Today is Monday, August 24, 2026
Issue #326 ~ By Rachel Brandes
“You know what I would really like to see go viral? Basic human decency.”
– Unknown
How’s Your Urine?
Rachel is always checking her urine color to ensure she is well hydrated. It may be excessive. Or not. She has her quirks. When she came across this chart on an Instagram account (@yogadailypractice), she was inclined to share. The post states “These are signals, not diagnoses.” How does your urine measure up?
Feline Tomfoolery
By Brady Wilfork Snugglebum & Belichick McDaniels Runtzilla
Moments by Mira
www.everafterphotograpypnw.com
Located in Gig Harbor, Washington, Ever After Photography PNW is owned and operated by Mira Nachtigall, a long-time friend of Rachel.
Mental Health Minute
Image shared from Instagram account myselflovesupply.
A Week in the Life
This issue was originally going to be dedicated to an 8k (5-mile) running event called The Capital 5. It was scheduled for Saturday, August 22nd and was to be an inaugural event at the Utah State Capital. Unfortunately, due to lower-than-expected registration and extreme hot weather, the event coordinators decided to cancel the event.
It’s a good thing that Rachel is always out having fun and has plenty to share. Enjoy her week in the life.
Paddle Boarding
Rachel’s poor paddle board has been sitting in its bag on her balcony for nearly a year. Neglected, alone, and seemingly forgotten, the paddle board didn’t give up hope. It continued to call to Rachel and finally she heard the call. Last Tuesday, she packed up and headed to Jordanelle State Park.
Jordanelle State Park is located in Heber City, Utah. The drive from Rachel’s home in Salt Lake City is only 26 miles, but close to a 45-minute drive. Within the park is the Jordanelle Reservoir, a 3,300-acre reservoir that is filled from the Provo River and Deer Creek Reservoir.
It was a bit of a different experience from her last paddle boarding day in Washington, but a good experience. Aside from forgetting her sunscreen, it was a perfect outing. The water was calm and the temperature was comfortable.
The image below shows her activity on the water. She stuck fairly close to the shoreline due to her unfamiliar surroundings. There are also motorized boats on this reservoir, and she was focused on staying safe. The no wake zone was a great place to be.
Towards the end of her time on the water, she noticed the beautiful storm clouds forming overhead. There was no rain in the forecast, so she was excited to see these beauties form.
As she finished packing up her board, she did feel a few fat drops of rain. Utah rain is weird. It either dumps or teases. She sure misses the Washington drizzle.
B&B Meet Dr. Bennett
Don’t worry, Brady and Belichick are doing just fine. This visit was only an annual wellness visit and rabies vaccination. Rachel’s son, Alec, told her that Dr. Hannah Bennett would be a good doctor for the boys. Some years ago, Alec worked with Dr. Bennett. Aside from Brady climbing into the trash chute, they did great.
Brady weighed in at 11.1 pounds, a slight drop from last year’s 12 pounds. Belichick weighed in at 8.7 pounds, which was an increase from last year when he dropped from 10.2 to 8 pounds (this was when we found out he was allergic to Utah). Dr. Bennett said these weights were okay and that Belichick could be given a little bit more food during his feedings.
Being allergic to Utah has required a few changes in lifestyle. The air purifier runs 24/7 and free feeding is no longer a thing. The boys eat at 12-hour intervals and are given only what they should eat. Brady has to be watched to ensure he isn’t stealing Belichick’s food. Dr. Bennett and her team were fantastic, and the boys handled the visit well.
Salty Star Rub Club
After The Capital 5 event was cancelled, Rachel checked the Salty Star Run Club calendar and found that it was time for the monthly Loki Coffee meet up. This is by far her favorite meet up spot, many familiar faces and a flat route.
Rachel was asked to lead the 11:30-mile pace group again this week and was happy to do so. Unfortunately, there was only one runner that was interested in the pace. Okay, maybe not so much interested as kind enough to give her group a runner. Manny was his name and he had already run 6 miles that morning. His normal pace is much faster than an 11:30 minute mile, so he and Rachel ran together at a comfortable pace and chatted along the way.
They were fairly close to the 10:30 pace group during their run and after seeing her numbers (above), she realized they had run much faster than she thought. It was another fun meet up with Salty Star.
Good Intentions Club
On Sunday, Rachel headed to Sugar House Park to meet up with the Good Intentions Club. Yoga, potluck, connections circles, games, cold plunging… Sundays in Utah.
This week she got to see several friends from the Salty Star Run Club at the Good Intentions Club, as well as newer friends.
Being around so many people on both Saturday and Sunday sure does drain her mental battery but is well worth it. Who knows, maybe her battery will learn to expand over time. Being an introvert is tough, but she will continue to extrovert her way through it.
Rachel is looking very forward to next Saturday when she will attend the 4th Annual Namastadium event at Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the Utah Utes. Until next time, be well.
Feel free to stick around (below) and like, rate, share and comment (direct to Rachel). She is always looking for content ideas and would love input.