Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat.

RAGNAR! That's what me and 11 of my family members will be doing starting at 7:15am tomorrow morning!
Today I fly out of snowy Salt Lake City and into beautiful, sunny Huntington Beach to start this crazy adventure! Thanks Maria for making this happen, I don't think it would have ever happened without your dedication to our fantastic team and organization!

We will be running as Tibby's Trackstars and we are going to be fantastic!

We start in Huntington Beach Friday and finish 200 miles away on the island of Coronado, hopefully sometime before 5:00p, Saturday! So wish us all luck and can't wait for the after party in San Diego!

And to top it off it is this great boys birthday TOMORROW! He is one crazy, lovable brother and for the first time in a really long time I get to actually celebrate with him!

Wahoooooo Happy Birthday Bland!

Baby watching mom blowing nose

If you haven't seen this it is worth watching!! So funny!

Need your VOTES!!

This is my amazing Professor at University of Utah and my Boot Camp instructor at 24 Hour Fitness! Denise Druce
She has even bribed us with canceling a class if she wins, but beyond that she deserves to win she is GREAT!
http://photos.fitnessmagazine.com/face-of-fitness-contest/10/2011/7

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

Did everyone get the chance to watch this Superbowl Sunday? The little kid is so cute... his interview on the Today show is also worth watching... he is 6 and already has a pace maker... hasn't stopped him!
And doesn't he look like Meg Ryan?

I liked it a lot and thought I would share in case you hadn't seen it!

Nordstrom Cafe Bistro

I just want to say that this place is one of my favorite lunch spots ever!
Most of the time I get the Blue Cheese and Pear Salad and it is the best thing EVER! But the pizza is delicious... the Crab Bisque is a must have... the french fries are fantastic! I just left there and I would so go back and have the exact same meal again!
And not to mention you can't leave there without having the Strawberry Shortcake..... mmmmm

If you have never been I would suggest going right this second!

Snapple Facts

I loved Snapple Facts, they used to be on the bottom of every lid and I used to get Snapple just to get the fun facts... so I thought I would share some that I have found recently! Also playing Trivial Pursuit (with Great company) recently I realize I need to learn a couple more random facts to even play that game... seriously!

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.

A cow produces 200 times more gas a day than a person.

A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue.

A giraffe can go without water longer than a camel can.

A hard working adult sweats up to 4 gallons per day. Most of the sweat evaporates before a person realizes it's there.

A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside.

A hummingbird weighs less than a penny.

A jellyfish is 95 percent water.

All porcupines float in water.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

One in every 4 Americans has appeared on television.

Spotted skunks do handstands before they spray.

The average person laughs 15 times a day.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Women's hearts beat faster than men's.

Your right lung takes in more air than your left one does.

Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself.

Taken at the "Girls with Glasses" Kate Spade party @ the ALT Summit that I got to go to with Padgett! It was so much fun...
Thanks again P!

New Years 2010

I had a really tiny little party at my place for New Years!


I hung up cute decorations...

And Shane made a bunch of really good appetizers...

Had some really funny noise makers... and we played some fun games.
Good times had by all!

2010 Wrap Up

Before I move on to 2011... There were some things I thought I would recall before it was too far past!

Had a very successful 1st Game Night at my new Condo! Games... I love any and all!

Spent a great day at the San Diego Wild Animal park during Thanksgiving in San Diego! It's not Africa but it was fun for the mean time until I can get back there!

P made a new friend!


William and I teamed up to make a Sandcastle during the our 1st Annual Pilgrimage that Padgett and Bland organized.... it was so funny! I so wish I had the picture of William flipping the burger.

On the way down to the beach for the Pilgrimage with our directors explaining the rules!

A quick look back at 2010!

January

- Started my first semester at the University of Utah.
- Had to relearn how to study all over again!
- Celebrated Shane's 29th Birthday.

February

- Tried all the new classes they start at the gym for the New Year, Hot Hula.. was hilarious.
- Had a fantastic Valentines Day.

March

- Vacationed in San Diego with family for Spring Break!
- Struggling through Biology but loving my nutrition and ESS classes.
April
- Competed in my first Triathlon with Shane and Tim.
- Started job #2 with Ann Taylor Loft.
May
- Had another successful Race for the Cure.
- Celebrated my 28th Birthday in Wendover, NV!
- Finished my first semester back to school with flying colors... whew.
- Started my summer semester, had the best class yet... Emergency First Aid.
June
- Threw an amazing Baby Shower for Tonya, a Pottery Barn coworker.
- Shane's sister, brother-in-law and niece came to visit from Texas.
- Spent a great weekend up in Midway, UT at a little cabin.
July

- Shane left for 3 weeks to travel to Cambodia for the National Guard.
- Christi had her new baby Keira!
- I went home to Jackson Hole for my 10 year High School Reunion and got to spend some quality time with one of my oldest and best friends Sara!
August
- Went to a fabulous wedding of two of my favorite Pottery Barn coworkers!
- Vacationed again in Jackson, this time with Shane, Toby and Hannah.
- Finished summer semester of school!
- Took an unexpected trip back to Camden, Maine for a funeral, hard but always good to see family.
- Started my hardest semester of school to date, oh Anatomy!
September

- September 10, 2010 became a proud owner of my own CONDO!
- Cheered Shane on at the Salt Lake City Half Marathon.
- Became totally overwhelmed with everything!
- Started packing up my apartment.
- My mom and sister came down to visit and help me move into my condo and shop for new furniture!
October
- Traveled to St. George to watch Shane and Tim run the St. George Marathon.
- Padgett, Me and the Chamber of Commerce went to China!! First off Beijing...
- Then Hougzhou...
- Then Suzhou...
- And finally Shanghai!!!
- Had the annual Simmons Meeting in SLC so once again got to hang out with lots of family!
- Made the final push and offically moved out of my apartment, October 31, 2010!

November

- Drove to Las Vegas for Virginia's Bachelorette Party!!
- Flew to Houston to be in Virginia and Cramer's Amazing Wedding!
- Celebrated Padgett's 25th Birthday!
- Got to go to San Diego for Thanksgiving with the whole family!
- All the while struggling to get through school, mostly Anatomy.
December
- I got to put up my first Christmas tree and decorate my brand new house!
- Made it through all my finals and passed all my classes!
- Hung out with Shane's family while they visited.
- Ice Skating!
- Went back to Jackson for Christmas!
- Back to Salt Lake for a successful New Years Eve party at my condo!

Such a crazy year! But lots of fun and can't wait for what is to come!


photo via marthastewart.com

Oh yeah ... I am back from China!

China was amazing! Traveled with some amazing people that going into it I knew and then met so many more that were equally as fun! (And have some stories of a couple crazies too!) Traveling with groups has got to be one of the best ways to go, you always have a variety and if you get bored you just move on to hang out with someone new.

Got to go to the World Expo in Shanghai and many of the Pavilions for the different countries were really cool... USA it was a little embarrassing to be honest. But good to see non the less. There were so many people there, on average on a slow day there are 400,000 people that go there per day! SO MANY PEOPLE!

As an avid watcher of the Beijing Olympics it was really cool to get to see the Birds Nest!

The great wall of China was for sure one of my favorite highlights! Padgett and I climbed all the way to the top of the hard side... yeah it was hard they were not joking!!

Forbidden City, was really fun to see!

And what can be better than traveling with your sister... So much fun and so many funny stories to look back upon!

It would have been nice to see the sun once while we were there but I would go back and eat the food... it was delicious!