Taking Up Running! Really?!?

Ginger Writes “I am really starting to get excited about running a half marathon. Yep, that’s right. Sounds like it will be late August or early September, Not sure where yet and I can’t fully explain why I would be excited about running, I am NOT a runner. I am hoping to be working out the details in a few weeks while I am in Florida. BUT, I am going to do it! I purchased a book online for Rookie Half Marathon runners and by what I can gather I need to at least spend the next 8 weeks to prepare for the training. Yep, pre-training for the actual training. I almost laughed myself right out of my seat when I read that. According to this information I need to be able to run for 25 to 30 minutes straight before beginning the REAL training. Now, I have several friends who are marathon runners. You can’t live in St. George and not have friends who are marathon runners. I am hoping to sign up for the many 5K’s that pop up around here to help prepare for it.

So what else can I say? I am starting to learn that I need more than just losing weight as a motivation for working out. I need to be working toward something. It couldn’t come at a better time since I am trying to prepare myself for the wedding in September. The best part is that I don’t really care what size my dress is as long as I feel I am healthy. This is a shift that came over the last few years as I have learned to just love myself the way I am. Shane has been a big part of that. A day doesn’t go by that he doesn’t tell me how beautiful he believes I am. In some ways (Don’t tell him) I feel so comfortable with myself and my body, I haven’t had a motivation to get back in shape. BUT, that has now changed with the thought of working towards a fun life goal. I have always wanted to run a marathon. I never really thought I could do it though. Maybe by running a half marathon I can decide then if a FULL marathon would be realistic. If it is, I will plan to run the famous St. George Marathon. It will have to be in 2012 since I will be on a FUN Cruise during this year’s run.

Ok, I think I have rambled enough… Goodnight everyone!”

It's Been Way To Long...

Ginger Writes "Well, It’s been since August since I have posted anything on here. Part of it is that so much has been going on I get overwhelmed wondering if I can get it all in a post. I also start to wonder.. do people really want to read about our lives? BUT, I finally decided to stop worrying about it and just start typing to see what comes out. If you are reading this now, it’s because you want to, not because we have forced it on ya! Hahaha.

Currently, this week, life is pretty calm. Shane and I are gearing up for a trip to Florida on the 10th to visit My Mom and Grandma. I am excited because by coincidence my brother and his wife are also going at the same time. They will be there for the whole week and we are meeting up with them on that Thursday. I am so excited to give my niece and nephew a great big hug and kiss. I don’t see them as much as I wish I could. It’s going to be awesome and I can’t wait!

My Mom and Step Dad came to visit in September. Wait, maybe it was October. Wow, I can’t believe I can’t remember which month! Well, anyway, they stayed at Shane’s parent’s house and we had a blast! I enjoyed every minute of it! It was fun for my two worlds to collide and for everyone to get to know each other. Only thing that would have made it more perfect is if Shane’s Dad could have been there. He was on the road that week so we missed him dearly.

The end of 2010 brought some tears and sorrow. Shane’s beloved Grandfather passed away. We were grateful we were able to get up to Idaho to visit him in November, but it was a difficult several months for his family. The passing of a loved one is always so hard. I personally have not figured out how to deal with loss. I am not sure anyone ever does. My biggest fear in life is losing the ones I love. My heart went out to everyone involved. We went up to Idaho for the burial, and although it was nice to meet more of Shane’s family, I sure wish it could have been under different circumstances. It was pretty amazing to see so many people at the graveside service. A quick scan counted more than 100 people in attendance. Shane and I will be blessed to touch even a fraction of the lives his Grandparents did, and I wish I could have gotten to know them better.

Christmas came and went. It was simple. Shane had to work so I spent the day with my “Other” family. The Nixons and the Taylors are always so good to me and I feel so grateful I always feel at home with them. I did, however, get to have a late, late dinner with Shane and his parents and then we spent time at their house exchanging presents. It reminded me of the late nights at my Dad's house with his family and I found myself a little home sick. I enjoyed every minute of it and LOVE the family I will be marrying into.

New Years was AWESOME. Shane did not have to work that night so we had ourselves a little party with our friends. We had TONS and TONS of food and games, it was so much fun!! It was our first official New Years together since last year he had to work. I really loved getting a midnight kiss!

The first week of January I made my final payment on a piece of debt I have been paying off since I moved away from Wisconsin. It was the last piece holding me to my past and well, I gotta say, it was such a great relief to see the check clear the bank. Shane and I had ourselves a mini celebration with a trip away to Zion’s. Zion’s is probably my favorite place on the entire planet, so to say the least.. IT ROCKED! Of course, I still have some of my own personal stuff I am paying off but I am on track to be 100% out of debt before the Wedding in September. Shane and I have had several people ask us why we are having such a long engagement and this is the main reason why. I always told myself if I ever got married again I would be out of debt before it happened. Not that I wouldn’t marry Shane if I still had debt but it is going to be pretty sweet to actually see something so important to me happen. I am very blessed to have a few things in my life contribute to getting out of debt. First, SHANE… he has let me use his Jeep for some time now and there is NO way my precious 98 dodge neon would have survived the many trips up to Cedar City and back. It takes a real Man to give up such a cool car to drive around a Neon. The second are Dean and Andrea. When I made the decision to move out of my apartment and in with them, it came when all of us needed help financially. It was a WIN, WIN for everyone. BUT it has been the biggest contributor to paying down what felt like a never ending pile of debt that would haunt me forever and ever. I have learned my lesson for life… with the exception of maybe one more car and then a mortgage, every purchase from here forward will be with cash. If I don’t have cash to pay off the card I make the purchase with (Because everyone should still use reward cards) I won’t have it. PERIOD!

I have saved the hardest thing to type about for last. If you have made it this far without falling asleep, beware that what I have left to share is sad. When I met Shane 2 years ago, he told me he had an awesome yellow lab that was unlike any other dog I would ever meet. I could tell he truly believed this but it was on our 2nd date, where we saw the movie Marley and Me, that I got a real understanding of the love he had for his doggy. He spent a good portion of the end of the movie trying to hide that he was tearing up. I must say, that even though he was embarrassed by these tears, for a 2nd date.. I was impressed. I didn’t get to meet Shane’s dog Kobe until several dates later when we went snowmobiling. The picture I currently have as my profile picture on facebook is from this first meeting. He enjoyed the snow and the excitement of getting to go somewhere in the back of Shane's Jeep. This was also the first time I met Shane’s parents and I could tell they loved Kobe Dog as much as Shane. I hadn’t fully learned what was so special about him on this first meeting, but I know I instantly loved him. He was friendly and sweet, and loved a great belly rub! Over the last two years I have learned firsthand exactly what Shane told me on our first date. Kobe Dog was the best doggy ever! He just loved everyone and every person who crossed his path. Everyone was touched by his gentle eyes and soul. A few weeks ago, Kobe Dog was not doing well. He wasn’t eating and having a hard time getting around. It was heartbreaking. Everyone was praying that he would come out of it but after a long, long night of no sleep and watching him in what seemed like pain… the very hard decision came to let him go. There were a lot of tears. I won’t get into details, because I am not sure it is my place to share them, but I can say it was one of the hardest things I have ever witnessed to see my future husband lose his bestest friend he ever had. Shane loved this doggy with all his heart because this doggy loved Shane with all his heart. It was an unconditional love that can only be given by a doggy. I have never seen anything like it, nor do I think I will ever see it again. Kobe Dog WAS the most special doggy I have ever met and he will be dearly missed.

So with that, I will end this post. I hope to start blogging some more and hopefully it won’t be a list of events to catch everyone up and put you to sleep. I have decided that I won’t be afraid to share my life in this blog, cause when I do, I feel more open and free. So here we go.. 2011 here I come! AND Aaron, if you made it this far, I promise I will post some fun stories of Shane for your personal enjoyment… hahaha. Just don’t tell him I said that"

Our Vacation

Shane writes:
Ginger and I took a few days to recharge the batteries and to visit with some awesome people. The first leg of our trip took us to Bear Lake in northern Utah for my family reunion. We got to Bear Lake Friday afternoon and met up with some cousins that I haven't seen in a very long time. It was great to re-connect with them. We had a Luau style dinner with pork, pineapple, numerous pasta salads, and sweet desserts. Unfortunately, just as we were starting dinner, mother nature was starting to brew up a very nasty windstorm. You know, the kind where branches fly off trees and bash you in the shoulder. The wind got so bad that many trees ended up falling over completely. This created havoc for the tent campers. It was a bummer that the weather ruined our plans for a fireside visit, but it all worked out as my Dad's brothers and sisters and in-laws all crowded into our tiny KOA cabin. It was a blast and we had a very nice visit.

Day two saw us wake up at 5:30 (yeah, AM. ON VACATION!!!) to get to the SLC airport to catch a flight to Milwaukee. We drove from Milwaukee to Elcho, WI where Ginger's family reunion takes place every year. This was my first trip to northern Wisconsin, and it is beautiful. I just don't understand why they don't grow corn there?!? (Sarcasm) For those who have never been in the upper mid west, it is very very green and very thick with trees. And corn fields as far as the eye can see. And flying over Minnesota, I noticed that when they say land of 10,000 lakes, they aren't kidding. It was a very pretty drive. We had a great time visiting with her family on Sunday and headed back to Milwaukee Monday morning. We were able to get in a good visit with her brother and her Dad and their significant others Monday night. I flew out Tuesday morning to return home to work. Ginger will have to fill you in on the rest of her trip.

If you will indulge me for a minute and let me get sappy, I would like to say that I am very thankful for second chances and for God's grace. This trip was a very stern reminder to me that things happen for a reason and as long as we believe, then our poor decisions don't need to result in unhappiness. Everything in my life has happened for a reason and I have had some major ups and downs, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the woman by my side was intended to be my life partner and I am extremely thankful for her and am humbled by her. Thank you Lord for blessing my life and Thank you Ginger for being my best friend.

Stuff... and Wedding Plans!!!

Ginger Writes "Over the last few blogs Shane and I have posted, several people have mentioned that they have been unable to leave comments on the site. If anyone is interested in leaving a comment they must have a google account, which is free. (there may be some other ways, but I am not sure of them) After you have a google account you can sign in and make comments. You can also follow our blog by clicking on the link in the middle of the right side of the page under "Followers".

Shane and I have been doing well. We have been really concentrating on paying down our debt. It has at times been frustrating as we think of our families far away and want to visit more often. However, in the long run we will be able to make those trips more often if we get our butts out of debt. I am personally about 6 months away from finishing some mutual debt I have with Chris (My Ex Husband) and then a few months out after that to have ALL my debt paid off. We have finally decided to wait on getting a new car to replace the NEON until it completely, 100%, dies. In the mean time we are saving for the down payment for when that time comes. I can't even imagine what it is going to feel like to have no debt at all. Although it won't last for long (Shane has a mortgage I will take on with him when we get married and then a car payment unless the NEON lasts forever or we save enough to just pay cash before it dies. Highly unlikely but definitely ideal.)

OH, Did I just say... When we get married??? Ok, it is pretty well known for many that Shane and I have been in the process of setting up a wedding date. Although it is not official (Because Shane is being responsible about the purchase and so the ring is not on my finger yet... I did get to pick it out though) We have set a date for September 25, 2011. We are planning to get married in Long Beach, CA and will be taking a cruise to different parts of Mexico immediately after. We have played with the idea of waiting to post a blog until it is "official" but we want EVERYONE that would like to come to have enough time to save so here I am writing about it. We will be getting more information out about this event within the month. I have been gathering addresses to send it out when we have it. SOOOOO, if anyone has not yet gotten us their address please email it to me or Shane, send a Facebook message or text. I have put a few posts up on Facebook asking for addresses. Thank you to everyone who has responded!

So, that is it for right now... I hope everyone is doing well. We love hearing from everyone and what is new in your lives, so send us a message!"

The Simple Things in Life -

Ginger Writes "About to start my work day but wanted to blog about a very simple act of kindness this morning that MADE my day!!! This story starts on Saturday when I spoiled myself by purchasing a CD (Regina Spektor – FAR). While I made my drive up to Cedar City late Saturday night I listened to the whole CD. In fact it was perfect timing that as I pulled into Shane’s Driveway that the last track (#13) was finishing. Well, this morning, I got into the Jeep to head back down to St. George and as most CD’s do in a car player, it continued to play. #14 started to play and I thought “ I thought this CD only had 13 tracks…” a bonus track was starting to play and I was thrilled!!! What was very very odd was the song “Somewhere over the rainbow / What a wonderful world” by IZ was playing. While I listened to the song I was remembering a few weeks back how I told Shane I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this song and that I loved IZ. I smiled as I listened to the song and it brought back memories of my trip to Hawaii with my Girls Laura and Anne in 2005. It was very aweseome. BUT then the song ended and another song by IZ came on! I thought to myself… how weird that Ragina would put IZ on her CD as bonus tracks. But then simply thought nothing more of it, other than that I hit the jackpot with this purchase considering I loved both of these artists. The CD then stopped and so I started it over again, thinking I was going to rehear the entire CD. What happened instead was another IZ song came on. I drove for a few minutes really, really confused. I started to realize this was not my Regina CD, but a different one. I pushed the eject button and out popped IZ – Facing Future Album. My eyes started to tear up as I realized Shane must have snuck the CD into the Jeep and coordinated it just right to start playinig on track #14, my favorite song by IZ. There is no way Shane could have know I had just purchased that other CD and that this other CD only had 13 tracks. I called him immediately and thanked him for the nice surprise. It is the little things in life that bring me great, immense joy. And also the weird coincidences like track #14 being my favorite song that make me appreciate this amazing life and the amazing people who are in it, especially Shane who has completely surprised me by showing me I deserve to be loved unconditionally."

"The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itslef....And Heights."

Shane writes (finally):
I took a step in overcoming one of my biggest fears over the weekend. I have been wanting to hike Angel’s Landing for quite some time, but have heard horror stories and have seen countless (ok, 2 to be exact) news stories about people slipping and falling over the edge. I have heard firsthand accounts from people who have gotten to the Scout Lookout and turned back for fear of heights. Then there are those individuals who have the balance of a cat and the courage of a lion who have made it to the top. Ginger is one of these people. I admire that.

Well, every adventure begins with the first step. So we set out to conquer the 5 mile round trip 1,500 foot incline. And what a beautiful hike it was. The Southern Utah breeze proved to be very welcome to keep our bodies cool as we made the trek. It was a sunny and the scenery was, as it always is in Zion, unspeakably picturesque. Zion is my favorite place to hike. I admit that my travels have been limited and I have yet to set foot in the Appalachians, the Alps, Yosemite, and on and on. But there is a reason why Zion attracts upwards of 3 million visitors a year from all around the world. It truly is Heaven on Earth.

The hike up was pretty tough as we worked to awaken our apathetic winter muscles and tried to keep our lungs from exploding. Once we defeated the switchbacks and got to the Scout overlook, I looked ahead and saw the first chain part of the hike. At first I thought to myself, “It doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would be.” Only .5 of a mile from the top of the cliff, I started to feel the excitement that I was going to make it to the top without a problem. Then came the act of actually climbing the rock face and holding onto the chains. We got about a tenth of a mile before my fear started taking grip. Now, here is where I would like to use the wind as an excuse for my vertigo setting in. It was a very strong breeze on an exposed rock face. However, when I saw a couple of 12 year olds making the climb, I realized that this excuse would not fly. I finally came to realize that I was going to have to admit defeat and accept that I was not going to totally overcome my fear of heights on this particular hike. So, we descended the rock and took a little apple break on the welcome flat surface of Scout Overlook.

There is a spot on the overlook that has a railing so you can walk right to the edge of the cliff and overlook without falling the deadly 1,000 feet. At this point my vertigo was so bad and my heart was racing so much that it took all I had to approach the railing. I stood for a couple of seconds and took in the unbelievable view and the ant-sized people and matchbox sized buses. Then it became a little overwhelming so I backed away and sat down on a nice level rock looking toward an uphill slope. You can’t fall uphill, right? But I kept looking back as Ginger was taking pictures over the railing and I got that queasy feeling in my gut. Then, I saw and elderly couple standing to the side of the railing and peaking over the edge. They were at a part that was totally exposed to the fall. As they approached the edge, the wife kind of stumbled and the husband grabbed her arm to help her keep her balance. I could just see them falling over the ledge. I had to turn away because now my fear was no longer for myself but for them.

Luckily, there were no falls that day. And I learned that I need to quit letting my imagination run wild and “create that scenario” as Ginger would say. I understand all of this. But I have also realized that fears are best confronted by taking baby steps. I look forward to working a little more on my fear of heights, but for now I am glad to have my feet on level ground.

Twisting of Truth is Still A LIE

Ginger Writes "I talked to an old friend this morning!! So awesome!! It's been almost Ten years. I LOVE hearing from old friends. I continue to be floored by the rumors that started when I moved to St. George and even more sad to hear who started them and continues to spread them. My only explanation for gossip is insecurity with self. Twisting of the Truth is still a lie!! I have been there, I have told my share of lies over this lifetime, and so I am choosing to understand instead of being angry. Life has gone on and I am thankful for those who decided to love and support me through a very dark period of my life and spoke to me directly to calm their imagination. I definitely learned who my true friends are and made some more in the process! “No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.” Napolean Hill. It's true I feel hurt this morning, hence this post, but good comes from all things. I will ALWAYS believe that. Thank you dear friend for getting back in touch with me and being brave enough to ask me questions!"