Hood to Coast

We did it!  We had a great time running Hood to Coast this weekend, or am I just forgetting how painful it was?. . .  probably a little of both.   We had such a great time participating in the race that they call the "Mother of all Relays."  Our race started out with the great spearheading efforts of both Bob and Lynsey and the gracious support of the entire Portland-based Kehrli family! Thanks so much guys for making this possible for us. The race itself was 200 miles long and went from Mount Hood to the Oregon Coast, Seaside to be exact.  This was the 30th running of the race and the hottest in years from what we hear.

The entire team (from the left, Melissa, Jeff, Mike, Lynsey, Bob, Elizabeth, James, Julianne, Lauren, Catherine, me, and Chris)

Our team consisted of 12 people split between two vans.  I feel like we didn't get to see much of van two, but that is the nature of this race, I guess.  I feel like I know each of my fellow van one participants (read, "fellow sufferers") very well now.  We have been through something together that was pretty awesome.  

Meet Van 1:

Mikey

Chris

Lynsey

Me

Bob

Elizabeth

The Start: The start was at the base of Mount Hood.  Mikey started us off with a brutal downhill leg while we all enjoyed the gorgeous views around us.  It was truly breathtaking and the energy from all the teams was palpable. 

From Start to Finish: The in-between consisted of running (duh), lots o' sweat, getting naked in parking lots, hyping ourselves up for our next leg, ingesting as many gel energy cubes as we could stand, getting gated in a public park (that could have spelled disaster), cheering each other on, drying out our reflective vests out the car windows, and lots of laughs, Advil, and maybe a little bengay. :)

Finishing leg one.  It was hot and long and I was happy to be done!

Getting naked in the parking lot.  Mass applications of deodorant were made.

Getting ready for our night run in downtown Portland.

Could not help but include this picture because his face looks like how we all felt ("I have to run again in an hour")

Getting our whole two hours of sleep.

Waiting to start my final leg.

A hug for Lynsey as she finished her part of the race.  So cool that we got to share this together.

The Finish:

Elizabeth finished van one's last leg like a champ and we made our way to the coast with hugs, huge smiles and perhaps slightly sore legs.  We stuffed our faces with the first unhealthy food that we could find and made our way to the after party at the beach.  While we could not stay long at the party, it was still cool to see all the teams and to hear the roar of thousands as they lifted their beers in a group toast. 

Yes, there are people like our neighbor who has done 25 adventure races or the lady who ran up the stairs at the Boise airport taking them two at a time after running her 17th Hood to Coast race, but Chris and I walked our tired legs happily up to the escalator and stood proudly because we had done something this cool together.  Our team finished in the top quarter of all finishers.  While my times in no way contributed to that finish, I still think it is pretty good for a rookie team. This really is one of the coolest things that I have done in a long time.  It was awesome to be able to do it with such a great, supportive group of people around me.  Congrats to the No exSCUses team and to all other who ran this race with us, it was awesome!

 

Spiedel Wedding In Sun Valley

This weekend we went to Sun Valley for the wedding of one of my most long standing friends, Micheal Spiedel.  Michael and I go back to the third grade if you can believe it.  It was so wonderful to be able to see someone whom I have known for so long tie the knot to the love of his life, Sara.  The ceremony was wonderful with a mix of Jewish, Catholic and Lutheran traditions.  These two certainly chart their own path and no doubt have a wonderful life of many new adventures together in front of them. I did a terrible job taking photos at the wedding because I only got one and it did not even include the beautiful bride! 

There are certain people who define certain eras in your life.  For me, my high school years were in large part defined by these boys (now men).  Michael and Ty were two of my very best friends.  I recognize that it was a little weird to have two guys as such good friends, but it didn't really matter to me. Besides them tutoring me through pre-calc (Ty) and U.S. History (Michael), we also talked nightly and had a host of teenage adventures as the perfect group of three. We all went our separate ways for college, but have all moved back to Boise and have reunited. Michael was the last of the three of us to get married and I can happily say that each of Michael and Ty's wives are as wonderful as they are.  Now there is a perfect 3 and 3 balance of ladies v. men.  Let the new chapter of adventures begin.

Chris and I took on our 24 hours up in Sun Valley with as much gusto as we could.  I had not been to Sun Valley in probably 15 years and Chris had never been so it was fun to see a new place together.  Aside from enjoying the wedding and all the festivities that come along with it, we had a nice run and took a hike up Bald Mountain (the Sun Valley Ski Resort). The views of Ketchum and the surrounding Sawtooth Mountains were amazing.   I can see why so many celebrities flock to Sun Valley, it sure is a gorgeous place.

 

Remembering Buffie

There are some people who seem like they will live forever, invisible to our human mortality.  Buffie, Chris' grandma, was one of those people.  She was full of life at age 94 and smart as a whip. Just a few months ago we were playing golf with her and joking about Kim and Eric's youthful escapades. We were all a little shocked to hear of Buffie's passing last week.  Even though she was 94 and had recently gone through hip replacement surgery, it seemed unbelievable that she'd passed on. Once the shock wore off, Chris and I both realized that Buffie's funeral really would be a celebration of a life incredibly well lived.  And that is what we did this weekend, we celebrated a woman who has so many traits that I hope find their way into our children one day.

Buffie was born at only three pounds.  Without all of the fancy medical equipment that we have today, the hospital literally wrapped her in blankets and put her in the oven to keep her warm.  This beginning no doubt helped make Buffie into the incredibly independent and tenacious woman that we all knew.  I admittedly was a little scared to meet Buffie the first time because whenever her name was mentioned people sat up and took notice.  There was something unspoken about Buffie that made me realize that not only was she incredibly important to the family, she was a fixture in the community in Walla Walla. She did not have an overbearing personality, but she did carry with her a quiet confidence and grace that made everyone take notice.  She was fiercely loyal and put nothing above her children.  She overcame her fair share of life's challenges and triumphed through it all becoming a successful business woman and the head of her own household.

After reminscing about Buffie this weekend, it dawned on me how much of Buffie Christopher has in him.  She was an artist from a very young age, she had a love for golf and natural athletic ability, she never dominated a conversation but often had the one comment that could get a laugh out of everyone, she made up her mind about what she wanted and was comfortable in making decisions even if she knew not everyone would be happy with them, she loved the outdoors, she loved dogs, and her legs could have doubled for those of a supermodel (I often find myself in awe of the length of Chris' legs)... I could go on and on.  It is clear that Buffie not only had a big effect on our extended family and her community, she is in my husband and had a profound effect on who he became as a man.

I am not fearful that Buffie will ever be forgotten because just as people have done in the past, I am sure that they will sit up and take notice whenever Buffie's name is mentioned in the future and I am sure it will be mentioned often. We are both so grateful to have had such an incredible woman in our family.  Her legacy will no doubt survive beyond the years that she walked this earth.   We love you Buffie, you will always be remembered.

5 Years

We escaped to McCall last weekend for a little pre-anniversary getaway.  Chris had a work conference in Texas on our actual anniversary so we celebrated 5 years of marriage last weekend.  It was a perfect weekend away.  There is just something about the mountain air that takes your mind off any other worries.  I slept in and was treated to a delicious breakfast both days, which included the obligatory orange rolls and bacon of course.  

We went for a hike on Saturday to Boulder Lake. It sprinkled a little on our hike but nothing more than a little refreshing sprinkle. We hiked around the lake and spent some time fishing.  The official fish count was me:2 and Chris:3, but I caught the first one, which I am pretty sure irritated Chris just a little bit given my not so refined casting techniques (I hooked Bella once if that tells you anything).  The fish were just little babies, but it still felt good to catch the first fish of the summer.

Most impressive on the hike was Bella. Who knew that a curly haired, half poodle, could be such a mountain dog?  She was hopping over huge fallen trees, running across other tree limbs that acted as bridges, and jumping from boulder to boulder. The best was when we reached an open meadow and she just starting running circles like I have never seen before.  She was crazy.  By the end of the hike she was wearing a nice pair of mud boots and was as happy as could be.

 

Below are pictures taken at the cabin in McCall.  The first is from the summer of 2001 and the second is from the summer of 2011.  I love this man. I don't know how I got lucky enough to end up with him.