Life is a Highway: June 2013

Running Through June

On June 1st I made a goal to run at least one mile, six days a week. Today, June 30th I can happily report that I achieved this goal.

I have always wanted to be a runner. Not just someone passing the miles on the treadmill, but also someone who can slip into a pair of running shoes and head out the door for some heart-pumping cardio.

The first few times I ran outside I felt awkward and couldn't wait to get back home. Now I can say that I prefer running outside to the treadmill. I still like the treadmill and will never be without one in my house, but after running outside; where the scenery changes, my speed, stride and breathing are determined by my body and not a machine, the miles slip by, and the fresh air filling my lungs, it's hard to get back on the the treadmill where I'm constantly watching the clock and the distance slowly pass. To make the treadmill more bearable I now do intervals. Sprint for a minute and then jog for 30 seconds.

The 5am sun.

A gorgeous morning run.

To achieve my goal I got up at 5am to get my run in before Brandon had to leave for work. On the days this didn't happen I ran at the boys' nap time on my treadmill. On days I REALLY didn't feel like running I only did one mile. Most days I averaged 1.5-3 miles.

Used one of my favorite Apps, MapMyRun, to track my routes and distance.

I'm going to try to keep up with running because I'm truly becoming addicted to it.

Glistening after a 3 mile treadmill run on June 30, 2013!!!

Mission complete. I'm open to suggestions for new goals for July. :)

Our 11th Anniversary

On June 29, 2002 I married Brandon Michael Shope. This is when the biggest adventure of my life began.

Our 11th Anniversary started like any other Saturday, with a trip to North Pole for a White Chocolate Americano with cream for me, and a French Cream latte for Brandon. Normally we head to The Donut Shop in Fairbanks and then to Bridgett's after that, but Brandon was on weekend duty and actually had to go to work, so we had to head back home so that Brandon could prepare for the day.

The boys watching daddy leave for work.

While Brandon was gone I got on Pinterest and found a no-bake cheesecake recipe and a huckleberry sauce recipe. The boys and I went to the commissary and then came home to make our dessert.

Into the fridge it goes.

Brandon came home from work feeling sick and tired so he took a nice long nap on the couch. He woke less tired, but still sick. :(

We prepared dinner. Crab legs, garlic mashed potatoes, bacon wrapped asparagus and rolls. The outcome was oh so DELICIOUS.

We wrapped up the night with a little walk with the kids and dogs.

8pm. Temperatures still in the 80's. Sun still high in the sky.

It was a lovely day surrounded by the family that Brandon and I created... with love!

River Camping

We went on our first camping trip, of the summer, this weekend. We are early risers in our household, so after getting up and ready for the day we packed all of our gear and hit the road. We went out Chena Hot Springs Road, about an hour and a half from our house. It took quite a while to find a suitable campsite. There were tons of people already out and about. Luckily we found one that was somewhat secluded and near the river.

We spent the majority of our time by the Chena River, throwing hundreds and hundreds if rocks. Dillan fell into the river with the first 10 minutes of pulling up to the site. He was promptly stripped down and put back into the water. He didn't learn from his first fall and did manage to fall one more time during our stay.

Tanner was perfectly content running, splashing and throwing objects into the water. He and Maggie were hard to drag out long enough to dry off. He and Brandon did fish a little, but not for long.

We had the usual camping food to eat. Neither one of the boys ate a decent meal during our stay, but they had no problems devouring s'mores.

Bedtime was rough. It was so hot (in the mid-80's), the air mattress wasn't able to be inflated, we forgot special blankies that are used to help little ones fall asleep, people a few campsites down were firing off a variety of guns (at 9:30pm then at 1:00am), someone was driving up and down the road with a bullhorn. We did manage to get a bit of sleep, but no one woke rested.