Stark Contrast

Last weekends scene:
Pure and refreshing snow (and lots of it), majestic pines, log cabins, the warmth and glow of the wood burning fireplace... It was the weekend of our Squadron Flagstaff trip! We were able to take a little snow time and bundle up and to get a run on the sled or two! Riley even got to experience a sled ride compliments of daddy- who loves to push limits. He wasn't too keen on the cold though and our sledding time was cut short due to cold little chubby legs.


This weekend's scene:

Sun shining, gentle breeze, palm trees whispering, and the aroma of Organic treats lingering in the air... We found a little organic farmers market that's set up every third Saturday of each month! Some of the highlights that will keep me revisiting are of course the local organically grown produce, hand made pasta with amazing flavor explosions (like spinach/basil/garlic and habenaro!), locally made tea, raw honey and whipped spreads-mmmmm, and even a gal who sews baby things (which I totally got ideas from)! It was such a lovely day.. imagine a light stroll around the outdoor complex while listening to soothing jazz in the background, browsing the many vendors displaying whole and natural products and services. Unexpectedly, there were many of the jewelry vendors.. I guess I thought farmers market to be food related. It was better than going to a spa, in my mind!! I almost brought home a new family pet.. but on second thought, I really do love being married to John! We wandered into a wine shop which was doing free organic wine tastings.. I do love me a good glass of wine! And to top off the day at the ol' Farmer's Market, Tiffany got some gorgeous flowers to display for her dinner guests (that's me)!

When Dad's Away...

John and I joke about how he fills my day so full that I feel like I'm gasping for breath just trying to keep up. So when he goes TDY, I pretty much resort to doing just the exact opposite of what John would be doing. I keep my days nice and open and breezy!!! Wake up, maybe go to the gym.. maybe not. But you can bet that sometime in my "free" time is messing with my camera. I tried out some tutorials today. Problem is that I pretty much have the memory capacity of a snail (unless it comes to memorizing song lyrics) and forget what I learned as soon as I go to apply it! I am thinking about signing up for an online course- anyone done that??? I'd love to know if it's worth it. Anyway, my friend Terri asked me to take some engagement shots of her and her fiance! I am totally flattered and excited to play "pro" for a shoot, but that leaves me wanting to check out areas for their photo-friendliness. On the way to Bashas to pick up my Redbox chick flick (Oh ya... chick flick and a glass of wine with strawberries tonight!), I drove past Pebble Creek Golf Course and decided to pull over and snap a few. Since Terri mentioned pictures in the White Tank Mountains, I think this might be a good back up spot to take pictures of the two love-birds.

A little over exposed, but I still think it's cute!

Look at my tooth!!

"Doing my best Bull Dog!"

Obviously not a picture from the golf course, but I just can't get over Riley's new trick!

The New Craze!!

Crossfit.. Ever heard of it? Well 6 months ago I never had! Around here, at least on the base, things are all about Crossfit! It seemed to have started in the pilot gym where WODs (Workout of the day) were written up on the whiteboard and guys would post their times, weights, etc. Then came the new equipment- a new GHS (Glut/Ham Situp) machine, a whole wall length pull-up rack, not to mention the wall being torn down to add another room to the pilot gym. They've opened it up to the rest of the base too and have a Crossfit gym with a certified trainer teaching classes. John jumped on the bandwagon probably right around when I had Riley, then talked me into giving it a whirl around September. Crossfit (check it out here) is a definite butt kicker and it challenges me physically but probably more so mentally! The whole thing can be summed up by understanding that they are functional workouts (you lift in ways that you will use... ex: instead of simply doing tricep presses, you do dips to lift yourself up) which are all tracked objectively- either by time or weight. Because I am not comfortable or unable to do the exact WOD, many times I modify the exercises to fit my ability level. For example, as for pull-ups I'll jump into the pull up and concentrate on the negative on the way down. They do a lot of power lifts- hang cleans, clean and jerk, etc. I do them, but don't do the weight they recommend. Anyway, if you are looking for a fun and dynamic work out regimen give it a shot!

I'll post my results of the workout that I found most challenging but also most rewarding when it was done:

"Murph"
(For time)
1 mile run
100 Pull Ups
200 Push Ups
300 Squats
1 mile run

I completed this in 37min 11sec!!! (Jumping pull ups, knee push ups)
John, of course beat me by like 8 minutes or something stupid like that!

Here Riley's getting into the Crossfit spirit! Bringing him to the gym must be rubbing off on him!!

The Hand that Feeds

OH my gosh- has it REALLY been 6 months already????? Today, Riley was born exactly 6 months ago!! It's funny how agonizingly slow the pregnancy seemed to lumber by as I was expecting and anticipating Riley's birth.... Then once he got here, time has flown by quicker than the F16's screaming by the house!!

What's new? Riley cut his first tooth! I was certain that two months ago he was getting ready to show off his teethy grin since I felt a little nub and saw a spec of white but it was a false alarm and the real thing stayed buried a little longer. These past few weeks, he really hasn't been overly fussy (teething symptom) and I guess the fussiness he has displayed, I chalked it up to our constant motion and dragging Riley everywhere with us... After all, the busyness exhausts me and I'm a fully capable "grown up." So who knows, maybe it was our restless life or the tooth may have been the culprit. I've been holding out to start Riley on solids till now. I guess I figured that he was doing just fine on breast milk and wasn't showing signs of needing anything more, so why? I just started a few days ago and it's really neat just watching his progression day by day. Day 1: clueless, obviously. And today (Day 4) he gets excited when he is in his high chair and starts banging his hands impatiently on the tray. When I bring the food over, not only does his expression scream of eager anticipation but when he sees that spoon fully loaded and headed his way, he perches like a baby bird, mouth WIDE open and awaiting the yummy goodness of home-made rice cereal!


It's kinda funny... I'll admit I was very eager to begin the solid foods- especially after I got to see Brenden (Riley's cousin) going to town on some bananas. But now that I've started, I'm realizing the time commitment and the added inconvenience of trying to feed Riley somewhere other than home. Now I've got to

• Pack the food
• Pack a spoon
• Pack a bib (+ another change of clothes in case it doesn't go well)
• Pack a wash cloth to wipe him down with afterward
  
• Figure out how I'm going to heat it
• Figure out where to put him - cuz I'm NOT bringing the high chair

And the list continues... I guess for now I've just got to get used to it at home and then later maybe I can manage elsewhere. It makes me kinda glad I've waited till now to start solids.. It's fun to watch him practice his new skill but it's a time consuming task on my end!

Rockin' Out!

Back when I was in college, since my major was essentially a P.E. major, I had to take a certain number of electives that were fitness related. I took skiing, racquetball, "how to be an aerobics instructor" but my favorite by far was a rock climbing class I took. We learned the basics in the gym and then took a 2 day "field trip" at the end of the semester to some climbing spots in Ohio. I LOVED IT!! I loved the thrill of clinging to a vertical wall, I loved the climbing community, I just loved it!!! I remember putting climbing shoes at the top of my Christmas list that winter.. My parents probably thought it was a silly fad, and who knows.. maybe it was. Ohio definitely is not know for their recreation and climbing fell into that.

Anyway- last weekend is the first time I've climbed since my college love affair with it. It was John's first time ever! We had a group trip to beautiful Queen Creek where we set up the ropes. Carissa, quite the expert among us, helped us all get strapped in and stay safe! We both took 3 climbs and we ROCKED them!! That wall didn't know what hit it! Out in Queen Creek, I was climbing 5.7s and maybe even a 5.8 (I think that 5.12 is like cliff hanger moves- crazy hard!). I was pretty proud of myself until we went to a climbing gym with our friends Jim and Tiffany... The climbing gym really brought out my humility.

John and Scott

We of course brought Riley. He got a good dose of Arizona! We all took turns keeping an eye on him and he even had a good nap laying in a perfect little bed made up by John and mother nature.

A Super time

The dramatic loss for our Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl has left me speechless for a week... Or I've just been burried in work and finally have a minute. Either way- I am sad that the Card's victory was stolen away in the last 2 minutes of the game.. I was pretty excited for the Kurt Warner victory. Seriously, Kurt Warner has done amazing things for the AZ Pro-football program and he's definitely become one of my all time favorite quarterbacks.. Heck- maybe even all time fav athletes! Not only is he a great athlete, but also a great person and role model! Anyway, enough harping. For the big game day, John REALLY wanted to play some flag football so we found ourselves at our church, helping out with the youth event the church held. Don't you know that they played football before the game and John was a supervisor (which means he got to play as an adult with all the kiddo's).

An intense game of flag football with people half your age... Check.
Then during the game they had these blow up competitions set up, along with 3 huge TV screens, of course. It was fun watching the kids bounce around!


Riley supported the Cardnals too with his Cardinal Red Football jumper!

I just love this picture of Daddy and Riley coolin' off in the back yard.