Pictures

Here's a shot of our school trip group on the first night (before the wet sleet/snow covered the camp). It was colder than it looks, probably around 25 at night. We woke up to frozen waterbottles and nobody wanted to leave their sleeping bags. Don't pay attention to the shorts--that student refused to wear pants! (Don't you all remember the days when we were just too cool to wear warm clothes?)

I found this sweet note on the back of the suburban I was driving when we got back to campus. We all had a good laugh.

Sari and I rode our bikes to the base of the Maroon Bells on Sunday before having a delightful lunch in Aspen. She towed her 15 month old daughter, Juniper, in the bike trailer. The Fall colors are absolutely amazing right now and, as you can see, the Bells aren't too bad themselves. (Check out that baby bump!)

I received an email from a friend of mine today, John Evans, informing me of a new cover photo. A year or so ago, we went to Castle Valley where he took photos of Katie Menghini and I climbing Fine Jade. One of the photos ended up on the latest cover of the Access Fund's publication Vertical Times. It will be a while before I can do that again, so it felt good to reminisce about what I could once do. The route was a big challenge for Katie and me




I spent the last 4 days and nights with another instructor and 12, count 'em 12, high school students. We were on a school climbing trip on Independence Pass above Aspen. It was my first trip and I found it quite challenging. The climbing was a cinch--set up a few top ropes, make sure the kids tie in right, cheer them on, etc. It was night time that was interesting--funny how 12 kids appear so quickly when dinner is served and disappear even quicker when the dishes need to be cleaned. It was a lesson in patience, but overall a great time. I love seeing teenagers get excited about climbing and hope that they will continue to pursue it beyond high school. It provides boys with some healthy risk and girls with some much needed confidence.

Another milestone this week--12 weeks! I'm feeling better and better! I am very excited about something--today I received an official "okay" to run a race I've been wanting to do, the Rim Rock Run. I ran it in 2006 and my friend Sarah asked me to do it with her again this year. I will be 18 weeks, and the race is 22.6 miles. The doctor I spoke with told me "just don't compete", but I can do it as long as I take it easy. Yeah! I also registered for the Las Vegas half marathon in December. Mike wanted to do the full LV marathon, so we decided to make a fun weekend out of it. I tried to research endurance training during pregnancy, but couldn't find much info. So, I asked the dad, an ex-OB doc, of one of my students and he gave me the okay.

My sweetie sent me this today, and it completely made my day!! It's hilarious and I just had to share it.

Hallmark Ecard

Getting moving!

My face has returned to normal, my sinus infection has cleared up (thanks to two rounds of antibiotics!), my thyroid is getting back under control, and I am nearing the end of my first trimester. The combination of these things has vastly improved my quality of life over the past couple weeks. I have been excited to run and have done so nearly every day. Last Friday, I was able to do a gorgeous trail run for an hour and 40 minutes (see photo below). The week before, I truly was starting to feel down, that I had no energy to do the things that bring me joy in life. I was feeling absolutely like a sloth and desperately needed some endorphins. I am now starting to feel like me again! Energized, excited about life! I am also starting to love my new job. The kids need my help, and nothing makes a happy nurse like helping someone that needs it. I've been able to utilize my assessment skills and have really learned alot. Today I learned all about the kind of parent I do not want to be while on the phone with a truly unique mother.



I took this photo of Mount Sopris on my run with my camera phone last week. The school where I work is in the valley, and you can see a distinct snow line at about 11,000 ft on Sopris.



Life is so good. Lane and Bing had their babe about a week ago, Hannah and Jarred had Noah just yesterday. Addie is glowing and our baby is quickly growing, nearing 11 weeks. We should be able to hear the heartbeat externally (with a Doppler) in the next week or 10 days, which is very exciting! The photo below is from google images of an 11 week fetus. So cool!

Watch this video.

This man is full of contagious joy. Check out the link, it's worth your time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY

9 weeks

This is what our baby might look like at 9 weeks. Still pretty alien-ish, but looking more and more human. Its nervous system is beginning to develop, so it has begun to move around, and its webbed hands and feet have separated into itty bitty fingers and toes. It is about the size of a grape right now.

A big congrats to Lane (Myers) and Bing Perrine for the birth of their new son Maddox last night, 8 lb, 20.5 inches.

I'm still unrecognizable, but the swelling has gone down enough for me to see. As the swelling lessens, the itching is becoming unbearable. It's been a rough day.

It's worse now

So, typing is very difficult with one tiny slit to see out of--sorry if there are many tyops. My face is even worse this morning, so I going to stay home and /kisten to music all day?? I can't read at all. My whole face is swollen!! Argh! Call me if you're bored today because I will be!

Bee sting

I learned today that I have a pretty bad reaction to bee stings. I was stung on my right eyebrow about 5 hours ago and this is what I look like now!! I took some benadryl and have been icing, but that's all I can do. I did go to the doctor and he called it "an impressive reaction" to stings. Anyway, I thought I'd share this freakishness with all of you.

My folksies

This weekend was my mom's 56th birthday, so they of course celebrated with a punishing hike in Death Canyon, the Tetons. She emailed me these cute pics that I thought I would share.

Looks like they made a friend on the hike!

Belly Shot #2

Here are our September 1st shots, about 8 weeks. I swear I feel way bigger than these pictures make me look!

A New Adventure

As most of you know, this has been a great summer of adventures for Mike and me. We started off with a 50 mile trail race in Utah, then headed to California where my friend Sarah and I climbed The Nose of El Capitan (in 5 days, 4 nights) and Mike climbed the same route (in 14 hours 52 minutes) with his friend Steve. Those two single things kinda tired me out and the rest of the trip was quite a bit more mellow. We stayed and played in the Valley (that's Yosemite Valley) for a few weeks, then headed to San Diego for a Schneiter family reunion. We visited the Zoo and Sea World, which I originally saw about 18 years ago--(What cool places!) and 12 hours at each one felt rushed. We also had a lot of quality time with Mike's family. Somehow, I have a total of zero photos from San Diego (send me some, Marge, and I'll post 'em!). From SD, we headed North into the Sierras, then to Wyoming for some Womack time. While in WY, my mom and I took a detour to Montana for celebrations of two new babes and a wedding (Hannah is 37 weeks, Lane is 39 weeks and married!). To see many pics of our climbs, go to mikeandjoy.net

After Mike and I both completed our respective El Cap ascents, we realized that although we knew we wanted to do more ascents like that, we were ready for something new. And bold. Basically the biggest adventure we could possibly imagine. . .


And, it turns out we are quite fertile, as we conceived precisely two weeks after stopping birth control. A funny side note: we happened to conceive in our tent on the day we climbed a route called "Positive Vibrations" on the Incredible Hulk :)

My first ultrasound last week, which showed a heartbeat, moving limbs, and a baby! The babe has acquired the nickname "the blueberry" because of my tendency to compare its size to common fruits.

Our first belly shot, taken August 1st, only about 4 weeks along. Not looking prego yet, but this month's shot will show more belly. We'll do one on the 1st of each month, with Mike as well to make sure he's not gaining a sympathy belly.

I found out I was pregnant while in Montana--without Mike. I went for a hike and brunch with my mom and her friend, Terry, and kept feeling nauseated during the meal. The night before, during Lane's rehearsal dinner, I had gotten up to pee about 15 times in 3 hours. And I was definitely feeling a bit more buxom than usual. I expressed these things to mom and Terry, and they got all wide eyed and excited and we drove straight to Target for a test. Back at Terry's house, those two waited like little kids outside the bathroom door while I peed, and we all started jumping and screaming in typical Womack woman fashion as the second pink line appeared. I tried calling Mike, but he was out climbing with my Dad in Jackson, so I ended up telling pretty much my entire extended Montana family before my sweet husband. I absolutely could NOT keep news like that inside! I called my grandma Claire to tell her and she was able to relay the message to my grandfather, who died the next morning 10 days after his cancer diagnosis. The circle of life continues...

Pregnancy is definitely more difficult than I thought it would be. I have learned quickly to NEVER judge a prego lady on her exercise and eating habits, because it is different for everyone. It has been difficult going from an ultrarunning big wall tough girl to a pregnant woman who is not only hungry constantly but can barely muster enough energy to do a daily 4 mile run. Sometimes I have to walk home from my run, sometimes I just don't have the energy to go at all. I have found that getting outside moving at least sometimes eases the nausea. And why on earth do they call it morning sickness? The blueberry insists this is an all day affair. I am a girl that is used to surviving mostly on fresh veggies and all I want to eat is thick chewy noodles with cheesy sauce. And crusty bread. And spicy coconut curry, which gets expensive when you're too tired to cook and order takeout!

I am trying to relish this time as I realize how quickly it will pass, but I am SO looking forward to my second trimester! Below are some pics from the summer that Mike didn't put on the other website.

The NOSE pics:

Finally Done! This is the two of us after hiking out--we were so tired and so proud! (And so stinky and dirty!)

Me connecting on the King Swing, a massive pendulum needed to connect two cracks on the route. We climbed about 80 feet up above where I am, Sarah lowered me down so the rope was free, and then I started running as fast as I could back and forth across the face to reach the next crack. The picture above is when I finally made it. It took me about 45 minutes and was very difficult.

Me leading the bolt ladder on the way to the Boot Flake.

Sarah on morning #2, on top of El Cap Tower. The edge of the photo is the edge of the ledge--that bivy was a little scary!

Me pointing to the topo a single pitch from the top. The route was 31 pitches and about 3000 feet long.


A close up of the topo. The advice was perfect--don't bail--and was given to Sarah and I in El Cap Meadows while asking some locals for information on the route.

One of many picture perfect summer campsites.

The mosquitoes were awful at the base of the Incredible Hulk, so we spent lots of time in the tent ;)

My folks in Jackson on a hike to Delta Lake.

Dad and I on top of Disappointment Peak, which is poorly named considering the fantastic view from the top. Mike, mom, dad, their friends Cary and Randy, and I all did the peak together.

Mama moose and baby at Lupine Meadows trailhead.

Our latest investment! Super Fun!