Update/When in Oregon...

Alright, It's been quite a long time since I've written. It's because I've been super busy this summer. So, here's the update.

1) Taiwan

I spent 2 weeks in Taiwan with BYU dance company Kinnect. The first week we were there we stayed with host families in Kaoshung and performed and taught at a big high school. The classes we taught were the culinary students so they taught us a little bit how to cook and we taught them a little bit how to dance. We also got a chance to do a dance exchange with the Taiwanese aboriginal dance students at the high school which was really cool. In just a couple days we pulled together a dance combining both of our styles and they performed with us in the show. While we were down south we went on a short trip to the the beach with the aboriginal students and we got to stay at a hotel with a water park in it. During the first week we spent a lot of time eating and going out to places our host families wanted to take us. O the FOOD! So delicious. I miss the food there so much.

The second week we were there we were in Taipei for the 'dance and the Child international'/'World Dance Alliance' International Dance Summit. For that week we stayed at a very cute little hostel in the shopping district that was very close to the mrt station. I ended up becoming a pro at public transportation lol. I don't think I've ever really ridden a subway, a taxi, or the bus very much but I did all three that week. I ended up getting a cold after a couple of days there so that was a bit of a downer, but it was still a very awesome week. So nice to be able to go to the conference with so many workshops and classes on dance and teaching dance. It really made me think about what I'm doing though. I'm not really sure what I want to do now... all the more possibilities :) We will see where my path leads me.

Overall it was a wonderful trip and I loved the country there. I loved the people and the food and the culture, but it is good to be home.

2) Surgery

Less than a week after I got back from Taiwan my family came up to help me with my surgery. I had my entire thyroid removed. I had a cyst on the left side that was taking up the entire left lobe of my thyroid and 3-4 growths on the right lobe that were getting bigger. They decided to take out the whole thing just to be safe. The pathology results came back and everything is clear so that's good. Thankfully recovery has also gone pretty well. Wasn't too groggy after, got back to eating pretty quick, never lost my voice, overall went really well. This week I'm wondering if the whole hormone thing is starting to effect my sleepiness but idk if that's just because my schedules been weird since Taiwan. I guess we'll see what things are looking like when I go see my endocrinologist next week.

3) Oregon Vacation

This week I have been with the family in Oregon on vacation. We are staying with my Aunt and Uncle, but we have also gotten a chance to see my other Aunt and Uncle, my Grandpa, my second grade teacher, my cousin (up in Seattle) and tomorrow we will see my other cousin and his wife and kids as well. It has been a very fun filled trip. I flew in friday night and was informed that my Uncle and dad would be running  a 10K/5K in the morning so we would be getting up early to go to that. I haven't been running since my surgery so I was just planning to go and watch, but we got there and I decided I was feeling antsy so I was gonna do the 5K. First time back to running after my surgery and I decided to race a 5K lol. Well it was about 2 full weeks after surgery and recovery had been going well so I just decided to take it easy and run an easy race. I ended up coming in 78th overall but that was 4th in my age division and my time was 33:52 which wasn't horribly slower than my 4th of July race. This one was also run in my water shoes because I didn't know what the course would be like. Turns out I totally could have run it barefoot, but hindsight is 20/20 right?

Day after that we went to get my 5 fingers! I've been waiting to get them for forever and now it is finally almost my birthday and so I convinced my parents that was what I wanted for my birthday and that was what they should get me. I ended up with a pair of komodos. They seemed like the best option to be wearing in the winter in Utah if I wanted to keep up with my new running habit. They have a little more tread on the bottom (for ice) and come up a little higher around the ankle (for the cold) without feeling constricting like some of the other styles. So I'm super excited about those, but I will definitely be going barefoot barefoot as long and as much as I can until it gets too cold. They've been good walking around shoes too.

We decided to drive up to Seattle for a couple days to see my cousin since she had too much work she would be missing to come home to Oregon while we were here. It was cool to get to see her and her dance partner and to go to Seattle, I've never been there before. The first day my dad took pictures of her and her partner and then we went out to dinner at a place her partner recomended that was really cool. It's a place called Pasta Freskas. They didn't have a menu, they just come over and ask if you're allergic to anything or if there's anything you don't eat and then they just start bringing out the food. We had an  course meal over about 2 hours of delicious apetizers, breads, salads, pastas, fish, and desserts. It was all delicious. Then the "kiddos" (my cousin, her partner, my sister, and I) went salsa dancing which was lots of fun.

Day 2 in Seattle we went to Pikes Market which was pretty cool to see with all the pretty colors of flowers and fruits and with all the fish throwing. We ate some pretty good food there. Then we drove my cousin to her interview and we got to see some of UW campus. After that I was ready for a very long nap. After a good nap we went to see some friends of my aunt and uncle and went to dinner with them. It was cool to meet them and to have some BBQ at Rain n Ribs on the waterfront. After dinner we got some yummy gelato at the Fainting Goat which was pretty tasty.

Today we drove back home by way of Mt. St. Helens which was a pretty cool little excursion of the usual drive. Awesome to see what it looks like 30 years after the blast. So most of the day we spent driving. Tonight we got to go to dinner with mine and my sister's second grade teacher and her husband. It was really nice to get to see them and talk with them tonight. She has been a big part of the reason that I decided to go into education.

Anyway, lots and lots of updates for this last month, but I think I hit the big points. Hoping to get back to some more running, but we'll see what the beginning of the semester and moving brings.

Taiwan

Alright, I will be heading off an a SUPER adventure tomorrow. Going to Taiwan to teach, perform, conference, and tour! I'm so excited. Finally getting super nervous to travel outside the country, but should still be super exciting. I have promised myself I will continue to run there, but of course usually things like keeping up exercise don't go as planned on these kinds of trips so we'll see. Most likely I won't be updating the blog in that time, but expect to hear all kinds of exciting things when I get back. Gonna keep this post short cuz I still feel like I have so much to do before I leave!

Oakley 5k

Time: 35min 20sec
Distance: 5k
On my feet: Walmart aqua socks

Today I ran my first 5k race and did pretty good if I do say so myself. Got a really annoying cramp in my side less than a mile in I had to walk out for a while, but other than that ran pretty much the whole way and made it in only 20 seconds over my goal time. Ran it in my walmart aqua socks becaues I wasn't sure about the roads and my little blisters from the road being too hot on my Monday run. Now that I know the roads, next year I plan to do it barefoot and it shouldn't be a problem. People said I was crazy going so far for a 5k (about an hour and a half drive away) when I probably could have found one closer on the 4th of July, but I saw lots of people I knew at this one so I enjoyed it a lot.

A race starting at 7:00am and an hour and a half drive away at a place I'd never been before meant I had to get up at 4:45 this morning to be out the door by just after 5:00. Crazy, I know, but it wasn't too bad. Got up, ate breakfast, drank some water, and it all had just enough time to do a little settling before the race started. And what does the barefoot lady have for a race day breakfast? None other than leftover curry and it was delicious!!!

After the race I went over to a friend's house for some breakfast which was delicious! Then, we all went to the parade which was just like any other parade in a small town, but lots of fun and lots of salt water taffy to go around. Because, once you've run a 5k you can eat WHATEVER YOU WANT and it doesn't count because you exercised plenty... right? That's my philosophy anyway.

No noteworthy plans for the rest of my 4th of July, but I'll figure out some fun stuff to do. Probably take a nap, read, eat a burger somewhere (cuz that's American and calories don't count today and all lol.) Then find somewhere to watch the fireworks tonight (for free, because why pay when you can see the sky from somewhere free?)

Happy 4th Everyone!