Canyon cook-out

Is there anything better than a S'mores cooked over a campfire in the canyon?

Or sharing that oversized s'more with someone you love?

Or getting together with family as we have done every summer of our lives?

Or a new baby in the family?

Or teaching the younger generation new things?

Or being reunited with those that live so far away?

Or bonds that go across the ocean to Germany, or to Idaho, or wherever else they happen to be?

I think not.

Provo Canyon Half Marathon

My training paid off! A few months ago I made a goal to run a 1/2 marathon and Aug. 7, 2010 I completed my first real race! My official time according to the chip was 2.01 (2 hrs. 1 min)

I would have to say, the hardest part was actually waking up at 3:30 am so I could get there in time to pick up my bib and board the bus with all the other runners. We arrived at the top of the North Fork of Provo Canyon where we waited for the sun to come up and the 7:00 am start time. Everyone paid several visits to the Honey Buckets!

The best part of the race was at mile 7 or so running past Bridal Veil Falls. Here we were looped back up the canyon and down again, so we passed by it 3 times. So pretty! I started to hurt around mile 10, but from there 3 more miles seemed do-able. I kept pushing through and before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line. My mom and Brandon were there to cheer me on, and it seriously made me so happy to have their support! My stomach didn't feel great at the end, but I did manage to eat some watermelon.

Apparently no one remembered to bring a camera, so I don't have anything other than a cell phone picture to prove I was there and did it! Oh well, pictures of me after running 13.1 miles are probably not ones I want around.

The best part of the day was when my mom took me to get a pedicure at Prestige Salon in Spanish Fork. My mom's good friend Nancy hooked us up with this heavenly treat and we got to chat with her while we sat in massage chairs and I had my sore feet worked on. Then it was time for lunch, a shower and a LONG nap back at home. I'm so glad I did it, and can't wait for the Moab Canyonlands Half Marathon in October!

River Rats

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Moab to float the Colorado river with our good friends Ashley and Steve...

We weren't on some commercial raft trip- we were on river rat inner tubes!

We had more fun than anyone on the river! We were cooled off by the water and jumped in whenever we wanted.

Passing by Castle Valley

Before Steve flipped over in some mellow rapids and lost his glasses and bandana.

The next day we took a hike finding some indian pictographs. Near this wall we happened to find tons of ant lion holes in the ground. We tried to provoke the ant lions by "tickling" the holes with a stick. Steve had never seen one before and he didn't believe they existed. Every time we called him over to see the little ant lion "spitting" sand back out of his hole it would stop. He thought we were all pulling his leg!

Cooling of at Faux Falls. A fun little side trip in Moab- perfect for a hot day!

4th of July- small town style.

There's something nostalgic about summer holidays celebrated in a small town. Pancake breakfast at the park along with a parade and carnival, and of course a big fireworks show to celebrate the 4th of July.

A boy and his dog.

We are lucky to have family to spend the holidays with in Mt. Pleasant.

BBQ on the patio, where we had an excellent view of the fireworks later that night.

Brandon spruced up the old bikes that had been hanging in the garage for years. We even got his mom to ride with us down to the grocery store to pick up some supplies to make s'mores. Yes, I was roasting marshmallows and making s'mores for everyone over the fire pit while fireworks went off above us.

Earlier in the day we took our mountain bikes and rode the "Skyline Drive" up Fairview Canyon. We had the most spectacular views and a nice cool 70 degrees!

I love my anniversary present- a new mountain bike!

The following day we took a drive over to Fish Lake and did a grueling 20 mile ride around the perimeter of the lake and up a steep mountain pass. By the end as it was getting dark and we were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, we started to enjoy it a little less. The trail down the mountain descent was very rocky, so we had to walk or carry our bikes for quite a while. The dogs were troopers, but I've never seen them so tired in their entire lives!

It was a fantastic holiday weekend!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary!

It's hard to believe 2 years have gone by since we've been married!

We have our ups and downs, but we always have each other's back, and we love each other more each day!

Our favorite things to do usually take place in the mountains... climbing, hiking, biking, camping, etc. So to celebrate our anniversary our gifts to each other had this theme (new mountain bike and all the things that go along with it was part of my surprise gift from my wonderful husband) and we stayed at Snowbird just like we did on our wedding night.

A little less snow there this year, and it felt quite a bit cooler! 2008 was the best year for a wedding at Alta. As we continue down this path of life together, I'm sure glad we have each other and I look forward to all the new adventures ahead!

"Day of Decadence"

We picked the perfect night for a party at our house... the rain let up and the ER crew set out to indulge in all sorts of goodies and yummy food.

Homemade manicotti and other decadent chocolate desserts... aebelskivers, cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, brownie cheesecake, etc. There were more calories in this room than we cared to count.

It's fun to get together outside of work and get to know everyone's "significant others."

Lacey is away from work on maternity leave, but that doesn't mean she couldn't come and hang with the work crew. Her darling baby Isla never made a peep all night!

Industrial strength expensive blender makes killer ice cream shakes. Steve is clearly a fan.

It turns out that the "Day of Decadence" turned into a week of it! With a friend's b-day and then Father's Day I haven't been eating very healthy this week. Now it's time to burn off some of those calories... I am doing well with my training for the 1/2 marathon!

Daddy-daughter days

Last weekend my dad took me along on his "Westerners" field trip through southern Utah and northeast Arizona. Our destination was Hopi Land, with several other stops along the way. It was an incredible trip and I felt very lucky to go with this group.

It was fascinating to learn about the Hopi people and their culture and beliefs. Many of the things I will have to remember in my heart since they do not allow photography in most places. These are 4th generation native American potters- so talented!

The absolute high-light of the trip was seeing a plaza dance where the kachinas were in their traditional ceremonial dress as they chanted and danced and made offerings while praying for rain for their crops. As we toured the mesas, we asked every artisan that we came in contact with if they remembered my Uncle Al who would bring cottonwood root to them so they could carve their symbolic kachina dolls. We actually did find one who did and dad bought a kachina from him. I feel like we came full circle! Al is the reason I became interested in the Hopi culture in the first place and I was excited to be able to go with my dad here!

Lee's fort in the Grand Canyon at Lee's Ferry. Thousands of years worth of human history are here in these canyons, and I was soaking in every bit that I could from the knowledgeable historians in the group.

It is hot in the Grand Canyon in June, and all I could think about was getting in that Colorado river. Two other guys on the trip jumped right in and after hesitating for about 30 seconds, I went for a dip- clothes and all!

The Lonely Dell ranch. John D. Lee lived here for some time, but it was his wives that really made this place thrive. Vegetable gardens and an orchard of fruit trees still grow today thanks to the preservation from park services. We sampled the apricots growing there.

Although I used to think that these trips my dad would go on sounded SO boring, I had a great time and learned that I actually do like to learn about history quite a bit. But most of all I will always treasure the memories and time I got to spend with my dad.