I can't believe it's taken me this long to post

about the race- especially since that's all I could talk about for a week. Truly it was one of the best experiences of my life. When Erin first suggested that we train for a half marathon I thought she was crazy. Why would anyone want to put themselves through such pain and torture? What about running for hours sounds fun? There are a couple people in my ward who have run half marathons and really enjoyed it. So eventually I said, what they hey, lets do it. So, Paul and I started training at the end of April- our very first training day consisted of running two miles (which left us sore for days) and we built on from there. It was incredibly rewarding to see our steady progress. After hitting the four mile mark, every long run after that was the longest we'd ever done in our lives. Paul certainly kept me motivated. Running with a partner is the strategy that helped push me in the beginning. I've realized that running, at least for me, is a mental sport. I think most bodies can handle the physical demands of running, but it takes time to discipline your mind to not think about how tired or bored you are, or how out of breath you are, or how that spot in the distance isn't getting any closer. There were a few times early on where I'd have to run by myself, and I'd let my mind slip and I wouldn't be able to finish. Running with Paul gave me something else to think about. Not to mention, he pushed my abilities. Paul would rather run fast and get it over with. My body has a natural pace that is about 11 minutes per mile, and regardless of how far the run, I always seem to keep that same pace. Paul would make us run fast, but I made us slow down so that we'd actually be able to finish our long runs. We made a great team. We also would have a friendly competition at the end of our runs. At about the last half mile we'd pick up the pace and see who could finish first. (I often won. :))

Turns out that Paul had no desire to actually run the race, and he stopped training with me after we had reached our nine mile long run. My sister came down from Idaho and we ran the Disneyland Half Marathon together. The night before the race we carbo loaded with spaghetti. She fell right asleep, but I woke up about every hour until our alarm woke us up- I was so nervous. I had invested a lot of time into this and what if I couldn't finish the race, or got hurt, or, or, or... We drove over to Disneyland, waited in our corral for about 30 minutes, and then the fun began. As we crossed over the starting line people on all sides were cheering for us. Racers were dressed up as Disney characters there were smiles all around. The best part was that our names were printed on our bibs, so people kept shouting, "Go Courtney! You can do it! Yeah, Erin! You're awesome!" We first ran through the park and then went through Anaheim. There was entertainment at least every mile- everything from hula dancers to high school bands. There were even official Disney characters that people stopped to take pictures with. At about mile 10 we got to run around the Angel's Stadium field. There were people in the stands cheering us on and spraying water on us. There was even a camera there that projected us on the big screen when we ran by. Running the race was honestly as fun as actually going to Disneyland- I'm not kidding! I had a smile on my face the whole time. Running with Erin was so fun- I wouldn't have done it any other way. We got to chat the entire time and we helped each other keep pace. My only goal was to not stop and walk- and we didn't! We even finished strong with our last mile being about seven minutes. My body felt great the entire time just until I crossed the finish line and started to walk- then the pain really set it. The back of my thighs started to burn in a way that I can't even describe. I almost thought I was going to cry. But, the problem was solved with a little snack and some serious stretching.

Erin and I decided that we're going to do it again next year, which I'm so excited about! I've been looking forward to it since the day after the race.

Here's some pictures they took of me en route. A lot of these look like I'm walking, but I promise I'm not! Paul and I discovered that I don't move my body very much when I run- I guess I'm trying to conserve energy. :) The second picture, although it's not actually of me, is my favorite. It perfectly sums up the way I felt during the race: ecstatic.

Flying with the Old Man

My dad took us flying when we were in Boise for Matt's farewell. It was amazing. My dad has had his pilot's license for a few months, but you'd think he'd been flying all his life. Ever since I can remember, my dad has been talking about how he's wanted to learn how to fly. I'm so proud of him for living his dream! We flew from Boise to a little airport about 50 miles away in Weiser, Idaho. On the way back to Boise, I TOOK OFF FROM THE WEISER AIRPORT! Yes, I did... but... not very well, apparently. If my dad hadn't corrected my mistake (I pulled back too far and we nearly went vertical- oops), we would have stalled and died. Meh. It would have been so worth it. I had never seen Idaho from the sky like that. It was truly beautiful.

Race Day

Deep breaths... Deep breaths...

It's go time. The race that I've been training for for four (pardon the repetition) months has finally arrived. This weekend it will just be me and the pavement- Courtney vs. 13.1 miles of road. I hope the road doesn't win.

I've considered shaving my head to make myself more aerodynamic. What do you think?


Wish me luck!

Two Years Already?!

Whew! So much to catch up on, but I'll start with the most important. Paul and I celebrated our SECOND anniversary a couple weeks ago. I thought our first year celebration was good (we went to Red Robin for dinner and splurged on a strawberry lemonade), but this year's is beyond compare. We slept in and Paul made me breakfast- pancakes with homemade strawberry jam (which he had made the day before). We took our time getting ready so we'd miss traffic and then headed down to San Diego where we spent the day at Sea World. Yes, SEA WORLD! I've been wanting to go since we moved here and our anniversary was the perfect excuse. When my family lived near San Diego when I was younger, we'd go pretty often, and it was just as good as I remembered! We braved the Splash Zone at the Shamu show and got drenched, we nearly lost our voices cheering at the dolphin show, and we were awe struck by the trained pigs, cats, and jump-roping dogs. With the purchase of our day pass, we get to return for free any day in 2009- I can't wait to go back!

Take me out to the baaaaaaall game!

We took another step towards experiencing LA in its fullness by going to a Dodgers game this week. Our attendance was perfectly timed to ensure that our dear friend Manny Ramirez would be playing- and boy did he play! The Braves got an early lead, and were up by one run until the bottom of the ninth when Ethier hit a homer to score two runs! Go Dodgers!

The view from our sweet $8 seats.

With our camera zoomed in as far as it could go, we were able to see Manny.

Downtown Cooking

If you live in LA and need/want to learn how to cook an amazing meal, you MUST take a cooking class from my friend Sara. She is an extremely talented chef and so fun to be around! Check out her website: www.downtowncooking.com.

Last Night, The Next Two Years, and the Next Three Years

Where I was last night:

That's right- my friend Cathryn and I went to the live taping. I'm completely star struck.

Where the lil' bro will spend the next two years of his life:

Matt got his mission call. He leaves in September for the Brazil Recife Mission.

Where Paul and I will be spending the next three years of our lives:

We've moved to downtown LA where we're managers of an apartment building.

My husband, the genius

Paul made the Dean's List!!! Maybe those silly glasses are making him smarter...

LA Anniversary

We have hit our one year mark of living in Los Angeles. I'm not sure if I'll ever consider myself to be an Angelino... mostly because that's a weird word. People often ask us where we'll end up after dental school. Good question! We're open to several possibilities, but I think we've crossed LA off that list. In refernce to the overall high cost of living in Los Angeles, our good friend Tupac Shakur stated that he would almost rather "live life in the pen[itentiary]."
Anyway, here's what we've been up to lately:

1. Paul finished his second semester of dental school. Two down, nine to go.
2. These sweet babies nearly caused us to take out an additional loan. But honestly, who wouldn't sacrifice to look this good? Incidentally, we soon realized that the camera's flash is magnified too... Paul was seeing stars for several minutes.



3. We visited friends and family in the Bay Area. We took a quick tour of San Francisco and hit up the great culinary spots: The Ferry Building, Fisherman's Warf, and Ghiradelli Square.
Nate and Nate's girlfriend, Miho:

I know it looks like I'm forcing the smile, but I really did have fun!

We saw Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. Suh-weet!

4. I've been working overtime the last month and a half keeping the flies happy. As they keep reminding me, science never sleeps.
5. We've started training for a half marathon... sort of. The race is in September, so we figure we'll train for a couple months and see if we can handle it. By the way, if anyone has any running tips, I'll gladly accept them. This running thing has been harder on my body than I expected. I'm hoping that they're just issues of being a novice and that they'll subside as I run more.
5. We went to Grammy's wedding in Utah- she was the most beautiful 40-ish (wink, wink) bride you've ever seen!
6. Peter and Amber came to visit along with Amber's sister and brother-in-law. They got very cozy in our family where we stuffed two air mattresses side by side. We love sleepovers and will gladly accommodate anyone who wants to escape to LA.
7. Paul got a new wetsuit for his birthday and has sadly not had time to try it out yet. He was warned about the intensiveness of the third semester, and for good reason. He's said that compared to last semester, the work load is a night and day difference, but he actually enjoys what he's learning. And it's good for me- while he studies I get to read! Win-Win!

Here's to another great year!

The Birthday Boy

We've celebrated another year of Paul getting old. He's manifested his oldness with the following:
1. He has at least a dozen white hairs. About 7 of them are all clumped together above his right ear. I've offered several times... daily... to pull them out for him, but he hasn't taken me up on it. Yet. Don't worry, I'll keep trying.
2. He's taken to eating wheat bread and other veggies high in fiber. You know, to keep him regular.
3. In a major change since last semester, he's now going to bed around 11:00 rather than midnight. He tries to justify this by the fact that his classes start earilier now, but I know the truth. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of our stint in LA he's requesting dinner at 3:30.
4. Let's just say, the next time you see Paul in scrubs, lift up his shirt slightly. I'm not kidding, I didn't know pants could be hiked up that high.

We celebrated his birth by going to Disneyland (he's trying to stay young) with our friends Ryan and Cathryn. Ryan has the same birthday as Paul so it worked out perfectly. We hit up some of the best rides and treated ourselves to way too much candy with the Disney Dollars the boys got as birthday gifts from Disneyland.
The day after their birthdays, Cathryn and I threw Ryan and Paul a suprise party complete with donuts and funfetti cake- two of Paul's most favorite things.

Huh-huh-huh-happy birthday!!!

I'm Sailing

Here's a classic look back and one of the funniest films of all time...


With a little therapy and non-pharmacologic sedation, we mustered up the courage to aboard a sail boat with Captain Sergey Nuzhdin. Sergey, also known as Courtney's boss, is from what he refers to as "The Soviet Union." One of the foremost molecular biologists/geneticists of our era, Sergey is also a world class sailor... so we knew we could trust him with both our lives and our genomes.

Our original intentions were to sail to Catalina Island, enjoy lunch while Sergey perused and shmoozed the island pubs, and then return to the mainland (on a side note, we once asked Sergey what kind of food they ate in "The Soviet" he replied with a straight face - "Vodka"). Unfortunately however, the only wind that day was supplied by our lungs and the flapping of seagull's wings. So instead, we leisurely looped the Santa Monica Bay, encountered a friendly pod of dolphins, waved to flapping seals and called it a day.

The Bro

Matthew Thomas Simnitt the first. He is my brother, my favorite brother, in fact. I'm so lucky- I get to have a favorite brother and a favorite sister, but he better not have a favorite sister. Anyway, Matt is 19 today and is officially a... man? Man?! Little Matty, a man? I object. I don't know if I'll ever be able to think of my little brother as anything other than that- a little brother. Matt has turned out remarkably normal for having two older sisters that like to tease and embarrass. Let me take a moment and indulge in sharing some of my favorite memories of Matt as a wee lad.
*You know how most babies look like aliens, but you try and make the mom feel good about bringing the little thing into the world and so you say it looks cute? Well, no one had to lie about Matt being a cute baby. He honestly was the cutest baby I've ever seen. He had big dark brown eyes and the cutest smile. People would always tell me and Erin how cute our little brother was. To a three year old, that got old pretty quickly. Hello! I'm cute too! Matt is kind of a miracle child. He came into the world against great odds and has excelled since then. Matt was walking all over the place by the time he turned one and was talking with an extensive vocabulary not long after that. His greatest accomplishment as a baby? We taught him how to throw his own diapers away in the trash. Two points!
*Matt has always liked music. My dad has done an excellent job in preparing Matt for his future encounter with Peter at the pearly gates. According to Papa Bob, you'll be asked a question about classic rock before you're allowed to enter into heaven. Matt sang his little heart out in school choirs and Erin and I used to hear him sing some holiday favorites while in the shower. "Christmas cookies and holiday hearts; that's the way the holiday starts!" Sure this is cute when you're little, but when he was singing it at the age of 11... well my friends, that's grounds for blackmail. I don't think we ever actually used it as blackmail, but had a good time bringing it... and still do!
*Right before we moved to Boise, we stayed for a couple weeks with our family friends the Seavers while my dad looked for a house in Idaho. Matt was in heaven while we were there. James Seaver, just a couple years younger than Matt, was like the brother Matt never had. Finally Matt had someone to play legos with, and... well, whatever else little boys do. The best part, though, takes a little background explaining. The entire time we lived in Orem and I was friends with Jenni Seaver, I don't think I ever once saw James (then known as Big Guy) in normal clothes. Instead, he sported onesie outfits that resembled pajamas or a Halloween costume. These outfits were a single piece of material that had a vertical slit in the back so that you could step into the outfit, and then there was a tie string at the top near the neck. These outfits varied in what they portrayed from Power Rangers to Spiderman. Being the immediate friends that they had become, Matt naturally wanted to wear these costumes too. Remember, however, that Matt is 3 years James' senior and was quite a bit bigger than James. That didn't stop him from wearing James' clothes, though. Permanently seered into my memory is the image of Matt in a much too small Power Rangers costume with a bare back, ankles, and wrists.

Matt has always been a little sweet heart. He's the peace maker in our family and has put up with two crazy teenage sisters who made that job a hard one. He is witty and smart, talented and genuine. Happy, happy birthday, Matthew dear! I love you!

Thud

The sound of Paul's phone falling from my pocket and into a storm drain approximately seven feet below ground. He's using his old brick-of-a-phone, but please don't be offended if he doesn't call you because he doens't have your number or he doesn't know who you are when you call. It's my fault. Ahhhh, shoots.

Valentine's Dinner

We celebrated Valentine's Day together on Friday night since we were going to be with Paul's parents and grandparents on Saturday. We bought New York steaks a few weeks ago for an amazing deal and kept them in the freezer until Thursday when we marinated them over night. We made a tasty dinner together of steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and seasoned green beans. And the best part? Dessert! I made a strawberry cake with cream cheese and white chocolate frosting. It was fabulous, calorie free meal.

Pay it Forward

The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me to you. My choice. Made especially for you. Of course there are some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done sometime this year.
4. You have no clue what it will be... it may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake something and mail it to you. who knows? not you, that's for sure.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. The catch is that you must re post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog.
The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!! Oh and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!!

The Best Husband Ever

My BFF from high school, Kelsie Stonehocker, became Kelsie Christensen (what a cute name!) last Friday and I was lucky enough to be there for the special occasion. It was so much fun! We had a girl's night Thursday before she got married and the reception was basically a big dance party! I love weddings. They make memories of my own wedding flood back, and I can't help but be happy. All the love in the air just makes you love your hunny even more.
And to add to my loving feelings, I got the most wonderful suprise when I got home. Paul had completely cleaned our entire apartment. And I mean COMPLETELY. He mopped, he vacuumed, he scrubbed the tub and the toilet, he did all the laundry, he cleaned the inside of our refrigerator, he dusted, and he did the dishes. Wow! I definitely have the best husband ever.

The Fjeldsteds Party Down

You can rest assured, the Fjeldsteds are keeping it real in L to the A. We've had way too much fun the last couple months- here's a picture update.

I went to a Christmas girl party in December- potluck style. I brought the dessert, cream puffs filled with eggnog cream.





We visited Grammy in Salt Lake and while we were there we bundled up and went to Temple Square to see the lights. It was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.




We spent Christmas in Boise and while we were there we went on a sleigh ride in McCall. We rode into a meadow and fed wild elk.






We visited the Seavers/Glausers on our way back to California. I've missed them! We went sledding the lazy way at Soldier Hollow.





We spent New Years with Paul's family in Palm Springs. Talk about swishy! We were living the high life in our Marriott hotel and had tons of fun on a dune buggy tour and at the zoo.




My dad gave us season tickets to Disneyland for Christmas and we experienced the magic last Saturday with our friends Ryan and Cathryn. It was a full day event- 9am-7pm!



And now we're settling back into normal life and starting to remember that we have responsibilities. Let me just say that we've been counting down the days to the three day weekend ever since we got back from our vacation.