He Rides Again!

With how busy Chris has been with the fellowship and my inability to get out and do more activities we have been rather lax in the racing and competing area. It is unfortunate that we haven't been able to take more advantage of the year-round warm weather. Without much in the way of training Chris took on a pretty tough mountain bike race. From the wife point of view Chris pretty much tore-it-up!

I liked seeing this little girl on her bike. It doesn't have any pedals so in Fred-Flinstone style she just pushed with her feet to get around. Following the adult races there was a kids race so there were a few of these little bikes scrambling around. I had visions of Baby Girl Bell doing this same thing a few years from now.

The Getty Center

On a Sunday afternoon Chris and I joined the other Sports Med fellows for a look around the Getty Center. Due to our church duties we only caught half of what the Getty Center holds, but I think we were there for the best pieces. I really enjoy seeing skilled paintings and was blown away by some of the items we came across.

The Getty Center is a campus with various buildings/museums housing artwork, sculptures, photography, manuscripts, etc. It began with a wealthy man who started collecting things in his own home. After his collection grew he turned part of his house into a type of museum. After his death his entire property was turned over for the purpose of making a real museum. 1.3 billion dollars later the Getty Center came to fruition and opened in 1997.

This one we liked simply because of the painting itself. Who would ever think to paint a 3 feet by 4 feet painting of a man yawning.

This painting was one of my favorites due to the sheer skill of the painter (though I can't remember the name). The detail was so precise and everything finished so smoothly it was amazing to think that it was done by hand.

This is Irises by VanGough. Of course it was a favorite for most everyone at the museum because it's a painting and painter people can identify with.

This one is The Portal of Rouen Cathedral in Morning Light by Monet. It is amazing how up close the picture seems to be kind of monotone in color, but by stepping away and looking at the painting from a distance there are so many intrinsic colors that pop out.

There was a section of books that are from the Medieval era. The detail and design are incredible. It took years to complete just one book.

Another feature of the Getty Center is that it sits at the top of a hill which provides amazing views of downtown LA (try to look past the smog) and the ocean. There is no parking up at the top so you have to park at the base of the hill and take a train up.

Monkey Yoga

Yoga is all the rage these days and as I looked at our recent pictures I realized that it has infiltrated into the monkey community as the San Diego Zoo as well.

San Diego

Chris and I wanted to have one last getaway before the baby arrives and we are no longer 'single', and before I became too pregnant. The scheduling worked out just right and we headed to San Diego for a quick weekend getaway. The weather was fabulous - in the 80s, and we were able to do and see a lot.

We went to the beautiful San Diego Temple. The building is so amazing - inside and out. And, in looking at this picture I realize just how pregnant I look.

We spent the afternoon at Torrey Pines State Park, which is actually a really neat beach that is paralleled by a bunch of walking/hiking trails that take you through the protected areas that have all of the torrey pine trees that the beach and state park are named for.

Torrey Pines beach is also a great place for surfers. Chris caught some cool shots of some of the locals taking advantage of the waves.

Our hotel was right next to Old Town San Deigo, which had some great restaurants and a lot of history to go with it. We ate at a yummy mexican place, which totally redeemed mexican food for me (Having had a series of bad experiences with mexican when I was first pregnant I hadn't dared try anything for the last 4 months). We walked around and saw some of the original and restored buildings from some of the first people to come to the area.

The next morning we found a great diner and had a lazy start to the day. We spent the afternoon at the San Diego Zoo. Neither Chris nor I had been to a zoo in a long time and had a lot of fun. As if we were on a safari we took a lot of pictures trying to catch some great shots of the 'wildlife'.

The orangoutangs were so much fun to watch. This is an older monkey playing with a younger one (not eating him, as it looks in the picture). Chris and I were both very pleased at how energetic most of the animals in the zoo were. Sometimes it can be more depressing than exciting when caged animals appear too melancholy. One of my favorites was an otter that was making fast circles in the water chasing his own tail.

The San Diego Zoo is one of the only zoos to have live pandas. The panda exhibit is monitored very closely so the animals are disturbed as little as possible.

Chris and I had a wonderful weekend away. I was completely exhausted by the time we got back to our apartment. I realized just how much of a toll pregnancy has taken on my endurance, and where I am at home most days I was not used to all of the activity.

Utah for the Holidays

Chris and I were so excited to be home for the holidays. We were glad to be around family and friends and to enjoy the cold Utah weather and snow. After living in the city we are very appreciate of how beautiful some more rural places can be. (and, typical for us, we forgot our camera so these are phone pictures)

Chris was able to take advantage of some good ski days while I took the pregnant lady route and stayed at home visiting with friends and family or snowshoeing. My mom was wonderful and threw me an open house baby shower that brought together a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while. Thanks everyone for coming! I only wish I had had more time to sit and really chat with each person more individually. We were given some much needed baby supplies and we are so grateful for everything.

With all the snow that fell while we were there Chris got a lot of experience clearing out the horse property using the tractor. He was a huge help to my parents, but I think it was more fun that work to him. The Utah temperatures were only in the teens most days, but we loved the crisp cold air that made it feel like winter and Christmas. There is something about having air so cold your nose hairs freeze when you walk outside.

On new years day my mom and Jan hosted a family baby shower at the horse property. It was fun to have all the Sonntag girls together. We played some fun games, my favorite being one my aunt came up with. She melted candy bars in the bottoms of diapers and smooshed them up so they looked more like poop than candybars. Everyone had to sniff, examine, and taste (if you dared) to find out what kind of candy bar it was. I laughed seeing everyone sniffing dirty diapers. I was given another load of stuff for Baby Girl Bell - all of it very useful and necessary. One of my favorite gifts was a little red sweater from my Aunt Susan. It was one I wore when I was little. My mom had given it to Susan's daughter, Heidi, after I had grown out of it and Susan had saved it and was giving it back to me. I loved that it had survived the years and was going to be worn by my own little girl. It is definitely one of a kind.

The rest of the day was spent sledding behind the 4 wheelers (well, not me) until the sun went down and it turned too cold. It was a great way to spend the new year and our last day in Utah before heading back to Cali.