Ragnards!

We ran a ragnar! Richard and I!!  It was so much better and more fun than I thought it could be (and I was already thinking it would be pretty awesome).  A ragnar is pretty much the perfect combination between a team sport and a solo sport.  It combines what I love about running with the support and comraderie of team-mates.  I could be a Ragnar addict.  Consider me a ragnard for life!

For those of you unfamiliar with this awesome race, a Ragnar is a 196 mile relay footrace completed by teams of either 6 or 12 people.  It takes about 24 hours of continuous running.  In a team of 12, each person has three individual legs of running. There is a lot of sweat, some tears, sleeplessness, lots of laughs, endless powerbars, and a euphoria that I was not expecting.  THis particular Ragnar was titled "the Northwest Passage" and starts near the Peace Arch at the Canadian border and ends up on Whidby Island (in the San Juan Islands).

 Richard was especially stoked at the end.  I think he had proven something to himself throughout this race and began to consider himself as a real competitor.

 THis was Richard's first handoff.  Instead of a baton, we had a slap bracelet.  I ended up with it because I was the 12th competitor on our team and the runner who officially crossed the finish line.  That slap bracelet was pretty grimy and deservedly so.

 Even though there is about 8-9 hours in between running segments, there is so much to look at and enjoy.  I saw parts of this state that I had never seen before.

The bridge in this picture is Deception Pass

  These are pictures of our van!  I designed most of it.  The stick figures are pretty accurate representations of our team to be honest.  Richard is the tall one in the middle with his arms outstretched in victory.  He was probably listening to Braveheart when I drew that.  Our team was sponsored by Fresh Consulting and was composed primarily of Fresh Consulting employees (Richard being one of them) and their spouses.

 I particularly like the graphic of "Kills" that I printed on the van in red.  When you pass another runner, it is considered a "kill."  It is highly motivational.  At one exchange, while waiting for my turn to run, I started yelling "I want to kill people, I want to kill people!"  It is really good that everyone there understood context.

 Richard was always there with support when I needed him-- handing me waters or cliff blocks (large gummis that were surprisingly hard to chew quickly (thus the face)).

 Nearing the end of my 8.9 mile run (my middle run), some of my team mates came out to give me some good support.  I ran way faster than I had trained for or anticipated (under 8 minute miles the whole time).  I have never been on a running team before like this, and it was like powerade to the soul!

There were all these safety procedures we had to follow, including wearing reflective vests as well as headlamps or some kind of light so that cars could see us.  My runs were scheduled at around 8 pm, 6:30 am, and 3:30 pm.  I got to wear all the gear for my first two runs.

 Even though most people expect to be absolutely sleepless the whole time, there are at least a few hours for each team to TRY to catch some sleep in between running sessions.  The location was a local high school gymnasium.  It was actually pretty quiet and zenlike.  There were hundreds of sleeping bodies on the floor.  It was just fun to be there.  And to shower in a high school gym.  I don't think I ever showered in my own high school gym when I was in high school.

 It was a really great experience for both Richard and I.  WE considered it like a really long date, only without privacy.  It is surprisingly romantic to cheer on your spouse.  At one point, during one of Richard's runs, I leaned out the window and screamed "THATS MY HUSBAND!!!!"   I was so proud of him.

Another great thing about running a Ragnar is that you burn a ton of calories, so when you get a chance for a meal like this, you take it!  Yum.  We went to the "Knead and Feed" for breakfast after my 9 miler.

Last run of the day for everyone on my team, and it all fell down to me.  I was feeling AWESOME.  I didn't expect that.  Pessimism works because life is almost ALWAYS better than I picture it to be.

 I have to give a shout out to my friend Melinda (center) who agreed to be our team mate with just 36 hours notice.  We still needed one last team mate, so less than two days prior to the start of the race I called Melinda to see if she was interested.  In 5 minutes she was signed up and ready.  Who does that!?  She was awesome, and I think the both of us want to do another team next year!

Our Fresh Consulting team:
Richard Rose, Rachael Rose, Steve Hulet, Melinda Workman, Sean Patterson, Melanie Hallburg, Chad Hallburg, Michael Wiggins, Suzanne Wiggins, Jeff Dance, and Kari Dance.

My only regret is that we didn't see the other team much.  We are all just so cool, its a shame we didn't see each other more.  But on behalf of my team of 6 (Steve, Sean, Chad, Melanie, Richard and I)-- we had a blast and made lasting friendships, and the ones that already existed were made even stronger.

Wahoo!!

4th of July

Happy Fourth of July!  This was the best July 4th I have had in a long time.  And it was the first time in 4 years I have actually seen the fireworks! Last year was a bust because we were just coming home from the hospital with Benjamin, but rather than make me happy that I had a beautiful new son, I was melancholy that I was going to be missing the fireworks and all the BBQs we had been invited to.  I know, I know...I have a serious "fear of missing out" issue.

But this year, we had great fun as a family!  We went to Snoqualmie with some friends and joined in on a community celebration that was awesome.  Free bounce houses and free food.  It was like a scene from "the Sandlot."  All the families were decked out in red, white, and blue.  Kids were riding bicycles and John Mellencamp was blaring from the soundspeakers.  It was awesome!

Anna was especially excited about the food: snow cones and cotton candy.  She didn't need a pony ride and she didn't need most of the bounce houses, but she did need pink cotton candy and a rainbow snow cone.  How can you say no to that face?

She often gets what she wants when Richard is around...

And he didn't mind helping her eat her stash one bit!

Later on we went to a BBQ at a friends house and had a great time.  Sunny days, good BBQ, kids laughing on green lawn, and the promise of a date later on with my husband to see the fireworks.  Life was really, really good.  Richard and I went to downtown Bellevue and arrived just as the first fireworks were starting. We sat down with our popcorn and stared at the sky for the next 20 minutes. 

When I was little my mom would always make a huge batch of popcorn along with Red Vines and M&Ms and bring it down to the park with our family to wait in the stifling heat for the fireworks while families all around us lit their little sparklers.  I have always loved and will continue to love the Fourth of July!

Benjamin turns 1

Birthdays are big in our house.  We love to celebrate and birthdays are the best celebration of all, because it celebrates us!  So we were pretty excited when Benjamin turned 1.  Not excited in an "I'm going to spend 100 hours making a fondant birthday cake in the theme of Noahs ark", but excited to celebrate this boy who has been such a blessing to our family.  Growing up for me, the birthday morning always set the tone for the rest of the day.  My mom would decorate with crepe paper and balloons and she would have a few presents set out for me as well as my favorite breakfast cereal (the good sugary kind).  So I wanted Benjamin to have a similarly good experience right from the start. This is what our kitchen looked like at 11:00 pm the night before his birthday.

 This is what Benjamin looked like as he viewed his presents for the first time.

 These are my "kids" playing with Benjamin's new toys. Anna was very good at "helping" Benjamin play with his toys.

 Because Benjamin was born on July 3, we decided to turn it into a Fourth of July BBQ of sorts and invited some of our favorite people over.  That is the best part about birthdays-- good people and good food!

The theme of the party was a smiley face!  This is truly the essence of Benjamin.  I considered all sorts of themes-- owls, trees, animals, rainbows...but a smiley face said everything I feel about my little boy, and what everyone says about him.  He is just a happy guy!

So that made the cake really easy. 

Benjamin was a champ when it came to eating it.  He is a man after my own heart.

After ascertaining that the cake and ice cream was indeed good, he started shoving whole mouthfuls in!

and occasionally he used a spoon...you know, because he practices good etiquette ;)

and finally he lifted the plate in triumph of eating the entire thing

although he was still licking the crumbs from his high chair until I finally took him away.  This is my beautiful boy.  My happy guy.

Benjamin got a mid birthday party bath.  Wipes just wouldn't have cut it here.

Newly bathed, Benjamin was still an impeccable host.  

Here are some current stats about Benjamin:

He has 8 teeth.
He is 27 lbs 6 oz.
He is 33 inches long.
He is in the 95 percentile in everything (including general awesomeness)
He doesn't fit into many 12 mo. clothes anymore
He loves bananas, blueberries, strawberries, PB sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, refried beans, split pea soup.  Basically, if its food, he eats it and loves it.  He eats like an adult.  He almost doesn't fit his high chair.
He is just pulling up to standing.
He is more interested in turning the pages of a book than the story.  He likes hinges and opening and closing doors.
Two things have made Benjamin cry (outside of falling on his head and screaming in rage for his food to be delivered to him faster): blowing up a balloon and blowing bubbles.
He loves to have songs sung to him, especially "the wheels on the bus" "B-I-N-G-O" and "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands"
He rubs his feet together and rubs his hands over his tummy when he is really excited.
He has had at least one offer of adoption from a 7 year old girl!

We love Benjamin so much.  Because he is so good natured, he often doesn't get a lot of the attention (we have a squeakier wheel in the family) so it was nice to spend a day that was all about him!