"This is the new deep"...

Yesterday Evelyn and I made the final step into our quest for musical nirvana. In April I bought two tickets to see today's god of guitar. The man who successfully brought blues and soul back into the mainstream. Who pulled himself out of the wreckage of his pop hit "Your Body is a Wonderland" and was reborn. After 'Room for Squares' he created a deeply emotional and intimate sound with 'Heavier Things.' But no one really expected the alternative artist to jump headfirst into blues with his Trio. He blew us away with his live album "Try." What an incredible leap for a pop artist to make! But he pulled it off and everyone embraced it. After that, working with Alicia Keys, they wrote "Lesson Learned." Maybe the soul queen inspired some of his R&B rifts in his next album, "Continuum." His Jimi Hendrix covers rocked, his guitar and vocal skills were more refined and he had brought blues to a new crowd who were illiterate to the genre. But in this fan's opinion, no album was quite as satisfying as his latest. "Where the Light Is" (lyrics from 'Gravity') was a live album that blew us away. With five acoustic songs, including a soulful version of Tom Petty's 'Free Falling', eight songs with the Trio and six songs with his new eight member band, this was a masterpiece. His guitar skills more complex and intense, vocals deeper and precise and the band's revival of old songs, "Where The Light Is" is definitely this summer's best album. And I'm not just talking about a great pop chart hit. I'm saying that no one today has the same appreciation and respect for music the way that Mayer does. He takes it to a level we haven't seen in decades. He fuses jazz, blues, and rock with emotional intensity and intellectualism.
Last night Evelyn and I got to see John Mayer for the first time, live. After seven years of music worshiping, we finally saw him in concert! I would just like to say that after all these years, seeing Mayer was unbelievably satisfying. His music was just as brilliant and touching as it as has been. Yet at one point when the lights lifted onto the audience and all you saw was the band sillouhetted on stage while "Gravity" was taken to a new level the lyrics "Just keep me where the light is, love the perfect you, just keep me where the light is..." I felt this euphoric connection to the universe and to everything in it. I knew I was in musical nirvana. And now I know I need to see no other artist to experience that feeling.
I don't really know how to end this blog entry other than to say, if you haven't listened to anything but Mayer's pop hits, it's time to experience his music. "Where the Light Is" is also a DVD for anyone that has a short attention span. So do it!

*Disclaimer*

It has been brought to my attention that maybe I got a little too personal with my "More on Running" entry. Here is a statement for all, but one fellow from Arizona in particular:

This blog is a online journaling website. All that is written here is stuff going on in my life. If you are unable to handle it or are embarrassed by health details, feel free to abstain from reading. I have NO problem if you don't want to read this. I'm doing this blog for myself, mostly, but also for any friends/family to keep up with me. I personally feel that I have done a good job leaving out the intimate details in my life. However, coming from an open (maybe too open) family has made me realize that life is too short to have so many hidden windows. I'm an open book.

There. I apologize if that sounded harsh/rude. I just want to be clear that I am not really a closed off person. So if you don't want to know, don't read. :)

That's all!

My Fun Job! Nannying...

I watch three kids. They are surprisingly fun to watch. Grayson is 8, Luke is 6 and Quinn is 3. Grayson is the typical quiet, responsible oldest sibling. Luke is the most challenging being the middle child who finds it his personal goal in life to torment is younger sister. Quinn is adorable, smart and manipulative. I love them all. They have been an awesome break for the me this summer because massage therapy can get really annoying if it's all you do. My job with them ends next week. But here are some pic uploads from my cellphone.

More on running....

So I'm a fourth of the way into my training for the marathon. I thought I should write SOMETHING about how it's going in order to keep track of myself with my own progress and maintain more accountability.

So.... so far so good. As far as my body goes, I'm doing well. I've almost got my time down to a nine minute mile. It's just being consistent about it. I've found that my ankles and shins bother me after long runs or if I don't properly stretch. Particularly my tibialis anterior and peroneal muscles. I do my best when I'm really well hydrated (like 2-3 L an hour before) and when I have complex carbs in my system two hours before hand. Last Saturday I drove 8 miles up Millcreek Canyon and ran down the canyon and two more miles to Justin's house. However, I did quit 1/2 mile early because I started to recognize that I was experiencing heat stroke. (Nausea, no sweating, chilly.) I had Justin pick me up. That run felt great through the canyon though! Lesson learned.... don't run in July at 3:00 pm when it's 93 degrees.

The hardest part so far is the mental aspect. I do so much infinitely better when I have someone running next to me. My running partner hasn't been running with me for the last month and there really aren't any takers to be a new running partner. (Hmmm... I wonder why...) Caroline, Justin and work friends have all declined. To be honest, I don't blame them.

Anyway, I just need more motivation to keep with the training. It's tough for me to get out there after a long day of work and go "yeah, I'm way excited to run 6 miles tonight!" when I could instead be watching episode after episode of "Lost" with my hot boyfriend.

What else?? I'm noticing that running is really hard not only on my muscles, joints and ligaments, but also on my body systems. My digestion is much more sensitive. I get way sick if I drink milk or have more than one serving of dairy a day. I also can't handle more than three ounces of meat or else I have horrible stomach cramps. It's also really messed up my menstrual cycle. I have no idea what's going on in that department. The doctor didn't know either. She suggested putting me on birth control... like all the other OBs in the world. I personally feel that I should only be on that if I'm using it for what it's intended for. And since I'm not married, I really have no use for it. Natural, normal cycles are healthy and I feel emotionally and spiritually unstable without them. Anyway, I think it's just the running sending it out of whack.


Welllll.... that's all I have about running. Lets see... what else is coming up? I'm going to San Diego with Justin's family in August for a beach/Sea World trip. Yay! My nanny job ends in two weeks. That's both good and bad. School starts at the end of August and I'm enrolled in 16 credit hours. Justin and I are looking at the possibility of going to Brasil in December. Provided that we're married by then.... maybe the trip could even be a honeymoon.... we'll see.

Tchau!

ABC Game

Everyone is doing this. So I am hopping on the band wagon. Yay! (I have an hour of free time and this is how I'm spending it!)

A-Attached or Single? No ring no string! Haha. Just kidding. I'm dating Justin. Eight months and no horrible catastrophes yet! We've been talking about marriage, but who knows!
B-Best Friend? I have a few. Justin, Evelyn, Amanda, Adrienne Tedjamulia, my sisters
C- Cake or Pie? Pie. Cake has icing. Icing is gross. I love pecan, coconut, and raspberry pie most.
D-Day of Choice? Sunday! The only day of rest for me.
E-Essential Items? I never leave the house without: Keys, wallet, cell phone, 2 liters of water, chap stick, sunglasses and allergy medicine
F- Favorite color? Green. I love love love love love green.
G-Gummy Bears or Worms? Gross. I don't like gummy candy. Give me some dark chocolate and I'm happy.
H-Hometown? Highland, UT
I-Favorite Indulgence? French fries. With lots of fry sauce. I think it's cuz my dad's side of the family is southern and fried foods are the vice of the McAvoys.
J-January or July? Definitely July. I love summer so much! But I do enjoy snowboarding too...
K-Kids? Well, being a nanny for someone else's children is good birth control. I don't have to be with them 24/7. But someday I would like my own or to adopt. I only want 2-3 though.
L-Life isn't complete without? Good music, good food, yoga and massage.
M-Marriage Date?
 If you ask me, December 20th sounds great. Ask Justin and he has no idea.
N-Number of brothers and sisters? 2 baby sisters. I love being the oldest. :)
O-Oranges or Apples? Valencia oranges or pink lady apples.
P-Phobia and Fears? I am terrified swimming in deep water I can't see the bottom of.
Q-Quote? "Today is a gift. That's why it's called present." -Kung Fu Panda
R-Reason to smile? Because I am happier than I've been in 2 years.
S-Season of choice? Summer. Swimming, hiking, outdoor yoga, backpacking, cycling, barbeques, flip flops, what more could you ask for?

T-Tag ten people? What's that?
U-Unknown fact about me? I hate pizza. I also have the strongest forearms ever.
V-Vegetable?
 Asparagus. Preferably from my grandparent's farm/plantation in Virginia.
W-Worse habit? Eating chocolate or cereal before bed.
Y-Your favorite food? Too many to count. But current top five: Grapefruit, sushi, creamy tomato basil soup, dark chocolate (70% cocoa), raspberries
Z-Zodiac Sign? Gemini.

the end

My life is a machine

June, the best month of the year, is almost gone. Que triste! But it's okay because my birthday was fabulous. I'm making good money. I'm in shape.... for me. And my boyfriend still rocks.

However! I'm feeling like I'm in the rat race. Like a hampster in a wheel. Last Saturday I ran 7 miles, did 7 hours of massage in PC, and drove to Hilary's birthday party in Highland all in one day. The next morning I did 6.5 hours of massage and tried to enjoy the Sabbath, feeling like I couldn't really enjoy it after working all day. The next day I watched the kids for 8 hours, went running and crashed around midnight. Tuesday I went to the temple, did 5 hours of massage and rode up Millcreek (as some cross training) with Justin. Today I worked 8 hours with the kids and ran 5 miles. Tomorrow I work 8 hours with the kids, run 3 miles and massage for 3 hours. Blah blah blah. My life has officially become consumed by running/cross training, massage, watching the kids and hanging out with Justin.

I shouldn't complain though. I was so stressed to find a job when I moved back to Utah. I fasted and prayed and went to the temple. My resume probably went out to 15 different places. I just desperately wanted to make as much money as I could to pay for school in the fall. Now I'm making lots of money but paying for it by not having a moment of down time. Also, training for 26.2 miles isn't helping.

I need an attitude adjustment. I want to be grateful for the Lord giving me what I asked for. Here is a list of things I'm grateful for.

1. A healthy, strong body
2. Free rent! (Thank you Aunt Cathy and Uncle Karl!!)
3. An amazing boyfriend who I fall more in love with everyday
4. Strong wrists (you have to have them for massage)
5. Soy milk (I found out I'm a little lactose intolerant)
5. The beautiful view of downtown from our house in Canyon Rim
6. My bike Gabrielle
7. My new sleeping bag Taylor
8. Watching Quinn (3 year old girl I nanny) take bubble baths. She is SOOOO cute.
9. The scriptures, especially Alma's stories
10. Having 2 temples 15 minutes away
11. Memory foam mattress
12. "On Guard" essential oil from doTERRA (it's saved me so many times from getting sick)
13. Internet access in my room
14. Having and LDS spa director
15. Clients with lots of money to spend on massage (cuz 50% of it goes in my pocket!)
16. My new chaco sandals
17. Mineral Makeup... it's amazing!
18. Having a really traumatic past 2 years. Because I have so much more confidence now.
19. Being 5 minutes from I-215 and I-80.
20. Most of all, for the Atonement.

I would write more, because I could probably list 100 things, but I'm tired and need sleep. So I'll post an update on Sunday with some pictures of me recently. Tchau.

Run like the wind Bullseye

This week is the first week of hell... I mean training. Top Of Utah marathon is September 20th and there are 16 weeks of training. Monday I ran 3 miles. Wednesday I didn't run due to excessive rainfall. Thursday I ran 4 miles and Saturday I will run 5 miles. This is really a monumental thing for me for two reasons. #1 Being that I was always the fat kid. #2 Being that I have always loathed running. Not just hated running. But LOATHED it. As in deep, concentrated dedicated loathing of the entire sport. I just considered myself a recreational swimmer and yoga guru. Last summer I started biking when my dad bought Gabrielle (my Trek mountain bike). Last winter I started seriously snowboarding when I bought Kenna (my Burton Ginger- yes, the girl's board). Because I started trying new sports, it's opened me up to the possibility of other new sports.

But when I got home from Telluride my girlfriend Amanda Messenger suggested we started running together. Not only running. But with a goal in mind of marathoning. She knew, of course, to ask me. Why? Because I am the most spontaneous and sometimes naive person she knows. She knew she could lure me with the phrase, "Do you want to try something new?" Unless it's life-threatening, I'm all about trying something new. She also knew I would commit without fully comprehending the consequences. Like 16 weeks of hellish training. My mom always tells me I look before I leap. She's right.

So after running for a month to build of enough stamina to run 30 minutes without stopping, I have started the training schedule. Without Amanda here it's harder to run. She's gone for a month teaching essential oil classes. I'm pretty competitive and having someone next to me always gives me that competitive edge. Now I just try to keep in sync with my r&b hip-hop trash. So far so good.

I'm noticing that my gastroc and soleus muscles are getting chronically shorter. That will be fixed by doing more yoga and stretching consistently pre and post training. I also notice that running is more about mind over matter than anything. My loathing wore off the day I ran through Cedar Hills golf course and realized how much of the world I had missed by never experiencing it on foot. As long as I let my thoughts roam freely and avoid calculating the remaining duration or my latest mistake, I do fairly well.

Considering my fun-run time in junior high was usually over 13 minutes (don't laugh, I'm serious) I'm doing really well. I ran 4 miles yesterday in 40 minutes. Averaging 10 minute miles is huge for me. My goal is to shave off a minute per mile by mid-July. I'll blog in a month about it to find out if I did it.

If anyone has any training/running/moral support advice I would LOVE to hear it. Tomorrow I will go 5 miles. I'll run up 33rd south along wasatch blvd. Hopefully I won't die doing it. Lots of hills mean lots of work. Well, gotta go to work. Maybe I can snag someone into doing a massage trade with me. My lower body needs it!