Year of the Race!!

As 2012 comes to an end I can't help but reflect on all that I have accomplished this year. This year I became slightly obsessed with racing both on foot and on my bicycle. It started with completing my first marathon in Miami in January and ended with me completing my second marathon in Chicago in October. So join me on my journey of the race and see all of the fun memories that I had and those who joined me on each of my races. My little brother Peter joined me on three of my races it was fun to share a common pastime with him.

Miami Marathon with Peter and Anita in January

 

 

 

                                             DC Half Marathon in March with Anita and Peter

                              Santa Cruz Half Marathon in April with Lindsay two weeks after DC Half..

                    First Biking race in April.. Brooklyn Bun. (Duatholon) with Katie, Anita, and Natalie

50 miler biking race for MS along the Jersey Shore in May... I might have forgotten sunscreen on this race... Still rocking that awesome tan line

200 Miler relay race in June in the mountains of North Carolina. Awesome ride.. I might have lost Peter for a couple of hours.. scary

Nassau to Suffolk 75miler ride in July with Natalie and Nat.. this ride was beautiful in Long Island

In August I convinced a few peeps to volunteer for NYC first Iron Man. It was really fun to cheer on all the athletes.

In September I completed my first century ride. Bike all of Manhattan and the outer boroughs

                                               2nd Marathon of 2012 in Chicago with Anita

In late October I took a trip up to the Berkshires with a bunch of girl friends and did a 40 mile with Anita

Its late December and the time for racing this year has come to a close. I probably will never complete this many races in a year again. But I am proud of every accomplishment that I had and for all the fun memories that I have. So many friendships were born and nurtured along the way. I will be forever grateful for each race and what it taught me.

Last day in my 20s...

So its true I failed to blog most of this year. But before I leave the decade of my 20s tomorrow I feel like I need to say a few words. The other night I was on the subway on my way home from work reflecting on everything I had accomplished in my 20s. I started off this decade in Rexburg Idaho attending BYU-Idaho. The time I spent at BYUI feels all but a distant memory. But the friendships and opportunities that came out of that experience are in numeral. I made my best friends at that institution that have lasted a life time and carried me through my 20s. I also graduated with a finance degree which landed me in NYC. I have to believe that if I would have transferred to BYU Hawaii that I would have never made it to NYC.

When I reflect on my 20s and where I spent the majority of my time it would be in NYC. Which is pretty ironic if you really think about it. Who would have ever guessed that 7 years later I would still be walking the streets of the concrete jungle? A few notable accomplishments in my 20s are:

1) Undergraduate degree - BYU-Idaho (Finance)
2) Traveling to Spain, France, India, Belgium, Caribbean Islands, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Italy, Scotland, England, Panama, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico
3) First job - JPMorgan (Finance Analyst)
4) Second job - JPMorgan (Investment Analyst) series 7, 63
3) Graduate degree- Columbia (Organizational Psychology)
4) Third job after graduating from Columbia (Citi Associate in HR)
5) Marathon runner
6) Getting into road biking. Biking 75 miles

When I really think about what has been the most memorable event or experience. It wasn't the time I hiked to the top of Mount Sinai or scuba dived in the Red Sea. It wasn't even the time I ran into the house with my parents car. Nope I think the most memorable experience were all the memories I shared with those around me. I feel so honored to have met so many incredible people in my 20s. Whether it be roommates, friends from church, work buddies, classmates, boyfriends, or strangers on the streets they have all added to who I am today. I am so thankful for loving parents, siblings, relatives, and friends that have helped shape me to who I am today. I wouldn't be where I am today without you. Thank you and I look forward to sharing my next decade with all of you. I am excited to see what my 30s will bring and how different they will be from my 20s.

Here's to turning 30 tomorrow! :)

26.2….. :)

Have you ever set a far reaching goal in hopes that you would be able to accomplish it?! Well, I did just that back in September and I am here to testify that I nailed this one. Yup not even going to be humble about this goal getting accomplished. I set out to run 26.2 miles before I turned the big 30 and I did just that. I had a great running coach who trained me for 4 months. The day I landed in Miami I knew I could do it. Race day was awesome my lil brother Peter was there along with my roommate and one of my running buddies. Peter and I started together and ran the first 10 miles together and then I passed him and told him to finish the half marathon strong. I continued on and had so much fun. I was singing and dancing the whole time. When I hit mile 23 I kicked it into gear and started picking up my pace by mile 25 I was running the fastest I had run throughout the race. I finished really strong and with tears in my eyes crossed the finish line. I was so happy and proud of myself that I was able to accomplish such a high reaching goal.

 

 

California Adventure 2012..

For New Years this year I decided to celebrate California style. It was filled with reunions with friends, beaches, fantastic food, road trips, and lots of new adventures and stories to tell.

 

New Years Eve with my favorite people :)

Trip wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Kings play and Jimmer!

Santa Monica you are so lovely in January

Half Moon Bay you are so delightful!

A day spent exploring Northern California

Downtown Sacramento still one of my fav places:)

2011 Liney Year in Review….

Its Christmas time and all my married friends send cute lil Christmas cards with pictures of their amazing lives. Well, so in response to your cards I am going to virtually tell you what I did this year. I promise once I graduate to your phase of life I’ll send you a card via snail mail.

• January Moved into a new apartment

             Road tripped to Nashville for 36 hours

• February – Visited Texas/Mississippi

 

• March- Went to Puerto Rico

• April Spring-break with the family to Virginia Beach & Williamsburg

• May – Camped on a dessert Island in Panama for a week; Graduated with my masters from Columbia

• June – 10 yr High school Reunion in Oak Ridge Tennessee

• July – Start Dating a boy (short- lived); Week trip to Lake Powell

• August – Duck Beach with the Family; Started my new job at Citi as an Executive Recruiter

• September – Spent Labor day in Cape Cod

• October – Road trip to Boston; Utah for a wedding; Best friends came back to visit the city

• November – Half Marathon with littlest brother; Thanksgiving in Idaho

• December – Christmastime in NYC; Home for the Holidays; California to visit friends

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!

First Hire!!!

On December 12th, 2011 my first hire finally happened!!! I’m so excited! To make this hire even more special its one of my classmates from Columbia!! She called me late in the afternoon to tell me that the global head of HR… Had called her to extend the offer:) To bad that I don’t qualify for the referral bonus.. haha oh the joys of working in HR. Needless to say I am so happy that I could help my classmate get into a great company!! Welcome Tehmina…

Utah makes me happy....

Flying across the country for Thanksgiving to see Tyler get married was awesome. It is so fun to be in Utah spending time with all my favorite people. Especially seeing both Linds and Kristin. Reunions with College friends are always a good time. Thanks Utah for bringing everyone together.