Workout Wednesday: Zombie Chase!

Look at these regular posts you guys! It's amazing what not having a full time job can do for your blogging life. Being a teacher is pretty cool sometimes.

Workout Wednesday is back in full force and you know why? The Zombie Chase. On Saturday, me, my sister-in-law Haley and some of our friends will be running the Zombie Chase 5K through the ghost town/obstacle course in Eureka. The run goes through buildings, zombie traps, rope courses and a paintball shooting finale - all under the light of a luminous full moon. (If you want to run with us - slowly - there's still space! Sign up for the 10 pm wave and email me so we can meet up!)

That's pretty much the only thing that can entice me to run. At all. Like any sane person, I hate running. I'm so bad at it. I play sports, it's true. But when I get on a treadmill I seriously can't even run a mile. So I'm counting on my adrenaline and my competitive nature to get me through this.

To prepare, I finally downloaded Zombies! Run on my iPhone. In a word (2 words): WORTH IT. It is so much fun. Never in my life have I TRIED to find time to run. Each day I download a mission, in my role as Runner 5. It might be a routine run for supplies or to save a lost child - the story plays between the songs of my selected playlist. As you run you collect supplies and you build up your base after your run. Sometimes during a song you'll hear "ZOMBIES DETECTED 50 METERS" and it beeps until you evade them.

 

So picture this. Danica. Laboriously jogging at an embarrassing pace on a treadmill at a busy Gold's Gym. All of a sudden she lets out a short low "OH!" and turns up the speed to an all out sprint. "Come onnnnnnn Come onnnnnnnnn" she spurts between pants. Finally a "Yessssssss!" and she's down to a walk, red-faced and hyperventilating. 

Because that's what I accidentally did the first time I tried it. I was so into it I completely lost awareness that I was in a gym, surrounded by bros and old ladies.

SORRY EVERYONE. JUST TRYING TO SAVE WHAT'S LEFT OF THE WORLD OVER HERE ON TREADMILL 8. DON'T MIND ME. 

Since then I've been running outside. I've taken Glen Coco with me twice, and it's over.

Time #1 - Joy

 

Little kids, puppies and birds to chase? THIS IS THE LIFE

Time #2 - Heat Stroke/Defiance

We cut this run short, obviously because SOMEONE decided to just let the Zombies eat us. If you noticed how show my pace was on the iPhone screen above it's because after coaxing him into a sprint to evade a zombie horde, in 90 degree heat, when he desperately needs a haircut, I allowed him a much needed walk and then he gave up. Sorry, Abel Township. That child is not getting rescued.

Liebster Award! + 11 Random Danica Facts

My sweet friend Tayler from my study abroad/teaching tagged me in the Liebster Award. Like a year ago and I'm finally getting around to it. Thanks/sorry Tayler!

"Liebster" means dearest in German, and it's awarded, blogger to blogger, to up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.  The rules for accepting and giving the award are pretty simple.  Once you accept the award, you just have to do the following in a blog entry:

Answer the 11 questions posted by the nominator on her blog

Give 11 facts about yourself

Nominate 5-11 other new, up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers

Make up 11 more questions to pass on to the bloggers you choose to nominate

Thank your nominator by linking back to her blog

Upon your post going live, contact your nominees about your nomination for them

1) What made you start blogging?

I had to create my blog for my Instructional Technology class at BYU, and kept it because I was going to Wales that summer and wanted to share my pics/adventures with family and friends at home. I'm so glad I did because I go back and re-read those posts all the time for fun!

2) What is your blogging dream?

Blogging dream.... I'm not sure.  I like fashion blogging, but I'm not really aiming to BE a fashion blogger. I like new readers but I'm not really trying too hard to get new readers. What I really love my blog for is writing - I love to write and I think it's a strength of mine.  I guess I'd just really love to be able to reach a lot of people (What constitutes "a lot"? 300? 500? 1000? Idk) and have people laugh and enjoy it. I'd even like to land a writing job with my blog. 

3) What is your dream job, and do you have it/are you working toward it? 

As listed above - writing. Particularly about Utah culture/trends/observation/fashion. I would also quit my job on the spot to become a personal shopper or stylist. Need a new change? Take me shopping with you for a day and let me take you to all the stores and choose stuff for you. PLEASE. I want to. So bad. 

4) What are you a junkie of?

The Office. Diet Coke. Popcorn. Pinterest. 

5) Since I'm a teacher, what was your favorite subject in school? Why?

English or History depending on the year. Figures right? I love reading, writing and learning about other people. 

6) What is your favorite book? Why?

Obviously Harry Potter (all of them). But I think that kind of can't count because they are everyone's favorites. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is probably my other favorite. I love P&P like any woman, but the zombie addition is literally the greatest, most Danica combination that exists, ever.

7) Name a country you want to visit from every continent.

North/Central America - Mexico
South America - Brazil
Europe - Italy
Asia - Japan, since my baby bro will be in Fukuoka for 2 years!!
Australia - duh. 
Africa - Morocco
Antarctica - I'd rather not.  

 8) What are all the languages you speak (real or fake, fluent or not)

I took 4 years of Spanish. Loved it. Don't remember much.

9) What is the most annoying thing people do?

Just a few weeks ago my students had to turn in their final projects, and I had some CRAZY freaking moms defending their children for cheating and doing their projects for them. So I think I'd have to say coddling and ignoring children. They need you so bad parents! They need you to be good examples. They need you to let them grow and learn from their own mistakes. But they also need you to step in and correct their behavior when it is bad. The most annoying thing people do is act selfishly as parents.

10) What are three interesting things in your house?

Baby Buddha - The Beard and Glen hate it. They both bark at it routinely. 

Storm Trooper Steve - My Valentine's Day present

Apollo  - Blog post to explain this is forthcoming.  

11) What is your favorite post that you've done in the past year?

Probably my post about Finals. Or my post about the high school teacher who lied to the whole school about my brother having an ecstasy party. Both super snarky and angry. I guess that's kind of my thing.

And now.... 11 facts about me:

1. I love sports and played soccer/softball/basketball pretty much always, but I'm really a girly girl. I love makeup. Birchbox is my new favorite thing - each month they send you a bunch of beauty product samples and it's like a mini-Christmas. I love it so much I signed up for the makeup counterpart Ipsy and I'm waiting for my first box now!

2. I've got zombies on the brain especially now because I am signed up to run the Zombie Chase 5k in Eureka on Saturday! The Zombies Run! app is how I'm training. :)

3. The Beard says everyone has their "gospel hobby" where they feel comfortable in the church. Mine is the scriptures.

4. I'm a side sleeper.

5. Glen is also a side sleeper and he likes for me to be the little spoon so he can be the big spoon. We cuddle all night. You're dying of the cuteness right now, aren't you?

6. Everyone thinks because I play sports I must be outdoors-y. I hate camping.

7. I forget about my blog for weeks at a time. Like I literally don't think about it.

8. I'm a really happy person, generally. My moods don't swing too much. But when I finally allow myself to be really sad about things, I spend way too many hours in bed with the Office and I wallow. I'm a wallower.

9. I'm a Pinterest whore. And I mean that in a good way. I actually use all of my boards on Pinterest, believe it or not. And I have several categories. Check it out. Be impressed.

10. I almost died when I was born. The doctors told my mom I was probably going to be slow. It's also why my eye does the crazy things it does beyond my control.

11. I used to tell people my name was Vanessa when I was little because I thought my name was weird and Vanessa was a pretty name for pretty little brunette girls. Grass is always greener, right?

Ok so here are my friends that I've tagged.

Eliesa from BE Here and There (to get her back into blogging - we've all been waiting patiently!)
Katie from Silver Linings. She's a big fancy NY girl now.
Katie from These are the Days - gym buddy and puppy mama like me.
Nichole from The Keeles - a fellow Office lover and blog friend that I've never met. Let's fix that.
Karlie from The Mitchell Family - soon to be mama of twins!

Alright ladies. Answer these questions or else.

1. Who is your favorite Office character?
2. What are you the most proud of in your life?
3. What books should all of us be reading at the pool this summer?
4. What beauty product can you not live without?
5. Where is your favorite secret place to shop (physical or online store)?
6. What is your best piece of marriage advice?
7. When you are stressed and just want to fast forward life to happier times, what do you do?
8. What is your favorite blog that you HAVE to read every day?
9. I finally have an iPhone. What are your favorite apps that I should go for?
10. What is your favorite workout to get in shape?
11. Favorite obscure YouTube videos... Go!

Sometimes, Always, Never - Vegas the Mormon Way

I remember my first trip to Las Vegas - The lights! The color! The boobs! As a 6 year old I was particularly impressed with the enormous castle - Excalibur.

Even better I remember my single ladies trip to Las Vegas with my bestie Katie, who had never been.

"There is PORNOGRAPHY LINING THE STREETS!"


As a Mormon, Vegas can be a scary place with the boobs, butts and general grossness.  You can't go to clubs, you can't drink, you can't gamble, why even go? I'll tell you how and why YOU can do a Mormon Vegas Vacation.


The Beard and I decided to use an expiring voucher we had for 2 free nights at a Vegas hotel over Spring Break. We haven't been on a trip just the two of us since we've been married (over a year and a half! Thanks a lot Larry H Miller. We don't miss you), so we leaped at the chance.

My parents graciously agreed to watch Glen Coco, although after he marked EVERY territory in their house I doubt they'll have him back. And we were off! (Listening to Harry Potter audiobooks, obvs.)

This is how he likes to ride in the car - wedged between Ryan and the backrest

My Travel/Vacation uniform - black skinnies (Old Navy), gray v-neck (Gap), chambray top (F21), tortoise sunnies (Cotton On) and flipflops (Pac Sun)

Without further ado, here is my Sometimes-Always-Never for a Mormon trip to Las Vegas!

Sometimes

• Try out a piano bar! We went to Napoleon's in the Parisian and saw the dueling piano act. It's free, although they expect you to get drinks. A $3 can of Diet Coke was a bit ridiculous, but the dueling pianos were pretty awesome. They even take requests! Be prepared for a lot of Neil Diamond and people getting stupid drunk
• Walk through hotels/casinos. Even if you don't gamble or aren't staying there, those hotels are amazing! My favorites are the Parisian, New York New York, Caeser's Palace and now the Cosmopolitan! It's new and incredible.
• See a show, but make sure you read some reviews. I've always wanted to see a Cirque show, but I've heard a few of them can be a little racy. Many of the shows in Vegas are, so be selective. 
• Check out the LDS Temple! We didn't have time to drive out to it when we were there and I really wished we could have gone! Next time. :)

 Always

• Walk the Strip. There is no better people watching in the entire world. Pick a small section or marathon through the whole thing. Just walking with no real destination is hilarious, because you'll see yahoos like Bumblebee just chillin'. 

• While you're at it, see the free shows! The Bellagio Fountains, Atlantis inside Caeser's Palace and the pirate show outside Treasure Island.
• Also while you're at it, get some of the limitless candy at the Sugar Factory. That's all I should need to say. 

•  Plan for and try a fancy restaurant. The Beard saw Hash House a Go Go on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (one of our faves) and fell immediately in love with their enormous Chicken n' Waffles, Meatloaf sandwich and more. He's wanted to go ever since, so we planned it into our trip and budget. It made it way more fun than just grabbing a quick, cheap bite somewhere, because we looked forward to it and it was AMAZING. Really. 

• Wear something edgier than you can wear at home because - duh- its Vegas! I went with leather leggings and a skull tee since I can't ever wear those to school. Well, and maintain some degree of respect. :)

It was late. That's my only excuse for this washed out face. 

Did I do my hair at all this trip? It's a vacation. No. 

• Plan for everything to be overpriced. Vegas is where you go to splurge, not save. If you are budgeting, bring your own snacks and drinks for the hotel room.

Never

• Wear heels on the Strip, or when you have no idea what your night will be like. I even wore my trusty, comfy wedges, and I've worn flat boots before, and my dogs were barking before the night was up. 
• Take or look at the fliers and pamphlets being waved in your face. Trust me. Just pretend they don't exist.
• Get a smoking room. Vegas smoking rooms are worse than smoking rooms anywhere else. It's like secondhand-smoke nation up there.
• Stay on the Strip past 1 am. That's when the funny to crazy ratio on the Strip gets really scary.

Super Bo(red)wl

Last night I ate so much Cowboy Caviar. Too much. Probably thousands of calories.

Don't forget the Parmesan Baked Potato Halves with sour cream.

Or the classy cracker tray with cheeses and hummus.

Or the burgers grilled to perfection by our handome husbands.

Or E's muddy buddies that we ate by the fistful. Yikes.

That's how the Holdaways and the Findeis' do the Super Bowl.

B and the Beard shouted and analyzed, but me and E spent our time more wisely with Pinterest and Forever21.com. (These photos courtesy of E's Instagram.)

Glen Coco was LOVING the Puppy Bowl. He sat in front of the TV, even standing up to get closer to his little canine friends.

See that banner above the TV? Made it. That's right. Don't die of shock. I crafted something.

Don't be that impressed either. The hearts were from the dollar bins at Target....

Baby steps you guys.

6 Months for you, Glen Coco! You Go Glen Coco!

Sunday was Glen Coco's 6 month birthday!!!! Yeah. I'm one of those people. But, no, I didn't make him a pup-cake. It's real.

**To read our post when we first got Glen check here**

I can't believe he used to look like this.

But now he looks like this! (Notice the sock he's {unsuccessfully} trying to bury)

Man we love this little guy. Our little family just revolves around him. He's getting all puppy pad trained, not biting and slowly cutting down on the crazy barking. He's extra cuddly and he's learning tricks!

He even made it onto Dogshaming in his first 6 months. Pretty accomplished. Even if it was post-scary-haircut.

Not to mention I love that the Beard loves him. We got him knowing he'd be for me, and the Beard was reluctant to even have one. But fellow Beards bonded and now they are fast friends. :)

 

Two bearded goofballs in a pod. 

Try to tell me this isn't the best picture you've ever seen. 

Likes

• Stealing & hiding socks (see above)
• Sticking his butt in your face
• Eating leaves, paper, anything
• Playing fetch
• Our big blue blanket aka Glen's nap spot
• Humping his panda pillow pet (sorry?)

Dislikes

• Cold snow on his sensitive little paws
• His Darth Vader Halloween costume. It was a little too big and scared him so bad. So it'll have to wait until next year. :(
• Baths
• Waking up
• Lettuce
• Milo (the upstairs neighbor's Bernese Mountain dog. Same age as Glen, 50x the size and very VERY friendly)
• Vacuums & Washing Machines

Hilarious things he does:

When I'm asleep or reading or otherwise occupied, he gets his toy and drops it right on my face.

 Wake up Mom!

When I do yoga he attacks my ponytail and jumps on my back. Challenge Level: 10. I'm going to try to get some video because it's comedic slapstick gold.

When I'm asleep he sleeps above/against the top of my head on my pillow, and gets pissed if I have to change position.

When he knows he's in trouble he looks up at us with sad eyes and tries to nuzzle. It works.

When he jumps off the couch he leaps like he's trying to fly.

When I hide under a blanket and "cry" for him he wails and whines until he can find a way under the blanket. 

When we are eating he tries to catch the food between our plates and our mouths.

Boy, is he perfect. 

I'm a-leavin'... with a moving trailer

I've posted about my new job and plans to move, but now the ball is really rolling. We found the perfect place! It's a brand new, just-finished basement apartment in a gorgeous new house in Draper. We are right by the Draper Temple, and boy do we have an amazing view. The family upstairs is super nice and totally adorable. It's about a 30 minute commute for both me and the Beard (I come down the hill right onto Bangerter and The Beard is only a couple minutes to the Southbound I-15).

Did I mention there is a Kneaders right down the hill?

We move next week. As we start boxing things up and planning the move it's starting to really hit me. We're so blessed and I'm very excited, but this will be new and big for us.

Things I Will Not Miss:

• My creepy Texas Chainsaw Massacre basement
• Driving into Springville or Spanish Fork for a grocery store/pharmacy
• Being 10 minutes from the freeway
• Our 90+ degree house (they didn't believe in air conditioning in the year 1900 when this house was built)
• Being in my home ward... yeah. 
• Dead skunks EVERYWHERE

Things I Will Miss:

• Being 10 seconds from my family
• Aunt Lisa's salsa deliveries
• La Casita, The Trolley, La Dolce Vita, Sammy's, Happy Sumo, Shoots, all of our favorite local places
• A 2 minute commute to work
• The Cocoa Bean with my girlfriends

But this is life right? Moving on, moving up. I've got my Beard. I've got my Glen Coco. Everything is going to be great. :) 

Meet our Fuzzy Little Boy....

Hi! My name is.....

GLEN COCO!!!!!

At 0 lbs. 14 oz., 5 inches tall and cuddly as a puppy ever was... He's perfect! We got him one week ago and he was just over 4 weeks, which is pretty early. We're lucky.

I'm borrowing this likes/dislikes thing from Katie, who does this for her baby... is that wrong? He's sort of OUR baby. We send pictures of him back and forth and just gush about how cute he is all the time. So yeah. We're THOSE kind of parents. 

Likes

• Pooping on the sidewalk, not the grass
• Jumping on mom's face (hence the scratches, if anyone's seen me in person lately)
• Chewing on dad's Sperry's 
• Hanging his feet out the side of his kennel

Favorite food - Danica's hair

Favorite napping place - deep within the cushions of our couch

Dislikes

• Being left alone when he knows Mom & Dad are in the other room
• Loud noises like doors slamming, diesel trucks and loud music
• Chewing on a chew toy when there are fun things like shoes and Dad's ears to chew on instead

Come visit him! You'll be as smitten as we are. :)