There's always room for more

Where the heck is this year going? It's stinking flying by! I have to put it here in writing that Big D was right: 30s are the best years. Sure I'm only 8 months into them but I feel so overwhelmed with all the blessings, experiences and just amazing people I'm blessed to have in my life. Who can ask for anything more? Well...of course there's always more to ask for like: "More wine please" or "More facial hair boys" or "More sleep is needed" or "More calories to burn" and so forth.

Anyway - I've come to depend on my blog to help me remember some key things I've done during the year. Those of you close to me know I have the most HORRIBLE memory. So here's some blurbs to help this old gal out:

This is Germany. Germany is beautiful. Germany serves beer. Germany is loved by my Big Bro and my Andrea....(can you guess what is coming?)

This is Big Bro and Andrea (with Sugarmama Shannon). And now Big Bro and Andrea are living in Germany. Straight up emptied out the house, put it on the market and moved to Germany! How stinking awesome is that? Why did they do it? Because they wanted to. You see kids, it's an important lesson: If you dream it you can achieve it. They are always so good at living outside the box and living life to the fullest - they are continuously admired by me.

I was going to write a blog about their departure but I decided it would sound too much like a eulogy and there will be none of that. Sure it makes my time over here in Washington a lot more different without them here but I'm so stinking excited to go visit them. I love bier!

And shout out to Skype for their afros, talking bunnies and great wigs to wear which I'm catching up with my American transplants. Or is that German transplants?

Big D and I finally went to a Mountaineers meeting and got completely pumped for hiking season and learning great things from them like scrambling! We immediately planned our next local hike. Which can be frustrating this time of year because our favorite hikes (tall, grueling b*tches) are under snow this time of year. So we're left with crowded west side hikes like Si (booooo!).

However....



We found a grueling and secluded trail. It's not even marked. We saw a handful of hikers. Our butts and legs ached just as they would if we did Si which was only ten minutes away. And you know what? The selfish side of me is going to keep it to myself for now. However I am always willing to give anyone a personal tour. I just have to make sure you're blindfolded as I drive to the trailhead. Nothing personal.



Miss Adams and I successfully completed our Trap Class at the Tacoma Sportsman Club and it was stinking AWESOME!! We love to shoot defenseless clays out of the air! My Old Man hooked me up with an even older man who custom fitted my shotgun for me (see above). And I just LOVE her. So much.

I've been cashing in on some vacation time to go shooting with the Old Man - so much fun. It feels so nice to finally outshoot him after him schooling me on handguns all summer.

Big D has been talking about Roller Derby for a while now and she finally took the plunge! And after bootcamp and tryouts now meet the Norweigian Nightmare! I got to see Big D and some other derby chicks and chucks in action this past weekend and it was stinking AWESOME! It is soooo impressive what these people can do! The co-ed teams especially blew me away! If anyone wants some great entertainment go check out some Dockyard Dames - you don't even have to be a perv to enjoy it. Even though yes, I admit, you'll see a lot of hot girls in very short skirts. If you enjoy that kinda thing you won't be disappointed...

My favorite Cali-Canucks (they're a mixed breed) graced us with their presence this week making their way down from Whistler. Scotty had a dream job reporting at The Olympics. And Becky reaped some wifely benefits of watching the closing ceremonies - I asked and she confirmed that she did get teary-eyed during them! Who wouldn't?

I love seeing them, Washington loves seeing them, Schmuck loves being reunited with her girl crush and they just so happened to have given me my favorite present of 2010 so far...

It's Dude Beer! Only sold in Canada. Thanks Zane Lamprey (look him up for real) for discovering one of Canada's best secrets and for the Cali-Canucks for sharing it with me.

Snowshoe Cubed

I realized on Sunday that "Wow, this is my 3rd time snowshoeing in one week." Now, that's a good week. As someone who feels completely refueled by being in the woods I was surprised that it was working against my health.

Yes, as I type this I'm wearing my cozy red robe and pile of tissues next to me. My pattern for this week has been fight off sick, drink immunity nectar, theraflu and then go snowshoe only to get set back again. Don't even get me started on how long it's been since I've ran...my summer version of myself would be soooooo disappointed.



I, of course, have a huge crush on the Tatoosh Range. Here it is behind me. It is just so majestic and powerful looking - it holds it's own in the staring contest it has with Mother Rainier.

It was a big honor to pop the snowshoe cherry with Miss Adams (above) - and I believe she loved every minute of it. Even the hills that she cranked out - she was excelling! Miss Adams is great - she's my fellow singleton who I can trade dating stories with. Oh if you could be a fly on our wall you'd be very entertained...

We started out on a trail...

Miss Adams: So how far are we going?

Me: Umm, ya know, whatever. We'll just play it by ear.

Miss Adams: Did you bring the map?

Me: Hmm. I guess I didn't. But, ya know, whatever. We'll see where this goes.

And for some reason she trusted me. Thankfully we ran into a volunteer who encouraged us to do a kicka$$ loop. Thanks Volunteer! I should volunteer - what an awesome way to spend some free time!

I of course introduced Miss Adams to the best combo in the world: Snowshoe and Cocoa w/Peppermint Schnapps. YUMMERS.

BTW - good job Stacia on peeing in the woods in snowshoes. A feat I have yet to try. The men appreciated the free show. Yeah, I didn't want to say anything at the time but they totally saw you.

The snow wasn't fresh and it seemed winter was dying off but the views were still sooo purty. Thanks Stacia for enjoying this day with me - hope it was as good for you as it was for me!



(Rainier doesn't ALWAYS show herself. She gave us a little peep show on the way out...)

My 2nd day snowshoeing was with my Big Bro's lovely wife Andrea - isn't she just absolutely cute and gorgeous all at the same time? She's like an adorable elf. And I should also mention physically capable of anything so I always feel challenged with her...and humbled haha

There was NOOOOO fresh snow. It was like snowshoeing on an ice chest. "Crunch Crunch Crunch" is what our steps sounded like. Followed by the crashes of ice and snow falling off the trees. I felt like I was in a horrible video game trying to escape a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Or like Frogger trying to land on all the lily pads. Except opposite...I guess.




Look at all the ice covering these branches. I loved throwing things at them to knock them all off and liberating the branches. I can tell Andrea is used to my brother because when she missed a REALLY good hit I got she, without hesitation said, "OK, do it again, I'll watch." I have a feeling she says that to my Big Bro a lot when he does his stupid human tricks that he's a little bit too enthusiastic about....

It was getting more and more foggy as we were heading up and realllly errie. Gosh dangit I should of never watched The Mist. That stupid movie was haunting me. It made it even worse hearing the constant crashes of ice and snow falling off the trees. Sounds just like prehistoric creatures coming to get me (if you seen the movie you understand...) Nevertheless, I kept looking over my shoulder just in case!

Here's Miss Andrea - we turned around shortly after this. She was about to be swallowed by The Mist and I couldn't let her die on her birthday - Big Bro would KILL me.

Happy Birthday Andrea - I love our Birthday Traditions!! I'm so stinking happy Big Bro married you - not only did he bond eternally with the love of his life but he provided a lifelong enriching friend for me in you as well. Yup, you can't get rid of me, I'm a lifer ;)

And for the third trip BMount told me he could make me get close and personal with Tatoosh. "No way." I constantly said. But according to him it's completely possible. For me this is big words coming from a man who has tamed a few beasts that common folk refer to as "Peaks" and "Mountains".

He quickly led me off trail (which I was strangely ok with) through the forest, over a stream and into the holy land known as Tatoosh. I was in complete awe as he showed me his different tools and techniques for checking avalanche conditions.

We even ditched the snowshoes and he showed me "kick-steps" to go up the steep mountain side toward one of Tatoosh's saddles. He of course made it look easy, while I of course realized the difficulty behind it when the snow tried to kidnap my legs more than once. It was awesome.

Now mind you when I have my "lunch break" during snowshoeing I sit on my rain coat (which makes my butt numb anyway), drink my cocoa, endure the wind/snow/rain and sometimes chew on an energy bar.

But BMount blew me away by building a shelter, providing a sitting pad and scrumptious food to munch on. Now THIS is good snowshoeing.

Mmm....marinated mozzarella and tomatoes. This is something I enjoy at dinner parties or nice restaurants. But now I can say I enjoyed it at Restaurant BMount.

Thanks Brian for being the best mountain guide EVER. And also for letting me kidnap you for longer than intended and being such a good sport about everything. (Yes, I'm very much the youngest child in my family....)

I love you Parson Brown.

Thanks December

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.