California

This last week I was in California for our annual bike training camp....yes if you are a devotee to this blog then you know this trip would not be the best for me. Watching people ride their bikes all through the most gorgeous areas of the country is like putting a diabetic in a candy shop. It was a cruel form of punishment...for what sin...I'm not sure. I did not take a lot of pictures there...I regret it. Because the first day I got there I went to a apricot orchard to pick apricots for apricot jam...it was soooo hot that I think I doubled in size. Then I had a baby shower which was great, it was awesome to see some people I haven't seen for a while. I also got some super cute baby clothes.

Then on Monday Seth's family came out for the training camp. It was pretty awesome...it was way cool that my sister and Dad rode all the rides too. I don't have a lot of pix but here are a few I do have.

This picture is part of the San Francisco Bay.The roads in California are amazing.Seth and Kellen standing with the family's mascot.The BoysK-dogCharlotte my younger sister rode out of her mind the entire week.Motor pacing

Fabulous Sugar

We are starting a Sugar line of baby clothes. Here are a few of our first attempts. We will get better with some time and practice.

Loved

Yesterday I had such a great and unexpected gift delivered to work for me. Check it out; I had a patient bring in these amazing home grown roses for me. Come on I felt totally loved!

Then this morning when I went to the kitchen to find some breakfast I found a bowl of red and pink Mambas;Seth bought a bag of Mamba's and my favorite flavors happen to be the red and pink...they are suppose to be strawberry and raspberry, but they taste more like red and pink. It was really sweet of Seth to pick out my favorites and give them to me. Side note: I did resist the temptation to make the entire contents of that bowl my breakfast. Seth is so cute he always gives me the red skittles, pink starbusts, pink mentos, red harabo gummi bears, and watermelon jolly ranchers. He even does it when I'm not there...he will somtimes bring home a bag of the red gummi bears for me. He's pretty much got me figured out. It's hard to find guys like that now a days.

Web Sitting

I wonder what the legal ramifications would be if I was ever caught having some one baby sit my kid via web camera.  Last night Hubby and I were heading out for dinner and as usual Kiowa our ever loyal puppy was watching us leave out the front window...we always thought that it was kind of sweet...you know maybe she just hates being away from us.  As we were driving off I watched Kiowa watched us and as soon as she thought we were gone I saw her spin around really fast and run into the back of the house...toward the kitchen.   We stopped and went back to the house...we wanted to know what our crazy dog was up to.  We caught her doing nothing.  So we are Mac people and we are connected to other Mac people and if you know Mac people you know that they are always on their computers.  So we turned on our web camera and called Seth's Dad to watch Kiowa via web camera, then we left for dinner.  It was great knowing that if Kiowa wanted to get anything off the counter, or move her food around there was someone to scold her via web.   So I'm thinking that when I need to go out I can just turn on the web cam and have a Mac'er watch the kid.  Maybe someone from India...I heard we were beginning to outsource our daycare responsibilities to India.  

ALERT: Creativity at all time low

So I've heard about it happening to women but I never thought it could happen to me...'baby brain'. Yeah apparently it's a huge 'hush-hush' medical condition...I went to wikipedia and looked up 'baby brain'...I got 'Pinky and the Brain', 'Newsboy Legion', and a whole lot of nothing. Went to the Mayo Clinic and Web MD website and again nothing. I thought this whole hazy brain thing would pass...but it hasn't I haven't written anything good on the blog in forever...oh wait I never write anything good on this blog. I can't think of anything to write about...maybe it's because my life is a little more...hmmm whats the right word? Slower? Boring? I'm not sure but I just don't have stuff to write about...I don't cook, I don't play, and winter just puts me in a depressive place...so yeah I blame baby brain for so much of this tho. So I am going to shake my self out of the brain cloud and see if I can think again...oh yeah Seth totally out witted me the other day...that never happens...I am totally loosing my edge. But if I am going to raise a sarcastic, quick witted child then he is going to need a role model, so I am going to get it back not just for me but for my children. They are going to need a good sense of humor to survive this household!

Dog Bliss

We found these Dr. Seuss stuffed animals for $2.50 at Kohls. Friggin Awesome...so we bought like 10 animals, now Kiowa can focus on her own toys to tear up and leave our stuff alone. Every time I come home with a new toy or something for the baby, she just follows me in hopes that it's hers. Poor puppy is going to have a hard time adjusting to having a baby around. Good thing we have her watch Lady and the Tramp everytime...you know to prepare her.

Moab at 31 Weeks Pregnant

So I went to Moab this last week without a bike...there is something inherently wrong with this picture. Seth being reasonable and knows me well enough to know that I don't quite understand my limits told me it would not be wise for a 31 week preggers to be on a Moab trail. Since he's almost a doctor I was tempted to listen to him. The bike stayed home and I headed to Moab. To tell you the truth I have no idea what people do in Moab without a bike. I did have a nice time just being in the desert, there is always something so healing about red rock. I was able to do some yoga and aqua pilates...and for now I will pretend that it was fun.

My Official Apology

This winter has be unkind to me...frankly this winter has been mean and cruel. My heart has been breaking slowly for the last five months...I barely feel alive. Pretty soon I will need to be on heavy dosages of meds to keep me going. Everyday I think about the Sun and try to remember what she looked and felt like. If there is one woman out there I miss more than anything it's the Sun...she always had a way of making me feel better when I was down...she would make me laugh. She was probably one of the best friends I ever had...but I must have done something to make her very very angry, because she hasn't been around for quite a long time.

Last week I think she tried to make amends with me, she came out for a few days...it was wonderful. Something must have spooked her because she left and now it's cold, dark and snowing. I plan to make this right again so this is my official apology to the Sun. I am so sorry for what I did to offend you. I know there was that day in the Fall when it was sunny out and I decided to stay in the house...I should have come out to play, I don't know what I was thinking. Also I remember the time when I was driving home and you were in my eyes and I cursed you...I was being stupid...I didn't mean any of it. You're my girl, I can't imagine my life without you. I promise I will play outside whenever you come to visit, I will always appreciate your warmth and light. Accept my apology and come back to play.

Sincerely,
Eugie

Name and Such

Today I need to pack because I'm heading out to California tomorrow for a couple days. Since I procrastinate I will update my blog instead. In California me and most of my family will be participating in a race on Angel Island. Angel Island is the next island over from Alcatraz...it's in the San Francisco Bay. I'm pretty excited because both my parents are doing it, and my sister and her husband are also doing it. I'm doing it because well, I'm 5 months pregnant with nothing to do. I figure I can just take it easy and enjoy the views. Right now California gorgeous ...it's green, the trees are filled with blossoms...it will be nice to get away from this tundra for a couple days. While I'm there we are going to have a big birthday fiesta with amazing mexican food and there will be pinyata's...it should be awesome!!!!

Well since we found out that we are having a boy the names have just been pouring in. Tell me what you think.

From the brothers:
‘17’ (yes it will be just the numbers)
Skulldozer,
Maxamillious,
Fabio,
Alejandro,
or Speed-Racer

Pretty good stuff there really. Then there is Seth;

Frank is his #1
Earl
Dwayne
Cleydus
Gosh, there are so many more names he has suggested but I’ve just tuned him out…so I can’t remember anymore…thank goodness.

As for now we are calling the baby/lizard Mordicai.

Traditon of Heritage

My husband comes from a family of 5 boys...no girls. I could not even imagine what is was like when they were all young. Even now they are all quite a handful when they get together. One thing the boys all have in common is a strong tradition of heritage (it's one of their families motto's, that and, 'comfort in neither tolerated or welcomed here'). Strange bunch of kids. Well Seth and I decided to keep tradition alive by adding another boy to the Gunderson clan. He should be here in the beginning of August. Just in time for Fall mountain biking season. Don't worry though, we will keep the EPO on ice till he comes.

Spring Time

I can feel it in my bones, spring is on it's way. They only problem is...I don't think the snow in my front yard will ever melt. We have piles of snow on the north facing side of the house. I think it will be late May before it is all gone. Oh well. What we are doing now is preparing for spring we have started our seedlings for vegetables and flowers. It's pretty exciting...last year we tried to do the same thing...we got all the seedlings started and we bought a table for them to sit on so they could get the best sun light. Well we came home one day and our little colony of plants had a visit from our fat dog. Kiowa got on the table and laid on all of our seedings. We call it 'The Destruction of 2007'. Because of that and Kiowa's stubborn fat ways the plants got booted off the table per her request and she got the table. Which to this day that table still sags in the middle. Check out the picture below that her on the table, oh wait never mind that's her getting into the garbage. Bad Dog!
Here it is, oh wait a second this is where Kiowa saved Seth. Seth fell in a well and Kiowa went in to get him. Good Dog!This is the picture I'm talking about;Pretty soon after this picture she kicked that tree off the table...she wanted to be Queen of the house, while I wasn't there of course. She always knew what was going on in the neighborhood....snoopy little dog.

Here she is again in our new house...still her same table and her same fat ways.

Winter Wonderland...No Such Place

We moved to Logan this last summer...and I could not have been happier...it's a gorgeous place to be. The weather is perfect up here...you are tucked away in this little mountain valley. The mountain biking is amazing. We find new trails all the time and they are all so good. Autumn came around and the weather had a little bite to it...but still were hiking and biking the trails. It's such a great place to live...up until a few months ago. Now my devotees know that I have a hard time with winter...but I usually make the best of it. I'm still running outside...training for some race...I try to keep it real still. But here it's a different story. I haven't seen the sun since....hmmm....I honestly don't remember when I saw the sun last...maybe sometime in December. There is no way I can run here...there's way too much snow every where on the streets and sidewalks...and it's too cold anyway to go out side...too cold for me!!! What has happening to the perfect most fabulous summer hide away.

I don't really snowboard anymore so it's not like I get all excited about the snow and since it has been snowing for the last month...I have not been that excited. However I am going to start changing everything...I am now going to start liking winter...it may not be my favorite season...okay it will still be dead last...but it should start getting more stock. Here are the things I am going to start doing to enjoy the frozen waste lands of Cache Valley;

Build a Snowman: I can't remember the last time I built a snow man...but this snowman will be dressed to the Nines. It also has to be atleast 5-6 feet tall. Once completed I will take a picture if my camera works by then and I will post the beast on this site.

Extreme Snowshoeing: Snow shoeing is fine and all...but it's kind of like walking....on the snow. Actually that is exactly what it is...walking on the snow with tennis rackets on you feet. Truth be told not that exciting...so now I am going to go extreme, I'm going to start hucking myself off drops, doing 360s, flips, going in the trees and getting all sorts of out of control. Since there are a lot of areas with ridiculous amounts of snow I am so going to set off an avalanche and ride that home. That should spice up my winter. I think any near death experience always livens things up.

Snow Shovel Races: My younger sister is coming out to hang out with me for a month. Why? Because she is freaking awesome and knows this is the time of year her sister going into a deep dark scary depression...so she here to be a bad ace and keep me happy. One thing that makes her super awesome is that she is so super uber competitive...but she's the quiet type...I'm kind of the louder trash talking dissing your momma kind of competitor, but she the sweet quiet tear your face off when you least expect it competitor...and when you put us together it's war! So we will be having Snow Shovel Races around the property...(truth be told I may lose this one on purpose I hate shoveling, but I won't tell her that).

Dog Sled Racing: You know my dog is a snow dog...so I am going to strap a harness and a sled on her but i won't get on the sled...that's just dead weight for her to carry and then I am going to race her up green canyon...winner gets a bath...(she needs one...I like them so it's a prize everyone could enjoy).
I wish I had a picture of her in the snow...but she so fast once she hits the snow that there is no chance of getting a good picture.

Snow Ball Fight: I am going to have a good 'ole fashion snow ball fight...with the people walking by the house...I will build a fort wait for the older people in the neighborhood to take their daily stroll in the court then I will pelt them with snow balls. (This may not actually happen) Truth be told if anyone is going to get a snow ball to the head it will be my husband when he least expects it. If I do actually hit him I will then run away like a coward because he is way better at a snow ball fight than I am. I think it's a guy thing.

I will follow up on my winter plans and let you know if he has changed the angst in my heart toward the worst season of the year.

I'm Back...For Now

Sorry about my extended leave of absence.  The last post I was going to write was to plan out my race calendar for 2008.   I had a Marathon, Half Iron Man, smaller triathlons, and some Bike Races.  It was going really well.  I started my training.  Then I started to get really sick and then stayed sick...but now I am feeling a little better.  So I signed up for a Half Marathon at the end of March it will me in Napa Valley, CA.  Some of my family members are going to participate...that makes it worth the trip to get out there.  That and it is absolutely gorgeous out there.  I really won't be able to do that many races this year because I am pregnant.  Yup.  Tomorrow is the 12 week point, so for the last 2 months I really have done nothing...I've been feeling like a dump truck.  I wasn't anticipating feeling so junkie.  Luckily I am feeling better so I need to start running so I will be ready for Napa.  I am not going to get my best time or anything, I am just going to have a good time and hang with my family.  I will try to do better at posting more often, I have been getting death threats regarding my lack of posts. 

Thanksgiving in Moab

We spent Thanksgiving this year in Moab with some of our friends. We had three days of amazing mountain biking. There's not much to say about the weekend except that I am now an official mountain biker...I know many of you did not know that I was faking it, but I was. Not anymore though because I am official. I was able to ride more , drop more, and climb more than I ever have before. We did Slick Rock on Thursday, it was chilly but a lot of fun. Then Thursday night is snowed a bit so we decided to do a little sandier trail so we did the Sovereign Trail which was the first for all us. Okay the climibing on that trail was freaking bonkers for sure...but once you got to the top it was a total rush. Below is a pix of me on Sovereign. My friend Paul who was with us is an animal and while climbing to the top he stripped out his free wheel which means he has no power. The wheels can't turn with out the free wheel...so he ran up any incline and rode his bike down. He was still faster than me most of the time. Then he and I got to a level portion of the trail and we started towing each other with three tubes tied together. I t took a little practice to get used to it but it was pretty fun and we were out of control. Then on Saturday we did Porcupine Rim, again that was my first time on that trail and I loved it. I loved dropping down stair cases of rocks . Climbing up the staircases were a little tricky, but I really got the hang of going down the slabs of rock. I like it because you have to stay really focused on what your doing because if you aren't you crash. I like trying to pick out the right line to take , and near the end I started picking out harder lines to take. Yeah I guess I just had to grow a pair. It was a great weekend and I am completely converted to mountain bike on Thanksgiving. We did it last year and loved it, and now this year was just as much fun. We had our great friends meet us there; Paul and Titus. They made the camping experience all the better too. Sovereign Trail

Our pulley system.

Holiday Run

I have started to organize a race. This race is a little different. It is on Christmas Morning, or Christmas Eve. The cool part about the race, is that it is up to you to decide on your own distance and route. Since most of us are in different parts of the country we obviously can't be together for the run, but we can run on the same day. I have started a blog to track the runners who are signing up.

If you have never done anything like this, please give it a try. It will hopefully be a little challenge, and something you can do to stay active during the holiday season. You know try to keep the holiday weight away.

Check out the blog
Holiday Run

Sign up the run...you will be great. It will be so much fun if you get your family and friends involved.

You can sign up for 1 mile walk, 5 k run, 10 k 13.1, 26.2, 55.4 or whatever it doesn't matter the distance...just do something that will challenge you. Hopefully you will have a good time.

The login is
Christmasrun or christmasrun@gmail.com
password: runnersworld

Also let me know what you think of this idea.

FMRBRSRP seeking FMRBRSRP

I'm thinking about putting an ad in the paper in hopes of finding a girlfriend.

FMRBRSRP* seeking other FMRBRSRP* enjoys long bike rides, grueling runs, polar swims with snapping turtles, sarcasm and sass. Will train** and commit to any race you offer.

I need to find some cool girls to kick it with, but I don't want to find friends that don't like to do everything I do. They should at least do some of the things I like to do. Otherwise our friendship just won't work. I have enough good friends I can talk to about life and such, but I need a training partner who I can have slam*** nights with. She will need to be tough and have a great sense of humor...otherwise she will dump me. (it's happened before)

Seth has been getting me numbers from mountain biker women. He's such a good guy. He will talk to any woman who has a bike to get their number for me...wait a second...that doesn't sound right. I think he's alright though.

I have a couple numbers and emails so I am going to start making some first dates happen here. Wish me luck...it's like starting all over. I have this awesome girlfriend who would do anything athletic with me...but she doesn't live in Logan yet...we thought the long distant relationship would work but it hasn't. It's been pretty hard on both of us. Until she moves out here so we can continue making each other wake up too early in the morning and bringing the rain to every work out I have to make new friends...friends we can share.

I'll let you know how it all goes.

*Female Mountain and Road Biker Runner Swimmer and Racquetball Player
**training may not actually happen
*** hours and hours of crazy work out in the middle of the night

Night Mountain Biking

Last night I went mountain biking at night for the first time. I thought I would be a little freaked out by biking single track at night, but I loved it. It took on such a different feeling. I don't know how to explain it...it was like riding in the dark. Yeah that's exactly how it was. No, we had lights on out bikes and helmets...but it was still exciting. You didn't exactly know what was ahead of you so you had to be quick to adjust. I thought I rolled over a lot of stuff I normally would have avoided had there been more light. I think I am hooked, it's a great time for Seth and I to bike together esp. if we have had long days and ran out of day light.

Big Sur

This weekend I did a Half Marathon in Big Sur California. It was great, I really need to start looking at race profiles. This race was straight up and down for the entire race. It didn't feel like a race it felt more like an adventure. It was fun I got to run with my Dad, Sister and some friends.

Great Run

Late this evening I had a great run - I ran up Green Canyon and the colors of the trees are changing right now. I wish I took a picture, but the reds were so vibrant and cooling. I just loved it, the air was moist and the soil was soft. It was a perfect run. I am going to try to go back up tomorrow and take a picture. Utah really knows how to age gracefully.

This weekend I am going to run a half marathon with my family in California. I really couldn't not be more excited and proud. I am proud of my family for stepping out of their comfort zone and try something new. I hope they enjoy the rush of the race and sign up to do another one. This race is in California and you run through the Redwood forest and ocean grasslands. It is going to be a great weekend.

Lotoja - Part 2

It was time to line up for the start of the race. I registered as a Cat 5 which meant I got to start earlier, but I started with the men. I was in a pack of 50 men, so it was kind of cool being the only woman in the group.

Logan - Preston 34 Miles

This leg of the race was of course the easiest part, we were in a good size pace line, the roads were flat, and everyone was fresh. We weren't going as fast as I thought we would so I was pretty happy about that, I think we averaged about 23-24 mph. We hit Preston, most of the group fed on the fly which meant they did not stop to get water or food, it was in a bag they grabbed while riding by. This was the last I saw of my group. Captn' (father-in-law), Scott (Seth's cousin), and I all stopped to get water bottles and food. Most everyone else kept riding.

Preston -Montpelier 46 Miles

This part of the race is where things start to get a little sucky. So we didn't have a group to ride with anymore so it was just the 3 of us. Then somehow the Captn' fell off the back, I don't know when it happened I just looked back and he was gone. We had a plan that we would wait for each other at the top of the climb. That's right we had a pretty big climb ahead of us. Anyway I will just summarize what happened.

Climb begins - Eugie slows down - Scott takes off - Jay the Dentist past me - just about everyone past me - I hate guys - the climb was long and took forever - I finally get to the top - I didn't feel well - waited for the Captn' - no one else waited, Captn' and I by ourselves for plentysix miles to go - suck - descent - fast - we were flying to Montpelier - feeling better - stopped feeling better - feel like crap - slowing down - get in to town to the feed zone - grabbed new water bottles - sat in the middle of the road while Scott's wife lathered me down with sunscreen.

Montpelier - Afton 45 Miles

Don't remember much - climbing - wind from all directions - a lot of climbing - some steep climbing - I wanted to vomit for the rest of the day - body hurts - legs cramping - what is going on with me?

Afton - Alpine 35 miles

Again don't remember much - didn't talk much to Captn' - I couldn't spare the calories - I hate riding my bike - playing mental game on my bike to keep my on it - stopped on the side of the road - laid in the grass - heaven - everything hurts - met another woman on the ride and she told me this was harder for her the natural childbirth - okay not afraid of labor.

Alpine - Teton Village 47 miles

I hate riding my bike - hate it - scenery was beautiful but who cares - I'm in hell - I hate riding my bike - I kept going slower and slower - I stopped eating - contemplating crashing to get me off this bike - no just stay on and finish - roll into Jackson - Oh we must be close to the finish - no - not at all - still so far away - turned right to go to Teton Village - I must be close - nope again - where the hell is the end of this race - I want to die - I hate biking - I am selling my bike - don't anyone talk to me - finally I think I see something - nope nothing - how long is this final stretch? - who planned this course? - why did I do this? - I now can see the finishing line - Captn' made me sprint to the finish - I hate biking - Thank heaven it is finally over!

Teton Village - Recovery

There is something about Lotoja that makes people lose their desire to ride their bikes. Once you cross the finish line there is a bike path to the parking area it's about .5 miles away. No one rides their bike there, everyone walks their bike back. It's crazy. I felt sick that night of course and I was pretty hungry the next day, and the day after that. I am feeling much better about my experience. I actually think I may do it again one year. Seth wants to do it next year on a Tandem. We will see about that.

All and all I can't believe I did it, sure I was a little disappointed in how poorly I performed and I am not exactly sure why I had such a bad day. I suppose just finish the race is an accomplishment all in its own rite. I'm happy I did it, and I feel that I no longer have anything to prove. Thank Heaven!!!

Lotoja - Part 1

Okay I think I am ready to talk about it. I finished lotoja 2 weeks ago or something like that...or maybe it was just last weekend...I don't know everything has kind of been a blur. If you are interested in what could have been the last few moments of my young life please read on.

Let me give you some quick description of the course. For 206 miles you will meet 7,000 feet of climbing, wind from all directions, false finishes (the race actually ends in Teton Village 10+ miles pass Jackson), rough roads, and plenty of opportunities to get off your bike and call it quits.

Pre-Race Party
The pre-race party was awesome...it was probably my favorite part of the event, the pre-race party started the night before. We had all the pirates over for a fun pasta dinner. I made these sweet pink cupcakes with the Jolly Robert's on them....they were awesome!

I woke up early and got a light ride in before the start of the race. I felt good, that was the last time I felt good for the rest of the day. Awesome....

be continued......

Hell in a Handbasket

I did it. I will be able to tell more about later...but the important thing is that I did it. It was probably to most definitely the most painful experience of my athletic career.

Eve of Victory or Disaster...

Tomorrow is the big day. There's a lot riding on this race...mainly my pride. I am starting in a pack of 50 riders...and I am the only girl in the pack...that's right boys you better bring it. Nah I'm just kidding I don't want anyone to bring it.

Today to kick off the festivities we are going to have a huge pasta party at the house. There are going to about 25 pirates at the house. Okay so even though I am riding I still need to be a good hostess...so I am going to make cupcakes with pirates on them....

Okay well i need to get cracking.

Lotoja - The Calm Before the Storm

If you have been a devotee to this blog then you are familiar with my 'doom and gloom' attitude toward any of my athletic events. You where with me when I did my first marathon...then my second...then again when I did the half iron man....and during all those events I was sure I was going to die each time. This next race is no exception...no exception indeed! Saturday I am going to do Lotoja it's a local bike race with just about 1000 riders. It starts in Logan Utah and finishes in Jackson Hole Wyoming, that's right Wyoming the Cowboy state...tough mothers come from Wyoming - watch out for them cowboys. It's going to be about 206 miles on a bicycle. I am thinking it may take me about 11-12 hours...I know for those of you that have done it already it's no big deal...but for me it's a big deal...so big in fact that I don't even think about it. Thats right I try not to think about it at all. I do have a simple game plan...it's as follows; Wake up early Saturday morning...eat breakfast...get dressed for a normal Saturday bike ride...start biking...don't get off 'til it's dark. That's all I have for now. Yeah if I think about it then I start to get an ulcer. All and all it should be fun.

Native American Fry Bread

I just made this for dinner tonight and it was so good.

3 cups flour
1 T b powder
1t salt
3 T butter
about 1 cup warm milk or water (I used milk)
vegetable oil for frying

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, b powder, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and pulse. With the motor running, slowly pour in the warm milk through the feed tube, adding only enough liquid and processing only long enough for the dough to come together into a ball.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 20 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. On the lightly floured surface, roll out each portion into a round about 1/4 inch think. In a heavy sauce pan or a deep , heavy frying pan, pour in vegetable oil to a depth of 3-4 inches and heat to 365 degrees or so. Add a dough round and fry, turning once, until puffed and golden, about 1 minute on each side. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain; keep warm. Serve warm.

After all of that I top with taco goodies. Enjoy.

Life Aquatic

Here is the story of our lives.

Official Pose

Five Years

Today Seth and I have been married for 5 years. We have been having a fabulous time making a beautiful life together. My life is good, but with him it is so much better.

Home

We are slowing making this house a home.

California Trip

Check out Seth's blog for details here

Tour de California Pirate Edition

My hubby and I are heading out to California to go road biking up along the coast of Nor Cal. First we are going to stop in Panguich Utah for a 100 mile bike ride. Then we will drive out to California, and there the riding will begin. Since I am in ultra crunch time to get in shape for Lotoja I better get on my bike and stay on my bike. I am not allowing myself to bail on any ride...even if it takes me all day to finish some of these rides. All and all I am really excited to go on this trip...so I better go and start packing.

Moots Moots Moots

I am now going to begin my initiation to be apart of the illustrious exclusive forcible Salt Sea Pirate Team. It's a pretty hard team to get into, so for the next month I am going to be out though a series of 'tests' aka 'rides'. In the next 8 days I will be riding more than 500 miles...2 of those days I won't even be riding. Then a few weeks after that I will have the ultimate test to see if I am worthy to be on the team. I will ride a 204 miles bike race in one day at high altitude, climbing over three mountain passes all the while being chased by rabid dogs who shoot bees out of their mouths when they bark. It will be very intense to say the least. I am not in the best biking shape at the moment...I am very nervous about all of this, but one of the teams motto is 'never show weakness' that and 'don't come in last place', so no matter what my physical condition may be I will finish that race and I won't be the last one to cross the finish line. Why do all of this for some team...well I do it for the shwag. Check 'er out;

Fresh Corn with Parmesan Cheese

Since Corn is in season right now I thought you may want to try this recipe. Enjoy, but really nothing beats fresh corn with nothing on it.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ears yellow corn, husked, halved crosswise
Heat the oil in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until tender and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and stir the rest into the garlic mixture, along with the parsley and salt.

Cook the corn in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the corn to a platter. Brush the cheese mixture over the hot corn and serve. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese on top of the corn.

Flight Of The Conchords - The Humans Are Dead

Vino

Vino crashed today, but it does not keep him down. He's still going to win.

Pirates Plunder and Pillage the Roads of California

This August the Salt Sea Pirates from all over the nation will gather in San Jose to begin their epic journey through space and time to find the true meaning of the pirate code - ayarrg. Yup the pirates are gathering to form a pace line in their awesome baby-blue Lycra cycling kits. If you are living in Northern California keep an eye out for us. We have a week long biking trip planned out for August we are going to be riding about 400 miles in 5 days. The best part and absolute worse part about this week will be that the rides are mostly vertical. Oh yeah we are climbing California. We are going to be Climbing Sierra Road in San Jose, Mt. Diablo in Walnut Creek, The Wall in Peoria, Panther's Gap in Weott...oh my goodness just writing all this down is making my body reach lactic threshold....it's going to be an amazing grueling adventure. I can't wait!

I want to be like Vino

I haven't written much on my blog since the crash. That crashed did something to my biking psyche. I am having a hard time getting back on my bike. I have tried a few times but since the crash I think I have put in maybe 80 miles. Yeah that was a month ago. My goal is that this week I will get over any hang up I have about the bike. I don't really know what's going on with me...I am just maybe a little burnt out. Well that was June and June is over. We are going to be all about biking in July...come on it's the tour month! Vive Le Tour!!! This is the best month out of the year. Each morning is filled with cycling. We watch cycling, then we talk to our friends about the cycling we just watched. Then we all go riding together, but this talk is a little different everyone ponies up their own predictions about the next day of racing. July is great. I am so going to tear it up on my bike. I will start tearing it up like Levi, George, but when I get serious and crazy I will tear the roads up like Vino! If you don't follow cycling like most people let me tell you about Alexandre Vinokourov who everyone calls Vino. He is possessed - he attacks when he's tired, when his hungry, when he's full, while he's eating, he attacks on the uphill, on the flats, he attacks his own team mates. He is out of control and we love him for it. It because of riders like him that make the tour what it is.

I want to be like Vino.

The picture above is of Vino courtesy of Graham Watson.

Swim Bike Crash Run Quit

This past weekend I competed in my first Half Iron Man in Burley Idaho. This race was specifically chosen for me because the swim was in a river...yes a nice moving on it's own river. Since the swim is my weakest link I need all the help I can get. On the morning of the race they bus you a mile plus up river, then you jump in and swim to the first transition area where you hop on your bike and ride into the sunset...or to transition 2 where you drop the bike grab your running shoes and you are now running your way to the finish. That is how most triathlons work...well mine was a little different than ideal. I did the whole swim portion, then I hopped on that bike just like I was told...I rode as hard as I could for 55.94 miles...unfortunately the course was 56 miles long. I crashed like .06 miles from the transition area. Let me back track this crash about 15 yards before I crashed I hit a ditch/gutter something that was crossing an intersection...I didn't see it coming - so I hit it hard, I think I hit it so hard I pinch flatted my front tire. Since this all happened so quickly I didn't even noticed I flatted. To get to transition 2 you make a small right turn...when I went in for this turn I was slowing down and turning just then my tire rolled off my front wheel rim. Yeah talk about Joseba Beloki 2003 tour injury...I slammed down on the ground pretty hard...I cracked my helmet and hit my face on the ground then I left a lot of skin on the road. If you know me you know how stubborn I can be so I grabbed my running shoes and tried to go for the run...well I made it about .5 miles before I turned back...my body was hurting...and mentally I'm not sure I was all there. So that pretty much sucked in a big way. I'm still shocked I went there to finish and I left as a 2/3rd winner. I'm pretty anti triathlons right now...so in a week or so I am thinking if I want to try again later in the summer.