Turning 30

As you may know, I turned 30 this year! I wanted a memorable way to mark the occasion. My sister being the amazing photographer that she is helped me put together this amazing smash cake birthday shoot! Who says smash …

Race Recap: Pacific Crest Half Marathon

I had such a great weekend in Sunriver, Oregon. As many of you remember the half marathon I had planned for Memorial Day weekend was canceled. As one of my goals for the year is to finish 4 half marathons, …

See Jane Run Half Marathon

I was really sad when my half marathon memorial day weekend was canceled. I had trained so hard and was so excited to do back to back half marathons. thankfully I had already signed up for the See Jane Run …

Monte Rio and Jenner

A Couple weekends ago, I went to meet my parents on the Sonoma Coast. They came up to do the Monte Rio Olympic distance triathlon. I drove out Saturday night after my shift. The drive was dark but was beautiful …

Ready for Ragnar SoCal

This will be my third Ragnar So Cal! I’m so excited this year I am on the Ragnaliens team! My dad has been on it every year while my mom and I have been part of team tough chik. This year we are all on the same team.

This week has been all about packing and getting my stuff ready for the race. So here I am about a week early with everything I need. I added some fun stuff too!  As we are the Ragnaliens I had to find some glowing, alienish stuff to bring and wear, plus all the normal Ragnar essentials!

Here is my packing list:

Clothes for each leg in a separate bag:
Shirt, shorts, socks, sports bra, skirt, and calf sleeves
Plus shoes

Clothes for between legs:
Strapless dress for changing
Leggings
Sweatpants
Sandals
Comfy sports bra

Night gear:
Vest
Headlight
Taillight
Extra fun lights
Wonder woman onesie

Sleeping gear:
Hammock
Blanket
Socks
Pillow

Electronics:
Garmin
Chargers: phone, garmins, car charger
Phone
Ipad

Random:
Water bottle
Nuun
Fruit snacks
Food
Fun alien stuff
Momentum bracelets
Road Id
Chicks that bracelet

I think that is it, but if you want more tips and tricks from my previous Ragnar experiences  you can check out my other posts. Ragnar Napa Valley  Ragnar Relay SoCal

 

Overcoming Obstacles

In life as in running there are many obstacles that get in our way. We have to push through, climb over, crawl under, and run fast to conquer this obstacles and beat the odds. Many times the obstacles never get …

Surf city half marathon

*This picture was from our first surf city half marathon! Many of you know that around 5 years ago I ran a half marathon. Before that I never thought of myself as a runner. I barely trained for that race …

Lassen Peak Hike

Since I moved here in April, I have wanted to hike Lassen Peak. Right now the peak hike is only open certain weekends because they are doing construction on the path. My friend Sam and I decided we were going to hike the peak the weekend in October that it was open.

Suddenly the weekend was upon us and we were finally able to hike the peak! We arrived around 10am so we would have time to hike the whole thing slowly and hangout after. The hike to the peak is only about 2.5 miles long and it goes from 8,000 ft elevation to 10,500 ft elevation. So in 2.5 miles you hike 2,500 ft up. We didn’t realize how steep that would be until we were hiking.

This hike was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be. The elevation made it really hard on our lungs and the steepness made it really hard on our legs. I love hiking with Sam because we can both complain and be real when we are exhausted and wanting to die.

Finally we made it to the peak. It was beautiful up there! We could see so far and there was snow at the top. We really enjoyed the hike and the reward of our packed lunches at the top.

After our beautiful hike, we did a small walk to lake. At the lake we hung our hammocks and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

It was such a perfect day! I can’t wait for the next day we can get out and enjoy the Lord’s beauty!

 

 

 

Surprising my sister

My sister Sera is currently in Hungary. I am so jealous. I always want to be traveling.

Before she left she flew down to California for a week to spend time with my parents and to meet up with friends. What she didn’t know was that I bought a plane ticket down to Orange County so that I could surprise her and see her before she went to Europe. I only have 3 days off (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday), so I got off work early Saturday and drove down to San Francisco to catch an early morning flight to Orange County.

My flight was delayed out of San Francisco (like all of my united flights through SF) and I arrived a few hours later than planned. My mom thankfully was able to keep the surprise. When they pulled up to the curb and saw me she jumped out of the car and ran across the airport to me! It was like a movie where they run across the airport in an emotional embrace.

My cousins, sister, and I

We were so excited to be together and have some time to hang out. The three days passed so quickly it was crazy! She had already made plans for a lot of things but we were still able to have some time together. It was nice for to be able to take a few days and just hangout with my family. I got to see my aunt, uncle, and cousins, and my grandma. I was really excited to hangout with my dog as well.

I got to meet up with my very pregnant friend Ali too!

The trip was over so soon and Tuesday I had to head back to the airport for my flight back to San Francisco. Unfortunately it was delayed a few hours as well and I didn’t end up back in SF until almost midnight. Thankfully my friend Rockii was able to switch me shifts and I didn’t have to work the next day until 1115 so I got some sleep before my 4 hour drive back home.

My cute Doggie who I miss so much!

All in all it was a great time visiting and surprising my sister made the exhaustion worth it!

Martha’s Wedding- North Carolina

I know this blog is a little late but I have very little internet at my new home.

I was so excited to be a part of my good friend Martha’s wedding in North Carolina. While I was in New Zealand she sent me a letter asking me to be a bridesmaid and I excitedly accepted! Martha and I went to High School together in Southern California. We have been able to stay in touch with the wonders of technology. She started dating Ryan around 5 years ago and I have been praying for their relationship ever since. I never met him but they way that he affected her made me so happy.

Dresses

As I was getting ready for their wedding I was so excited to finally get to visit her in North Carolina and to meet Ryan in person. She had asked us to pick out our own dresses and sent us a fabric swatch with the color she wanted. I was so excited to be able to pick a dress that I wanted and would wear again. As I searched for dresses I decided I would just make one. I looked at a lot of different patterns and finally decided on an infinity dress. I found a few patterns on Pinterest and merged them to make the dress I wanted. It was perfect. After making my dress I sent a picture to Martha who got excited and decided that we should all have that dress. I told her I would make them for the other girls and got searching for fabric. Sadly I was unable to find the same color fabric as the day approached but I found a great solution in another color and dyed one darker. It was perfect.

My New Suitcase (will do a review on it later)

As I packed and got ready to go I continued to get excited. I also made plans to visit a fellow Tough Chik while I was there and was eager to meet Rebecca face to face. It’s amazing how the Tough Chik family is connected everywhere we go. Monday morning I left early to catch my plane to Raleigh with a layover in San Francisco. The first flight was good and soon I was in the terminal in San Francisco. We quickly found out that our flight was going to be delayed about an hour. I was sad to have to sit in the airport for longer but I went and walked around and got something to eat. While I was waiting I constantly checked the screens for an updated time for our flight. It changed a few more times as we were delayed even longer. Finally I went and sat where I could see the screens and started to watch a movie on Netflix.

Oh the things you see in Airports

Finally it was our flight time after 3 hours of delays. As I walked to the gate I noticed everyone was just standing around. We ended up waiting another hour and a half for the crew to get there. After what seemed like an eternity we were finally able to board the plane and take off. On the flight I sat across the aisle from this guy who immediately noticed my Ragnar jacket and started a conversation. The flight went quickly to him and his friend about Ragnar, running, and other races. I found out he was going to be running Boston the next week.

Finally I was on the ground and I got to see Martha waiting for me. We headed straight to her house and to bed. The plan for the next day was to sleep in and then hangout and run some errands. It was a beautiful day and she gave us a little driving tour of Raleigh. There really is not much in Raleigh.

We stopped to pick up some cupcakes to try 🙂

The next day was Wednesday. I woke up early and went for a 3.5 mile run from her house. It was so beautiful and it felt so good to get out in the open air. When I returned Ryan was there picking up the rest of the stuff for the wedding. After a quick shower, all the bridesmaids headed to the mall to get our nails done. It was so fun being girls together and just hanging out.

On my run

After our nails Martha and her mom headed to the airport to pick up her dad while Ashley, Carmen, and I headed to Ryan’s parents house (the wedding site) so I could rehearse the song I was singing for the wedding.

Ready for rehearsal

After a few run throughs of the song, we walked around and saw all the things ready for the wedding. Once Martha and her parents arrived we were ready for the rehearsal. The rehearsal was beautiful and it excited us even more for the wedding the next day. The rehearsal dinner was at this amazing restaurant where they cook it right in front of you. That night Martha and all us bridesmaids stayed in a nice hotel near her house. We were all so tired we basically just went to sleep.

Flower Girls

At Dinner flaming onions

The next morning we ate breakfast in the hotel and then headed to the wedding site to get ready. Getting ready was crazy as we did our makeup and got our hair done. It was full of laughs and tears and joy. When the flowers arrived we realized that the bouquets were nothing close to what Martha wanted so we took them all apart and redid them. I was so thankful that I had worked in a flower shop and actually knew something about arranging flowers. They turned out beautiful and we were so excited that it could be fixed.

Makeup

Hair

Bridesmaids checking on everything

Fixing Bouquets

Ready to put on our dresses

Martha with a flower girl

Martha was a beautiful bride

Finally the time came for the wedding. Martha look beautiful in her dress and we were so excited to share this day with her. We walked down the aisle, listened to the vows and watched the first kiss. The song for Communion went great and all was great, Aside from the flower girls being a little crazy. It’s amazing how as soon as the wedding starts all the details are forgotten and the bride and groom are really all that matter. Once the wedding was over we started on the pictures. After a million different pictures we finally headed to the reception.

When I get more pictures I will do a post with some official pictures! 🙂

As I said the wedding was held at Ryan’s parent’s house. The ceremony was next to their house in front of this massive rock. The Reception was held in the backyard in a huge tent they rented for the day. The ten was amazing and had heaters in side to keep it from being too cold. They even rented a Portable Toilet. This was not a portapottie it was like a trailer that had the bathroom inside. It even had music playing and full flush toilets. It was amazing.

The reception was fun. We danced, and took pictures, and waited for the bouquet to be tossed. The food was amazing and we were so excited to wave them off with sparklers as they left for their honeymoon. It was an exhausting night coordinating and making sure everything was perfect for Martha and Ryan but it was so worth it to see her so happy.

Carmen and I at the Reception

Sparklers

Martha surprised with an awesome car to leave in

The next day my fellow Tough Chik and friend Rebecca came to hangout. We drove around Raleigh and walked around the mall. It was so great to meet her in person and to hangout. It’s amazing how quickly we clicked and it felt like we had known each other forever! I seriously love my Tough Chik sisters.

Friday night we went to a Good Friday Service at a friend’s church. It was a great time of seeking the Lord and remembering what Jesus did on that cross for us. I knew I was going to spend my Easter on a plan so it was great to enjoy Good Friday.

Saturday I took Martha’s family to the airport and went to explore Raleigh for myself. I went to a cemetery, ate a cupcake, and just enjoyed time on my own. I knew that I was moving in a few days and I wanted to enjoy some time just sitting and taking everything in. It was a beautiful day.

I love cemeteries!

Sunday I got up early and Ryan’s parents took me to the airport for my 6:30am flight. It was beautiful watching the sunrise from the airport window and I looked forward to all that was awaiting me on my return to California.

In San Fran again

I am so happy for Martha and Ryan and can’t wait to see all that the Lord has in store for them. It’s always excited to see friends get married. In high school Martha always swore that she would be the last of us to get married but I guess I have her beat!