The Washington Post

Chris has been off to Washington state to help put on a relay race. As always, I was able to spend a weekend up there with him. Chris needed help with work things but we were still able to find time to see some of the sites. The company rented this awesome house right next to a lake. There was even a private dock in the backyard. This was our view from our bedroom.



The house was just outside of Mt. Vernon. One night, we drove through the Deception Pass State Park to see Deception Pass. Deception Pass is a huge bridge that connects Whidbey Island to Fidalgo Island. We walked across the bridge and as Chris would say, "I'm not gonna lie...I'm a little tripped out right now." The bridge was pretty high.



This is the beach at Deception Pass State Park



Chris insisted that we go the Boeing factory and take the tour. The things we do for our husbands... The building in the background of the first picture is the largest building by volume in the world. It has six hangers where they build planes, one of which is where they are building the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It was interesting to see how planes are built. Very very intricate pieces of machinery.



If you were ever wondering how big plane tires are... You would think they would be bigger.



Plane engine. Bigger than I thought.



After the Boeing tour, we spent the afternoon in Seattle. We went to Pike's Market which is a marketplace where a bunch of different vendors set up shop. If you get there early enough, you can watch the fish vendors throwing fish. They also have awesome produce. We bought some of the best peaches I have ever tasted (except for my Dad's home grown peaches of course). The market place also had several vendors that were making fresh flower bouquets right on the spot. The best part: they only cost $5 for a small bouquet (which was about the size of a wedding bouquet) and $15 dollars for a large. I would have gotten one if I wasn't headed home on a plane the next day. Sadly, the only thing we bought besides peaches was an oatmeal cookie. Next time, I'll get a bouquet. After Pike's Market, we went to a nice seafood restaurant and had some tasty fish.



Unfortunately there was a chaotic carnival at the base of the Space Needle which brought all sorts of people out of the wood works. After a long afternoon of walking and because of the crazy crowd, we decided to take a picture in front of the Space Needle rather than wait in line and pay to go to the top. I've been on top of the Stratosphere. Practically the same thing, right?!?



The Sunday before I left, Chris took me out on a row boat ride on the lake by the house. It was pretty fun. I tried for about 5 minutes to row. Apparantely my left arm is stronger than my right because all we did was go in circles.



Chris and I definitely enjoyed Washington. It would be nice if we could go back again. In case you were wondering, we did not go to Forks.

Around the World in 80 Days

Well it probably has been close to 80 days since we last posted and it feels as if we have been around the world because we have had so much happen between now and then. Chris' good friends held the 2nd annual Tour de South in May and Chris and I had to the opportunity to go this year. The Tour de South is a 340 mile bike ride that takes place in southern Utah over a period of 3 days. Chris did most of the 340 miles of the bike ride and I did about 40 miles. What can I say, I just got my bike. Chris doesn't like this photo because the shadows make it look as though he has a belly but the photo below this one proves he is in great shape :)

I took this picture as Chris was zooming by. I snapped the picture just in time.


Well despite the fact that Chris is in great shape, the Monday after we got back from Tour de South, Chris was eating a snow cone after a long run and could tell his heart wasn't beating correctly after getting a brain freeze. He wasn't in any pain so we decided to see if things were better in the morning. Unfortunately, the morning didn't show any improvement so Chris went to the InstaCare after he dropped me off at work. He called me saying his blood pressure and heart rate were really high and he was waiting to meet with the doctor with the EKG results. I panicked at work so the very nice secretary drove me to the InstaCare. I made it just in time to hear what the doctor had to say. Chris' heart was in atrial fibrillation (the atriums of the heart were quivering rather than beating) so they sent us up to McKay-Dee to meet with the Cardiologist. After settling into his hospital room, the doctors decided to try and correct it with medication but if that didn't work, they were going to shock his heart back into rhythm. It's important to correct the rhythm within 48 hours because blood clots can develop and cause a stroke. Also, it can be more difficult to correct at all and so he would have to rely on medication for the rest of his life. Well, by the next morning the medication had not worked so he was scheduled to have his heart shocked at 8:00 a.m. Fortunately, they rescheduled the cardiovert for 11:00 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., I looked up at the heart monitor and noticed his heart had gone back into rhythm on its own. We were able to go home that day with direction on what to do if his heart went into A-fib again. The doctors don't know why his heart went into A-fib (likely genetics) and said it was unusual for someone as young as him to have this happen (he was the youngest patient on the floor by 40 years at least). He can still run and bike as he pleases which is a true blessing! (This is Chris writting now. Joanna was the greatest. She's an awesome companion. Through the whole ordeal in the hospital she brought me Cafe Rio, a caffeine free Diet Coke, she also slept by me in bed the night we were there. In my view she was the prescription that got my heart back on track. I really LOVE her!)


This is Chris's heart in A-fib. There is not supposed to be those small squiggly lines.

In June, two of my best friends were married and I was lucky to be able to go to the temple ceremony of both. Chelsea was married on June 4th and Alli was married on June 18th. Chelsea and I were brides maids at Alli's wedding. Alli is unfortunately missing from the picture so hopefully I will get some pictures from her.


Chris and I decided to hike up to the Mt. Timpanogas caves. It is a paved hike but boy is it steep! I guess this was in preparation for hiking the unpaved trail to the top of the mountain sometime later this summer (according to Chris that is). This picture is at the top of the trail before we headed back down.


Over the 4th of July weekend, my mother, once again, put together a great family reunion. This year we went up to the Homestead in Midway. We swam in an old volcano crater, ate too much food, went biking and running, went to Park City and rode the alpine coaster, made smores, watched the fire works, and played games. It was so much fun and we can't wait to get together again next year!

Chris also worked a nearly 50 hour stretch with little sleep at the Wasatch Back. It is the biggest race Ragnar has and so all hands were on deck for this one. We are off to Washington state next week because Chris is helping to put on a race up there. Stay tuned....

Sand, Sunburns, and Seafood

Chris has been working in California for the past couple of weeks so I went and spent the weekend with him. Although Chris had to work some of the time, we still were able to do a bunch of fun things. We went running in the mornings by the beach, ate lots of Goldenspoon frozen yogurt, went shopping at Huntington Beach, had a bonfire, drove the PCH, and visited Chris's old Cambodian mission ward. We also spent an afternoon at San Clemente Beach. There was not a single cloud in the sky. It was so nice. The water was a bit too cold for me but Chris was brave and went for a quick swim.

Well, California was having unseasonably hot weather the weekend I was there. It got up into the nineties. So, my relaxing few hours at the beach came with a heavy price. I have spent all day on a boat on a lake and not gotten burned this bad. The picture does not do my sunburn justice. It was SCREAMING RED. My legs swelled so bad from being sunburned that anything I wore made an indentation. It has not been fun but hopefully I get a good tan out of it. Chris also got sunburned but he didn't seem to be suffering as much as I was.

Chris's favorite food in the entire world is seafood, besides my cooking that is. I have never really cared for seafood at all. Chris has convinced me to try seafood and its not that bad, depending on what you get. I have decided that if I am going to eat fish, it has to be a super fresh fish that is mild in flavor and is prepared with yummy sauces and such. I don't like any type of shellfish because the texture is yucky. This weekend I tried lemon pepper Mahi Mahi and Barramundi with a sweet and sour pineapple sauce. They were both pretty tasty. I also was extra daring and tried calamari.

I think Chris ate this piece. I ate the non-tenticle pieces that reminded me of tires for some reason. Not bad but kinda weird. Good thing it was battered and fried.
Let's take a closer look....

California was great. We can't wait to go back!

The Winter Months in 80 Degrees

Well, these are fun times for a young married couple like ourselves. Chris had to work in Arizona these past couple weeks and I was able to go down to spend a weekend with him. It was quite the change from below freezing and snow to 80 degrees and sunshine. The only clothing I packed were long jeans and boots! A quick trip to Old Navy for $3 flip flops solved that problem. We both enjoyed running outside in shorts and eating outside without having to worry about jackets.


We took the advice of a waitress to visit Old Town Scottsdale. It was a fun place to visit but I think it would have been more fun if we frequently went to bars and enjoyed browsing Native American jewelry and pottery shops.

Hail Golden Spoon! If we ever catch wind that a Golden Spoon is near by, we are there. I think I am the only person in this world who truly understands the relationship between Chris and soft serve and Golden Spoon is his favorite and mine too. Remember the good ol' Golden Swirl in University Mall? Well, it still exists as Golden Spoon in every other state but Utah.


Chris and I took a small road trip to Fountain Hills to see a giant fountain we had heard about. And a giant fountain it was. These pictures do not even come close to showing how high this fountain shot up. Lucky for us, Fountain Hills was having some kind of festival so we were able to see the giant fountain and look at more Native American jewelry and pottery.

So, even though this picture is not the greatest, I had to get a picture of the lemon tree that was at the house we were staying. If we live in a climate that is permissible, I would love to have citrus trees, especially a lemon tree. Lemonade, lemons for diet coke, etc. These lemons smelled so good and were so juicy. Some day....

Chris and I ate a Maggiano's while we were in Arizona. Chris was so nice to call ahead of time and have a special note written for me on our menu. He is always doing such nice things for me. Hopefully this isn't a temporary habit.

Our Wedding and First Few Months

Well, we have decided to start a blog cause you never know when surprises could happen and this seems like a good place to break the news. We are not expecting any unique surprises but we have some fun trips planned soon. We are loving and grateful for the first few months of marriage. We probably reminisce everyday about how much we loved our wedding. It's not too often that everyone that we both love could be at one place at one time. That has been the part that has made us most happy, and sad, because we wish it could of last longer. For now, enjoy the pictures from our wedding and stayed tuned for our fun trips.




Chris wanted to be sure that people know he is indeed still running.