Nos. 1 - 10

After last year's record 84 books read, I'm not sure what to expect from 2020. Last year was different, with helping Mom and Eryn move and prep their homes for sale/rent. But I'm going to just keep reading/listening as my time allows and see what happens! We'll see if it was just a fluke :)

No. 1 - The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson:

The first book was way better. It ended with a good cliffhanger that never really got that great in the second book. The third in the series hasn't yet been released. But I'm already on the wait list.

No. 2 - Owl be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews:

I've read others in this "cozy mystery" series. They're entertaining enough but not that great. There are other authors I prefer.

No. 3 - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson:

Speak was a powerful story about teenage sexual assault. The audio version included an interview with the author. I highly recommend this one.

No. 4 - The Pint of No Return by Ellie Alexander:

No. 5 - Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woods:

No. 6 - The Prey by Allison Brennan: 

No. 7 - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling:

No. 8 - Naturally Tan by Tan France:

I really enjoyed this insight into the Queer Eye star. His story is fascinating and complex.

No. 9 - House Arrest by K.A. Holt:

No. 10 - Beyond a Reasonable Stout by Ellie Alexander:

2020 is off to a great start for reading! 📘😀

CONGRATS, JEN!

And... ANOTHER CE2 grad before the end of the semester!

Congrats, Jen!!!! We're so proud of you ❤

Congrats, Ed-Anna and Maritza!!!!!

Our CE2 students are on a roll!

Congrats, Ed-Anna and Maritza!!! We're so proud of you 💓

Turkeython (11/28/19)

At the last minute, Mom and Eryn decided to continue family tradition and do a Thanksgiving-morning fun run. We chose the Turkeython since it's close to home (Cook Park in Tigard), and Uberthons always puts on a good event.

My training schedule called for 8 miles, so I left early and ran to the park, did the 5K, and then ran extra home. Brad also had a long run on his schedule so opted to skip the race and instead meet us in the park during his run.  

It was another cold but sunny and dry day - good for late-fall long runs!

Eryn crossing the line:

And Mom:

The crew!

Mom and Eryn brought a warm jacket for me to wear before and after the race, since I arrived on foot.

Uberthons always does a nice job. Some local LDS young people staffed the course and were very encouraging and helpful. We all got mini pies at the end!

I intentionally took the race very slow and easy, especially after running fast the night before at the Turkey Trot Relay. I official time was 34:20, an 11:03 average. My overall average for my entire 8.07 miles was 11:05! Nice and even - just what I wanted 🙌

My easy-run race was still good for 212/459 overall and 92/250 in females, 33/65 in age group, and 16/38 in age/gender. Family fun runs are good for that 😂

Turkey Trot (11/27/19)

When friends ask if you want to run a free relay, the answer is always "yes" 🎉

Tina and Kevin had extra entries to the Hood to Coast Turkey Trot the night before Thanksgiving. I'd always been interested in this race, which zooms through the Christmas-light display at Portland International Raceway.

Expecting horrible traffic the night before Thanksgiving, we left Tigard super early to get to north Portland. Surprisingly, it didn't take too long to reach Delta Park, so we grabbed some dinner at Shari's. Wednesday is free pie night, so we also had to eat pie. Perfect pre-race fuel! 😁

We drove across the freeway to PIR and arrived about the same time as Tina and Kevin. Check-in was easy, and we all ended up with arms full of goodies, including shirts, mugs, samples, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pies! SCORE!

None of us had done this relay in the past, so we weren't sure what to expect. The weather was dry (thankfully), but it was really cold and windy. I dressed warmly and brought tons of warm-up clothes to wear in between laps. Since I'm a super-sweaty runner, my biggest fear was freezing between laps. We also brought chairs, blankets, and hot chocolate. We set up a little basecamp of sorts near the start/finish line. I wish we had photos! It ended up working well.

It's a four-person relay where each runs two laps around the race track - just under 2 miles each. We ran Tina, Kevin, Liz, and Brad as the anchor.

The first lap was crowded, but by the time it was my turn, traffic was lighter and I could pick my line - until I reached the junction where the 5K joined the relay course. It's the prettiest part of the course, and many were stopping to take photos in the light tunnel. Still, it wasn't too hard to get through. The track is flat, and with the cold weather, I ran faster than I expected, finishing the first lap at an 8:09 average.

The start/finish was a bit unorganized, and finding our runner for the handoffs was the hardest part.

I bundled up and waited for my turn to come again.

By the time it my second and final lap came up, the 5K walkers were mostly done and the fast relay teams were done. The track was pretty empty, especially on the dark back side.

I took the second lap a bit slower, wanting to enjoy the lights a bit instead of just zooming past. The east wind was whipping for the home stretch, adding to the challenge. I finished with an 8:31 average.

The added bonus was seeing a bunch of my running buddies right in that final stretch! We shared greetings as I ran past.

Thankfully, Brad ran fast so we could finish and go home before turning into popsicles!

Happy, satisfied racers:

I had a blast doing this race! I'm very glad it was cold and not wet. If it had been raining, maybe we could have brought a popup tent for shelter??

Team Turkey Chasers finished in 2:05:55 and took 26th place overall with an 8:08 average. We were 2/5 in our Mixed Masters division! YIPPEE!

I would definitely consider doing this race again!

Thanks for the entries, Tina and Kevin 😊

Mount Rainier NP: Burroughs Mountain solo hike

One of my goals for this year is to get back to blogging. We have so many fun adventures that I want to share and also get down so I can remember :)

A highlight of my summer was our August trip to Mount Rainier.

Brad got on a Mazamas club climb on Little Tahoma, a peak within Mount Rainier National Park, adjacent to the big mountain.

We decided to take a little extra time and camp in the park the night before the climb. I would explore on my own while he was out on the club climb, and then he would join me after for another night in the campground.

We borrowed Mom's teardrop trailer (thanks, Mom!!!) and found a spot in the White River campground. With camp all set up, we checked out the view from the river.

The next morning, I drove Brad to meet his climbing team at the ranger station. Being up there saved many hours of early, early driving! Then I headed back to the campground to begin my solo adventure. I was a bit nervous about my first big solo hike, but I was prepared and excited!

My friend, Tim J., had recently posted about hiking Burroughs Mountains at Rainier National Park. I researched the trails and decided I'd give it a try. But trip reports were inconsistent, and there's a web of area trails, so I wasn't sure exactly what route to take.

I started up, up, up the Wonderland Trail (right from our campground) to Sunrise Visitor Center.

I stopped and asked the ranger on duty about Third Burroughs Mountain. I'd read about it online, but the official national park literature only listed First and Second Burroughs. The ranger acknowledged it but wouldn't really talk about it - seemed like a secret she wasn't supposed to tell me about. She just told me to make sure and stay on marked trails to avoid stepping on the sensitive meadows.

I set off on my way, using the Earthmate app on my phone, along with the paper map from the national park.

I continued on the Wonderland Trail until Sunrise Camp and then cut over to the Burroughs Mountains trails.

I was alone on the trip up the Wonderland Trail. But the Sunrise area is really popular, and I was around some people for much of the hike up Burroughs. The only bad part of the day was when I reached Second Burroughs at the same time as a HUGE group of young people in BYU shirts. I remember counting about 30 people. Several were sitting in a rock shelter and blasting John Denver tunes on their bluetooth speaker. They were also feeding the squirrels - a big no-no. It really ruined my summit experience and put me in a bad mood.

Still, the view was gorgeous!

I decided to head toward Third Burroughs and see if the group kept going or turned back. Fortunately, they did not follow!

I could see the clear trail to Third Burroughs, and since it was tundra, it was easy to follow. Also, there were others on the trail, but most didn't continue past Second Burroughs.

Clear trail:

Still some snow patches in August:

The Rainier Summit from my Third Burroughs summit:

The glaciers were amazing:

That's Little Tahoma, where Brad was supposed to be climbing:

The view 😍

After soaking in the view, I returned to the Burroughs Mountain Trail, this time taking a right for my return trip on the Glacier Basin Trail:

I was alone again on this portion of the trip, seeing just three other people on this trail. I did see some marmots, though! (can you see the little one to his left in the rock crack?)

I hit the Glacier Basin intersection and turned left for the final stretch back to the campground. See the clouds coming in?

In all, I covered 14 miles and a ton of elevation. I also did it all by myself. I felt so great - so proud of my accomplishment.

I took the rest of the evening easy, making yummy dinner to refuel my body and hanging out in camp - again, by myself. I slept alone in the little trailer, satisfied by a day of hard work and beautiful payoff!

The predicted rain and thunderstorm arrived, but I was snug as a bug in my cozy bed! Brad and his climbing team were camping high on the mountain. 😲

I drove to the ranger station in the morning to check for messages from Brad. He had spent the night watching the lightning and rain from his tent. The team leaders (him included) decided to skip the summit and return to their cars. They reached the trail head shortly after I arrived. Good timing!

Brad was disappointed to not make the summit, but he said the stormy camping was fun!

The next day, we hiked together up the Wonderland Trail to the Sunrise Visitor Center. The clouds covered the mountain (it's right behind us):

The climbing team made a good call to turn back. Safety first!

😊