Our Wally Wear

I don't know if anyone heard about the monsoon that hit California just before Christmas but we were stuck in the middle of it. It rained for 6 days straight. We thought we were going to have to take an ark to travel to Utah for Christmas instead of the plane. I would check the water level in the pool every day to see if it was going to fill up completely and become one of those infinity pools. And it would have if it wouldn't have been drained one day.

In the midst of all this weather Chris and I drove some friends to the Long Beach airport which is about an hour away. The drive there was uneventful, but on the way back we were unfortunate enough to score ourselves a flat tire while driving on a busy freeway (what freeway in California isn't busy), near sundown, with a narrow shoulder. Chris changed the tire while I stood watch. After we got the little donut of a spare on we went to a tire store to see if we could get it fixed right away. Being completely soaked and having a 45 minute wait we decided to make use of the time instead of freezing while sitting in the waiting room. We walked to the Walmart across the street and found ourselves some of the most high quality and best looking outfits. Despite the fact that we look like we are about to go on a hunting trip we were more than happy to have some dry clothes to drive home in.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!

Because we are going to be in California temporarily and space is a rare commodity Chris and I left all of our Christmas decorations in storage in Utah. Every single one.

Chris and I were kind of bummed because the weather feels more like early fall, we didn't have anything around us that made it feel like the holidays and we hadn't been feeling any Christmas vibes. Chris surprised me by stopping at Lowe's and buying the last of the little Christmas trees at the bargain price of $2.00.

I was super excited. We thought it very reminiscent of the tree Charlie Brown has, and probably just about the same size. We didn't have a tree stand so we cut a hole in a postal box and put a bowl with water underneath. We even have a couple of presents under the tree. Now we turn on the lights the first thing in the morning and leave them on all day. We definitely have a better sense of the Christmas spirit.

Christmastime in California

It is strange to think that Christmas is so close. The weather in California is rather deceiving to those of us from Utah. The leaves just started changing last week and the weather has finally cooled down to pants weather, though I'm still wearing flip flops most of the time. I feel more like I should be preparing for Halloween than gearing up for the Holidays. To help us get into the right mood Chris and I went with the youth in our ward to tour a christmas light-lit street in the foothills just above our apartment. It was very impressive to see so many houses decked out from top to bottom.

In years past Chris and I have barely gotten lights up, and when we have they are usually only half working, or we don't even turn them on. I think we are really going to have to step it up in the years to come. This year we exempted ourselves from any decorations due to us being in Utah for the Holidays.

Oma turns 80!

Happy Birthday to Grandma (Oma) who turned 80 this year! My mom was wonderful and flew me to Utah to be there for the celebration. It was so neat to see so many people come and celebrate the life of such an amazing woman. Oma is one of the most generous and kind people, and not just because she's my grandma. I am always impressed at how she remembers the name and birthday of each of her 50 or so grandkids, their spouses and her great grandchildren. Because she wants to have a personal relationship with them she still shops for birthday and christmas presents and attends graduations, weddings, and various other celebrations.

We love you Oma!

Turkey Day in Arizona

Chris and I traveled to Arizona to spend Thanksgiving at his parents new home. They had moved in just two weeks prior to us getting there and had done a great job at getting settled so quickly. Chris' brother, Joe, and his wife and son were there to help make a nice family celebration.

The only pictures we have are these couple I took while on a run. I thought the cacti were amazing. The really big ones are protected by the state of Arizona so they are everywhere. They get amazingly huge and it takes a lot of years to get there. Also on my run 4 coyotes meandered right where I was planning to run next. Not knowing much about coyotes and human attacks I decided to end my run there - just in case. I figured being pregnant I would be a pretty easy target and could feed all four. My sister did some research and found that coyote attacks are rare and only usually happen to dogs and once in a blue moon to little kids that resemble small dogs. I'm safe, but still...

Why do Californians have big trucks?

You may have already seen this picture on Chris' facebook page. Chris can't understand why anyone in California needs a huge truck. In his mind they are big, loud, use up a lot of gas, take up extra parking spaces, get in his way when driving on the freeway, and people in California obviously don't use them for hauling stuff. So why have one? I'm supposing he thinks everyone should have a small convertible sports car or motorcycle to fit the SoCal style. One thing is for sure, though. We haven't seen one other car here that looks like Chris' subaru with the sticker-laden rocket box on top. It makes it easy to find our car in the giant parking lots.

Visitors and DisneyLand

Rich, Heather, Tyler and Ainsley came for a quick trip to California. We were so excited to have some visitors. They came and hung out at our apartment for a day giving them a chance to relax. We did some shopping at Heather's favorite store H&M and spent some time in the hot tub. They have both been uber busy so hopefully they were able to enjoy a little bit of down time in their packed trip. We also spent a day at DisneyLand - which was mine and Chris' first time there since we've been here.

Heather and Ainsley. I couldn't believe how big Ainsley is. She is one of the cutest little girls out there.

What is DisneyLand without some Mickey Mouse ears.

Rich and Tyler at Tinkerbell's house. Tyler was so excited to see all of the fairy homes and everything associated with the Tinkerbell movie. When the light parade came around Rich hoisted Tyler onto his shoulders so he could see all of the characters come by. Tyler was so cute waving at everyone. He was especially excited to see Woody and Buzz.

Chris and I had to wait around a bit to meet up with everyone so we went and hung out with Santa's reindeer in FrontierLand.

All we did in Toon Town was get some yummy pizza and use the bathroom.

It's a Small World, but all dressed for Christmas. It was great to have the 'It's a Small World' song broken up with Christmas carols so it wasn't so monotonous. This is one of the few rides Tyler didn't get scared on. He was trying to hard to talk Richard out of taking him on Pirates of the Caribbean before he even got through the line. His favorite ride was Winnie the Pooh. I think because it ends with everyone throwing Pooh a birthday party and Tyler loves birthday parties. We actually went on it twice.

I have to say that going to DisneyLand with Rich and Heather with their kids and Heather's friend Erin and their kids, was a learning experience. It convinced Chris and I that we probably won't be taking our kids to Disney until they no longer need naps in the middle of the day, and until they are old enough to know what Disney is and they actually ask to go. And, when we do go, it will be in the middle of January on a Tuesday - supposedly the slowest time of the year. So, it will be a while before we even have to worry about it.

Holes In Socks

Holes In Socks!

Holes are good in donuts
and for putting keys in locks.
Holes are good in some things,
but holes aren’t good in socks.

Holes taste great in swiss cheese.
We need holes for wearing rings.
But how do holes get in my socks?
Holes belong in OTHER things!

Holes work fine in inner tubes
and to put mail inside the box.
Holes work fine in things like that
but holes don’t work in socks!

Holes make scissors cut right
and open pockets for my rocks.
I DO need holes in special things,
but who needs holes in socks?

Holes have to be in noses
and our ears to hear friends talk.
Holes have to be in body parts,
but WHO put HOLES in socks?

Holes do let the puddles fill
to splash in on our walks,
but HOLES IN SOCKS JUST GRAB MY TOES ...
I Hate Holes In Socks!

Just like the girl with one hundred dresses, Chris has at least one hundred pairs of socks, but he has just a couple favorites that he wears over and over again until they wear out. This pair still has a ways to go before we toss them out.

Happy Anniversary

On November 10th Chris and I celebrated our 3rd (Leather) wedding anniversary. Chris is always fabulous and got me one of the most beautiful bouquets I have seen. I am so amazed that I somehow got lucky enough to end up with such an incredible guy. He is the perfect one for me and I only hope that I can be as great to him as he is to me. We are super excited to be three years into our marriage and expecting out first baby. More trials and growing experiences to come, but there is no one better to take on such challenges with than Chris.

Tri Carson

Chris had been wanting to do some sort of competition and came across Tri Carson, which was sponsored by Kaiser Permanente - the healthcare system his fellowship is associated with. It was a very early morning, and a wet one at that. It was the first time this triathlon was being put on so it was a little disorganized and chaotic. It was a reverse tri so the run was first. I was waiting by the transition area so I could see Chris come and go. When the first group of runners came in they came from a completely different direction that the rest of the racers, meaning they added some extra distance to their run. The bike course left from the transition area, went over 8 slippery speed bumps and then required 4 loops on some streets away from the transition. Most people had no idea how many laps to do or how many they had done. The swim was a short, about 150 meter pool swim - and then it was done. Chris was super fast and placed 8th overall and 3rd in his age group. However, considering how crazy the course was who knows how anyone really placed. It was fun to see Chris compete, but tough being on the sidelines and not in the midst.

I had great timing with the camera and kept catching Chris with his eyes closed.

This is some kid cheering on his dad - but I thought it was great for my Chris as well.

LA Triathlon

Chris and I helped out the other Fontana and Kaiser Permanente sports medicine fellows and residents in doing medical coverage for the LA Triathlon. The whole system was amazingly organized and elaborate, and thankfully, not very necessary as far as injuries and accidents were concerned. Chris and I were very excited to be able to take part in covering the race and seeing some professional triathletes as well.

Here is Chris in the medical tent during our morning debriefing. Chris and I were in van#1 with Slim, our driver. After following the bikers on the course for a time we were stationed at the turnaround for the run. We had fun cheering on the runners and taking pictures.
Chris, Tanya, and another volunteer hanging at the start of the race. Of course with my timing I get Chris with his eyes closed.

Chris got some great shots of the riders on their bikes.

It started out as a foggy and chilly morning, but toward the end of the race the sun came out and we really started to heat up. I'm sure the racers did as well.
This is one of my favorite photos from the race. This is Sarah Haskins, a professional triathlete that competed in the 2008 Olympics and is a very accomplished racer. She entered the LA triathlon with an injury knowing she would have to walk on the run portion and that she would get last place out of the professional women, but because of the way the points system works she would still get some points by at least placing. I thought it was inspiring as you rarely see professionals walk, and often times if they are far behind they don't even finish a race because they are racing to win. I liked how in the photo she is the only one you can see on the course and she is obviously walking but looking up and not down.
This is the photograph I used for the camera class I was taking. It is the water station at the turn around point of the triathlon. I had to use the aperture setting, but still didn't really figure it out very well. It is where the images up close are in focus and everything behind is out of focus. I still have a lot of practicing to do.

One of the best parts of Halloween

Feliz Cumpleanos

Happy Birthday to my favorite husband!

Chris just celebrated his 38th birthday and he just keeps getting better with age!

Love you.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

As of now this is my favorite recipe. I made these to take to Chris at work to celebrate his birthday. They turned out so yummy. I frosted them, but ran out with a few left to go. I decided I like them better without any frosting, maybe just a little powdered sugar sprinkled on top. They are very moist and have stayed that way for a couple of days.

This is the original recipe, but I made same changes noted below based on some reviews.

Yum!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted*

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar*

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups grated zucchini

3/4 cups chopped walnuts

1 (16 oz) package chocolate frosting

1/2 cup walnut halves

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-In a large bowl beat eggs with sugar for about 10 minutes or until thickened and pale. Blend oil and cooled chocolate into the beaten egg mixture.

-In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir flour mixture into egg mixture until just blended. Stir in zucchini and chopped nuts. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon batter into 24 paper-lined or greased muffin cups, filling the cups 2/3 full.

-Bake for 20 minutes or until fork or toothpick inserted in a cupcake's center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Let cool completely. Spread with chocolate frosting and garnish with pecan halves.

*The instructions and ingredients are what the recipe asks for, but as per suggestions here is what else I did:

-double the chocolate and add 2 extra TBS brown sugar

-Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

-Add 1 tsp cinnamon

It's A....

GIRL!!!!!

We are excited to announce that the future Baby Bell is an adorable little girl. We are thrilled and are looking forward to all of the cute and wonderful things that come along with having a girl. We had originally supposed a girl and Chris was glad to have his sonogram findings validated to show that he is still pretty handy with the obstetrical ultrasound. The due date is still March 9th. Two more weeks and I am half way there.

Health

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not. - Mark Twain

So it is...especially when swallowing my prenatal pills that smell like horse poo and taste like it, too.

San Dimas High School Football Rules!

Anyone familiar with the ever so well scripted and played out movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure will have a fondness for Sand Dimas High School. Chris is doing the medical coverage for a high school football team that played against San Dimas. They sell t-shirts that say 'San Dimas High School Football Rules!', only you have to buy them at the spirit store when the school is open. I was pretty bummed about not being able to pick up some paraphernalia with the famous line on it.

Photography 101

Like many women who 'stay at home' and have a nice new camera, I decided to take a class on how to use that camera. It's just a short 4 week course where we meet one day a week. Each week we learn about a camera setting other than Auto and then have to take a picture in it. The first week was Program Mode (which is pretty much almost Auto mode anyway). Chris and I usually cart our camera with us everywhere but never actually make the effort to take it out and take a picture. I think our iphones get more photo action than our camera.

Anyway, here is week number one in Program Mode.





Next week is aperture. We'll see what happens.

Always remember to lock up your bike

You wouldn't want it to get stolen...

Say hello to Baby Bell

As many mothers to be know and will agree, once you are pregnant things seem to take longer than ever to get done. Thus, this post about our upcoming addition is long overdue.

Baby Bell is due March 9th and we are super excited. I am now 15 weeks along and enjoying the lack of nausea that allows me to get a few more things done. Baby Bell has had an exciting life in-utero with vacations, moving, traveling, bike accidents, racing, etc. Things are starting to slow down and we are settling in to life in California. I am working at home on some projects that keep me plenty busy while Chris is absorbed in his fellowship.

Baby Bell appears to be healthy and vibrant. No definite conclusion as to the sex, (but I guess that's never really for certain until the baby arrives). We are open to any name suggestions, especially girls. We are glad we have 6 more months to figure that part out since the kid is going to be stuck with whatever we decide. In a way it seems like a big responsibility to give something a name. We have 4 weeks until we have the 'official' ultrasound and then we'll start buying pink or blue.

Mount Baldy Ski Shack

We hiked up to the Mount Baldy Ski shack which is just over half-way to the top of Mount Baldy. We were so excited to get out above the smog and be in the mountains. Though we have enjoyed our visits to the beach we feel we are more at home in the mountains. Like any where else in California, there were plenty of people to keep the trails full while hiking, but great to see people out and moving.

See the little green hut in the middle of all of the trees that are also green? That is where we hiked to.


A Ratt'ler that snaked right by us while we stopped to eat lunch.

I thought these giant spikey bals were amazing. They can grow straight out of the rock walls.