[friday's 5]

1. Summer term is over!! Next step: grad school and working towards a real career. :-)

2. I just ordered a starter kit of bareMinerals! I have been wanting to purchase their stuff for years now, but always put it off. While I was in Seattle, I stole borrowed some of my friend's, and I felt so pretty and clean. Now, it is mine!

3. My goal for the week was to juice all of this and eat it. I didn't quite get there, but I had way more servings of fruits and veggies than I normally do! And I can definitely tell a difference in my body. (However, tonight we are ordering pizza, so I'm gonna ruin it all :-/ )

4. I have been waking up earlier and not sleeping in as often! I hate wasting the day, but some days it just feels so good to stay in bed. I have kicked myself out earlier and, therefore, sleeping better at night. (In other news, I didn't get to see the Madea movie because it didn't show long enough in Missoula. I am anxiously awaiting its arrival at our local Redbox.)

5. Today, I got Jonny and I some Olympics graphic tees from Old Navy! They have quite a few styles in stock right now; you should check 'em out if you are Olympics enthusiasts like we are!

Since school is OVER and I am not working crazy hours, I hope to be bringing lots of posts about our house becoming organized over the next few weeks! Here's to hoping. Enjoy your weekend! 

[lake como]

If you hear anyone in this area say "we went to the beach!", it probably means they went to the sand-covered shores of Lake Como :) Although it is a stark contrast to the beaches I grew up with in the Gulf, this area is probably my favorite spot in Montana. The past few years, we have gone to the lake ("beach"), camped on the grounds, and done some short out-and-back hikes. But hiking the 8.5-mile circumference of the lake has been on our bucket list for a while. Saturday, we finally did it.

On our way to Hamilton. Sadly, Dipper can't go on hikes. She gets way too excited and literally screams. So she got to spend a day with her canine aunts and cousins at our in-laws house :)

These were taken at the "back" of the loop around the lake. I have heard the falls before, but never made it all the way out! 

We had fun until about mile 5. But, of course, we were too far in to quit, our only option was to keep going. There wasn't any elevation gain on this trail, but something about it just wasn't working for us. (Could have been not having water, blisters forming, the sunburn, or the fact that I had bitten it earlier and was hurtin' pretty bad. Who knows ;-))

 This is a pretty good description of how we felt.

 Just keep going .Just keep going.

We eventually made it, which was a good feeling. I will never underestimate an 8-mile hike again. It was worth the views and the accomplishment, but probably not worth the blisters and sunburn.

So, that's our story. Wanna hear Lake Como's? It is the "Sister lake" to the original Lago de Como in Italy. An Italian hiker came across the lake in Montana while hiking, and it reminded him so much of Italy, that it was named Lake Como. (Can you tell that I only kind of know this story??) Anyways, after a quick Google search, I can see why! 

[friday's 5]

This week has been pretty low-key, and I was very excited about that. God has timed school/jobs/life perfectly these past few weeks and I am so very thankful for that.

(1) I started my week by hugging some of my very best friends good-bye. Seems like a sad thing (and, really, it is) but I was just happy that I got to be with them for a weekend. I moved to Montana junior year and then life happened for everyone else, so we all live sprinkled over the US. Needless to say, it has been difficult to see anyone, so any chance I get to visit, I am thrilled.

(2) While in Seattle, I got some make-up tips from a Benefit rep who was at Sephora for the day. We had a lot of time to kill, so this girl and I quickly became BFF and I proceeded to hang out for a good hour. Ashamed? Nope. She showed me all of their new products while I "oooo"-ed and "ahhh"-ed and told her how I want to buy it all one day when I get decent paychecks :)

(3) Jonny bought me a new straightener this week!!! (If this doesn't excite you, you are probably a dude.) I have had mine for years and I have wanted a new one for a while. It is keratin-infused, so apparently my hair is going to be so stinkin' strong in a couple of weeks. (I know it doesn't make sense, but the marketing got me. Regardless, I did have a good hair day.)

My eyes should be "popping" here.... so says the Benefit rep ;-)

(4) I got to open a fresh jar of peanut butter, and my husband hasn't touched it yet. You think I am digging for happy things? NO. This is truly one of the most exciting things in life to me. When we'd get it in the store when I was little ("little" as in until I was 20 years old and moved away), I'd run inside, grab the PB from the bag, grab a butter knife and start carving into the top of the PB. Usually it was a stick person, a landscape, but most likely my monogram with the last initial being whosever I had a crush on at the time. Aaaanyways....

(5) I have gotten a lot of snuggle time with this one. That is, when she isn't laying on daddy's head.

[seattle.]

So, here is my limited chronicle of our weekend in Seattle. (found my camera cord, sweet!).

 I have taken pics of the Space Needle before, but this one is the best! 

 This is the artist I had in my post yesterday, Whitney Monge. So good.

 Isn't this the most beautiful flower you've ever seen?! The bouquets at Pike Place Market are so extravagant and super cheap. It is kind of like Heaven.

 I love my friends because they eat cheesecake for lunch.

So this attraction was new-to-me this trip. The troll, built under a bridge in Fremont, was created to "scare off" crime in the area. Funny, huh? Seattle doesn't have much crime, and when it started into grow here, an artist was contracted to create something to encourage a decrease in crime. So, this trolls job is to scare it away. Fun fact: you may not realize how large he is until you notice that he is holding a VW Bug in his hand.... which was actually his first car. Crazy huh?!? (Photo cred to Michelle, story cred to Jesska). 

After visiting the troll, we went to the "hippie market" as my friends called it (seems like a normal Saturday market in Missoula to me!), and sat in a coffee shop....' cause that's what you do in the NorthWest ;-)

[slacker]

ooooook. So i realize that not only did I miss [friday's 5] this week, but I also haven't really said.... anything. Last week consisted of work orientation for new job, working the job I have had, lots of schoolwork, an exam, and packing. (There are 5 things, none of them particularly exciting, but they are things nonetheless.)

HOWEVER, I just got home from 3 days in Seattle with some of my very best friends. When I moved to MT, I was worried about leaving my parents and these girls and that was about it. I have seen them since I left, but this was the first time where we got to visit without someone getting married :-). I did a horrible job of taking pics (my friends are much better at it than I am, so I plan to steal theirs) and the ones that I did get, I haven't even thought about downloading yet!

I feel like posting a blog without photos is a crime, SO I have decided to leave you with a goodie today. Her name is Whitney Monge. She is very Traci Chapman, who I love. While we were waiting in line at the original Starbucks (which was more than worth it), this girl was playing outside. Apparently, she's well known in the Seattle area. She was amazing. By the time we finally started going in the door I kinda lingered outside just to hear her. Like I told my friends, its people like her that make me furious that TSwift is so famous. I was just so happy to have coffee, listen to her, and hug on my best friends for about 10 minutes on Saturday :) (I am only sharing her stuff because I feel like I should, not because I am doing a promo of any type!)


This link is to her EP, I believe. I haven't gotten thru much of her original music. I think I prefer the covers and the raw music you can find of her on YouTube. I just have never really liked all that is added on a CD; it takes so much away from the voice. Her cover of John Mayer's "Back to You" is below and it is just so good.

I hope you enjoy! I'm just gonna sit around and wait for her to ask me to make a duo with her.

[missoula half marathon 2012]

Well, it is done! 4 months of training and *boom*, it's over. I love this event because it is so.... "Missoula". The course begins with about 3 miles of beautiful scenery along the river while you watch the sunrise over the mountain. After that, it is primarily through residential areas. So many people come out and support the runners.... all 5000-ish of them. Some people yell and smile, some people hook up their sprinklers to run through (hallelujah) and some hook up radios/speakers so you don't even need an iPod. Oh, and let's not forget the most impressive man along the course, dressed in a full tux playing a grand piano in his front yard! It is really just great. When I consider running a half in another area, I am really hesitant, because this one is just so.... FUN!, and I can't imagine being encouraged and determined without so much of the excitement.

Ok, fun until your legs start giving out at the 11-mile marker, you feel like all the ligaments/tendons in your body may snap at once, and every now and then your eye sight blacks out juuuust a little bit. And the waking up at 3:45am part. But I am going to try to forget those.

Anyhow, we did pretty well this year. My main goal was to beat my first race time, which I didn't do. My second goal was to beat the first marathoner, which I did by 8-10 minutes! haha. I suppose since I have about 15 more pounds on me than I did at the race in 2010, a 00:30/mile increase isn't too bad, right?! Oh and I got to wear this super cute Lulu tank, which was probs the most important thing.

Only 2 other people on the course had it on that I saw. 3/5000 is a good ratio.

 HUGE KUDOS to my friend Holly on her first race.... a half marathon! Sheesh!

 This is the single most encouraging human being alive. Seriously. However, I did make him hold my hand across the finish line so he wouldn't beat me ;-)

Being a part of the Claxton family means we always have our very own personal photographer. My in-laws had snapshots of the day on our front porch within an hour of us going home!

So, all in all, it was a good day. Post-race I trained for my new part time job at Old Navy. Hello paychecks and discounts! I am excited to have something to do when school ends in 3 weeks.... I just hope I don't get too overwhelmed before then.

Here's to our next race! (Which I am not going to think about until my knees stop popping with every step I take!)

[friday's 5]

So this is a brilliant idea that was stolen from inspired by The Small Things Blog. Every Friday, list the top 5 things about your week. Jonny and I like to tell each other our "Highs & Lows" every now and then. I just think it is good to focus on positive things, even if they are tiny or you feel like there aren't many. You can always come up with 5 things! So, for this week...

1. 4th of July
Until I moved to Montana, I didn't realize how much the South over-celebrates enjoys the 4th. After 3 years of being here, it is still really strange for me to not be in the water and listening to deafeningly loud country music while chanting "USA" for hours in downtown Nashville. However, we did have a really fun holiday!  We hiked the Blodgett Overlook Trail in Hamilton, laid around, did some homework, ate, went for the last training run with Run Wild Missoula, and then met some friends at the mall for music and fireworks.

 My good lookin', patriotic husband.

Pictures don't even come close to showing how huge and beautiful this was. Last weekend, we hiked a flat trail by the creek at the bottom. Of course, you can't even see that trail or the creek! 

This was a VERY short lived nap... as in, like, 3 minutes. But she's awfully cute, isn't she?!

2. Last night I sat on the deck, watched the sunset, and shared dinner with one of my very favorite friends in Missoula. It was so nice to finally have some girl time and just relax. Sweet potato fries and fried cookie dough are good for you, right?!

3. Pentatonix

I could legitimately listen to these guys all day long. Last night I got lost watching their YouTube videos. Here are a couple of my favorites for you to check out!

"How Will I Know"- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmJUAzxvBYQ

"When Love Takes Over" ft. Natalie Weiss- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IHQko23BK4

4. I finally snagged this shirt from Runner's Edge that I have been eyeing for weeks!

"Mount Jumbo, Water Works, Rattlesnake, Pattee Canyon, Blue Mountain, Kim Williams Trail, I run Missoula"

Luckily, I think I have at least walked on all of these trails! 

5. Last but not least, I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW TODAY! (Yes, typing in all caps is necessary.) Finding a job in Missoula is so tough. Having an education means nothing, and you have to have years of experience to do anything else. I have been working at my job for about 2 hours/week this summer, so needless to say, we could really use a little bit of income ;-)

Have a great weekend everyone!