Going, Going, and Gone

1st week: Girls Camp.

Got a fever of 100, sore throat and cough in the middle of the week.

My body was aching.

2nd week: Newport Beach.

Still have a sore throat and cough.

Woke up with pink eye this morning.

Me=druggie.

The end.

Happy Father's Day

What a great day to reflect on the role of fathers, especially within our own lives. As I get older, my appreciation for my parents grows and grows. I've been struggling with something this past week, and I had talked with both my parents for guidance. My dad, though, asked me if I wanted a Father's Blessing before he left on his trip for work. I had forgotten about this wonderful gift, this wonderful blessing made available through the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood, but my dad had not. He knew of this power, and was exercising it by giving me that offer. Of course, I answered yes. 

He placed his hands on my head, and every time he has ever done this while giving me a Father's Blessing, I instantly feel safe, I feel loved, I feel the power of the priesthood. While listening to him give the blessing, I knew that I believed every word he spoke. I knew he spoke with love and genuine sincerity, having faith in the Lord and in me. I had forgotten this gift. Thank you dad for reminding me, and thank you for ever having that ability to give me that precious blessing.

I am so blessed to have my dad in my life. He loves me, worries about me, cares about me. He gives me strength through spoken words and loving actions. He has brought me blessings of the Priesthood, Karate, Motorcycles and Dirt Bikes, Boating, Fishing, Shooting; He loves keeping a surprise a surprise; He loves teaching Karate and giving his superior knowledge of it to others, watching them utilize that knowledge and progressing; He works hard for his family, those living and those deceased through Genealogy and Temple Work; He missed the after-photos at my Endowment because he was taking in the quiet, Spirit of the Celestial Room in the Temple (this is a good thing, trust me)...I even missed the photos because I wanted him to be there and I was waiting for him, I love my daddy! He plays with the grandchildren, running around the house and having a ball, exhausted but happy. He'll even pitch tents in the living room and make a "cave" for the kiddos to sleep in when they spend the night. He loves making slideshows and videos of memories of special trips and occasions. He rides a Harley in full get-up gear, while listening to 96.1, ha. He writes everything on his calender on his computer. He loves going to the gym, lifting insane amounts of weight, and documenting it. The garage is his is domain, and he'll purge anything if there is no claim on it! 

I am so lucky to have the best dad ever. Naturally ;)

Clickity Click of the Heels

I have arrived. Home. Family. California.

It was the weirdest feeling leaving Provo yesterday afternoon. I felt I didn't belong there anymore. No school. No job. No apartment. I was just floating, nothing grounding me to stay.

9 hours. Lots of LOUD music. Sing-along music. Glee, especially. A couple handfuls of Peanut Butter M & M's, 1.5 Graham Crackers, 1 Vanilla Coke Zero. And I'm here. By the way, for long trips, stay away from Peanut Butter M & M's...too much peanut buttery sweetness to really enjoy if you're hungry!

It is incredibly amazing to be here. I wake up to this beautiful home, filled with memories, love, and coziness. Despite my mom's build up of boxes everywhere, I am completely content and relaxed. It's been a long time since I have been back here. It feels good. My cold, dreary, and tiny apartment is gone. I'm getting spoiled now ;)

Messy Room. Happy Girl.

I'll be heading to Girl's Camp and Newport Beach these next couple weeks! More spoiling! 

I love love love this.

Must Read!

My brother, Brent, tells his story of running the Utah Valley Marathon...

On Saturday June 12, 2010 I ran the Utah Valley Marathon in Provo Utah.  The race starts in Wallsburg UT at 6000 feet. It winds through Provo 

canyon and ends at the Provo Town Center Mall at 4500 feet. My sisters Erin and Kara also ran the marathon. Their husbands Marcus and Tyson 

and my mother ran the half.  

On marathon day, we arrived at Provo Town Center at 3:45AM to board the bus. My sisters chatted with their friends while I dozed during the 

ride to the top - I hadn’t slept much in the previous three days. We disembarked in the 46 degree pre-dawn morning and were greeted by a 

light rain. At times it threatened to turn into a downpour. I wore a black garbage bag until 60 seconds before the start. The rain would continue 

to fall intermittently through the race. 

The race started at 5:44AM. I ran with the 3:10 pace group. It took us 14 minutes and 10 seconds to cover the first two miles. By that time I had 

jettisoned my long sleeve shirt, hat, arm warmers, gloves and had nothing left to throw overboard. I was breathing hard, my pace felt labored. I 

knew I was in trouble.  

At mile 6 we started a two mile long hill that rises along the side of Deer Creek Reservoir. We averaged 7:22 up the hill. As we reached the top I 

was gasping for breath. I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to hang with the pace group. I switched to plan B and started running a lot 

faster.  

As the incline gave way to the first major descent, I let the hill carry me as fast as gravity would pull. I looked at my watch to see I was running 

6:18. At some point I hit 5:35. I pulled way ahead of the pace group. When the slope rose, I conserved energy, when it fell I ran as fast as I 

could. I crossed the half-marathon line at 1:33:57. By mile 17 I was averaging 7:07. The bottom of the canyon drew near. The scenery was 

beautiful. The wind picked up and blew at my back. I clocked my fastest mile at 6:46.   

At mile 18 I began to pay the price for plan B. Every 8-10 strides my calf muscles fired of their own accord, threatening to lock up. I slowed to 

7:22. The course flattened out and I slowed to 7:39. I was again struggling to breathe. Now the suffering began in earnest. At mile 19 I took a 

mental inventory - I was hurting, I had to maintain my pace to make a 3:15 qualification time for Boston, and I still had an hour to go. I felt close 

to panic.  

At mile 21 the 3:10 pace group caught me. I was on the side of the road trying to stretch my calfs that had gone from protesting to rioting. The 

group leader made every effort to keep me with the group. I ran 7:22 for half a mile, but fell behind.  

I entered a whole new reality at mile 22.5. 

This would be the defining period of the marathon. When I ran at an 8:30 pace, the pain was horrible. When I ran 8:15, black curtains 

progressively closed on my vision. I tried to run faster to see if I could push through it. The lights went out and I staggered diagonally across the 

road. For the last 4.5 miles I averaged 8:20 – right on the edge of loosing consciousness.   

I couldn’t hold my head up. It rolled back on my neck. I thought I might fall over backwards. When I tried to pull it forward, the lights went out. 

Once again I stumbled across the road.   

At mile 25, I came to the 75 foot hill where the road bridges over a railroad track. I slowed to an 11 minute pace fighting to get over the top. I 

could see the finish. I had a mile to go. If I could do it in 9 minutes and 30 seconds I would qualify for the Boston Marathon. I wasn’t sure I could 

do it in 15. 

I ran with every last ounce of energy – right to the razors edge of passing out. I had music playing – I couldn’t hear it. Spectators were waving 

and cheering – I didn’t even register that they were there. I crossed the finish line with 3:14:59.6 on the race clock. Marcus and my mom caught 

me at the finish. I could barely walk. Marcus had been gripped in anxiety as he measured my slow progress against the 3:15 Boston qualification 

time. He was elated that I had just qualified by 0.4 seconds. It turns out that Boston gives a 59 second cushion. Between the qualification time 

of 3:15:59 and my chip time of 3:14:51. I had 68 seconds to spare.  

I was a wreck in the finish area – barely able to stand. I collapsed on a cot in the medical tent. The doctors were worried about my hydration. I 

was worried about my Boston qualifier race shirt. Marcus picked it up for me. He helped me put it on and I immediately felt much better.  

= ) 

Isn't he a great writer? Something to look forward to in December! Or maybe not... :)

DIY: Monograms

Go here to make your own!

He's a Romantic?

I always give Max the "You don't romance me" schpeel in a playful, baby-like way. He just laughs and laughs like I'm a silly girl for wanting to be romanced (especially after being married). And every time he does say something sweet, he will follow it up with, "Wasn't that sweet?" AH, MAN! He ruined the moment! He thinks he is pretty funny.

Yesterday, he sent me a text while I was in class saying:
"I'm playing basketball thinking about the things I like about provo. I came up with three things. Dollar theaters. Cheap rent. And the hot byu girl im taking home with me. I love you."

What a sweet thing to say! Especially since he was even thinking in the first place about what he would MISS about PROVO. I mean, from day one this boy was wanting to move back to California (except the first snow fall of Winter...he was like a little kid in awe of the snow everywhere, so cute).

Yes, we are looking forward to moving on...moving on from our jobs, from BYU, from Provo, from Utah. We are ready for a new scene, new people, new opportunities and new experiences.

But what will I miss about Provo?

1. BYU
2. Everything within walking distance
3. Running trails through the mountains and by the rivers
4. Dollar theaters
5. Cheap rent
6. 3 Minute drive to the Temple
7. The beautiful mountains
8. Free access to the Recreation Center Pool and Gym
9. Peaks (Even though it was my job, it was a fun one at that and I'm very fortunate to have had it)

We are closing a chapter in our lives and about to open a new one. Our adventures await...

Congratulations, Runners!

June 12th was a big day for thousands of runners. My family in particular. My mom, and two brother-in-laws ran the half marathon. My brother, and two sisters ran the full marathon!

(All the while, Max and I babysat Kama-lama and had a ball with that sweet-natured baby girl.)

I would like to congratulate these runners on such an

 accomplishment! 

For one, this was my mom's first half-marathon and she did great! I'm proud of her for completing the race with high spirits! 

For two, Brent qualified for Boston! Waiting to see him come up over the bridge made me so anxious. I wanted him to make it so bad because he worked so hard, and after that last "marathon," he deserved to do well. I asked Max to check his watch every minute when we thought there was only 5 minutes left for him to make it past the Finish Line in order to qualify. Time came and went and no Brent. So, we patiently waited to cheer him on to the finish when all of the sudden we see the 3:10 pacer!!! (And if you don't know, Brent needed a 3:15:59 in order to qualify for Boston). There was hope. I got excited. Max got excited. It was not over yet!!! We waited and waited, checking the clock often. Time went by so slow as we watched runner after runner go by. Where's B? Then, from a distance we see him running down the road! Max started running along on the sidewalk cheering him on and taking photos (what a multi-tasker!). I had Kamryn in the Baby-Bjorn, but do not doubt that I ran over to a different part of the course to continue cheering him on. He made it with just about 1 minute to go. PHEW!

For three, this was Kara's first marathon! She was great and finished strong. As she came down from the bridge, she caught a glimpse of Max, Kama-lama and me. Max said Kamryn's hands went crazy when she saw her Mama running towards us! Kara was thrilled to see us, especially her baby girl so happy to see her.

When all was done, there was a mix of problems experienced by the family runners, ranging from bloody blisters, raging bowels, dehydration, shivering, tears, aching body parts, and sheer exhaustion. DESPITE all of these, I had a sense of "I could run a marathon; it's totally do-able." I was not phased or scared by the "side-effects" of running a marathon (or a half-marathon at that). I've ran a couple half-marathons before, but it's time to do the marathon. I've always talked about it, but now I'm going to make it happen. The best part? I'm getting a SWEET watch to motivate me and keep me on track. After the analysis of "The Watch", presented by Brent, I was sold. I have to have one! Look HERE.

And now that I've publicly announced that I'm GOING to run a marathon, it's necessary that I do what I say I'll do. Which marathon? The California International Marathon in December.

snippits

Last weekend was Jeremy and Emily's wedding. (Jeremy is my cousin, by the way). It was awesome witnessing their sealing ceremony. It brought me back to our wedding day. How blissfully happy we were. How grateful we felt to be in the temple with each other, with our families. Just watching Jeremy and Emily together on their special day brought back memories. What a blessing to be taken back to December 23rd.

Max Alan Burton turned 7 years old on the 7th! Special day and I loved being a part of it. Love me some Burton kiddos!

I've been quite the little trooper the past several days. Running. I just have these really positive vibes toward it all the sudden. And it's awesome!

What got me going?

Well, my family runs. Like literally almost everyone. This weekend, my siblings, their spouses, my mother...they are all coming out for the Marathon on Saturday, either running the full or the half. Way to go!

Sadly, I will not be joining them.

FORTUNATELY, I will be babysitting Kama-lama.

I probably asked my mom a dozen times whether or not Kara was going to bring her. Got a text from Kara today. Yes. Max knows what this means to me. I've been talking about it (her)(Kamryn) for forever. Plus, who doesn't want to pretend to be mommy and daddy for a day? Certainly not me..... insert (sarcasm) here ;)

We are narrowing in on moving day! T-E-N MORE DAYS. Been working a little less, studying a little more, and I cannot wait to graduate, move on and really settle down (at least I assume CA is it for us).

What I'm looking forward to:

1. Family Reunion and Kama-lama--June 10th
2. Last day at Peaks--June 15th
   
3. Last day of BYU--June 17th
4. Moving to CA--June 18th
   
5. Girls Camp--June 21st-26th
6. Twilight Eclipse (Yeah I said it); I'd probably go as far as Toy Story 3
   
7. New Baby Getz Boy Everett--June 29th (not mine...I wish ha)

GO CELTICS!