Salt Lake City, Utah

I spent a week in my favorite place: Salt Lake City, Utah. Here are a few of my newly created memories:

1. Surprising my cousin for his birthday, above.

2. Seeing my brother's new place and crashing there a few nights.

3. Seeing my first snowfall in more than two years.

4. Staying in on a Saturday and watching a movie with my brother. I really miss him. I want to move there. 

5. Seeing my aunt for the first time in years. I really miss her. 

6. Seeing the amazing growth of SLC. It's really come a long way just even in a few years. 

I want to return. I didn't mind the snow one bit. 

Cancer

Zach Sobiech is battling cancer of which there is no effective treatment. He wrote this catchy little tune and his dying wish is for 1,000,000 people to hear it.

Friends

I went out with an old friend from 10 years ago to an outdoor ice rink. I used to skate almost everyday, but hadn't laced up my old skates in years. Good news: I can still skate. Bad news: I think my feet have grown. Luckily my friend, seen on the right of me above, is a hockey player and keeping up with him wasn't as hard as I originally thought.

It feels very much unlike the holidays here. It's over 80 and sunny and I am very frustrated with a major component of my life, so it hasn't much put me in the holiday spirit. I will be in a different place next year.

New Zealand

I returned from another vacation to the Land Down Under and it is probably the last time I will go to that part of the world--too many other places to go. But I do love it. Here are my highlights:

1. Bungee jumping for the first time. Watch it!
2. Finishing another marathon on my quest to become the youngest woman to have run a marathon on all seven continents TWICE. I sucked in the race.
3. Going on a Lord of the Rings Tour
4. Traveling to Milford Sound and taking a boat through it
5. Seeing where they filmed The Hobbit. Guess I must watch it now!
6. Going to a traditional high tea at the Sky Tower in Auckland
7. Eating the most amazing pizza at Winnie's in Queenstown
8. Taking a gondola ride up the top of a mountain in Queenstown and eating a buffet dinner
9. Seeing a traditional haka show from the Maoris.
10. Mining for gold. No, I didn't get any.
11. Going four-wheeling straight into a river
12. Seeing the amazing views of a beautiful country

Time to pick a new place after I build back up my finances.

Marathon in New Zealand

I wrote about running in New Zealand. Click on the link.

New Zealand Marathon

On no training and two broken toe nails, I finished another international marathon in total pain and agony. I suffered from kilometer 17 and on, walking most of the way. It wasn't a pleasant experience. I did enjoy the views and coming over the bridge in Auckland. It took place next to the water and the heat didn't help matters, but I finished. Don't let that smile fool you, my foot is bleeding because at mile 25.97, my toe nail came off and I had to finish limping.

Today is my half birthday (US anyway, not New Zealand) and I celebrated by running my worst marathon ever (minus Antarctica and Great Wall of China). How that clock moves in a direction I don't like.