Birthday Dinner

Last night we had a birthday dinner for me at the Briggs' house and my family was there too. It was a lot of fun to have everyone together. I'm so lucky that my families get along so well and like spending time together. We ate dinner outside and just talked and enjoyed the perfect evening. Then we had cake and ice cream. I got to play with little Riley a ton. She is so adorable, i love her! After my family left, Kevin and Brett showed everyone their sweet tan lines. Kevin got his from biking and Brett from hiking. Thanks so much to Jeannine for the dinner and all the work she did to make it an awesome evening. I had such a fun night! Riley liked playing with the dogs

Isn't she cute?!

Superman!

Eating dinner

Some of my family eating

Jeannine and my mom hanging out

The boys

The tan lines...

This Is Why I Love Him...

Kevin is such a thoughtful hubbie! He stopped by my car (I was still at work) on his way home from work one day. He left me a note that he had written on a napkin and stuck it in the door handle. How sweet! (Brame and Kwave are our nicknames for each other... haha) I love him so much!

Wheeler Farm, 300 Warriors, and My Birthday!

A few weeks ago, Kevin and I were kind of bored and since we live right next to Historic Wheeler Farm in Murray and i have never been there, we decided to go check it out. It is an old turn of the century farm that has been kept up and is running still as if back in the old days. It was actually fun! We walked around and looked at all the animals. I felt like a little kid at a petting zoo :) Best of all, it was free, and we like free. Here I am petting a cute donkey.

Kevin feeding the donkey some hay.

The ducks and geese were so funny! This goose kept making the strangest noise every time I got close with food. He was begging! I loved it.

Look at the huge, nasty gobbler on this turkey!

On August 16th, it was the day of Stage 4 in the Tour of Utah which included the 300 Warriors race! We stayed up in Park City the night before with Kevin's parents and Casey. They started the race about 6 and finished about half an hour before their previous time, so they did awesome! I was so proud of them for finishing because it was REALLY tough towards the end climbing the last 6 or so miles up the canyon to snowbird... When Kevin was done, he laid down for a while to rest and a big bumblebee stung him on the back! He wasn't too happy about that! After they finished, we stayed around and watched the pro riders finish because they started 4 hours after the regular riders. It was pretty cool to see how FAST they fly up the mountain to that finish line!
Kevin feeling good at Sundance, about to start the climb up to the top of the Alpine Loop.

A quick break to trade out water bottles at the top of Suncrest, about to go down into Draper.

Kevin making another quick stop before the toughest part of the ride, the climb up to Snowbird.

I was so excited for him when he finished!!

That day was also my 23rd birthday! Kevin took me out to dinner later that night and gave me my gifts. He got me a Beatles shirt, a black cardigan, a black dress/shirt, some running shorts, a water bottle holder for running, a Ipod/cell phone holder for running, and some new shoes. He's the BEST! On Thursday this week, we went out to eat with my family down in Provo. They gave me a book called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (I saw the movie and loved it. The book is amazing too), The old "Willy Wonka" movie, "Gone with the Wind", and the new "Pride and Prejudice." On Sunday, we are having a birthday dinner for me on the Briggs' side of the family and my family is coming too. I'm excited! Jeannine is a really great cook, so dinner will definitely be yummy. So my birthday has been kind of stretched out for a week. Not a bad way to do it!

Happy Anniversary!

Kevin and I celebrated our FIRST anniversary on Sat, August 9th. Kevin had a gift certificate for Best Western so we decided to go up to Park City for the weekend. On Saturday we went to the Park City Mountain Resort to buy tickets for a zip line ride they have there. After we got our tickets we got in the huge line for the ski lift and about halfway through the line, it started raining. They told everyone that the zip line was closed and to come back later. So we waited around for a little bit and i noticed there was a guy doing characitures. So Kevin and I had one done and it turned out way funny! It was still raining so we just went and had lunch. Then we did some birthday shopping for me at the outlet mall. For dinner we went to a nice Italian place called Ghidottis. It was REALLY good! Then we went drove up near the top of the Olympic park and watched the sunset. It was still drizzling a little so there was a rainbow and it was beautiful looking out over the whole valley! I happened to have a CD of some songs that we had playing at a our reception, so we popped that in and listened to it. On Sunday, before we drove home we went and rode the zip line ride. It was so fun!! You are sitting in a little seat pouch thing and you just fly down the mountain really fast! I loved it. We ate some of our wedding cake that we had saved. It actually was yummy still! It's really crazy to think we have already been married for a year... It doesn't seem that long at all! I'm so lucky to have Kevin in my life. He is the best thing to ever happen to me and the most incredible husband i could ever ask for. I'm so excited for the many anniversaries yet to come :)

Mamma Mia

Last night my mom, Chantelle, my Grammie, my aunt Jill, and I had a girl's night out to celebrate our July and August birthdays. We went and saw Mamma Mia. I have always wanted to see the play, but never have. I loved the movie though! It was way cute. I loved all the Abba songs :) It makes ya want to go dance! Chantelle and I said we wished we could have been in the movie because it looks like it was sooo much fun to make. I have never been a super big fan of musicals, but I definitely recommend this one. Hopefully I am going to see it again tonight with Kevin's parents. Kevin is not excited to see it AT ALL. He's just not into musicals at all... Haha. Oh well, hopefully he wont think it's too stupid.

My Favorite Kids

I love kids! I love almost everything about them. I love playing with them. I love teaching them. I love it when they laugh and giggle. Kids can be so much fun. Working at a preschool, I am around kids all day. It's so exhausting but awesome too. The best part of my job is when the kids come give me a giant hug and say, "I love you Mrs. Amy." It makes me smile so big! The kids are so forgiving and love me even when I'm having a bad day and I'm so frustrated and impatient with them.
I know we aren't really supposed to have favorites... but with these guys, i can't help it!

Alexander. He is so mischievous and full of energy. He always has something cute to say. He sings songs for me and always wants me to tickle his neck :) Even when he is mad, he can't help but smile. Once, Kevin and I saw him and his parents at a gelato place and he jumped off his his chair and ran over to me to say hi. His mom said he always talks about how I am his favorite teacher. She said he was disappointed when he found out Kevin was my husband because he has a little crush on me. Awww!

Camille. She is so darling and VERY smart! She is also very creative and is always asking me to help her make little homemade books and then have me be her audience as she reads them to me. She loves to sit on my lap and talk, talk, talk! I love how clever she is! She is so much fun to talk to.

Indigo. She is only 8 or 9, but she is very mature for her age. She loves to talk with me and follow me around. She is gorgeous! She's like a little sister to me!

Mason. He is very entertaining. He is very creative and fun to talk to. I love how he is dramatic about everything. He loves to tell and listen to stories.

Laken. She is Mason's younger sister. She a little shy at first, but very spunky with a lot of attitude once you get to know her. I love to turn on some music and watch her dance :) She always wants to sit on my lap too.

Evelyn. She is one of the most darling, caring little girls ever. She is so dang smart ! She doesn't go to my school anymore, but when she did she loved to sit and talk to me nonstop! She also loved it when i played with her hair. Her family used to be in my ward but they moved.
Michael. He is adorable and at least twice a day he gives me big hugs and tells me he loves me :) What a sweetheart!

Jesse. He is so cute and sweet. He is such a good listener whether is time to clean up or if we are doing a project. He has such a tender little heart. His mom always has him dressed so fashionable; it's so cute!
Corey. He is extremely mischievous but so dang funny. He is pretty quiet but loves to talk to me. He tells me all about his life (parents, vacations, friends, toys, movies). It's fun to talk to him.

Cameron. He is such a cute kid! He is so caring towards others and always tries to include everyone.

Quincy. One of the most rambunctious kids i have ever met! He is always into everything and I'm constantly having to say, "Don't climb on that Quincy!" or, "Quincy, put that down!" Despite all that, he is extremely sweet and loves to joke and tease with me. He is an adorable smile!


Abby. She is so smart and very silly. She is always acting like some sort of animal (which reminds me of myself when I was younger). She is constantly pretending to "lock teacher up" so i can stay with her forever.


Kaija. She is very shy at first, but absolutely sooo adorable when she opens up to you. She always tells me about how she is going to get "this biggest purple horsie!" (with her arms stretched wide open to show how big), or "this biggest purple doggie!" Haha! She is so tiny too! She is such a sweet little girl :)
So those are probably most of my favorites, but i love them all! You can learn so much being around kids. They are smarter than you think most of the time and a whole lot of fun! I'm going to miss them all so much if i end up getting a new job... but then someday Kevin and I will have our own kids to play with!

300 Warriors Trial Run

So last night Kevin and I stayed the night at his parents' house since this morning we had to wake up at 4:30. They did a trial run of the 300 Warriors ride they will be doing on the 16th. They were starting up in Park City so it was an early morning! Casey and i were the support vehicle. We had a huge cooler full of water bottles with Gatorade and food. Our job was just to make sure Kevin and Chad (and Jeannine the first 50 miles) stayed hydrated and happy. So while we got to stay in the air conditioned car, they were out doing this incredibly hard ride with the sun just beating down on them. It started in Park City, went down along Jordenelle, down into Provo Canyon, up to Sundance and over the Alpine Loop, down into American Fork Canyon, up and over Suncrest, over to Little Cottonwood Canyon, and finishing that big climb up to Snowbird. Whew, it makes me tired just to talk about it! I was blown away at how amazing of a feat it is to do this. All the climbing they have to do is staggering! I can't believe how strong they are just flying up those hills and mountains like it's nothing. I could never do that if my life depended on it! I was also way impressed with Jeannine doing the first 46 miles (out of 96) with them up some really intense, huge hills! She did sooo good! Add in the fact that she got BOTH her knees replaced just last summer and it's so awesome that she can even ride a bike at all! Kevin and chad finished the entire ride at about 2:15, so they made pretty good time. Every time we drove by them on the road we would roll down the windows and yell, scream, and cheer them on. It was way fun. They said having all that water available (which they went through most of it) and all the moral support was awesome and made a big difference. I was so so so proud of all of them!
I registered to do another 10k on August 30 up in Midway with Chantelle and my Aunt Jill. I'm excited but also nervous because this one is going to be a lot more uphill running. So it looks like i gotta train more on some hills...








Kevin eating breakfast











the Sunrise in Park City








Chad and Kevin ready to go














Jeannine on her bike
















Kevin in the white jersey














Kevin stopping for water

















Showing off the guns:) Just a couple more miles to go!

















All DONE!

















Kevin and Chad at the end of the ride

My First (official) 10k

Yesterday was Pioneer Day (at least for those in Utah) and i hope it was great for everyone! It was also my 10k run. I ran it with Kevin and his dad, Chad. It started at Research Park up at the University of Utah, went down through the U, through the avenues, and finished at Liberty Park on 900 S. Kevin's mom, Jeannine, and brother, Casey, were there at the finish to cheer us on, so that was really cool of them to come down. We finished it in under an hour, which is definitely my personal best. I managed to cut a half hour off of my previous best time of an hour and a half. So i was pretty happy with that. However, my body definitely isn't... I am SO SORE! I am as sore as i was after my first runs this season. I can hardly walk! I look like a 90 year old woman as far as walking is concerned. The reason i am so sore is because we ran it at a way faster pace than i am used to. Two things happened while i was running that have never happened to me before. My fingers swelled up so big! They were like little sausages sticking out of my hand. So i must have been a little dehydrated or something. The second thing is, I'm pretty sure i had some sport-induced asthma start. About a half mile before the finish, i really felt like i couldn't get enough air and all of a sudden my throat felt as if it were literally closing up. It felt like i was trying to breath through a straw! I could hardly breathe, let alone talk, so it took me about 30 seconds to tell Kevin what was wrong. Every time i breathed in, it was loud and very wheezy. It scared me way bad! The finish line was in sight though, and so i just kept going and finished. My throat started loosening up after i finished and slowed down. I will have to be very careful about that i guess. Other than that, it was fun and i can't wait to do another run again!














Before the Run- excited to start!



















After the run- excited to be done!

Kevin after the run

After the run back at home





My parents and Colby and Logan came up yesterday afternoon and we went out to eat. That was fun to get to see them :) Last night we went and saw "The Dark Knight" for the second time. We went with Kevin's family. I pretty much LOVE everything about that movie! I think it's genius! The first time, Kevin and I saw it in the IMAX theater, which was amazing. I think Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is brilliant. I don't think anyone could have done it better! It's a shame he's not around anymore because this would have been his crowning role. Me and Kevin want to go watch it a third time :) After the movie, we had a little BBQ at the Briggs' house. It was fun.

Tomorrow, Kevin, Chad, and Jeannine, are going to go run through the "300 Warriors" ride that i wrote about in my first blog. Casey and I will be following in the support vehicle in case they need anything. We will start up in Park City. Jeannine is going to do the first 50 miles with them and then join me and Casey in the car. Between running, biking stuff with Kevin, and church at 9, I have just accepted the fact that i will not get to sleep in during weekends for a very long time...

First Things First

So nowadays it seems like everyone has a blog and i guess i was starting to feel a little left out. So i went ahead and made one! Welcome.

Let's see, what is going on in my life right now... Well, I'm still working at the preschool. I love the kids to death, but it's so tiring! Kevin is still working at Regence and he enjoys it there. He is REALLY good at his job. He is on what they call, the "dedicated" team which pretty much means he can handle more specialized accounts. He is also a mentor there. He meets with employees that are switching from working for Regence of Washington to Regence of Utah and goes over everything they need to know. Then he listens to them help some people and then pretty much just tells them what they are doing right and what they can improve on. His supervisor, a tall, almost masculine-built woman with bright red hair, LOVES him, so that's good. She is helping to figure out a way that he can change his work schedule a little to accommodate taking some classes in the fall. Hopefully they can work something out so he can get going on his education a little more. He wants to go into engineering, and the classes he needs to take are only offered at certain times on certain days... So it's getting a little tricky to juggle school and work.

Other than work we both have some things keeping us busy. Kevin and his dad are training to ride in a bike race called Lotoja. It is on September 6 and starts in Logan and goes up to Jackson Hole, which is about 206 miles! It's pretty intense with the distance alone, but they climb 3 mountain passes in the first 110 miles! He is so excited though, and when they found out they got in, they started training even harder than they already were. They are also doing another race on August 16 (my birthday!) called, "The 300 Warriors." It's part of the tour of Utah. This is what it says on the website: On the fourth and most demanding day in "America's toughest stage race," 300 citizen warriors will precede the professional teams by 4 hours. Their goal: ride 98 miles and scale 14,778 vertical feet, a feat representing over 28% of the horizontal distance and almost half the climbing in the five-day Tour of Utah stage race. Finishing this ride is the equivalent to riding the Tour de France’s Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier and Alpe d’Huez..

So it's incredibly tough. They are pretty much already doing most of that ride in their training so, hopefully, wont be too bad. I got to name their team. They are team "Briggsalicious" hahaha! Pretty awesome stuff.

I am trying to run more. I guess you could say my long term goal is to someday run a marathon... In the meantime, i have a ways to go before i can do that. I am running a 10k on the 24th of July next week in Salt Lake. I ran just a little over a 10k this morning, so I'm ready for that.

I'm still a primary teacher. I teach the 7-8 year olds. They are pretty cool. I have a small class (3-4 kids) so it's pretty fun for the most part. Kevin is the Elder's quorum secretary. I think he likes his calling. I know he enjoys the other guys he works with in the presidency. Shawn Bradley, the basketball player and celebrity (from "Space Jam" haha) is the president and he is a really great guy. It's funny to see Kevin, 5'8, standing next to Shawn who is 7'6... haha! Also, all the guys in the presidency bike, so they all have that in common.

Last month we went to Italy for a little over 2 weeks with my family. It was AMAZING. I want to go back so bad. It was so beautiful over there and i loved all the historic things we got to see. Unforgettable. Then me and Kevin went to St. George for the 4th of July. It was fun just to go down and relax. We went hiking in Zions and Kolob, which was awesome and so pretty. Our 1 year anniversary is coming up next month on the 9th! I can't believe we have already been married a year. Time flies when you're having fun :) We are probably going to go stay in Park City for a couple nights for that.

Anyways, Kevin went on a long bike ride this morning starting early, around 6 i think. After i went for my run, i didn't have much to do so i went to the farmer's market in downtown Salt Lake. It was fun to walk around. They had a lot of booths with just random crafts, food, and art. Next time i will have to bring Kevin along.

Anyways, that's pretty much all that's going on with us right now. Life is pretty good, we like it.