Baby #2 - 16 weeks

I am writing this slightly after the fact, so if it sounds vague that would be why.  

Week 13 - We had just gotten back from Presbytery and I think it took me the whole week to recover.  I would go from feeling okay to having a big wave of nausea hit and have to lay down.  I did my best to take it easy.  I can remember vividly that week 13 was not the best with Samuel's pregnancy but I was so tired of not feeling well that I was discouraged.

13 Weeks 3 days - don't mind the dirty mirror, it will get cleaned (foreshadowing :) )

Week 14 - I must have been feeling better at this point because it was the weekend of the Flat Rock Creek Festival in Pauling and we spent a good amount of time out there.  And I ate a good amount of ridiculous fair food.  The weather was a bit cooler which was a big relief.  We had another doctor's appointment this week.  Once again, no ultrasound, no trying to find the heartbeat etc.  I was really really hoping that there was a baby in there as I get a sense of relief each time I hear the baby's heartbeat on the doppler.

Week 15 - I was feeling okay, but I was a little disappointed that I did not feel awesome!  I remember with Samuel's pregnancy that I felt SO MUCH better by week 15.  However, we found out that we were having another BOY this week so who cares how I felt.  We FINALLY had ultrasound during week 15.  They moved my due date up a few days and we got see our little cutie.  I was 65/35 going in that we were having a boy (Ian wanted a girl, but thought it was a boy).  When we first out that we were expecting, I was hoping for a girl and then within a few weeks, I switched and hoped for a boy - so I was thrilled.  Ian says that he hopes for a girl somewhere along the way.  I said, "Don't talk to me" (I was too close to the morning / all day sickness experience to even think about child #3 Lord willing).

15 weeks 1 day - I think I was headed to Cross Country practice

I also ran for 5 minutes during week 15 so that was exciting.  I was committed to exercising last go around, but this time I think I am more so.  It was so hard to get back in shape after Samuel (some of that may have been due to his rough delivery).  I keep saying, "Your body will thank you in 9 months."

During our doctor's appointment I found out that I had a bacterial overgrowth which led to antibiotic cream.  I was not very mature about this. But it is now a distant memory so Praise the Lord for that.

Week 16 - I finally finally finally felt like myself again (hallelujah!) I had a fire under my bottom and I wanted to get stuff done.  I could stay awake and cross stuff off my to-do list during Samuel's naps.  I had energy and desire to exercise.  I rarely had any nausea.  Life felt good again.  Thankfully this go around I am gaining weight at much slower rate.  I weigh more now than I did at this point during the last pregnancy, but in some ways, I really don't care.  I am so thankful for this little life that I will try to be laid back and let my body do what it is going to do.

16 weeks 4 days - we went for a run (well walk / run ) outside

16 Weeks with Samuel 

Ragnar Trail Race - August 2016

About a month or so before I ran the Napa Valley Marathon, I was asked by a co-worker to consider joining a Trail Relay Team for the Ragnar Trail Race in Angel Fire, New Mexico in August.  I have had my eye on Ragnar for awhile - so I eagerly accepted.  A relay race seemed like a new and different challenge.  I had participated in a 24-hour relay several times in high school but it was in 1-mile increments.  I was excited to take on a new challenge.  Plus, if the trail race was in August, I would already be in good shape to run a half marathon in October.  (The Rock n Roll half marathon comes to Denver in October and I have run it every single year we have lived here.)

I had NO IDEA what I said yes to.  I had no idea what trail running was really like and I had no idea what my life would actually end up looking like in August.

The pay off for trail running - awesome views.  My car is down in that valley where I started this training run.  If there is anything that could convince me to become a trail runner, it is the views.

I spent the summer attempting to train for the race.  I quickly learned that trail running is a whole entire different beast (I could probably write a blog post just on all my trail running thoughts!)  Trail running (at least in Colorado) has some serious climbs and running 1/4 mile on a trail can sometimes feel like an eternity.

Me on a training run this summer.  Also, the first picture that I have of myself pregnant.  I did not know I was pregnant at the time, but there was a little bun in the oven!

A couple of weeks before Ragnar, Ian and I found out we were expecting which changed the game dramatically.  It was too early to share with my relay teammates but we knew.  Ian was pretty concerned that I would push myself too hard (where would he ever come up with that idea?) and I was exhausted from starting the school year.  However, I was not about to back out or give up so off to New Mexico we went.

Our team before the start - everyone is happy, dry, and rested.

One of the advantages of the trail relay race is that the team can camp and be in one spot the entire time.  The road races involve mini-vans and sleeping in school gymnasiums.  We lucked out in that we all chipped in for a hotel room at the resort close by (an 8-10 minute walk from the exchange area) and so we could shower and sleep there if we decided to (I was one of the few people on the team that did not sleep in the tent and slept in the hotel instead... I told myself it was because I was pregnant and I could baby myself).  

I ended up being runner #1 for our team, Angels on Fire.  Our team's start time was 3pm on Friday and at about 2:50pm it started drizzling and then it started pouring at about 2:58pm.  I ran the green loop first, then yellow, then red - not necessarily the order I would have picked but it was nice to go first and just get going instead of waiting around. 

Starting the race for our team (that we would finish 27 hours later) and trying to keep the rain out of my eyes.

The green loop was supposed to be the easiest out of all of them (it was the easiest, but that does not mean it was easy).  It was 3.8 miles and supposedly only had an elevation gain/loss of 620 feet (I think their elevation maps were off).  It was nice to head out in daylight with fresh legs.  The green loop was the least "trail" of all the loops.  At one point, I was pretty sure that I was running through someone's front yard.  The only issue with the green loop for me was that I was running it in the rain and the grass was quickly turning into mud.  I was worried about getting injured with 10+ miles of running still to go.  I tried to be careful and there was one point where I almost sat down and scooted down an incline because it was so steep and so muddy.  

You can see me finishing at the transition tent - I was soaked!

It stopped raining within a few minutes of me finishing my loop and handing off to the next person.  I was so happy that we had all chipped in on a hotel room because I headed up and took a nice hot shower and got all the mud off of me.  Ian was our team's volunteer.  He volunteered from 4pm-7pm (or something like that).  His main duties were emptying trash cans for the dining tent and helping people sort their trash correctly.  I ate dinner with some teammates and we hung out.  Once Ian finished his volunteer shift, he ate dinner and we got to check in with some teammates that had run the yellow and red loops in the meantime.  Yellow sounded hard but doable and red sounded miserable.  

Once it started to get dark, Ragnar got their bonfire going.  It was so nice that it was not raining as the temperature was dropping.  I can't remember what time I ran my yellow loop but I think it was around 11pm or midnight.  I had practiced running with a headlamp once (that is a whole story within itself) and we had purchased a headlamp that was great quality and adjustable/tilt-able which is key for running at night.

I was bundled up to run the yellow loop.  Headband and Headlamp ready to go. 

The yellow loop was 4.7 miles and had an elevation gain/loss of 1300 feet.  I had heard that it had a lot of tree roots and rocks on the trail so I was okay taking it slow.  The first mile or so was on a paved then gravel road so I tried to run that at a good pace then the switchbacks came.  Once I got to the switchbacks (and forest) I walked A LOT.  The incline was so steep that it would have killed my legs and it felt like you just kept going up and up and up (for a mile?).  I was also a little worried about missing a turn or something since it was dark and I could not see or hear other people.  Eventually I got to the top (I don't really know? it is hard to tell in the dark).  I alternated between jogging and walking.  I told myself it was okay to walk but to keep a good pace.  Around 2-2.5 miles into the loop I started passing people (which was shocking to me since I was walking).  Once I started catching people, I was more motivated to run.  I did not want anyone to pass me back.  I did not have a great split for the yellow loop, but I felt good about the effort I put in. I would have run it the same way if I had to do it again in the dark on not fresh legs.

After I finished yellow, I think I took another quick shower and then tried to sleep for a couple of hours.  I don't how much good sleep I got, but it felt so nice to lay in a bed and be warm and snug.  

I think I woke up around 4 or 4:30am and started getting ready to run again.  At this point I was tired and not really looking forward to running the hardest loop. I thought yellow was hard and everyone was saying that red would be worse.  Additionally all the loops end the same - with steep downhills (basically running downhill on a ski slope but on mountain bike trails).  It is one thing to bike on a mountain bike trail, it is quite another to try to run them.  I was not a happy camper about the "running" trails.  

I thought I was going to start running around 5, but I think I ended up starting closer to 6am.  The sun was up and I did not even need my headlamp.  The red loop was 6.2 miles and gained 1400 feet in the first few miles.  I honestly don't know how much running I did on the red loop, especially on the way up.  It was so steep and my legs were already feeling dead.  I also was concerned about my breathing as I was at 9-10,000 feet for most of the loop.  I think I said the phase, "Breathe!   Breathe!  The baby needs oxygen." about 200 times in a row in the same cadence over and over again.  I got passed by people but could not get myself to try to run, so I just kept walking.

I did not do well mentally on the red loop. I remember at one point honestly thinking that I was going to be stuck on the loop forever.  I was discouraged and upset that I was running/walking on mountain bike trails that had signs up like, "No runners, bikers only" and yet Ragnar was having us run the trails.  I thought I had done difficult training runs - but I had not practiced running bike trails.

One of the main reasons I am not a fan of trail running - how do you RUN on that?!? And not risk injury?

Eventually I hit the water station which meant I was at the top and halfway to the end.  I was so happy to be halfway and at the same time I was ready to just be done.  The way down was definitely better than the way up.  The ski lifts would run every so often which made me laugh and there were some great, amazing views.  I did more running on my way down and that helped it go by faster.

Such a pretty view on the red loop.  I was more than happy to stop running to capture the picture.

Ragnar marks, "1 mile to go" on all the loops and I remember specifically an indescribable amount of happiness when I saw the 1 mile to go sign.  I think I may have started crying and I threw my arms up in the air and said, "Thank you Jesus!" about 10 times.  I did not think I was ever going to finish (I know illogical, but I am currently not trying to run at 9,000 feet elevation on exhausted legs so I am much more logical now).  I finished my leg!  I was done!  

Several people on the team ended up running extra to make up for missing members of our team.  Ian even jumped in on yellow loop at the end.  Once I finished the red loop, I was done.  Since I knew I was pregnant, I thought 14.7 miles in 16 hours was enough.  I was happy to cheer team members in as they finished.

The happiest runner I know.  I never look this good running!

Once our team was done, we broke camp and packed up.  We found a pizza place in town and enjoyed a meal as fairly clean, tired, satisfied people.  While we were eating it starting pouring, then hailing, then back to pouring rain.  I was so happy that we were off the mountain and already packed up.  My guess is that some teams were still finishing and I felt so sad for them.

Typically I do not buy anything at the merchandise tent at events like this, but Ian and I totally got suckered into buying a onesie for the baby.  Since we each participated in the race, it was our first race as a family. Ian and I got t-shirts so the baby needed his own t-shirt as well!  I can't wait to have him try it on.  We will have to tell him about how we all raced when he was 6 weeks in utero and the size of a blueberry - family bonding!

It was my parents anniversary so we called them while we were waiting for the pizza and told them Happy Anniversary along with Happy Day You Find Out Your Grandparents - what a fun memory!

Our relay team right after the last person finished!

Napa Valley Marathon

I ran the Napa Valley Marathon this past March and wanted to blog about it before I forgot too many of the details.  In some ways, I have so many memories of our time in Napa and in other ways, it is just a big blur.

Saturday, March 5th
I flew from Denver to San Francisco.  Ian flew from Santa Ana (where he had been at a conference for grad school) up to San Francisco.  We rented the cheapest car we could at the airport.  BUT they were out of them?  So we got a new Dodge Charger to drive around California.  It was fun and super nice!  The three main things I remember from Saturday is #1) The weather was not great - it was rainy sideways.  and #2.) I kept telling Ian, "I can't believe that I am going to run a marathon tomorrow.  Have I even trained for this?"  Considering that I had spent the last 6 months of my life doing little else, I am not sure why my brain had such a hard time processing that I was really going to run a marathon again. #3.) We stopped on our drive from San Franscisco up to Napa for some Vaseline/aquaphor.  I had read on a blog earlier that week to slather yourself in it if you are going to run a marathon in the rain to prevent chafing - I took the advice and did not chafe at all.

We checked out the race expo and found our hotel.  I went for a quick 2 mile run on the dreadmill (in the most ghetto 24 hour fitness ever) and we went out for dinner at the Olive Garden (while it continued to rain sideways).  We tried to get to bed early.

Sunday, March 6th.
RACE DAY!  From the moment I woke up (which was really early) I tried to manage my nervousness by telling myself that I was wasting energy to have my heart rate up and "the hay was already in the barn".  I covered myself with vaseline as I was anxious about chafing. IT STOPPED RAINING (later on the bus, I heard some people say it stopped around 3:30am).  Huge Shoutout to Ian - he woke up super early to drive me to the dropoff point and did a great job of listening to me ramble about running stuff.  I don't know if I could run races without Ian.

I got to the finish line and found a bus to jump on.  We were driven 26.2 miles out to the start line.  26.2 miles is a long, long way when you are riding on a bus with strangers in the dark at five o'clock in the morning.  An older guy sat next to me on the bus.  We chatted a bit, but I think he was just as nervous as I was.

This was right behind the port-a-pots.  Prettiest Starting Line Ever!

Once we got to the start line, people were piling off the bus.  I stayed on with about 5 other people.  It was chilly outside and we were in the middle of nowhere and still had an hour before race started.  Eventually, I got off, found the restroom and warmed up a bit.  I was thankful that I had layered up because it was cold.  It felt like time had stopped and 7am would never come. The announcer/starter was hilarious!  He carried on conversations with people over the microphone (we could only hear his side).

Finally it was time to start!  They sang the national anthem and said a benediction.  I threw my throw away pants to the side, took a selfie, and we were off.

Ready to roll

Miles 1-6 - weather: sunny
I had a hard time settling into a good pace.  I started out too slow and then I was running way too fast.  There weren't any pace groups and I did not want to spend the entire race staring at my watch.  I will say that I felt SO LOVED during those first six miles - my phone was going off like crazy with texts of well wishes from people in Colorado (and Illinois).  I read each one.  It made me realize how strong of a community we have here.

I also was texting my girls, Emily and Allie.  Although they did not physically train with me each day, they were my support from the get go.  They listened to me talk about training and long runs and fueling on long runs and played, "this is the better than..." and never once made me feel like I talked about marathon training too much.

For the most part, I was running about 10 seconds per mile faster than I wanted.  I kept telling myself, "save it for mile 20...save it for mile 20...save it for mile 20".  I finally got into a good rhythm of running off of feel for the first half mile of each mile and then slowing myself down and really focusing on my watch for the second half of each mile.

I ate a couple bites of a clif bar at mile 6 and congratulated myself for getting close to be 25% of the way done.

Mile 7-12 weather: cloudy
There was someone around my pace named Amy.  Amy had the BEST friends.  Her friends made a sign that Amy's name on it.  Spectators were only allowed at certain points on the course.  Amy's friends were at every single spectator spot.  So I started cheering for them.  "Yeah, Amy's friends!  You guys ROCK!  What great friends!!"  There were also people sitting in lawn chairs in their driveways drinking their coffee cheering us on - it was so cute.  I was feeling good about my rhythm of half a mile off of feel, half a mile off of the watch.  I think I was coming through mile markers about a minute (overall) faster than I wanted to.  I did a lot of math during miles 6-20.  I had another snack around mile 12/13.

Miles 13-20 weather: mix of clouds and sun, some sections were crazy windy.
I can not remember anything too specific about these miles.  I think I did a lot of math about my pace and I played, "this is the better than..." and texted Emily and Allie a couple of times.  I really tried to focus in and just take it a mile as it came.  I settled into running near someone else (Amy perhaps?!?) for about 5 miles.  It was nice to pace off someone and not worry so much about my timing.

Mile 20 - I remember two things as I passed the 20 Mile Marker: #1.) I wanted to be done.  I was exhausted, but I just wanted to stop running at that point and #2.) My stomach did not feel great.  I decided to skip my snack.  I convinced myself to try to keep drinking water. (My water had Nuun in it.)

Getting from mile 20-21 felt like the lllooonnngggeeesssttt mile of my life.  I think I checked my watch about 200 times during that mile.  My pace was okay, but my brain was having a hard time doing the math.  Mile 20 feels like such a great accomplishment.  I started counting down at mile one: 1 mile down, 25 to go.  So by the time 20 rolls around, it feels like you are almost done.  Except you still have 55 minutes of running to go.

Mile 21-23 weather: cloudy
I remember getting really scared because my brain was having a hard time thinking.  I kept trying to figure out my pace and where I should be but I just could hold all the numbers in my mind.  I am not sure how I stayed on pace at this point (running at sea level? the bajillon squats and lunges I did during training?) but I am so glad my legs kept rolling.

Mile 23 & 24
The sky opened up and poured - which was awesome.  It felt so good that have the rain cool us off.  I am a salty sweater, so salt was getting in my eyes, but I did not care too much. Some people I was running by were saying things like, "Thank you Jesus!  Thank you Jesus for this rain!"  I tried to play "this is better than ___" but I could not think past a few words.  My pace was okay.  My stomach hurt.  My legs were fatigued.  I started to realize that as long as I did not 100% tank I was going to make it under 4 hours.

Mile 24.5-26.2
At mile 24.5 I hit the wall.  I think I had hit the wall mentally back around mile 20 but my body was done at 24.5.  I wanted to stop.  I knew my form was not great.  I knew my pace was not great.  I just wanted to stop.  The finish line felt miles and miles away.  Thankfully I texted Emily at some point and she texted back, "BREATHE!" which was actually really helpful.  I could focus on breathing.  Also, I was with it enough to know that as long as I did not quit, I would PR.  My garmin had me at 26.2 in 3 hours 56 minutes and 47 seconds.  The race was a bit longer (26.5?) and I finished in 3:58 on their time.  I cried as I came down the shoot and finished.  I was so happy to have finally finished a marathon in under 4 hours.  Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Once I crossed the finish line, an older volunteer man thought I was going to pass out.  He grabbed my arm and made me walk around.  I did not have warm or happy feelings towards him.  I just wanted to sit down.  I had convinced myself the last 6 miles if I could just sit down my stomach would feel better.  Ian came and rescued me from the old man.  I made Ian promise me that if I ever talk about running another marathon that he would break both my legs.  He just looked at me and said, "Wait ten years - you will run another one."  Example #908839473 of Ian knows me better than I know myself.

We hung out quite a while after the race.  I got a free massage.  Ian walked all the way to the car in a downpour to grab my bag.  The finish line was at a high school so they had (hot!) showers available.  It may have been the best shower of my life.  The person who won the marathon won their weight in wine.  They actually put them on a two balance scale with the person one side and wine on the other side.

Our San Francisco (and Friday night) Tradition

Eventually we started to head back towards San Francisco.  We had not gotten far when I told Ian that we needed to stop at a grocery store.  Thank the Lord that I was aware enough to tell him.  He pulled into the parking lot.  I asked him to go in and buy some Sprite.  He parked.  I jumped out and started puking next to a tree, barefooted.  It was not the best moment of my life.  Ian came out with the Sprite.  I sent him back in for napkins or paper towels or something.  He came back out.  I think I asked him to go back in for something else, but I can't remember.  Thankfully I felt much better after I threw up (unlike my previous marathon).

Headed Home!

We found a great Korean restaurant on our way back to San Francisco.  We also stopped by Buena Vista for an Irish Coffee (for Ian).  We stayed in a hotel near the airport so we returned the rental car and went to bed.  I think we woke up at 2:30 the next morning for an early flight.  Ian had his Hebrew midterm when we got back to Denver.  I was excited to go to school the next day and tell my students that I had done well.  They were so sweet and supportive (or just knew how to get me to not talk about math...)

Whew!  That was a long post.  I am so proud of the work I put in to accomplish a goal that I had set for myself 5 years ago.  I am thankful for the community that celebrates us and with us.  I am in awe of the One who is Emmanuel - He was with me every moment of my training and racing.

Bucket List:
run a marathon under 4 hours

First Full Day in Dublin (2015 Summer Adventure Part 6)

Disclaimer: The main reason for these posts is to remember our trip in the summer of 2015. There will probably be too many details and lots of parenthetic statements. Feel free to scroll through and just look at pictures. Also, I teach math - not writing.

Our first full 24 hour day in Dublin was FULL!  Ian woke up around 5am and took a shower.  He hung out in the community room until 7am - planning our day and researching fun things to do.  I woke up around 5:30am and went for a 4 mile run along the river.  When I got done, we ate the free breakfast provided by the hostel - bread, cereal, juice, and coffee.  After breakfast, I took a shower and we got organized for the day.

We set off to Starbucks and had a real cup of coffee.  We decided what we wanted to do for the day.  We walked to Guiness factory and bought our ticket for the day.  (If I remember correctly, they only sell so many tickets per day.  Once you have the admission ticket, you can enter at any time.)  I filled my water bottle in their restroom. (This happened constantly on our trip - find a place for Alissa to get some water.)  Once we had our tickets (that cost 36 euros) we headed back across town to Trinity College.  On our way there, we stopped in a grocery store and bought some cheese, a smoothie, and a scone.  The small shop had a lot of carbs - crackers, bread, etc and dairy.

We were only interested in part of Trinity College and that was the Long Room and Book of Kells.  The intro exhibits to the Book of Kells were interesting and informative.  The viewing room of the Book of Kells was unfortunate.  (The Book of Kells is an (overly?) illustrated book of the Gospels in Latin from around 800 - if this trip was anything, it was a history lesson).  People stood around the display and looked and did NOT move.  I thought some assertive pace-setters would have been helpful.  We got a couple of glances at it (no pictures allowed).  I got frustrated so we headed upstairs to the Long Room.

The Long Room looked like a Harry Potter Room

The coolest thing on display was a harp.  It is the oldest harp in Ireland and the design for Ireland's seal/symbol was based on the shape of the harp.  The second coolest thing was a parchment calling the citizens of Ireland to freedom in 1916.

Oldest Harp in Ireland 

The Long Room housed 200,000 of the oldest books of Trinity College.  They had busts of famous figures such Plato and Irish statesmen in front of each bookshelf.  They also had displays down the middle of the room.  The Hobbit was on display and categorized under Norse Myth.  We finished exploring the Long Room and headed to the Dublin Castle.

Dublin Castle - bust (for us).  We used the restroom, looked around, and headed out.  We decided to grab some lunch and went to Bobo's.  I had a full Irish breakfast - YUM! Ian had The Dubliner burger - it had a special sauce and good fries.  I will forever be a fan of Irish and English breakfasts!  They usually include bacon and ham, eggs, tomato, baked beans, and bread.  Bobo's was my childhood dream come true - there were murals of cows on the wall and cowhide on the back of the benches.  It was a fun restaurant.  We were both a bit tired at the end of the lunch (jet lag?).

We walked to St. Patrick's (THEE Saint Patrick's Cathedral).  We did not want to pay to go inside, so we sat outside in the park and took pictures.  The park was nice, the church was pretty.  We saw the well where Saint Patrick used to baptize people in the 5th Century.

We started to meander towards the Guinness Factory.  We stopped in several thrift store on our way, but did not find any gems.  One thing I learned while living in Korea - don't just do the tourist-y things.  Walk into small shops, look into the barber's, peruse the post office - try to take in the ordinary along with the extraordinary.  It reinforces the idea that the way they do things in other countries and cultures is not necessarily good or bad, just different.

The Guinness Storehouse is a seven story building where we learned about the brewing process.  It was a really well done museum (I don't know if museum is the right word to use, but it is the best I can come up with).  It is a self-guided tour of each stage of the brewing process - which is scientific and has changed over the years.  It was interactive and engaging.  We skipped the Tasting Room where you learn how to pour (from a tap) the perfect pint.  The tour ends on the seventh floor with a free pint and a 360 degree view of the city.

On our way back towards the hostel, we stopped in St. Augustine and St. John the Baptist Cathedral (the longest name ever?).  We voted (lit an electric candle) and prayed to Jesus.  We hope Jesus wins.  In our experience, Mary usually does.  We ate dinner at Apache Pizza for dinner - Hawaiian pizza.  It was odd to us that a restaurant in Ireland is named after a Native American Tribe.  The pizza was only 10 euros - we felt like it was a good deal.  We headed to the hostel, checked our email, and went to bed between 7-8pm.  We were exhausted.

What a full day! Looking back, I am impressed with how much we did in a day.  I made a note that the weather was windy and chilly.  If the sun was out, it was comfortable.  I also made a note about how good the coffee shop music is in Ireland.  It is from 10-15 years ago, but far superior to American coffee shop music.

Trip to Utah (2015 Summer Adventures Part 2)

We got back from IL at 10pm on a Friday night and we were back on the road Tuesday morning.  I am not sure if I have perfected the art of packing for a camping trip, but I am getting better (essentially I just pack the whole apartment).  We had a good drive to Utah.  Some things to note:

• I thought it was cray cray that the speed limit in Colorado was 75 mph.  It is 80 mph in Utah (and Wyoming).
• If you enter into Utah and see a sign on Interstate 70 that say, "No services for the next 110 miles".  Believe the sign - it is true.
• If a bird flies into your windshield when you are driving 85 miles an hour, the bird will die.  And if the driver happens to be Alissa, the driver will scream {loudly}. 

They had a Welcome to Utah sign at a rest stop

We arrived in Richfield, Utah and set up camp at the KOA by 4 or 5pm.  We used Richfield as our "base camp" for the first part of our trip.  We were hoping to catch the USA Women's Soccer Game (it was during the World Cup).  We drove about 20-25 minutes and found a restaurant on the side of the road (not in a town, just in the middle of nowhere on its own) and got our fix of Women's Soccer - success!

Our campsite.  We were thankful for the shade!

Wednesday we had a relaxing morning with going for a run, showering, making breakfast, and reading.  In the afternoon, we drove to Bryce Canyon and went hiking.  Wow!  It was beautiful.  The rock formations called "hoodoos" are really incredible to see.  It is hard to believe that the rocks can "balance" on top of each other.

There were so many spectacular views!

While we were hiking, we started talking to some other hikers.  They happened to be 2 guys that were studying to be priests in Cleveland, OH.  And they also happened to be from Daegu, South Korea (which is where we lived!!)  We ended up hiking with them for about a mile.  They were so much fun to talk to.  And Augustine (his English name) had a selfie stick.  

After hiking, we drove around to a different side of the park and did another short hike.  We found a place for pizza and then headed back to the main park. Once a year, Bryce Canyon has an astronomy festival.  They purposely schedule the festival during a new moon so that the sky will be really dark. There were volunteers from the Salt Lake Astronomical Society who had telescopes set up.  You could walk around to different telescopes.  We got to see Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn.  The telescope viewing did not start until 10:30 and we are old so we did not hang out for too long.  We were about 2 hour drive from our campsite so it was a late night, but it was fun!

We slept in (as much as you can while camping) on Thursday.  We went for another run, showered, read, and relaxed.  In the afternoon it was pretty warm, so we went bowling (in air conditioning!).  Ian beat me.  We had  a good time.  In the evening we headed up to Sanpete County.  We wanted to check out Ephraim and Manti, especially during the Manti Pageant.  It was very encouraging to see so many Christians loving on Mormons and talking to them.  We saw a few missionaries and some high schoolers having really great conversations.  After we got back to our campsite, we had a fire and then headed to bed.

On Friday we broke camp and headed north to Salt Lake City.  I decided that our trip was too long for one post so stay tuned!

Trip to IL (2015 Summer Adventures Part 1)

School finished for me on a Thursday and 5am Sunday morning found us driving to Illinois.  We like to make the drive in one day.  We had a quick stop in Kansas City for a late lunch.

We were STARVING by the time we got here, but it was so worth it!

Since moving to Denver, we have made friends with a family that had lived in the Kansas City area for 6 years - they have some loved ones buried in KC, so we stopped by the cemetery to put flowers by their graves.  (If you want an interesting story, I will tell you about driving through the ghetto to buy the flowers - it was quite the experience).

My husband has amazing selfie skills!

After our quick stop, we got back on the road and made it central IL by 10pm.  We met our host family for the week (THEY WERE AMAZING!) and headed to bed.

Monday - Friday were spent learning about ministering in town and country churches.  We enjoyed learning about our "home culture" (I audited the class with Ian).  I, personally, had a good reminder how tiring it is to be a student and how hard it is to sit still.  We went on field trips to area farms, ag-related businesses, and small town services.  I could probably write so much more on all that we learned, but I am trying to be concise.

My favorite is our pig selfie

One of the blessings of the week was that Theresa's parents live in Morton, so I got to see Theresa!  We had a blast reflecting on the recent school year, what God is teaching us, and what our coming summers look like (hint: FULL of adventures for each of us).  It was so great to have a running buddy for a couple of days!

So, so, so great to get to see Theresa!  Happy Hearts!

Once we finished class on Friday (Happy 5th Anniversary to us! Woohoo!) we drove down to Ian's parents and hung out for a couple of days.  It was so great to see family and friends.  We were able to go to church on Sunday, which allowed us to see a lot of people and catch up!  And I was able to see some friends from college.

Ian's parents spoiled us the entire time we were there!  I also got to go to Greenville and see Theresa again.  And go running.

in Southern Illinois

at 3:35pm

in June

Lordhavemercyitwassohot&humid

Beam me back to Colorado ASAP, Scotty.  I have turned into a humidity wimp.

Swell the chorus, speed it onward...

We then headed north and hung out with my parents for a few days.  And we got spoiled some more!  We made bubble pizza with Mom, heard the details about Dad's job (yes, you will use math in everyday life dear 15 year olds that know more than me...ahem!), and got to see my sister-in-law!  My brother was traveling for training for his job, but we had squeezed in a quick visit with them the week before.  We left for Colorado a day early so that we could stop in Iowa on our way through.  We got to see my Grandpa, his wife, Aunt Wanda, and Uncle Gary.  What a blessing family is!

The hubs comes through with his selfie skills again! (I think the picture is a bit fuzzy, but that is okay!)  

That one time I posted a bunch of pictures

So, I am a bit behind in the blogging world :)  Let's catch up shall we?

It snowed, in the last week of April.  And no one felt a need to plow the streets.

I take pictures while driving, but only if I am at a stoplight.
I drove about  20 mph (32 kph) to work that day

It snowed.  IN MAY. (#comeonspring) The not fun part (besides wanting a Happy May Day) was that the ground was warm enough that the running trail was a complete muddy mess - ugh.  At least it was pretty.

May 1st in Colorado

I have established a new rule.  If it snows, I can listen to Christmas music.  It makes for a much less grumpier existence.
Then I flew to the Midwest to visit family.  This is what greeted me on my run. Praise the Lord for spring in the Midwest.

I ran the Thank Dank 5k while I was visiting the Midwest.  This is a very special race and I am so glad I was able to participate.  {Sidenote: Seeing famers cry breaks my heart!  They say time heals, I don't know if that is necessarily true.  When you loose someone, there is still grief, even years later}.  It has been a long time since I ran a 5k on grass/mud/gravel/anything that is not concrete.

the traditional pre-race photo (note how clean my shoes were)

It was a hometown race, so I came in as the second female overall and won my gender/age group.  My brother placed in his age/gender group too. And my sister-in-law lead the fun walk.  Such a great day!

Post race photo.  My brother and his sweet wifey, and P.S.

And then it was time to head back.  I tried to have my mom take a picture in the airport.

One is me talking to my mom, trying to explain what button to push, and the other is a more posed...

 Then I flew home and I was greeted my favorite person in the world! {sigh - it was so good to come home}  He bought me flowers.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE the kiddos I nanny, oh goodness - it is a bit ridiculous how much I can gush over them.  I was taking a picture to text to Ian.  The Wee One said she wanted to be in it.  This is what we ended up with. 

Week 15 - it was going well until I got sick :(

Hi friends, another week has past.  Here are some highlights from our week include:

• I discovered that a nearby coffee shop has a Cinnamon Roll Latte.  Praise the Lord!
• We got some good chores done this week including:
• An Emission Test done on the car.  It is a required test before you can register your car in Colorado.
• We got our Colorado License Plate (and learned the hard way that you really should get this done within the first 90 days of moving to Colorado, even if your car is legally registered in IL...)  The Colorado DMV got a nice donation from us this week :)
• We got a Costco card!  I think I will always associate Costco with Korea, but American Costco has some good deals too.  
• I did our taxes and mailed them in.  (It pretty much amounted to me putting zeroes in a lot of spaces, since all the money we earned in Korea was tax-free).
• We finally got some spring weather this week!  It rained and the grass started to green up. 
• For a new recipe, we tried this Apple Tortilla Dessert out.
• We ate at Chiptole for lunch this week...probably not a highlight for some people, but I like the small joys of life.

And then Saturday happened.  Saturday started off as a normal day, but turned into quite the adventure.  I don't remember what we did Saturday morning, probably slept in, ate breakfast, and then we picked up trash around the church.  Ian went to help one of his friends move.  I headed out for my long run.  It was a glorious day to run 13 miles.  I came home to discover that I had locked myself out of our apartment.   :(    I called my sister-in-law.  She came to the rescue!  She let me shower at their place and borrow some clothes.  I had to babysit that evening, so she even dropped me off for that.

Shortly after arriving at babysitting, I started feeling queasy.  I am not a thrower-uper.  I hold it down for as long as I possibly can.  But it was not to be.  I threw up.  And felt better.  I thought that would be the end of it (oh the irony!).  An hour later, I upchucked, then again 20 minutes later, then again and again.  Thankfully I have an amazing husband who came and helped me out with the kiddos, so I could lay on the bathroom floor and empty my stomach every 20 minutes.

When the parents finally got home, my knight-in-shining armor whisked me home in our chariot and I puked into a garbage bag on the way there.  We got home and I ended up sleeping on the floor of the bathroom so I could continue to vomit every 30 minutes throughout the night.  I think we each got about 2 hours of sleep.  Around 6:30 in the morning, it got even better.  I started having diarrhea.  And then the last straw, I was throwing up and having diarrhea at the same time.  I threw in the towel and Ian took me to the ER.


I don't remember a whole lot other than I was dry heaving and they were trying to start my IV at the same time.  And I think I told the nurse that she "spoke English very well".  Being sick in America is way better than being sick in Korea.  I would have survived in Korea, but it was convenient to speak English and be understood.  Ian was quite the trooper, he stuck with me the whole time and was so helpful.  We were in the ER for about 5 hours.  They gave me 3 bags of liquid (I totally could have taken another bag or two, but the nurse, doctor, and Ian said it was time to go home).  They also gave me some anti-nausea, Benadryl, and some else I can't remember via the IV.  The nurse told us that five other people had come in that morning with the same thing.  (And I am not prego, in case you are wondering...I have the stick in the arm, remember?)

"I just assumed there was an actual use for the cup of ice chips they gave me."  Anyone else a lover of Gilmore Girls?

Gatorade mixed with Ginger Ale is rocking my world right now.  It seems quite pathetic to me that a few days ago I ran for 2 hours and today I get shaky legs whilst brushing my teeth.  Oh well, all in good time.  If I had a desk job, I would be back at it tomorrow, but running after 3 kids take a lot of energy...so I will probably stay on the couch and focus on getting something more substantial than a Popsicle down.

That was the excitement of our week...how about yours?

This is the Bambi Wall...it was in my room in the ER.  It will be engraved in my memory for years to come.

Week 10

I am writing this post quite awhile AFTER week 10 happened in real life....I do not remember if anything exciting happened during this week of my life.  However I did take this picture:

So ready for spring!

It snowed twice within week 10, yet it still managed to make it to 60 degrees by Saturday!

In other excitement, we celebrated our 1,000th day of marriage this week! Wootwoot!

Not too often that I run through snow in shorts!

Week 6 - Trip to the Midwesty

Hi friends!  I took a little trip to the Midwest last week!  Some of our really good friends from Korea (they are Americans) came back for a visit.  And I found cheap plane tickets - bam!  I was there!

I found a running trail!  I stayed near a town (with a population of 870).  And I found a running trail!  What a glorious run it was - harvested cornfields, peace and quiet, rural Midwestness.

I saw my friends (!!!!!)  and their sweet, sweet baby.  It was such a fun few days together.  I am so glad I got to see them!

Can you tell this is a "running out the door to drop Alissa off at the airport - oh wait, we need to take a picture!" picture?

We sang Shout to the Lord in church on Sunday...I kept thinking of this and giggling to myself throughout the song: