Take a Hike!

It's that time of year again where Yosemite begs to be hiked.  This year it was a trip for just us girls. 

We decided on the well traveled route up the mist trail and then on to Little Yosemite Valley.  

The weather couldn't have been any better, and our moods matched it.  

The familiar sights from the bridge never get old.  

The roar of the river in the spring always demands respect. 

The steep trail and steeper granite walls seem to go on forever.

The $3 rain ponchos we picked up last minute were super classy but totally effective

She may have been the only one without a parka in the middle of a thunderstorm on the last hike, but this girl will not come parka-less again!

While I may only stand 5'4" tall, I'm still convinced the builder of these stairs was a giant.

I will never pass up a rainbow without trying in vain to catch the beauty of it through a lens.

I will always be amazed at how a massive body of water can just drop off into the air and regroup at the  bottom seemingly stronger and more powerful than before.

I always have to fight the urge at the top of Vernal Falls to just sprawl out on the rocks like a lizard and soak up the sights and the sun.

By the time I reach the top of Nevada Falls I'm always ready to be done with all those rocky stairs

So much so that this trip, I totally forgot that there were, of course, more stairs beyond the bridge...ugh!!

You can never go wrong with a lunch spot by the river in Lower Yosemite Vally in the company of some your favorite people

When it was time to hit the stairs again I was reminded that while it may be faster going down, it is just as brutal.

The sun peaking through the tree tops at Happy Isles was a welcome site.  We were ready to rest our feet and looking forward to our traditional Mexican food stop in Oakhurst.  Another day well spent in this beautiful place with awesome people is in the books! 

Sign Me Up!!!!

My friend Julie just told me this was coming to Fresno. How can you possibly say no to an event that is marketed this way?  It isn't about the running.  It definitely isn't about speed. It is about smiling and laughing.  This run is for fun people.  If you are are not fun, well then maybe this run isn't for you.  For everyone else out there, register now and I'll see you there Sept 29th! 

About

When Zoloft and balloon animals can't seem to raise your spirits, the best way to brighten your life is to run Color Me Rad 5K. 

Historically, running has only been acceptable when trying to escape the law, personal responsibility, the truth, and grizzly bears. 

Instead of running FROM something, get ready to run FOR something at this year’s Color Me Rad.  Run for the Heck of it.
Color Me Rad is coming to a town near you with a tsunami of color that'll make colored tears of joy run down your cheeks and will renew your will to live.

After 5K of color bombardment, we guarantee your outlook will be brighter, your boyfriend will be more affectionate, your girlfriend will be less needy, the hair on your head will grow back and the hair on your back will fall out, your black and white TV will turn into 720p HD (I know you were hoping for 1080, but we organize races, we're not miracle workers), and your gray outlook will turn green like a spring morning.

You’ll start off with a shirt as pure and white as your grandpa's dentures and you'll soak up enough color while running to change your skin tone forever.  You'll wind up looking like a pack of skittles – just make sure not to “taste the rainbow.”

So cast your DYE and get red in the face from Color Me Rad, and not from the embarrassment of passing up on the run of a lifetime.

How it works:

Start out as clean as a newborn babe, and throughout the run, you'll coat your chaffing thighs with blue, green, pink, purple, and yellow until your face, shirt, and body come out silkscreened like a tie-dyed hippy on the other side.

Each section of the run adds a new explosion of color to your clean, painter’s palate until you cross the finish line into a final blitzkrieg of color.

See, super fun right?!  Heres what they sent to me 
after I registered my whole family to run in it:

Jen,

Congratulations! You're about to tie-dye a perfectly good white t-shirt. Your mother would be ashamed of you if she could find time to wipe the smile off her face.

You are an official runner of Color Me Rad Fresno on 09/29/12.

You signed up for the 09:00 wave and we suggest showing up about 45 minutes beforehand to stretch out your face muscles (they'll be sore after), maybe your hammies (if you have time), and to practice your dance moves.

This run has my name written all over it! 

The Walk of Shame

My little Drew has the best sense of humor.  He regularly has me cracking up at some quick witted response or snarky comment.  Recently after giving me a hug he pulled back and said "It's about time! I've finally gotten tall enough so that every time I hug you I don't have to have one of those awkward moments where my face ends up in your boobs!"  This last Monday I went in to turn off the lights in the bathroom and found a message he had written on the empty toilet paper roll...I started cracking up!  

 Life with my boys is always entertaining!

Lessons Learned

 This morning Brynne and I set off for a long day of driving for doctor appointments in the bay area.

Brynne begged for me to stop at a McDonalds for some eggs and hash browns. I don't understand why I have such a difficult time resisting this guilty pleasure of a breakfast each and every time I head out on an early morning road trip, but today was no exception...

The appointments were nothing like what I was anticipating, but very informative for me.  

While Brynne used the paper on the hospital bed as a sketch pad, I got a crash course on kidney function complete with diagrams on the other end  of the bed.

After a few hours of meeting with 6 different doctors and my head swimming with medical terminology, we were outta there, and all smiles! 

 We may have even been a little loopy!

Halfway home Brynne needed to use a restroom and we were miles from any civilization.  I decided it was time I taught my daughter the art of roadside relief.   We opened the doors to the front and backseat   to provide a little privacy.  I decided to play it safe and completely remove her shorts and underwear before we discussed the squatting.  When she was done and all cleaned up, her shorts and underwear were nowhere to be found.  I searched the car for nearly 10 minutes wondering how I could have lost them.  And then I considered the strong winds, and realized those babies were GONE!!!! Brynne had on nothing but a t shirt and we were an hour and a half from home.  Being the neat freak that I am, there were no towels, blankets, big brothers t shirts or even a sweatshirt to be found floating around in the car.  If either of us needed to use a restroom before we got home she was going to be going in half naked!  I started cracking up in disbelief.   Not only had her shorts just blown away with her panties inside them, somehow I had never even seen them go, and now we were poised for some potentially super awkward moments!  

 Luckily, we only drove about 200 yards down the road before I spotted a splash of bright pink across the freeway in the center divide.  I couldn't believe our luck! Brynne was spared the exhibitionist experience, and I will ALWAYS think twice before removing anyone's pants on the side of the road! Ah yes, today was full of important life lessons! 

Barely Hangin' On!

I'm making it through this last week of baseball.  Don't get me wrong, I love watching my boys play, but 3-4 nights a week at the ball fields is killing me. I'm ready to take my life back! Three more games this week and then I'm free!!!!

Goodness

Dedicated or just plain dumb, I was finishing a 5 mile run in this ridiculous heat and ran past my moms house. She met me in the street with 32oz of ice cold heaven she'd just bought for me!!! Try telling me my mom isn't the best, I dare you! 

Clarity

So heres the deal... I have lots to update and as usual, tons to say. The only problem is that I cant see very well yet and it makes the writing process a bit frustrating.  Truth is everything is a bit frustrating when you can't see. I can see colors, shapes, and movement, but nothing is clear or crisp.  There are no edges in my world right now, everything just cozies right up and into whatever is next.  Words are shapes that amazingly I can mostly recognize, but not with much certainty.  My counters look clean until I lean an arm into the crumbs of someone's toast.  It's impossible to distinguish between one black shirt and another without pulling it out of my closet for closer inspection. The shoes in my closet are now impossible to find.  Even the conversations around me have taken on a fuzzy quality and I have realized just how much I depend on my eyes to understand what is being said. So for now as the healing process trickles along, I'll do my best to embrace the warm fuzzies, but honestly, I'm ready for some clarity!