Bakersfield, Assorted

Getaway weekend is complete: it just took me a week to post it. In said field of bakers, we enjoyed In N Out (which we always go crazy over, like we don't have it right around the corner...haha), drive to la playa with Federico graduate Senora Debbie, Maddy's baptism day, whirlpool party in the dark, and a grand finale post-church Sunday dinner. We love this crowd! Avery would not leave poor Shady alone. She wanted to follow her everywhere and give kisses, hugs, and eat her dog food. And let's be honest...that's not her worst choice ever of things to put in her mouth.

Notes for me: Pacific Ocean = cold. Beach always = great day. But sometimes, great days require a wetsuit.
The Hoyts are brilliant in that they bring an actual shovel to the beach. It brings burying yourself to a whole new level.

Notes for Ella: Whisky Pete's may resemble a temple, but it is not one. Temples do not have flashing lights or roller coasters outside. Nice bathrooms is not the only criterium to make a building into a temple.

Don't mess.

Baptism Day! Miss Maddy and her momma.

Recipe for Heat Stroke (and FUN)

I think I have heat stroke today. Also stairs are a little rough. But it's worth it because this weekend we headed up to Bryce Canyon for the annual half marathon. And this year was even more fun than usual because we camped with the Marcrofts. Here is what you can expect to find on such an adventure...

Inspiration Point, which can also double as a lookout for the local forest fire.

Love it. Hoodoo mania.

My time: 1 hour, 52 minutes. That's not too shab. I think I only ran it a minute faster last time. Note: There is the monster tent making its big debut!

Yay! We finished. Kyndel beat her time by a minute.

Mossy cave hike. Our kids are beat by the end of day 2, it's true.

And last but not least--Dutch oven birthday cobbler. Cooked to perfection with hot rocks.

Avery turned one on Saturday. Wow, time is flying by. I remember last year this time bringing home a sweet little baby girl. And now she is walking, she says mama, dada, and Ewa, she eats almost everything, she claps her hands and waves at passerby, and she says "uh!" when she is inconvenienced in her playing. Happy birthday avee-cakes! You are our fiesty angel.

Good times with the Hoyts! We were luckly to get to see them on both ends of their trip to Orderville. This is us about to explore the lava caves...which gave birth to a boy! (Hayden)
Next time they come through, we are going to need jalapeno pepperjack burgers again. And a dose of Harry Potter never hurts for a fun trip either. Debbie, I will always go coupon shopping with you. Even if I have to get extra doublers from a special file I keep outdoors :)

Grand finale--Christmas in July. Bryson brought home dry ice from work and stuck it in a pitcher with soap on top of the air conditioning unit. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! p.s. Don't tell the HOA!

HELLO! I think I ordered the large tent...and other items of business

Rockin' the fourth. Avery is not afraid of fireworks. Salad bar is the best dinner ever. And 17 miles was meant to be run as a loop through Snow Canyon park. Great day.

I don't know if this was his intention, but when Bryson decided to finally upgrade his two-man backpacking tent to a six-man deal, he also may have provided alternative living arrangements should he lose his job one day. Inside this outdoor recreation mansion, we can fit the pack n play, two air mattresses, and all of our camping chairs. Then there's the front porch which doubles the size of it all. By six men, they meant six lumberjacks I'm guessing. This is half of it set up in our front room. Will it fit in our camping spot at Bryce Canyon next weekend...?


These are bows for my niece Becca's big 6 birthday this week. They are heirloom bows because the flowers are from my grandma's craft table...that is, my grandma that recently passed away.

Growing Up

Our own Ashley Lundquist took these gorgeous pics. Check it.

Remembering Grandma

Last weekend we flew up to St. Louis for an extended weekend to attend the funeral of my grandma, Arline Huber. Although we will miss her, it was a peaceful time to visit with family and remember the many good things she accomplished in her life.

This is a picture of her wedding picture. I'm working on getting a digital copy of the real thing...

The Vasel family home

And this is the back porch I remember--eating Drumsticks ice cream cones and swinging on this swing after dark and catching fireflies. It's a treat to visit a place you haven't been to for awhile; it helps you reconnect with yourself. And what a weird feeling to see a new batch of halfpints filling up the swing...the great-grandkids.

Four generations: Ella, me, Avery, my dad, and my grandpa

The Arch. Bryson and I got to go to the top.

Grant's Farm, also a favorite. We spent many summers visiting my grandparents and coming here.

I think the strongest thing I've learned from my grandmother's life is to be generous. She always gave to her grandchildren above and beyond what you would ever expect. We used to look forward to visiting her every summer for a week at a time without our parents and we'd get spoiled rotten. We'd go swimming, eat at Chuck E Cheese, visit Grant's Farm, get to pick out something fun at the toy store, and go to the movies. I want to be as generous as she was and I hope to have the same kind of relationship with my kids and their kids. Thank you grandma.

Ogden Marathon

Life is a marathon. Seriously.

My time at Ogden was 4 hours 16 minutes 8 seconds, a 9:46 minute mile pace. This was not my favorite time, but it takes just as much to run a slow marathon as a fast one. So next time I might as well just run it fast. This was marathon #5 for me and I love this course.

Other than needing a body cast to get around for a few days afterward, I love being on cloud nine after a race. It's such an empowering experience to push past your mental and physical limits and find out you are always capable of more than you thought.

So I feel like I was in better shape than my time reflected, and I'm considering running the Utah Valley marathon in Provo on June 13 before I lose all the hard work I've put in. Anyone interested? I just want to break 4 hours.

*Advice to myself for the future: Two Imodium tablets are a little too much, don't forget the Ibuprofen next time!!!!!, now is the time to break the temptation to use a sports bra as a purse for gu, chapstick, granola bars, etc. Also, the song "No air" might not be the best choice for tackling the one hill on the route. Just switch it next time.

Almost done...I can see the finish line about a half mile away

P.S. If you have not yet left me songs for my ultimate playlist, please continue to do so! I'm still gonna need them. I recently discovered the downloading wonderland of mp3 panda and have nickels to burn.

Gimme 5

I spent the greater part of last night creating the ultimate playlist for the marathon this weekend and realized that it needed a little spice. I'm a same old same old girl and I've got my solid faves down, but I wouldn't mind mixing it up. So leave me a comment with your top 5 songs to work out to...but if it's Ace of Bace or Brittney Spears, you can just send an email privately.

What Bryson Does All Day

Well, at least when the sudoku gets slow...

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=6341378

p.s. There is a picture of Bryson in the video if you watch it. He is testing bird flu.