Mt Baldy ~ Eagle River

We were looking for an easy new hike we haven't done yet.  SO we settled on Mt. Baldy.  It was listed as easy and only 1.5 miles each way... I guess that would be if I didn't misled my family and we end up bushwacking our way up the side of the mountain.  It was very steep.  The boys were troopers though....  Jarrett, what a dad, he hauled Eli all the way up and back.  I think it is just good training for sheep season!  Next time Jarrett better read the directions.

Love and directionally challenged,

What the Hail??

Crazy ~  I think the skies are angry!  We just got 1 1/2 inches of  marble size hail in ten minutes.  I love the thunder and lightening.  We don't get a lot of storms of this nature up here.  It was a treat.

Love and hope no dents in the car,

Gold Cord LakeLuke

We hiked up to Gold Cord Lake.  It was beautiful.  The trail has been improved and the boys loved it.   Luke asked if we could hike this 1,000 more times.  We call this our secret lake.

It even snowed a little.  

Jarrett, Caleb &  Luke are all in this picture.  Can you find them?  It's like Where's Wald0?

Luke is acting like a red stag for his photo!  That kid has a great imagination.

Half Marathon ~ Am I to stubborn for my own good?

So way back in January my friend Jolene convinced me we could run a half marathon.  I took the bait, it went well with my new year's resolution and signed up.  So that was about as much preparation  as I put into this event.  I mean I trained for the Gold Nugget Tri and I ran with my buddy Autumn but I kind of forgot about the 1/2 marathon.  

Then Jolene got a better offer to go to SF and dropped the 1/2 marathon...yeah I was a little bitter :)  How could she get out of it.... she had a great excuse but still.  SO what was I to do???  Well then Autumn stepped and said she would run it with me.  So we set up a training schedule and totally ignored it!  Then we went on vacation, my mom left so no one to watch the kids while I trained..... you get the idea, I had a lot of excuses.

So we come home from vacation on Wed and Thurs Autumn calls and asks if we are still on for the 1/2 marathon.  NO  I didn't want to do it,  Jarrett wasn't home so no one to watch the kids.  Aren't kids the greatest excuse to get you out of whatever you feel like bailing on???? But I digress, so I tell Autumn if I can find a sitter I will do it.  So I call Stacey, thinking she would be busy and not able to watch the kids and guess what..... yeah, she could watch them....... so I call Autumn back and tell her we are on.  Okay we are on???  she asks.  Yeah aren't we???? I ask.  We are both trying to call the others bluff so we won't have to go through with this torture session but neither of us will give in.  WOW we are stubborn.  Mind you I have never really ran over 5 miles, once I ran 7 only because we got lost.  So I am really hoping she will bail. 

I pickup our bibs on Friday then Saturday rolls around, Stacey shows up ( I was hoping she wouldn't) so the bluff still stands and I go over to Autumn's.  She is ready, we jump in her truck and head to the race.  It was kind of raining..... no not enough of an excuse to bail.  We discuss strategies to run/walk as necessary as to not cause any permanent damage.

So the race starts the adrenaline begins to flow, we are weaving through the crowd and the next thing I know it has been 8 miles and we are high-fiving because I have never run this far.  I feel good the weather has cleared and I roll the idea around that I could actually run this whole thing.  Autumn is great support and a great running partner.  So we make it to 11 miles where it hurts and it would be so easy to stop, but we don't let each other.  Long of the short we make it, I tear up at the end proud to have completed  challenge.  There would be pictures but we didn't tell anyone we were running do to fear of failure!  

All I can say if thanks so much to my girls who helped me accomplish a goal!!  It felt great, I look forward to the next one... If I remember.

Love and sore muscles,

Sikta Part II ~ Tom Young's Cabin

Sheldon and Meggan set up a great camping trip for all of us after their wedding.  We took their new  boat out to a cabin to stay a few days.    The cabin couldn't have been more picturesque.  On an island with a white sand beach, hot springs right around the corner, tide pools, and a net & buoy playground.  

As we arrived at the cabin there was a note from the wife of the man who the cabin was built to memorialize.  It simple said that they were there on Memorial Day and their dog had run away and would not return.  The dog had been on the island for an extend time and would not come to any one.  Apparently this cabin is used almost everyday and there is no shortage of food for "Anchor" the dog.    So the challenge was to try and catch Anchor.  Caleb was playing catch with him and Heather had him eating out of her lap but he was still elusive.  Anyway he was very healthy and still sported his harness and collar.  I found the most interesting part was that his master had died  very close to that area in a storm.  

The last night we stayed Anchor proved himself very valuable as he alerted us with his barks that there was a brown bear right outside the door.  You never sleep quite as soundly after you find out there is a bear just outside!

I had great time at the hot springs, once "Meggan the Wonderful" ( wow did Sheldon really score!) fixed the water for the hot springs.    The tide pools were great with small fish, crayfish, small crabs, hermit crabs, star fish, and so much more.  Super cool!!

If you ever get a chance to go to Sitka don't pass it up,

Love and cool cabins,

SItka ~ Sheldon & Meggan's Wedding

We were fortunate enough to head down to Sitka to attend our friends wedding in Sitka.  Sitka is a very beautiful Southeast town.  Sheldon and Meggan got married on a boat out in the bay, it was a beautifully unique wedding.  We got to stay at a beautiful chalet, where most of the social happenings occurred.  I really appreciated how even though it was Sheldon and Meggan's wedding the put forth such effort to make sure all their guest had the best experience possible.  Thanks for  a great time !!!  I think the Eli wooed the photographer (Tyrone) to take more pictures of him than the bride.  What a couple of hams!!

Love and wedded bliss,