Well hello neglected blog!
How time has passed! My last posts would be in 2014, let me fill in some of the gaps since then.
Surprise! In June of 2014 I married Eric Neff. We honeymooned in San Francisco. I went to an Oakland A's/Blue Jays game on the 4th of July. We bought a house. We went to Colorado: Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. My Grandpa Tholen passed away. We ran the Snake River for my birthday. In the Fall we visited Boston, New Hampshire, and Maine with his sister Kari. We road tripped to Four Corners, Mesa Verde National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Monument Valley, Bluff, and the Moki Dugway over Labor Day weekend. We went to Montana to watch a football game with Braydon and Katie. I did indeed run my first 5k and my first half marathon (Huntsville). We ended the year with a road trip Death Valley with Celeste and Branden.
2015: My year of running! I ran several half marathons this year. The Winter Circuit (the other Ogden half), the Ogden, Run Elevated (in Little Cottonwood Canyon), We went to a basketball game in Cedar City, and drove to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks and drove the beautiful Highway 12. We went to Colorado, where I got to blow glass. I traveled to Baltimore for work, ate great food and walked across Inner Harbor in five degrees. Eric and I road tripped to Seattle, which was incredible. We visited Blake Island, Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, went to a Mariners/Yankees game at Safeco Field. We stayed at an amazing bed and breakfast in the city, walked everywhere and ate our weight in Rainier cherries. We saw Gordon Lightfoot.
We went to Great Basin National Park for the birthday. Labor Day weekend we went to Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Colorado National Monument with Liz and Matt. The following weekend we hiked Havasupai with Celeste and Branden.
2016: Maybe this was my real year of running? We lost my Grandpa Goddard in March. My first European trip! To the British Isles specifically. WE flew into Dublin, and road tripped across Ireland visiting Limerick, Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, and up to Northern Ireland and the Giant's Causeway. From Northern Ireland, we ferried to Scotland where we boarded a bus which took us to Glasgow. We were met there by Niall and Michelle and their two girls in their "BMW" (Niall calls their van the big Mormon wagon). We spent several night with them, took the train to Edinburgh for Eric's birthday, and also rented a car to travel to the Isle of Skye.
I ran the Canyonland's Half, we saw America out in Wendover, and I ran the Strider's Winter Circuit half. I ran the Ogden half, and the Oquirrh Mountain half. Eric was diagnosed with colon cancer and had 8 inches of his colon removed.
I took a golf class through the University of Utah to honor my grandfather (and grandmother. I was just inspired after his passing.) at Nibley Park.
We watched a lot of Ogden baseball. I also visited another baseball park, National's Park on my first trip to Washington DC. I fell in love with that incredible city!
I got rear-ended on the 4th of July. I got to see the Chicago Cubs play the Rockies at Coors field. It rained and rained and rained. For Labor Day, we went to Capitol Reef National Park with Celeste and Branden and ate lots of pie.
We got to return to San Francisco, which I consider "our place." There we went to our second Oakland A's game. I trail-ran a lot this fall. And watched the World Series where my Chicago Cubs WON! We went to Moab for Thanksgiving.
2017: Okay, but truly, maybe this was my year of running.
I took a ski class through Weber, it was great to get on the slopes again. I got tendonitis and missed the Canyonland's half. We still went to Moab and visited my parent's building their house in Spanish Valley and went for trail rides since I wasn't suppose to hike. I took a fly fishing class through Weber and went on a weekend fishing camp-out at East Canyon. We went to Iceland and France with Kari, Shawn, and Karen. I joined a developmental golf league with my friend (from the golf class) Kristin. I ran the Ogden half marathon. We traveled to Chicago with Kari and Shawn, saw the Cubs and U2. Went out to Wendover to see Gordon Lightfoot. And in July, Great Basin National Park with Nate Steele and his wife, Ally. I ran the 24th of July Handcart Days half in Bountiful after deciding to train for my first marathon. We ran the Snake River and visited Colorado where we went camping with the Murray family. We saw Depeche Mode with Liz and Matt. For Labor Day, we stayed at the newly completed Breccia House in Spanish Valley with my parents. I ran the Huntsville half and added seven extra miles for marathon training. And in October, I ran the St. George Marathon. The next day we bought our puppy, Gordon Lightfoot, the AireHound in Cedar City. We visited California and our friends Cody and Julie. We went to San Luis Obispo and ate champagne cake whilst staying at the Madonna Inn. We had so much fun hiking with the little dog that Fall. We went to Moab after the Miner/Neff family Thanksgiving.
2018: Gordon broke his leg after a run on the parkway with me. He jumped out a moving car. I skied through another class through Weber. And in February, we went to Disneyland with Violette and Micheaux. Eric complained about the cost until we got there. He fell for all of the magic and thoroughly enjoyed himself. We came home and he immediately purchased tickets for the Fall. In 2018 I made it the "Year of the Classics," it was my goal to read many classic novels I hadn't ever read. I ended up reading 31 books! 29 of which were classics. I ran the Canyonland's half with Ashley and Tony. We went to see Kinky Boots and Finding Neverland, and I went to see Hamilton as far as Broadway musicals go. I got to see an MC Escher exhibit with Celeste at BYU. They dedicated a mineral lab at Weber to Dr. Neff, and a study room for Dr. Miner. I ran the Ogden half and signed up for the Huntsville marathon, which I didn't end up running. Eric and I got to visit Scandinavia, road tripping from Copenhagen to Stockholm to Oslo. Many stays and stops along the way, including 18 stave churches. The trip of a lifetime! We saw our friends, Jon and Tara wed, I made their cake.
I joined a women's golf league at El Monte Golf Course in Ogden, and a thing called "Club 99" at Remuda Golf Course. I was able to play a ton of golf and improve my game. In Fall, we went back to Disneyland with the Reyn family. We went to Moab for Thanksgiving and had such a great year!
