Ragnar 2011

I had a blast at Ragnar this year! I wasn't nearly as anxious as last year and the people in my van were fun. I was the second runner which was a total of 13.3 miles (Leg #1: 6.7, Leg #2: 3.0, Leg #3: 3.6), which is one of the shorter legs and probably another reason why I wasn't as nervous or sore.

This picture was taken at our office before we left for Logan.

Our start time was 5:00 a.m.! And it was freezing! These 2 pictures kind of show the 45 degree weather, but the wind was what made it so cold.
This is my first run and yes my eyes are closed. I do not have any good pictures of me running this year. Because of this I came up with 5 Fun Reasons that shows the Ragnar culture and what makes people run this crazy relay.

Fun Reason #1: It's a relay!
Relays are fun because you have people cheering you on during your whole run and you get a burst of excitement at the end of each run because you have finished another leg. The next two pictures are examples of what exchanges look like. There is a slap bracelet that is passed at each exchange before the next runner is sent off.

Fun Reason #2: The beautiful scenery

These pictures don't do it justice, but the views are amazing which always gives motivation while running.

Fun Reason #3: You get to know your vanmates (maybe too well)
As you sit in the van for two days it's hard to decide which bodily need supersedes the others: sleep, hunger, or going to the bathroom. Whichever it is, jokes are constant as you get to know each other.

This picture was taken the last day and you can start to see how worn out we are, ha ha.
Fun Reason #4: The costumes
These 2 pictures are just some of the many. Barrett saw a team where each runner represented different sporting events: one carrying a full surf board, another in a kayak jacket carrying a paddle, and another did all his runs on cross country skis!

Fun Reason #5: The sayings on the cars
(No explanation needed)

Sadly, Barrett did not take any pictures, but I did get a copy of one picture from someone else. Barrett ran the same leg that we did last year so he ran 18.1 miles.

And finally. For those who have run Ragnar, or for those who have time to watch a funny video, you will get a kick out of this: Do you want to run a relay race

Tabernacle Organ

I had the amazing opportunity to attend 4 organ workshops with the Tabernacle organist, Richard Elliott! At the end of the classes he allowed those who had attended all the classes to play the Tabernacle organ. Seriously a once in a lifetime opportunity. People come from all over the world to place the Tabernacle organ! What was even more exciting was that Barrett and I have been preparing a piano/organ duet for church and were able to play it together at the Tabernacle. I wish it was on video for everyone to hear, but the pictures (which are still amazing) will have to do.Our organ class

Playing "All Creatures of Our God and King"
Richard changed the stops for us, making everything sound dramatic and exciting.

He took us on a tour of the pipe chambers after, which is another amazing sight in itself.

Jon Schmidt's dad just happened to take the classes and Jon was able to play the organ there as well. We thought we'd get a picture between the two famous LDS stars.

Haircut

After a few months of long hair, Barrett's hair is now short (much to the happiness of his mom). Because of the increasing comments I decided I would post a picture of the new Barrett.

Update...

I know that I haven't posted for a long time, but there is nothing going on worth posting. However, I know that people like to look at blogs and read a new post even if it is not significant (sorry there are no pictures). So here goes: Barrett has been extremely busy with school the last few weeks so I have lost my hubby to studying. We have been able to go on a few dates though, including ice skating with my sister and brother-in-law and attending a U gymnastics meet last week with our friends Natalie and Robbie. My life has also been busy and stressful with work. But I am on the downhill until our vacation. Yes, we are going to visit my sister in Henderson, Nevada for Barrett's Spring Break and leave in 3 days! Neither of us have ever needed a break more. While I am down in Vegas I plan to make some drastic changes to my blog. There is a lot I want to take off and add around my blog, so look forward to that. Plus we will have tons of pictures from our trip from all the fun stuff we have planned! Here is my update, but it's mostly because I wanted to change my background to something more springy and less snowy, hoping this may scare the snow away until the next winter. Warm weather here we come...

New car!

We bought a car! So here are the pictures for those who have been waiting. It's actually pretty dirty because of the snow earlier this week, but I tried to wipe it down a little, ha ha, which was a funny experience. It's a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. It looks small on the outside but is very roomy on the inside. We were surprisingly not as excited as we thought we would be because all a new car means is more money spent. But we like the car and are excited to drive it!

China Cabinet 2

We filled our china cabinet! The picture kind of makes it look like McDonald's... but it doesn't look this bright in our living room. It was fun to play around with the shapes and colors!

Mount Olympus

Two weeks ago Barrett and I hiked Mount Olympus with Barrett's dad and brother. Barrett hiked it with his dad when he was 11 and I had never hiked it before. We talked about doing it all summer, but ran out of time. So when his dad invited us the night before, we took the chance. To tell you the truth, I was nervous. Barrett said it was a difficult hike, but little did I know how difficult it would be. I am happy I did, but wow it took a lot of mental stamina.

The first three pictures are before the hike.

This is what I looked like from Barrett's point of view. I would not have made it up the mountain without my wonderful husband! He was amazing and kept pushing me. I really think he would have run up the mountain if I hadn't slowed him down. But I'm grateful for him!

Just before the last stretch of the hike there is a beautiful spot called the saddle. We had a short break and took a lot of great pictures.

I thought the lighting in these two pictures Barrett took were beautiful.
WE MADE IT!!

... and it was worth it. The view is breathtaking!

I was excited for the trek down, which Barrett was not excited for, and I quickly found out why. It's just as hard! But close to the end we took pictures by this perfect seat from a fallen tree.

The end! I think we should have taken a picture showing how tired we were. Poor Jeff had blisters on his feet and our bodies were dead. We all had sore legs for a few days... well all except Porter.