Itsy Bitsy Spider

We've been so busy all week with shipping packages, running errands and doing last minute shopping, that today was a designated "stay in jammies all day" day. Oliver and I explored, played, did chores, and sang songs. Here's a minute clip from our day!

I can't believe I ran the whole thing!

Early yesterday morning, I ran in the Slacker Half Marathon Relay! I went into it expecting to run 4.4 miles, and with good reason. I read about the second leg of the race, which is 4.4 miles of paved road. I figured, OK, one other person runs 4.4 miles, and the other teammate runs 4.3.

Only that's not how it worked. I learned from some of my mom's coworkers that the first leg of the race (my leg!) had "rolling hills" and was 5.0 miles long. Holy crap! Sure enough, there were hills. And lots of little rocks to slip on. I took it really slow (and I'm so glad I did. Apparently, a lot of people twisted their ankles on the first 5 miles!). I stayed near the back of the pack for the most part and just kept going. I didn't know if my body would be able to stick it out for 5 miles. Gulp!

Before the first mile marker, I got a sharp pain in my side and my knees started to hurt. Not a good sign. I tried to breathe out longer than in (that sometimes helps me with that pain) but to no avail. Then I tried the opposite and tried to take long, deep breaths in. Still no worky. I ran with my arms bent above my head. Still, it didn't help! I told myself to run through the pain, and I kept moving. At the water station at mile two, I grabbed my water and decided to walk while drinking it. I walked probably a quarter mile, and my side felt better, so I ran again.

The run always seemed to be going uphill or down hill; it was very rare for it to be flat. It kept things interesting, and the views were amazing. I looked at the mountains ahead of me with their snow peaks, and I listed to the little waterfalls around me. It definitely kept me distracted and the run pretty much flew by. I eventually made it to mile 5. I sprinted when I saw the 5.0 mile marker sign. I did it! Only... my mom wasn't waiting there to take my timing chip. Holy crap, I had to keep going!

I freaked out that I'd passed her by. I decided to start walking again to save my stamina in case I had a lot farther to go. I walked about two tenths of a mile when I heard in the distance, "Beccckyyyy!" I took off running. I started to sprint (rather, as much of a sprint as I could muster after 5 miles), and I kept sprinting until I reached my mom. I'd just run 5.3 miles, my longest run ever! She took our timing chip and headed off to do her 4.4 miles. I felt great and didn't feel very tired at all. Hurray!

My 5.3 miles were completed in 1 hour 8 minutes, but it took me a full minute to arrive at the starting line once the clock started, so I'm claiming 1 hour 7 minutes. That's a 12.6 minute miles. While it's no 8 minute mile (like my mom's friend Kathy did for our last leg of the race!), I felt really good I could maintain that pace for such a long distance. I also now feel confident I could run a 10k!

...and even the full half marathon this January. Hurray!

Braces!

It's official; I'm getting the invisalign braces!

Today, I went in to learn about how well they'll work on me, specifically. There were computer images to see how my teeth are now, how they'll look like in the end, and how they'll look like step by step, with each tray.

I'm very excited. I need a total of 14 trays on both my top teeth and my bottom; each tray, I'm to wear for 2 weeks. This means 28 weeks (or just 6 months!) of braces, and then I'll have straight teeth!

There's enough space in my mouth where I won't need my teeth filed in the gaps. Also, it sounds like my insurance is going to cover half the cost! I couldn't be happier with that.

Woohoo! I'm excited not to have my one front tooth in my way all the time (one of my incisors has dropped so low and so far back, when I bite down, it touches my bottom teeth before any of the others, so that's the only non-molar tooth I can touch to my bottom teeth). I'm just... excited!

Hurray!

My first tray should arrive in 2 weeks :)

Peace Corps

Yesterday, Andrew and I talked about the Peace Corps. We're basically tossing around the idea of applying to volunteer for next year. To be honest, I really love the idea, and the possibility of learning a language to live and help out people in another country is extremely appealing.

There are some really good benefits for working with the Peace Corps. First, you spend three months training on a language and culture, and then you are placed (usually with a family) in another country to live and work for two years. It's mostly volunteer work. The government pays you a stipend to live off of, based on the cost of living in the country you're sent. Then, after completing the full two years of service, each volunteer is given $6,000.

Also, if you complete your two years in the Peace Corps, it's supposed to be really easy to get a job with the federal government. As long as you meet the qualifications of a position (degree, experience, whatever), you won't have to go through the competitive process for the job for a full year.

Furthermore, Andrew and I would be guaranteed to be placed together if we were accepted. We wouldn't have to worry about being alone. About 9% of Peace Corps volunteers are married, and (apparently) there are some projects in countries they only send married couples to. Hmm.

Of course, there would be a few concerns with leaving. One, I'm used to seeing my parents weekly. Not seeing my family whenever I want to will be very challenging. Two, Bailey's health is always a concern. I couldn't possibly leave her this late in her life. It would kill me to have her get really sick when I'm gone. Perhaps Andrew and I should wait a few more years when we don't have a pet? Also, career/jobs could be a problem. I don't think my company would give me two years leave for the Peace Corps (although I can definitely call on Tuesday and look into it). I've always touched on the idea of working for the federal government because of the benefits, so I could have a job opportunity upon returning. However, it would be a bit intimidating to come back home after 2+ years of being away, and then having to deal with the issue of finding a job.

I'm not sure. A lot of possibilities and worthwhile reasons to join the Peace Corps. A lot of emotional concerns to deal with, too, if we were to apply.

Do any of you know someone who's joined the Peace Corps? What were their experiences like?

Mountain Camping

Last night, Andrew and I drove up to his parents' land near Fairplay, Colorado to camp. It was to be my first time camping outside of a campground with a toilet, so I was a bit nervous.

Because of the holiday traffic, the trip took longer than usual. We stopped off in Breckenridge and didn't actually make it to the land until just after 8pm. With the mountains to the west, the sun was already almost set up there.

Andrew's parents were there checking out spots to build a cabin, and they helped us set up our tent before heading on their way. I felt sleepy and wanted to crash out just as Andrew got the fire going. It took a lot of work and time, so I didn't want to hurry away to bed. Instead, I did my best to stay awake and checked out the stars.

Maybe I made it to about 10pm. I'm not sure. At some point, I had to tell him I couldn't stay awake any more. I crawled into the tent and into my new (good to 20 degrees) sleeping bag. I was a bit too short for it, so I took a blanket and shoved it down to the foot of the bag and buried my feet in their to keep them warm. I slept and slept and slept...

...for about 3 hours. My cold, numb face woke me up. Using my warm hands, I was able to help my face, but I couldn't find a position to keep my face warm. I thought about burying my head in the sleeping bag, but the oxygen wasn't good in there. Plus, I didn't know if sleeping bags are made with plastic (are they?), and I worried I'd suffocate. My nose was freezing again, so I gently shook Andrew to let him know I was uber cold.

He let me crawl into his bag. He has a fabric lining near the top, which helped keep my face warm. However, with two of us zipped into his one-man bag, it was difficult to breathe and move. He decided to try out my bag. I think he did OK in there, but once he left the bag I was sleeping in, my feet started to get cold.

I felt pretty miserable. I didn't want to fail at my first non-campgroud camping experience, so I tried to fall asleep again. At the time, I didn't know what time it was (1am), and I assumed it was close to dawn (wrong!). I figured, if I can just fall asleep for another hour, the sun will rise and start to warm us up! Time ticked by slowly, and I think Andrew knew I wasn't sleeping. He offered to pack up the camp site and take me home. At first, I resisted. After another 20 minutes (or maybe it was only a couple), I gave in and agreed.

He started the car and had me sit in there while he quickly packed everything up. Dogs or coyotes or maybe the yetis that reportedly live up in the area were howling, so I didn't fight him too much on staying in the car. I glanced over and saw the temperature read out read 25 degrees. My sleeping bag should have worked at that temperature, but, then again, it was probably too big for me as there was lots of extra space on top to let the cold air in.

We made it home by 3:30am. Typically, I hate the temperature in our apartment. No matter what we do, it's stuck at a miserable 78 degrees inside. At 3:30am, however, it felt nice to be usually warm, and I fell straight asleep and didn't wake up again until 11.

So maybe I didn't make it through a full night of mountain camping. That's OK. I'll give it a try again this summer, when the temperature won't drop so low. For now, it's enough to say, I peed in the forest. Good for me.

What did you all do this holiday weekend?

Canoe Dog

Bailey's completely wiped out after a fun day at Chatfield Reservoir. We got up early and went over to Andrew's mom and dad's to pick up the canoe. I wasn't sure what to expect from Bailey, but she did pretty well!

She loved the smells. We canoed to a little "island" and let Bailey run around off leash. After a little persuasion, she even pranced at the edge of the water and loved it. Andrew beckoned her to follow him further into the water, and she actually did. She swam a little bit, but ultimately decided the land was more fun. Good choice; she had a blast smelling everything in "nature."

After about an hour or so, she seemed a little exhausted and started to cry. She doesn't spend much time outdoors, so I figured she'd had her fill and was probably a bit overwhelmed. Do we headed back, really satisfied with our day outdoors with the dog. I'm really glad we took her there; I'm so happy she had fun.