuck in the most random places.  He is quite mobile!

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8.  Andrew was reunited with his bike after it has been broken for a little while.

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8.  On Sunday morning Brooke woke up with her eye very swollen from the wasp sting.  We gave her some Benedryl which helped (she couldn’t open her eye when she first woke up!) so she needed a couch day.

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9.  These three went to church.

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10.  Had the family over for some burgers!

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11.  Finished off the night with angel food cake (via a boxed cake mix) with whip cream and strawberries.

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And next time I make angel food cake I am going to use a bigger pan;)

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Beck is now 8.5 months old… Not sure how that happened so quickly!

When Skye was 9 (almost 10) months old I hit the goal I had been dreaming about for eight years, a sub-three marathon.

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The other day I was thinking that there is no chance on the planet I would be able to run a sub-three marathon in just a few weeks when Beck is the same age that Skye was when I ran a 2:59.  Fifteen miles last Friday almost KILLED ME (I’m not dramatic either, I almost called an uber, but I didn’t have service in the canyon)… I couldn’t even imagine taking another step.   I probably won’t be doing another marathon until Chicago 2022!  It would be easy to get down on myself that I’m not doing the same thing this time around.  It would be easy to stop celebrating the accomplishments I am hitting because they aren’t what I did last time.

We could spend our ENTIRE lives comparing ourselves to what we used to do or be… but that would be a great way to make life miserable.  Each season of our lives is so different from the next so let’s all celebrate where we are right now because that sure feels good to do that.  Being proud of the now and wherever you are at today will transform our lives!

Tell yourself RIGHT NOW that you are doing a fantastic job in the season you are in and I’ll do the same:)

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Had any kitchen fails lately?  Any kitchen successes?

Favorite type of cake?

Who else has been stung by something lately?  Allergic to anything?

Tell me something you are doing a great job with in whatever season of life you are currently in!

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42 comments

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Aww poor Brooke, that looks painful :( hope she is feeling better!

Great advice about being proud of where you are!! I keep telling myself that with my new job- I am learning so much, but some days I miss knowing what I was doing. Trying not to be hard on myself though.

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Mariah, you are doing absolutely amazing at your new job. I am inspired by you to learn something entirely new! I hope today is a great one! Thanks Mariah!

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We are from CA and now visiting friends in Boise. After our 10 hour stretch last week from Vegas, we decided to break up the trip on the way back and spend a night in Provo. I think my kids/husband would love those breadsticks from Pizza Factory that you always post pictures of! After that for dinner, any yummy advice for a place for dessert?

P.s. Do you find it confusing to have your exits listed as numbers instead of names/words??

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Kelly! WELCOME TO UTAH! I am thrilled you are going for breadsticks. I have a few recommendations–> The Chocolate in Orem (the best cake and cookie/ice cream sunday), Kneaders for pie or pastries or Rockwell for ice cream! You’ll have to let me know what you think:). Hahaha yes, they are super confusing but now I am so used to them I get confused by street names in other places! Have a beautiful day:)

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I LOVE angel food cake, and I haven’t had it ages! Such a great summer dessert!

Super random, but when I got a nose pimple on the same spot, someone told me to clean the bridge piece on my glasses/sunglasses, because if they get germy, that make you breakout there!

This was such a good reminder–I have been having some anxiety lately, and I need to take some deep breaths and remind myself of this.

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Hey Kristin, you are SO right! I hadn’t even thought of that… off to clean my sunglasses! You are doing an amazing job Kristin and I hope you have some angel food cake soon!

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Poor Brooke! I got stung by a hornet or wasp (I’m never sure which is which) on my knee a couple weeks ago. It looked like I had a major knee injury it swelled up so bad!

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Thank you so much for this post! I was cleared to run this past week after having my baby, and when I went for my first run in 9 months, I was only able to go for 4 miles, which is about half of what I would regularly do pre pregnancy. Though it’s hard to feel like I’ve fallen back so far, I know that baby steps are the way to get my milage back up, as you show so well!

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My son was stung by a wasp last week. His hand was so swollen he couldn’t bend it. It felt scaly and hot to the touch. It was better after a few days.
I have at least one kitchen fail a week. It’s usually dinner related. My family has come to expect at least one really late dinner per week or a new recipe that just turns out gross or blah. We can’t find anything new and tasty without dealing with the gross and blah stuff, I guess.
Have a good week! I hope Brooke is feeling better.

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Great message! Thought this post was going someplace else when I saw the title. I super-like where you took it.

I feel like I had a kitchen fail not too long ago …. Amazingly, it’s not coming back to me. Must be all the other things to come up. Hopefully, yours will fade quickly also. IMO cleaning it up superfast helps with the fade, totally worth the work in the short term.

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Oh I needed to hear those words of encouragement! Thank you!

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Hi,
Plenty of kitchen fails over here because I love to cook and am always trying new recipes. You must get some oven liners and will never have to clean your oven like that again! https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Foil-Liners-Bottom-Electric/dp/B07TCNX64W/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=oven+liners&qid=1626701009&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sr=8-10

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BUYING THESE NOW! Thank you thank you thank you. I hope you are having a wonderful day!

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I completely am with you on not being where I was years ago. But so much has changed- and back when I was training hard for races there’s no way I’d be able to handle what I’m doing in my life right now!

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Aww poor Brooke. The same thing happens to my daughter every year with bug bites. She swells up so bad, her eyes are almost closed shut. It lasts for about a week but after the initial time, it doesn’t happen again.
I’m not a big fan of cake..I don’t like sweet icing either. I like more of a whip cream icing.

I’m definitely an over-thinker, I feel like it’s gotten worse since becoming a mom.That’s a great reminder to not be so hard on ourselves

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So sorry to hear about Brooke’s sting! While on a small beach in Croatia I got stung on my eyelid by a bee when it flew into my sunglasses. I ran to the beach bar for some ice and was told by the woman at the bar that I needed onion. She sliced up a quarter of an onion for me and told me to hold it on the sting for 10-15 minutes. I can’t believe how quickly the onion worked! The swelling went down and it felt so much better! Only had a small bit of residual swelling the next day! I’m sure it would work on wasp stings as well. Apparently it helps to remove the toxins. Just thought I would share for any future stings. I will never forget that nugget of information.
Hope Brooke feels better soon!
Have a nice day!

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Oh noooooo poor Brooke. I only had like 2 stings in my life until the last month, when I got two bee stings on my face during bike rides and also a jellyfish sting during a swim. What in the world is happening? I hope Brooke is all ok now.

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Hi Janae! My mile time trial went great! I got a new PR! Beat part is I know there is still room to improve cuz of my pacing and because I ran this at noon when it was pretty warm.
Happy Monday!

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Congrats on your PR!!

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AMY CONGRATS!!! YOU ROCKED IT AND IN THE HEAT TOO!

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Oh my gosh, we were just talking about when my youngest got stung by a wasp when he was about 8. It was awful! Poor Brooke! Hopefully today her eye is much better.
I loved this post! We all need a reminder from time to time about giving ourselves grace and not comparing ourselves to anyone else or our previous selves. Celebrating our accomplishments and where we are is so important. Thank you for that.
So glad Andrew got his bike back. That took a while to fix.
Your angel food cake looks delicious, despite the “fail” ( which I wouldn’t classify as a fail). Such a classic yummy summer dessert.
Here’s to a great start to a great week! ?

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I always love your positivity in your posts and reminder to focus on the now. I’m pretty frustrated in job searching right now, being either under or over qualified. I keep reminding myself it will happen when the time is right. It’s so hard for me to focus on the NOW and I need to do that more. Thanks for the reminder.

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Alicia, I am so sorry about how things are going with your job hunt right now. That must be so frustrating. Please keep me updated with how it goes and you are so welcome! You are doing amazing!

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I used to bake fail all the time! The only reason I haven’t lately is because I haven’t been baking a lot lately. Strawberry shortcake (bisquick shortcake) is one of my favorite desserts, angel food and strawberries is a close second. Another fun option for box angel food cake mix is adding crushed pineapple (in juice) instead of water. I bake it in a 9×13, cover it loosely with aluminum foil for the first half of baking and top with whipped cream before serving. Also, I bake it on a cookie sheet to catch what runs over.

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Can we talk about how hilarious Andrew is in that pic with his bike? It made me laugh!

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Hahaha he held on for a while too;). Hope your day is a beautiful one!

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Tell Brooke that I had some unknown bug bite me in my eyebrow a few years ago and my eyelid was very swollen. But with Benedryl and some ice it was fine after 2 days. I hope you feel better just as fast!

The end of your post really hit home today. I’m restarting my fitness journey and it’s a struggling to keep a positive outlook. Your words really helped me keep it in perspective and reminds me to be kind to myself.

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THANK YOU SAMANTHA! I read Brooke your comment and it motivated her to keep icing it.
You are doing amazing! You’ve got this and I am here to cheer you on!

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Love the message of loving the season of life you’re in! I love, love, LOVE having little kids and how fun they make my life, but it is really hard sometimes to be ok with my more limited time for running and everything else. If I take good care of my body, I will get to have life-long adventures with running that will change through each phase, so no need to rush things.

Your angel food cake looked beautifully delicious! My favorite usually tends to be homemade ice cream cake.

I have been getting a few deer fly bites on my hands from trail running and they are terrible! They hurt and made me swell up like a balloon each time, so I feel so bad for Brooke and her wasp sting. That sounds even more painful!

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Thank for your wise words about comparing ourselves to our younger selves…..I am almost 60 and although I don’t feel my age, I have slowed down. It bothers me a lot some days but than I have days where I know I am incredibly blessed to still be running no matter my pace. THANKS again for your insight

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Oh gosh, I really REALLY needed these words today! ? I have been dealing with injuries on and off for the past year and a half and I have been feeling so discouraged because I just want to be able to train like I used to. But, your post is very encouraging! Although I wasn’t able to put any miles on the pavement today, I did complete 2 pretty rough Peloton rides. So, I’m calling that a win!

And, poor Brooke. My son got stung by a wasp while he was at camp. It happened on the bottom of his foot while he was wearing flip flops. Bug stings are the worst! Hope she recovers quickly!

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Thank you so much for these words of encouragement! I really needed to hear them! I am 5 months postpartum with my first. While I felt like I recovered pretty well, I still do not feel like myself! Runs over 5 miles feel hard and I want to walk part way through and getting up early before work to run like I used to is soooo hard! I keep trying not to compare with other people and to remind myself to be patient. Thank you for being so open and real!

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Thank you for this reminder today! It was EVERYTHING I needed to hear! One mama runner encouraging another!

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CHEERING FOR YOU!!! Thanks Bridgette!

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Poor Brooke! Hope she’s feeling better today.

Angel food cake reminds me of my dad – that was his favorite! The rest of my family is all about chocolate, so he was pretty happy when an angel food cake appeared.

I really struggled with my running for the past several years. Menopause hit hard and along with hot flashes, I had really bad anxiety and insomnia. This contributed to some serious weight gain which made running pretty miserable. There were times when I wondered if I would ever feel good running consistently. 2021 has been my year! I’ve dropped the weight and my running is better than it’s been in a long time. I ran 10 miles last Friday and pushed hard for a negative split. It feels so good to realize that my running days aren’t over.

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Ouch on the bee sting! It feels like my oldest is allergic to everything and swells up when anything bites her!

I am doing a great job of RELAXING and stressing less. I used to never be able to sit down and rest/read a book/visit with friends/watch a movie during the day unless I was sick or so run down that I had to stop. Additionally, I am more “go with the flow” I used to stick to a schedule/plan every minute of the week, even during the summer. Not anymore, this summer I have read more books and done spontaneous trips than ever. I love and the kids love it too.

Have a fabulous Monday, Janae!

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Hey Janae~
I’m not getting on her early in the AMs with summer vacation, but I’m still reading pretty much every day :)

Favorite cake?! Oh man, that is a 500 million dollar question. I’m not sure I can answer!!!! My birthday cake this year was chocolate with buttercream and cookie dough filling. It was pretty great. Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and PB Cups on top is pretty great. And, I’ll always have a soft spot for a good red velvet cake. I haven’t met many cake flavors that I don’t like. ha ha

Oh man, gotta love that wasp for deciding to sting Brooke right by her EYE. Of all places. Poor girl—I hope it clears up quickly for her!!!!!

I really enjoyed what you had to say about seasons in life and just appreciating where you are. This is NOT against coaches AT ALL, but I found that when I had a running coach so often I would see a run as a failure if I didn’t meet a time goal, but looking back now, some of those times that I DID achieve were pretty darned good. I wish I had appreciated them more at the time. Good lesson to take with me into the future AND to teach my kids as well :)

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Thank you x 1000 for that last paragraph! I needed to read those words…comparison is the thief of joy – for sure. It’s a frustration to not be able to do the same distances I used to do and to not recover as quickly as I used to. I need to be thankful for the ability to still run and that’s the goal really: to be able to run until I’m done :-)

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Poor Brooke! Stings are no fun :(

Your mom is such a loving grandma! And you are an amazing mom! I do, however, want to bring up the issue of all the plastic purchases that will go into the landfill shortly. We are really seeing climate change in action, heat waves, flooding etc. And I really fear for our children. I don’t want to shame but I do want to bring awareness to this because as an influencer this sends a message.

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Ahhhh I got stung 6 times on one trail run last year (the wasp got in my tank top ) ….. still have a scar from one sting!!

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I saw that Beck is eating what looks like gogurt. I used to put gogurt in the freezer and then cut it up for my kids to eat. It was a little bit less messy and they loved it that way.

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I can so relate to Andrew’s feeling of joy from getting his bike back :). I’m a road-biker and hate when I have to put my bike into the mechanic – I try and schedule for when the weather is crappy and I won’t want to ride ;).

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