Red Rock Relay Report

I did it! I ran the Red Rock Relay in Southern Utah. It was a 186 mile relay race starting from Brian Head ski resort and ending in Zion National Park. It was so much fun. It was also one of the most challenging and exhausting things I have ever done.

We left Salt Lake Thursday afternoon to drive to Cedar City to check in for the race. After we left there, we headed to our hotel at Brian Head for the night. Umm . . . we got lost a couple of times and didn't get to the hotel until 12:30 that night. We were scheduled to be at the starting line at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning. So very little sleep for us. We got up early Friday morning, and headed for the starting line. It was VERY cold up there that early in the morning. I mean we're talking you could see your breath cold.

We sent our first runner off. If you don't know about relays, there are 12 runners on a team split into 2 vans. One van runs, while the other one rests. I was in the first van so we were up. Unfortunately, I was runner #6 in the van which meant I had to sit and watch everyone else run before it was my turn. I am a nervous runner. Before every race I have ever done, I get horrible butterflies in my stomach. So I had to sit for a long time before I finally got to go. My first leg was 5.8 miles long. It was also the one I was most concerned about. It had some pretty good hills in it. So add my anticipation nerves, my nervousness about the run, and then sitting and waiting for a few hours to do it. Not good. I got about halfway through it, and decided I needed to walk a few steps to catch my breath. The second I started walking, I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Ugh. I really had to push myself to finish. Even after getting sick, I still finished my first leg faster than I had anticipated. Woo hoo!

After my van was done with our first leg, it was time to rest. We went and got some food, (well, everyone but me, because my stomach was still churning) and get some rest before we had to run again. We tried sleeping on the grass at Southern Utah University, but it was so noisy that most of us never did fall asleep. We hung out there for a while until we got word from the other van that they were getting close. So we changed into our running gear and waited for our runner to come in. Then we were off again.

My second leg was 5.5 miles. Again, I was the last person in my van to run. This time I was okay with it though, because this was my night run and I was excited to run in the dark. Weird, I know. So, at about 10:30 pm I donned my reflective vest and my head lamp and ran. At night, the van was required to shadow the runner. That means that they would drive off in front of you so you were just barely in view, wait for you to run past, and wait until they could barely see you and then drive past you again. Kind of a leap frog thing. It. was. AWESOME. I loved running like that. We were on kind of a busier two lane highway, so every once in a while I got a little nervous when an oncoming car was headed at me and I got off the shoulder just in case. But other than that, it was a blast. I got to the exchange where I was supposed to hand off the wrist band to the first runner in the next van only to find that we had woken them up. They weren't quite ready. All of my van had ran our legs faster than we had thought we would and we had no way to warn the other van. The cell service there (in the middle of nowhere, really) was really spotty. So they weren't expecting us yet. I think the poor runner after me literally jumped out of her sleeping bag, put on her shoes and ran.

After we had finished our second leg, we went to find somewhere to rest. We decided we would just sprawl out in the 15 passenger van we were driving in. Between not ever getting very comfy and the snoring that was going on in the van, I think I got all of 45 minutes of sleep that night. At about 3:30 am we woke up to get ready for our next run.

My last leg was through Washington, UT. It was only 2.1 miles long. The whole time I was watching the other runners in my van go, I kept thinking, "This is going to be cake. I don't even remember the last time I ran only 2 miles." Well, I didn't count the exhaustion and sleep deprivation I had going on. It was hard! But I made it.

So I ran a total of 13.4 miles during the race. And I made some great friends. Caralee, a friend from high school, joined our team a week before the race because of a last minute cancellation. I'm so glad she did. It was so fun to get to know her again. She is an awesome runner too!

Here we are at the starting line all bundled up. Like I said, it was COLD.

My first exchange! Finally!

Here's our entire team after the race was finished. Don't we look tough!

Here's the girls from my van. We're pretty awesome.

I loved it and would do it again in a second. Although, a week later I still feel like I'm trying to catch up on sleep.

San Francisco

My poor neglected blog. It's so sad. But here I am, trying to make up for it with a big post about our trip to San Francisco. We went at the beginning of July with Melanie and Dan. That's right. No Vegas trip this year! (Well that is if you don't count the few hours we spent there when we were vacationing in St. George.)

I have a lot of pictures here, but we were there for almost a week. When I got home to download them on my computer, I realized we had taken over 500. 500! There's also a few that I'm not posting on here that I'm saving as blackmail for Melanie and Dan. He he. :) These are in reverse order because that's how I loaded them on, and I'm too lazy to go through and move them all around. So deal with it.


This is the BART. Or the Bay Area Rapid Transit. The subway. We spent a lot of time here. Our hotel was out by the airport, so we would ride the BART into the city everyday. This was also my first experience on a subway, and I was all worried about how it all worked. I was sure we were going to get on the wrong train going the wrong way and end up in the middle of nowhere. But we did alright and didn't get lost at all.

The reason we went to San Francisco in the first place was to see the Yankees play the Oakland A's. We were only planning on going to one game, but Dan talked us into a second one. Dan is a super Yankees fan. I have to admit that because of this trip, I am turning into a baseball fan. Though I still don't really like watching one on TV. Going to the game is a whole different experience.

I'm pretty sure this is Alex Rodriguez hitting, but I'm not 100% positive. One of the games we went to, he hit a grand slam. That was pretty cool. We were all cheering and the A's fans were all yelling at us to sit down.

My sister and I didn't have any Yankees gear, so we decided to buy matching shirts. Yeah, we're dorks, but aren't we cute?

This is CC Sabathia. Isaac's favorite Yankee. I'm positive on this one, because he looks like he's wearing his baggy Pjs. He's the only one who dresses like that.

We also went to Muir Woods, a national forest just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. It was nice to get out of the city for a few hours. There weren't very many people there and it was so quiet. The trees there were HUGE!

Speaking of the Golden Gate Bridge. This is about all we got to see of it.

It was so foggy when we went to see it, (and we went twice) that we never did get to see the whole thing. It was really cold too; as you can tell by our jackets.

And then there's this picture.

We went to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf on the 4th of July. Greg and Dan decided that they needed a crazy hat. Dan's is obviously patriotic, Greg's not so much. His is the Mad Hatter's Hat from Alice in Wonderland. They wore these things all day long. You would not believe the stares and comments they got. Weirdos.

We also went to Alcatraz.

They have a self guided audio tour that you follow around the jail. I went when I was in high school, but there was a lot that I didn't remember. That place is really cool.

We went on a Duck tour. A Duck is a vehicle that can go in the land and in the water. So they drove us around the city and then drove straight into the water. It was pretty fun. Once we were in the Bay, they let whoever wanted to drive. Greg jumped at the chance.

And, since we were on a duck, we had to have our own little duck quackers/whistles.

Story time! So we're on this Duck tour, right? Well, Dan decides he has to . . . um . . . use the little boy's room really badly. So he yells from the back of the bus thingy to the driver, "I'll give you twenty bucks to pull over." At first the driver laughs him off. Dan says, "I'm not kidding." So the driver pulls the bus over up on the sidewalk next to a bar so Dan can use the bathroom. Dan walks away to do his thing, and the whole bus sits and waits for him. Now, as it happened, three trashy drunk girls decide they want to ride this bus. So they climb on board our tour and plop themselves down in the back. Like I said, we were sitting in the back as well. The driver looks as the girls, looks at us, and asks if we know them. We say "no" at the same time these trashed girls say "yes". Now this poor driver was completely confused. These girls were insisting they were with us and wanted to go on the tour. So he comes to the back of the bus and tries to talk them off the bus. They WILL NOT get off. So, we start a chant with our little quacker/whistles. And those things are loud. Finally, after the driver threatens to call the police, the girls stumble off the bus. It was the craziest stunt I have ever seen. All because Dan had to use the bathroom.

It seems like a lot of our trip revolved around baseball, and I guess it did. We also took a tour of AT&T Ballpark which is where the Giants play. It's such a nicer field than the Coliseum. It was cool to be able to see the locker rooms and walk out onto the field and into the dugout.

Like I said, these pictures are in reverse order. On our way there we stopped at Lake Tahoe for a little bit. We had planned on going kayaking or something when we were there, but we didn't have time and the water was a lot colder than we anticipated. So this is as far in the water as we got.

Our trip was a lot of fun. The one thing we did that I don't have a picture of is that we went to see Wicked at the Orpheum Theatre. I had read the book and was a little worried what the play was going to be like. (The book was terrible. I didn't even finish it.) But I really liked the play.

If your wondering why Isaac isn't in any of the pictures, it's because he had his own vacation. At Grandma's house. He probably had just as much fun as we did.

Two Wheeler and T Ball

Just this week Isaac learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. It took him less than four days to figure it out. He's such a big kid! Our one problem is that where we live is all hills. Once you get out of our driveway, you either have to go up the hill or down the hill. And I'm not talking a gentle slope. These are STEEP hills. So, in order for a newbie bike rider to get some practice time in, we go over to the junior high school by our house and ride on the running track. It works out great.

Way too go Isaac. He definitely needs a bigger bike, but he is working on "earning" that.

Also, just recently, Isaac finished his first season of T ball. He was on the Arizona Diamondbacks. I must say, I think I like T ball better than soccer. He did so much better in this sport. We will be signing up again next year for sure. It took him a few games to get the idea of it. This is how he looked at the beginning of the season:

A little confused. Not quite sure what he was supposed to do. But he took to it quickly. Here he is at the end of the season:

Look at that concentration! LOL. He got a trophy at the last game, and it is his most prized possession.

Preschool Graduation Part 1

Isaac graduated from his first year of preschool last week. He has a late birthday, so he misses the cutoff for kindergarten this year. Soooo, he gets to go to preschool again in the fall. Which is fine with me, I'm not quite ready to have a kid in "real" school. Although, he could be totally ready for kindergarten if he needed to be. Anyway, enough rambling and on to some pictures.

Here he is with his cute teacher, Mrs. Kaye. She's the best.




Giving his part in the program. Just to brag a bit, he was the only kid who had his part memorized. Genius! :)

Yeah! Congrats Isaac! You did so well, you get to do it again next year!

Running Like Crazy

Apparently someone has put something in the water at our house. We've been running entirely too much. And I'm not talking about just being busy running around, I'm talking literally running.

Last weekend Greg ran the Ogden half marathon. 13.1 miles. He did great! He finished in 1:51, which is awesome. He's even thinking about doing a full marathon.

And then there's me. Somehow I got talked into this:

It's a 180 mile relay race from Brian Head Resort to St. George. I'm doing it with 11 other women in my neighborhood. Honestly, I'm a little terrified.

St. George Trip

Last week we went to St. George with my family. It was so nice to get away for a while to somewhere warm. Well, warmer than home anyway. We left Monday and took most of the day driving there and getting settled. We had rented a house down there and it was so fun to have my family living under one roof for a week. Most of the vacation was pretty laid back, which was what a vacation is supposed to be, right? I have to mention that in most of these pictures Isaac has a weird smile. I'm hoping it's a stage.

On Tuesday we headed out to the sand dunes with the motorcycles and four wheelers. Greg and I rented a rhino. That was a lot of fun. Don't tell the rental company, but we even let Isaac drive it for a little bit.

Wednesday we made the drive to Las Vegas to do a little shopping. I feel a little bad because I didn't tell Isaac why we were going to Vegas. He's not a big fan of shopping. When he found out, he pouted for a bit and then was pacified by some ice cream.

Thursday we headed over to the local Fiesta Fun for some miniature golf and go-karting. Good times.

Isaac wasn't big enough to drive a go-kart himself, but he got to ride with me and Grandpa. Here's Isaac with Grandpa. I guess he was trash talking the kid next to him telling him how he was going down. I understand that Grandpa got in on the trash talking to. That's kind of messed up, isn't it?

Friday we went over to Zions National Park. Greg had done a little research, and found a little ghost town that was on the way there. It was kind of neat. The name of the town was Grafton, Utah. There was a school house, a church, and a couple of houses left standing. I guess when it had been first settled the people had to move several times because the Virgin River kept flooding them out. They were also attacked by Indians several times.

There was a cemetery there as well, and for some reason that's was interested Isaac the most. He was intent on checking out all the headstones and graves. Honestly, I was a little creeped out by it.

After Grafton we went to Zions. If you've been there recently, you would know that they don't allow cars to drive through most of the park. You have to ride on a shuttle. It actually made the park seem less crowded I think. Here we are by Weeping Rock.

Saturday we went to Vegas again. This time we took Isaac to The Mirage to see the dolphins and white tigers.

Also at the Mirage is the Beatles Love show. As I mentioned in my previous post, Isaac is currently obsessed with the Beatles. We didn't go to the show, but he had to check out the color changing walkway and the gift shop. Here he is as the 5th Beatle.

After, we went to dinner and to a baseball games. Guess who was playing the Vegas Area 51s? the Salt Lake Bees. Yeah, we're die hard fans like that. Just kidding. It just turned out that way. On our way across the parking lot into the game (we were late) one of the security guards ran up to us and gave Isaac a ball that had been hit over the wall. Isaac is convinced that he has a home run ball.

Sunday was a sad day. Time to come home from vacation. It was fun and I am trying to figure out how I can get someone to give me a house in St. George so I can go all the time. Thanks family for the good times!

Random Update

It's been a while since I posted anything, but that's because not much has been going on. I figured I ought write something down for the last month though. Here's a few things we have be doing lately:

*Isaac just started spring soccer. He has four games for spring season. It seems pretty cold out to me to be playing soccer, but he's excited. He starts T-Ball in April and he is really looking forward to that.

*Something else that Isaac has been into lately is The Beatles. He has always been into music. We always have to have it on at home or in the car. But this Beatles thing is boarding on obsession. He knows all the words to "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Hey Jude". He asked me to make him a Beatles CD to listen to while he falls asleep at night. He has 2 Beatles t-shirts. His favorite artist before The Beatles? Jack Johnson. No Wiggles or Barney at our house! (Yay!) My kid has good taste in music.

*I had a birthday this month. Yay. I think that once you are about, oh, 25, birthdays aren't a big deal anymore. I just can't believe I'm 31. I feel like I'm about 20. My birthday was a good one. We went up to Park City and did some shopping, and out to dinner. Both my family and Greg's family had a party for me. It was nice.

Well, that's about all I've got for now. Like I said not too much going on around here. We do have a vacation coming up soon, so I have something more exciting to say then.