Chirstmas Eve Smith - Phillips Party.

Annual Christmas Party!

No this is mine! What did he say?

Smart remark Happy art! Jim is super excited!

Stylin and cooking hot! Shirley's bracelet Popping bubbles

A picture of the Smith's! Naughty Elf Cute snowman apron

FinallyTodd got Balls... And Sauce..... And a pole... hmm themed?

Michael "Jackson" Phillips MAC here I come!! Soo happy!

For the Good

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
Because I knew you

I have been changed for good

And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the thing I've done you blame me for

But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share

And none of it seems to matter anymore

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

Who can say if I've been
Changed for the better?
I do believe I have been
Changed for the better

And because I knew you...

Because I knew you...

Because I knew you...
I have been changed for good.

Another adventure in the life of Corinne....

Alright where to begin... I could look at this weekend as a very negative, crappy, hellish ordeal. When it rains it pours, but you have to have rain to have a rainbow. This weekend I have cried, and been soo mad I wanted to scream, but now that I have had time to calm down and everything is resolved I can't help but laugh about my unique life and write about it! If you know me or read my blog, you know that I have a problem of locking my keys in my car. It usually happens when I have a lot on my mind and I just start going through motions without processing because my brain is on overload. Well this was indeed the case on Friday night. I was kind of having a bummer of a day and had not been feeling good the day before. So to take out some frustrations I turned to the one guy who takes away my worries and makes me feel better. He is better know as GYM and I will write about our love in another post. Anyways so I go over to GYM'S house and go for a run and by the end of our run I am feeling a bit better about my day. So I jump in my car and drive home, this is about 11 at night, and lucky for me it was butt freezing cold. So I am not thinking and I get out of my car to go inside and forget my keys as I lock the door behond me. I don't have a spare so I already know the only option is to call a locksmith. You would think I would have a loyalty punch card by now, in fact that is not a bad idea to ask for one. Anyways. I stand outside for about 45 minutes freezing my tatas off while I wait for the guy to come. He takes about 5 minutes to open the door and I thank the man for his time and pay him more money then I spent on my whole family combined for Christmas. He in return decides to remind me I have his number and should give him a call. I smile and think mmmm... Listen, if you would have unlocked my car for free I mightwould have taken one for the team, but sir I think I have given you enough tonight . Then I run up to my apartment before anything else disastrous can happen. Well I woke up late for work this morning and had time to brush me teeth and throw on a sweater. I was feeling pretty lucky because I made it to work on time but I still kind of had a chip on my shoulder from the night before. Right after work I had a wedding reception so I ran home and changed and drove downtown. I of course get lost, which is completely stupid because I not only have I lived here for a year but SLC is soo simple its impossible to get lost. Only I can figure out how. The reception was fun. It was soo good to see all my old Paul Mitchell girls and laugh. So I leave the reception and get back on the freeway. I had planned on stopping at Costco to get some gas, but apparently my car had other plans because I was about a mile away from the exit and my car starts to slow down and I have about a minute to get over 4 lanes of busy traffic before it is dead. I am soo grateful Erika was out and about with her mom because I was able to call them to come save me. As I was waiting and bawling about my sad life a cop pulls up behind me. I always get nervous when there is a cop. I think I watch too may You tube videos about old ladies getting tasered. Anyways so he comes up to my window to see what is wrong, and I explain my situation. He tells me to get out of the car, and I am thinking oh shiz. He is going to tell me that I should have known better then to let my car run out of gas and tell me to put my hands on the car and everyone in the SLC Valley is going to witness me getting frisked. Alright so I might have been a little bit over dramatic. So I get out and go over to his car and he says okay get in and I will take you down to the gas station to get some gas. He was SOO nice! So I called Erika but she was already on her way. So the cop tells me to get in the back seat and stay with him until help gets there because it was freezing cold and my car was dead. I crawled in kind of slow expecting there to be bars or glass between the front and back seat but it was just a normal car. I laughed and thought soo.. this is what it feels like to be in the back seat of a cop car... nice. I was there for about 30minutes before Erika came with the gas. I thanked the cop for being soo nice and went on my merry little way. So this weekend I learned that I need to buy a car with keyless entry, don't drive when the gas light comes on, and mark sitting in the back of a cop car off my bucket list.

Oklahoma! Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain....

It was a bit windy. A little cooler then I expected, but actually a very pretty state. I want to write all about my trip and have pictures, but I designated Janna the official picture taker. So once Scott decides to teach her how to load all the pictures on the computer then I will show you how much fun I had.

Birthdays

As we know after we graduate, and the older we get it is not as easy to remind the whole world that it is your Birthday. In school is was easy because you could bring in a bunch of cupcakes and prance around wearing a "Birthday Girl" sash and by the end of the day everyone at that school knew whose day it was. But after graduation my world got a whole lot bigger and contrary to what some of you believe it is NOT okay to walk around work and walmart and wherever else you go that day with a sparkly crown and announce the beloved day to everyone. So there are some years that are disappointing and lonely because aside from the early morning phone calls from my parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews its just like any other day. So being a single girl who lives by herself I was very much surprised the other day when I received my first birthday card in the mail. I was intrigued to see who would be sending me this and as I opened the card it read. "Happy Birthday! We appreciate your business. Come in to New Balance and receive a free pair of athletic socks." At that moment I had a realization that would change my life forever. Signing up for those business registration things are totally worth it! Who knew my first birthday card of the year would be from New Balance? And I got free athletic socks to boot! Shortly after that I received an e-mail from Maurices wishing me a happy day as well. So the moral of the story is that Birthdays are never going to be what they once were when I was five, but that doesn't mean that everyone in the world has to know ,or that it has to be a whole day event to be special. The small things are just as important. As far as I am concerned cake and chocolate have zero calories on your Birthday. And as long as that never changes I will be a happy girl.

Boy oh Boy

You know there are a lot of things I have learned from dating. In fact its funny because sometimes I feel like I am dating the concept of dating. Did that make any sense? Alright just roll with it for a minute...
I am constantly breaking up and then getting back with DATING. I say how much I hate it and I am tired of it and then the next day I want to do it again. I mean dating in itself is like a bad relationship... no wonder I am confused! ( I really think I had an epiphany there) So although I have had some bad experiences with dating there is a lot I have also learned from each and every guy I have gone out with. I hesitate to put up names because heaven knows who reads this. So we will use nicknames instead. I was young the first time I fell in love. Which makes me question at times if it was really love, and although I think there is a lot more to love then I what I have experienced. I am okay with saying that I was in love as good as I could have been at that age. And just like every first love it had to end. And I remember feeling sadness and hurt in a way I had never felt before. But I grew up after that. And I look back years later and I see my life and I see his life and I am soo happy that he broke my heart. He taught me that I deserve better, and I learned how strong I was thanks to him. The next boy taught me who I did not want to be. I was in a very low point of my life and was very numb to feelings and reason.(That one was short) After that I met the 2nd love of my life. Whoever said love doesn't hurt has never been in a long distance relationship. I learned from him how much I am capable of loving no matter what. Through thick and thin I can hold on pretty tight. I also learned that I want someone who can show me that they love me back. I perform my best when I am praised and I just know that it is very important to have someone that shows appreciation back. I need someone that wants to be a team but still knows the importance of being who you are. Then there came lots of little lesson all at once. The next boy taught me how I should be held. Trivial as it sounds I remember just sitting there in his arms thinking, okay this is what it is supposed to feel like. He taught me that I don't have to settle for anything less what I deserve. Which brings us to today. I do not want to be someone that gets pickier with age but just reflecting on these things makes me understand why we need to date and also makes me very grateful that my culture does not participate in arranged marriages. Although I am getting to an age when my parents think it is necessary to intervene and "arrange" some dates. ha ha They even talked about double dating with me! Now there's a sight!

Apartment happiness.....

I just realized that I never have posted pictures of my cute, but tiny, apartment that I love! So for your viewing pleasaure I will take you on a little walk through.

I will learn my lesson some day...

I locked my keys in the car the other day .... AGAIN! This time I had no one to save me so I had to call a Lock Smith. I swear to you this only happens when I am stressed, and the second I lock them in there I realize that that is what I did. Its just if I could just have even a 5 second grace period I might not have so many incidents. Well as luck would have it the guy I call to come help me is just this little old man in a little old van so he didn't charge as much as those other guys. So he parks kind crazy in the handicap parking spot next to me and gets out of his van. He first tries to just Jimmy it, but ends up getting the wire caught in my door frame. The next five to ten minutes consisted of...

"DamityousonofapieceofcrapdamndamndamncomeoutyoulittlewellwhyisthisstuckinherewhyIottadamncomeoutdamitpieceofcrap......ect...."

I was trying to keep composure but I was laughing pretty hard. He was a nice man but I hope he has sons because it might be time to retire. He finally got my car unlocked using another method and then charged me $40bucks! I was expecting a lot more so I thanked him and left. I need to make some spare keys but I keep forgetting. You will probably see a couple more posts about this before I finally break down and get some made.

Champions are made from something they have deep inside them;a desire, a dream, a vision.

I am not running savvy by any means. I would say I am self taught with some help from Scott, Runners world magazine, and the Internet. So I mean I know the basics but that is about it. But let me just share with you what I do know about running.

1. It is HARD. It is not meant to be easy, and anyone who says it is is lying.

2.Best time to run in the summer time is early in the morning. And I mean like 6:30 AM. Otherwise you are going to die of heat stroke by the 4th mile.

3. Running is 55% mental. Which means if my mind thinks I can do it my body will too.

4. Shoes that fit your foot are very very important. Running is hard on your body and if you don't fork out the extra dough for the nice shoes you are not going to be running for very long. Trust me. I can already tell you horror stories.

5.WATER, WATER, WATER!

6. If you don't stretch before and after you might as well forget brushing your teeth and bathing too. Yeah it's that important!

Alright well these are just some simple rules that I have learned on my journey. So this being my first 10k I was excited and felt pretty ready. I had moved about 3 weeks prior so I had to find a new running spot. The one I found has lots of hills and it's just this cute little paved path that is like 5 miles long. I was excited to start running on it because I haven't ever really run on hills before so I felt like I was training really well. AND when I found out that my 10k had some hills I felt up to the challenge. haha little did I know what "some hills" meant. This is just one of my fun little adventures. But lets just start right at the beginning shall we?

FRIDAY AUGUST 21, 2009 5:30pm

Erika and I go to register at the Hilton in downtown SLC. Registration was from 5-8pm and you could only register that night. That was a very dumb idea because 1300 women signed up to run this event and it took us from 5:30-7:30 to get through that line, and we were at the beginning! It was a mess. And to top it off they only had small, medium and large shirts but they were not those sizes. I got my mom and I larges and apparently the sweat shop in China where the shirts were made did not know what boobs were. Because that was the smallest large I have ever seen. Well we go eat out pasta and get all the yummy carbs in and then my mom and I go back to my apartment to get some sleep. I think I went to bed at like 10 and had to yell at my mom to turn off the TV and go to bed.

SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 2009 6:00am

Alright here's another thing that I don't understand about this race. It started at 8AM! Who in their right mind starts a race at 8 in the morning in the SUMMERTIME!? To add to the time it was one of the hottest days of the summer so I was already prepared to sweat until I passed out. I don't know whose idea that was... but I was not soo happy about it. So we get there. And I tell my mom that we should run up to the starting line to get a good warm up. She had these little shorty shorts on and apparently had never worn them before because as soon as she started running they started crawling. She then spent the entire race pulling down her shorty shorts to avoid chaffing. Lesson learned is that you should always test out your clothes before the day of the race. Not all clothes are made for running. So the race starts and I instantly feel a little bit uncomfortable with the course. It was already uphill and so I was just playing the mental game of getting up the hill and then everything would be fine. So I'm running... get up the first hill, turn the corner and a bigger hill awaits me. So I keep on running thinking just make it to the end of this road then you will be fine. Turn the corner pass mile marker 1 and up another hill we go. At this point I decided that I can either walk a bit and make it to the finish line, or push hard and pass out when I get up these hills. I opt for the first idea, and do intervals of fast walking and running. Although it was not ideal for me to walk I decided finishing was more important.... See ya later pride! ....So we keep running uphill past mile 2 and I am parched by this point and ready to drink a gallon of water. Then the heavens opened up and at mile 3 I see a water stop in sight. Someone was teasing me and playing a mean joke because when I grabbed the cup I think there was like one swallow at the bottom. Alright the good news was that for the most part the rest was downhill. I knew I had some making up to do so I kicked it into gear and started the second half of the race. My body is trying to throw everything it can at me to get me to stop and I am just trying to ignore it. So it pulls out the big guns and I get the most horrible side stitch of my life. But I lost a little bit of time on those hills so I am not really in the mood for a side stitch. So I push through it. The pain gets worse and I feel like I am going to puke.. but I know that I don't have anything in my stomach so I keep on running. Just before mile 4 I started dry heaving just a bit. (Yeah I know that is gross but I can't think of a nicer way to put it) Luckily it wasn't too bad, and I kept on running. Somewhere around mile 5 there was another water station. I grabbed two cups this time and ran up a HUGE hill around the corner and then down another hill to the finish line. Erika met me at the finish line and ran the last 20 yards with me. It was hard to stop. My legs were still going and I had to pace around for a minute. Also as soon as I cooled down I started peeing my pants so I had to run to the porter potty real quick. Don't worry... I caught it before it got out of hand.. thank goodness! All I wanted was lots and lots of water, but I guess they ran out because all of the 5k people finished before us and took everything. Maybe this wasn't organized soo well huh? So I grabbed a vitamin water and a bagel and stretched and then we went home. All in all it was a good race. There are a lot of things I wish were done differently but it's okay. My foot is a little sore for some reason. It feels just like a big charlie horse when I try and walk on it. I am hoping it will go away soon because I have 8 weeks until Kansas city!

Goodmorning... no bad morning.

Woke up the other day. Rolled out of bed and decided I was going to make eggs for breakfast. So I turn the heat on low so it will cook slow and go to put on some makeup. Well I am retarded and forget about the egg cooking. I remembered while I was doing my hair, and ran into the kitchen and just prayed it wasn't burned. It wasn't! Maybe a little overcooked but I was pleasantly surprised. So I go to flip it over and the egg exploded all over! It was all over my face, my hair, my clothes, and my kitchen. I had no idea one egg could create such a mess! And to make it even worse I was only about 10 inches away when the thing blew up. Which means I got a lovely burn on my arm and I swear on my eyeball because it was so hot. So FYI for everyone that cooks eggs in the morning, or anytime for that matter. EGGS EXPLODE IF YOU COOK THEM TOO LONG! Your welcome.

Looks like your sleeping on the street tonight

Have you never had you mattress lying on State Street in downtown SLC at 11pm on a Sunday night? I have. Cory let me borrow his truck to move my things but I couldn't drive a stick shift so I recruited Stephanie to drive the truck and help me move. So we loaded everything in and I guess you are supposed to have ties to tie it down. Well I am not a man and my brain does not think like that so we decided that she would just drive slow and I would drive right behind her. Well the road is a little bumpy and as we were driving down state street in front of the Mexican corner food stand and Steph hit a bump and out flys my mattress. Right smack in the middle of the street. She keeps driving not really noticing so I put on my hazards and park in the middle of the road and haul the thing to the side. I think was looking pretty good in my Sunday dress because those Mexicans sure know how to let you know that! So I call Steph and she turns around and we rearrange the truck to hold the mattress a little tighter. It was quite the night. We finished at about 1 am and I treated her to a Sonic run afterwards. I will now have to rent a uhaul from now on.

I swear to you it was the size of a meduim sized dog.

So the other day I am packing my things. This is a Thursday night. I worked early Friday morning and then afterwards I was heading right over to my apartment complex to sign the lease. So I decided that I would be really smart and get a bunch of things loaded into the car so that after I signed the lease I would just start moving in. One less trip! So this is like midnight, and it is very quite in the aves. Which means any little noise I hear I am aware of and any movement I see I am very cautious of. Call me crazy but this is downtown SLC ... you have to be on your A game at all times. Soo I am packing a couple things in my car and I notice that that flood light is on at the back of my house, but I don't think anyone has moved in yet so this creeps me out a bit because there has to be a big movement for that thing to go off. So I decided to just go grab two more boxes from inside the house and put those in my car and be done. Well I get out there with my two boxes and there is this dog running towards the flood light.. so I stop and watch and I am thinking what the heck is this dog doing here. The it's tail hits the light and I realize this is no dog. It has a big bushy tail like a coyote. So I am standing there a little confused about what is going on and then it's tail hits the light and I see rings around it and it finally clicks that this is no dog or coyote. It's a raccoon. A raccoon on steroids! So this monster hits the light and then turns around and makes a b-line for me. Usually I am friendly towards animals, but not this one, I heard that raccoons are mean and I am not about to get rabies because I was stupid enough to try and befriend it. So I have about 4 yards to haul butt inside my house and shut the door. It was quite the experience. I sat on the floor and laughed for awhile because I am sure I looked crazy running with my arms full like an idiot to escape death. If I was brave I would have gone back out there and got a picture of the thing so I had proof . Sorry you just got to trust me on this one.

I have got to stop doing this!

Well I already fell on my new stairs! I knew it was coming. Good thing I fell up rather then down them because they are concrete and I hope and pray that never happens. Who am I kidding? My sucess rate of falling down stairs is pretty high. Odds are there will be a post sometime about me falling down those stairs. If I was smart I would start wearing padded underwear and knee pads. More to post later! I have had quite the adventures this past week. Who knew life could be soo much fun. (That is ment in the most sarcastic form possible.) xoxo

Cancer saved my life

It has been almost 7 years since Scott was first diagnosed with Leukemia. I remember the doctor coming in and writing it on the white board. Monochromatic Mylosidic Leukemia to be exact. We were lucky because the type he had was the best kind to treat but is it fair to say there is a good kind of leukemia? Cancer is usually a bad word to most but for me cancer saved my life in more ways then one. It was Fair weekend in Burley. Which is a very big deal to all locals. Scott had flown in from Seattle and my mom and I had driven to Boise to pick him up. He had been sick with what they thought was mono, but one look at him getting off the airplane told us he was sicker then we thought. He was a grey color and looked completely worn out and terrible. We shuffled him into the car, and he told us there was a sore on his leg that was just getting worse, and that every time he tried to shave his face would just bleed. Kind of like a cheese grater was the mental image he gave us. We should have known then this was more serious then mono. So we get him home and Janna, his 8 month pregnant wife, drove up form Utah with 2 year old Taylor. The next day Scott got a nose bleed that didn't stop for hours. it just bled and bled and bled all day long and he just layed on my parents bed and was soo sick. That same night I went out on my first date to the movies. I was almost a Junior in High School and this was my first boyfriend. So it was a big night for me. I left for my date right when my mom got home from work and she took on look at Scott and immediately called over my cousin who was a doctor to help. When I got out of the movie I had a new voice message from my mom. She said that Scott had started puking up blood and when they went to get him in the car to take him to the hospital he passed out in the front yard. So they called 911 and an ambulance came and took him to the ER where they quickly decided to fly him to a bigger hospital. So they fly him to LDS hospital in Utah as I literally jumped out of one car and into the other. My mom had packed and we were on our way. It was the fastest drive to Utah ever. I don't really remember much just that it was late and we didn't know what was really happening. I wont go into too many more details of the event because there are alot, but the gist of the story is Scott had cancer and his 8 month pregnant wife was handling it better then I was. We stayed about a month in Utah before I had to go home for school. I would go up everyday to his room. Some days were better then others. One day I watched them try to stick an IV in his neck and miss the vein, and then he swelled up like a balloon and I cried all night. One day the Doctor came in and asked if he had any full blooded siblings. Yes, one my mom said and pointed to me. And the doctor told us that Scott seemed to be doing good, but if he had troubled within the next couple days with treatment then I was going to be tested as the bone marrow donor and would be a most likely match. I don't know why but this affected me the most. Here he was soo sick and we all just waited there helplessly for the doctors to make everything right, and now I was told I would be able to maybe plan a major role in making this better. I have a confession to make. I prayed for them to use me. I prayed every night for them to take my bone marrow and make him better. I wanted to be the hero in all this. Because from the day I was born I had a instant protector who was my hero, and I wanted to return the favor and save him. Turns out he wasn't the one who needed saving because he was a strong fighter. Turns out that it was me who needed saving and once again my big brother came to the rescue. It was from that day that I decided life was worth living. There are always two roads you can take. The right one or the wrong one. I had seen many examples of wrong roads taken in my life and Scott was never one of them. He always seems to make the right decisions and do the right things and so I am positive that he was sick not because he needed it, but because we needed it as a family to unite, and because I needed to be inspired on how I needed to live my life. He has always been a hero in my life. So almost 7 years later when he starts running marathons and triathlons I am once again inspired to do the same. He has survived cancer and is accomplishing things some only dream about and I have no excuses. I have said before the running is the hardest thing I have ever done physically and emotionally, but if he can do it so can I. When the alarm goes off at 5:45 in the morning it is these pictures that get me out of bed. There are only limits in life when you put them in your path. I am finally going to live up to my potential for the first time in my life and it is all because of Scott and his strength and his will to live life to the fullest. I run because I am healthy, I run because I can, I run because I am alive. Cancer has once again saved my life.

Goodbye Norma Jean...

Well it has been almost a year since I moved to Utah! Crazy how fast time flys. About 2 months after I moved here I started having stomach troubles. It was a little uncomfortable at first but I didn't think too much of it. Mostly I just thought at the worst I might have an ulcer, but I could just wait it out and it would pass. Plus I didn't have health insurance. Well weeks turned into months and it was getting to the point where all I could eat was fruit and rice. I then started to get these horrible attacks where my stomach would just charlie horse and I spent more times kneeling at the porcelain throne then I had in my whole life. My body was rejecting food, and I was soo sick I was having sympathy for pregnant ladies and old nursing home patients. It was getting to the point were I knew something had to be done because I just seemed to be getting sicker so I decided to make an appointment with a specialist just to see if I could somehow get to the bottom of this, I think at that point I had lost at 20lbs and although I do love losing weight I knew it was not healthy. Anyways I go to see Dr. Schmidt a Gastro something Specialist, and he listens to my story and decided he first wants to shove a scope down my throat and check out my stomach to see if it is an ulcer. I was fine with that because he was the doctor and I was really ready to find out what the heck was wrong with me. Now when I first called to set up an appointment I made sure to let them know that I didn't have insurance and they told me that was okay. Well I go in and have this scope thing done and told him I just wasn't quite sure he was going to find anything. I was right. His assistant called me that next week and told me he didn't find anything and that they couldn't help me further because I had no insurance. So back to square one except now I had a big fat bill to pay for. Thank you doctor. When did doctors care more about money then helping people? I mean I probably bought that nice fancy outfit he was wearing when we met. If I could say one thing to him it would be your welcome for the suit loser. However we all know that everything happens for a reason so there has got to be some sort of lesson learned here. So I talk with my parents and I decide to go home to see if the doctors we know personally can help me there. So I go in and have an ultra sound this time and we finally found the culprit.... gallstones! Those dirty little buggers were what I was feeling like I was giving birth to! So I was excited for the first time in months and thought they were going to take this thing out and send me on my way. Well we all know I usually don't get my way when it comes to things working out they way I plan them so when I met with the Doctor in Burley she told me that since I didn't have insurance the only way they were able to perform the surgery by law was if it was an emergency and even though I was puking my guts out every morning and not eating much. It still wasn't life threatening enough so until I was on my death bed they weren't able to do anything about it! Rejected a second time... I swear I thought I was going to lose it at that point. Another thing that was happening to me is that I was getting depressed. I cannot really describe that state of mind I was in at that point, but there is something that happens to you soul when your body is turning against you. It is not a fun place to hang out in for very long. So I pack up my things and head back to Salt Lake to wait it out. Good thing god is kind because that night I woke up around 4 am with the worst attack of my life and started to hyperventilate to the point of not being able to breathe. I had my mom on the phone freaking out and calling everyone she knew, but no one was answering. So I am laying on the floor trying to suck up some sort of air and screaming because I was going to die and my mom yells at me to call 911. So I do. They send out a fire truck and a ambulance and about 10 men come in to rescue me. At that point the attack was passing and I was able to breathe again. But I willingly went into the ambulance and had them take me to LDS hospital. Can I tell you that the ER is crawling with freaks at that time of the day. I mean I saw people that I have only seen in movies and under bridges. So I stayed in my little room and prayed they would upgrade me to another part of the hospital soon. Well as luck would have it the ER doctor was an extremely nice man who sent me away to get another ultrasound. Turns out that my gallbladder was infected and full of stones and it was not safe to let me go any longer. Thank you angel doctor! He also told me that he had no idea why they let me leave Burley when I had gone there for help. I was in way bad shape. So he scheduled an emergency surgery and I called my parents who got there just as they were about to wheel me away. Is it bad to be excited to go into surgery? Maybe so. But you are only allowed to judge me when you have been in my shoes. Apparently I am even funnier under anesthesia because when they were wheeling me to my room I am told I was naming my gallstones (Norma Jean, Lorianne, Jose,ect....) and cracking some pretty good jokes. The nurses thought I was crazy for refusing the morphine when they finally gave me a say in it, but I hate the way the stuff make me feel. I think I puked about 7 times before they let me go home and then another 4 or 5 on the way home. We did have to make one emergency stop along side the road. I had to pee pretty bad and to tell you... without being too graphic... I could have held my own in a peeing contest with a boy. Those IVs fill you full of a ton a fluid! Around that time is when the drugs wore off and I quickly learned that laughing was prohibited. I cannot tell you how much pain laughing caused me, I had to send my mom out of the room on many occasions because I would crack jokes and then we would get to laughing and I would start crying because of the pain. Looking back it was a pretty funny expirence. It is amazing how quick your body bounces back because I was snowboarding a month later. The best news of all though was that the hospital was able to get me a bit of financial aid and I made out pretty good. I have learned that it is not okay to not have insurance and pizza looks terrible the second time around. My mom was a trooper through the whole thing she would stay on the phone with me while I was crying and heard more then her fare share of my visits to the white throne. The whole expirence lasted from about October until January. I really do think giving birth will be easy after this one. haha

I love jerky, but only when it is beef.

I've been thinking about memories from my childhood. I seem to always have a story about some random thing that happened. The one that I have told a lot lately is one that has scarred me for life, and it quite possibly the reason I am against the sport of bunny hunting. Don't let anyone fool you, when they say bunny hunting it is not the same as worm hunting. You don't get to find cute bunnies and catch them to take them home. This is a cruel game where the sick minded think it is a sport to kill innocent, fuzzy, animals. This "sport" is usually only practiced in small towns where kids run out of things to do, and they all know how to use a gun. I swear there are more rednecks then you think living around us! Well the reason I bring this up is because my family didn't really have pets until I came along. I use to bring home all sorts of pets and pull cute faces until I got to keep them. One of the cooler pets I had were 2 bunnies. A black and a white one. They were the cutest little things and I had soo much fun showing them around to my friends. Occasionally my bunnies would get out of their cage and wander off to the neighbors yard and I would have to go find them and bring them home. Usually it was no big deal. Well one morning I woke up passed my dad making some sort of concoction in the kitchen and headed outside to go feed my bunnies, but they were not in their cage.... Great! They must have gotten out again! So I went back inside to see if my dad had seen them. He sadly told me that it had gotten really cold the night before and they had froze overnight and died. Of course I was devastated but I handled it pretty good. It helped that my dad was making some pretty good jerky that he let me try. Well years later my dad conscience gets the best of him and he decides to tell me the true story of the bunnies. turns out they had gotten out and a dog had mauled them. My dad found them and decided to see what bunny jerky would taste like. Yes that is correct! I was fed my pets as a child! I mean who eats their pets? Apparently I do.

REALLY!

It was really hard to keep the glass half full last week. It just seemed like life was picking on me a bit and I wasn't very happy about it. Here is my week in review.

* Found out I was apartmentless for the 2nd time in a month and had to find something quick!

* My car decided that in the midst of being poor from putting down a deposit on a new apartment that it needed to had the break pads replaced. There goes $100 I didn't have.

*Didn't get the Job I applyed for at work, although it didn't make me mad I just wished it had come on a different week.

* Almost got rear ended by the Jimmy John's delivery driver.

* Car decided to do other weird things while I was driving home to Idaho. So I left her there to sort out her problems by herself.

* Didn't get to run as much as I should have.

I feel like there are many more things I should put on this list but I can't remember at the moment. Maybe that is a good thing. On a positive note I am watching season 4 of One Tree Hill and I am happy as can be!

I make a good first and last impression

Did I tell you about the time I took out an old lady at church? Well It happened last Sunday! Usually I just hurt myself.. this time I endangered someone else.. good thing she probably doesn't have too many years left. Oh yes! This totally happened. Alright lefts start this story from the beginning. Scott, Janna, and the kids are visiting the in-laws in Levan. So I go down there Sunday morning to visit and to take Scott back to Salt Lake for meetings. With some help I decided to go there in the morning so that I could spend a whole day with the kids. We all went to church and I got beat up by Caden during sacrament, and then listened to a very interesting Sunday School.... small towns have a little bit different church then the rest of us. You never know what you are going to get! lol... Well I walk to Relief Society with Janna.... Okay this is the day after my 5K mind you and then on top of that it was fast Sunday maybe I might have been a little deficient in some nutritional areas... who knows!.. So we are walking and chatting and we go to walk down like 5 stairs to the room and I'm not very sure on the exact events but basically I fell down the stairs my left hand grabbed the hand rail as my right side flew into an old woman and I ended up spinning around and coming to a nice stop sitting on the stairs. haha everyone gathered around and I just sat there for a couple seconds thinking Oh hell please say that didn't happen! Well I picked myself up and was nicely escorted to our room by the friend of the poor lady that stopped my fall. She asked me if anything else was hurt besides my pride, and I said no luckily I don't have to come back here again! Then I spend an hour in Relief Society giggling about the fall. Can you believe my luck?!

Boy you better be scared because I am about to open up a can of whoopass!

Well this is a story I haven't told my mom,.... So mom if you read this I am sorry, but I know you don't sleep well as it is, and I didn't want to contribute to that more then I already do. Oh and I haven't bought mace yet... it's still on my to-do list....

Alrighty! Well I wasn't going to tell this story, but I made a commitment when I started this blog to write down all of my crazy adventures.. that I dont ask for. So the truth is I have lived in SLC city long enough it just wouldn't be the same without a creppy man story. So here goes. Oh and you should know that mentally I am very prepared to kick some butt if I have to. I am always ready! You have to be when you have luck like mine! So... I went on a run the other day and decided to run to my gym which is a couple miles down the street... downhill mind you. My brother let me borrow his fancy GPS watch so I could see my distance and pace. So I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see exactly how far away the gym was. Plus I knew I was running downhill so I was excited for him to get "the watch" back and to see me run a 7 minute mile.. haha. Well I made it down to the gym in like 12 minutes and was way impressed. However, I was not so excited about working out and then running uphill home. Have you seen those hills downtown?! They are not your average hill.... they are mountains that made me question my initial idea of a fun run to the gym... actaully I was thinking..."Are you completely retarded Corinne! Now you have got to run up this thing because you have on "the watch" and it will tattle on you if you don't!" So I start my run back home and I am trucking along like a '47 chevy on the freeway. Well I pass some construction workers that were very helpful in telling me how nice my ass was.. I was thinking..Thank you very much! I'll take it!.. I have worked hard for this ass! With that motivation I was able to make it up the first hill to State Street! Go me! (slightly innapporproate I know, but honestly whatever works to get me movin that is my new motto!) So I decided to forget the watch for a block or two and give myself a pat on the back for the good work. Plus it was a hot day and I justified that I went to the gym AND ran.. doesn't take much to talk me into walking lol. Well I start jogging again and I see this tall black guy up ahead not moving, just standing in the middle of the sidewalk so as I get closer I decide to make eye contact so he knows I am not someone to mess with. ( I read that that is what you are supposed to do to get a description if you need one) I start to run around him and he grabs my hand and says it is his birthday and he wants to take me home. Well I was calm, which was interesting, and I politely ripped my hand away and said no thank you and ran home. So I actaully didn't think anything of the situation when it was happening. I was not scared or worried. I just got out of the situation and left, and then after I left is when I thought, "Hmmm that that was kinda scary!" Anyways so the good news this week kids is that I did not become a african bride. (Is that kosher to say? Oh well I am not politically correct) I do need to invest in some mace though.. because as much as I would like to kick someones butt and live to tell about it.... if they put me in a choke hold I need a back up. So maybe that will be my next purchase. Three things you should know about me though. Call them secret weapons if you will.....
* I have a mean kick to the groin thanks to a great older brother who taught me that along with other fighting moves.
*I can predict events and situations. It's okay you dont have to believe me. It's only sometimes, and mostly just my own, or if I know you really well. I should be part of the Cullen Family... I am surprised they havent asked yet
*I can run really really fast when I am scared. Like when I am running the half marathon I could probably set a world record if there was a giant spider chasing me.

I can go the distance....

" I know every mile will be worth my while...."
That is totally my running theme song. Awesome right? haha I know!

Well I ran my first race and didn't die or come in last place, which were my 2 goals, so I am pretty dang proud. There were a lot of things that happened in that short time (It was only a 5K) But I learned soo much and I am ready for my 2nd challenge which is a 10K at the end of August. The race started at 7am in Centerville so I got there at 630 and my friend Rachel, me, and her sister walked over. I was soo nervous when we got there because there were just tons and tons of people all over everywhere and some of them were looking pretty intense. And I am thinking.. Oh boy I hope I got signed up for the 5K cause these people are looking like they are running a marathon. I was slightly intimidated and very nervous but I could not stop smiling. I just kept thinking holy cow! How am I supposed to run like normal with all of these people around? When I run I am always by myself I can't have any distractions... total concentration ... even when I went home to visit I had to yell at my mom to stop talking and run ahead of me because I have to get into the zone. So needless to say I was slightly freaked but happy to be there. So the gun goes off and me and Rachel are kinda at the front (not for long I assure you) and everyone just takes off. We round the first corner and everyone starts spreading out so I was feeling a little better about not running over people, and then we pass theses 2 little kids and they are yelling "Mom wait for us" and the mom that was about 3 yards away didn't turn around she just yelled back "Sorry you are on your own" and took off.. as if saying eat my dust kidos... haha me and Rachel just started laughing , and I realized that this was going to be one of the funnest things I have ever done. Good thing I had humor on my side cause as we turned the next corner there was a big hill-Oh SHIZ! Okay so here is my problem... I have only been running for about 2 months now, and I don't train on hills. Partly because they scare me, but also because I am worried I wont be able to run as far without wheezing and cursing if I run up hills, So I just stay away. Well today I was accomplishing a lot of firsts so I attacked the hill and just told myself I was going to keep the same pace, also I think someone else had a hand in this one because there were a lot of little kids around so I wasn't really allowed to curse... Out loud anyways. Well we are running up this hill and I am getting passed by 12 year old kids and all sorts of different shaped people. Then to my left out of the corner of my eye I see this guy passes me and he is in nice dress pants, a dress shirt, with a backpack and stick coming out of the bag up over his head and in front of him tied to the end of the stick was a Subway sandwich, and he is just jogging away! I don't know what his name was but I secretly thanked him and called him my guardian angel for taking my mind off of the hill. Also, Rachel saw him too so I know I wasn't just hallucinating radom men. But really it was soo nice to just be in the moment and be enjoying it. I mean sure I was sweating but I was having fun. So I make it to the first mile no problem, piece of cake. The second mile. That one felt like it was never going to happen. I just kept running thinking okay okay where are you, but it finally creeped up and was a welcomed relief. The only problem I would have to say about the 2nd mile is that I did not appreciate the moms with their strollers and litters of kids passing me. I mean come on! Here I am running with youth, and energy, and happiness, and out of nowhere a stroller is passing me. I was thinking Oh Come on! These are the one people I should be able to pass and here you are... my worst fear... gliding right past me making it look effortless (insert dirty word). It's okay because I decided that instead of being bitter I would instead decided right then and there that I too would be one of those moms that would be called names as she jogged past people with her offspring, and that made me feel better. All and all it was a very good experience. After the second mile I decided to kick it up a bit and run a bit fast, but my breathing got the best of me and I got a side stitch. I have been battling those since day one of running and so I knew I was just not breathing right, but I was not about to stop and walk! No way sister... not this girl. So I had a little chat with my side and said listen, I started this race as a runner and I am going to finish as a runner and I am planning of finishing this race so you can either stick around and watch me finish, or go away and let me be. Luckily it decided to take the high road, and I was able to run up one more hill and around the corner to the finish line. Which was one of the best moments ever! It is hard for me to imagine that not too long ago I was just hoping to make it 5 minutes without stopping and here I was finishing 3 miles. I didn't make great time. I finished at like 41:52, but that is not what is important to me right now. People finished before me and after me but it didn't matter. I was there for me. I ran that race for me, and I met all the goals I set. I didn't die, and I didn't finish last. The best part though was that I ran the whole thing. I am excited to see where I can take this. I know I can only get better, and I am happy to see change. So that is one race down 2 more to go! Half marathon here I come! It is amazing how fast I am getting addicted to this running thing. I do have to give a little shout out to adrenaline though... it is quickly becoming on of my dearest friends.

Ugly Duckling

Training for this half marathon is something that is emotionally draining for me. I have been trying to figure out why I am soo emotional about it. My whole life I have been a fat girl. Always go to food for my emotional comfort and always feeling guilty about everything. Thinking I shouldn't be eating this, shouldn't wear this, or look like this. Without realizing it I have gone through a big chunk of my life feeling guilty over everything. It has always been NO. I have always heard NO. Either from myself,or from other people. I have this voice that just seems to tell me all the wrong in my life and it has been a battle to overcome the feelings of self doubt and accept myself. If you were to look at pictures of my child hood you would see a sad little girl with chubby cheeks and round coke bottle glasses. I, like everyone else, went through my awkward stage. But my stage was a little longer then most people I went to school with, and it didn't help that I was one of the first to get boobs overnight. From a very young age I can remember feeling that I was not ment to be in this body. I remember thinking this is not me, this is not who I am. Why am I dealing with this? And through the years I have learned a very important lesson that I am grateful for..I am the ugly ducking with a killer personality, and I would not trade that for anything. There is someone much smarter then me in heaven. Because of those awkawrd years I was able to find out who I really was and what I wanted from life. I am able to see people for who they really are instead of what they might appear to be. I am able to find happiness in small and simple pleasures. And I dont let a man control how I feel about myself. Those are things that are very important to me and I dont think I would have developed otherwise. Through training for this half marathon I have realized that my layers are slowly shedding, and I am becoming the girl I have always known I was. I feel beautiful inside and out, and it is nice to know I am making this happen. I am saying YES for the first time and pushing myself and letting myself progress

Addicted

There are times in your life when you say out with the old and in with the new and I had one of those life changing moments about 6 weeks ago. I was tired of waiting for a phone call and I was tired of waiting for a man to love me enough to want to marry me after 4 years. I had also slowly given up having a life because I thought I had what I needed and wanted. Well one day it just hit me. I was going nowhere and my 4 years of waiting were going to turn into 5 and 6 years because I was too scared to let it go and let life happen. So I grew a pair and changed my life. I started hanging out with friends and picked up running as my release. I have always been intrigued with people that can run. I would look at them and think well it doesn't look hard....., but it doesn't really look like fun to be wheezing for breath either. But the part that really got me thinking was when running people would say I love running because my body just goes and never wants to stop.. I could go for days... and I'm thinking WHATEVER you liar. I've tried that running thing and I felt like I was gonna die. But then my brother Scott picked up running and he has been doing half marathons and such which makes me think well if he can do it I can, and I kinda want to do it with him. So I decided I would give it a try, plus I was now newly single and needed the exercise. So it has been a process and I do get frustrated but I think I might have found something I am now addicted to. I remember when I first ran a mile without stopping I almost cried because that is something that was unreachable not too long ago. I do need to learn to be patient because I push myself and I think if I ran one mile today I can do three tomorrow and I get mad when I get tired, but I will get there. My goal is to run a 10k by the end of August. And that might be a big goal but I am going to give it my best! Hopefully my body will let me accomplish what I couldn't have imagined doing 2 months ago. I feel like a new women. The weight isn't coming off quite as fast as I want it too but I am told it is because I am building muscle... well there can't be room for both fat and muscle so we are going to have to say goodbye to fat! You better believe I will be one of those girls running in a sports bra and a running skirt next summer!

Head over heels... literally

The Cookie Story

There are certain in things in life that you are attracted to. For instance iI always seem to look at the clock at exactly 4:21 everyday.or it is no fail that if I have a lot on the brain and just am trying to do too much I will always lock my keys in the car. There are just those things in life that happen to me and will continue to happen to me because that is who I am. Well another one to add to the list is falling down the stairs while carrying food. Usually it is a cookie, but not always. So that is where this story is going... The other morning I spent the night at Jacque's house and woke up grabbed a delicious cookie she had whipped up the night before and headed out the door to her car so she could drive me around to my car. Well it had been raining the night before and as I was walking down the metal stairs ouside and I said out loud.. Oh crap I better be careful I am going to fall. Cause I was just wearing flip flops. Well not ever 2 second after that my feet fly up in the air and I land on my back on the edge of the metal stairs.. my left elbow hits on stair, my head hits another, and my right hand hits then I slide the rest of the way down.. haha it was quite the scene I am sure and Jacque turns around and said "I didnt even have to see that.. I heard that! " I was soo proud because I fought back the tears and just kept laughing,.. I was actually a lucky girl because I had my scissors and clippers in one hand and the cookie in another. And the only casualty was the cookie that fell to the bottom floor. I would say that was lucky, but I was pretty bummed about that cookie. Here's some show and tell for ya..