being thankful

     This last weekend was Easter, and I decided to go to Utah to see my sister's family for the weekend.  It was so fun, and I always have a good time with her family, especially her kids who are the cutest, funniest kids I know.  It's always a good time with the Barnett's.  Saturday morning I stopped by my sister's work, the Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe.  I hung out just before her shift was over and enjoyed a banana chocolate chip cupcake.  It was so moist and delicious.  I love trying cupcakes I don't normally eat, like banana, variations on spice cakes, and unique flavor combinations (like the caramel banana cupcake with cream cheese frosting I had at Kara's cupcakes in San Francisco).  Laura's a pretty amazing baker herself, and I hope someday she opens her own cupcake shop.  Later in the evening, we went to Laura's in-laws to eat polish dogs with J-dawgs sauce.  I love love love J-dawgs sauce.  It's pretty amazing.  After dinner we just hung out, talked for awhile, and watched Wreck It Ralph which is a really cute movie.  Easter morning was so fun, watching the kids dig in to their Easter baskets.  I had decided to fast that day since I knew my single's ward would be fasting.  It's never easy fasting when you're watching everyone down chocolate bunnies, and peeps marshmallows.  I'm so glad I did though, since I was able to have such a strengthening Sunday worship.  In Sunday School, we were asked to write down everything we were thankful for.  There were both temporal and spiritual things on my list.  The teacher stopped us after a certain amount of time, and asked us to think of how we would feel, if everything that was not on our list was taken from us.  I felt so much peace as soon as I realized everything I had written down were things that I would hate to lose.  It was a good reality check to keep my priorities straight and put the things I'm most thankful for first in my life.  It also reminded me of one of my Grandma Baird's favorite hymns, "Have I Done Any Good In The World Today."  I love the words of this hymn and the message of of serving Christ, especially in a world where it seems as though people are becoming more selfish and greedy.

my last race

I finally looked up my race results from the Saints and Sinners half marathon I did in October 2012.  This was my 6th half-marathon.  I've kind of slowed down since my year or two streak of half-marathons.  I never knew how I did, and this is good motivation for me to get back into running again.  It wasn't my best time, but it wasn't the worst either.  I finished 152nd out of 259 runners.  I have a love hate relationship with running at the moment.  I dread the initial getting out the door to actually do it, but I remember why I love it when I'm done with a good, refreshing run.  I've been a lot more on top of working out and eating healthy lately, and this is a good reminder of what I'm capable of doing.    

152   114   Baird, Elizabeth  02:11:23   10:02  F 29    Las Vegas        NV          

I should also add that this was the first race I've ran that I've had a boyfriend wait at the finish line for me.  Best feeling ever to have a fan waiting for you at the end of the race.  Aaron really is the best.  :)

Running again...

I'm way excited to go running with my new wireless ear buds tonight.  I just hope I don't get a funky tan line around my neck...  I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.  : /

Over the last year and a half I sort of out did myself running 5 half-marathons.  Was I obsessed with running?  Maybe a little...  But every race I did was so fun and I just got addicted.  Especially the Nike Women's Marathon in October of 2011.  I had so much fun visiting my Aunt Peg and seeing San Francisco for the first time.  The Tiffany's "medal" and meeting the San Francisco fire fighters wasn't so bad either...  :)

p.s.  The wetness on my shorts is from pouring water down my back throughout the race...  I didn't pee my pants as many full-marathoners do when they don't have time to stop at the porter potty...haha.

I've really missed running lately.  A lot.  Mostly I miss how easy it used to be.  Unfortunately sometimes easy=fun for me.  Mostly when it comes to working out.  My PR at one time was an 8:00 mile which I was able to run in January at the Arizona Rock N' Roll marathon.  Let's just say I'm not at the same pace anymore, but I fully plan on getting back to the same time again.  It's not easy, and I have to motivate myself to run for different reasons now than I had then, but I know I can get back to my old pace.  Now I have a motivating factor of running a race at the end of October (for free thank goodness...races can get EXPENSIVE).  It doesn't hurt to find some new songs to put on my running playlist either.  I found a couple old favorites from the 90s, which I am just loving right now:

Roll To Me, by Del Amitri

Run-Around, by Blues Traveler

Letters, by Stroke 9

Hey Jealousy, by Gin Blossoms

  

things to be thankful for...

1.  a new job, at Shadow Ridge High School
2.  the most amazing family, who I've been able to visit several times this year (mostly my sisters in Utah)
3.  a great boyfriend, who took me to CA for my birthday this weekend
4.  living in Summerlin now, and loving my new ward
5.  a gym membership
6.  a loving Father in Heaven
7.  a cello and ukulele I love to play
8.  a covered parking spot in my apt. complex
9.  getting to learn how to wake board this summer, and having so much fun doing it
10. having a piano to play at work whenever I want    

artistic freedom

An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's.

-J.D. Salinger

an adventurous Saturday

I'm about to start some new adventures today:

1.  conquering the art of baking french macarons.

2.  resisting the urge to throw my sewing machine across the room, and executing some of my latest ideas

3.  eating dinner at a new place I discovered that has some of my favorite Asian food (Filipino, Vietnamese, and Chinese, all at one restaurant); as a reward for conquering my first two adventures.

"He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life."

 -Ralph Waldo Emerson

my latest sweaty songs

I've been sweating to some awesome new tunes lately; well new to my workout playlist at least.  

They are as follows:

 1.  Lights.  Where The Fence Is Low.

 2.  David Guetta feat. Sia.  Titanium.

3.  Ellie Goulding.  Lights (bassnectar remix).

4.  M83.  Reunion.

5.  Imagine Dragons.  It's Time.

Well, there you have it.  :)  Just posting these songs makes me want to go workout.  

Darn it, I have to go to bed though.  Goodnight!