tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76603801536355265662024-02-19T07:49:31.560-07:00Tidbits of JoyWhat a life we live!Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-33295965368812405812011-08-01T21:01:00.003-06:002011-08-01T22:10:35.791-06:00Zeke's home birth storyI know I'm tardy on posting about many happenings around here, but I have to get Z's birth story out while it is still fresh in my mind. So, here it is!<br /><br />My last months of pregnancy were hectic and a little overwhelming. I wrapped up the school year and finished my job as the Health Office Director (school nurse) at a local school. They didn't find my replacement until the last day of school, so I was back on the job training her while VERY pregnant and well into my summer break...ugh. That's all behind me now, though, and I am SO enjoying my indefinite time off! My mom came to help me pack up our basement apartment (Mike had to work) and move back into our lovely condo. The day after she left, Mike's mom came and stayed for almost 3 weeks. She pretty much took 100% care of Selah for that entire time. She also filled my fridge and freezer in anticipation of the babe, such a treat for us!<br /><br />This pregnancy was quite different than my first. While I was nauseous for nearly the entire pregnancy, I didn't have the insatiable appetite that I had with Selah. With her, I felt like I had to eat constantly and with Z, if I ate too much or too rich, I nearly lost my cookies. I was able to run within a week of my due date the first time, but running got really painful around 37 weeks this time. I ran a 5K at 36 weeks and another at 38 weeks, but didn't run at all between them and not a single time after the last 5K. I ended up gaining about 50 pounds with Selah despite all that running, and right around 30 this time--and what a difference 20 pounds makes. My feet and legs never swelled, even in the July heat, my blood pressure was never above about 118/70, and I maintained a waist through the very end--he just stuck straight out. Selah was exactly 6 days early and Z came exactly 6 days late. Now, at one week post partum, I am 10 pounds from my pre pregnancy weight and already running! I hit the trails with both kids in the Chariot today and banged out 4 or 5 miles without an issue.<br /><br />Ok, NOW for the birth story...<br /><br />Sunday night, we had a nice little family picnic and stayed out way past Selah's bedtime. We had a blast slacklining, BBQing, watching the river, and just enjoying each other. I had mild contractions the whole night but convinced myself that it was once again false labor since they didn't seem to be getting more painful or frequent. I went to bed at about 11:00 Sunday night, continued to have the contractions, and started to get a little hopeful that this might be the real thing. At 5:20 I woke up, realized I'd been asleep for the entire night, and started cursing that I'd once again been fooled and was most definitely not in labor. I was pissed. I was sick of being pregnant and was almost 2 weeks past the point where Selah was born. I was sure that this was going to just be another day like all the rest. I got up to pee and went back to bed. At 5:28, I was jolted awake by the sensation of my water breaking. I jumped out of bed and ran back to the toilet, leaving puddles wherever I went. I called Mike in and told him my water had definitely broken and he promptly went back to sleep. I tried to lie down but was too excited to lay in bed and the sun was starting to come up, so I got up and made some coffee and breakfast. During <a href="http://tidbitsofjoy.blogspot.com/2009/04/selahs-home-birth-story.html">Selah's birth</a>, I was unable to keep any food or fluids down, so I knew I should eat and drink while possible. I called my midwife, who suggested I go for a walk to try and get labor going.<br /><br />I went outside in the cool quiet of the day and walked for a half hour or so. I called my mom and Sari (who was to take Selah) and just enjoyed the fact that I knew I was going to have a baby today! I started to have contractions that made me stop and breathe and slowly made my way back home. The contractions stayed relatively mild and I was able to take care of Selah, talk, clean up, etc between them. Around 8:00, I called my midwife again and told her things were moving and to slowly make her way over. She arrived at 9:30 and labor was still very tolerable--relatively mild contractions every 4-5 minutes for about 45 seconds. By 11:30, things were getting painful and I asked her to check me. I was 3cm and 90% effaced and after that things quickly turned. Suddenly, I was sometimes falling asleep and unable to speak between contractions. Breathing became extremely focused and I just tried to maintain control. I also started vomiting. By 12:15, I started to grunt during my contractions and told Jasmine I thought I was almost ready to push. She had me get on the toilet and asked me to breathe through some contractions without pushing. I was able to do that for a few very painful contractions. On the next contraction (12:45 now), my body took over and REALLY started pushing. I screamed "JASMINE THE BABY IS COMING!", she ran into the bathroom and told me to get to the birthing pool, about 12 feet away from the toilet. I didn't think I could move and was convinced the baby was going to be born on the toilet. She told me to stand up and forcefully say "WHA WHA WHA WHA" as I waddled that seemingly impossible distance. As soon as I got in the pool, I started pushing again and in a single push, the head was out. One more and the body was out, official time of birth was 12:47. We were delighted to see we had a boy! Jasmine said she gave me from 11:30-12:42 for active labor and those last 5 minutes for pushing. This labor was infinitely easier than the first. Yeah, it hurt like hell for that last hour, but it was only an hour. Labor isn't scary to me anymore. I know if I go through it again, it will be okay.<br /><br />Now we're a week out and I am LOVING little Z man. I'm still getting used to the fact that boys pee in streams and it goes everywhere (the poor kid soaked his own face last night). Selah is loving him too and we're just a happy little family. I took the kids out for a run today and made it 4 1/2 miles and felt like I could have kept on running.<br /><br />Pictures to follow.Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-31096269137109605302011-05-27T21:55:00.006-06:002011-05-29T08:36:40.614-06:00The latest in pictures<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUT8nhIsRhBy53-JqR9opTMDBkv_Qcoony3KdjoK_CkK7W9R1FwNvfwCuUhq7Y2_ov7oF2OLovxupivCK20WBM7Goe5zkFNhCCiqf8ebgAI_6NQntCp0ulf8uEP3ppmre7tDT5a5pDv5v/s1600/IMG_0700.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUT8nhIsRhBy53-JqR9opTMDBkv_Qcoony3KdjoK_CkK7W9R1FwNvfwCuUhq7Y2_ov7oF2OLovxupivCK20WBM7Goe5zkFNhCCiqf8ebgAI_6NQntCp0ulf8uEP3ppmre7tDT5a5pDv5v/s320/IMG_0700.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611603628252901426" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Marge came to visit in February and we took her skiing for the first (and last) time. She was a trooper and her Iowa friends were seriously impressed. Selah didn't have the patience for Grandma, though, and opted to ski laps around her instead of wait. Visits from Grandma Margie are so special--S gets her undivided attention 100% of the time. They have a very sweet connection.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUa4GWY8QjUqKDcI6rmCtwAlXmjuPkNnid7YZPFphwtFE7jv38SCo0mLNt00d-kc1yC5VQIuvAPpLJm0naj7gAF2-KqFjNH40YuQGt9m2G_pG0bWVmiJRosOYZDJVUq4D5tV7vDFjOHqmC/s1600/IMG_0661.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUa4GWY8QjUqKDcI6rmCtwAlXmjuPkNnid7YZPFphwtFE7jv38SCo0mLNt00d-kc1yC5VQIuvAPpLJm0naj7gAF2-KqFjNH40YuQGt9m2G_pG0bWVmiJRosOYZDJVUq4D5tV7vDFjOHqmC/s400/IMG_0661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611619780317672610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNx0bMiIouL8TJAC4ZQsXTuJwham6-cZkYw1uF2CvzFxVIFpCsVvwXYGJOZxtlcQ8sFzNYTQEmmSdRXz33K8PadtKN_1zijqjDs_LLSKNDhd-JwaAzGGaPnScKZ_xnv9_QwI0IQsG-J6_J/s1600/IMG_0730.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNx0bMiIouL8TJAC4ZQsXTuJwham6-cZkYw1uF2CvzFxVIFpCsVvwXYGJOZxtlcQ8sFzNYTQEmmSdRXz33K8PadtKN_1zijqjDs_LLSKNDhd-JwaAzGGaPnScKZ_xnv9_QwI0IQsG-J6_J/s320/IMG_0730.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611603614480974002" border="0" /></a><br />We spent a day in the Colorado National Monument hiking, picnicking, and enjoying the scenery. The Monument is one of our favorite places to climb, bike, and run.<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL7DZF2ztADvTpwem_JjEKFNwlfryiRtAFQ9gDk3UC4a0-kIg3y8gcGBjR1jY3o1nfAX-9k2v2ree9wU837f19KpB5nbzlMFIG0BPU5f15YR0CO5otUG6kZS8lknH7fnmxr8l_YcKoMuA/s1600/IMG_0738.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL7DZF2ztADvTpwem_JjEKFNwlfryiRtAFQ9gDk3UC4a0-kIg3y8gcGBjR1jY3o1nfAX-9k2v2ree9wU837f19KpB5nbzlMFIG0BPU5f15YR0CO5otUG6kZS8lknH7fnmxr8l_YcKoMuA/s320/IMG_0738.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611603609316517650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />We had the enormous privilege of joining my family in Hawaii this Spring! S and I got a full two weeks and M came out for the second half. This was such a treat for us and times like this make me incredibly thankful for my family. I work with some students of divorced (and fighting) parents and had dealt with some of their serious family issues just prior to the trip. Throughout our time, I couldn't stop thinking about how important family is as an adult, let alone as an adolescent. I feel so blessed to have parents that love each other and that can provide this sort of opportunity for us. We spent our time in Maui well, as in every day was full of adventures--hiking, running, snorkeling, burying S in the sand.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGVS2e7-6wW5BVLGDVvogw9ai0j1Ljs-LRioA57xIMvDG15B_XplBEIcGO1R3oZM0Sp6d-WeJp6uRSesPLuMQTk6n-2xxDDSyKomIppamqN3DXZWUfA0IkxWxW-SdShoNNXhxINfMtzKo/s1600/DSC02878.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGVS2e7-6wW5BVLGDVvogw9ai0j1Ljs-LRioA57xIMvDG15B_XplBEIcGO1R3oZM0Sp6d-WeJp6uRSesPLuMQTk6n-2xxDDSyKomIppamqN3DXZWUfA0IkxWxW-SdShoNNXhxINfMtzKo/s320/DSC02878.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611603603318599490" border="0" /></a><br />Dad and I. I'm about 24 weeks here.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dT3RaKC5uf0YSYqYtcDOAbll6YfTheR34ZWYbVPUVn1DENn_YatGANodlwQYR2glFcWz0baF7t2vPpLJ7O1MOTGXvh5eR_P7qQtFquEf7p3uk3hEvxuQxYzX3tvx7Mu1bZQra9lgExlM/s1600/IMG_0808.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dT3RaKC5uf0YSYqYtcDOAbll6YfTheR34ZWYbVPUVn1DENn_YatGANodlwQYR2glFcWz0baF7t2vPpLJ7O1MOTGXvh5eR_P7qQtFquEf7p3uk3hEvxuQxYzX3tvx7Mu1bZQra9lgExlM/s320/IMG_0808.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611603595688343810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEN1kF4Q8J2X9F8mUIUcT_lJvipHGqXMOZzTGL9cLUTk6mkbp3DbCzbsKtV-LTFBSx47wkhFkL28LMzQEiHrcY9PvwRwu78Fy-_4uXRfQUHGRCRoytbHGQvkMxX7QXuOhQoHCILL3m4z4/s1600/IMG_0809.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEN1kF4Q8J2X9F8mUIUcT_lJvipHGqXMOZzTGL9cLUTk6mkbp3DbCzbsKtV-LTFBSx47wkhFkL28LMzQEiHrcY9PvwRwu78Fy-_4uXRfQUHGRCRoytbHGQvkMxX7QXuOhQoHCILL3m4z4/s320/IMG_0809.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611585735341813570" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2wV2UhDyW5N4Kdv04M-G5_chBCJAMZx_9RHreZ9OWAv-l6c-_lpkes9RtonP79cDNbLVHN0rue1e-c-xrddXzn_zjIdbvmDNjunrvCi4ZjfhVkxN_NbLSl45QHqFhjMnlDHldSEsUoll/s1600/IMG_0863.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2wV2UhDyW5N4Kdv04M-G5_chBCJAMZx_9RHreZ9OWAv-l6c-_lpkes9RtonP79cDNbLVHN0rue1e-c-xrddXzn_zjIdbvmDNjunrvCi4ZjfhVkxN_NbLSl45QHqFhjMnlDHldSEsUoll/s320/IMG_0863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611585731627228642" border="0" /></a><br />Mom had the wonderful idea of visiting the aquarium so Selah could figure out what was under the water. She was enthralled with the fish.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSbOUfCwKXxHZqht1kW5T7QYQpsWZWwsHsHeoMB4V0XGDabi2i_Edho1k41nbfrXy0f520WSTR9JsR-IDHPP0TW0pgWn8oRYy1jwaSC1mIeFzFoK_kgabb_R6f56ktCrjChIU9nbl-Daa/s1600/DSC02936.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSbOUfCwKXxHZqht1kW5T7QYQpsWZWwsHsHeoMB4V0XGDabi2i_Edho1k41nbfrXy0f520WSTR9JsR-IDHPP0TW0pgWn8oRYy1jwaSC1mIeFzFoK_kgabb_R6f56ktCrjChIU9nbl-Daa/s320/DSC02936.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611585727480386258" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-gVcvK6-rXjCSJn1Tlf6LhQ5RDJ06Jik9L2hqOpPqx0rBdVdkRQNW9e3C0lpZZPpr5E8-GBqABRCEKf4y2OOhrnxfzCL1UutISaZT3PXqdut2-UNIJJ7ycq8VNbuIkaGC5rZC0klIqCl/s1600/DSC02946.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-gVcvK6-rXjCSJn1Tlf6LhQ5RDJ06Jik9L2hqOpPqx0rBdVdkRQNW9e3C0lpZZPpr5E8-GBqABRCEKf4y2OOhrnxfzCL1UutISaZT3PXqdut2-UNIJJ7ycq8VNbuIkaGC5rZC0klIqCl/s320/DSC02946.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611585723386511506" border="0" /></a><br />Maui is for lovers.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2aUvCXnze_1-956CFXLqnR5AgYm7eXV9Y4xEPi96BCewy00euvxjk8LgQ5FTTpD5tgp0U2Q2qwhDlE6argMY47KMlL5dAnnYNDQOzm5iYOCr0-ZyasRJgfDLklLr4SgaqkB9hQ6d3s_W/s1600/DSC02962.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2aUvCXnze_1-956CFXLqnR5AgYm7eXV9Y4xEPi96BCewy00euvxjk8LgQ5FTTpD5tgp0U2Q2qwhDlE6argMY47KMlL5dAnnYNDQOzm5iYOCr0-ZyasRJgfDLklLr4SgaqkB9hQ6d3s_W/s320/DSC02962.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611585718870399554" border="0" /></a><br />Pool time in Hawaii is one of my top 5 memories of all time. The entire pool area rolled with laughter watching Wes and Selah play. In this shot, you can also see Selah is looking through the port hole on her boogie board, a present from Papa. She got used to it in the pool while we all swam underneath her and made silly faces. Later, we took her in the ocean and she had a blast looking at all the fish and coral. She would go with us while we snorkeled and would last for a solid half hour!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqnJwADxMIXMIrr57IPT6ZdN1wo5XaLQSsJqBNAsMNSKddGu2aa6c65-8mu3XIRyeChpsDvSlgIMblQjujy7iOPptRu_ALcEDgtXkUXVr1Jg5UwZ9hbYFc5uycRHYV29bzcDQZ2b_7vjm/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqnJwADxMIXMIrr57IPT6ZdN1wo5XaLQSsJqBNAsMNSKddGu2aa6c65-8mu3XIRyeChpsDvSlgIMblQjujy7iOPptRu_ALcEDgtXkUXVr1Jg5UwZ9hbYFc5uycRHYV29bzcDQZ2b_7vjm/s320/IMG_0972.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611583650366352546" border="0" /></a>Sea.<br />Mike and Wes ran the classic "Sea to Summit" route on Mount Haleakala. It goes from sea level to just over 10,023 feet of elevation in about 19 miles via Kaupo Gap. Dad did it solo before the rest of us arrived and did a great job of scoping the beta for the boys. Since there's a highway to the summit, most people opt for hiking Summit to Sea, but c'mon, all of my readers know my family. Dad and I hiked about 15 miles that day ourselves and picked the boys up on top.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNiECvDv_dCzMBAskgYxSQY2WImRi_vO1WhyVSVZocE43m1V-FNX0W23FwLIFfk7aJPGDR53OCaQzZmtdI88GtUKsCHp_iels-JDDrq-_mE-fTGxo66Q75tZK9O7ld825avPye8kooZdx/s1600/IMG_1070.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNiECvDv_dCzMBAskgYxSQY2WImRi_vO1WhyVSVZocE43m1V-FNX0W23FwLIFfk7aJPGDR53OCaQzZmtdI88GtUKsCHp_iels-JDDrq-_mE-fTGxo66Q75tZK9O7ld825avPye8kooZdx/s320/IMG_1070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611583642136729314" border="0" /></a><br />Summit.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksNOE-zzvB0ZLM04CZESJacS8MPd_tyRjKC_Uvb4tq13jzhO8KLgcvgboR8U7m0TnemQkz7n3EIsa7Zorxfbh8rhnuh5gTurc1pAjyPifA2jtolnqvD99QAj31hyphenhyphentMTzfvZfTN544wrEA/s1600/DSC02993.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksNOE-zzvB0ZLM04CZESJacS8MPd_tyRjKC_Uvb4tq13jzhO8KLgcvgboR8U7m0TnemQkz7n3EIsa7Zorxfbh8rhnuh5gTurc1pAjyPifA2jtolnqvD99QAj31hyphenhyphentMTzfvZfTN544wrEA/s320/DSC02993.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611583646764392978" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Family photo op! Mom and I threatened to hire a professional photographer if we couldn't all look nice at the same time within 24 hours of the mandate. This is more of a struggle than you think with a family that plays hard EVERY day until the last possible moment and everyone comes home stinky and covered in grime!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9ey3w1PiMafOCN-5jklCd-5F8-FvStp-HOw-C2kP1JZfAta_XQTLjo6uwBhYUHjLnbGaVREOpwJodHUpz6tdTbfke1X6FPtI2-cnr51bU4N81OJwDugXBe6Rf5TqR18slHFhjWKAhVdY/s1600/DSC03000.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9ey3w1PiMafOCN-5jklCd-5F8-FvStp-HOw-C2kP1JZfAta_XQTLjo6uwBhYUHjLnbGaVREOpwJodHUpz6tdTbfke1X6FPtI2-cnr51bU4N81OJwDugXBe6Rf5TqR18slHFhjWKAhVdY/s320/DSC03000.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611583640296699362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmWdajnQcWLAU2qqHfGrK32MsVNx4QRQkiM00ydps-rnfSUij7ROo9c8WHqLuNYhhG7LdSkDJ3WwVtidKe2heLNV6rsxqT6FWTyM6nozB0u8bCgtE0wolW-zHWS-WnHNm8ghmtiVxBmJX/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmWdajnQcWLAU2qqHfGrK32MsVNx4QRQkiM00ydps-rnfSUij7ROo9c8WHqLuNYhhG7LdSkDJ3WwVtidKe2heLNV6rsxqT6FWTyM6nozB0u8bCgtE0wolW-zHWS-WnHNm8ghmtiVxBmJX/s320/IMG_1077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611583634986401762" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwjr_rlRO0RU8TCjIrxHic8F8ZWlW1gKActroKvHbcuDsb8y_cHlDba-eCyRKxB8GSPh4BRJkHhjr6s3dunvqX-WVe3_y66Uh-cuFHu9Z1cXl-RsLeFfDY2OaJwKGTGi3UlV1EDcdPHMj/s1600/DSC03052.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwjr_rlRO0RU8TCjIrxHic8F8ZWlW1gKActroKvHbcuDsb8y_cHlDba-eCyRKxB8GSPh4BRJkHhjr6s3dunvqX-WVe3_y66Uh-cuFHu9Z1cXl-RsLeFfDY2OaJwKGTGi3UlV1EDcdPHMj/s320/DSC03052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611581546352974386" border="0" /></a><br />Family paddle board time.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFyNQ-6XyeZAytDQhPbWEVNCEALf6Lx1IMcVg2LXM_4j_cN7CTU-r-8i4cVPhM1Zcr2URMTREgTfaKUm5zh2r39B8yHw7AeVzAPFy9vmuv_EhDEZIlEF5yhaeTkbhpTE4Q19UUnYfXsNl/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFyNQ-6XyeZAytDQhPbWEVNCEALf6Lx1IMcVg2LXM_4j_cN7CTU-r-8i4cVPhM1Zcr2URMTREgTfaKUm5zh2r39B8yHw7AeVzAPFy9vmuv_EhDEZIlEF5yhaeTkbhpTE4Q19UUnYfXsNl/s320/IMG_1135.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611581544181109266" border="0" /></a><br />I have no words.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib83NB0ZJrKamBfPRXb0ebY27URc4POzoDFpwgfyTbyGkmQILftf_8ab3zi-vFj6wrOtOhkVcneuHGyXIlMes8c3bHh1ZFOT3kbrKJbcP4S8-AuQls7NjEMHoMTmZOq6X63izXEYjVbt7L/s1600/DSC03122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib83NB0ZJrKamBfPRXb0ebY27URc4POzoDFpwgfyTbyGkmQILftf_8ab3zi-vFj6wrOtOhkVcneuHGyXIlMes8c3bHh1ZFOT3kbrKJbcP4S8-AuQls7NjEMHoMTmZOq6X63izXEYjVbt7L/s320/DSC03122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611581533364451394" border="0" /></a><br />We all took turns jumping off of this dam on the Waihe'e River Valley trail.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACfKdTwM51_SZby704vWcLC8GL5i6t1B3dA7CVaZLCq1VKPkDVPw_xYLh2SD7AkIvfS61YsPP0FOM0gSOTu-PT_RoZ9oR5mxqaPa3go-2cb91wPC2jJy7oGWvJoqtHnORiBo3gChpvr7J/s1600/IMG_1243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACfKdTwM51_SZby704vWcLC8GL5i6t1B3dA7CVaZLCq1VKPkDVPw_xYLh2SD7AkIvfS61YsPP0FOM0gSOTu-PT_RoZ9oR5mxqaPa3go-2cb91wPC2jJy7oGWvJoqtHnORiBo3gChpvr7J/s320/IMG_1243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611581529067414578" border="0" /></a><br />Aunty Stef and Selah love each other sooo much!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTpst3o6qzuHYM_sYlU02uh2TSQPuj6c3Z3HO8v0Q7Ua7vSofcBUfDw4uGPk1KUSkzvlsLVszEUW4hdMLy_EfhXC2C29uTCyoTpnv9mVN9qEyB4Ly2Mqt3axPU9AI7GZupsqgmHXDM2Gs/s1600/IMG_1253.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTpst3o6qzuHYM_sYlU02uh2TSQPuj6c3Z3HO8v0Q7Ua7vSofcBUfDw4uGPk1KUSkzvlsLVszEUW4hdMLy_EfhXC2C29uTCyoTpnv9mVN9qEyB4Ly2Mqt3axPU9AI7GZupsqgmHXDM2Gs/s320/IMG_1253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611581525404291826" border="0" /></a><br />Aunty Stef and Grandma hooked S up with a hula skirt for her 2nd birthday!! How fun!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And some photos of the remainder of the past couple months:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRiY2rJedBuUgnPzYLIOf-zHFUu-zLQ0n0gyY80ztaMne4d2ujAzPCxym181i2HCMWScBbCc1q_hRjMN7bqExnjIohd7JQ-CqKyuHuPAsqJmr4QG52OwZvgfsxYfEhKvvKzNF5uWhdmbI/s1600/20110306084330.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRiY2rJedBuUgnPzYLIOf-zHFUu-zLQ0n0gyY80ztaMne4d2ujAzPCxym181i2HCMWScBbCc1q_hRjMN7bqExnjIohd7JQ-CqKyuHuPAsqJmr4QG52OwZvgfsxYfEhKvvKzNF5uWhdmbI/s400/20110306084330.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611611030014933138" border="0" /></a><br />This is Noah and S in the tub on one of our many unintentional DIA layovers. I feel kind of bittersweet about the fact that nearly 100% of the time, I have flights canceled between Denver and Aspen. I have been stranded in Denver so many times in the past year that I've lost count. The sweet part is that Hannah and Jarred live just a short drive from DIA and Hannah has figured out that every time I call, she should just get in the car and start driving to the airport to pick me up. I've started to look forward to travel delays so the kiddos can play and the mamas can chat!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUuGts-gHNFiu_NNqNUXPs4A0QEaHb-M-3fbP2VST2zU_hzNxxv0g0wSMEFmrs1zjwOq5FS4sXIvSpwOnYXwMIeE4krHeg6SFsp-QcFeJsI_gC4lQ8Q2ZyGLJgbEyLODThyphenhyphenEWlldFvmZZ/s1600/20110417080738.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUuGts-gHNFiu_NNqNUXPs4A0QEaHb-M-3fbP2VST2zU_hzNxxv0g0wSMEFmrs1zjwOq5FS4sXIvSpwOnYXwMIeE4krHeg6SFsp-QcFeJsI_gC4lQ8Q2ZyGLJgbEyLODThyphenhyphenEWlldFvmZZ/s400/20110417080738.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611611032792214802" border="0" /></a>I ran the <a href="http://horsetoothhalfmarathon.com/">Horsetooth Half Marathon </a>in April at 27 weeks pregnant with my friends Kathleen and Anne (not pictured). We had a great time together and made a weekend out of it. Mike was teaching all weekend, so another friend took over babysitting and watched S while I ran. He lured her into the Chariot with Mike n Ike's, started riding his bike along the course, and she fell asleep within a few minutes. He rode all over the course and met up with me every couple miles. S was happy and cheered me on from the Chariot. The race went really well and I felt so good at mile 9 that I picked it up and probably passed 300 people in the last 4 miles. I must admit, I love all the "go mama!" cheers and double takes, especially when I'm passing the double takers. I ended up running a 2:08, about 30 minutes faster than the half I ran while pregnant with S, and only had to pee 3 times!<br /><br />I'm 33 weeks now and still running quite a bit, 6-7 miles a few days a week. I'm biking and hiking the other days as time permits. I am happily pregnant right now and trying to savor this experience with the realization I may never be pregnant again. My nausea finally subsided at 24 weeks and I have yet to hit the third trimester blahs. Running feels relatively comfortable, much more so than with Selah. I remember having a lot of pain in my hips after running with her and I'm not experiencing any running related pain this pregnancy. I'm thankful and hope to keep it up until the end.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEZ1VVqqWIsFOfh5l8iFJtxZTmofsvD4zZ4jxGqO-vmVY8pkNCLMH_UqeE4Z2PG_el8glO-gZ9ETKT6sz79fQkrMGcFxOXMAIhhnf16BpXAfuNLCi6Zdw-ZHsHLvrB_Sg8uRBGln_9K8a/s1600/IMG_1358.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEZ1VVqqWIsFOfh5l8iFJtxZTmofsvD4zZ4jxGqO-vmVY8pkNCLMH_UqeE4Z2PG_el8glO-gZ9ETKT6sz79fQkrMGcFxOXMAIhhnf16BpXAfuNLCi6Zdw-ZHsHLvrB_Sg8uRBGln_9K8a/s400/IMG_1358.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611236259893321314" border="0" /></a><br />This girl might just take after her mommy. This is about 3/4 mile up the Scout Trail, a steep single track in Glenwood and she had pretty much run the entire way thus far.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkKEv9eQ5oikOJaOHOHgt0PHOyKbGU7JAF0DB1sMnqTmShYAd4KYVQRW7w0n_k-Hj-Cn1LaffZsz82zVmWcwVR8vxrdzwPtAYXJh5NkMRtHN1P7hB1vjWcB-ReUZbS-gJmPrhrohm_kEC/s1600/IMG_1274.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkKEv9eQ5oikOJaOHOHgt0PHOyKbGU7JAF0DB1sMnqTmShYAd4KYVQRW7w0n_k-Hj-Cn1LaffZsz82zVmWcwVR8vxrdzwPtAYXJh5NkMRtHN1P7hB1vjWcB-ReUZbS-gJmPrhrohm_kEC/s400/IMG_1274.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611236255480465666" border="0" /></a><br />Easter!<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuChcd9nr9aKnlzk5ZohCntBVtjqf1QEgdLpzEVhPGyG-DDOEAKOG1j8CN5AFdC-nalHvBNvCGGZej4Jv3c7hm0sKToqruL4jNeb8TuoGXT6pSppUow7ZelmjnZKdLp8INRM3Hvo-EnlU1/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuChcd9nr9aKnlzk5ZohCntBVtjqf1QEgdLpzEVhPGyG-DDOEAKOG1j8CN5AFdC-nalHvBNvCGGZej4Jv3c7hm0sKToqruL4jNeb8TuoGXT6pSppUow7ZelmjnZKdLp8INRM3Hvo-EnlU1/s400/IMG_1402.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611236251499622162" border="0" /></a><br />One of S's favorite past times is going through "muddles", whether on foot or on her bike, she wants to jump and splash.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWl4j8LcFdMqEY7t6qmjfeLCdLIGvJ6zOQrndsW5JYBqRdOHOanLz8o3MacActDPITML7Kl0fBZiBrrW9KMRi1UYz5aKe7Yfkph7A7OqjWk9Bl69gmBZwwYDG_z6AYhQK2iUz15Dh7_vs/s1600/IMG_1454.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWl4j8LcFdMqEY7t6qmjfeLCdLIGvJ6zOQrndsW5JYBqRdOHOanLz8o3MacActDPITML7Kl0fBZiBrrW9KMRi1UYz5aKe7Yfkph7A7OqjWk9Bl69gmBZwwYDG_z6AYhQK2iUz15Dh7_vs/s400/IMG_1454.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611236245469006914" border="0" /></a><br />Family climbing day.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNY-WZMNGjlLliyMkaGQtXBKu8xf4tjtk2bF6xaQVQyMBjF4Fg5eymY7o1Ml2U6-bJNVBmPoZEVktHwn_AT9-SXm3ncrQ7pJ20WONxTfWbrMjndDrwlooyXHCmTAr5_0GZMLNYYr-YK0K/s1600/IMG_1465.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNY-WZMNGjlLliyMkaGQtXBKu8xf4tjtk2bF6xaQVQyMBjF4Fg5eymY7o1Ml2U6-bJNVBmPoZEVktHwn_AT9-SXm3ncrQ7pJ20WONxTfWbrMjndDrwlooyXHCmTAr5_0GZMLNYYr-YK0K/s400/IMG_1465.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611236242039242018" border="0" /></a><br />Selah is 100% addicted to her Strider. She wants to ride it constantly and is getting decent at it!<br /><br /></div>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-87451642686216845232011-02-27T21:24:00.006-07:002011-02-27T22:30:56.958-07:00Living where most people go on vacationAnd this is why we live in a vacation town...<br /><br />There is just so much to DO! Here are some pictures, just a sampling of our last 2 weeks.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7lakbZO0PjcOVNlgq_ddqREKTGDjKXbs0dhC_rIqI1INlog65lXLx3AQjQosxE2ODGlJ8IPcAW7Lpsco5idmDKNepq0Kn4uaYCroxADf7bQsMLbIFkL6U70QmWCmV-sbrQMpYK9eVdln/s1600/IMG_0514.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7lakbZO0PjcOVNlgq_ddqREKTGDjKXbs0dhC_rIqI1INlog65lXLx3AQjQosxE2ODGlJ8IPcAW7Lpsco5idmDKNepq0Kn4uaYCroxADf7bQsMLbIFkL6U70QmWCmV-sbrQMpYK9eVdln/s400/IMG_0514.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578595766179905394" border="0" /></a><br />We watched wind whip prayer flags atop a local backcountry peak. Mike took this picture on an after work ski date with Selah.<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP32b_OC0362YGAah5fpfE3U36nqOrIXP77LFaUJrNwkh8Casg_CYEd0rdOKcqTfOXJgRX8-UorwKHmIB_BymtPTyZerzrDWHSY9XOlReRt5BPuZYQAzwd1dO5u0uH04qiTGw-Hf4HBcgq/s1600/IMG_0602.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP32b_OC0362YGAah5fpfE3U36nqOrIXP77LFaUJrNwkh8Casg_CYEd0rdOKcqTfOXJgRX8-UorwKHmIB_BymtPTyZerzrDWHSY9XOlReRt5BPuZYQAzwd1dO5u0uH04qiTGw-Hf4HBcgq/s400/IMG_0602.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578595757238588754" border="0" /></a>We went for a climbing-outing-turned-hike on a very muddy trail.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWolue8YVoE7flHm8czaOGlHk_XyicSZyPlVdfTFsscdyZCH7F7Tbjaf-LzGDnUw0vWnan66A9Obl5smeRgJKyUGDJ08mThNBoQ6CJAB-pWqqeEBfTvX9VRZA1vxSIm2rZ2zBfvJ5hLj7u/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWolue8YVoE7flHm8czaOGlHk_XyicSZyPlVdfTFsscdyZCH7F7Tbjaf-LzGDnUw0vWnan66A9Obl5smeRgJKyUGDJ08mThNBoQ6CJAB-pWqqeEBfTvX9VRZA1vxSIm2rZ2zBfvJ5hLj7u/s400/IMG_0593.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578595755136621810" border="0" /></a>We watched our cute little girl run down the sidewalk in her sweater from Great Grandma Claire.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFH2vmVM0otukB4fg31pV7nWIEjMAmrXeGOM75AOn9Ttr2K_IpjL33kVqu8B5lNuFIJfYuUG37VW2XvOuxao37gv1Z2UaC2RSyqN4MI3b3lBehfuUMVYHSqCwQ_4Arpf_JV3Tp4rH_3ov/s1600/IMG_0588.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFH2vmVM0otukB4fg31pV7nWIEjMAmrXeGOM75AOn9Ttr2K_IpjL33kVqu8B5lNuFIJfYuUG37VW2XvOuxao37gv1Z2UaC2RSyqN4MI3b3lBehfuUMVYHSqCwQ_4Arpf_JV3Tp4rH_3ov/s400/IMG_0588.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578595747329471378" border="0" /></a>We enjoyed each other and a sleeping baby on a bluebird day atop William's Peak.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY1NAHNA0XnrPRbfCHMx8nds19nDzT0TmfSTdJkRrg3B5TCUwQZRc4PW0wfPwEP8fJYpwomvgrJFmEhMRtZowif9g1ktvTUhKeMaBbTZ10WTGkE4YEwbGgMo10-URS6_hPJ-iIjCV6LEG/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY1NAHNA0XnrPRbfCHMx8nds19nDzT0TmfSTdJkRrg3B5TCUwQZRc4PW0wfPwEP8fJYpwomvgrJFmEhMRtZowif9g1ktvTUhKeMaBbTZ10WTGkE4YEwbGgMo10-URS6_hPJ-iIjCV6LEG/s400/IMG_0587.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578591711222785090" border="0" /></a>So sweet.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrZ2Am2pq9xvvaEBklgzW4fGbVlr3kXLAJFo_YIF4mLPoPf7zw-WfXPMhCym5KyvImjHWHDhbju_jiHfVI-GFC0CVTvCXz4LemE2Mw0UduT51Eaxbdd8k9GKAYxP_Hyp-6IYAGHU4zc3X/s1600/IMG_0576.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrZ2Am2pq9xvvaEBklgzW4fGbVlr3kXLAJFo_YIF4mLPoPf7zw-WfXPMhCym5KyvImjHWHDhbju_jiHfVI-GFC0CVTvCXz4LemE2Mw0UduT51Eaxbdd8k9GKAYxP_Hyp-6IYAGHU4zc3X/s400/IMG_0576.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578591699505471570" border="0" /></a>We skied Buttermilk, where Selah graduated from being held up by one of us to being slowed down by a homemade harness. She can balance on the skis pretty well now, but can't turn to slow herself down. Mike's mom is coming from Iowa soon and has promised to go skiing with us! At age 59, she'll get on the bunny hill for the first time!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-nNcPVB0Dp545fxJTqDcPhcCdEdvOim0EiPxWzxqHoF6XPW-k5-aBa3GTHsdLIEjz_7EaOZFyTXofS79tAC8F8bdxb7S049sPKmyBsf1-cc_2UkHNX6eEndA0vFi3PltdGGPxu9f2Ug2/s1600/IMG_0533.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-nNcPVB0Dp545fxJTqDcPhcCdEdvOim0EiPxWzxqHoF6XPW-k5-aBa3GTHsdLIEjz_7EaOZFyTXofS79tAC8F8bdxb7S049sPKmyBsf1-cc_2UkHNX6eEndA0vFi3PltdGGPxu9f2Ug2/s400/IMG_0533.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578591695972218866" border="0" /></a>We went sledding post skin-and-ski on William's Peak.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2mqTnsLuH0PQ693xWbI1ie2YLhcrl8CngPXYFEAVM34_5Pm5RP0ZLbnwEiqyXWM7RSBcdulgXtrhJaqedam2ehZHtytPOUfTxyagsoURRe2o_yrzcNF9y7dMC03mx3zqT0UOhGCx6j_4/s1600/IMG_0527.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2mqTnsLuH0PQ693xWbI1ie2YLhcrl8CngPXYFEAVM34_5Pm5RP0ZLbnwEiqyXWM7RSBcdulgXtrhJaqedam2ehZHtytPOUfTxyagsoURRe2o_yrzcNF9y7dMC03mx3zqT0UOhGCx6j_4/s400/IMG_0527.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578591693957596722" border="0" /></a>We built a mohawked snowman, then we played PeekaBoo around him with lots of giggles.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwziXq_9Jb9iEKjpJtOWGc9oYd_YWpnsPFXnGsb0ATav4prN0dCRfsYFdXXVgFoipKE3tTBD8XQhvfABRh5qw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Our climbing outing turned into a hike for two reasons. First, Selah insisted on walking, which is great, but she has tiny little legs and can't seem to focus long enough to go in a straight line. Second, the trail was covered in 2-3 inches of wet mud, which made the going even slower and made Miss Joy not want to hang out and climb in the mud. Yes, I admit it, I was whining.<br /><br /><br />In other news, we had our 20 week ultrasound a few days ago and all systems look to be in order! Mike held fast and made us look away while the tech checked the babe's femur length, so we never saw the goods. This was our one and only chance to find out, so if all goes as planned, the sex of Baby Schneids #2 will remain a surprise for another 20ish weeks. I'm glad we didn't look because I remember that being such a powerful moment with Selah. I'm feeling OK, still quite nauseous, though exercise, lighter meals, and fresh air seem to help. I'm working on the crabbiness, seriously trying not to drive my husband completely insane. Exercise definitely makes a difference in that department as well--running will literally probably keep our marriage together, and I'm not just talking pregnancy here. I wish non-exercisers could grasp the importance of endorphins as mood-boosters, but then the trails and bike paths would be really crowded. I just registered for a half marathon that I'll be running at 27 weeks. Not going for any records, but it's supposed to have the best after party in Colorado and a few of my friends are running, so why not.<br /></div>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-29996564583692380992011-02-17T20:17:00.006-07:002011-02-17T22:11:44.348-07:0018 weeks and running again!Today was a much needed great day. We kept S home from school because she woke up with a fever in the middle of the night, but she really did okay all day. This meant that I got to spend the day with her, which makes me so happy! She needed some extra TLC and sleep, but that's what mamas are for. Mike came home in the early afternoon and I had to take a student to a long appointment in a neighboring town. I came prepared, ie in my running clothes, dropped her off and went for my first real run in about 3 weeks. It has been sunny and in the 40's for several days, but today was blustery, cloudy, and new wet snow blanketed the ground. I didn't care. After several 12 hour days in a row (flu hit boarding school, enough said) and no chance for exercise, I was SO excited to get out, it could have been any weather in the world. I chose to run up a snowy gravel road that winds its way up 1800 feet in 3.25 miles to the top of a mountain. The road is gated, so no traffic, and one of my favorite year-round routes. My foot was acting up a little in the beginning of the run, but it warmed up as I did and hurt just a tiny bit! I am so happy!! Mike called when I reached the top of the mountain and told me I had to be back home in an hour, showered and ready to go, he wouldn't tell me what for. I had over 3 miles to run and a 20+ minute drive to make it, plus had to get ready and I just barely made it. When I got home, he gave me directions and sent me back out the door. My sweet man had scheduled a full body massage for me as a surprise! I have been pretty irritable lately with the long hours, lack of running, and prego hormones. This afternoon was just what I needed. Now I have to control myself and not overdo it. I remember having a similar experience when I was pregnant with S--foot pain due to Relaxin weakening the tendons and ligaments in my feet. I also need to figure out how to combat the nausea! I'm 18 weeks and nauseous most of the day, worse than in my first trimester. Ugh.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdecPq5cZOrktLXovkHc6domW-0HYoaVdVPDZ35Jt77rfttyPV3ZOzpiDLi-SxULYHBiSG7tRjmIIOnoa0EkvrtqOInkb3Zil2nDMpcNcVAYD2NAmRM8k0C83kXtmpPZNGnOeD96oV4bEL/s1600/IMG_0476.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdecPq5cZOrktLXovkHc6domW-0HYoaVdVPDZ35Jt77rfttyPV3ZOzpiDLi-SxULYHBiSG7tRjmIIOnoa0EkvrtqOInkb3Zil2nDMpcNcVAYD2NAmRM8k0C83kXtmpPZNGnOeD96oV4bEL/s400/IMG_0476.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574872457045564978" border="0" /></a><br />Mike raced in the 12 Hours of Sunlight this weekend with his friend Bobby Lowe. It's a skin up, ski down course and whoever does the most laps in 12 hours wins in his/her respective category (solo, duo, 4 person team). Mike and Bobby pulled off consistently very fast laps, all in the 30-35 minute range, but that was only good for 2nd place. The winners were still breaking 30 minutes/lap after having done 10 or 11 laps each! The course involves a 1500' climb, transition from skinning to skiing, and then the descent. Breaking 30 minutes is incredibly fast, especially after going hard for so long. The racers enjoyed gorgeous weather this year. I remember several years ago watching our friend Mark Regier race the same course, but it was about 50 degrees colder and the race was 24 hours instead of 12. I'd call this an improvement.<br /><br /><br />I had a request for a post on having a natural birth the second time around. I have given this much thought and would like to share my ideas on the subject. If I were honest, I'd have to say that I'm more fearful this time. Having experienced a natural birth, I know how difficult and painful it is. Last time, I wasn't afraid because I didn't know what to expect. Last time I also said "been there, done that, next time I get an epidural!". Why then, you ask, would you choose to go through this again? In my opinion, the benefits to a natural home birth outweigh the risks and difficulties. I know I won't have any pain relief, but epidurals often, through a twisted chain of events, lead to unnecessary C-Sections. I know I'll feel everything while pushing the baby out, but I am convinced that feeling everything allowed me to slow the pushing down, support myself where I felt I needed it, and thus keep all my parts intact. I am also convinced that my quick recovery was due to the natural birth: running at 10 days post partum and road biking at 12. I also know that second labors are usually quicker and easier than first labors. It took me 12 hours of hard contractions every 3 minutes, vomiting, and me thinking I couldn't handle any more, than I must be in transition....to get to 1 cm and 85% effaced. I almost gave up. Many women that have already had children walk around in the end of their pregnancies dilated to 2 or 3--I think of that as 12 hours off my labor time! The biggest factor in my decision to have another home birth is the memory of our new family going into our bed together the night Selah was born. After getting cleaned up, Mike and I just layed in bed and stared at her in pure adoration. The three of us bonded very deeply that night, and that experience would have been completely missed at a hospital. In our hospital, at least, the beds are slightly smaller than a twin and the babies are not allowed to sleep in bed with the mothers. I really really really want to have that bonding experience with my family again. I would appreciate the thoughts of my readers on the matter, as I understand how controversial home birth can be.<br /><br /><br /><br />And of course, belly shots! Mike took these tonight, at 18 weeks 2 days.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeadHRRm-SXggCoWJ3OjehPAMdaLI1ZaB9PzVB0A4j73VGlgAdjGVezHMAAPsEXGCjrKH83LOI1uDLZEOMdOjdpiTIvGQUj7sYdyLNCQsBgqB_SZzDUyI-s8gXzagRsTE1QnnJZDdH80j/s1600/20110217204504.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeadHRRm-SXggCoWJ3OjehPAMdaLI1ZaB9PzVB0A4j73VGlgAdjGVezHMAAPsEXGCjrKH83LOI1uDLZEOMdOjdpiTIvGQUj7sYdyLNCQsBgqB_SZzDUyI-s8gXzagRsTE1QnnJZDdH80j/s400/20110217204504.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574872452772368658" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvL0BGg3HZC5y6jkxZO5FHqw7oVfchYUkA-C0c6IPQuV7JutrpRuLsd3w6K0B5FXEv6hMWIqq6TyN08T73j3bIFOZ_-ptTitbL0dThjw3BHD8rpVmHZSxqMpH0VZEekTNbzpHonrlPPuc/s1600/20110217204540.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvL0BGg3HZC5y6jkxZO5FHqw7oVfchYUkA-C0c6IPQuV7JutrpRuLsd3w6K0B5FXEv6hMWIqq6TyN08T73j3bIFOZ_-ptTitbL0dThjw3BHD8rpVmHZSxqMpH0VZEekTNbzpHonrlPPuc/s400/20110217204540.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574872444649608850" border="0" /></a><br />Baby is sitting quite high this time. I was out of my regular jeans at 10 weeks with Selah, but I'm still buttoning normal pants with this one as long as they're low and stretchy. I swore I wouldn't gain 45 pounds again, but I'm already up about 15. I was up 20 pounds at 16 weeks with Selah, so better this time but still not great.<br /><br /><br /><br />Mom found the following photos from Christmas and just sent them. They're so cute, I had to share:<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUqWJOZSBhWCZJxqoFP-_63JicEPb3iDnviaO7-02MseI36N9TB7PuRAvPo4APk29-3-aOX-P4s1sysDgR7IdXvyN42tbB3_hqFUTwq2w16Xk8ucEfjhQAhQsIySg7-drKMnFclEPE4YR/s1600/DSC02802+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUqWJOZSBhWCZJxqoFP-_63JicEPb3iDnviaO7-02MseI36N9TB7PuRAvPo4APk29-3-aOX-P4s1sysDgR7IdXvyN42tbB3_hqFUTwq2w16Xk8ucEfjhQAhQsIySg7-drKMnFclEPE4YR/s400/DSC02802+-+Copy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574876633941131570" border="0" /></a><br />Selah and Wesley. She talks about Wes every single day, but it usually has something to do with pooping, farting, or boogers. Sometimes she talks about how he throws her in the air and gives her toys.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh03luzIuEeV9p28b98ZB4_kUruAqLmsOuL9iWAE2qIURU64aCp9xt-yjz8NXdREs6W8im4sy62FY6fPzRGwahuAhUZ2lVgWzubW6xNGC4adPwI-VdmJ3rvNNY6M40NFrZZpV8E_X_3S84/s1600/DSC02811.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh03luzIuEeV9p28b98ZB4_kUruAqLmsOuL9iWAE2qIURU64aCp9xt-yjz8NXdREs6W8im4sy62FY6fPzRGwahuAhUZ2lVgWzubW6xNGC4adPwI-VdmJ3rvNNY6M40NFrZZpV8E_X_3S84/s400/DSC02811.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574876627162078690" border="0" /></a><br />Puzzles with Aunty Stef.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg78pIz-YTPghyphenhyphen4vdEwL2nIeGo4XI6EMwFrovKs3U1ywTp5FTffaqZ6uZeZseNxuKZdf8Jx0210AxHnZiZCcmnW0f5YHiF3h1MFLBrQx8G3vfGtWg1pg9yD5I9DabKd1BJcZKcId7KzzLm/s1600/DSC02826.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg78pIz-YTPghyphenhyphen4vdEwL2nIeGo4XI6EMwFrovKs3U1ywTp5FTffaqZ6uZeZseNxuKZdf8Jx0210AxHnZiZCcmnW0f5YHiF3h1MFLBrQx8G3vfGtWg1pg9yD5I9DabKd1BJcZKcId7KzzLm/s400/DSC02826.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574876619058638434" border="0" /></a><br />My gorgeous girl.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshyphenhyphenTdzMmBCfh-Ct_fDKk6kDJGy4EtoVXfN3oWCQCNYAI7Uqyp962huRU8npU9-XAa970QwD29ZSIpCWg8cUSBeNT2JSQ7Kt022gcN814pkjE2yVlqtB3Qa8S5_dZwRYFJwwLVvBmi4bSW/s1600/DSC02829.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshyphenhyphenTdzMmBCfh-Ct_fDKk6kDJGy4EtoVXfN3oWCQCNYAI7Uqyp962huRU8npU9-XAa970QwD29ZSIpCWg8cUSBeNT2JSQ7Kt022gcN814pkjE2yVlqtB3Qa8S5_dZwRYFJwwLVvBmi4bSW/s400/DSC02829.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574876616687449554" border="0" /></a><br />My gorgeous mom. She uses Rodan and Fields, by the way. Try to tell me her skin doesn't look unbelievable for a 58 year old! If you're interested in looking like her, email me at tidbitsofjoy@hotmail.com or check out my website, <a href="http://jschneiter.myrandf.com/">Jschneiter.myrandf.com</a>.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShvvZfP1PvyLXRpH89HkBmGk8loTqTAu3ZIK1eoGGBATn5_gogrCwp442ZkHp3W-MOCbr39QyFNmbBWPDJP6SaYEs2Ea8Ra1Oe4jQ8yZiQPH86xCc7gnccMDSunlxfe1jLMkAvysXyZIE/s1600/DSC02832.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShvvZfP1PvyLXRpH89HkBmGk8loTqTAu3ZIK1eoGGBATn5_gogrCwp442ZkHp3W-MOCbr39QyFNmbBWPDJP6SaYEs2Ea8Ra1Oe4jQ8yZiQPH86xCc7gnccMDSunlxfe1jLMkAvysXyZIE/s400/DSC02832.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574876607315469042" border="0" /></a><br />Cute family photo despite the snow giving us a funny blurred look.<br /></div>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-44535360162880254972011-02-05T19:46:00.005-07:002011-02-05T20:08:10.788-07:00She's figuring it outToday was a very successful ski day for the girl! She bumped up her normal 3 runs to about 10 and was all smiles all day...well, most of the day. She is just 1, so we can't be too picky! She has learned to ski with much less assistance and now gets speed checks from us here and there, but often will ski long stretches by herself. It is SO FUN to see her learn and to see how fast she improves. She'll be schooling me by the time she's 4! It turns out that all of the Aspen mountains have free skiing for kids under age 6, so we get several more years of this.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxU1hmtwbDd2dATq1aaVWUiMqXoq5w8mPrHKwc8VkqH2n3XyXwIzXT98EmSlWcEAQbgKzGi_FNqLDQdJLNBXWhXRZFhziiJF4xYT2ys9UZt04ODcr6YnGdUB6s5ZfVjJuwvECnK_u6Eiz/s1600/20110205122904.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxU1hmtwbDd2dATq1aaVWUiMqXoq5w8mPrHKwc8VkqH2n3XyXwIzXT98EmSlWcEAQbgKzGi_FNqLDQdJLNBXWhXRZFhziiJF4xYT2ys9UZt04ODcr6YnGdUB6s5ZfVjJuwvECnK_u6Eiz/s400/20110205122904.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570405052664727106" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNkt332YYiXfxlk5WjdedC9_g6Mp2z_EDbasGZFb7LAGiHdAyiDnJE-KsvPjOY42c439gn5Szz7k3Cb6mn162fpOBdrHFs7u_Aj8fbRbf3nR7zHj4CdYQPgJA2dD0mNAZYmpCn58SVnsS/s1600/20110205123010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNkt332YYiXfxlk5WjdedC9_g6Mp2z_EDbasGZFb7LAGiHdAyiDnJE-KsvPjOY42c439gn5Szz7k3Cb6mn162fpOBdrHFs7u_Aj8fbRbf3nR7zHj4CdYQPgJA2dD0mNAZYmpCn58SVnsS/s400/20110205123010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570405042624289010" border="0" /></a><br />Cheese!<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzIg3swfkfHkEgGQlwQG7_rqnuP69S8sUdfV_NV-xlsSwq0eBDMZZ5CvucI9C532H4KkDDcPvvzXIS9UHCxCA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0pwUjYOg0V-c0C6XoiiYvcWmCMOrR3cRElvN7tLOqBD1WaDNlWJRhfnMv3t_scKT6yjI-F-WfLEJto1lX9LzlheYMbZrEJqeEDEMsNbelD463i_9dIHZvfmemrVsgZX-uw-sd9KHg4Zd/s1600/20110205152132.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0pwUjYOg0V-c0C6XoiiYvcWmCMOrR3cRElvN7tLOqBD1WaDNlWJRhfnMv3t_scKT6yjI-F-WfLEJto1lX9LzlheYMbZrEJqeEDEMsNbelD463i_9dIHZvfmemrVsgZX-uw-sd9KHg4Zd/s400/20110205152132.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570405037349516322" border="0" /></a>5 minutes into the ride home, love those active days.<br /></div>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-66367780192090066362011-02-04T20:26:00.007-07:002011-02-04T22:09:03.057-07:0016 weeks and sadly not runningI'm well into my second trimester and although this pregnancy overall seems easier than the first, I find that the nausea is dragging on and I have an annoying injury I can't seem to shake. Until about 2 weeks ago, my running was going really well. I was sticking with 40-50 miles/week with runs up to 17 miles and feeling strong. I feel like I could have kept that up no problem, but seem to have developed some sort of soft-tissue injury in my right arch. After a great week of running (including that 17 miler), my arch started bugging me a little after runs. In my normal sensibility, I completely ignored it and did about 30 miles in 3 days. Big mistake, the pain started keeping me up at night and my foot ached all day. So, like any regular person, I figured one day off should fix it. The next day, I went out for 10 minutes and was limping so bad that I had to turn around and painfully walk home. I then took 6 days off! In a row!! Serious sacrifice here! After the break, went out for an easy 5 miler, had no problems most of the run, but started having twinges by the end and again was kept up at night with the pain. I have now taken another 5 or 6 days off and the foot still hurts just walking around. I actually have a palpable lump in the middle of my arch and it's swollen. Luckily, there was a warm spell here and I was able to get out on my road bike a couple times, did some rock climbing, some skinning up the local ski hill, and today went for a swim. There is just nothing like running, though. It's the only sport I've found that I can get ready for in 3 minutes, do from my front door, no partner or special equipment needed, and can get a killer workout in an hour. I miss it terribly and am desperately trying to let this foot heal so I can get back to it.<br /><br />About two weeks ago, I had one of those experiences runners often fear but rarely encounter. While on my normal loop with a friend, we came upon a man with two dogs on the side of the bike path. As we approached, one of the dogs let out a little growl, so we edged around to the other side of the path to avoid it. As we passed, the dog ran after me, lunged, and sunk his teeth into the back of my thigh. I was shocked and shaken and even had myself a nice little cry. After getting my leg cleaned up in the closest bathroom, I went back and located the owner, who denied the dog ever having had such encounters before. He also assured me the dog was current with all of its shots. I decided to get his information anyway. This man lives in a neighborhood that is FULL of little kids and the dog bit me right at eye level on a toddler. I thought I had to do the neighborhood a service by contacting the police. Soon after getting off the phone with the officer, I got a call back telling me that the dog actually had a history of biting (3 times!!) and was not vaccinated. Needless to say, I opted to have the officer fine them for a vicious dog. The dog was also quarantined for 10 days to make sure it didn't have any signs of rabies. As far as I know, the dog was returned to his owners after the quarantine. The whole experience was more traumatic than I thought it would be. I had to take a round of antibiotics, which I hate to do even while not pregnant. I had to flush the wound out by myself, which hurt really freaking bad, and I still have a nasty looking wound nearly 3 weeks after the incident. I will most definitely have a scar from it. While I'm not a dog owner, I would hope that my response would be very much more apologetic and concerned than this owner was and I would seriously consider putting the dog down. He was nonchalant about the whole thing and hardly apologized for his dog, who was completely unprovoked and not defending its own territory. OK, that's enough whining from me, but here are some photos for evidence:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDY4LqqWpBbdJ8wS4kIewaDE-tLTKrnV7dkUruLJ9xaQNTAO6i_Q7W2bozNGobTtYh_OYxA-rht6seXGZUWo8G8isriZsk0dJcY3xqboaLzGGzjfbWuVMOVbrD7cccig5AIJq8f1H8TVBj/s1600/20110119174705.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDY4LqqWpBbdJ8wS4kIewaDE-tLTKrnV7dkUruLJ9xaQNTAO6i_Q7W2bozNGobTtYh_OYxA-rht6seXGZUWo8G8isriZsk0dJcY3xqboaLzGGzjfbWuVMOVbrD7cccig5AIJq8f1H8TVBj/s400/20110119174705.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056160712619346" border="0" /></a>I took this about 24 hours out.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFhnIJNoIaGRneza6b1qZiWK_wiv7ipAWu6i1fCfX4AszM07oI4bU-XfAuriaGWioNhgGUqe5FA4UfWcsksAuBg80B0BRu4B-wpq1RYi-In4uP5MZFDysjLZKfuT1niDCEyofcSdanqZu/s1600/20110124215140.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFhnIJNoIaGRneza6b1qZiWK_wiv7ipAWu6i1fCfX4AszM07oI4bU-XfAuriaGWioNhgGUqe5FA4UfWcsksAuBg80B0BRu4B-wpq1RYi-In4uP5MZFDysjLZKfuT1niDCEyofcSdanqZu/s400/20110124215140.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570057356543879842" border="0" /></a>This is 10 days out. The scab is a little smaller than a dime.<br /><br /><br /></div>Last weekend was wonderful. Mike, Selah, and I were all together the entire time and we just had so much fun. Saturday was beautiful, sunny, and unseasonably warm, so we headed to a winter crag for some climbing. Selah got to try out her new harness and I got to reawaken my arms after months of no climbing. We followed the climbing with a hot springs soak and yummy dinner. Sunday was supposed to be a little cooler, so we packed the car up and headed to the desert. We were also treated by Selah to a 7:30 wake up time! Incredible! We went to Colorado National Monument and when we got there, found out the road over the monument was closed, perfect for our roadbiking plans! We had the privilege of riding through the beautiful canyons and steep cliff faces with the road to ourselves. After riding for a few hours, we caught the last rays of sunlight and headed to the crags once again, this time to sandstone splitters. Here are some pics to document the weekend.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVqCz46wLHphlHcXUdguJ0ZmAVsJ0yEdSSuuSiYe9i1dCnfq2RGaLFYp-HApJkUXeaxIs7ItQ2aokrBG8nvlev2oQPd2Y9bCBTQCjZniDlFi5CzF6-F8WjUzwdK-i7IjEgpogItutpdeP/s1600/20110129120538.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVqCz46wLHphlHcXUdguJ0ZmAVsJ0yEdSSuuSiYe9i1dCnfq2RGaLFYp-HApJkUXeaxIs7ItQ2aokrBG8nvlev2oQPd2Y9bCBTQCjZniDlFi5CzF6-F8WjUzwdK-i7IjEgpogItutpdeP/s400/20110129120538.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570057364045136050" border="0" /></a><br />Selah enjoying her bar on the way to the crag. Check out the sweet shades on that babe!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGyf8rlH82-vRxK-DPbIH3m7kmt4UvcQtbxmtU04JTMRPze5HvFS9kf56_D9LH8WC3CYnxzt1vRrTNWc1c7bVogitSFvk-jvVqT-vEuoOs3-T8zcwOn-O-ciM9L4IpknyyuLwy1-UPL6r/s1600/Mike+and+Selah+2_11"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGyf8rlH82-vRxK-DPbIH3m7kmt4UvcQtbxmtU04JTMRPze5HvFS9kf56_D9LH8WC3CYnxzt1vRrTNWc1c7bVogitSFvk-jvVqT-vEuoOs3-T8zcwOn-O-ciM9L4IpknyyuLwy1-UPL6r/s400/Mike+and+Selah+2_11" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056948628246418" border="0" /></a>Selah climbing in her chest harness. Since little kids don't have hips, they could theortically fall out of a harness if turned upside down. The chest harness makes this pretty much impossible and is much safer. It fits Selah juuuuust barely right now but should fit her until she grows hips!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn3f2p0tzFRRUD72dE77QaYv4_E0v2IqPNjvqD83g3ZdvJbrYNh40CYXXehxauRD5YzeT_Sl8g7jPfYzQ-hfNlfcMRELX-0FlpgkrbHyvse1zueEyNKaYITEYg6WmpDisnpQcGngwLWcG/s1600/Selah+2_11"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn3f2p0tzFRRUD72dE77QaYv4_E0v2IqPNjvqD83g3ZdvJbrYNh40CYXXehxauRD5YzeT_Sl8g7jPfYzQ-hfNlfcMRELX-0FlpgkrbHyvse1zueEyNKaYITEYg6WmpDisnpQcGngwLWcG/s400/Selah+2_11" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056940425504434" border="0" /></a><br />While she does enjoy climbing, it is usually for a very short amount of time. She is however, easily entertained by rocks, dirt, flowers, sticks, spiders, waterbottles, and the like. She truly loves being outside and I am SO thankful for that!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NZbYwyjjTiMLaNfw084z9CEJeRiOGJayH1nO7mJnl6TEFgrQX7gWWl7LEygJmFivOBCGJQ501sT9_wqh3EHHTT2pRIfZswSc8Xge1BXJ9PUHnXoG-IsWBFumj0G2mYJSWjdwbeVj2-gg/s1600/canyon+view"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NZbYwyjjTiMLaNfw084z9CEJeRiOGJayH1nO7mJnl6TEFgrQX7gWWl7LEygJmFivOBCGJQ501sT9_wqh3EHHTT2pRIfZswSc8Xge1BXJ9PUHnXoG-IsWBFumj0G2mYJSWjdwbeVj2-gg/s400/canyon+view" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570057353826373906" border="0" /></a>Selah and I on Sunday near Fruita. While there was still quite a bit of snow on North-facing slopes, the road was clear enough to ride. Selah had fun pointing out all of the things she knew, such as rocks, which she says are for "climin", birdies that fly, airplanes (aepanes). When I asked her what kind of animals lived in the forest below, she swore that deer did not, but she thought cows did and probably moose, both of which "eat snow for dinner". She is also into colors, well color, because everything is "green" right now. So, I just stick to asking her what color trees, frogs, grass, and such things are.<br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh_sepjFFyNiuvSiqkpqMMZSjIO6NslWqMf5jJaULf6tB1C8CLGhspGqvBEinCZeewM1MQb9BycU8GfAPREEjSBc-wx0IuydVb1Hh33ZFRFD2sQJ74s302nP5dn29NCn-2eU6EX6Sj9qx/s1600/Joy+biking"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh_sepjFFyNiuvSiqkpqMMZSjIO6NslWqMf5jJaULf6tB1C8CLGhspGqvBEinCZeewM1MQb9BycU8GfAPREEjSBc-wx0IuydVb1Hh33ZFRFD2sQJ74s302nP5dn29NCn-2eU6EX6Sj9qx/s400/Joy+biking" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056967121558946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ixKZsY0KV5UoCtX463eK82ol9Qcpyet-QvqLnRQA6KUYfs4ivy5Wfl6mZInkNBwHWIzrrFY576ToLbutl9MhPrKjB-jgQscr0UldKXGCVLa2smbfcbGiOmihyphenhyphenyZ3kDnE3zZsbXxlsKhO/s1600/Mom+Selah+hiking"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ixKZsY0KV5UoCtX463eK82ol9Qcpyet-QvqLnRQA6KUYfs4ivy5Wfl6mZInkNBwHWIzrrFY576ToLbutl9MhPrKjB-jgQscr0UldKXGCVLa2smbfcbGiOmihyphenhyphenyZ3kDnE3zZsbXxlsKhO/s400/Mom+Selah+hiking" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056943881758722" border="0" /></a><br />Post ride hike to the crag in the beautiful evening light. Selah rode on Mike's shoulders most of the way, but wanted to get down and hike herself for the last part.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBygE9Wd-vjiJlpPc2aeRuro7cShw4IgqCOMXf3uxo8vWGthU9hpKTb7pyTTHmdv6xbSv-o6Xur81TWgSc1iYwYA4iy4m7E-pv8lN_Mc2_ZBj0Q9fZCd0IEuskOqtGYI1oydLVsL8TT6q/s1600/Selah+climbing"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBygE9Wd-vjiJlpPc2aeRuro7cShw4IgqCOMXf3uxo8vWGthU9hpKTb7pyTTHmdv6xbSv-o6Xur81TWgSc1iYwYA4iy4m7E-pv8lN_Mc2_ZBj0Q9fZCd0IEuskOqtGYI1oydLVsL8TT6q/s400/Selah+climbing" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056933799337394" border="0" /></a><br />She tried climbing again and got about 10 feet off the ground, at which point she asked to swing and spin on the rope. She has no fear of hanging on the rope.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8vMFOlD4uFfvKRPJxaEMzPojRHkIGpGkyyr5DJx7rWLkf8CwYXE6c4k3tK9VsV5GUBNqrsCjpjQ75ZNSIgbLEk2IvDJnidGouQJ9otWAHqLcolisouiEqrEiVa3kV5-AaT482JmKvK16/s400/20110115114928.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056153389459058" border="0" /><br />Selah and I have recently had two opportunities to take free mommy-daughter ski days. These days are so fun! While she still has basically zero control over the skis, she loves it and keeps asking to go.<br /></ahref="http:><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""></ahref="http:></div><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""><br /></ahref="http:><div style="text-align: center;"><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9keUaGg-M7XqV8hnKjPl-FQyu-h9Adyyw18ZFQqz5khuaj860r52aQiwZDRRIQxgiW0DxWwOlfs_4mO0LwHhEpML8gZv092oz9hPizGFpem1zrrpZPZvAntp6LeHiq8P2Pqh_pTOgD5Y/s1600/20110123131029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9keUaGg-M7XqV8hnKjPl-FQyu-h9Adyyw18ZFQqz5khuaj860r52aQiwZDRRIQxgiW0DxWwOlfs_4mO0LwHhEpML8gZv092oz9hPizGFpem1zrrpZPZvAntp6LeHiq8P2Pqh_pTOgD5Y/s400/20110123131029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056169447336770" border="0" /></a></ahref="http:>On our second run on Snowmass last weekend, Selah fell asleep halfway up the chairlift and remained asleep through me getting her off the lift, skiing all the way down with her in my arms (she snored while my arms shook with fatigue), getting both of our skis off, and finding a sunny bench to sit on. She ended up sleeping for a good hour while I basked in the sun.<br /><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""></ahref="http:></div><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""><br /></ahref="http:><div style="text-align: center;"><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tc9ZR6l3su5rg43-qH8UNq6X37DFpCaUnhYJdkde13VWuOCd5ZwssQ7IA9B7AkbjKzU3cR6LfQyd172wHxVVJM845SYdrzQwpVozFMDnbHqWuSvdRAuiI3RzBZUCsUorBPijNx8AVTbI/s1600/20110123152018.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tc9ZR6l3su5rg43-qH8UNq6X37DFpCaUnhYJdkde13VWuOCd5ZwssQ7IA9B7AkbjKzU3cR6LfQyd172wHxVVJM845SYdrzQwpVozFMDnbHqWuSvdRAuiI3RzBZUCsUorBPijNx8AVTbI/s400/20110123152018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056179377853138" border="0" /></a>Once she discovered the gondola, which she keeps calling a truck, she just wanted to ride it up and down and up and down and up and down. The skiing was over, gondola rides are apparently MUCH cooler.</ahref="http:><br /><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""></ahref="http:></div><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""><br /><br /></ahref="http:><div style="text-align: center;"><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrDpgTOshydXrjujSiWJ2xhSlETcULRgoR0dHgQYm1RlHQNZZvO6siq9guu1b7UL1Z-oOEiq1UNsoipxR_CRSlTIwHoq74ROBfp9_uQTt9IQii7C75iEDt2BC0yDleh7i6mfzp57FG9Fc/s1600/20110109125244.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrDpgTOshydXrjujSiWJ2xhSlETcULRgoR0dHgQYm1RlHQNZZvO6siq9guu1b7UL1Z-oOEiq1UNsoipxR_CRSlTIwHoq74ROBfp9_uQTt9IQii7C75iEDt2BC0yDleh7i6mfzp57FG9Fc/s400/20110109125244.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570056147252308034" border="0" /></a></ahref="http:>This is how all of our outside days end. Aaahhh.<br /><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""></ahref="http:></div><ahref="http: com="" _6uz3qnbteoa="" tuzqj2hb5ni="" aaaaaaaaccq="" nm9sa_lfpws="" s1600="" jpg=""><br /><br />My last big news? I officially gave my boss notice that I will not be returning to my job next year. As a family, we decided that I need to spend more time at home and less time stressing and working. These consistent 60 hour weeks are just too hard to maintain. To supplement our income, I have joined <a href="http://Jschneiter.myrandf.com">Rodan + Fields Dermatologists</a> as an Independent Consultant. I am absolutely loving it, my business is thriving, and I can't wait to see where it takes our family. It is so nice to know that every hour I invest in this company is an hour I invest in myself. If you want the best skin of your life or could use some extra income, send me an email!<br /></ahref="http:>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-73096396348095017222011-01-08T20:15:00.005-07:002011-03-07T18:49:45.343-07:00Goofy blon.de toddler is now a skier<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfhyphenhyphenOlzYVcr3-03F52vfQj0WW89pvUZFHiAi1qnHtIUF2qmcgKUtnBjlvgaMlYEX5VatggViW6LIrvayBriavU6vlZSNjbk2gGpRbZ4Mo0kubK_0KRJaCg1hevGmQMP3pmBn0tPCDf_ox/s1600/20101029071124.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfhyphenhyphenOlzYVcr3-03F52vfQj0WW89pvUZFHiAi1qnHtIUF2qmcgKUtnBjlvgaMlYEX5VatggViW6LIrvayBriavU6vlZSNjbk2gGpRbZ4Mo0kubK_0KRJaCg1hevGmQMP3pmBn0tPCDf_ox/s400/20101029071124.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560017998036552738" border="0" /></a>Goofy blonde toddler.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4EG70UVevLI4Wk4wrjzxOSLXdc5sw2VcAEEzpM42f0WCW0MlYYfMm50Tjun3hht9uXyudyiv6khBWbl9mI-hExxlsgrI6UIMgBsDGzK_8MPIIZ2xWKE9KKoha1iLvsRYlkcCO_WHW5VF/s1600/20101030173011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4EG70UVevLI4Wk4wrjzxOSLXdc5sw2VcAEEzpM42f0WCW0MlYYfMm50Tjun3hht9uXyudyiv6khBWbl9mI-hExxlsgrI6UIMgBsDGzK_8MPIIZ2xWKE9KKoha1iLvsRYlkcCO_WHW5VF/s400/20101030173011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560017996920388658" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The photo above is my favorite view from the far end of my normal Chariot route, a 7 mile hilly and traffic-free loop through a sparsely inhabited neighborhood. I've been thinking lately about how one's physical place of residence has such an impact on one's exercise patterns. I have always had standard routes from my front door, and I must say that this living space provides the best yet. I have a consistently snow-plowed bike path in several directions and this 7 mile loop is one of 4 possibilities on the course (it can be cut short 3 ways). If I were to live in a place without baby jogger friendly running routes or had to drive somewhere to exercise, I can imagine a decrease in the daily habit. From my last house, the most practical daily route was just 4 miles, now it's 7. Makes one wonder how much of a difference 20 miles/week makes.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CHWI6gFB08B48un0cpFSraKcZ-t8cPUPcwlx7xOYd52Nu1sI11oA7Z5dFZ-ulFbp8JEjNiQrocpjhBf8xSraSoT1iYgJvPhZPPgBvn2a2dZ4q5K2eaG20liojshrJdhfGMfNUAH0nnF-/s1600/20101110114855.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CHWI6gFB08B48un0cpFSraKcZ-t8cPUPcwlx7xOYd52Nu1sI11oA7Z5dFZ-ulFbp8JEjNiQrocpjhBf8xSraSoT1iYgJvPhZPPgBvn2a2dZ4q5K2eaG20liojshrJdhfGMfNUAH0nnF-/s400/20101110114855.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560017312679330434" border="0" /></a>Oh, yeah, and there's this....I'm assuming most of my readers are also my facebook friends and are aware of the fact that we're expecting #2 in July. For those of you new to this information, I'm 12 weeks and having a relatively easy pregnancy thus far. Minimal symptoms, mostly good sleep, mostly good energy. I was running fast until this week, when my pace went abruptly from about 8:00/mile to about 10:00/mile. I don't know if that's due to the fact that I'm recovering from a horrendous bout of bronchitis and quite wheezy or just because I'm pregnant. I definitely got slow last time, too. I am just SUPER happy to be running and was able to do 13 miles a couple days ago without a hitch. My first prenatal appointment was this week and everything looks like it's on course. We are planning another homebirth and will again be surprised with the sex.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAf8ppclesFukZUars2H28TsV23RsPgvjdNVLhLB3J0e4OnYHAeuWcCH7z-EEZlsBVPsKEgEALUYxDpnfBIVctXmh9Uvpl3m3vZYr58iDAnPuxjbU0Vw8uNaKhs2yz4n5ffLV2so-AIT42/s1600/20101114154552.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAf8ppclesFukZUars2H28TsV23RsPgvjdNVLhLB3J0e4OnYHAeuWcCH7z-EEZlsBVPsKEgEALUYxDpnfBIVctXmh9Uvpl3m3vZYr58iDAnPuxjbU0Vw8uNaKhs2yz4n5ffLV2so-AIT42/s400/20101114154552.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560017309302181234" border="0" /></a>Selah is now 21 months and SO FUN to be around. She snuggles, is a non-stop talker, constantly laughs, plays, loves school. We are truly excited to be bringing #2 into the world. Selah makes our world so much better, I can't wait to see what the next one does.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVww1e-IxsFwF_rg4vfvW4-zZdAL6xA4Od7wlULI9E-QQGnfmxB11HcNRX_QEXFM_Ej_-Fdhb0mlAoBe-pmCVAtFK3mOBvdNoBzP_qQDwRC595-xTDtXEjwgRhp9HoQXjLGP8-GN1HvTwo/s1600/20101205163101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVww1e-IxsFwF_rg4vfvW4-zZdAL6xA4Od7wlULI9E-QQGnfmxB11HcNRX_QEXFM_Ej_-Fdhb0mlAoBe-pmCVAtFK3mOBvdNoBzP_qQDwRC595-xTDtXEjwgRhp9HoQXjLGP8-GN1HvTwo/s400/20101205163101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560017300012456386" border="0" /></a>Selah very much looks up to her friend Juniper, who is a good example of safety.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhldhfc4g0m3lf_LSSkxoBgpW7bmlZilsB3jXwg7at0CdK9f0TKYhO8B4yysGMdXGprpWa59eYZSZXJO8uK4lS9awKC6Z57vEi4wrl4Uv8UaFiZW22HAG1rRVZS15wUIAnrkilY94nTqq/s1600/20101205170102.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhldhfc4g0m3lf_LSSkxoBgpW7bmlZilsB3jXwg7at0CdK9f0TKYhO8B4yysGMdXGprpWa59eYZSZXJO8uK4lS9awKC6Z57vEi4wrl4Uv8UaFiZW22HAG1rRVZS15wUIAnrkilY94nTqq/s400/20101205170102.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560017295825097234" border="0" /></a>Often when we run, Selah asks to get out and run herself. On this day a few weeks ago, she ran about 3/4 of a mile along a bike path. Impressive!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJDeTAEjzz2JMNw5OkKXSohPhFgk2FhOkwJhhf0kpuOx9F5MvzXhG6f-d5xagZBfq1HpLrgKY7IRv0kMnf9CwTSd3H2Npq8iWLfT4N8p_7x3rH7wB7FyDIj-PEz77ne50jplc5MZNA5Ha/s1600/20101223101912.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJDeTAEjzz2JMNw5OkKXSohPhFgk2FhOkwJhhf0kpuOx9F5MvzXhG6f-d5xagZBfq1HpLrgKY7IRv0kMnf9CwTSd3H2Npq8iWLfT4N8p_7x3rH7wB7FyDIj-PEz77ne50jplc5MZNA5Ha/s400/20101223101912.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560016000394613762" border="0" /></a>The three of us went to Jackson for an extended Christmas break, a wonderful time had by all. Like always, we played really hard (aside from the days that I laid on the couch hacking up a lung and watching episode after episode of "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant"--TV when you're sick after 11 years of a TV-free existence can REALLY suck you in). We also made GREAT food, skied skied skied, and talked talked talked. All of you that know my mom and me can attest to our, um... talking habits.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-H61uTJ4OTR5dl4LRMF_SGb3ug_BoIZfMVUwCi4MlpBZQT_tDTXcLNW6hf_G7iZUXlZlJ_uas49nX9njSw29Ucx9NckAZNaYXr0Xh9heW4S45TWePK7YHOleZLiH12FgfBIjmd1lauNP/s1600/20101225084052.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-H61uTJ4OTR5dl4LRMF_SGb3ug_BoIZfMVUwCi4MlpBZQT_tDTXcLNW6hf_G7iZUXlZlJ_uas49nX9njSw29Ucx9NckAZNaYXr0Xh9heW4S45TWePK7YHOleZLiH12FgfBIjmd1lauNP/s400/20101225084052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560015992074967410" border="0" /></a>As soon as Selah figured out what opening presents was all about, she was psyched and wanted to open all of them herself. Luckily, the rest of the family graciously complied.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRe8-gM27KOD2lxCo7UkERLRj9b4AnaJYHBZSuxBIfEY882I1NEBIaKakf9UsrWSigzTyG8VxVfdZPCtnyjY3pGCl1rGgYr7gBCDpDP-SL9K5GLh-flMaKZRDFQhSV5lt4n4NNSyrYhxHN/s1600/20101230211644.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRe8-gM27KOD2lxCo7UkERLRj9b4AnaJYHBZSuxBIfEY882I1NEBIaKakf9UsrWSigzTyG8VxVfdZPCtnyjY3pGCl1rGgYr7gBCDpDP-SL9K5GLh-flMaKZRDFQhSV5lt4n4NNSyrYhxHN/s400/20101230211644.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560015981280145074" border="0" /></a><br />Mike made his yearly sugar cookies and included the now traditional cockandballs cookie for mom.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByugFOypjSiCcw6y23lppzgHMjVQZw2jWyFBtGvKVyfrvNoMHkK_hY4-xIJ6QSxN48r9BrQ3i3JdZceEDPgU_ckJXujPzHNxZQP0llVWAFS_H6AsUUN0z69X8aBROSZgEQSvoCxcVAz2D/s1600/20101231132210.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByugFOypjSiCcw6y23lppzgHMjVQZw2jWyFBtGvKVyfrvNoMHkK_hY4-xIJ6QSxN48r9BrQ3i3JdZceEDPgU_ckJXujPzHNxZQP0llVWAFS_H6AsUUN0z69X8aBROSZgEQSvoCxcVAz2D/s400/20101231132210.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560015978295802162" border="0" /></a><br />Mom, Dad, Selah and I skinned Snow King on New Year's. It was 0 degrees, balmy if you're from Jackson. The warming hut with a panoramic view of the Tetons made it quite worth the ascent.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SELcOVP9dEmCvyjhM2vjNqBPElfWL-yiqZKdEHxg7iAZgtiZ3YvKflJXLz26k_DZl28qDdMYKW0u1J2MHV2JGwkmHQQ7qLAO9vyADupOdhAD5T3u_Pf_WvtxPqe_6vQD0u4MFsl_UDM8/s1600/IMG_5998.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SELcOVP9dEmCvyjhM2vjNqBPElfWL-yiqZKdEHxg7iAZgtiZ3YvKflJXLz26k_DZl28qDdMYKW0u1J2MHV2JGwkmHQQ7qLAO9vyADupOdhAD5T3u_Pf_WvtxPqe_6vQD0u4MFsl_UDM8/s400/IMG_5998.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560030561478962258" border="0" /></a>Wes skinning up something in the vast Teton backcountry.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioGCpxo0OcKx15GsCFw-ds7wPObCQ72clqcq1bxy0PI8nWY9UVQRKRxNyK8JtR8bc45qMji45L33T9_2wXNag-Miz5voyxwUQiyZjK6xITq7tMAlmlpj8jiNcR9otmdu3yRiOBEqOLRZD/s1600/IMG_5983.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioGCpxo0OcKx15GsCFw-ds7wPObCQ72clqcq1bxy0PI8nWY9UVQRKRxNyK8JtR8bc45qMji45L33T9_2wXNag-Miz5voyxwUQiyZjK6xITq7tMAlmlpj8jiNcR9otmdu3yRiOBEqOLRZD/s400/IMG_5983.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560030557037933042" border="0" /></a>Mike, dad, me and Wes celebrating a great day of backcountry skiing.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtzjRsuM4svnbYF4u7I12g9WKjM41aQS3mRQF4L7w94N-FfISmUMHxntanQ2JvCt_uLWp4NrWK69akK7wnkN65DlNw7UNXEgFmeyNZZnYR8gXptxp-z8L6mYQXiK4c7V8XDQjDDLgQ5EZ/s1600/IMG_5975.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtzjRsuM4svnbYF4u7I12g9WKjM41aQS3mRQF4L7w94N-FfISmUMHxntanQ2JvCt_uLWp4NrWK69akK7wnkN65DlNw7UNXEgFmeyNZZnYR8gXptxp-z8L6mYQXiK4c7V8XDQjDDLgQ5EZ/s400/IMG_5975.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560030547192676242" border="0" /></a>Here's a picture of Dad topping out on Mount Glory. He rallies for a guy that's 63, really even for a 25 year old. The guy is fit and currently weighs the same that he did in high school, about as much as I do at 3 months pregnant. He is always lifting or doing lunges or pulling his big rubber bands around or begging to pull Selah in the Chariot while skiing. It's a pretty awesome thing to see that in my dad, especially when last Christmas break he didn't move off the couch due to a total knee replacement.<br /></div><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b8AR59ZRKLOuI3L-Z5XBOKgv88wkMme9VvpHYlXxFTcf77lZu-iza0SjTq__0M39LqfF9W3ffRo0raCEsFxcsIbB35pfP9LCUBMzcVTD2PxTy4dKBqvAz0kD3vrau2Kn-DWhxa63wnU_/s1600/20110103181538.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b8AR59ZRKLOuI3L-Z5XBOKgv88wkMme9VvpHYlXxFTcf77lZu-iza0SjTq__0M39LqfF9W3ffRo0raCEsFxcsIbB35pfP9LCUBMzcVTD2PxTy4dKBqvAz0kD3vrau2Kn-DWhxa63wnU_/s400/20110103181538.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560015965905168898" border="0" /></a>Mike has been volunteering two nights a week as a climbing coach for his high school students. He has about 40 regular attendees, including the quarterback of the football team, a few XC kids, and many that have never done a sport before. He and the other volunteer coach have raised several thousand dollars toward an indoor climbing wall at their school and have been able to purchase shoes, harnesses, ropes, etc to take the students climbing outside. Pretty neat!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82sfrVkwQkXv9PgccqQ8OlcgTvl99ChhsP3iwWEBNkuJb-LaMraFcLPo0uwOB9YF6Hqq7K9jiWwf5qERi-Ilb3FqkIEM9Vs0_Cex337MKeUn4QgoCXkEhyphenhyphentq4h9NbhDZ6ncqAvN-7X5R-/s1600/20110108152557.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82sfrVkwQkXv9PgccqQ8OlcgTvl99ChhsP3iwWEBNkuJb-LaMraFcLPo0uwOB9YF6Hqq7K9jiWwf5qERi-Ilb3FqkIEM9Vs0_Cex337MKeUn4QgoCXkEhyphenhyphentq4h9NbhDZ6ncqAvN-7X5R-/s400/20110108152557.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560018919764853026" border="0" /></a>This is Selah and me today!! I am SO excited about her new skis that arrived yesterday and so is she! A friend and I took her cross country skiing in the Chariot and brought her skis and boots along to try. She skied for about 20 minutes and kept asking for "more skiing Selah". She was able to balance well giggled louder and louder the faster we went. Tomorrow is teacher appreciation day (read: free lift tickets for me and Mike) so we're taking her to the lifts. I can't wait!!Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-75777762743734352562010-12-01T15:03:00.000-07:002010-12-01T15:03:16.672-07:00Oyster Meister Part 1: Red Hill<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oHFj7hhphD4?fs=1" width="480" frameborder="0" height="295"></iframe>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-21736578223906234752010-11-29T07:45:00.006-07:002010-11-29T08:39:30.962-07:00Family timeCheck out <a href="http://sealegsgirl.blogspot.com/2010/11/best-of-ultrarunning-2010.html">SeaLegsGirl</a>, she's made me famous by choosing a photo of yours truly as the best ultrarunning photo of the year. (Seriously, check it out, it'll make you laugh)<br /><br />The past couple of weeks have been a delightful whirlwind. I somehow managed to race 3 times in a 7 day stretch, travel to Iowa and Missouri, spend a week with Mike's extended family, celebrate Thanksgiving, etc etc. It was fantastic. Spending 7 days with Selah just makes me so happy--and miss her all the more when work starts up again. She is growing into a sweet little girl with new words popping up every day. One of her favorite things to do is go through pictures and identify anyone she sees--if you're on the fridge, she knows your name. She also loves "simmin" and makes every effort to get us out the door to do so, like tracking down her swimming suit and waiting by the door. Taking her to the hot springs has become one of my all time favorite family activities.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVjfplp6jImlU8S5oNZQ-LUBV-_oMX3RfrFNE1SbiCqHT3SNbjPLz8_bodN_Ttw0hWAYsCrOYTMv_FARH_hdxF1-KIOGZRR7eH1xWfuNCXg8htsnnyxh_94yb5D2Zy13Y6AFB9VpOWqKU/s1600/hot+springs"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVjfplp6jImlU8S5oNZQ-LUBV-_oMX3RfrFNE1SbiCqHT3SNbjPLz8_bodN_Ttw0hWAYsCrOYTMv_FARH_hdxF1-KIOGZRR7eH1xWfuNCXg8htsnnyxh_94yb5D2Zy13Y6AFB9VpOWqKU/s400/hot+springs" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544987354719711090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qToS0Kdxc5VAVXr_yB-SZRBKT910sDUPrRyxg9WIbsZKnmG0-ckWm9Nq8UOy2fscsw2G70Rh92o9eua4BJzcClaBiv9kPRMLdrFHJcoBJ13l2sSkAModqjecNq34lCQ4b3-JmkTqXIDs/s1600/Joy+runs"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qToS0Kdxc5VAVXr_yB-SZRBKT910sDUPrRyxg9WIbsZKnmG0-ckWm9Nq8UOy2fscsw2G70Rh92o9eua4BJzcClaBiv9kPRMLdrFHJcoBJ13l2sSkAModqjecNq34lCQ4b3-JmkTqXIDs/s400/Joy+runs" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544987363940288818" border="0" /></a>The days have gotten shorter with the end of daylight savings, but we haven't been deterred from our evening runs. The above run was interrupted by a heinous sleet storm at the far end of a 6 mile loop. With 3 miles of running in sleet and 30mph winds blowing straight into our faces, I became a genuine whiner and begged to call a friend to pick us up. I was denied, of course, and Mike spent the half hour letting me draft behind him and joking around, making fun of my being "soft".<br /><br /><br />As for races, all 3 of the races were unique and inspiring. The first was unofficial, a contest between all of the willing students and faculty at the boarding school where I work. Of course, since I knew every contestant and was defending my title from last year, I think I ran harder in this event than either of the others. It was the first event in a 6 part series, including rock climbing, kayaking or swimming, mountain biking, XC skiing, and one more I can't remember at the moment. At the end, there will be overall winners for the combined efforts in 5 of 6 events. For each male and female student that finishes ahead of our headmaster and his wife, respectively, a large sum of money will go to the school club of that student's choice. All of the faculty are pledging different amounts of money, parents are getting involved, it's a pretty novel idea. This first contest is a 3 mile trail run that gains about 1500 feet on technical singletrack. I gave it my all, but finished 2nd to an 8th grade girl that was visiting in hopes of making a good impression on our Nordic coach. She succeeded! About 10 boys beat me.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKE2M9qlFhumR87KUECzKYj9fJCMjvvCF22DhC1396cuCv4bxuP-4Pj-i2Eq8_DVApHMYjNgCZRVeuNJzPYN2lvVY1KWvIJ2arAQDSoldKZKxsTHl5OUoYXWXYFpegnTs8ePQCWG9QM3zH/s1600/oystermeister"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKE2M9qlFhumR87KUECzKYj9fJCMjvvCF22DhC1396cuCv4bxuP-4Pj-i2Eq8_DVApHMYjNgCZRVeuNJzPYN2lvVY1KWvIJ2arAQDSoldKZKxsTHl5OUoYXWXYFpegnTs8ePQCWG9QM3zH/s400/oystermeister" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544987392797168738" border="0" /></a><br />Mass start on the road.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNoQ3tMHqd3IenIDQkOsr5kl_-scNkW5gnD-fbnIh8Ai8EhNGwkmfHrWnxp4yyssGu2r-L_rznJPuucraFKXnOefVFeVOQpaf3PbGM2j453o8eYmrwgZ6C6qbIOKNbFLOHiZUVcMSksIP/s1600/oystermeister2"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNoQ3tMHqd3IenIDQkOsr5kl_-scNkW5gnD-fbnIh8Ai8EhNGwkmfHrWnxp4yyssGu2r-L_rznJPuucraFKXnOefVFeVOQpaf3PbGM2j453o8eYmrwgZ6C6qbIOKNbFLOHiZUVcMSksIP/s400/oystermeister2" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544989555875894402" border="0" /></a>Our headmaster, a barefoot running enthusiast. He admittedly lost some mojo after encountering snow about 1/2 mile from the start that continued to the end!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The second race was in Cedar Falls, Iowa, a trail run on the Hartman Reserve. In nutshell: $5 entry, no race numbers, no official timers, no keeping track of who finished where, somewhere between 3 and 4 miles long. 100 people showed up for this entertaining and beautiful race and Mike snagged 2nd and I snagged 1st for women and 8th overall. I won an apple pie for my efforts--love that Midwestern spirit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdND_heYFDoCZdfk964lJZt1WM44tW-QEtkUvjEEmIv848lOX7phmDHsyGc-aKU1cIEV7dHQ11nsCcx_Qekm2QhFOnzYt_orJ5ktuHKsE-GkPRY1qQ-YgA0Et8xZf4hqEJ5oGYdRsISjhv/s1600/HRRace"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdND_heYFDoCZdfk964lJZt1WM44tW-QEtkUvjEEmIv848lOX7phmDHsyGc-aKU1cIEV7dHQ11nsCcx_Qekm2QhFOnzYt_orJ5ktuHKsE-GkPRY1qQ-YgA0Et8xZf4hqEJ5oGYdRsISjhv/s400/HRRace" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544987357316049010" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The 3rd race was the largest Turkey Trot in Missouri, 7100 participants on a blustery Thanksgiving morning. I PR'd here last year and was hoping for a similar performance. I missed my PR, but ran a respectable 21:23, good enough for 18th/3007 women and 3rd in my age category. Mike rallied and ran 17:44, winning his age category. I truly love running big races and the positive energy that comes with them. There were twice as many runners as residents in the entire town we live in. I love seeing so many people out trying to do something good for themselves before enjoying the Thanksgiving feast.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbJnx5j13Jrv2Xie0bQLxTB_CjBDMwNJ0FYqlAWktule34bj2zgOHjw8axeq_2xpVEivwsc14gsU5sJAu1pjt7FaH8ZjtMzKkq3sIf9fcAEKpB77vgc1b7ZnTj4xsLEfG0Msqllj7n70V/s1600/MikeTT"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbJnx5j13Jrv2Xie0bQLxTB_CjBDMwNJ0FYqlAWktule34bj2zgOHjw8axeq_2xpVEivwsc14gsU5sJAu1pjt7FaH8ZjtMzKkq3sIf9fcAEKpB77vgc1b7ZnTj4xsLEfG0Msqllj7n70V/s400/MikeTT" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544987375046351938" border="0" /></a>Celebrating his win with a fresh Krispy Kreme.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">From IA, we drove to MO to join Mike's extended family for Thanksgiving. This was their 19th Annual Great Rieken Adventure, AGRA. Depending on the year, between 20 and 40 people show up and stay under one roof for about 5 days.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s0LJSK18F3I_elXvfjVpEuk3aCMHYf7W44OZKikXMoiqMFW7YhALSDUsHZXFusuatTZ8ob-x1Wei_ExUkeAIoXSxqm0b2c3Rup1mVJsl_43D49wF6cQSiSduCexWkzTp9_cx0OHJeDJg/s1600/tom+and+donna"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s0LJSK18F3I_elXvfjVpEuk3aCMHYf7W44OZKikXMoiqMFW7YhALSDUsHZXFusuatTZ8ob-x1Wei_ExUkeAIoXSxqm0b2c3Rup1mVJsl_43D49wF6cQSiSduCexWkzTp9_cx0OHJeDJg/s400/tom+and+donna" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544995334882672770" border="0" /></a>The incredible hosts, Tom and Donna. They go way above and beyond and are superiorly gifted hosts. The amount of preparation that goes into AGRA is pretty astounding, and they make it happen with smiles.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsdlIgQoDF6pzrjG1FOS75x_of6MXfdQzhYNJ9qUTAn_6-ydDJ47GyFkKAh_0ZND0fkpQuCXrrPsgBtxiFO8lnTTN_BLF7e5kjnaeqJXWSygpEbX4UotCSKhS7T1ADKPjZIgSqtPG-9jl/s1600/selah+and+gabby"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsdlIgQoDF6pzrjG1FOS75x_of6MXfdQzhYNJ9qUTAn_6-ydDJ47GyFkKAh_0ZND0fkpQuCXrrPsgBtxiFO8lnTTN_BLF7e5kjnaeqJXWSygpEbX4UotCSKhS7T1ADKPjZIgSqtPG-9jl/s400/selah+and+gabby" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544995314534702706" border="0" /></a>Selah's 2nd cousin, Gabby, who just turned 2. They were hilarious to watch as they chased each other around, played hide and seek, colored, tickled, and were genuinely sweet little girls.<br /><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-22719103243698336742010-10-30T13:19:00.008-06:002010-10-31T14:00:45.627-06:00Really, it's been 3 months??Wow, I knew I was a blogging slacker, but 3 months, really?! Sorry for all of you previously loyal followers... The combination of 60 hour work weeks, an 18 month old, XC season, and attempting to maintain an exercise schedule, well you get the point. Any how, here's a snippet of what's been going on with our little family.<br /><br />Just after Tahoe, we went straight to Iowa for an extended visit. Many afternoons were spent at the pool because, in case you've never been to Iowa in July, it's freaking hot!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s96NfMAHo7rQOAcRAJeAHrBsy6OLju_xFOB6IDppBZXVKToOZ7tCpHpRRv6jlqxqiRGllPnUIDtyPCfs5MAyWb41QzVD6JYqoI0nRlWjHkKdRZI1kfFokGpS5p9gPtP_iIADNa9q_uv1/s1600/IMG_4078.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s96NfMAHo7rQOAcRAJeAHrBsy6OLju_xFOB6IDppBZXVKToOZ7tCpHpRRv6jlqxqiRGllPnUIDtyPCfs5MAyWb41QzVD6JYqoI0nRlWjHkKdRZI1kfFokGpS5p9gPtP_iIADNa9q_uv1/s400/IMG_4078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533929395616029186" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Selah loved this pair of goggles and wore them around for quite a while.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPanWoGpTMmBQyTTjPA83PhHk8-pf9PpA9qyEdSZ_PWEGCIVJQ6Ac3b9gcv7UzaIQVyetM5cUj-c2dRYhNwxrnQa9xk3YYFobPiwipobLNUGO27pCgKnNkDiy0B1K3j3ldMZhQsduTsDA-/s1600/IMG_4125.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPanWoGpTMmBQyTTjPA83PhHk8-pf9PpA9qyEdSZ_PWEGCIVJQ6Ac3b9gcv7UzaIQVyetM5cUj-c2dRYhNwxrnQa9xk3YYFobPiwipobLNUGO27pCgKnNkDiy0B1K3j3ldMZhQsduTsDA-/s400/IMG_4125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533929391431867762" border="0" /></a><br />Iowa time was wrapped up with a family wedding. Here we with Mike's brothers, their ladies, and his mom, all dressed up.<br /><br /><br /><br />August brought a Montana trip for a wedding on my side of the family (please forgive my lack of pictures of both wedding parties, I had to trim 3 months down somehow!).<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1dxnVZOhDRkRPDXOVoYy5lXnOxWlSxpQX6MtSE84jAQazNQOsqPC1A58vQgN7-CR5IeQyJ8TBRSIthuYP_KkQxeejmHiRnsahFR7e70P43_aKVUFyA6YFRLISm-vXsI-muSjLEgZjRUn/s1600/IMG_4384.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1dxnVZOhDRkRPDXOVoYy5lXnOxWlSxpQX6MtSE84jAQazNQOsqPC1A58vQgN7-CR5IeQyJ8TBRSIthuYP_KkQxeejmHiRnsahFR7e70P43_aKVUFyA6YFRLISm-vXsI-muSjLEgZjRUn/s400/IMG_4384.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533929390046912850" border="0" /></a><br />I absolutely love this photo of 2nd cousins. Wish we all lived closer.<br /><br /><br />With September came the beginning of work for me and Mike and "school" for Selah. As much as I miss the heck out of her each day, she loves it. Most mornings, she puts her "pack pack" on and waits by the door.<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojrYaWu8IihBo5GZ-8KyOPIggCTnG5K24C_vrCmEcQJvWC3COVgJyTJdcdsXfMFwvnJw3zw72KL1-udNka1gytsAObNNnhbQFpKuQnUoTuaNGCTUsNoT014ypMEyXJzlT9m5nV9ik3bb0/s1600/IMG_4206.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojrYaWu8IihBo5GZ-8KyOPIggCTnG5K24C_vrCmEcQJvWC3COVgJyTJdcdsXfMFwvnJw3zw72KL1-udNka1gytsAObNNnhbQFpKuQnUoTuaNGCTUsNoT014ypMEyXJzlT9m5nV9ik3bb0/s400/IMG_4206.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533929384661268450" border="0" /></a><br />Mike and I have enjoyed the minimal time we get together. It's been a gorgeous Fall in Colorado, like always, and we've gotten out to climb, hike, mountain bike, run, a little bit of everything. His XC schedule takes up most Saturdays and my on call schedule takes up pretty much the rest of them, so our time is limited. It's all or nothing for us--we have lots of time off (summers, holidays), but when we work, we work a LOT. We're trying to figure out a healthy balance and it has proven quite challenging.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YeFQGYIjefQJ87I1V39HtVQRFh8cFOGWl5YTSr9JP7C7Wa8ahSyq6t29RDLjhGj32Cow6HMX6h6Si6t7RZprbH-bYOkueyLTo8ZgTRZC5xKwGnCc7Uj_z6O-CuLPQHTStxIrE5xAAtd6/s1600/IMG_5221.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YeFQGYIjefQJ87I1V39HtVQRFh8cFOGWl5YTSr9JP7C7Wa8ahSyq6t29RDLjhGj32Cow6HMX6h6Si6t7RZprbH-bYOkueyLTo8ZgTRZC5xKwGnCc7Uj_z6O-CuLPQHTStxIrE5xAAtd6/s400/IMG_5221.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533927865625527714" border="0" /></a><br />Family hike day.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6v_CZK6w4N8hApf6UFu7SxIW3VCzemoqN6EGgYbDhK4DiWn5qFsoXsW-oL5Hsbnje3q7UccWttcwQYi0ZxD0ZMNHxGfryAQpChqnRrJ0Am3HqBGYDrgr1ufKFmKmtH8EGRs4n8AH8-XcB/s1600/IMG_5017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6v_CZK6w4N8hApf6UFu7SxIW3VCzemoqN6EGgYbDhK4DiWn5qFsoXsW-oL5Hsbnje3q7UccWttcwQYi0ZxD0ZMNHxGfryAQpChqnRrJ0Am3HqBGYDrgr1ufKFmKmtH8EGRs4n8AH8-XcB/s400/IMG_5017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533927857881885282" border="0" /></a>Daddy-daughter bouldering day. Selah got very excited about this little pothole on top of the boulder. I might be biased, but dang she is cute.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">What would a tidbits of joy update be without a snippet on running? If I were honest, I'd say it took a full two months to recover from Tahoe 100. It was a completely different recovery experience than a 50 miler or marathon, where I feel normal after a few days. After Tahoe, I felt tired, heavy, and slow and didn't run farther than 10 miles for 2 whole months. For the first couple weeks of recovery, I slept until 10:30am every day (thank you, summertime!) and still felt ragged. Little by little, I got back at it and am now feeling fit again.<br /><br />I have run 4 races since Tahoe, 3 of which were 5K's, 2 of which I actually won overall, and 1 where I got 2nd overall with the jogging stroller. The 4th was a half marathon in Denver. I know that doesn't sound consistent with feeling slow and heavy, but the competition was minimal at the races I won. The new 5K stroller PR is 23:00, also a small local race.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJN-Z1wuQOLwTWuw5cD408QUTdLsUP5Rk5QlFWL8oCdyZSQw7XiniPhG5-WGCx9BOuRnEccvewChIgoEzOs9LEX3eSfRSBBM-wQNvB1WLthBU7Q1d6501umJW_Zb1P4CQpVZ8LE99_s-A/s1600/IMG_5328.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJN-Z1wuQOLwTWuw5cD408QUTdLsUP5Rk5QlFWL8oCdyZSQw7XiniPhG5-WGCx9BOuRnEccvewChIgoEzOs9LEX3eSfRSBBM-wQNvB1WLthBU7Q1d6501umJW_Zb1P4CQpVZ8LE99_s-A/s400/IMG_5328.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533927853717616322" border="0" /></a><br />Family photo op at the Denver Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I PR'd with 1:37:49, but that was only good enough for 25th in my age group! Of over 9000 half marathoners, 1257 were women age 25-29. Mike ran 1:20:59, good for 3rd in his age category.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcDHu3coKLY1Na1YeGX1HnYqX703dzoFTqExyc85GA0zLBcVj5nI0e3OP3XBfmg3qNRyyiG9uvV8qzIHGuBmaiDU_NjLiuSEbjGyGBehORsVXMu5e_Uwkq_NmDPj35as-bAk-b9_eatld/s1600/IMG_5354.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcDHu3coKLY1Na1YeGX1HnYqX703dzoFTqExyc85GA0zLBcVj5nI0e3OP3XBfmg3qNRyyiG9uvV8qzIHGuBmaiDU_NjLiuSEbjGyGBehORsVXMu5e_Uwkq_NmDPj35as-bAk-b9_eatld/s400/IMG_5354.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533927852384472658" border="0" /></a><br />Cuties.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCfFEpDKXFVPC_7dV7hRnRqY4eLfgCITVn6zPnyCxE_nv-ZVzA1JD92ezv96mWTWOuasX3jJ9y00sOQ2PkfH0mHLbiL-naPbaqaP7Rtugel3OKqGb411glq5SNPCcZnNJ0nK43I31lo9A/s1600/DSCF2993.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCfFEpDKXFVPC_7dV7hRnRqY4eLfgCITVn6zPnyCxE_nv-ZVzA1JD92ezv96mWTWOuasX3jJ9y00sOQ2PkfH0mHLbiL-naPbaqaP7Rtugel3OKqGb411glq5SNPCcZnNJ0nK43I31lo9A/s400/DSCF2993.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533927842577308658" border="0" /></a><br />Flashback to one year ago. Times really does fly.<br /></div>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-16730024641562173392010-07-20T13:39:00.015-06:002010-10-31T13:52:04.694-06:00Tahoe Rim Trail 100Finally a blog post, I needed something good to motivate me to write. Also, Mike's iPhone has allowed us to do all of our internet stuff while driving down the road instead of needing to stop at coffee shops to use our computers. Hence, we have not blogged a single time!<br /><br />Short synopsis of the 2 months since my previous post:<br /><br />Selah is walking. I have been training for my 100 mile race. Mike, Selah, and I headed out on our 6th annual summer roadtrip June 8th and have been to Yosemite, Lassen, Redwoods, Oregon Coast, Crater Lake, Seattle (Mike ran the Rock 'n Roll 1/2 marathon), Tahoe, and now Iowa. We have kept ourselves busy running, climbing, biking, visiting friends and family, and generally having a great time. We truly appreciate the fact that we have the opportunity to spend so much quality time with the people we love.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHg64T37Gsbwej8G4Rzziu-DXYOQhTtAifjoGg8knPm_liWfzKU0sDRor-c-FfqMjoZhpk00HloPq3CVfkPswiDBfZ-atlZTcGdXgBk_V8akYLOzgY1jOrH7LX9YoK66yzVkliR-2pa7Z/s1600/IMG_3409.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHg64T37Gsbwej8G4Rzziu-DXYOQhTtAifjoGg8knPm_liWfzKU0sDRor-c-FfqMjoZhpk00HloPq3CVfkPswiDBfZ-atlZTcGdXgBk_V8akYLOzgY1jOrH7LX9YoK66yzVkliR-2pa7Z/s400/IMG_3409.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496119651369366466" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC11uBfFyyLHeZyrenaIkoQe8SIZfIYaDQleY42xKFPVUM8-0vcJe9v-yBM-VVbO6VERSsiZgEDFIG3UqT6mbQIzDGX4jMI4pirz-wtTZSKXJfSjTuNE95_W2ZKgSW2EiQETnDt6-eig0H/s1600/IMG_3419.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC11uBfFyyLHeZyrenaIkoQe8SIZfIYaDQleY42xKFPVUM8-0vcJe9v-yBM-VVbO6VERSsiZgEDFIG3UqT6mbQIzDGX4jMI4pirz-wtTZSKXJfSjTuNE95_W2ZKgSW2EiQETnDt6-eig0H/s400/IMG_3419.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496119644223982818" border="0" /></a>Selah spent her summer as any kid should: dirty and outside.<br /></div><br />My training for Tahoe has really been years in the making, but most notably I did a 50 miler in May and a road marathon two weeks before the race. A quick note on the marathon...I was trying to use it as a training run, but just can't help but get competitive once that starting line gun goes off. It was a fast and flat marathon and I ended up doing the first half in 1:35, a little fast for me. There was an out and back from miles 5 to 18, so I could see that I was in 3rd place. Instead of being smart and just keeping steady, I decided to start surging to maintain my place. I paid for it later and had a slower second half for a finishing time of 3:24:17 (7:47 pace) and 8th woman of 190. A 6 minute PR, not too shabby.<br /><br />Between the marathon and Tahoe, I ran only twice and did a few days of hiking. I think the rest was just what I needed, both physically and mentally. I tried not to think about the race and was able to sleep well and eat normally. When I think about racing too much, I tend to have a hard time eating and sleeping, so that was good for me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjs85kPnAj1IbD_j69_obTrzdWMxTp1FPIo88vcwL5erXHwWJRlyVgaruTLIX-R_m6LGnHxpNGoOYhe3gNj2-2Df-RW214p-jFCzg01K0q3pE5iuEmxFZxTVFUXB8YDK09lUcM1INq5cpo/s1600/IMG_3329.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjs85kPnAj1IbD_j69_obTrzdWMxTp1FPIo88vcwL5erXHwWJRlyVgaruTLIX-R_m6LGnHxpNGoOYhe3gNj2-2Df-RW214p-jFCzg01K0q3pE5iuEmxFZxTVFUXB8YDK09lUcM1INq5cpo/s400/IMG_3329.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496120608028223186" border="0" /></a>Wes and Stef arrived a few days early, so we backpacked into the Incredible Hulk to climb and hang out.<br /></div><br />My parents, brother and sister-in-law, and us all arrived in Tahoe on Monday, 6 days before the race. We rented a big condo and had wonderful family time full of laughter, conversation, hiking, lake time, climbing, and lots of food and beer.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsOvL4i9M_0rhxLwc_LpPXUpzMIau1eVH4oiPIHR-1YtnRV1-lKGn6zOELqFrd4Odf8acxFEztkLkhnF9sb-Tx86PkmhE-Tjqsw0Jln61x07ldNvSXR_C831l_nYtO2yq2zoYM-Bjmd8J/s1600/IMG_3534.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsOvL4i9M_0rhxLwc_LpPXUpzMIau1eVH4oiPIHR-1YtnRV1-lKGn6zOELqFrd4Odf8acxFEztkLkhnF9sb-Tx86PkmhE-Tjqsw0Jln61x07ldNvSXR_C831l_nYtO2yq2zoYM-Bjmd8J/s400/IMG_3534.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496119637464953106" border="0" /></a>We spent a day climbing at Lover's Leap. Here's dad on a steep and exposed pitch.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9WV9ogZf6nKx_lUIxmZsLeBnNdiGu6-05rH6fmtTENx9thXTiO3KnQxWYc20THrO7oTgAfWw0JwRbh3fwD4xZ-iiYHCntkzZeZA687KNh30d7iCQkrqIBAdZHlthBwqZzorwyfB0k8aC/s1600/IMG_3550.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9WV9ogZf6nKx_lUIxmZsLeBnNdiGu6-05rH6fmtTENx9thXTiO3KnQxWYc20THrO7oTgAfWw0JwRbh3fwD4xZ-iiYHCntkzZeZA687KNh30d7iCQkrqIBAdZHlthBwqZzorwyfB0k8aC/s400/IMG_3550.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496119624089155090" border="0" /></a>Found a natural waterslide at the end of the day. So nice!<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqLDNwqO3Gm1vItiiC7toRPC2ohxFlzXfggt7D09zQ34bA9aru7wqhdflHGVFaOJck9X0NpExdP_7jaiW5uS8eg8BIoxzVFQfjCVfym8b6e-B8dzGq__If35dl2DfSbINfsTWVHzrbqKi/s1600/IMG_3491.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqLDNwqO3Gm1vItiiC7toRPC2ohxFlzXfggt7D09zQ34bA9aru7wqhdflHGVFaOJck9X0NpExdP_7jaiW5uS8eg8BIoxzVFQfjCVfym8b6e-B8dzGq__If35dl2DfSbINfsTWVHzrbqKi/s400/IMG_3491.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496119801491969906" border="0" /></a>Selah and Grandma playing by the lake.<br /><br /></div>Friday was the pre-race meeting in Carson City and Wes joined me for the drive. I shyly raised my hand when they asked who was running their first 100 and looked around to see just a few other hands up. They warned us about the heat (mid to high 80's), a large aggressive bear, and the strenuous new course that added about 4,000 feet of vertical. They weighed us and checked our blood pressure (I was a bit hypertensive with the nerves, 133/80). They put wrist bands on us with our pre-race weights and 3%, 5%, and 7% changes both up and down. If any racer was to lose or gain 7% of their weight, they had to sit at that aid station and attempt to get back to normal through hydration, etc. I dropped off a single drop bag and then we headed back to the condo for a spaghetti feast and some rest.<br /><br />For those of you that are interested, here is what I had in my drop bag. Note that we went through this aid station a total of 6 times on the course and that my crew was at 3 other points on the course.<br /><br /><ul><li>spray on sunscreen (it's easier to spray over very dirty skin)</li><li>baby wipes (SO NICE! I washed my face a few times, as well as other tender areas and I would highly recommend having these available)<br /></li><li>headlamp and batteries<br /></li><li>4 peanut butter and banana wraps and a few pieces of homemade pizza (I ate only half of one wrap and 1 piece of pizza, they made me sick to my stomach)</li><li>electrolyte caps</li><li>ibuprofen</li><li>caffeine pills (didn't use them)</li><li>blister kit with bandaids, moleskin, skin glue, tape, topical lidocaine</li><li>two long underwear tops</li><li>5 king size Snicker bars (ate most of them)</li><li>spare water bottle</li></ul>I had the following items for my crew to have ready for me at check points:<br /><ul><li>shoes borrowed from El 1/2 size larger than mine</li><li>spare shorts, sports bra, and top (didn't use them)</li><li>extra socks (changed into new shoes and socks at mile 50)</li><li>super lightweight windbreaker</li><li>food</li></ul>Thankfully, I was able to go to sleep around 9:30 Friday night in preparation for my 3:30 am alarm and 5:00 race start. Selah woke up a couple of times during the night, but otherwise I slept pretty well. I had the coffee pot ready to go the night before, so walked upstairs and turned it on and got dressed for the day. Even at 4:00, when we left the condo, it was already warm enough for just shorts and a T-Shirt. It was going to be a hot day.<br /><br />Mike drove me to Spooner Lake State Park, the start/finish and 50 mile turnaround. Runners were milling about everywhere and everyone was getting excited. The race volunteers all wore bathrobes, slippers, and curlers in their hair, perfect for lightening the mood. We milled down to the start area and I found another woman that had raised her hand the day before. Off we went into the dark for the start of 100 miles! So anticlimactic, really, as we all started off by walking.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSQfFS4bbBPdHoEdW0fsNJVGAEdNepuIzylsfXy3TInp9wNefFoo1s1GHCX39EH4M0wbDQAPHIUvCGpUe8_9kRb9tRmrWL8px76bhLgJL9HmTmZbqfLd9CHNOUFw9WDqC0Rjh-3oF9cQZ/s1600/IMG_3558.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSQfFS4bbBPdHoEdW0fsNJVGAEdNepuIzylsfXy3TInp9wNefFoo1s1GHCX39EH4M0wbDQAPHIUvCGpUe8_9kRb9tRmrWL8px76bhLgJL9HmTmZbqfLd9CHNOUFw9WDqC0Rjh-3oF9cQZ/s400/IMG_3558.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496119610232290194" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It was 6 miles and a 1500 foot climb to the first aid station above the beautiful Marlette Lake and I took it really easy, running any downhill, walking even the slightest uphill and running some of the flat. I talked to all kinds of people that I would see throughout the long day. From Hobart aid station, we got onto single track and weaved around the west side of Marlette and Harlan Peaks, then had a nice drop into Tunnel Creek aid station at mile 11. A quick weight check and some food in, and off we went on the notorious Red House Loop, a 6.5 mile lollipop type loop that ends back at Tunnel Creek. I was feeling great, so I booked it on the steep downhill to the Red House and power hiked back out, passing many people. To this Colorado girl, a 1200 foot climb in 1.5 miles wasn't as strenuous as they had warned. The only thing slowing me down was that I seemed to have to pee every couple miles.<br /><br />From Tunnel Creek, the course took us north again towards Diamond Peak ski area. It was flat and rolling for about 8 miles, then 5 miles of downhill to the 30 mile aid station. I felt amazing and ran those 13 miles in just over 2 hours, fast enough for my family to show up 30 minutes after I had left the AS (they were watching live updates online). I think it was a mistake to go so fast, and I paid for it later. I must admit, I was pretty sad and disappointed when I showed up and had no cheering section waiting for me, but I decided I had to get over it and move on. I couldn't let my emotions get me down. Fortunately, Olga caught up to me at the aid station and we were able to climb the steep ski area out of there together, power hiking past guys like they were standing still. We both have some buns of steel to get us up those steep climbs! She was so wonderful to talk to! What an inspiration, with many many many ultras under her belt, a constant smile, and a charming Russian accent. At the top of the ski area, I took a little break in the shade and she took off ahead. She almost went off course at an unmarked turn, but this rookie had pored over the map for enough hours to memorize the course. Thankfully, I turned her around. (A few other runners weren't so lucky: the second place female came roaring past me at mile 40, stating she had gotten lost for 6 miles at that turn, and ended up DNFing in frustration).<br /><br />From the top of Diamond Peak, the course heads back south to Tunnel Creek, back around Harlan and Marlette Peaks to Hobart Aid station, and then splits slightly east to the top of Snow Valley Peak, mile 42 and the high point of the course (9200'). I was feeling really strong at the top of the peak, had no blisters, had no GI issues, not even a sore muscle. As I left the AS tent, I looked right and heard "Boo!" and found my dad standing there! He had hiked up to meet me and run to the turnaround with me. What a morale boost!! I was so excited and just started talking his ear off, telling him how great I was feeling and how happy I was. In fact, I was feeling so great that he couldn't keep up with me and we were only together for about 1/2 mile. It's funny how an ultra is such an extreme emotional roller coaster, because by the time I got to the bottom of the descent to Spooner Lake, I had nearly talked myself into quitting at 50 miles. I wanted to sit on a rock and wait for my dad and was secretly wishing for some pain somewhere so I could have an excuse to stop.<br /><br />Well, no such luck. I still had no pain at mile 50 and my brother was practically doing cartwheels in excitement to go back out for another loop with me. I couldn't stop or he would be too sad...so I went out again after 30 minutes of eating, changing shoes, and having Mike wash and doctor up a few hot spots on my feet. Wes and I left the turnaround at 6:00pm, 13 hours after starting the race, 50 miles and 12,000 feet of climbing down, 50 and 12,000 feet to go.<br /><br />The climb back to Hobart was fairly uneventful, except that Wes was jumping around, hooting, yelling, and generally having more fun than I had ever seen. We left Hobart just before sunset and headed into the open above Lake Tahoe into one of the most fantastic views I have ever witnessed ever ever ever. Alpine glow on Marlette Peak, Lake Tahoe, Marlette Lake, a field of Arrow-leafed Balsam Root, Lupine, Indian Paintbrush, Cinquefoil, Pentstemmon....OMG!! I had just run about 57 miles and was back on top of the world. Wes and I headed toward Tunnel Creek (by the way, we saw the first 100 miler heading back to the finish here, he was nearly 30 miles ahead of us!) and we were RUNNING!! We averaged about 9:00 pace through the rocks in the dark and arrived at Tunnel Creek to find Olga, who had unfortunately decided to DNF. We left Tunnel Creek towards the Red House with rocket fuel in our veins (remember that roller coaster analogy?).<br /><br />The Red House Loop has gained the reputation as "a taste of Hell". I didn't think it was bad at all the first time around, but it seemed interminable the second time! By the time Wes and I arrived at the bottom of the loop, I had a couple of very sore blisters and started feeling really tired. I basically could not get the energy to run and just walked all the way back to Tunnel Creek. I sat at Tunnel for a while, weighed in (I was peeing literally every 20 minutes or so but had not lost any weight), and left the AS walking at 11:45pm. We ended up walking the next 13 miles, the longest 13 miles EVER. I had been warned not to get into a death march, ie run even though it hurts and avoid the urge to keep walking forever. I should have heeded that advice and at least tried to run, but I could not muster any strength. The 13 mile stretch between Tunnel Creek and the bottom of Diamond Peak ski area was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Wes turned music on for us and just stayed behind me, constantly telling me I was doing great and trying to encourage me. I remembered a couple of significant turns and kept waiting for them to arrive, but we just seemed to never get there. What had taken me 2 hours on the previous lap took 4:20 the second time. I essentially gave up, quit eating and drinking, and decided to quit as soon as we got to Diamond Peak. I could only imagine crawling into the bed in back of the van and having Mike drive me back to the condo while I slept. I only wanted to sleep, it completely consumed my thoughts. Several times, I sat down on rocks and begged Wes to run down and get Mike to come carry me to the van. I was done. Completely depleted. Over it. Thought it absolutely impossible to go out for another 20 miles. Pissed off. This is the stupidest thing I have ever done. I will never ever do this again and I don't care what anyone thinks. And on and on, you get the picture.<br /><br />Well, the turns did eventually arrive and I actually did eventually make it to the ski area and immediately crawled into the van to go to sleep as planned. Mike, on the other hand, had been warned by me for months that I would try to do this and his job was to not let me do it. "This is different, you don't understand! I really am done! Quit being such an asshole and let me go to sleep!". Well, darn, he wouldn't listen and made me get out of the van "for a med check, I think you should get weighed to make sure everything is ok". He was totally working me. He wrapped me up in a blanket and helped me walk to the officials, whom I told I was quitting. Mike: "No, no, no, let's just go rest in the lodge for a bit". Me: "No, I'm quitting, you're such an asshole, why won't you let me sleep?! We went into the lodge, he made me eat some chicken soup and I fell asleep sitting up in the chair.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g8anI7T2w47sJ1PK9lj7PdLNqAijwD1qL9P_jTno9JmgzPtdk6qYJoyNTge99uzk-p7WtkfAoFDGFfCQZEunJg9iwW1LUfkwdAYLQV58Stgko7v39MdrvPqoP5Q_mqay3eFbW3SwqDhO/s1600/IMG_3594.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g8anI7T2w47sJ1PK9lj7PdLNqAijwD1qL9P_jTno9JmgzPtdk6qYJoyNTge99uzk-p7WtkfAoFDGFfCQZEunJg9iwW1LUfkwdAYLQV58Stgko7v39MdrvPqoP5Q_mqay3eFbW3SwqDhO/s400/IMG_3594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496117051513940802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJJgNiHhg3UbVeFsV-QKus7AReypIKY_F5QdTjMyjHPkWWhPTHdErYkNZfBsO25WEvKNb6Irdhc8msr6vpnvKe_EZcv29YtH8n9PmHPGCBfhrs1ZQ6Mtuk7U104Pi3SN3b24iOzYoy0J4/s1600/IMG_3600.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJJgNiHhg3UbVeFsV-QKus7AReypIKY_F5QdTjMyjHPkWWhPTHdErYkNZfBsO25WEvKNb6Irdhc8msr6vpnvKe_EZcv29YtH8n9PmHPGCBfhrs1ZQ6Mtuk7U104Pi3SN3b24iOzYoy0J4/s400/IMG_3600.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496117036403707698" border="0" /></a><br />When Mike went to the bathroom, I sneaked back to the van and crawled into bed, ignoring Wes' pleas to have me try again. I dozed on and off between Mike and Wes trying to get me to eat and drink, and eventually the sun came back up. Then Mike pulled out the big guns, he called Sari, my uber tough Primal Quest winning friend. She knows what blisters feel like. She knows what exhausted feels like. She also knows what persevering through it feels like and what success at the end feels like. She told me to put on a new pair of shoes and "just try walking, just a little bit, just try" and I barely got out the words "I'll think about it" between sobs. Then Mike started gyrating his hips to "Freaky Girl" in front of me, claiming I was really going to miss out if I missed his special playlist.<br /><br /><br />I tried not to laugh, cuz gosh darnit, I was determined to stay mad. But I laughed. And then I put on a different pair of shoes. And then I walked across the parking lot. And then I tried, just a little bit. Wes was still on fire and amped beyond belief, so he decided to stay with me and Mike instead of having Mike take his place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjH-LrE2yaH9J_ryrsLx57g7Ys2vN14DqMFqQU856Cp97kfU_fC_mHvI9k6UN-bIbAdndj0wKvZhallGozzXBp-B4YByQyDTFDMKVNRTKrRaAjRC2DVfkIuerncB0CQezt3wtUpzH6Gtc/s1600/IMG_3605.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjH-LrE2yaH9J_ryrsLx57g7Ys2vN14DqMFqQU856Cp97kfU_fC_mHvI9k6UN-bIbAdndj0wKvZhallGozzXBp-B4YByQyDTFDMKVNRTKrRaAjRC2DVfkIuerncB0CQezt3wtUpzH6Gtc/s400/IMG_3605.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496117019313011906" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDD5GnEsDARz_XU8Tgyx5ZXYglaUyk_iBqz7sDVL0WPLiWN_G1gI-Wj-m1UbpKb_cNWh0HdI8Ffx-wpHPt4ti-8k5KM3GZr5wcHUiHsiose50-gUKufTIoxLKxIcwCFEkdQ8Kk6Qxt57V/s1600/IMG_3606.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDD5GnEsDARz_XU8Tgyx5ZXYglaUyk_iBqz7sDVL0WPLiWN_G1gI-Wj-m1UbpKb_cNWh0HdI8Ffx-wpHPt4ti-8k5KM3GZr5wcHUiHsiose50-gUKufTIoxLKxIcwCFEkdQ8Kk6Qxt57V/s400/IMG_3606.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496117003834564018" border="0" /></a><br />Heading back out at mile 80.<br /><br /><br /></div>As I walked out of the AS and up that ski area, Mike and Wes yelled and clapped and jumped up and down in excitement. By that time, it was 7:15 am, 15 minutes before the cutoff. We were the last people to leave and we started passing people within about 10 minutes of starting. By the time we topped the peak, my blister-induced limp had stopped and I was running again. We passed another party just before Tunnel Creek and kept running. We passed 6 or so more runners by Hobart and kept going.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBMZzcnTdn3HGPJDF5KdP1decFA7sJaRQJ-XL5ZirLa6ip48hTzSygJnsHHJH3zhB_iaxU2RydoaZCtPSgZYANrSk8pi6IoOTt6FPoflgDxbx6UQJpmqpcWiykQybxeVf8wp72_KLuao0/s1600/IMG_3614.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBMZzcnTdn3HGPJDF5KdP1decFA7sJaRQJ-XL5ZirLa6ip48hTzSygJnsHHJH3zhB_iaxU2RydoaZCtPSgZYANrSk8pi6IoOTt6FPoflgDxbx6UQJpmqpcWiykQybxeVf8wp72_KLuao0/s400/IMG_3614.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496116989205073442" border="0" /></a><br />Mike kept yelling "Bone Crusher Joy!"<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmppVZ20Jk1FbGwAGYkT0Eo0LP9zvkliIiCJi3oNj7rfS6d1juHBXIb1Ot98TWJu5YU3Slqc1Ys0ULPk9RXPqPcUTdOfmcaixaUKhYNceKdmpJELDzHUXm71BfsU_qOLeUyXwbZElJMScg/s1600/IMG_3616.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmppVZ20Jk1FbGwAGYkT0Eo0LP9zvkliIiCJi3oNj7rfS6d1juHBXIb1Ot98TWJu5YU3Slqc1Ys0ULPk9RXPqPcUTdOfmcaixaUKhYNceKdmpJELDzHUXm71BfsU_qOLeUyXwbZElJMScg/s400/IMG_3616.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496116383494962546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1HlF-ri0vikDz02llXkvu10pQdVjGbOhNXVUklXiLvlQPk8bgdR7Sq2NljfOdVXdNdjUSWIe9y82QEYf9MQLvGiGbDBLAw0RYZxmKWZwgfAoegpJKB1JLs7izGA73qaQRPusjWahkvyM/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1HlF-ri0vikDz02llXkvu10pQdVjGbOhNXVUklXiLvlQPk8bgdR7Sq2NljfOdVXdNdjUSWIe9y82QEYf9MQLvGiGbDBLAw0RYZxmKWZwgfAoegpJKB1JLs7izGA73qaQRPusjWahkvyM/s400/IMG_3622.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496116366386817826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7ypFhmEgQiqNKWLWly9N68PCw4TU25G8E9iwLYmnVTtLAyE-yrmAhGCECwAWGtuOS3ehhIZluSkbtL8pD4D3KBJEJw-UurNh5w2q0TGHiWU8uCXm3CyYsWFmC0uRTXL5o37pxTrQx4q3/s1600/IMG_3617.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7ypFhmEgQiqNKWLWly9N68PCw4TU25G8E9iwLYmnVTtLAyE-yrmAhGCECwAWGtuOS3ehhIZluSkbtL8pD4D3KBJEJw-UurNh5w2q0TGHiWU8uCXm3CyYsWFmC0uRTXL5o37pxTrQx4q3/s400/IMG_3617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496116376336467426" border="0" /></a><br />We hiked and laughed and started having fun and got to Snow Valley Peak aid station, mile 93 and all downhill to the finish. It was then that I realized I was actually going to finish this race. We ran almost the entire way to the end, passing another several runners in the process, and ended up with just over 6 hours for the 20 miles, the same pace I had done it on the first loop.<br /><br />I crossed the finish line in 32:19, 11th out of 13 finishing females and 47th of 60 finishers overall. 57 of 117 had DNF'd. I persevered. Then I drank a well-deserved beer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KK0p6lB7FeBglSk2B7wANYa09jlRL3kHxAOPcqJKsFCSjp7B9F65pGbevSep4HQwCRE105F7PShwR9qn9Q2zbNky-bVao6TdatEfMY_-_np3w9ma7qgK74U5Hmq5PwLlPQrCFKAAfI0g/s1600/IMG_3661.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KK0p6lB7FeBglSk2B7wANYa09jlRL3kHxAOPcqJKsFCSjp7B9F65pGbevSep4HQwCRE105F7PShwR9qn9Q2zbNky-bVao6TdatEfMY_-_np3w9ma7qgK74U5Hmq5PwLlPQrCFKAAfI0g/s400/IMG_3661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496116358243217730" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUSqVQPDyE3zcZG1k9YDxqG_NBZIucgCI6Tnt0i5S_K21m5D2Nt9Tnb1zMmjX_-PvT09oEdjxFepXnqK5lHmvwHZhMSt363uPDiYF-0ZYMJRTwvjiptzIXrVtxtvuz53Q2d0h4rTvtB1v/s1600/IMG_3669.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUSqVQPDyE3zcZG1k9YDxqG_NBZIucgCI6Tnt0i5S_K21m5D2Nt9Tnb1zMmjX_-PvT09oEdjxFepXnqK5lHmvwHZhMSt363uPDiYF-0ZYMJRTwvjiptzIXrVtxtvuz53Q2d0h4rTvtB1v/s400/IMG_3669.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496116348263459026" border="0" /></a><br />My award. I will now start wearing a belt.<br /></div><br />There is absolutely no way I would have succeeded without my mom helping me get prepped, my parents and Stef watching Selah, Wes indomitable spirit for 50 miles, Mike's excitement. This was a family affair.<br /><br />Will I do it again? Yesterday I said absolutely not. Today I say probably not. Tomorrow, who knows. I truly think that marathons and 50s are more my thing, but i guess we'll just have to see.<br /><br />What I learned:<br /><ul><li>Sitting still for a few minutes at every aid station to eat, drink, and recover was a good idea. When I blazed through, I paid for it later. When I took the time to rest, I felt energized.</li><li>Eat and drink constantly. I drank about 8 gallons of water through the course. I ate a few king-size snickers, several chicken and avocado burritos, a piece of pizza, a few cheese sticks, lots of chips, a couple of ham sandwiches, a grilled cheese sandwich, a breakfast burrito, loads of watermelon and canteloupe, a few small smoothies, a peach, a few cups of soup, M&M's, jelly beans, half of a gel (made me gag) and lots more that I can't remember right now.</li><li>Sugary electrolyte drink almost always makes me nauseous. I tried in the beginning and it had the same affect, so I took electrolyte caps every hour with water.</li><li>Sometimes it takes 3 hours and lots of encouragement to get moving again, but once you just get moving, you feel better than you think you will. Make sure you have your crew prepared to talk you into things you don't want to do.</li></ul>If you're still reading, I'm impressed~!Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-31408829983911942422010-05-16T10:04:00.003-06:002010-05-16T11:52:40.201-06:00PlaytimeSelah loves the phone:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy_OyrV7yYUQKCCMARKD8WJJ73cCaEM7YQLf_-sNvB8eSzLEdStSB3zb7ktJvlFTRNsYWLWBjvLAlpzRgT8uA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-88188093466401859812010-05-16T08:49:00.004-06:002010-05-16T10:02:48.506-06:00Playing at the parkVideo of Selah at the park. She loves going down the slide.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyvKMsGoJAxqoQq0haD7WSAtigo4-scOvcT3g05C2Y0XgBzn1eCTcAPGo2Nhpyzo4Wuui1X1CH3_gDXTTMfhQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwgS13TUlFmlV_uaNLsnCDtjQCy7_6zUAEFWmr3QvTjOI4DwFcohNwVvXBor2ZNFH1IHd5bQYlYrbgh_ipzoQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />She loves the spiral slide but she goes so fast I can hardly get my camera on in time.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyejnvlNKvLmVc9AP0XEsoQXn9it5sPPVkCDumwuUMPVNJuHkPc4dTU_zMrEEUDG8ISpCP5uvM5R4rTCNQsQA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-6386947720680799012010-05-04T13:49:00.002-06:002010-05-04T14:23:46.959-06:00Some fun video of Selah talking to Grandma Marge on Skype.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyrcBf7JxR3bcPc99KHw-bp_1l7Fye9v2uxZcBzhTLm_9Fh0HofiptyEXCXyxEk5toPsT4AgBXPac2Td-2yAA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-85652993675951535242010-05-04T12:16:00.003-06:002010-05-04T13:47:39.936-06:00More video from the weekendMore video of Selah and I meeting Joy on the trail:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwv_MGjJcgc8xPyntT9FdEFdOCY7hY1B6xcqubQhrqGZuj-BxDfEINP5wjkVe-I27wogAyNi5H9umIRJ_AuVQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />Joy, nearing the finish of the Collegiate Peaks 50 miler:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyWFttAqlDMj60XPjQ3iim5NVE-G9SYC5AU0jELkIOsTjF9aDqMEvqQjcBB5UIyPNBUyBbE70rVJBbsyoIDQQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-13236119536127140132010-05-02T21:49:00.002-06:002010-05-02T22:22:00.005-06:00Here's a cute little video from Joy's race on Saturday. Selah gets so excited when she sees one of us. It's adorable!<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyRv0INs3iqbK4TXLXHTLCiETv0f7Cays6SpFvObLmc-eTh4pcdqvGDqikkD57cv17mjiDawIm2qsJ41-95gw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />More to come...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-65238014787560632842010-04-26T20:53:00.005-06:002010-04-27T07:04:43.674-06:00Selah Loves HikingOut for a hike with Selah while Mike ran. She loves being in her backpack and took a long nap and then snacked on a bar.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwTry4zs0HwIikbkfzv7OTjWhNgf57tg5qC46TBuGHnOcSzZp-1n-kZXkpHzvI-Ar3aet6pAwqBm3PP7Zqh9A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-50550920887829100252010-04-26T20:53:00.004-06:002010-04-26T22:39:20.204-06:00Desert RATS 25 mile race reportThe short version:<br /><br />Felt a little slow in the beginning, got stronger as the race went on, a course personal best of 4:20:33, a PR by 18 minutes, finished 4th woman overall and felt incredible at the end, was literally jumping up and down with excitement. Happy girl.<br /><br />The long version:<br /><br />This was my 4th <a href="http://www.geminiadventures.com/DesertRATSfestival.html">Desert RATS</a> ('06, '07, '08, watched in 2009, '10) and I came with a single goal: PR. My previous times were 4:49, 4:45, and 4:38. This is a very technical and hilly course, so those times actually landed me in the top 10 every year. I opted against wearing a watch and figured I'd just do my best and ask other racers if I was ever curious about the time. As race week approached, I was able to get out for several 2 hour runs and a couple of 3 hour runs, not ideal, but apparently sufficient training. Considering I planned on using this race as "training" for the upcoming 50 and 100 milers, I felt I had been a little lax in my preparation. Welcome to the world of baby and full time job!<br /><br />El, Bobby Lowe, Mike, and I all planned on getting out of town Friday afternoon for the 2 hour drive to Fruita for the prerace meeting. As these things always go, we finally left at 6:30, about 30 minutes before packet pickup closed. Thankfully they allowed race day pickup so we were able to relax, eat, and have a pleasant drive to the campsite. We pulled into camp at dark, El set her tent up, Bobby realized he forgot his, and Mike and I arranged the van for sleep. This was going to be our first night sleeping in the van with Selah since last summer, when she couldn't really even roll over. Van sleeping with a 4 month old is quite different than with a 12 month old. There is a little cubby that we made for her at our feet, but she can stand up and look at us whenever she feels like it. She was overtired and screaming as we tried putting her down, but she eventually fell asleep for a few hours. She woke up sometime in the middle of the night and banged her head on the metal van wall (no bumper yet, but we'll make one before the next trip for sure), which sent her into another crying fit. She ended up snuggling between me and Mike in the twin-sized van bed. Cozy. It didn't really matter that I hardly slept that night, as I can never really sleep before races and they say it doesn't affect race performance. What is more important is proper sleep in the days leading up to the race, not the night before.<br /><br />4:45 came around fast and I got up to make coffee, eat a bagel, and rouse El and Bobby. We were in the car by 5:20 on our way to the starting line and 6:30 race start. Why do races here insist on starting so dang early? As always, I skipped the warm up and instead took care of vital functions and got in a little stretching and fluids. At 6:30, we were off! The first mile is on a flat gravel road before the race heads up it's initial steep climb on rocky single track. I've learned through the years to run that first mile fast or get stuck behind someone that can't skip through rocks. I arrived at the first aid station, mile 6, in about 54 minutes, 3 minutes ahead of my old PR split. I was happy with this but my legs were feeling tight and heavy in the cold air and I didn't think I could maintain the pace. There is another long climb after the station, so I slowed down and walked some of the steeper parts. El caught up with me and we proceeded ahead together, she helping me to keep my pace up. By the time we got to the second aid station, she passed me and slowly started to pull ahead. Between aid stations 2 and 3, the course profile flattens and the surface becomes more even--El's specialty. She cruised ahead and was out of sight by the half way point. This is the most beautiful part of the race. The course winds in and out on top of 200 foot tall sheer sandstone cliffs above the Colorado River amid bursts of Indian Paintbrush and Juniper.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYRw-cInSxk6g1WvhLk3Af4tIfPTW4NZvIs2o8yVaqXnOVSBppMozhKH6ElO9JjxZ4INv9XkI2X1Y_ncvUk_C3NgU0AxUzk_wnREm8K2wnqhGa7z1HarerJAJDeHUXT_cZ4UYcksd2hhP/s1600/IMG_1625.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYRw-cInSxk6g1WvhLk3Af4tIfPTW4NZvIs2o8yVaqXnOVSBppMozhKH6ElO9JjxZ4INv9XkI2X1Y_ncvUk_C3NgU0AxUzk_wnREm8K2wnqhGa7z1HarerJAJDeHUXT_cZ4UYcksd2hhP/s400/IMG_1625.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464648415350984514" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">After finishing the fast first mile, heading onto the first climb and single track.</span><br /><br /></span></div>I arrived to the 3rd aid station, 12.5 miles, at around 2 hours feeling fresh and loose and enjoying the warming air. At this point, I was confident I could PR unless something really unexpected happened. With a previous PR of 4:38, I would have to slow down a LOT to miss my goal. The race gets technical and hilly again there and stays so for the majority of the remaining course. I got into a nice rhythm and started picking people off as I completed the 7 miles to the final aid station.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-GA431Uf0QuDeWoaKAz4tPeZuKTz7lhhOA_yKq1syqgrxOrtF9tIfp8Wefx5kUaFcoIfHvPt-bw2liKdNRSOMFqIl_OxxoA-GSBhigQILNeXbPTcihqvzAn5RbyNpDlNyUtllawghBNX/s1600/IMG_1661.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-GA431Uf0QuDeWoaKAz4tPeZuKTz7lhhOA_yKq1syqgrxOrtF9tIfp8Wefx5kUaFcoIfHvPt-bw2liKdNRSOMFqIl_OxxoA-GSBhigQILNeXbPTcihqvzAn5RbyNpDlNyUtllawghBNX/s400/IMG_1661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464648422914473586" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">El and Ashley coming into the final aid station at mile 19.5.<br /><br /></span></span></div>I came into the aid station just behind another woman but left before her and never looked back. There is a heinous 700' climb that begins near mile 20 and I ran nearly the entire thing, really out of fear the woman behind would catch back up. Passing her gave me a confidence and energy boost and I was able to overtake several men on the long climb. I also knew that once I topped out, it was all downhill to the finish.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXU1R8cG7QszlR_LWoHmx4S3t7-QfdwU9ROCXtGhZwtSvFhWVDTALg-JGFQGIZ3q1INu4030p9cTjTuybGLB0ylEeWqSi-TnuTwd4ArqFys3sYHSngEEadJIC3d2gtrt2rnyVvvtCSeqru/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXU1R8cG7QszlR_LWoHmx4S3t7-QfdwU9ROCXtGhZwtSvFhWVDTALg-JGFQGIZ3q1INu4030p9cTjTuybGLB0ylEeWqSi-TnuTwd4ArqFys3sYHSngEEadJIC3d2gtrt2rnyVvvtCSeqru/s400/IMG_1668.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464648435852748882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sneaking out of the last aid station ahead of the woman that beat me to it.</span></span><br /><br /></div>Racing downhill through the rocks is what I am best at, so I knew if I could stay ahead of the woman I had passed (and another I saw creeping up), it was very doubtful they could catch me on the downhill. My legs and lungs felt amazing through this section and I flew through the last several miles. At the end of the trail section, just before the race turns onto the road, Mike was waiting for me and told me another friend, Ashley Arnold, was just ahead. I hauled down the final steep descent and got within about 50 feet of her on the road. I think I ran that last mile in about 7 minutes trying to catch her, but she heard me behind and put all she had into it, which was just a little more than me. I crossed the finish line 30 seconds behind her, 4th woman finisher (dare I say that 4 50-mile women beat me to the turnaround?), and with an 18 minute personal record and just 3 minutes out of 2nd place (El was 2nd!). I was so excited to have finished well that I was literally jumping up and down and seriously considered heading out for another lap. Not that it matters, but all of the racers with GPS's said that the race was actually just over 26 miles, not 25.<br /><br />The race gave me a much needed confidence boost for this weekends 50 miler, <a href="http://www.collegiatepeakstrailrun.org/">Collegiate Peaks Trail Run</a>. The only thing that hurt post race was an old ankle injury--no IT band pain, no blisters, no GI upset, hardly a sore muscle. I was even able to get out for a 2 hour run on the course Sunday morning for a little bonus training. Definitely a great weekend! If you're still reading, I'm impressed.<br /><br />Now I'm laying on the couch with an ice pack on my right quad. Somehow, I strained it while hiking today and am really hoping it doesn't give me any trouble this weekend. Wish me luck!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">______________________________________________<br /><br />And for the grandmas:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qlZv_F1nlMH2_va3lSkfXeq2TOJ9Ax7OGDcxWA9tuNhzriUyjoawF0y1PghBOh5cDpon3xUMQp0xsQiFfRgPlH-eQZAvEMNqiX6MW8a7_P7FjFvRzGcRkAqIQcOSZ5NOVlhdSBsu3VCd/s1600/IMG_1715.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qlZv_F1nlMH2_va3lSkfXeq2TOJ9Ax7OGDcxWA9tuNhzriUyjoawF0y1PghBOh5cDpon3xUMQp0xsQiFfRgPlH-eQZAvEMNqiX6MW8a7_P7FjFvRzGcRkAqIQcOSZ5NOVlhdSBsu3VCd/s400/IMG_1715.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464664488858390082" border="0" /></a>Yeah, she's awesome.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0SkwsMDygzMjIvAgBGVwrNKKmmv1I-9EF1RtnY2aqEanbjWOk1nY7Sluhsm2KqznMjUg-pQc-g5X3vHO-XNt3dKUgHVevfDjrQnUslyY_vR6PsCM5tiyrkn7RzZQgGkyqQ6XDHi4ZiOS/s1600/IMG_1747.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0SkwsMDygzMjIvAgBGVwrNKKmmv1I-9EF1RtnY2aqEanbjWOk1nY7Sluhsm2KqznMjUg-pQc-g5X3vHO-XNt3dKUgHVevfDjrQnUslyY_vR6PsCM5tiyrkn7RzZQgGkyqQ6XDHi4ZiOS/s400/IMG_1747.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464663854662147986" border="0" /></a>We planted raspberries and blueberries this weekend! They looked pretty good until the deer got to them last night. Now we just have stubs.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoWMvw8r1OZriLPGe11XfSLsaxGca-szCfS5CjP0B7zWTKpU8OqH-AT7CvXj98s720VOd3Lm6zSS9Zwal1tfwYkhNhVXsJI0YzWDYrhT72M-lGRlgjJjTvE9lEHUjGVu9Nkaw1ZlHkmA1/s1600/IMG_1744.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoWMvw8r1OZriLPGe11XfSLsaxGca-szCfS5CjP0B7zWTKpU8OqH-AT7CvXj98s720VOd3Lm6zSS9Zwal1tfwYkhNhVXsJI0YzWDYrhT72M-lGRlgjJjTvE9lEHUjGVu9Nkaw1ZlHkmA1/s400/IMG_1744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464663845174158754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivRvCw3NkQQnekx6ipgnSNIXvo9yY8S7RETuUbQrcm70NnMFgMKcfC4B_IKv7vHwWHcpghMp1F8WtMkAcvkIOIj2xpeMWOQqBZlWfHNmrmtWpAiweULNHWMhV0u9pXS6zX_JfLSn02kZ5/s1600/IMG_1764.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivRvCw3NkQQnekx6ipgnSNIXvo9yY8S7RETuUbQrcm70NnMFgMKcfC4B_IKv7vHwWHcpghMp1F8WtMkAcvkIOIj2xpeMWOQqBZlWfHNmrmtWpAiweULNHWMhV0u9pXS6zX_JfLSn02kZ5/s400/IMG_1764.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464663839303956882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih50zH6VXQIsRbwPXdVjwG6lLvPOn2i8wy3GqwECykp6haKGxGE06FqSnjsS6KRXm_54tfmx0BL5TuO1hTSzNt4BO17HsFzfKr8_s5N_ketDbXW73r-yBQgSTo-lj5omOW47Pjxdrap-7h/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih50zH6VXQIsRbwPXdVjwG6lLvPOn2i8wy3GqwECykp6haKGxGE06FqSnjsS6KRXm_54tfmx0BL5TuO1hTSzNt4BO17HsFzfKr8_s5N_ketDbXW73r-yBQgSTo-lj5omOW47Pjxdrap-7h/s400/IMG_1767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464663834730729714" border="0" /></a>On our hike today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiuKmuE0Xnocv3M86daO73GwcKQ0cumyFlD854FUww7f81prp1yHmDET_8PRYgqXBRcM0hit4QBvCEiJvroxxQcI3olbkQApVfftkzrDLa8Fe3PeShPizllg8su_xUX9hW1BsQRMRxa-E/s1600/IMG_1770.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiuKmuE0Xnocv3M86daO73GwcKQ0cumyFlD854FUww7f81prp1yHmDET_8PRYgqXBRcM0hit4QBvCEiJvroxxQcI3olbkQApVfftkzrDLa8Fe3PeShPizllg8su_xUX9hW1BsQRMRxa-E/s400/IMG_1770.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464663822519078066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw5kKSCi00AygbTFkSX-k-r9woG5bCpDN_hq4C9BypuOGkpuMgr2mxKpWucZeCsdsA3ciW_XPfDd0_11j28Qg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419980158057378475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-37771975970765836802010-04-19T21:41:00.003-06:002010-04-20T05:50:34.486-06:00More Weekend VideoCheering mom on at the mile 19 aid station:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwur8mO_McAihp8A9ePvGtzvlLMLTNnWxXXG5vZvVy-Dl5xK8q92efrEAwWjr87I4ruUIxzgoM2EZpxMpsZ0g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />Playing in the van:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzsUlKAFrWtfR9gDCftSdCt7_xWY3vBh8CzcfF-dd94xQKnHKvcGwWwo3NVH1MesOZsoKHPqACze9aowk0MOw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-35890426369122220682010-04-18T21:41:00.004-06:002010-04-19T06:53:29.986-06:00Weekend Video<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwSTpuhSZ_-Ptipgzx-egn6bhpSTpOJjn13W-IDwfB0GYjVY4BqSOestL6kKQD59G7UsB0nJQiGwmI3KGWAkQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy4Zu_XqNUss4_2H_9_CsvOlKC265y36pOXW5YRfXd9TIT-G8jnWaxdTIJGmOkYDQAck-DzmTzNYLVDDTyG1A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyO1Yj7iavxQ-XaecnktPOhVKE7JVk1V0Cfp8tXIdIBv5g6plN0ALFeIGViK-cMaMKVw3yYoFXF83gS6Uz7' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-89533527029244107622010-04-18T20:28:00.007-06:002010-04-18T21:46:56.520-06:00My Weekend by SelahI just got home from a great weekend with my parents. We went to Fruita so mommy could run the <a href="http://www.geminiadventures.com/DesertRATSfestival.html">Desert RATS 25 miler</a>. It all started on Friday…<br /><br />I rode in the van with daddy and our friend Bobby Lowe while mom rode in a car with our friend Elinor Fish. The hour and 15 minute ride was okay but I wasn’t too fond of being in the car seat for a nap until Bobby rocked me to sleep. When I woke up we were in Grand Junction, home of Genghis Grill, one of daddy and mommy’s favorite pre-race restaurants. I loved all the veggies and the crunchy Chow Mein noodle things.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRpgRem56fya0XeV2T2qQA2RGobOqokbpM7ffgyXHowDFRZ3MLUf0_2KnTcl1dTGVh6mnaoZ9tPqTjLeHCBfmXpOsxBBKnORVDpTlAgPQHIaVE-fUUXciipZDg7ZpPdtuAs-g8FMa_czs/s1600/IMG_1684.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRpgRem56fya0XeV2T2qQA2RGobOqokbpM7ffgyXHowDFRZ3MLUf0_2KnTcl1dTGVh6mnaoZ9tPqTjLeHCBfmXpOsxBBKnORVDpTlAgPQHIaVE-fUUXciipZDg7ZpPdtuAs-g8FMa_czs/s320/IMG_1684.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461681376233048786" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Playing with a tube of lotion. Daddy accidentally sprayed a stream of it across my face and into my hair. That's okay, it gave me a mohawk.</span><br /></div>That night we stayed at Highline State Park where I slept in the van for the first time since last summer. I love playing in the van. We played for a while and read books under the Christmas lights that are strung up in the van. It was a little hard for me to get to sleep, probably because it was way past my bedtime and because I was sleeping in a very different place. I used to always sleep in the Moses basket when in the van but this time daddy set up the back of the van with an inflatable pad, sleeping bag and down jackets. It was kind of weird and I kept making a lot of noise because the van has metal walls so every time I would get upset I would cry loud, hit the metal door and it would sound like mommy and daddy were bad parents and beating me. After a little while, I eventually gave in and went to sleep.<br /><br />In the morning, mommy got up early and went to the race for the 6:30 start time. In the middle of the night mommy had brought me in bed with her and daddy so I started to notice that her warm body was gone from the bed. I like to move around in bed a lot and I kept grabbing daddy’s face and kicking him. He tried to move so I wouldn’t fall off the bed and instead it woke me up. He tried hard to get me to go back to bed because it was only 5:45 but I was just so excited to play in the van. So, we left and rushed off to the race.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCBYWnAfrOCD5OUAR-4kOBd1VF1ejLPw4725wxynEsc2EAYz_Lw4P5bbtHsYNWBE9QkAyoIH9-vSpL1htG_un7_T72oaSdHYJmGIRTxqENJ_msLXfwrPmH4Er7spaytZL1YzKzHbvkaPW/s1600/IMG_1645.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCBYWnAfrOCD5OUAR-4kOBd1VF1ejLPw4725wxynEsc2EAYz_Lw4P5bbtHsYNWBE9QkAyoIH9-vSpL1htG_un7_T72oaSdHYJmGIRTxqENJ_msLXfwrPmH4Er7spaytZL1YzKzHbvkaPW/s320/IMG_1645.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461680342216902322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Taking a break while waiting for mom to run by.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAXJ4QTimN7OWKDbp9NMzRenw8ptRUOO_GtT0A8pjAB-1Gf1pmyrcndsG4XN20JeyHtExTdKooXuILrjds01F9b2vnnKeyJDLKITurhNBWQlTJSQy8EGGfNxamDQqTJJI6-voAYM8vs0Q/s1600/IMG_1632.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAXJ4QTimN7OWKDbp9NMzRenw8ptRUOO_GtT0A8pjAB-1Gf1pmyrcndsG4XN20JeyHtExTdKooXuILrjds01F9b2vnnKeyJDLKITurhNBWQlTJSQy8EGGfNxamDQqTJJI6-voAYM8vs0Q/s320/IMG_1632.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461683650044274034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">There's my mom, running about 1-1/2 hours into the race.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hKBbU0qP7J1IZXRvTwy6rWcs8FC7ZWNN4YHmc5yFzzvay_lAiCUTFgZ3_VlowR6QM1pfilPMaJdufjqab89JiLKTJGvfbxSjnGQOLFQRWMAuetW7B-gyghbz7OkNBDWykBd0hG8i8RqM/s1600/IMG_1635.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hKBbU0qP7J1IZXRvTwy6rWcs8FC7ZWNN4YHmc5yFzzvay_lAiCUTFgZ3_VlowR6QM1pfilPMaJdufjqab89JiLKTJGvfbxSjnGQOLFQRWMAuetW7B-gyghbz7OkNBDWykBd0hG8i8RqM/s320/IMG_1635.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461681358953170242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cool views, huh?<br /><br /></span></div>Mommy did great in the race and daddy and I met her at every aid station and at other spots along the race and saw her 6 times. Daddy put me in the Chariot and pulled me with his mountain bike. We rode along the bumpy, old 4x4 roads to get glimpses of mommy, Bobby and El and to cheer them on. It was fun to see mommy race. One of my new, really cute things, is to point and say mommy or daddy’s name when I see them in the distance. I did that a couple of times for mommy. I think it made her happy.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg71hduWpnMAaXeyeRLJYJgtcMMnuOyfCKZrFoLAfUeigWw-T-flc5TaHCcesysNtOrLsqkUaI3NsWIquraiwvD4Vj1n2B0fv-e4bIngdTyUdBBUMKSdqOD1TQNyVhrMICmlnS1ikkmTa8/s1600/IMG_1650.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg71hduWpnMAaXeyeRLJYJgtcMMnuOyfCKZrFoLAfUeigWw-T-flc5TaHCcesysNtOrLsqkUaI3NsWIquraiwvD4Vj1n2B0fv-e4bIngdTyUdBBUMKSdqOD1TQNyVhrMICmlnS1ikkmTa8/s320/IMG_1650.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461680347305718690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">More pictures of my mom running - yeah!</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDJhIuHFetwRmHLijfQFIo10jStiGvOAhyTvXXfl6DGDfbZ84tqeX5pAPzzlvNjcLqFk70WHKPS13NWZ3ORMrlS6bNYZoBw3yMxU7HllD6tXIdQRRw1RLgboU3QSyN7nm4cijPX8D-lte/s1600/IMG_1669.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDJhIuHFetwRmHLijfQFIo10jStiGvOAhyTvXXfl6DGDfbZ84tqeX5pAPzzlvNjcLqFk70WHKPS13NWZ3ORMrlS6bNYZoBw3yMxU7HllD6tXIdQRRw1RLgboU3QSyN7nm4cijPX8D-lte/s320/IMG_1669.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461679759006654498" border="0" /></a><br />Mommy ended up finishing as the 4th overall woman and beat her best time in the race by 18 minutes. She was just 3 minutes out of 2nd and daddy and I were really proud of her. After the race I got to drink out of mommy’s water bottle (another new favorite thing) and eat post-race snacks like cookies and bananas.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxvhwIkRv_-ktUbgHzVVu04s-Vo8aAjAq5aw0bx0XNUZ93TvxG1eNT6Ctwg2KZkvkHakS026NysWOPoFAeN0zDMVqcdsRrokAv6lIgWamDaGhZIxkGpGMsvMXBduEDiWAnJAxQW2l3GOc/s1600/IMG_1683.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxvhwIkRv_-ktUbgHzVVu04s-Vo8aAjAq5aw0bx0XNUZ93TvxG1eNT6Ctwg2KZkvkHakS026NysWOPoFAeN0zDMVqcdsRrokAv6lIgWamDaGhZIxkGpGMsvMXBduEDiWAnJAxQW2l3GOc/s320/IMG_1683.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461681366576995554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A picture my dad took while climbing back to the canyon rim. Mom wouldn't let me play close to the edge - so, don't worry grandmas!<br /></span></div>After the race, mommy and I were tired from all that work so we drove into Colorado National Monument with daddy so he could go rock climbing. While he climbed, we napped in the van although a ranger almost woke me up. Luckily, mommy was able to shoo him away. After napping we went over to the edge of the canyon rim and looked down at daddy on top of the tower. It was pretty neat to see daddy climbing. After he finished we dropped him off for a 6-mile trail run and then picked him up at the finish. Mommy and I hiked in a short way to greet daddy and I did my really cute pointing thing and called his name.<br /><br />For dinner we ate at a great mom-and-pop burger place. Mommy said she earned a cheeseburger and I think I earned my grilled cheese. I ate a lot of it. That night we camped up by Rattlesnake Canyon, above Colorado National Monument. I slept really sound all night because I was so tired from all the playing and biking and fun I had.<br /><br />Of course, I woke up kind of early because the sun was starting to come up. It was only about 6:00 but mommy and daddy kind of wanted to keep sleeping so they let me climb around in the van and play. Eventually I convinced them to get up and start the day because as John Wayne would say, “daylight’s a wastin’,” even if it wasn’t truly daylight yet. Well, mommy wasn’t too excited about hiking/running Rattlesnake Canyon so early so she convinced daddy to go get pancakes instead. I said, “sweet, I love pancakes!”<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38uSE_3cAp3_1FFBQrUPCVTCQaRbRC2PukNDAtgLJ0yOWSaIpC-0X6vUuOrHe3k3r055t68JKnhprvJum9BDBkz2f2Nd9HfjG11rcXTWMh8tC0moq2W-6E_5zLJkdfEOhufA_ZUBFZrZw/s1600/IMG_1697.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38uSE_3cAp3_1FFBQrUPCVTCQaRbRC2PukNDAtgLJ0yOWSaIpC-0X6vUuOrHe3k3r055t68JKnhprvJum9BDBkz2f2Nd9HfjG11rcXTWMh8tC0moq2W-6E_5zLJkdfEOhufA_ZUBFZrZw/s320/IMG_1697.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461682136034729042" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pancakes, yeah!</span><br /></div>After breakfast I was ready for a nap because I ate so many pancakes and hash browns. So, mommy and I napped at the Kokopelli trailhead while daddy rode his mountain bike for 2-1/2 hours. When he got back, mommy was ready to go run so daddy took me in the Chariot behind his mountain bike and we showed mommy what we could do on the trails. It was really fun. We rode with mommy for a couple of miles before she split off and went on her own long run. Well, with all that action, I got really tired again and fell asleep in the Chariot while daddy was riding back to the van.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVo43b_m_pXZqKv6mx8-ZWa5hsFKHJEFpNi0QhcoM4qJ5H_ghYSk1W_qR4E-GeyDtK-8ghnP7RjMETdJjnge4O8vibPQJ1hrYydRNmWy4li-4yCZCOwaoE5-P4fPU3soUBQeqX0fgWcCw/s1600/IMG_1708.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVo43b_m_pXZqKv6mx8-ZWa5hsFKHJEFpNi0QhcoM4qJ5H_ghYSk1W_qR4E-GeyDtK-8ghnP7RjMETdJjnge4O8vibPQJ1hrYydRNmWy4li-4yCZCOwaoE5-P4fPU3soUBQeqX0fgWcCw/s320/IMG_1708.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461683660854439138" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Playing in the van</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2EayC519AmQiBxAtcczC2L9kd6wQy7W81Ms6U7E0-JcE5Fz0d6blL3mLok39aYwiN3fL_4m0f-rojPkD1PJYilYu5QJ-rH-I5CzB7l7dc50biLcNiZVMqs8JxIgXNUhJANQyqfoALpqj/s1600/IMG_1703.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2EayC519AmQiBxAtcczC2L9kd6wQy7W81Ms6U7E0-JcE5Fz0d6blL3mLok39aYwiN3fL_4m0f-rojPkD1PJYilYu5QJ-rH-I5CzB7l7dc50biLcNiZVMqs8JxIgXNUhJANQyqfoALpqj/s320/IMG_1703.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461683653622988610" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When I woke up, daddy was reading a book under a tree where he had me napping in the shade. Oh, what a great nap. Daddy loaded me up in the van and we drove to where we met mommy at the end of the run. While waiting, daddy and I played in the van. We played hide and seek with my toys and I climbed all over the van. Plus, I ate a lot of trail mix. It’s one of my new favorite things. I love the peanuts and raisins and occasionally, if daddy hasn’t eaten all of them, M&M’s. Yum! I also love drinking water out of a hydration bladder although I also like to just play with it and get water all over me. Hence, why I was naked, except for a diaper, when mommy showed up from her run.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybDZahUm3DrqfIHLlTPWm2UeGpItkBBieZ6G2pof1EO8al-OV8xk0DufsqcS4puw_QHsBLSBdaKmR4q1OEKrItERR_SOg_HQlFPsDlJk-kWOKawkFKRXCENUM28g3VEZW-oj5fzLYmpj8/s1600/IMG_1699.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybDZahUm3DrqfIHLlTPWm2UeGpItkBBieZ6G2pof1EO8al-OV8xk0DufsqcS4puw_QHsBLSBdaKmR4q1OEKrItERR_SOg_HQlFPsDlJk-kWOKawkFKRXCENUM28g3VEZW-oj5fzLYmpj8/s320/IMG_1699.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461682146762696754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I think I found some M&M's in the trail mix and now the chocolate is on my face - I'm so goofy!</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbAEl1OPbfTsKTaiqSC2tZkn5AlRze-DENN3R0dUi143ZTfpW2xM9fUC5dUNfgLovx5W8ovdcsUkZ-aJWCBTg7A17dnZGfcb-urF0-FGxW3AHR938Gg-SOsaV8JgMS4wlghFrQIQcyyqk/s1600/IMG_1701.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbAEl1OPbfTsKTaiqSC2tZkn5AlRze-DENN3R0dUi143ZTfpW2xM9fUC5dUNfgLovx5W8ovdcsUkZ-aJWCBTg7A17dnZGfcb-urF0-FGxW3AHR938Gg-SOsaV8JgMS4wlghFrQIQcyyqk/s320/IMG_1701.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461682153175463874" border="0" /></a><br />Well, we decided to leave Fruita early to get back for my friend Zachary’s BBQ. On the way home, mommy and daddy bought me a present, my very own pink Camelbak. Now I have my own bite valve to chew on and get water out of. They used their REI dividend to buy it so I could have my own Camelbak to carry, that is, whenever I decide to start walking.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZTWrMJmzwGPN6Ij1IUK7agIoQMSwTEnfF5VkYvxzWsVEUPzYBlXv2LUDRmiCpMbt4elmhTh1tlbOJZ9ejDSRoZSpM72BleCIW4ZVIXM2cgz9jkVi87j6wFbxK1CSaeXj0KKaVb3tMSxX/s1600/IMG_1713.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZTWrMJmzwGPN6Ij1IUK7agIoQMSwTEnfF5VkYvxzWsVEUPzYBlXv2LUDRmiCpMbt4elmhTh1tlbOJZ9ejDSRoZSpM72BleCIW4ZVIXM2cgz9jkVi87j6wFbxK1CSaeXj0KKaVb3tMSxX/s320/IMG_1713.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461683669590643618" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">My new Camelbak - I can't wait for dad to take the plastic off the water hose so I can chew on the bite valve.<br /></div><br />Before heading home daddy needed some caffeine so we went through the drive thru at Starbuck’s and got cold drinks. Mommy let me have some of her fruit smoothie and I figured out how to drink out of a straw for the first time. It was great, until it gave me a brain freeze headache. But, I didn’t really care, I was so excited to be drinking out of a straw so I kept sucking away.<br /><br />Now, it’s on to a BBQ and kiddy pool session at Zachary’s where I’ll be much rested after a long nap on the ride home. What a great weekend. I can’t wait to go to Fruita again to play in the dirt and I can’t wait to go camping in the van again. I love playing in it and climbing around on the shelves. Sounds like I’ll get plenty of van time in this summer because we’re going to be on the road for 10 weeks. Yeah!<br /><br />That’s all for now. See ya!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-44336082139101650462010-04-13T20:01:00.002-06:002010-04-14T06:29:49.237-06:00Selah's "Wake Up Call"Recently, Selah has been waking up from a night's sleep or a nap not with a scream or a cry but the pounding of a picture frame against the wall. This afternoon I didn't hear a peep until I heard the steady beat emanating from her room. She busied herself with quiet play for several minutes before I went in, camera in hand. My mom will love the sight of her hugging the baby doll she gave Selah on her 1st birthday. Then, I prompted her to repeat her "wake up call" for everyone to see.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzyyWSTjNrFD2ZbSxb-BtJQ6rxc4RPo49G00vc56kOdHnQPRIbTLqgmDYELERCaBUH70b13FYWsOncU1WW6Ng' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-58394838767152232972010-04-12T16:41:00.004-06:002010-04-12T19:54:46.968-06:00By popular demand (grandmas!) here are some fun videos of the little one:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dySnqgCjF7_GLWknxdhXvFYs5GjmTXclJtQ6MUgfPZKyX6FqIYwhL_1kRsmIui5V_78L0bpagxFY_hn1KFn3g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxg1Rv6_2UXQrrwYVp9lVIYYZfkkPClxtWWvmkxK7zZ1irzo8iP-wstWBQ8j44-QRz6F-kHiRa27Ehz3DAOfg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-62328004674396930682010-04-04T19:37:00.003-06:002010-04-04T19:49:01.237-06:00Birthday CakeLong before Joy and I talked about having kids, I had envisioned and looked forward to the day that I'd get to see my little 1-year old dig their mitts into their first birthday cake. Yesterday was the big day but it was a little disappointing, as you can see. She seemed more interested in the plate than the frosting.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxqVNQPy9ukOZCEAcgb9eE-p8vZFBxJ9XPpdYL7W0ivV-kZ0Xd8YihbxeDqJuo7hKAttOxSIixo-oyNpEX4nQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660380153635526566.post-8008749822263596752010-04-04T07:29:00.005-06:002010-04-04T09:33:14.036-06:00Old Selah VideosYesterday was Selah's first birthday and we had a pretty raging party as far as kid parties go. More on that later but first, my mom and I were looking at old Selah videos from last summer before we went to bed last night. We were amazed at how much she has grown and how much of her personality you can see in those early videos. So, here's some old Selah stuff:<br /><br />I don't know if we ever showed this video to anyone, out of fear that people would think we were bad parents, giving our kid sugar at an early age. During the summer we often take ice cream/snack breaks in the afternoon and one day I bought a couple gummy worms, which turned out to be the perfect thing for Selah to suck on.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzlnYL8ppNPy0oQ1xiY_9S5n3iMAX64Hf32qd9nOGTMG8stIzBuCCmOEPU7Q4fuEEQnlQbufNULBKObod8AhA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Here's some video of us climbing in the Tuolumne area of Yosemite National Park, right around when Selah turned 3 months.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxGWjYvRKtqF4EHBVph5yXIPYkY_-r62STz_aQUph2SHtpfYDhDQkwgr4PlOY9gDcl_gV4k_0Q7nr83xSO7hA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />More video of Selah at about 3 months old during our time in California. Here she's just talking and being cute, what else does she do?<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxOEa2kquzhD59bLniyUPp3YuIZqAt-O4_riFalinbtaRUHNCitu6oJUz6i_1d5pTY2M5pa1m6PgRW4Bhn-rg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0