So that was Christmas

Christmas was a good one this year.  I never thought I would be one of those crazies traveling on Christmas Eve but hence, I was.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Plus being married to Zac we were two hours early and it only took about 30 minutes to get to our gate.  We were safer than sorrier.  We took Jaitz with us and he travels like a champion. We spent Christmas Eve with my family doing our usual traditions and this year I had to cook the steak.  Talk about pressure.  They turned out great and all was well (or medium well)-tee hee hee.  We spent Christmas day with Zac's family and had the usual brunch when all the relatives gather.  It was good and I gained a good five pounds.  LAME!  So we hardly took any pictures but here are the ones we got.

Every year the card table is pulled out with about three puzzles to be accomplished before everyone goes home.  This is me rocking the puzzle and looking like an old lady except for the great fashion sense-sweats and a long sleeve t-shirt. Do old lady's wear that??

Jaitz got his first encounter with snow and cold weather.  He was shivering like a fool when we first took him out.  He absolutely loved the snow though.  He pranced around in it and ate it like the snow was some sort of dog drug.  He kept shivering so I wrapped him up in a blanket and sung him to sleep (just kidding about the singing).

This was on our flight home and I thought it was a pretty picture.  

All in all I was happy to be in Idaho for Christmas. I was also pumped because we FINALLY got a white Christmas (even though it did start to rain Christmas Eve)  I miss my family and had a great time hanging with them while I was there.  Welp, peace out.

Mmmmm Turkey

So Thanksgiving has come and gone just like that!   I was so pumped for it because Zac's mom Peggy and brother Jake got to come down here to AZ for the holiday.  It was REALLY fun and I was so glad we were able to have some family with us.  I also didn't have to worry about screwing up my first Thanksgiving dinner because I had Peggy's help.  It turned out great and I think I have gained 5 pounds over this week.   We were able to see some of the sights here in the Phoenix area and we had a ball.  We got to go to one of my FAVORITE pizza places called Grimaldi's and I ate about my weight so that was good.  I said it was in preparation for the Thanksgiving dinner...I was stretching my stomach.  Anyhoo......

What a bunch of weirdo's.  

I really liked this picture.  Jake had some sort of setting on his camera that only allowed certain colors to show and I thought this one was neat.  Zac's not posing either...he is just deep in thought about how he loves pizza.

We went to the D-backs stadium and ate lunch inside by the field.  That's Jake holding a giant bat.

I'm on top of the world.

Proof. Thats all I'm gonna say.

We also got the chance to tour Zac's job site.  All I can say is how the crap do humans do what we do.  The job site was absolutely INSANE!!!  It is a 280,000 sq ft research facility.  The creepiest part is that they have two floors of 'animal rooms' which is exactly what you think it is.  They are rooms to test animals with stuff.  I kept thinking around every corner there would be a frothing dog with red eyes just waiting.....waiting.

We were also able to go to the Mesa temple which was really nice.  The Christmas lights are all up.  It is weird/different having it be sunny and 75 degrees with Christmas decorations and music being played all over the place.  It's all good though.  I like not having to scrap my car windows every morning.

I got tagged again.

So this tag is all about my spouse.  I won't get too gushy and I am getting to the point.  Enjoy.

p.s.  I think this picture is one of the funniest one's we have.  Look at Zac's eyes.  Holly helped us really make it a gem by blurring the sides.  We were going to use it as our christmas card picture but we figured not everyone would "get" it.

1. Where did you meet your husband?   Don't really know.  I was probably 9 or 10 when we 'met'

2. How long did you date before you got married?   9 months?  We knew each other for a long time so I don't keep track of that crap.

3.  How long have you been married?  4 years

4.  What does he do that surprises you?  Every now and then I wake up to him talking....that's kinda surprising to me.

5.  What is your favorite feature of his?  His creepy and crazy eyes (see above)

6.  What is his best quality?  His goal in life is to make me happy....fat and happy.

7. Does he have a nickname for you?  Lots....Upchuck, Cheech, KJ

8. What is his favorite food?  Cheesy noodle bake 

9. What is his favorite sport?  hmmmmm......Football are you kidding me with these questions?

10.  When and where did you first kiss?  Um...I don't remember when....I think it was before we were married......But it was in his car at night looking over the city of Eagle/Boise/Meridian/Mergal<----thats the dead space between Eagle and Meridian).

11.  What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?  Get Crunk

12. Do you have any children?  No and quit asking me!!!!  

13.  Does he have any hidden talents?  He is a fantastic racket ball player

14.  How old is he?  27 but you say it like- twenty SEFFAN

15.  Who said I love you first?  I did.  He can read minds.

16.  What is his favorite music? Not the radio-Alternative, indie

17.  What do you admire most about him?  He was the homecoming king in high school

18. What is his favorite color?  JET BLACK

19.  Will he read this?  Yes.  He is turning into a blog stalker.

20.  Who do you tag?  Heeeeather, Howlly, and Chelsea because I know you all will have hilarious answers.

Big Time Help

So all of you out there in the blogging world I need some advise.  For my 4th anniversary Zac is going to either take me to The Lion King (broadway style....not DVD style) or Les Miserables.  I can't decide and I want to see both but alas...I must choose.  I am hoping someone out there has seen one or both and can give me any suggestions.  So GO!

My Mom

So I got real lucky and scored a trip to Boise last week.  All I had to do was T-Bone someone when I was twenty years old and have that person take me to court five years later!!  It ended up working out because the dudes doctor ended up testifying against him and he also went bankrupt.  He had to settle and my lawyer said he wouldn't see a penny of it....so free trip!!  Whilst I was in Boise, it happened to be my mom's 52nd....okay 62nd birthday (but she could pass for 52).  It was really fun and everyone was there (except Zac-tear).  She also retired from her job and is living the high life!  If anyone knows my mom you will all know that she is classic and classy.  I hope I can be as kind, thoughtful, helpful, and as generous as her when I  grow up... ;)  Also I hope I can be as beautiful as her. She is a fox!  Check out these pictures to prove me right.

Me and my moms

These are all the grandkids plus Richelle because Paige didn't want to be put down.  

And this gem is my favorite.  Check out the space behind me and my sister.  That is my mom peeking in on our self portrait.  Nice work maw.  We're all a bit creepy and I love it!  I really miss my family and especially my mom since we have moved down here to sunny AZ.  It was really fun to go back for a visit and enjoy the fall weather and the company of my family.  

A Dibble and a Dabble

So I haven't updated my blog for quite sometime.  I don't have anything super fantastic that has happened to me so I decided to go through a few things that I took pictures of this past month or so. 

I did it.  I finally made pogacha all by myself.  Pogacha is a serbian bread that my mom D. makes (as well as Baba-Zac's grandma)  It is a secret family recipe and I finally decided to give it a go.  I think I haven't made it before now because my other oven at our other apartment in Boise would burn EVERYTHING I tried to bake.  I had to turn the sucker down to 150 degrees and bake something for an hour so it was always sketchy.  I took pictures to prove I did it.  They turned out great!!!

I have no life.

This little fella was on the celling in our condo.  Yep.  I pretty much wanted to cry.  The scorpions have been running rampant.  Our neighbors have all found them in their places too and a dog next door got stung.  I hate those things.  Zac caught this one in a cup and put it down the drain with the garbage disposal on. :)

This little gem was too priceless to not put on my blog.  A couple weeks ago Zac and I went back to Idaho for a visit.  My buddy's got my camera and took a bunch of self portraits and someone snapped this of Kristen Levendusky.  I'm sorry Lester....it had to be shared with the blogging world.

This was too precious (say it like Gallum) not to put up.  This was on a lazy Sunday after church.  We are always hanging out at home now that we don't have family and family dinners.  It is nice but I miss having somewhere to be or options.  Plus I have.....I mean GET to cook Sunday dinners which has been kinda fun!  They don't taste as good as when you cook them though and I can't quite figure out how to make gravy like my maw.  Update......complete.

I did it!

For the past about eight or nine months I have been training for a triathlon. I have had this goal for quite some time but I had never got enough gumption to do it (mostly because I had never swam competitively and I didn't have a road bike). Once I made the decision I was pretty much religious about training regularly. It helps when you don't have a job and don't have many friends where you live. Last Saturday, August 30th I competed in the Lake Las Vegas Triathlon. It was a lot of fun and I am so glad I did it!! The course was set in a REALLY nice part of Henderson, Nevada (right outside of Las Vegas) in a resort/ritzy neighborhood/location. The course I ran, which was a sprint triathlon, was a 500 meter swim, 10.6 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run. Here is me signing in-

The swim was interesting because I had only open water swam once before this. I tend to swim to the right instead of in a straight line which made me go a little off course. Its pretty crazy to be swimming with 30 others and getting kicked in the face, flailing into other peoples stroke and almost running into the next wave of swimmers. I swam it in 11:39. Next was the transition to the bike which was really crazy. I had to make sure I had everything (helmet, water, race number, shoes, socks) and what not before jumping on my bike. The bike course was not what I was use to. We started out on a hill that just kept getting steeper and steeper (kinda hard when you don't have any momentum leading into it). Once at the top of the hill it is an extremely fast and scary ride down. I got going 35 mph and people were passing me and I was passing others. One dude biffed it at the bottom and got pretty messed up. Then it was another grueling hill climb (traffic was still allowed on the streets too), and another shot down a hill. It was pretty intense being so close to other bikers who would weave for no reason and all of the sudden slam on their breaks. Then we road a moderate incline back to the transition area and repeated for 3 full laps. I did it in 44:08.

The run was pretty hard too.  There aren't very many hills here in Scottsdale so I never had the chance to train on them.  The run when back into the desert and we had to run on two HUGE and steep hills.  There was only a handful of people running around me during this part of the race.  Most everyone walked up the hills.  I am proud to say I never walked!!  Once we made it out of the desert it was a slight run downhill to the finish at the Ritz Carleton.  The finish line was way out of sight so  I never really kicked into my higher gear because I thought I still had a ways to go.  It kinda bummed me out because I was saving some energy for the last 1/2 mile.  So I came around the corner and there was the finish and i wasn't even that exhausted!  I think it was because I trained so long and regularly.  But boy were my calves sore from all those hills!  I finished the run in 28:05.  I feel like I could have easily shaved 2 or 3 minutes off of my run...but crap, I finished!  And I did have the fastest run in my division which I didn't think was possible.  Here is a pic of me and my boys at the finish line--

Here are the results in my age group.  I came in 6th with a time of 1:26:57!!  I came in 92nd out of all the men and women in the race which was about 230 people.

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  25 - 29

Place Name                     City                    Sta   Swim    Trans#1     Bike     Trans#2     Run     Time  

1 EMILY WILLIAMS           HENDERSON  NV        14:38    1:18   37:18    1:16   28:15 1:22:44  

2 SARAH RINGER                LAS VEGAS  NV           10:56    2:07   39:35    0:46   30:31 1:23:54  

3 LETA ROSE                        HENDERSON  NM      9:44    1:08   43:19    1:17   29:59 1:25:26    

4 KEIRA WALLAND             HENDERSON  NV      9:55    2:04   42:30    1:55   29:56 1:26:19   

5 AMBER RAMIREZ             LAS VEGAS  NV         12:10    1:17   40:51    1:28   31:01 1:26:45 

6 KRISTEN D.                 SCOTTSDALE AZ    11:39    2:19   44:08    0:48   28:05  1:26:57  

7 MICHELLE O'BRIEN       HENDERSON  NV    11:33    2:04   43:19    1:10   30:21 1:28:25    

8 BRITTANY POLLOCK      LAS VEGAS  NV    10:55    1:44   43:08    0:23   34:14 1:30:23    

9 JENNIFER KALE             LAS VEGAS  NV    11:03    3:17   44:25    2:07   30:39 1:31:30   

10 REGAN STOKES            LAS VEGAS  NV    14:10    1:58   42:29    0:58   32:24 1:31:58   

11 KATRINA DORTON         LEHI       UT    12:57    3:06   44:57    2:08   29:48 1:32:55   

12 AMANDA MAPES         LAS VEGAS  NV    11:58    3:16   41:22    2:13   34:40 1:33:27   

13 JENNIFER SIMMS       LAS VEGAS  NV    11:17    2:03   43:33    1:25   38:15 1:36:32   

14 LINDSAY BAUER         HENDERSON  NV    14:04    2:45   46:13    2:00   33:31 1:38:32   

15 LISA SKIFTON              LAS VEGAS  NV    13:00    3:21   42:35    2:50   38:05 1:39:49   

16 KELLY OLMSTEAD      LAS VEGAS  NV    12:45    2:07   43:32    0:48   42:00 1:41:10   

17 ELISA ARNOLD           LAS VEGAS  NV    12:41    2:13   51:59    1:32   33:29 1:41:53   

18 HEATHER CROCKET SALT LAKE  UT    13:59    1:19   45:12    1:46   40:58 1:43:12   

19 FRANCESCA BACA    HENDERSON  NV    15:01    1:03   52:50    0:50   36:23 1:46:06   

20 JOELLEN GIANI        LAS VEGAS  NV    14:16    2:35   51:47    1:26   36:51 1:46:54   

21 ANNE NICKSICK        LAS VEGAS  NV    16:16    2:02   57:20    1:40   37:31 1:54:48    

22 KRISTIN HUBBARD  HENDERSON  NV    18:06    3:47   49:25    4:18   39:59 1:55:33    

23 SHANNON RICHARD HENDERSON  NV   11:34    3:54 1:00:04    1:31   39:07 1:56:09   

24 NATALIE MONSEN    LAS VEGAS  NV    13:50    2:03 1:01:16    0:53   48:36 2:06:37 

So since we were in Vegas and I had never been...we have to do the Vegas thing which for a Mormon consists of people watching, eating, riding the New York, New York roller coaster, watching a Cirque De Sole show, and playing penny slots (I lost 50 cents). We also saw the fountains at the Bellagio (Saweet). So Zac and I went to get some lunch after the race and we left Jaitz in the hotel room. We roped him off in a section of the room so he wouldn't have free reign to chew on stuff. So when we got back from lunch and I came in the hotel room and called for him thinking he'd be in his section of the room...this is what I saw....

Somehow he got on the bed and I have no idea how. He can't even jump up onto our small couch yet and this thing was WAY off the ground. He is a magician.

This is Zac and me at the Bellagio waiting for the fountains and stuff.

You guessed it...the fountains!! All in all it was fantastic and I am so glad I did it! I have to thank my one and only Zac for being there to cheer me along. Thank you for coming with me and spending all this money on me and caring so much for me. You made me feel like I was the best one out there. I love you. This is the longest post of my life....