Today is Monday, April 20, 2026
Issue #308 — By Rachel Brandes
“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.”
– Unknown
Feline Tomfoolery
Dear Humans,
Belichick here… A lot of readers have been asking how I have been doing lately. While I still have my bad days, overall, I am doing well. I am able to balance (sometimes) and swat at the strings in the window (once in a while), I am able to stand on my back feet to grab the perch without falling (usually), and my fur looks much better (okay, not much, a little). You wouldn’t believe how excited my human gets when she sees me cleaning myself. I’ve got my human wrapped around my little finger.
Much love, Belichick
Don’t mind me down here hanging on for dear life while Belichick takes the spotlight. I guess when the human says don’t try to jump on everything, she means it. But really, she couldn’t help me until she got a good picture? Wow, human, wow.
Brady & Belichick are Rachel’s adorable felines. These two cute boys turned two on May 4, 2025.
Moments by Mira
/Ever After Photography PNW is located in Gig Harbor, Washington. It is owned and operated by Mira Nachtigall, a long-time friend of Rachel’s.
Salt Lake City Sights
Click here to learn more about this art, The Last Three Stood Proud by Gillie and Marc.
The Phobia Experiment
As part of mental health awareness, for the first 26-weeks of 2026, Rachel will explore her phobias A-Z. This experiment is to bring awareness to why the fears exist and attempt to reduce the impact they have on her daily life.
Phobia List Website — Check it out
Scoptophobia is the fear of being stared at. Out of all S phobias on the list, this would be the closest to a phobia for Rachel. She gets very anxious even at the thought of being stared at. There were no Q or R phobias, by the way. Rachel had to skip from P directly to S.
- Samhainophobia: Fear of Halloween
- Scolionophobia: Fear of school
- Scoptophobia: Fear of being stared at
- Selenophobia: Fear of the moon
- Siderodromophobia: Fear of trains
- Sociophobia: Fear of social evaluation
- Somniphobia: Fear of sleep
Challenge(s) Accepted
First Things First
Saturday, April 18th would be the one-year anniversary of the passing of Rachel’s Momma P. The weeks leading up to the anniversary were full of feelings and memories. She had signed up for an Earth Day 5k on that day knowing she would need something to focus on. Little did she know, it would turn into a day full of fun with some of her favorite people. Just like her Momma P would tell her, it turns out every little thing is alright.
This license plate sign and memorial ornament hang at Rachel’s desk as a reminder that her Momma P’s positive light remains in her life.
Two Challenges, One Day
This will make perfect sense to those who know Rachel, taking on two challenges in one day. She had signed up for the SoJo Earth Day 5k some time ago but then the Orangetheory Fitness (OTF) Dri Tri was moved to the same day. What ever would she do?
THE OTF DRI TRI
When Coach Sydni asked Rachel if she was going to sign up for this year’s only Dri Tri (the OTF version of a triathlon), the conversation went a little something like this…
- Sydni: Laura, I mean Rachel (inside joke), you want to sign up, right?
- Rachel: I want to, but I already signed up for a 5k that morning.
- Sydni: What time is your 5k?
- Rachel: Let me check… 10 AM in South Jordan, a 20-to-30-minute drive.
- Sydni: Great, you’ll have plenty of time.
- Rachel: Yup, sign me up. Why not.
Who can resist such a fun time? Just check out last April’s Dri Tri in Washington. Ah, the memories she holds.
Rachel loves to push herself and this would be a great push day. Could she beat her time from last year? She wasn’t sure. This year she would be going into it 30 pounds heavier than last year… but stronger. She’s been working diligently to lose the extra weight and strengthening in the process. She was confident she could come close to that 24 minute 13 second time.
Full vs Sprint
Below are the details of the full versus the sprint options. The sprint does allow for a .75-mile walk at a 4% incline OR a 1.55-mile run.
She opted for the sprint version of the Dri Tri, with the power walk option. She has participated in the full version twice with times of 47 minutes 48 seconds and 46 minutes 36 seconds. She didn’t believe she had that in her at this current time, especially with a 5k to follow.
There she is under the orange lights, forcing a smile while power walking her heart out. Thank you to William for capturing this moment.
It wasn’t easy by any stretch, but she had fueled her body well and felt great. She couldn’t believe her final time. Wow, her buns were on fire from that power walk, but wow. She credits her compression socks that were a baby blue in color with yellow chicks scattered about, as well as the amazing crew of staff and coaches cheering her on.
Finishing so quickly allowed her extra time for photos and to cheer on the others pushing through the sprint and full version. With the orange lighting it may be hard to tell in the photo below, but Cassidy was rocking a blue wig and outfit, and Rachel had to get a picture with her.
Rachel cheered on her fellow classmates as long as she could before heading out for the SoJo Earth Day 5k.
THE SoJo Earth Day 5k
Rachel arrived to the 5k (3.1 miles) in plenty of time to get checked in and have a good stretch before the run. She also looked for Maisy. Maisy is the beautiful girl in the photo below. She attends these events with her humans and walks the 5k in her fashionable outfit of the day. Maisy can also be found in issues #289 and #303.
Like Rachel, you may be wondering what SoJo means. It took her a while to figure it out, but she was in South Jordan for the event, so SoJo makes sense. The event gathering spot was the Holt Farmstead Park. It was a very small event with only 72 participants.
When the race started, Rachel felt better than she expected. She had refueled and stretched before the run, and it make a world of difference. She ran her fastest 5k this year. The views along this route were stunning. She is starting to think she should wear a GoPro camera to capture the beauty for sharing.
- January: 12:38 minute mile average pace
- February: 11:00 minute mile average pace
- March: 11:21 minute mile average pace
- April: 10.29 minute mile average pace
The course took runners a bit farther than the 3.1 miles and there was a slight incline near the end, but the final leg was a slight downhill, which really helped. Rachel was excited to learn that she placed 1st of 4 in her age group and 21st overall. The medal for this event was one of the best she has seen with its vibrant colors and the event shirt was cozy. This medal will surely look fantastic on Rachel’s ‘happy rack’ of race medals.
Now, after exerting all of this energy, Rachel needed to feed her body. It’s a good thing that Alec and Victoria were there.
After the run, these three enjoyed brunch at a local cafe, Penny Ann’s Cafe in Sandy, Utah. Rachel is always thrilled to spend time with these two amazing kids (Does that make her sound old?). Until next time, be well.
