Maximal Gonadal Capacity...and Tie Dye

This weekend we went to

Historic Haywood Field

IN

Eugene, OR
to watch this:

David's sprint coach in high school used to call him "maximal gonadal capacity". I think this nickname applied to a lot of the athletes we saw. They are so talented. Even the guy in last place who is getting his butt kicked is amazing. Last year we went to the Olympic Trials in Eugene and some of the same athletes, (Galan Rupp, for any of you track fans), were racing at the meet this weekend, so I felt like I was at least familiar with some of the names. And then I did have David coaching me on who was who. One of the great things about track meets in Eugene is that track is huge here and the fans know the athletes. I on the other hand just cheered for the few runners I did know and then spent the rest of the time cheering for any athlete from BYU.
Here are just a few pictures of the races:




It was a great weekend and it motivated David to get back into running like he used to and motivated me to attempt to make myself run faster. I think I go the same speed whether I am running 3 miles or 15.

While in Eugene we did a few other things. We stopped by the Saturday market and saw way too much tie dye. If you live anywhere else in the country, you probably thought tie dye was laid to rest years ago, but in Oregon it is a thriving market.

Tie Dye Toilet Paper

David asked the guy selling this fine item if the coloring would come off on your butt. That's definitely something to consider before purchasing.

Tie Dye Underwear and everything else you could imagine that could be tie dyed.

I'm not sure if you can even distinguish the underwear since all the articles blend together, but if you look really closely, some one so lovingly tie dyed this underwear.

On Friday and Saturday we also visited Alton Baker Park which has great running trails, so we walked and ran through this park and enjoyed it's beauty.

Willamette River

It was a great weekend. And, I'm sure we will see more of Eugene over the next few years while living in Portland.

Running and THE SLING SHOT...

This weekend David was off the entire weekend plus Monday. Now, this is a rarity, so we had to soak it up. I am in training for a half marathon so on Saturdays I generally do my long runs. David decided to come with me to this awesome running trail in NW Portland. I was introduced to this trail last fall by a friend and it is the BEST trail. It is a twenty-two mile out and back trial that is marked every quarter mile. You climb the first 6 miles or so, but while climbing you can think about how in just an hour or two you get to go downhill those last 6 miles. It's great motivation. Sometimes I do 3 miles and feel like crap, and then other days like Saturday, I do 16 miles and feel great. I wish every run felt that good.
We then went downtown to the water front to enjoy some of the Memorial Day festivities. There was a carnival and the Saturday Market was open. So, we just wandered around while David critiqued "portlanders".



Just one of the many interesting things to see in Portland.

Portland Riverfront

David debating if he wants to get his palm read...









Sunday at church there was a man there that I had not seen before. Now, our ward is pretty small, so new people stick out like a sore thumb. I told David to make sure to talk to this guy. David talked with him during Elders Quorum and found out this guy owns a carnival ride and was just in town for the Memorial Day Carnival on the riverfront. Lucky for us, he invited us to come down there and told us he would hook us up.

Monday morning we went for another great run on a trail that David learned about that he thought I would love. It was another great run and then we just hung out stretching and reading by the trail head for awhile. We then headed downtown to the carnival to find this ride. We found the ride and realized the Sling Shot ride cost $50 for two people. A little bit more than I was expecting to spend at a small carnival, but, lucky for us, Barney from church remembered us, and since he owns the ride, he let us ride for free. Not once, but twice. When we got on there we had no idea what to expect. The ride shoots you up into the air about 240 feet and then flips you over as you come down the first time, then you just kind of fling up and down a couple more times. The first part of the ride I just screamed and screamed. I must have said, "Oh, my gosh" at least 30 times. Then I could not stop laughing. David couldn't tell if I was crying or laughing. It was hilarious. I would highly recommend this ride to anyone. It was the best location for this ride since each time we came back down we were facing the river and it was beautiful. David thought it was better than skydiving. I don't know if I completely agree with him, but it was definitely fun. We forgot our camera so we didn't get any photos, but you can check out the ride on this site below:

THE SLING SHOT


After the sling shot ride we were positioned right next to the canons and they were prepping for the Canon Salute and the jets to fly overhead so we hung out a bit longer to watch this. When the canons were going off, all I could think of was how grateful I am for those who fight for our freedom. I enjoy peace and quiet so the noise from the canons was really unsettling. It made me think of those who serve our country and who endure so much that we might have our freedoms and live in a land that has peace. I wanted to go up and hug each one of those soldiers after it was all done. I really do not know how they do it.

Southern CA..... We miss you!

CA Trip

Last week we took a vacation together to Southern CA and then David spent a few days in AZ with his family and I spent a few days with my sister, Ambie and brother-in-law Jon in Ventura, CA. Our trip was planned to meet up with David's parents and brother in San Diego for a dive trip, but we figured since we would be so close to Colton, that we should stop by there to see friends. David was able to fly out two days earlier then me, so he was able to see quite a few friends and co-workers. My whole plan was to fly into Ontario so I could go to Colton and visit with people at least for one day, but the plans didn't work out. I'm not saying I'm sad I missed "seeing" Colton, I'm just sad I missed seeing people that were a big part of my life while living there. Someday....
While in CA we got to see so some of our good friends and family that met us down there. We were only in the Riverside/Corona area for a day but were able to meet up with a few friends that lived in the area. Jackie and JB were some of our good friends that we hung out with a lot. Jackie got me hooked on doing long races. I had no idea I would love training for half marathons and marathons. Now I just wished I lived closer to her so we could run together.
We stayed with our friends Jeff and Shauna, and then went down to Coronado Island the next day. The island is beautiful and the houses were awesome. I selected a few of the houses that I could settle with if we ever lived in the area. David and I just need to stop shopping, sell our condos and everything else we own and then pick up a couple more jobs, then by the age of 80 we might be able to afford something there.
David's parents and his brother Randall came to town that night and we prepped for our dive trip the next morning. I had never gone diving in cold water before so I was a little worried about how it would be, but the worrying only lasted so long. By about 15 minutes into the boat ride to the dive site, I was already distracted by my motion sickness. You would think after years of getting motion sick that I would remember that I need to take dramamine. Needless to say, the cold water didn't bother me at all and I didn't even think about it. I was too busy puking off the side of the boat for 3 hours. David and everyone else on the boat were able to dive and they had a great time. They did two dives at the same site, the Ruby-E in shipwreck alley. David did decide though that he would probably wouldn't pay to dive San Diego again. It was his second time diving here and he said the water is too cold and the visibility isn't great. Plus, when you have dove in places like this
Sea of Cortez, San Carlos, Mexico

AND this


Apo Reef, Pandan Island, Philippines

You get really spoiled and enjoy WARM, crystal clear water.

The next day some of our friends from LLU, Vince and Amber, came down to visit along with Amber and Jon. We went to Coronado Island because we loved it so much the first time and none of them had ever been there. Plus, there was a great candy store that we wanted to visit again so David could get some peanut butter fudge, his favorite combo.
We just hung out at the beach and walked around downtown Coronado.
Then the next day I headed up to Ventura with Amber and Jon and David headed back to Mesa with his family.
It was a short trip for me, but a well worth it trip. We both needed a vacation and we have really missed our friends from CA and of course we always miss our families, so it was great to get to see a bunch of them all in one week. Thanks everyone who let us crash at their place, drove us around and came to visit us. We had so much fun.

Condo for Rent

Our condo in Colton, CA is coming up for rent at the end of June. If anyone knows someone that would be interested, please send them our way.

Condo Info:
Upstairs unit
1 Bdrm/1 Bth
In-unit washer/dryer
Balcony
Dishwasher/Refridgerator/Stove
Condo updated within last two years. New flooring, bthrm vanity and kitchen countertops.

Have them call me or email me.

Colton Condo

Track Meets and Classical Music

Friday night David came home and asked if I wanted to go to a high school track meet. Any one that knew me in high school would know that I did not EVER run. I was on the track team my freshman year, mainly because the whole dance squad decided to do it. And, let's just say, I only made it to a few track meets. At one track meet, Gina Lower did get first place in the 100 m dash, but that was not one of the track meets I attended. David on the other hand has loved to run since high school. He ran in high school and college and was actually really good. To give you an idea of how good he was, a couple of months ago he decided that he wanted to go to the track near our house and see how fast he could run a mile. Since residency and fellowship, he has not had much time to run, so I know he was just testing how well his 32 year old body has kept up. He came home from his trial run and was a little bummed. The poor guy had only run the mile in about 5 minutes. I don't know about any of you, but that is about my half mile time. I picked up running in college and actually run more now than he does, but I still don't even come close to beating him. So, when he suggested the track meet I was definitely up for it.
Of course there were the star athletes that rocked. But, my favorite runner of the night was this little, and I mean really little kid. He did not look like he could be old enough to be out of sixth grade. Here he was on the same track with these huge, at least in comparison, guys. He started out pretty strong and seemed like he might be able to keep up. Then after the first 200 m he started to falter. I just wanted to scream and cheer him on as he passed by on his second lap. Unfortunately he came in a last and I mean not just by a little bit, but by at least 200 m. I was proud of him though. Can you imagine being the last one running while everyone else is done and everyone is just watching YOU and only YOU. Props to him.

We also had a chance this weekend to attend the 2009 Young Artists Concert. This kind man at church had picked up several tickets from a classical music radio station and gave David and I tickets. I thought it would be a fun thing to go out to since we never go to classical music concerts, BUT now I remember why. I wish I were a bit more cultured, but as much as I am impressed by the talent and think the music is beautiful, I CAN NOT sit still for that long when there are no words to at least sing a long with. David is even worse then me. After the third performance, David politely excused himself from the concert hall. I kept myself planted until intermission when I thought it would be a bit more discrete. By the way, we were sitting right next to my Bishop and his wife who LOVE classical music.