Worship Krista you will

Thanks December

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:05:00 +0000

What a month! So for all my secret Krista Rose Stalkers out there (yeah, I know who you are) I apologize for my blog absence.
2009 has meant different things for different people - I've met some incredible folks, had new and great experiences, seen beautiful places and learned that letting go of things I thought I needed only improved me. All the blessings have negated all the hardships. Thanks God, you da man.

Here is Schmuck at our Annual 2nd family Christmas Party. I have many favorite things about Schmuck but one of them is how she changed my life by introducing me to wine. See wine in action.

Anyway - Shannon and I decided to do two Christmas runs in the middle of her Marathon training (yes, I think she's crazy too). The week before it was snowing during our "long run" and it felt like running in a picture! My cell phone picture does it NO justice.

I always feel great before my runs...and usually after my runs (rarely I feel great during my runs) but after Shannon and I ran 8 miles in SUPER COLD temperatures we were less than thrilled.

Look at our snowy footprints! A rare seen sight in these lower elevations...it stuck for 5 minutes, it was great.

Our Annual 2nd Family Christmas Party was hosted by the Czech's this year. The dusting of snow set the perfect ambience for it all.

Welcome the new addition to the 2nd Family: Khloe Isabella Rambo. I think Isabella is a pretty name too...wasn't that the formal name of the main character in Twilight? Yeah. Not a coincidence, Mr. Rambo is a fan and I love it. He owns his fanhood - if only more men would be honest about that. I know there are many Twi-Curious men out there....

Doesn't Mrs. Rambo look good in Motherhood? I still remember asking her to sign my 5th Grade yearbook - and now look at her. No thanks to Joey McIntyre who almost came between us. Thankfully we learned the important lesson of Chicks before D*cks. D*mn Straight.

I remember when our Christmas parties involved Saturday evenings, strong drinks, long nights, sticky floors, loud music, embarrassing pictures, etc. But now the years have brought us early nights with kids EVERYWHERE!

How cute are Baby Czech and Baby Schmuck with cars and Elmo? My friends have the cutest kids and I'm perfectly content with them holding that torch so I don't have to (Sorry Ma).

Once again the Avacado Corn Salsa dip was a hit - thanks again Melody - you give me some credibility in the kitchen that I don't deserve!

Dominator being dominated by the Schmuck. Cutest giggler ever.

Thank you Mrs. and Mr. Czech for hosting (isn't Mrs. Czech gorge?). I still think I should write a blog about how we met. It's a great touching story that started with a threat to bodily harm and me loving her right away. *Cue the Romantic Music*

Baby Schmuck stripping - just like his Mama! Did I ever tell you how her and I met in college? I'll just leave that one open for another time...

Anyway - my favorite thing about the Christmas runs were my candy cane tights I got to wear. Just like the Candy Cane Tootsie Pops I like to put in my mouth. Seriously they are SOOO good! My favorite thing about the Christmas season.

The first run was a 5k in Tacoma. I downed my Theraflu and we had a party in our cars waiting for the late start. Shannon was ahead keeping me motivated as always and CortO took off with the wind. (Thanks for the cup again CortO - you da best!)

The next day was a 12k Christmas run with Shannon. Once again my Big Bro and Andrea had me over the night before for pasta dinner, lotsa water, comfy bed and tons of cheers and support the next day. That's one of the many reasons that make them great family and my place of joy.

This is Shannon and I in action. I soon lost her on the major mondo hill climb which I seriously think was half the course. She of course cranked them out and I squeaked them out. Yay!

Shannon and I after the race. If you're wondering: No, I have never gotten black eyes from running or been suffocated in my sleep from laying down. Yeah, I knew what you were thinking...

This kid is thinking "Frah-Jee-Lay....must be Italian!" 10 points if you can name the movie.

Kate and I also redeemed our Warren Miller coupons and went up to Crystal. Oh, how I missed you skiing. Right before I took this picture I got a text message from Kate letting me know she got stuck in the trees. Shortly thereafter I heard in the wind carrying a loud "FFF********CCCCKKKK!!!!" coming from the trees. That's Kate's version of the beacon. She survived thankfully.

Rainier was so beautiful for holiday snowshoeing. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, Rainier was showing herself off just the way I like it. The snow was a bit icy and crunchy - I wish the conditions were different for the snowshoe virgins but that's the best thing about virgins: they don't know how much better their first time could of been.

My fav thing about Shannon and Laura is how close they are...like dogs.

I mean, look at this sun over the Tatoosh Ridge! We must of taken a buttload of pictures here just being so stinking excited by our surroundings. Poor CortO: "Ok, can we get going?" He has a lot of patience with the ladies...

Rainier Rapping.

So wonderful Laura was in this position about 4 or 5 times. I have never seen a snowshoer before fall with such a graceful "timber" over and over again without any prompting. CortO brought to our attention a highly probable theory of snipers in the trees. She got away this time snipers...

Taking in the views....

Corto: Oooohhhhhh

Shannon: Ahhhhhhhh

Don't think I'm mocking this mouse's death by posing with him. I used to have pet mice and I loved them dearly. Now this mouse's memory will live on and on and on. I think I'll call him Coal. RIP Coal. Thanks for the memories.

Seriously my favorite part of snowshoeing is the cocoa and peppermint schnapps. Yummers. Thanks LauraD for the great mix too! And thanks Highlander (of Ashford) for allowing us to continue our buzz with yummy Hef's!

The sun was going down, making the snow glow and glitter like a Cullen (that reference was for Rambo). Thanks again Rainier....

Stay Beautiful! PS - has anyone ever stayed at the Longmire Inn? I need to take a Luv Hunk there and get cozy!

I hope 2010 brings many blessings and beautiful memories to everyone. And for the love of God can I start going to bed before Midnight? I need motivation. Bed motivation. The promise of latte's in the morning just isn't enough..never has been. Open to Suggestions.

Four Wildcats and a Lumberjack!

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:56:00 +0000

Rawr (x4)! and Chop! Chop! It was a must need weekend for just the girls. Leave the men and kids at home and let the girls go frolic at Big D's cabin!

We were all stoked for snowshoeing, drinks and relaxation and were not disappointed!

(Schmuck, Big D, Me, Czech & Rambo)

On the way up to snoeshowing we did not see one....

But two foxes! Look at the freaky eyes on this one. I've never seen foxes chilling in the parking lot before. Is this why the rule is "Do Not Feed the Animals?" 70 feet from this fox were little kiddie-o's playing. Hopefully foxes don't want to take on that chewy challenge...

And we were off! (Schmuck strutting above). The snow was so soft, fluffy and deep. It was pure bliss! Really I am a sucker for hiking but there is something so tranquil and blissful about snowshoeing and with my best girls it was even better.

But the best part of snowshoeing is the cocoa and peppermint schnapps at the turnaround point. It was awesome here because we saw some skiers hike their way up and ski down thru the trees. Bad to the a$$. I don't know if I'd be dedicated enough to do all that work but I gave them a "Right on Dude!" anyway.

The BEST Schnapps is this 100 proof delight from Canada. Canadians know ALL about what is best to drink in Winter and I trust them dearly. I don't know the name of it right now. But it's blue. So look for that: Blue, 100 & Canada next time you have the need.

But.....

Rambo couldn't handle the Schnapps. She thought it tasted like toothpaste. Yes, this is the same girl that the first time visited me at CWU (Pre-Wildcat) she drank all the guys under the table. It's a travesety. At least her kids are cute.

Let's take a moment and take in the sights...don't you wish you were here?

Oh you do?

Then call me!

Because this is the PERFECT way to spend a Saturday night!

But....

There's more! After a long day of hiking/snowshoeing the best part about the cabin is coming back for some good food, drinks and games that we can't understand (well half of us couldn't). No TV, no cell reception - just the basics of food, spirits and good times.

Schmuck VERY much has this concept down as you can see....

Now a lot of the pictures that were taken I have decided to ban from blogville. However since I am a Mandatory Reporter I feel it my ethic duty to publish photographic evidence of the malicious mischief commited by Rambo. See wine glass above.

I'm a little.....

....teapot....

...short and stout....

*ahem* A super big thanks to Big D's family for letting us, yet again, make many memories at the cabin. Only good things happen here.

And thanks to my women for all the laughter, encouragement, spunk and memories. These girls have heart, warmth and they're awesome cooks. The last being one of my favorite qualities. I'm super lucky to have them all in my life.

And thanks to their husbands/boyfriend for taking care of the kids and letting the wives/girlfriend have another old-fashioned b*tches weekend.

PS - Schmuck TOTALLY beat Big D on the first try. Never happens. Oh yeah Big D, I found your kryptonite ;)

For the Longest Time....

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:49:00 +0000

Great song by Billy Joel. I dedicate it to skiing. Man it's been too long! I don't know why I dread winter after my active summers. Because now that snow is coming I am stinking excited! Of course this is what happens every year when I watch the latest Warren Miller film but this year I'm determined to go skiing. How long has it been? 7 years? WAY too long.

This is a picture from the Warren Miller film - it featured Crystal Mountain! I have many good memories at Crystal Mountain. But after skiing at Whistler I just couldn't appreciate Crystal anymore. Crystal was no longer big enough. Good enough. And now after all these years I've come to realize that my snobbery got in the way of my appreciation for Crystal. Ok, that and the lift tickets are stinking expensive!
When I went skiing with Big Bro years back he taught me skiing meant NO breaks. No lunch. No snacks. Just ski ski ski. And that's how we got our money's worth.

This weekend I'll be frolicing in the snow with good friends and drinking my cocoa with peppermint schnapps. I'm optimistic that I'll go skiing this season and because I'm a huge fan of pleasure delay I know that it won't disappoint.

Kate told me today "I'm not an advanced skier but I'm an advanced beginner." Such a great description! In my past I've ran into not one but two trees. I have a great picture of me in the 2nd one that REALLY looks similar to the one above. Just picture that dude with brown curly hair and that's me.

The first time I blame on a boarder - yes, after all these years I blame him. Whoever he was he didn't give me any room as I was coasting down the cat track and the next thing I know I fly over the edge and land in a tree. I think that was the moment that I truly found the art of cussing and came to love it. As I looked above at the crowd watching me the ski patrol man said "You're out of ski patrol boundary, can you get up yourself?" Cheese. And. Rice. It took me forever. I've had an extremely low appreciation for boarders ever since.

The 2nd time was my own fault. Going too fast in slush, not catching an edge and I flew straight into the trees. I think my kidneys are still recovering from that blow of me slamming against the trunk of the tree. But it was a great moment.

Pleasure delay hasn't failed me yet. I'll see you soon Crystal! You and I have a lot of time to make up for!

Breakup Hike

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Well, no, I didn't break up during a hike - can you imagine the ride home if that happened? And the burger and beer afterwards would be ruined which would be unacceptable. No, the breakup occured the day before the hike. After a long evening of traversing between sobbing and sitting in a catatonic state I knew what I needed to do. I needed Rainier to comfort me.

Originally I was going to do another, newer & longer hike that I've always wanted to do. I decided not to violate the sanctity of this new hike. I needed a hike that wouldn't mind me bringing along the heartbreak. Heartbreak distracts me from my surroundings and I just wouldn't be able to appreciate a new trail. The good thing about Rainier is that she's seen me at my best, my worst, my weakest, my strongest and even embarrassed. Yes embarrassed.

I decided on Tolmie Peak which has many embarrassing memories of hiking with my family after church. More specifically one day when my Mother decided to wear a watermelon-scented jazzercise shirt that the bees especially loved as their own. We could hear her scream my father's name (it echoed) through out the hike. We all played dumb "No, we don't know who that crazy woman is...not sure why she's following us..." we'd tell other hikers.

Anyway - this is Mowich Lake which is right next to the parking lot. The good thing about this hike that I needed today was that:

*it was short (I wasn't totally sure I was up for it)

*it was guaranteed to have other hikers (no bears or mountain murders please)

*It would have a great view i.e. thinking spot.

As I was walking the trail my rules were:

1. No crying.

2. No making "what I'll miss" lists.

3. No Reminising

4. No replaying lines from the breakup conversation the day before

5. No self-pity

This is me with a mile to go to the peak. See the old fire lookout? That's where I was headed. I had my head down, focused on going fast and foot in front of the other. I passed a VERY talkative gentleman that had his ten essentials in his plastic bag (weird) in his left hand.

He was still talking to my back as I passed him encouraged by my short and polite responses. I was hoping he'd get the hint that I wanted to be alone. Then I hear:

"Wow, you're really good at this. You're going up that hill fast. You must practice a lot or have youth on your side."

It was a nice compliment although I wasn't feeling strong or youthful at the moment. I just wanted to hurry up and sit so Rainier could console me.

This was a very pretty spot which I thought probably had great wildflowers in the summer. But now summer is over and cold will start to take over....

I have to add Rule #6 which is: NO sad breakup analogies on this hike!

I'm almost to the lookout tower at this point and I smell cannibus very strongly up here. This could be a fun game: which hiker is high? I just hope the driver was more pass pass then puff puff. But I digress...

There's good 'ol Tolmie! Tolmie looks good for his age. He may look weathered and tired but check this out...

...Tolmie has the best view in Pierce County.

If I had left a little later (as intended) these hills would be a prettier color reflected from the sun setting. I found out on accident before that Tolmie Peak is one of THE BEST sunset hikes ever. Rainier one side, Olympics the other. Simply breathtaking.

And finally I had found my sit and think spot. I let Rainier talk to me. I didn't talk very much. It took me forever to finish the whole luna bar I had with me.

The best thing about sitting up here was hearing the people below making their words echo. I could hear the kids laughing so hard as their jibberish played over and over again in the rocks. Then there was also some random dude that kept on shouting "Nacho Libre!" for his echo of choice.

A group of fellas next to me were looking to the left (picture above) trying to figure out the source of shadows that fell on the forest. I silently pondered with them when I couldn't keep track of all the pikas in the rocks around me.

Don't get me wrong, I love all the green and beige around me but I loved these slate and cobalt colors that was decorated inside this clear lake. I usually like to jump into lakes but not on days that I'm alone...like today.

Dangit it Krista - Rule #7: stop focusing that being alone is bad and sad right now.

Unfortunately I didn't stay at the fire tower long enough to see the sunset from up there but I did pull off the side of the road & steal this picture as I was driving back to civilization....

...and it's counterpoint. Thanks for the great hiking therapy Rainier. You are always there when I need ya. Too bad you never got to meet him...

And Hulster, you will be missed. Thank you so much for all the memories. You are one of the good ones!

Current Obsessions

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:40:00 +0000

The summer has been AWESOME but why oh why do I keep on forgetting my camera? Perhaps that amazing waterfall on the Nooksack was meant to stay sacred and free of anyone from the city to admire her beauty in just a picture....

So instead, and out of blog guilt, I'm documenting my current obsessions. I really am going through this crazy obsession phase right now. But not with Mariah Carey. Seriously, get over yourself. You lost me at the cheek implants.

Moving on.

SERIOUSLY - LOVE THIS SHOW NCIS. Freaking addictive. It's smart, fast-paced, funny, great one-liners, serious, violent - everything I love. I originally checked it out because Hulster has a thing for Abby and I had to scope out the competition and now I have a complete crush on her too.
And Gibbs reminds me of my Dad. I think it's the silver hair, blue eyes and impatience for those who slack on the job.

So shooting guns has been fun - sad to say that Big Bro beat me at pistols - but rifles turned out to be my forte. I got bullseye shots right away and we kept on shooting until he finally hit the bullseye himself. That's right, I'm calling him out right now!!

In classic Big Bro style he took the above bada$$ picture of me...with the porta potties in the background. Classic.

And next is my clay pigeon class that I start next week. And after that I'm going to challenge you to a duel - especially if you're a pigeon!!

The obsession has come back to me. I think it came back because I was trying to budget better and one day Popcorn called me from Aisle 11 and said to me "Krista. You could have me for dinner - I would be very filling, good and cheap!" And I was convinced. My rubber arm was twisted. Now I can't stop having popcorn for dinner. This is not good stuff. I need a popcorn intervention. If it wasn't for my multi-vitamin I think my skin would start turning yellow and corn stalk would start sprouting from my head.

......but popcorn with Johnny Seasoning is SERIOUSLY good. Just saying.

I blame Alan the Ogre and Elle. And now I'm obsessed with online poker. I justify it with "I ran an hour today, I'm OK to sit on my a$$ the rest of the night." Ironically I also turn on NCIS so I can watch the episode and when it's my turn to call/check my laptop goes "ding" so I won't be too deprived from the story line on NCIS. I'm also eating popcorn with my free hand. Horrible obsession cubed.

I tried playing "in-life poker" this past weekend and was humbled by trying to count chips "how much is big/small?" the computer always tells me. The computer also always tells me what hands I have. At 2am it was too much for my head to stare at cards and figure out my potential hands. Not good.

And then the next day I let Hulster play my online poker under my profile and he lost me $20k...I just about lost it. I almost took out his other eye. To be fair he won it back...lucky for him.

So, at least I'm not playing with real money -can't be that bad right? I still run...so they negate each other keeping me even I think.

I will no longer be ashamed of my fondness for Miley Cyrus songs. I love her on Hannah Montana and I'm not ashamed of that either. I tried to suppress this feelings of fondness and appreciation but today when I had "Party in the USA" in my head I swear it helped me keep a spring in my step.

In fact when my lovely co-worker Amanda had the case of The Grumps today I tried my best to give her a Miley Cyrus prescription: One dose of "Party in the USA" is all she needed. Not sure she was convinced.

"Noddin' my head like yeah..."

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Love it. Love it. Love it.

Oh man there is not enough blister band-aids in the world for me. They save my feet. Blisters on my big toe, small toe, heel, arches, etc. I'm too embarrassed to get a pedicure. A combination of running, hiking and wearing heels (honorable mention to wearing summer heels on a pebbled path) and my feet seriously hate me and are eternally grateful for blister band-aids. If it wasn't for them I'd be on the sidelines man...

Is it just me....or do I model for Anne Taintor and not tell anyone about it? The other day in Hallmark I stop in my tracks staring at this picture. I ask Schmuck "Who does this look like to you?" She responds simply "It looks like you."

I want my cut man!!

I left my PR in San Francisco...

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:25:00 +0000

I still remember Shannon in my office saying:

"I want to be a Half-Fanatic...we could do the San Francisco Half-Marathon the weekend before the Tacoma Narrows Half-Marathon..."

I can't for sure say what my reaction was but I think it involved silence and repeated blinking of the eyes. Oh but she was serious folks...

And a few weeks later here we were at the start of the San Francisco Half-Marathon. Shannon hooked me up, like a good SugarMama, with some plane tickets and hotel and we were off! It was a quick weekend trip to San Fran and I've never been. It was a whirlwind trip with a run smack dab in the middle.

So this was literally the first picture I took in San Francisco. I know I'm not as well-versed in the bible as others but I really don't recall learning this in Sunday School...

So we knew we were close to the hotel - here's Shannon trying to figure out our San Fran map.

Hello I'm a tourist! Hello San Francisco girl - what's your name?

So finding our hotel was an adventure. This nice retired man named Hank took us under his wing at the Information counter and walked us to our hotel. Granted he walked us through one of the REALLY bad streets in San Fran...it scared the bejesus out of me! Seriously. It was like walking in the movie 28 DAYS. One person was passed out on a hood of a Jeep Cherokee...I may of seen a needle in the arm too! Or not, it's better for my story. Anyway - And the bus stop was even worse. It went like this:

Angry Homeless Man with Cart: Ma'am! I need a paper dollar - I'll give you four quarters and fifteen cents for a paper dollar.

Me: I don't have a paper dollar, I'm sorry. (and I truly didn't. SugarMamaShannon was gonna pay my bus fare).

Angry Homeless Man with Cart: You're LYING!!! How you gonna ride the bus with no paper dollars?

Me: Sir, I honestly don't have a paper dollar.

Angry Homeless Man with Cart: You are a LIAR!!!

SugarMamaShannon: *with sneer on face* Why do you need a paper dollar? You already have a dollar in change.

Angry Homeless Man with Cart: Because I can't carry all this change!

*At this point I space out and start staring straight ahead during the confrontation until...*

Angry Homeless Man with Cart: Well f*ck you! You C*nt A$$ B*tch Wh*res!!

OK. That was a violent confrontation I'm on edge. We hide around the corner from the Angry Homeless Man with Cart until our bus comes to take us to the Race Expo. Once were on the stuffy hot bus, and I'm on edge still, it gets more and more crowded. Soon some man starts running around the bus closing all the windows. When someone tells him they'd like the windows open he tells them to ride the next bus.

We got off the bus.

Another shady neighborhood. At this point I have to ask - where is Full House? Where is The Rock even? I want Stanley Goodspeed right now! I'm full of tension, walking fast with eyes straight ahead while SugarMamaShannon is calm and focused.

We run into a runner and he confirms were close to the Expo. On the way this wonderful marcher led the way. Swinging his POA MIA flag and singing about all the different military bases in the USA. I start to lose tension...thanks Patriotic Man.

Finally at the Expo. I have fear of crowds but I welcomed this one. No one was angry, homeless or had carts. We pick up our race packets, race gel, snag free items and were off!

Thankfully there were free shuttles that took us to the waterfront so we didn't have to ride the crazy city bus again.

Here's SugarMamaShannon being happy and carefree. It was so nice to be near the water again. This is what I envisioned San Fran to be...*sigh*

Having a moment with San Francisco....

Where in the world is Carmen San Francisco?

So all I know from San Francisco is what I saw on Full House and The Rock. And wasn't this building in The Rock? They showed it before he got a room in The Fairmont...was that the name of the hotel? Anyway, I was excited to see it.

I just liked this angle.

So we walked our way to North Beach (Italian District) for some good carbo load. Thank you Mona Lisa and all the men who called us "Bella". And really, you may not believe me but SugarMamaShannon was a witness: Dakota Fanning was a couple tables down. Loves it.

Oh, here's one thing I noticed - San Fran really isn't that friendly of a town. But ChinaTown - WAY friendly. Thanks for the tea ChinaTown!

And before we got to bed for the evening we see some San Fran Trannies - why Hello ladies!

What time did we get up in the morning? 5:30am? I dunno. But we had to catch the shuttle to take us to Golden Gate Park and then wait for an hour for the race to start.

Look at the lovely coastal trees guarded by the runners in waiting. I was tired but I was still enjoying this new city.

This pretty lake was next to our start. We still had the coastal fog keeping us cool. As we walked around the lake I still couldn't grasp that I was running a half-marathon very soon. I was still getting used to this new city that I'd only been in for 12 hours.

Our running feet are ready - and soon we were off! The cool thing about starting in Golden Gate Park is that I was totally disoriented. It felt like we were running in circles - up roads and around lakes all over the park.

Being so distracted by figuring out my surroundings soon we were at Mile 6 and it felt like a breeze.

That's us runners, finally leaving the park to make our way back down to the waterfront.

This is mile 7 I think. Haight Neighborhood? I dunno. It looked interesting as I was running by.

Yay for downhill!!

And then some uphill...I think this was our last one. Mile 9 or 10 I believe. Almost done! This race is flying by!

So I tried to run by one Officer singing "Ya'll can't run from Tha Poh-leece..." but got no reaction. I thought I was funny. But this Officer smiled and posed for me as I ran by - thanks lady in blue!

We have another mile at this point. And I swear this is when the miles get long. Feelings check: I haven't walked once except to drink water. I can't start walking now - not sure if I can do it!!

Is this the AT&T Field? I'm just trying to distract myself. At this point I'm telling myself "I didn't walk for 12 miles, I can't let that go to waste and walk now." Shannon is slightly ahead of me pulling me with her with an imaginary rope - just what I needed.

Now this is a pretty view. But not pretty enough to distract me. Another half-mile? At this point I tell Shannon

"I don't think I can make it." And she replies

"Just 5 more minutes of pain..."

So true. But it's a long 5 minutes.

And here's my view of almost being at the finish line. It feels so far away. At the end my Garmin Forerunner read 13.3 miles. That's .2 miles longer than it should of been dangit! But I was soooo stinking happy because I received a Personal Record (PR). I was so happy I wanted to cry...but not before I stretched. My legs hurt!!

SugarMamaShannon getting her medal - Yay Shannon!!

Thanks CNN....

Thanks Larry King....

So after our stretching, bathroom emergencies, limping and showers, Shannon and I decided to continue the quick tourism and take a Trolley to Fisherman's Wharf. Something I decided looks and sounds better than it feels. This is a picture inside of the trolley after Shannon had some words with the girl who shoved her over on the seat. People still aren't friendly here but I found a nice family to speak with.

We decided to go to Fisherman's Wharf for our hard-earned post-race Burger and Beer(s). Freaking crowded. This is one of the only pictures I took.

Well, except for this one. I was wearing my Colorado Prisons shirt, I couldn't resist taking a picture of Alcatrez with it on. Another The Rock moment. Stanley went home and f*cked the prom queen.

Not to intentionally cuss but to accurately quote the movie - you understand.....

We decided to walk from Fisherman's Wharf back to the hotel. It's far but I don't know how far. We were zombies at this point. But it really did finally give us our exercise of the day since running 13.1 miles wasn't enough.

Like my impression of Sue Lombard Street? Mirror images!!!

Shannon's knees hurt so she kept walking down stairs backwards. I took a picture and she is saying here

"They're not going to know I'm walking backyards in a picture."

Good point. But now you know because I told you.

This is Grace Church that we passed on the way home. It was grand, creepy and beautiful. None of our pictures were turning out and then our batteries were drained (oh yeah, it's haunted I'm sure of it...). Anyway, I decided to play around with colors on this one to creep it up.

7 days later Shannon and I ran another half-marathon to qualifiy for the Half-Fanatics. Oh, and Shannon recently found out she had already qualified - she's such a running maniac that she can't even remember how many races she does in one week.

But anyway - Shannon did awesome at the 2nd half-marathon - she improved our San Fran time by 6 minutes. Our miss lovely TBagBrown improved her Rock 'N Roll time by 2 minutes. And me? Krista? Not so much. I hit the wall. I bottomed out. I was done for. But I finished, and I officially qualify for a Half-Fanatic title. Yay!!!

To my SugarMamaShannon - thank you soooo much for pushing me, encouraging me, inspiring me and introducing me to San Fran. It was one of the best weekend quickies I've ever had!
Experiencing a new city by running - priceless!!

.
Honorable mention to Big Bro and Andrea for not once, twice, three times but four times being there for me in my 2nd race. Your commitment and encouragement means the world to me!

And Hulster: Of course Thank you. But we've already gone over this...

So...when is the next race Shannon???

Schmuck, Half-Canucks and Maps - oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:54:00 +0000

So I was so happy and lucky that my long-lost favorite half-canuck couple (Becky & Scotty) came into town this past weekend. I was introduced to them by my beloved Schmuck years ago and my life has felt sweeter ever since.

Becky used to live in Washington between getting her Bachelors and Masters Degrees and that girl never went to Mt. Rainier once. Appalling! So during their visit we went on one of my favorite hikes - Spray Park.

My hiking posse: Schmuck and the Half-Canucks. This can be a popular hike since it's part of the Wonderland Trail. Spray Falls is only 2 or 3 miles away and sometimes I like to scramble up to the base of the falls but we decided to play it safe this time. Well....

The one thing that didn't play safe was the camera. Scotty should get an award of positioning this camera perfectly on a boulder that had a rushing water all around it. All four of us scrambled rocks to get this perfect shot. Thanks for not dying camera.

Aren't these falls beautiful? I never get tired of seeing them or feeling their sweet spray.

We all look perfectly positioned and dry in that picture but in reality this is what my foot was balancing itself on.

After some switch backs we finally arrived to Spray Park. Schmuck thought it was totally worth it...or at least she was threatening that it better be totally worth it on those switchbacks.

These dudes above were funny/creepy. That's them trying to figure out the glaciers on Mt. Rainier with Scotty. Men love maps. Later these guys showed us pictures they took of us that we weren't aware of. Awesome.

Taking it all in....Hello Gorgeous.

Can you spot all the differences in these two photos??

Avalanche Lilies! Thanks Jayme!

This big beautiful b*tch was out on our right side as we ascended Spray Park. Last time I did this hike on a sunny gorgeous day I forgot my camera. And let me tell ya, pictures just don't do this scene justice.

One of Scotty's pictures to show our hiking bliss. Another one of Scotty's tripod pics - he took so many good pictures - I'm expecting the 2010 calendar man!

Up never looked so good to me...

See what I mean?

Another one of Scotty's pictures. It's like Senior Yearbook goes hiking - I love it! Rah! Rah! for hiking!

On Scotty's map we found out this was called Mother Mountain. She's a big Mother.

Our pefect lunch spot. Scotty with his map, Mt. Rainier to our right (not seen) and none of us had any idea what time it was. It was stinking perfect.

Can anyone guess what Becky is doing here? Look at that mischievious smile!

Right here is one of my favorite parts of hiking is the descent - making plans for the post-hike burger and beer. Which took us a while to find but was well worth the wait! Thanks Sumner!

I can never resist dunking my head in water if not jumping in water after a good hike. Brr this was cold!

Somehow Scotty seems more GI Joe when he does the same thing. He went down and gave us 20!

I'll miss you....see you soon.

Thank you again for the great day Half-Canucks! Schmuck and I will hold down Washington while you guys go tear up Europe. Thanks for always keeping it Maple!!!

Scotty & Becky take on the snow...

Super Krista takes on the snow!

Go Scotty Go!

And last but not least....

The Witch, the Run and the Gun.

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:36:00 +0000

Sounds like a children's book! Just a title of things that are currently on my mind.

First is the witch, who I met on my run. This isn't an actual picture of her but it's very close! She's a woman whom I would pass seldomly on my runs around the park with long, black frizzy hair and two different colored eyes. She never looked at me until one day when I was stopped and stretching.

Witch: Are you a religious or virtual person?
Witch: Do you believe in God?
Witch: God's name is John and John is dead.

And this was my first conversation with her - after she tells me God is dead she turns and walks away. I stand there in awe and she immediately turns back around and marches straight back to me looking at me with her two different colored eyes. I couldn't look away as she got inches from my face.

Witch: Are you a virtual person? (What the h*ll is a virtual person anyway?)
Witch: How long will you be staying in this body?
Witch: What you were doing isn't what a real person does, it's what silkworms do (my stretching).
Witch: *walking circles around me, looking me up and down* You get hit really hard...you're turning blue...you're dead!

And that was all she said. The remainder of my run was me praying hard to not let her scare the bejesus out of me. Later I was told I wasn't the first person she's scared, she seems to not discriminate about who she is crazy with. So I got that going for me, which is good (name the movie).

But just in case I alter my running route to avoid her making it significantly shorter to run. Which isn't good.

But then my co-worker Shannon has this crazy idea, and I mean maniac crazy idea to try to qualify to be a Half Fanatic.

Just to qualify for the first level you have to do 2 half-marathons in 16 days. Being convinced by her craziness I know I must commit to my full running route again and risk seeing the witch.

I see her, but she's sleeping on a bench...or smothering a toddler. Could be either.

In any case, I'm sore. I need wine and a ice bath. I need both.

Or...I need to show my brother some gun skills! My Big Bro tried to convince me that he's a better shot than me. Our Pa will be the judge of this. I went shooting with the old man and shot the following:

Smith & Wesson revolver, 38 Special / 357 Mag.
Ruger 22 revolver
Ruger 22 semi auto pistol
Ruger .223 assault rifle
Ruger 10/22 semi auto rifle

The 38 special was my favorite and the assault rifle tweaked my muscles I think. But it was stinking awesome!

Here's a picture of the target that I sent my Big Bro. My Pa said it looked a lot better than Big Bro's but we should still officially compete one on one with my Pa as Judge. So there it is Big Bro, the gauntlet is thrown down. Don't be scared...I'll be gentle.

Pow! Pow!

My New Love

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:36:00 +0000

I love everything about hiking Washington but I am a bit maxed out on Snoqualmie Pass. Too many crowds, looks the same, too many crowds, etc. But man oh man do I like that Tortilla Soup in North Bend - there is no other soup like yours.

So for Big Bro's Birthday hike we decided to go to Steven's Pass and immediately fell in love with the reduction of folks, natural beauty and I could finally hear pikas again.

So I was too lazy to rearrange these pictures in the right order so you're going to have to look at these Tarantino or Memento style. Love it.

I actually took this on the trail after I got done gazing at the creek which followed our trail. I just liked how it looked like I was in a cave of trees.

Holy green right? Seriously, I love Washington - I had a beautiful creek on one side and greeny green goodness pastures to my left side.

So this is my Big Bro in *all* of his hiking garb for this hike. He's an Eagle Scout so I guess he always wants to be prepared. Plus the pansy doesn't like pine needles to get in his boots so he loves his gators hahaha Love ya Big Bro!

Anyway - this tree and rock looked very supportive to us. We love supportive rocks.

Did I mention this was called Surprise Creek? My goodness this water was soooooooo stinking beautiful! Crystal clear! And it accompanied us the whole way until we started going up to Surprise Lake which I can only assume is it's Mom in the sky.

Look at this clear beast of water. You're lying if you don't have the urge to want to hop into that pool of water right now.

I actually think this was my last picture on the way out. But obviously I'm a water junkie. Enjoy it.

Ok Tarantino fans, this is us at the "top"...I think. Surprise Lake was still covered with snow and is over that hump of rocks. The trail book said it's a good swimming lake - oh yeah, I have some unfinished business with you baby!

You can't even tell this is water since it's so clear - but here's the run-off from the lake. Surprise!

OH yeah, this is at the top too. Somewhere under this snow is the Pacific Crest Trail.

And Memento fans this is Big Bro and his wife halfway up to the top. I didn't give them much warning for this shot.

OH, is that all my pics? I guess so! In any case Steven's Pass and I have some unfinished business - Snoqualmie I still love you and I'll promise I'll come back after I use up some of Steven's pass.

Colorado Baby!!

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:26:00 +0000

Big D and I have birthdays one day apart and make an effort every year to spend our birthdays together. After a winter hike months ago we decided over beers that we must celebrate our 30th birthday by going to Colorado.

Big D being the top notch planner and researcher that she is read Frommer's book on Colorado cover to cover and recommended a good variety of things to do on our 8-day-trek.

For each day in Colorado we decided to take a moment from our 20s that was synonymous with our day (scroll to end).

Something that we quickly learned about Colorado is that the vast variety of terrain reminded us a lot of Washington. And you know what freaks me out? It's legal to not wear a helmet. Tons of dudes on Motorcycles enjoying their Rocky Mountain High then....SPLAT!!! That horrid thought crossed my mind everytime I saw someone without a helmet - which was quite often! But I digress....

Here's Big D and I on the plane anxsiously awaiting take-off. When we were approaching Denver we could see some wicked thunder and lightening storms which are typical in the late afternoon/early evenings in Colorado. And we both LOVE thunder and lightening. Except when it involves Poltergeist...*shudder* Remember how scary that clown and tree were? Sheesh!

So after we got our rental car (shout out to the powder blue Ford Focus) we put on some John Denver to listen to some Rocky Mountain High. Nevermind that it was interrupted 3 times by freaking tolls. We love mapquest but sometimes the quickest route is not the cheapest route...

On our way to Colorado Springs we decided to pick up some wine and some dinner. Above is Big D cutting up some avacado and tomato to go with our usual wine consumption. However, we learned the hard way that wine isn't sold at grocery stores.

Big D: Excuse me, where's your wine? (desperation in voice)

Store clerk: You mean wine coolers?

Big D: NO - Where is the WINE!?

Thank God a liquor store was next door. Grocery stores don't sell anything higher than 3.5% alcohol in their stores. So not only are there tons of people without helmets in Colorado but there's also a ton of liquor stores.

Memory from our 20s:

Krista: All this flying in airplanes and traveling in unfamiliar territory reminded me of my 27th birthday when I flew down to Guatemala to Big D who was already down there. That was an amazing trip.

Big D: All this traveling reminded Big D of going to Europe to visit her parents when she was 23. Of course while she was in Europe she found her way to Morocco - you can't keep this girl out of Africa!

Colorado - Day Two

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:19:00 +0000

On our 2nd day we wanted to do something in Colorado Springs and quickly decided on Garden of the Gods. Pikes Peak was recommended to only do when it's sunny for the views. And perhaps I'm just spoiled by Washington State but Pike's Peak didn't seem that big...even though we know it was. Foolish eyes!

Everywhere we looked at Garden of the Gods (Pikes Peak towering above) was bright in color and absolutely beautiful. It is a bit touristy so we decided to walk the trails that surrounded the park as we made our way into it.

There were some crazy rock climbers all over - this rock wasn't that high but I still was in awe. If only I had the skill to climb a red rock.

See these little specks? Rock climbers! Best view in the house.

Did I mention how much the elevation change was kicking our butt? We would walk up a slight hill and be quickly out of breath. We could barely talk and walk at the same time. Which worked out fine because we were too busy "oohing" and "ahhing" at our surroundings.

As you can see from above the afternoon storms were starting to roll in. Looks like we were skipping Pikes Peak. I totally have Pikes Peak regret right now. So....I have to go back.

A very nice gal took this picture for us. I loved all the red rock - many of the roads in Colorado Springs were red too. Loves it.

"Ooooohhhhh", "Ahhhhhhhh".

Fun with red rocks.

So after a full day of walking in new terrain at 3-4 times the elevation that we were used to we were absolutely zonked. We headed over to Manitou Springs for some grub. It's a cute little hippy town with good beer thankfully.

Memory from our 20s:

Krista: All this desert-like terrain reminds me of my first summer in Ellensburg hiking and bonding with my new friends. Shout out to my main college hiking buddies Marketa and Alicia - two women who still mean the world to me today. Age....early 20s? Ay yi yi don't ask a 30-year-old a memory question!

Big D: Between the ages of 22-25 Big D worked at Lost Coast Brewery while attending Humboldt College. The bar we visited in Manitou Springs reminded her of Lost Coast in the summer when she worked long and hard shifts followed by playing harder at the beach with her friends.

Colorado - Day Three

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:54:00 +0000

Day three was whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River! Shout out to Roberto our river guide - coolest guide ever. I didn't have a picture so I stole the below pic from their website.

Anyway - it was so much fun to survive The Spinner, Kamikaze and especially Satan's Suckhole. It should be noted that after we made it thru Satan's Suckhole Roberto pointed out a backboard that was tied to a tree next to the river - this is utilized for the rafters who aren't so lucky in Satan's Suckhole.

Sheesh.

Anyway - Big D and I were in front and I didn't fall out! At one point all of a sudden I was knocked into her lap though. Better than the suckhole. We saw some real Colorado rams along the way and Big D took a dip in the river when it was calm because she couldn't let the 12-year-old show her up. Just ask her about it.

Afterwards we made our way to the Royal Gorge which is really just a big gorge with a bridge over it. And you know why they made this bridge? For tourists. There are fair rides and they charge you just to walk across. Big D and I decided we'd rather spend that money on wine and not some bridge that we could walk over in Washington for free.

The Bridge. This is my "free" view.

If you squint you can see a raft from our rafting company in the gorge below. It's quite the drop. This inspires me to do skydiving next.

So after skipping out on the Royal Gorge we decided to check out the Colorado Prison Museum nearby - which was super interesting. We were able to go into a gas chamber, see weapons confiscated, learn about past riots, criminals who stayed there - and our favorite part? The gift shop. A lot of gifts were made by prisoners from the nearby prison. Some of them had a lot of artistic talent when it came to toilet paper sculptures!

A bad man of Colorado.

After the prison museum God steered us to Holy Cross Abbey for some wine tasting. This wine was soooo stinking good that we bought some bottles for the rest of our trip. What seemed fitting was when lightening struck the building zapping out the power temporarily. Thanks God.

Memories from our 20s:

Krista: In my early 20s (not sure of age again) I went white water rafting for the first time with Monica and Marketa. I of course fell into the river and was rescued by Marketa's husband Will. Today I did not fall in. YES!

Big D: The rams we saw along the river reminded Big D of her backpacking trip thru The Enchantments when she was 28. A group of mountain goats had invaded her campsite! Bill Gruff's goat just doesn't know when to quit....

Colorado - Day Four

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Our fourth day in Colorado we discovered that we absolutely love satelitte radio. 80s on Station 008 and 90s on Station 009 - awesome. It was all we needed for this road trip - that and the occasional clean bathroom. Thank you Shell.

So anyway - we made our way to the Sand Dunes which is actually a National Park in Colorado. It's unlike the sand dunes that I've seen on the west coast because it's formation is greatly due to the mountains that it rests against. Now, don't expect a lesson here because I didn't pay that close attention to the "How are sand dunes formed?" portion. They did have this cool thing though where I could crank a wheel and change wind patterns that would change the formation of the sand dunes - all in this little box. But I digress.

What's so pretty about this is the water runoff between the parking lot and the sand dunes. The current surges every 15 seconds so we had to time how we crossed this. And I read somewhere why the current surges but I didn't retain that information. So just trust me that it does and that it's natural. But we got our pants wet anyway.

This was our first glimpse of the sand dunes and we scanned the horizon for the highest peak and said "let's go there." We were determined to get some good grunting exercise in after the long drive. If you click on the picture you can see the small specks higher on the dunes which are people. We wanted to be with those people.

I took one look back at the parking lot (hard to see) before I ascended the dunes. It is so stinking beautiful here. But the Ranger did warn us that a thunder and lightening storm was coming and lightening WILL strike the sand so to be careful. Roger that. Reminds me of the movie Sweet Home Alabama.

This is me after we thought we'd reach the "top". There is no top there's just more dunes. But anyway, I had JUST seen a hummingbird before this picture was taken. So stinking random a hummingbird at the top of the dunes. I still wonder if it was trying to tell me something...

I really like this picture but I can't take credit for it - it was taken by Big D. That's me following her tracks along this ridge. We kept on walking these sand ridges and I had two songs in my head "Living on the Edge" by Aerosmith and...I can't remember the second one. I'm sure it fit though and I had just heard it on satelitte radio.

This is my attempt of a cool picture. 2nd place to Big D's but I like how she's standing with the swagger of Marlboro man looking into the distance with all that green behind her.

This is pretty much what it looked like at the top - dunes as far as the eye could see. It would of been really fun to spend more time up here and see how far we could go. Walking in the dunes was great exercise. The elevation difference did make it tough but we were determined.

Did I mention how stinking windy it was? I took a video (below) but you can barely hear me. I think early on you can hear my reaction when a bunch of sand blows into my ear. That really woke me up.

Where did we stay that night...Alamosa? Anyway, shout out to the brewery we ate at. We got the beer sampler and I seriously had the best Amber that I've ever had on these lips. I just can't remember the name of it. I'm 30 now, give me a break. I have a bad memory.

Memories of our 20s:

Krista: Just last year at 29 I climbed Mt. St. Helens with Big D. Climbing the sand dunes reminded me of trekking thru the ash just before we reached the summit. I also learned the hard way the importance of putting sunscreen on the back of the legs because sun does reflect off ash. Serious blister city. Serious.

Big D: The terrain here reminded her of her time at Biosphere 2 at age 22. No, she wasn't locked in. In any case, that is where the roots of her close college friendships started with "The Girls". And it's really the time in her life where she started to get serious about her life path and be an adult. Lots of reflections on these dunes.

Colorado - Day Five

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:11:00 +0000

Day Five and we love satelitte radio even more. Heading towards the mountains seriously reminded me of Eastern Washington and how it's all flat and golden. But soon we were heading up, up and more up. We had decided to do some geocaching during the long drive and the GPS was reading 11,000 feet elevation. No wonder our heads felt like it they were about to burst! Then all of a sudden we saw the signs for The Continental Divide (and our geocache!).

This is a picture taken from the pullout on the Continental Divide. I loved knowing that very soon our trip would be taking us closer and closer to those mountains ahead.

OH yeah, I had that great divide between my legs!

This is Big D at our geocache we found on the Continental Divide.

So this picture is actually upside down but I just really liked how it looked. I like feet pictures but I'm refraining from posting too many of them - this one was an exception however.

This was my true view of where I took that shoe picture. When we saw this rock we literally ran to it. Below is Ponderosa Springs and looks to be retirement heaven. So many houses had lakes and rivers on their property - all guarded by the mountains. It's also very close to the Southwest terrain of the state so you can get the best of both worlds. I was really loving Colorado at this point.

That's my butt in reflection taken by Big D.

They call it Chimney Rock. I call it C*ck Rock. Don't judge - you thought the same thing when you saw it.

What is this? A kiva! We had finally made our way to Cortez, Colorado to stay at Kelly Place. It's a fantastic bed and breakfast that has actual pueblan ruins on it. The property was huge and one of the most positive experiences on this trip.

So right away we got there and explored some of the ruins - this kiva is literally a minute walk from the house. We peered in and it was soooo stinking dark that I took a picture to illuminate it below but the above was the result. Very mysterious.

This was our view of the kiva. Big D immediately decided to go down first.

It's so funny because once we were inside it was totally bright and easy to see. They've obviously made some efforts to preserve this kiva to be visitor friendly. We wandered to another kiva further on the property and it was vastly different. More eerie to me so I didn't take pictures.

The sun was setting as we explored the property. Their (Kelly Place) property actually meets up with Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. So amazing.

Big D striking a red rock pose.

This is my sunset, album cover pose after we passed over to the Canyon of the Ancients line. Canyon hiking is such a great way to end the day. I have bliss on my face if you can't tell.

Those lights are from the building that we were staying in - literally the middle of nowhere. I was standing in this field the next night, at midnight, and felt things crawl over my toes. Who knows. I loved Kelly Place though - loved it.

Memory from our 20s:

Krista: I have two - all this driving reminded me of the many trips I took down to Cali to visit Big D while she attended Humboldt when I was 23-25.

Second I should mention that on today's long drive I exchanged many text messages with some past co-workers who totally punked me. I hated working for NWTS - hated it. Underpaid, underappreciated and unfulfilling work. However, I met some remarkable people and was constantly punked by the "Bellevue Boys" that worked there when I was 22-25. Ken - you will be a great father - Congratulations!! You got me good!

Big D: Speaking of Humboldt - all of today's driving reminded Big D of the first trip to Humboldt she took with our friend Jessica when she was 20. It was literally love at first sight and she knew instantly Humboldt was the one. She chose a great path as a result of that trip.

Colorado - Day Six

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:58:00 +0000

Day Six - Mesa Verde! So stinking awesome. It was so humbling and awing to see how the Pueblans used to live. The below pic was my first glimpse - that group of people is being led by a Ranger, they are standing around an open kiva.

We learned and saw many things that day. For example, the Pueblans used urine for mortar. Waste not, want not.

This is Big D navigating her way thru the ruins - there were many steep ladders, tunnels & crevices we had to venture on. We loved it.

See the homes? All that black on the rock is from fires way back in the day. How far back you ask? Can't remember. Being 30 prevents me from recalling that information.

This is a picture of a kiva up close. I'm still just so amazed just how preserved everything was and how close we were able to get.

Another one of our tall ladders to climb. It should be mentioned that one of our Rangers picked the grumpiest 14-year-old girl to "help" him in his presentation. He even had her pick out a 13-year-old husband. Her parents loved it. We loved it as well. I had tons of second-hand embarrassment for her but she was a good sport about it. That made that Ranger my favorite...Ranger Brown I believe.

This is Big D making her way up the steep cliff wall. After we climbed the steep ladder. A lot of steep here - and we don't even have 50 pound jugs on our heads to balance and carry!

This is an outside view of Mesa Verde park - I actually took this from a nearby geocache that we found. Holler.

That full day of exploring Mesa Verde had us wiped out. We decided to wind down by drinking wine on the patio at Kelly Place and played games. Like Skip-Bo. But Big D totally cheats cuz I couldn't even win one game. Not even one.

Awww, wine. This is from a nearby winery - at the time I could of told you the name but now I've forgotten. 30, remember?

A pose I've made many times in my 20s. Which brings me to....

Memories of our 20s:

Krista: Nothing compares to Mesa Verde but spending the evening drinking wine with Big D reminds me of many nights at the cabin Big D's parents own close to Mt. Rainier. Ages 27-29.

Big D: At 21 Big D took a trip to New Mexico for one week with her Mom - the cliff dwellings they saw on that trip reminded her of Mesa Verde. Or vice versa. You know what I'm trying to say.

Colorado - Day Seven

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:35:00 +0000

On Day Seven we started to round back up to Denver by taking a pretty route through the mountains. We'd be going over the Continental Divide two more times! I loved the Continental Divide - loved it. Shout out to Lewis & Clark.

By the way - we still love satellite radio. Bryan Adams, Warrant, Tupac, Wham - they all accompanied us for this long trip.

Can you believe there is actually a Big D's in Colorado? How awesome is this? It's like Big D has an alternate path in life in a parallel universe - like a hardened saloon owner/bartender with many tattoos and hardened attitude giving love-lost customers relationship advice. Hmm....

Rocky Mountain High Baby. We still saw a lot of motorcyclists without helmets. Bless them.

This is on our way to Telluride - I really wanted this part of our trip to last forever. Every once in a while we'd see something new in the scenery and I'd yell "Oh my God!". Big D felt the same way.

This is Telluride - I felt the spirit of Warren Miller everywhere. I loved this little ski town - it reminded me of being in Whistler but on a WAY smaller scale. Telluride seems small and extremely humble. They currently had a jazz festival going on. I think that whole town is high! We kept on seeing that everywhere. I guess the ski lifts top out over 12,000 feet. My lungs would implode I think.

So these are Colorado Aspen trees that I absolutely loved. Along this drive, as we sang along to Motley Crue, we noticed so many happy cows on their farms. I've never had so much cow-envy before.

I would love if this was my future home. And I'd name every Aspen Tree around me as if they were my children. *sigh*

I just liked this picture because the sign references the San Juan Mountains - it reminded me of home (shout out to the San Juan Islands!).

This was my first glimpse of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. This place is so huge and goes on forever and ever. We knew our cameras would not do the scenery justice so you're just going to have to go there yourself.

So I did write down some info - the Canyon is between 1700-2700 feet deep with it's narrowest point at 40 feet across. Big D read some info about the many failed attempts back in the day by river rafters. So eventually they just gave up and put a net up in the river to catch all the dead bodies. Nice thought. Moving on...

Big D and I decided to do a moderate hike taking us a bit down into the canyon. But not all the way because we were scared of falling rocks (you'll see) and if we'd be able to make it back up the hill still struggling with the elevation change.

I don't know what my attraction is but when I see a rocky cliff that's somewhat dangerous I immediately run up to stand at the edge. Yes, I've had close calls. I'm sure the cause of my death will be caused by me standing on a cliff's edge and getting a violent sneeze out of my system. I'll lose my balance then....splat! That's my prediction. That wouldn't be a bad death though - I wouldn't mind that. At least I'd have a pretty view on my way out of this world. Ok, but I digress...

That little speck was our trail - we actually did better than we thought making our way up the hill. Colorado wasn't kicking our a$$ as bad as it used to.

Very dangerous people. But seeing this sign over and over again made me want to really throw a rock.

I took this one for Hulster - a contemplative Big D taking one last look at the canyon before we left.

Memories from our 20s:

Krista: Being in Telluride reminded me of Whistler - one of my favorite times at Whistler was when the Schmucks got engaged (age 22). And having the Schmucks in my life has been one of the most important things in my 20s. I consider them a 2nd set of parents - always encouraging, supportive and loving even when I don't deserve it.

Big D: Being around all this green again reminded Big D of returning from Arizona when she was 22 - she literally got drunk off the Washington greenery again and realized Washington was meant to be her forever home.

Colorado - Day Eight

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:29:00 +0000

Day Eight marked more driving in the Ford Focus - have I mentioned how much I love satellite radio? Cuz I do. We had planned to do some more geocaching on the long drive and go over the Continental Divide two times and through it once. Yes through it. I was soooo stinking excited for this tunnel - but more to that later.

We drove up and over the Continental Divide while our heads felt like they were going to pop from the elevation. We found some geocaches on the descent and I feel like a zombie. Perhaps it's the elevation or the jalapeno beer soup I had the night before in Gunnison. As we make our way to Breckenridge we see some signs for South Park. South Park Tavern, South Park Realty - am I hallucinating? I anxiously look for 4 young boys on the side of the road waiting for the bus.

We go up and over the Continental Divide again and the glorious, snowcapped mountains are steady on our right side.

And then we come to this in Breckenridge:

We frolic around Breckendrige for a while and bask in the Rocky Sun. Do we really have to fly out tomorrow? Breckenridge is a happy little ski town - humble yet big and beautiful.

As we make our way back to Denver Big D and I decide that we must, must, must come back to explore Northern Colorado and do some hiking in the Rockies. Of course we'll need a few days to get used to the elevation. Man oh man the lack of air in my lungs is humbling.

I was so stinking excited for this tunnel! I think I saw some special about it on TV years ago and I know it goes thru the Continental Divide - Big D read that it's a mile and a half long and the highest tunnel in the United States. It's also our age - completed in 1979.

This picture is inside the tunnel - who needs the fair when you have I-70? On the way out I notice that there's ski lifts on top of the tunnel. Amazing. What would the elevation be? 12,000 feet? I'm an elevation wimp.

Once we make our way into Denver my Big Bro sensed it - all him and his wife are waiting for is to sell their house so they can move to Denver. They are one with Denver.

So of course he has perfect timing calling me at that point as our stomachs are rumbling:

"Well Krista, you gotta go to Breckenridge Brewery. They are the best..."

Ok Big Bro. As I change the subject and talk about Colorado things we saw and did he keeps on bringing it back to Breckenridge Brewery:

"The Vanilla Porter is amazing - you gotta try it. I don't care if you don't drink dark beers - you'll love it."

This all sounds good and fine but I'm too exhausted and zombie-like to be excited. So Big Bro's one last selling point was:

"Breckenridge Brewery defines me. To know Breckenridge Brewery is to know me."

OK. That's where we went for dinner. It's right next to Coors Field and it wasn't a disappointment! The food was bomb digg and the beer was good. In fact I couldn't even finish my beer. Does elevation affect beer consumption? Hmmm...

Both Big D and I are too tired to remember anything from our 20s. We get up at 5:30am (Washington time) the next day to leave our beloved Colorado. Don't fly Frontier. Did I say that out loud? But seriously don't.

In the next couple days we turn 30 and were able to crank out some birthday hikes. As tired as my body was I found out that it's easier to do physical activities with all this oxygen I can pull into my lungs. Something Colorado helped me appreciate.

Were not scared turning 30 - I'm annoyed because the body upkeep is more demanding but Big D always knew our 30s would be amazing. So at this point I say, thanks for the memories 20s. You let me screw up, gain confidence, independence and shown me who to appreciate and what to walk away from.

But Colorado, I am coming back for you because you and I have unfinished business...

I love green tea

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:44:00 +0000

Seriously. I drink mint tea multiple times a day. Perhaps it's psychomatic but I truly believe it helps me digest my food. So far my count for the day is 3 cups. Which reminds me I need to bleach my teeth....in any case. I love it. And I had popcorn for dinner (yes, I'm unmarried) and green tea afterwards just seemed to make all the kernels in my tummy go away. So thank you green tea. I love you much.

And maybe green tea will help the nausea induced from this picture! That's a sweet blister baby! It was such a gorge weekend and I had high hopes to go hiking. Or at least find a kicka$$ hike that the snow recently released as a hostage.

But here's when things went south: I'm flatfooted. If I run more than 6 miles I start to get blisters on my arches. Not a big deal. I can handle this. So my goal was to run 8 miles. In reality I ran 7 miles because I had no water. Not a smart Krista moment. Anyway, the aftermath was no voice and blisters on my arches. No biggie.

Next day was intended for hiking. However I had to run 1 mile in my Chacos (pictured above) and all that traction gave me more blisters. I mean, this picture doesn't do it justice!! It's a sweet long blister. That hurts like heck.

OH...why did I run 1 mile? We were "running" late. Not our fault. Never is.

Anyway - so I went kayaking instead! Above is my Big Bro's beautiful wife Andrea. It was soooo much super fun. It's funny how you can still be in the city and have a beautiful "nature" experience like this.

I must go to this bridge. I didn't realize it existed! Who's with me?

There's something about this picture that makes me wonder "Why are there so many, songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side..." Hear the banjo?

I'm so bummed this is a fuzzy picture. But there was a major turtle train going on here but on our way back (and when I took this picture) it looks like the three of them were taking a breather.

We saw some other, more traditional, 2 turtle action but there was a creepy voyeur turtle watching them and not even trying to hide it. Dirty Turtle. So I made the personal decision not to post the picture of their private moment.

There were also several blue herrings. And everytime they flew I had a flashback of that time when I saw the crappy 3rd installment of Jurassic Park with the taradactyles. (or was I the only one?) Cuz these suckers are huge!!

But one of the best things I saw this weekend was Big D's new car! Welcome to the world of car payments Big D. This is truly how you know you're growing up. I'm so proud of Big D - she really loved her car thru thick and thin even when it stopped loving her. But, she had been neglected for the last time by her previous car and traded the ungrateful, tired, old bastard for the car of her dreams. You deserve it Big D! Oh, and you're driving all summer girl!

Did you know Prius's don't have keys? WEIRD. And Big D is not a hippie. She's a granola. Big difference. Get it Hulster??

Nice Assets.

Daydreaming...

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:26:00 +0000

Where have I been? I have been daydreaming of this:

Colorado Springs baby. Let the countdown begin! Big D and me have been planning our "Farewell 20s!" trip and it's approaching in just a few weeks! I've hit up Joe's (RIP) and REI ("ouch" said my wallet).

But this may be the most frustrating time of the year. It's the final breath before hiking season starts. And it's usually this time of year when I venture out on hikes that are still hibernating under the snow. So frustrating. It's like nature keeping the good cookies on the highest, unreachable shelf just for a couple more months.

Take this one for example (above). I can tell it's stinking gorgeous. But after myself and The Hulster kept getting sucked under the snow up to our hips...*smirk*...sorry, I had to take a moment to laugh. Just the image of my 6'6" buddy getting one leg swallowed up by the snow up to his hips over and over again...hahaha I had to keep on crossing my legs to so I wouldn't lose my bladder control from all the laughter!

Which makes me miss MXC. We were talking about this last night. Watching people fall/hurt themselves/get hit/etc...is one of life's free joys in life. Anyone that falls in front of me is A-OK in my book (honorable mention to The Hulster).

In any case frolicking by the water never seems to disappoint. Aren't these pics stinking gorgeous? Reason #54 of why I love where geocaching takes me.

But one big stinking Congratulations to my buddy Derek! Who decided on a whim to run his first 5k - and can I just say that he rocked it?

Derek and I kept a good pace and my Garmin Forerunner helped us make sure that he meet his time goal. Before we rounded the last bend we quickly exchanged this conversation:

Krista: "Are you ready to kick it?"

Derek: "Let's see what it looks like after this corner."

And then he was gone. Like the wind. I start running faster to catch up to him and quickly look at my Garmin where it reads a pace of 7:32 - what the heck? First 5k Derek? I think not!

Here's Derek approaching the finish. Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

Derek beat his time goal by one minute! Aw yeah! "Ring! Ring!" goes the school bell! (he's also a teacher...get it?) Thanks for letting me pop your cherry Derek! And kicking my a$$ too!!

And Champ: Thank you for being you. You make life a little more happy and cozy. Woof.

To the Bat Cave!

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:34:00 +0000

So my buddy Myles seems to be convinced that there are no truly good hikes in Southern Washington like there are in Northern Washington. An argument I'm not convinced of but am open to. I'm pretty darn sure the argument is done...for now. Now that he showed me the bat caves!

Officially the trail is called the Oyster Dome (a major beauty herself - you'll see soon) but at the base of the dome are these bat caves Myles has been telling me about. The trail is very moderate and pretty. It had the perfect amount of fog and mist leaving me wondering which tree Edward was watching us from.

I'm a sucker for tree pictures - what is it about trees? I like to lay on my back and look at clouds and stars but I like looking up at trees even more. Call me Nell (ten points if you got that reference).

I'm sorry tree, I'm not doing you justice here. This tree looked radiant standing alone with it's branches covered with snow. The sun was hitting it just right. Look slightly to the left...

A typical tree convention here. I sat in on the meeting momentarily....

I'll get off my back now....

I can only think of the word "enchanting" once we reached the point of elevation where fluffy snow was coming down like fairy dust. I love how you can literally see the soft snow line here. *sigh* Can you tell I want to go back? I'm feeling quite mystical. Moving on....

Again - my camera does this view absolutely NO JUSTICE. This is the base of Osyter Dome in all her glory. The snow covered trees on top had me stinking envious. This is what the world looked like before The Nothing came in The Neverending Story - don't ya think?

So I REALLY should of taken a picture of the caves before we hopped down. For some reason in my head I was thinking of simple Point A to Point B caves where light was somewhat of a constant. I was wrong. And somehow Myles convinced me to follow him down. Looking up was the view.

This is me after hopping down. This is my "I'm scared yet smiling" smile. There is a crevice to the left of me that Myles told me we could go down. "Really? You're kidding...no way! People cant go down there! That's where dead bodies go!"

But Myles took it in stride. Look at him. Completely calm and smiling. And it took 5 seconds from there to twist my rubber arm and follow him deeper down...

Quick picture of Myles deep down in the rock! It's pitch-black, wet, disorienting, full of numerous tunnels and I suddenly realize "This is effing awesome!" If I'm claustrophic then I don't know it because my curosity and excitement were in overdrive at this point.

And now I leave my scared smile behind - this is my "H*ll to the yeah this is effing awesome" smile!

So despite me being 45 minutes...60 minutes...or just really late for the hike, we still made it out for the sunset. This little tree has the best view in the world...

This may be just the back of my head, but it's the back of my head feeling completely alive and satisified.

And Myles: you are stinking awesome. Best host ever. No one can challenge you and if they consider it they shouldn't. Instead they should just all bow down. Thanks for showing me around and convincing me of your argument that Northern Washington may be a little better than my neck of the woods.

I said "may" be a little better. I didn't say better. Just so you know...

Oh, and my lovers Ann Taylor and Lululemon - I will see you next weekend. I know I seemed to have just disregarded you as I drove by but please know you have my heart. I love you dearly and can't wait to see you!

The Last Hurrah

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:42:00 +0000

Born June 9th, 1979, Big D's Gall ladder did her well. Her G.B. shared many memories with us and was always a trooper anytime we decided to have junk food at our camping site or at the cabin. When her G.B. grew into our twenties with us it let Big D know that cheesy salsa is not a good idea anymore. (My G.B. agrees).
After many tests and false self-diagnoses Big D learned it was time to leave her G.B. behind and lay it to rest. Quite frankly when the doctor said that your G.B. has "too many stones to count" and has stretched itself out because of that....well, that's a very bad sign.
So - before G.B. is laid to rest this week Big D wanted to do one last hike. Rain, or snow, or shine.

It was pouring out - I look at Big D - "I'm not so sure about this." But her enthusiasm is contagious. Besides - the woods have a different smell to them in the rain. We took advantage of the less than ideal weather by doing a nice hike that's usually crowded on any other day.

***See Pet Peeves #54: Overly popular hikes***

Anyway - it's a nice moderate hike with enough elevation gain to earn our burger and a beer afterwards.

Strike a pose Big D!

Did I mention that it was wet & cold? Cuz it was. I left my camera in my coat and thought to myself "I don't need any pictures..."

But then we came to the waterfall. Gosh dangit, I *have* to take a picture of this! And it was too high to get one full shot so I split it up!

There were a series of stairs that they built so you can get directly in front of the falls. Which is super nice because both Big D and I have a habit of just staring at waterfalls. Or is everyone like that? Water hypnotism. Is it more common than I thought?

Oh, and it's still raining, were super wet - but it's a great secluded hike today! But at this point it'd only be about 3 miles round trip.

Big D: Shall we go further?
Me: Yeah, let's just keeping hiking until the trail stops going "up".
Big D: Sounds good.

(Check in with us 30 mintues later regarding how much further we'll go...)

Can't you just tell this is a family friendly hike? You can't see it too well but this path leads to a bridge that goes over the falls.

And that's me standing on it so you don't have to take my word for it! It started doing snowy rain here and I thought I was hallucinating from the cold when a couple walked behind us with umbrellas. Something we don't see a lot when we hike. Think about it. Umbrellas. On a trail. Just seemed odd.

But I digress...

This is a view from the bridge and you can tell that Winter is putting up a good fight before her season is over! See Edward in that tree on the left? I do.

So at this point the rain is turning into snow but Big D and I are both so wet. There are waterfalls running down our legs - this rain is penetrating!

So there's no top. There's only wet. Let's turn around.

And wouldn't you know? Once we get back to the trailhead the sun comes out. It's all good - nothing better than changing into warm clothes, getting a garden burger & a beer while planning our upcoming Colorado trip.

One last thought though: What does this look like to you? I've been playing the cloud game with this tree - it looks like several things to me. All clean things - keep it clean!!

R.I.P - Big D's Gall Bladder.
June 9, 1979 - March 20, 2009.

Will my real age please stand up?

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:44:00 +0000

I don't even like checking my mail anymore. I check it at *least* once a week. I have my stance down and sometimes have one hand ready and waiting to catch the falling pile once I open up the hatch. In fact, at my prior residence the mailman had to leave me notes that he was going to stop delivering my mail when my box would get too full. A kick in the butt I certainly deserved.

But when did this all start? With freaking AARP! I'm not even 30...yet. I have just a few months left in my 20s and I'm trying to enjoy them in peace but AARP is harping at me. They've actually been sending me mail for more than a few years.

At first I was alarmed thinking I was a victim of ID Theft but my credit report was solid reassured me that I wasn't over 30 or 60 for that matter. I scan my brain to think what I bought on the internet to make AARP think I belonged with them? No Depends, no cross-stitch patterns, no year-supply of prune juice, no polyster pants, no black walnut ice cream (that one is for Jenny), no polident, no Listen Up (that commercial where she eavesdrops on her neighbors and yells at her husband for the loud tv)...so how old am I? I am only in my 20s right?

I was thinking of making a pile of all the AARP mail I've received in the past few months but it was becoming a fire and papercut hazard.

For the record: I may have to pluck gray hairs out of my head *everyday*, but I'm still in my 20s. For now. Stay back AARP - I'm not ready for you yet!

Alicia and the Burg

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:58:00 +0000

Congratulations Mike & Alicia!! Alicia - you make pregnant look good. Look how glowing and angelic you look. And so very G....ha!

So when Marketa & I (above) were making plans to drive to the Yak for Alicia's baby shower we asked ourselves: If the shower is at 2pm do we have time to hike The Book for the bazillioneth time? It took us 30 seconds to determine heck yes we do. Sure we had to get up at 6:30am but it was well worth it.

Smell that sweet, sweet Ellensburg air? With just a touch of cowpie mixed in! There is something about Ellensburg that makes for instant relaxation. Anyway - picture at the parking lot of The Book and we were pumped. Woot!

I love that they provide complimentary ski poles at the trailhead now - circa 1973. I grabbed one to help out with all the mud and ice on the way to the trail. Of course Marketa is old school hardcore and refuses to use a pole. I'm glad that she trusts that I can carry her and her broken tailbone down the long trail. Friends like us are hard to find.

And here is the fearless and beautiful Marketa rehydrating. We just got done tackling the b*tch part of the trail. At this point were working a good cold sweat which would ensure we'd be the stinkiest ones at Alicia's baby shower.

With just a touch of cowpie included as well.

View at the top. I just love the memorials that people put up here. (Mt. Stewart in the background). If I ever die a glorious death I'd like my own little spot up here too. And what's my idea of a glorious death? I'll write about that another time!

Moving on - we have done this trail SOOOOO many times. When we were in college I remember doing this hike with Marketa, Alicia and many other poor souls. Being at the summit provides a barrage of good memories - or fuzzy memories at that. We can't remember half of our experiences in college - not sure why but we do still try....I'm a poet and didn't know it.

Moving on - I decided to show you summer and winter pictures of the same trail - check it out:

Marketa heading up the steep trail....

Self-portrait at the top....

Marketa signing the book...

And me posing with the book! We love consistency!

So we made pretty good time and neither one of us fell or broke our tailbone - pretty sweet. Big thanks to the Conoco bathroom (above). A nice clean outdoor bathroom where Marketa and I could change into our baby shower clothes. Deodarant, water, lotion - check and ready!

It really was a pleasant surprise because I always think of movies like Dumb and Dumber and The Sweetest Thing where outdoor gas station bathrooms are an absolute pit of fear.

Were changed, Marketa has food and were on our way!

This is my first official baby shower picture of Alicia. Just look at how happy and glowing she is! I know, I know it's a typical thing to say but she absolutely radiated. I should of taken more pictures of her family - she has the most loving, laid-back and wonderful family ever. I really am trying to find out if there's anyway I can apply for her family to consider to adopt me.

This was my favorite gift she got - so perfect! A camo onesie with ruffles on it. God certainly did meant for little girls from Prosser to wear camo, be supreme hunters and perfect at the art of fishing.

And one last picture of the three of us - it's supposed to be a heart were making... I absolutely heart these girls. Alicia and I bonded during Summer Semester at CWU with our numerous hikes - we went everywhere and it was awesome. This chick is fun & down for anything - which is also the first thing she told me when she first met her husband "He's really cool - he's down for anything." People like that are meant to be loved.

Oh, and her cooking afterwards is the cherry on top.

Oh wait, did you just ask how Marketa and I became friends too? Oh, it was when she threatened to kick my a$$ in the dorms. True story. I liked her INSTANTLY. She was feisty, charming and sweet with her apology regarding the mistaken identity. Just don't take her pen.

But we absolutely could *not* leave the 509 area code without eating at The Tav.

Barney Burger, Texas Toothpicks and cold beer. Almost a perfect end to a perfect day.

Ok - now it's the perfect end to the perfect day! Shout out to D&M coffee - Starbucks has no business in your town man!

Congratulations again Mike and Alicia - I am *soooo* stinking excited to watch Abigal Annette grow up. I'm sure Mike is completely right in his prediction that she'll be driving a boat by the age of 4. If not 3.

Birthdays and Oscars

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:52:00 +0000

OK - I'm gonna shake off my work concerns so here I go:

This weekend we celebrated Schmuck and Rambo's birthdays. And I may be biased but I don't think I've ever met an Aquarius that I didn't absolutely love.

(Me with Schmuck and Rambo - and she's smiling! yay!)

The funny thing about both these gals is that we didn't love each other RIGHT away. With Schmuck I met her in college but dated a guy on her end of the hall. Not a big deal since she was already in a loving relationship with her now husband. But the guy's ex lived next to Schmuck. And one day I thought I was being funny - no, I *was* very funny. I can't tell you what's so funny because it'd give you the wrong impression about me but let's just say I had to win Schmuck over at another time.....

It was funny though.

With Rambo we knew each other in grade school but got to know each other better in 5th grade. We had more than one heated discussion that year over who deserved Joey McIntyre's heart!! Fast forward to 20 years later and I inadvertently set her up with her now husband. So that feud was put to rest thankfully.

And since I already mentioned them above is Mr. Schmuck and Mr. Rambo with their sons. How stinking cute is that? Both those boys love their Daddies! But obviously they find their Dad's pretty boring *zzzzzzzzzz*
Ok - no really, Mr. Schmuck and Mr. Rambo are two of the most happy, good-natured and funny guys I know. And how could they not be? Their wives are fierce, smart, driven, loving, compassionate, giving and good friends with me. The biggest perk of their marriage to these wonderful women is having the opportunity to hang out with me. Lucky guys indeed.

So I want to take this opportunity to thank Melanie and Derek for hosting Oscar night at their house. Derek has been working on his media room ever since they bought their house and it's stinking amazing! I remember Derek telling me his dream of having his media room completed and hosting an Oscar party. I'm so glad you got to realize your dream Derek. That's why when you were *soooooo* adament that all guests show up dressed for the red carpet I took it seriously.

(See above Princess Big D and Me with makeup galore)

Anyway, imagine our surprise when we showed up and everyone was comfortable in their jeans! Except for another poor couple that Derek failed to alert that the "dress-up" portion was canceled. I still had fun Derek. I still had fun indeed. But my feet hurt now from those dang heels. Not that I'm blaming you...but I'm just saying. Jerk.

And I forgot to take a picture of Derek & Melanie but here's an old one above. Look at that, they're wearing jeans in this photo too! (OK, you can't see that but trust me they are).

Oh and THANK YOU Melody for sharing the recipe! I made the Avacado Corn Salsa Dip and it worked! People said it was good - I mean, look at all those hands in the dip!
Special thanks to the very handsome produce boy at Safeway that showed me what cilantro was...and also talked me out of thinking I should use the stems over the leaves.

Devastated

noreply@blogger.com (WorshipKrista) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:17:00 +0000

At the risk of sounding dramatic I am devastated. I have a personal rule to never write about my job on here but I will say that I am devastated. No details, no stories, no background to be told except to say that I am spewing with devastation.

I would like to go into details but again, I can't break a personal rule. I also can't vent about it and sound funny and light-hearted at the same time. So I will stop right here only to say that I am devastated and bursting.

And on another devastating note: Check out my latest race picture! I look like I have major coffee bloat and wonk eye. And I can't even find Shannon's photo anywhere - I think she was blocked by the running heart. Two people in one heart - they had to stop themselves and turn sideways to go between the trees at one point during the race. Shannon was stuck behind them - ha!

On a lighter note - I'm celebrating some birthdays this evening with my two favorite gals. I'm also going to try out Melody's Avacado Corn Salsa recipe. Cross your fingers!

And somewhere along the line I'm going to kick devastation's a$$ and somehow find a way to move on with my focus and optimism in check. Wish me luck.

Signing off,

In battle of becoming just another disgruntled government worker.