Santa is on his way

Chris and I have spent some time getting our house ready for Christmas. We just put up the last of the outside Christmas lights so I think we can relax and enjoy the Christmas season from here on out.

Although I do remember the first year my family started using fake Christmas trees, I can't ever remember that I noticed having a real one. Chris really likes having a live tree so that's what we use. Last year we cut down our own tree and it looked alright, but sure didn't smell so pine-ey and evergreen-ey like everyone talks about. And decorating the tree left us looking like a small cat had mawled our arms in our sleep. This year I think we got it right because our tree smells great and the branches are soft enough you don't feel like you are going to lose an eye.



Chris is going to be working at the Snowbasin Medical Clinic again this winter so we are looking forward to a lot of fun days on the slopes this year. We had a very cold and windy, but, thankfully, also very snowy day today. It was so cold and windy that after our first run our faces were painfully frozen so we went to the ski shop and bought some face warmers. I'm struggling to keep up with Chris on the telly skis, and having fun at the same time. One of my goals this year is to be able to put on my telly skis faster than Chris does. I think I have about 3 minutes to lose before I get there.

A very nice treat that was waiting for us in our garage after our ski day today was an early Christmas present from my parents. Something we were very much in need of and will probably wear out in the first year of having it is a brand new snowblower with a gas tank. We are so grateful for the generosity and thoughtfulness of my parents. They gave it to us early knowing that we were probably going to be needing it soon. And, if the forecasters are right, we will have loads of snow in no time.

We hope everyone enjoys the holidays because they are going to be here and gone far too quickly.

Viva Santa Fe!

So Paige and I visited my parents in Santa Fe for Thanksgiving this past weekend. This is a picture of their house with the view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background. They are part of the southern tip of the rockies. Here is another shot of the view:

This place is a photographer's dream every sunrise and sunset, especially when there are clouds around. The colors can be stunning.

We had a great time visiting. We were hoping they'd have more snow to try out the local ski hills, but it was not to be. We're planning on returning a little later in the winter to sample them.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Wedding cake

So Paige and I brought out the wedding cake from the freezer the other day (we forgot to get it on our anniversary). It was suprisingly soft and tasty after thawing.


Here's Paige enjoying a bite. Yummy goodness!

Assault on Lewis Peak

So a couple of weeks ago I persuaded Paige into joining Ben and his friend Tim and I for a mtn bike ride up the Southern Skyline trail starting at Pineview Reservoir and going up to Lewis Peak. I had attempted it a couple of yrs ago with Dave Tullis but because of time constraints we had to stop about halfway and turn around. So from what I remembered (you know how certain unpleasant memories tend to fade away)it wasn't too bad, and this is what I told Paige.

It was a long grind up, relentless one might say, but after more than 2 hours we made it to the top. Here are a couple of pictures from the peak. Paige was a rock star; not too many females mtn bike up to the top of Lewis Peak (as far as I know). So cheers to Paige for that accomplishment. We thought maybe it would be the last mtn bike ride of the yr, but as we can all see recent weather proves otherwise. But here's hoping for snow!!

One Year Anniversary (Nov 10th)

It's a few days late, but I wanted to mention that Chris and I made it to the one year mark! Whew, it's been one heck of a year. Here is just a little recap of what we have done to make the year go by so quickly. We were married in Salt Lake and then headed out for a relaxing honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We moved into our home that we had owned together since before we were engaged. Chris worked at the Snowbasin medical clinic for what was one of the best ski seasons we had experienced in a few years. Thanks to Chris I converted from a snowboarder to a telemarker. One of my least favorite moments of the year took place in March when we had the bright idea to do the Winter Xterra Championship and found we were very, very ill prepared. We started out the spring with our first half marathon finishing faster than we had even planned. We kept on with the athletic theme for the entire summer doing bike races and rides, the Wasatch Back Relay, triathlons, duathlons, and mountain biking. One of our most epic rides was completing the LOTOJA together. We somehow fit in a couple of vacations, some to Bear Lake, and Lake Powell with the family. Chris found he has a knack for the Sky Ski. We managed to get our yard done (with the help of a landscaper) and even did a little bit on the interior of our house). We have had a lot of ups, a few downs and plenty of adventures. We both count ourselves very lucky to be with each other and look forward to the years to come.

The Last Triathlon of the Season.

Chris and I did our final triathon of the year. It was the first triathlon we did together when we were dating two years ago - The Telos Turkey Tri in Orem. The course was a little bit different than the year we had done it before so the run was just a tad longer than last time. It was still a reverse triathlon - Run, Bike, Swim. The day started out a little chilly, but we always warm up during the run...and then cool down again on the bike. I had cooled down enough on the bike that the pool water for the swim was amazingly warm. It felt more like a hot tub and I wanted to sit and relax in the warmth rather than push it on the swim. It's a strange feeling to swim after running and biking so hard that you feel like you're going to pass out or puke.

Chris was a superstar for the whole event and came in sixth in his age group. I got lucky and came in first in mine. It was a nice way to end the tri season. We joke about how Chris hates going up against the other men in his category who are 5'10" and 140lbs and have been runners their whole lives (yes, you Joe Wilson) so they fly on the run and his 6'4" super buff stature has to work a little harder to keep up. I have to say I am really impressed with how well he does in every event. (Not yet posted is a triathlon we did 3 weeks ago in St. George where Chris got second male overall and third finisher overall - what an amazing triathlete). It's not bad timing to have the last triathlon end just in time for the ski resorts to open. We have had a great year and are already making plans for next year. I'm already exhausted thinking about it.

It's a neeeeew caaaaar!

Think of the Price is Right when you read the headline.


After a late night phone call from Chris, who was leaving the clinic to come home after work, telling me his car was making a loud clunking noise, we decided to start looking at cars. The loud clunking noise was actually a drill bit stuck in the tire that, oddly enough, only made the clunking noise when going forward and was silent when going in reverse so he didn't think it was a flat tire (and the tire wasn't flat at the time - that would have been a dead give away). Chris had gotten some good use out of his previous subaru. There was a permanent layer of dog hair from Buddy and Maddie as well as plenty of dog-use reminders, a dent in the front right bumper, the key was stuck in the ignition and there was a mere 193-thousand miles on the odometer. We almost thought the dealership wasn't going to take it at all because it needed quite a bit of work. We got a great deal on a slightly used, but basically new subaru. Chris made it through residency with the trusty su-bee, but we figured it was time for an upgrade. Now Chris is dazzled by the power windows, heated seats and mirrors, and, his favorite feature of all, the screen that tells the current mile per gallon consumption. I think he looked at his current mileage more often than the road for the first little while.

Happy "Boo"fday Chris

So, I went looking for a cake for Chris birthday. The only stipulation was that it had to be chocolate. I came across a lovely chocolate cake with three ghosts on it and decided I would be funny and play off the ghosts and have the cake decorating girls write Happy Boo-fday Chris. I thought it was quite creative, but I don't think the girl who had to write it thought it was that funny, and I think I only got a few other chuckles from it. The biggest laughs were from peoples mouths turning a dark blackish-blue, as if we had eaten the ink from a pen, when they ate the black frosting the words were written with.



Chris was on call for his birthday so we "slept" in (sleeping in for us is anything past 6am). We made a very tasty birthday breakfast of fluffy pancakes, eggs and sausage. So big that neither of us was even hungry for lunch. Chris had to round on the patients in the hospital, and then we just lazed around until it was time for church. After we were spiritually enhanced we went home to prepare for the big birthday dinner. Chris' first pick for his dinner was cheesy-potatoes, a mother-in-law favorite. We stuffed ourselves enough that I think we had chocolate cake and cheesey-potatoes coming out our ears. One of Chris' presents was Super Mario Kart, which we played for a while after it was opened. Rich wanted to forego the rest of the presents and get straight to playing Mario Kart.








One special treat for Chris that was there in all of its white and fluffy glory was a couple inches of snow on the ground. We decided that was his birthday present from God. It didn't stick around long, but it sure spurred wishful thoughts of winter skiing.




Well, Chris, one year older and wiser...I just have to let everyone know how great I think you are. Exceptional in many ways. I truly do not know how I got so lucky. I hope you had a great birthday and I am glad I get to celebrate you every year.
I love you!

Fall Mountain Biking

Today Chris and I started early and mountain biked to Needles Lodge at the top of Snowbasin Ski Resort. Chris had done it a couple of times before, but it was my first time going all the way to the top. It was a fun ride with a few challenging spots. I only fell over once, which is pretty good, I think - though I had to get off my bike and walk it every now and then. The best part of the ride was the beautiful leaves that are in the middle of changing colors.






A look out point a little before we reached the top. There is a great view of Mountain Green where we can see our house.


We finally reached the top. I was exhausted. Chris and I are both getting over colds so that added to the difficulty. We took a moment and sat on one of the chair lifts just to get us prepped for winter.


Chris speeding down one of the access roads. We took the roads down instead of the trails so we could save time. I think it was scarier going down the roads than any part of going up. I'm such a chicken when it comes to the downhill.

B & D Land and Livestock Rodeo

The first annual B & D Land and Livestock Rodeo was held this past Saturday at my parents ranch. This is an idea my dad has been working on for a while and had finally come to fruition. There was a lot of preparation that went into making everything happen. The events started off with an opening ceremonies with a real live rodeo princess dressed in lots of pink and rhinestones. Marty, Alex's wife held an american flag and led the girls on horses on a lap around the arena. Marty beautifully sang the Star Spangled Banner in her amazing opera voice. The first event was a hay dig. Chris and I had hidden candy and treats in a large pile of hay and the kids then had to dig through the hay to find the treasures. The next event was chasing chickens - which kind of went haywire when the chickens made it out of the man-made circle and hid inbetween the hay bales. One of the funnest events was the showdown at high noon. Everyone lined up in two long lines armed with squirt guns. At the word everyone opened fire. It was great to see adults and kids unload on each other. There was no mercy.

The more traditional rodeo events included barrel racing, cutting and pole bending. Whoever wanted could take a chance at any event. There were some easy riding horses for the little kids to sit on and take a nice stroll around the arena.

We ate lots of good food to refuel us for the big greased pig chase. The task was to catch the pig and put an outfit on it. After the pigs were tired out, someone decided to nab one of the goats and put a purple tutu on it (hopefully pictures to come).

We found a large group of rodeo princess who each had the wonderful talent of being to talk to animals. Before the girls could get their rodeo princess crown that had to make their best animal noise. However, the Rodeo Queen award went to my mother who had planned and put a lot of work into making everything happen. Also, it was her birthday the next day and we wanted to make sure everyone new.


This was my rodeo debut. I did the barrel race and finished by knocking over the last barrel. I think I had the slowest horse available because no matter now hard I kicked I couldn't get the horse to move much faster. I wasn't the slowest one, though.


Rich, Heather and Tyler all dressed up for the rodeo. Tyler looks great in his baby-sized cowboy hat.


My dad and Jacob showing off his cow cutting skills. Dallas, Rich, Jeff and a few others took their turn at cutting. Marty, who has a history in rodeos was quite good at cutting and great to watch.


Chris being great at spectating. It was a rather warm day and great for watching the rodeo happen.

Ogden Valley Triathlon

May dad, Jan, Chris and I joined together to make two triathlon relay teams and compete in the Ogden Valley Triathlon. On one team, Team Chanco, I swam and Chris biked and ran. On our second team, Big Daddy Hunt Club, my dad swam, Jan biked, and I ran. Yea, I'm a two-timer. This years triathlon was the first equalizer triathlon in Utah. Based on previous triathlon times, handicaps were given to women and certain relay teams to make it so men and women were competing against each other. The equalizer idea is great, but not my favorite way of doing things. After it all, Chris and I managed to squeeze in a 5th place finish - which is a podium finish since they awarded 1st through 5th places.


I'm the one in the background trying to breathe without drinking in the lake. The swim was pretty good, though it seemed to last for such a long time. There were boaters on the lake so that made it a little difficult when the boat wakes made waves and I tried to breathe in at the same time.


Chris did a fantastic job on the bike making up a lot of ground. He powered through the bike and then somehow found plenty of energy to do a stellar run.


My dad had been practicing all summer for the swim when it was cancelled at the Spudman. We were more than excited when he completed the Ogden Valley swim which was longer than what he had been training for.


Jan coming in on the bike. She usually gets stuck with the run, which she doesn't really like anyway, but has become quite fond of the bike. She also did terrific and had more fun doing it than suffering through a run.


All the triathletes together. It always makes for a great day when you can get out and 'tri' hard.

Jackson Hole

After our big ride into Jackson we decided to enjoy the town for a day or two. As tired as we were we were still able to see some of the beauty of Jackson. The day after the ride my parents, sisters and Chris and I went to Jenny Lake and rode the ferry across. We hiked to a beautiful waterfall and then up to a level area called Inspiration Point. Though the hikes were short my legs moved rather slowly. My family went home that day and Chris and I explored downtown a little more. The next day we did a short recovery ride (really short and really slow) to make sure the legs would still move. We rode the Jackson Hole Ski Resort gondola up to the top and enjoyed the view. Lunch at the top tasted even better being at such a cool place. The drive home was interesting seeing the whole lotoja in reverse.








This is a moose we say while driving back from Jenny Lake. It's baby is not far off though you can't see it in this picture. This is the closest I have ever gotten to a moose and I don't think I would want to get much closer. Moose are big and scary.


Chris and I at the top of Jackson Hole Ski Resort. Hopefully we'll go back sometime when the snow has fallen.

Our Wedding Day

This slide show is a little look back at less than a year ago when Chris and I were married. We are nearing our anniversary and it's nice to have a little reflection on that one day that encompasses one of the biggest moments of life.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

LOTOJA - and the best husband ever!

All summer we had been training for the Lotoja. All of our other races and rides were leading to this main event. It was my second time riding and Chris' first. Chris had made some major improvements in his riding ability. So much that it was frustrating for me because I always had a hard time keeping up. We decided to ride together, which at first didn't seem like a good idea, but quickly became an ideal situation. Chris had some friends who really wanted to push it and beat 10 hours and wanted Chris to ride with them. But, with it being his first time, he wanted it to be more enjoyable than stressful. I was nervous because I hadn't done a ride like that in a while and wasn't sure how I would feel riding 206 miles.

Our plan was a pleaser for both of us. Chris waited for me at the first rest stop and then we rode the rest together. He would take off on the climbs and I would meet him at the top. Chris helped me through a couple of stretches where I started to bonk until I could pull through. I am so grateful that he was there to 'pull' me through. Chris did fantastic and won his group in the King of the Mountain!



Getting ready early in the morning. Chris started at 652 am with the annual licensed Cat 5 and I started at 701 with the annual licensed cat123 and 4s
.


Chris starting off with his group



Coming in at one of the rest stops.



Here is the back side of the jerseys Richard designed. We got a lot of comments on the Big Daddy Hunt Club.







My mom, dad, Jan and Sara did the support for us. They did a great job making sure they were there when we came in and having peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches and bagels ready for us. Sara added extra flavor by having a different costume at each rest stop. Seeing all of them, and especially Sara, was great each time we rolled in to refuel.



Coming in at the finish. I was so tired and Chris just couldn't wait to be done.



Can you believe we are actually standing? We are making plans for next year.

Pennsylvania - Chris' college and medical school years

We took a quick weekend to Pennsylvania to celebrate the wedding of a medical school friend of Chris'. I had never been to Pennsylvania so I was excited to see a little bit of Philly, especially where Chris had spent so many years and Chris was glad to have a reunion of sorts with his medical school group.

We got in Friday evening, and of course not without some trouble with the hotels and such, and hurried to rehearsal dinner. It was at a bar familiar to Chris and his friends. I was able to meet most of the entire lot of guys that lived in a medical school fraternity house together. I had heard a lot about them, but now I actually understand more when he talks about the different people. There was a short presentation by members of the wedding party and then everyone headed to the afterparty at the old frat house. I didn't take pictures, but should have, of where Chris lived. It is the perfect place for a bunch of single guys. We talked with everyone and played the most popular past-time game of beer pong (We had designated drinkers).

The next day we met with a couple of college friends, Ted and TJ, for breakfast. It was nice seeing Ted and Mindy and their kids, Georgia and Danny (who was wearing a Utah t-shirt). After a great breakfast we walked around downtown philadelphia and did some shopping.



Chris sat outside and read the paper while I took my time in one of the stores.

That afternoon we went to the wedding ceremony at a lovely church downtown. It was a beautiful ceremony and was nicely done. We wiled away the time before the reception at a nice bar, just relaxing and talking. Chris had fun catching up with everyone and I had a great time getting to know Liz, Chris Ward's wife, and Maura, Alex Gerhart's wife.



Here we are the reception dinner with Maura and Alex, Ross, Chris ward and Liz.



These Med-school guys look great as a bunch. I can just imagine all the fun they had together. There were a few who were in mourning over the recently deceased frat house cat, Booty, who saved them from the pesky R.O.U.Ses (rodents of unusual size). Donations were being made to have the cat stuffed and made as a permanent fixture in the house.

The reception was in a nice meeting house in main Philly. The food was wonderful and the speeches and presentations were well thought out. One of the highlights was Chris Ward dancing. Somehow he managed to get all of the ladies above 55 to group around him and wave their arms in the air.




The next day we took some time to walk around the University of Pennsylvania campus. We checked out Chris' first dorm building where he spent freshman year.



This is the house where he lived for a year with Ted and few others during college.



The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is where Chris did a lot of his medical school rotations. It's amazing how close Jefferson Medical School, the University of Pennsylvania, the Hospital and everything else is. We pretty much saw where Chris spent about 11 years, off and on, of his life.

It was an action packed weekend, and it was great to see a place so well known to Chris.