Well Said

The institute building has the address and telephone number of the building written in sharpie next to the phone, which is also adjacent to a bulletin board. I noticed this and questioned a nearby elder.

Hayley: Why did they write that on the wall?
Elder: In case someone needs it.
(Well of course, Elder.)
Hayley: No, I understand why it is there, but why didn't they write it on a piece of paper and pin it to the board?
Elder: Hayley, this is Boulder. Paper is for recycling.

Snow Day

Work called this morning and said not to come in--there is a foot of snow and it's still falling at a rate of three inches an hour. I feel no desire to attempt my 5 mile run in all that snow, and my favorite yoga class has been canceled. So, I am staying in today. What does one do on a snow day as a grown up? Most of my free time in Boulder has been spent outside, running, hiking, and exploring the city. My to-do list includes writing a talk for a baptism, trying out a recipe for torciglione, and cleaning, but I doubt all this will last me until 5:00. What would you do if you had a snow day today?

The Half Marathon: A Recap

I did it! I am so proud of myself! My final time was 2:04:09. My training runs have been at about an 11- or 12-minute mile pace, this was 9:28. Fabulous, right? I attribute it partly to the adrenaline and partly to the altitude change--thank goodness Boulder is higher! I also had an awesome cheering squad, my mom and Jenny. Also, at mile 10.5 , a friend named Josh saw me and yelled my name, giving me a much-needed extra boost for the rest of my run. I am now VERY excited for my next run, whichever that may be. I'm thinking it will be the Bolder Boulder. Anyone want to join me?

Almost There

I'm currently on my way to Moab, Utah, to the Canyonlands Half Marathon. I'm hoping my weeks of training (and some weeks of rest) have prepared me well. Wish me luck!

It's Smart to be Super

I love cooking. If there is any holiday to celebrate or friendly get-together where I can bring a treat, you can find me in the kitchen prepping. Sometimes, I want to cook, but I don't have a particular recipe in mind. This is where supercook.com comes in handy. You keep a running list of the ingredients you have on hand and supercook.com gives you a suggestions for recipes you can make given the ingredients you have. Great, right? It will also give you recipes you are close to being able to make and then list the ingredients you need so you can go grocery shopping. You can also emphasize ingredients you want to use--maybe you want to use your broccoli before it gets too old or you are craving cheddar cheese--and it will bring up recipes specifically with those ingredients. This site has totally helped me cut down on grocery waste. I love it!

Green

I love the color green, and therefore I love St. Patrick's Day. It seems everything is celebrating. Einsteins has green bagels, the grocery store has green bananas (I don't think that one is on purpose), I've seen an unusual amount of green vehicles, and I think the grass is starting to grow (my friends say I'm imagining that one). I celebrated by wearing green (but it's not like I need an excuse to do that!) and eating potatoes for breakfast. I think my roommate Kelly's mom knows how to celebrate best--she sent Kelly some green in the mail. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Me, Last St. Patrick's Day

I Didn't Understand

You know how sometimes you try and think about something and no ideas come? Then you spend hours or days, or in my case, weeks, thinking about it. The issue is ever-present in your mind; it's an obsession. When you are focusing on other things it creeps into a corner of your thoughts and then it is all you can think about? But then, one day you have a small epiphany, and it gets your mind going, and the pieces begin to come together and soon everything is in place and it all makes sense. You understand it all, and it's the best feeling ever.

Well, friends, I finally got my inspiration. I get it now.

Such Great Heights

I admit, I am guilty of having "Utah" hair. I didn't realize most people find Utah hair hard to achieve until I went to college where I had multiple roommates and friends ask me how I achieved said hair--one even asking if I used bobypins to make it look like that. During a commercial break the other day, an infomercial for Bumpits came on. In theory, this is a great idea, but I think they went a bit too far with these.


No wonder people make fun of Utah hair!

Just a Hop, Skip, and a Jump Away

Boulder has a great public transportation system, and it has the most clever marketing. Boulder's bus lines are named things like Hop, Dash, Skip, Jump, and Bolt. Everything is literally a Hop, Skip, and a Jump away. I love it! Also, I took my first trip by bus yesterday. It was pretty exciting, yet uneventful, which is a good thing. I have a slight fear of travelling by bus--I don't know why Maybe it's the weirdos who frequent the buses in Utah, or the creepy Italian men who frequent the buses in Italy, or the infrequency of the buses in Rome (have you ever waited over an hour for a bus that's supposed to come every 10-15 minutes?) So today's trip was quite the victory. I didn't even do it with a friend! Wow, I know. I won't be purchasing a bus pass any time soon (I love my gas guzzler) but knowing how to ride the bus is pretty handy.