If my sore knee and hip (which is a new pain by the way) aren't proof enough...

"Hardcastle" girls

Melanie, Jodi, and Me

Me and Shelli

Jodi, Me, and Shelli

All of us!  Great job ladies!  We did it!

These pictures are worth much more to me than this one...

This year I actually ran, not walked, the Thanksgiving 5 mile race.

Big accomplishment.

And although the miles didn't quite add up to 5 (I'm still upset about it!), my body has changed.  I feel pain.  Pain in my right knee and left hip.  Apparently my body doesn't love running as much as I wish it did.

It really isn't going to love it when I run Ogden's Half Marathon in May.

This 13.1 mile run has been described like this:

The 1/2 Marathon course begins at the last half of the full Marathon at an elevation of 5,000 feet. You will start the 1/2 by running around Pineview Reservoir then drop into Ogden Canyon where you will run along the roaring Ogden River. Breathtaking views of pine covered slopes changing into steep rock faces will be encountered along with quaint homes nestled along the river's edge. Exiting the canyon you run (home? it is so close) onto the Ogden River Parkway for approximately 2 miles which will take you past Dinosaur Park and the Utah State University Botanical Gardens. The course ends downtown on Historic 25th street at an elevation of 4,309 Feet.



I still don't know what I'm getting myself into.  I blame you, Jodi (however, you wouldn't be the best gym partner, and running mate, ever if it wasn't for things like this - so I guess I should say 'thank you'...but right now I'm just going to blame you).

Housewife?

I feel pretty confident that I would {and someday just might} make a wonderful housewife.

I’ve got the whole cleaning thing down {every Saturday I do my ‘chores’ before I do anything else…well maybe I go do cardio and yoga first, but definitely after those comes cleaning}.

I do laundry occasionally.

And I’ve even ironed Gordon’s dress shirt once.

Now I’m working on the whole cooking thing. I’ve cooked twice this week in fact {which might be a first…poor husband of mine}. And from scratch both times. I have proof {at least of one night’s dinner}.

I even tried to make these chocolate chip pancakes as healthy as I could…substituted no-sugar applesauce for the oil, used wheat flour instead of white… So what if the cinnamon honey syrup had a whole stick of butter in it {it was dang good and I would/will make it again}.

Now I’ve just got to work on the whole stay at home thing…the dogs aren’t a good enough reason {at least that's what Gordon says}.

Good tidings of comfort and joy

I am very fortunate to first- have a job, and second- to have a job that I {for the most part} love. And at this time of year I really love my job.


I get to be the coordinator for a holiday gift drive for senior citizens. When I first put this together last year it was sad to see all the elderly in need, and it was even sadder to see what they were in need of {I’m talking money for groceries, hygiene items, everyday living items, etc}. This year my list of seniors in need doubled. The good news is people want to help. I have received numerous phone calls/emails from people in the community wanting to do whatever they can for these sweet seniors. Some are even taking multiple gift donation requests. And although I’m not the one giving, I feel a bit selfish because I get to see all the happy faces when the gifts are delivered. I get the never ending thank you’s. I get to feel all the warm fuzzys.

There are good things happening in the world. And I’m so blessed to be apart of them.

Something's gotta give

Hot drink.


Gloves.


Warm winter boots w/faux fur inside.


Blanket.


Yet still freezing.

Wish I could use my space heater, but it trips the breaker.

Not nearly as productive as I could be given these work conditions {I’m obviously working harder at staying warm than anything else I actually have to do today}.

If this isn’t a perfect reason to buy more sweaters and cardigans, than I don’t know what is.

Dear Gordon,

Thank you for letting me take you on date this weekend and treating you to a movie that was my choice, and dinner which was my choice, and dessert which also just happened to be my choice.


(we tried a new ice cream shop, SubZero ice cream. It was amazing and oh so delicious)





Thank you for putting new tires on my car so I’m safe on my commute each day. They made a huge difference this windy snowy morning.

Thank you for snuggling with me last night during the wind storm (which I wasn’t scared about until you said you were a bit nervous that the wind might damage our house…thankfully the only thing that happened was a blown off window screen. Crazy canyon wind!).

Thank you for wanting to "just hang out at home, just us" almost every Friday night, eat a frozen pizza, cuddle with the dogs and me, and watch a movie.





Thank you for being so unselfish that you would have waited a little longer to have your dream come true if the answer to my prayers wasn't the same as yours.

Thank you for not getting too upset about this post. I do it all out of love (and because this is my journal).

I love you.

Add a warm drink and it's a date

There’s something about Christmas lights that really puts me in the mood for the Christmas season. A couple of weeks ago we went to our city’s light parade and opening of the Christmas Village attraction. I don’t really care much for either of these things, but I love to see people’s creativity come alive with the decoration of the parade floats (which this year’s creativity was lacking…come on people!). The more lights the parade float had the more I liked the float.



It was a chilly night so to warm up we stopped by a local coffee shop and got steamed milk and hot cocoa (which is my absolute favorite thing to do, get warm drinks. And if their fancy warm drinks, that’s even better). My gingerbread steamed milk/hot cocoa creation was magical.





Thanks husband for doing these ridiculous things with me (taking a picture in front of this sign is ridiculous to him…taking pictures when we’re anywhere is ridiculous to him, yet he continues to do it. And all for me. I sure do love him. A lot.).

Hi Darlin' Pie

Gordon and I aren't ones for calling each other by "pet names". Sometimes a 'honey' pops out of my mouth, but for the most part I just call Gordon 'Gordon' (or 'husband') and he does the same, but he calls me 'wife'. You won't hear a 'babe' or 'baby' come out of our mouths (not that there's anything wrong with people that do this...). However, it seems that Gordon has changed this (not the 'babe' or 'baby' part, but the pet name part). For the past couple of years Gordon has jokingly called me 'darlin', 'darlin' pie', 'puddin pie', 'snookums'.

Well guess what? They've stuck.

And although they are still a joke, he says them to me all the time. And you know what? I like 'em. All of them. I like when I call him he answers the phone "Hi darlin' pie". Or when I get home from work and he greets me with a "Hey snookums". And although he says them with a lot of sarcasm, he cannot not use them. Yes, they are still very much a joke, but these are jokes I'm never going to get sick of {and they are the reason our blog is named 'Ok Darlin'}.

I love you husband.


{he's going to kill me for putting this picture of him on our blog...
but I needed a silly picture for a silly post}