Embracing Mother Nature

Last weekend we embarked on camping trip #2 of our married career... and camping trip #3 of my entire lifetime. Between my junior and senior years as an undergraduate, I went with a group of friends in Tennessee... was it Fall Creek Falls? I can't remember, but I will forever remember this as the camping trip where the guys were throwing rocks at raccoons that were attempting to invade our campsite, we got lost on our day-hike, and I hoped it didn't rain. Here we are somewhere in the middle of our hike, smiling and probably unaware that we weren't quite hiking in a direction that would get us back to our campsite before sundown...
By the time we hit a road, we knew we had taken the wrong turn somewhere. I believe at least a few of us had to hitchhike back, if not all of us.
More recently, Nate and I have discovered a quiet park north of town that feels quite secluded from the big city. We've been there twice in the last six weeks, and both times it rained on us, but this past weekend, it poured. Nevertheless, the indestructible Nate managed to keep our fire going both during and after a lake formed around our campsite. As far as I could see, we were the only campers who had a campfire after it stopped raining. Booyah!

Here is our healthy fire from our first excursion.
It was perfect for s'mores and hot dogs, which made our tummies ache.
So this time around, we switched to grilled chicken and potatoes. YUM!
This photo below was taken from the shelter of our tent during a downpour.
I was just emerging from the tent when I took this photo. Do not be deceived by the seemingly put-out fire. It's still burning, and we were able to stoke and enjoy it for several more hours.This last adventure was fun but sleepless, as we chose to forego using an air mattress (what were we thinking) and mother nature was having an all-night party, including two hoot owls having an extended conversation near our tent, and a shrieking donkey on the other side of the park. But that's the beauty of the great outdoors. I still vote for bringing our air mattress for the next outing...

Happy Earth Day!

Today I brought 3 trees home from work.

You heard me right: I brought three trees home from work.

I know we live in a condo and have no personal yard space, but they were giving them away, what can I say?

We now have 1 Overcup Oak Tree:

And 2 Loblolly Pines:

(The above photo is actually the Eisenhower Tree in Augusta, GA.)


But these trees are just wee ones, growing on our back porch:

Home sweet home

Now that I've recovered from my business trips, and the sun has reappeared, I can resume blogging.

Up until Monday, the last shred of sunlight that I saw was in DC, a week earlier on Sunday (unless you count being above the clouds in an airplane). The remainder of my time in DC and then in Dallas was cloudy, dreary, rainy, and cold. Houston greeted me on Friday with several more days of rain. But the good news is that the rain brings spectacular weather behind it. We have been enjoying buckets of sunlight and perfect temps this week. And that makes me happy :)
On Friday evening we ventured out in the cold and wetness to the Rodeo. Despite the chill, we had a great time. Since our tickets were donated to us, we didn't have much of a choice in the concert performer that evening, who happened to be Clint Black. I wasn't expecting much out of his performance but I was pleasantly surprised. He is a great entertainer and I couldn't help but be reminded of high school days, as most of his songs he performed were popular at that time. Ain't it funny how a melody can bring back the memories? Clint is great on the harmonica and even the drums, and his saxophone player knows how to sing. A fun mixup for one of the tunes.

Aside from the concert performance are all of the rodeo events. Nate likes to watch the steer wrestling. "Big boys," he always says. From my viewpoint, you have this large cowboy on a horse, chasing after a calf-- and then he jumps down from the horse and tackles the calf and ties him up. To me it's a little distressing to watch even though I know no harm is being done. I think the calf scramble is the most entertaining. Take about 40 kids and 20 calves and let everyone run loose in the arena, and the kids who can drag a calf into the middle get a certificate to own and raise a calf to be shown at the next year's rodeo. It's amusing, for instance, to see kids being dragged around by calves while holding tightly to their tails. What a fun show!

Did you know that brown chickens lay brown eggs and white chickens lay white eggs, and that there is no nutritional difference between the two kinds of eggs? The only reason why brown eggs are more expensive is because it costs more to feed the heavier brown chickens! It is always fun to watch chicks hatching from their eggs. If you have enough patience, you can actually stick around to see a chick create a hole and break out of its shell, and then emerge in a suit of slime. So amazing!

Lakehouse

Last weekend we drove up to meet Jessica and Jeff at Lake Cypress Springs (E of Dallas) for a weekend getaway at a lakehouse. We were surprised upon our arrival at its size and rustic charm. The living room had a wall of windows from floor to ceiling looking out onto the water. Here is a photo from the back of the house.
Here I am standing on the back deck shortly after we arrived. The weather was beautiful all weekend.
Most of the weekend was spent relaxing and reading, but we did fit in some hiking and exploring, and some games, including Boggle and Cranium. Can you guess this Cranium sculpture? *See the answer at the bottom of this post.

I also learned how to play pool. And how to send balls flying off the table. And how to set a world record in the number of shots it takes to get one of my balls in a hole. pocket? is there correct terminology for that? Here is the rest of the gang showing me how it's done.
We also managed to eat alot. I mean, if you are with the Aherns, could you expect anything less? We grilled some burgers the first night we were there, as well as some potatoes. Big man eats potato:
This is at Lake Bob Sandlin, the siamese twin of Lake Cypress Springs. We found some dump stations here, punctured our football, and tried to knock down a dead tree. I also consumed almost an entire bag of Doritoes while we were hiking there. Oh, and the boys threw rocks into the lake.On the back porch before we departed. It was sad to say goodbye to dear friends and a fun weekend.Cheyenne was glad to see us. She immediately destroyed a pinecone I brought home for her:

The Peeks were also in town last weekend and we were able to squeeze in dinner with them the night before before we left town.
* umbilical cord (duh!)

Weekend Highlights

This morning at church we were reminded to be always thankful to God for his awesome creation (Psalm 8). I am always struck with awe at the vast amounts of water that the ocean holds, and what lies beneath. We were able to enjoy an afternoon at Surfside Beach on Saturday with the sand between our toes.


In other news, Nate and I annihilated an entire chicken this afternoon (see scraps below). I love the fact that we can unashamedly eat like barbarians- grunting, using our hands, food flying through the air, and with food particles all over our face and in our hair*-- and that we try never to waste a morsel of food. That is the very reason why we were meant to be together.


*I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea

January Wrap-up

January went by in a flash-- It was certainly a great way to start 2009.

Since transitioning from student life to work life, I have really been relishing the weekends. It's so nice to be out of school and not have the pressure of feeling like I should be studying or working on my thesis. Every "fun" thing I ever did on the weekends made me feel guilty and even more stressed. Now, at 5 pm on Fridays, I can kick back, relax, and enjoy the weekend with a clear conscience!

We had a jam-packed weekend which started out with a marriage conference by Paul Tripp on Friday night and Saturday morning. After the conclusion of the conference, Nate and I went to Schlotzskys for lunch, so that we could use some coupons we had picked up at the Marathon Expo a couple weeks back. The coupons were enough to confuse the cashier so much that she gave us our lunches for free! We took our food over to Eleanor Tinsley Park where we had a great view of the Houston skyline. The weather could not have been more perfect this weekend. This weekend was one in particular where I wouldn't have traded being anywhere but here.

After lunch we browsed around at the 1/4 priced bookstore--- Nate looked like a googly-eyed kid in a candy store. The privately owned store gets all of its books from local Houstonians (unlike stores like Half Price Books which uses a distribution company) and carries an extensive selection of books that far exceeds the usual used book store, as well as rare and out of print material.

Later in the evening we headed out to Pearland to meet up with some friends for dinner. Pearland Town Center was enough to turn me into a googly-eyed kid myself and I am already planning my return for a day of shopping.
Today after the church fellowship luncheon we returned to Eleanor Tinsley Park with our books and spent the afternoon reading on a blanket while basking in the sun. The weather was just too nice to pass up being outdoors. We took a walk along the trails before heading home. I learned that Nate's brisk walking pace is equivalent to my jogging pace. What a sight to see! I am sore from trying to keep up with those long legs!

And in between all of this, I was even able to clean the house, get groceries, and do the laundry. Oh, and watch some superbowl. I am continually amazed at how massive those football players really are.

I'll leave you with a few more photos from last month. Happy February! I hope the Groundhog sees his shadow tomorrow...

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Red Bean Buns for Chinese New Year!

Dinner with friends one weekend (mostly Bible Study buddies):

Race Day

Sunday was a milestone for both of us. I mean, a marathon-stone?

Nate and I have completed our first marathons!!! It was quite a challenge for both of us but well worth it. Our muscles are still sore and we're hobbling around like old folks and learning what it's going to be like when we're an elderly couple ;)

As would be expected, my leg muscles are still sore, but I've had worse sensations in my legs from recently hiking in Maine or from gymnastics conditioning days from my youth. I expect it will pass in the next day or two.

Upon finishing the marathon, there were swarms of medical volunteers on hand. As soon as I was awarded my medal I was swept to the side by a volunteer to ask me if I felt ok. I felt completely fine aside from my jello legs. I was then shuffled on over to a line to check my weight. They weigh you before and after the race to assess any weight loss or gain that my indicate dehydration or other medical issues. When I got to the front of the line I was again asked if I felt ok. YES!!! I felt very normal. I stepped on the scale and as it turns out, I had gained one pound, when I should have lost 1-2 pounds or more. I told the medical personnel that I had been taking in a large amount of fluid which may explain it. They told me that any gain in weight may indicate a problem, so I was then escorted to the medical aid station to fill out a questionnaire (how much/what have you been drinking, how many times did you use the restroom, how many water stations did you stop at, etc). The woman who handed me the form again asked if I was feeling ok. I was still feeling completely normal. I was monitored the entire time I was filling out the form. Although I was slightly annoyed by the continous questioning of my state of well being I was appreciative and impressed that they were doing so well taking care of people. I would not be the least bit worried if I actually did have a medical problem because I would be well taken care of, for sure. They gave my completed form to a physician who reviewed it then released me with a phone number to call if I had any problems later on (which I haven't).

I think the hardest parts were the last few miles. When I saw a giant "Only 3 more miles!" sign, I was ecstatic. But those last three miles were grueling and long. I have never felt a mile go by more slowly. When I reached mile 24, I wasn't sure if I could go another mile, twice. But the crowd support in the final miles was so effective. I picked up adrenaline and maybe even some speed as the finish line came into view.

I would definitely recommend the Houston marathon to anyone, especially first-timers. The course is a great tour of Houston and is mostly flat, and the crowd support is surreal and unbeatable. I really don't think I've ever heard my name yelled out so many times in that short of a time frame. What an amazingly fun run! Here are a few highlights:

Crowd Support:

• Obviously, copious loud cheering, signs, noisemakers, and people calling out our names-- I couldn't stop smiling for probably the first 6 miles because I was so impressed
  
• An Episcopal priest who was "blessing us" as we ran by using a wet branch which had been dipped in water
• Bagpiper, live bands, belly dancers, ...
  
• Trays and trays of orange slices and banana halves from residents
• Costumed spectators: Elvis Presley, The Statue of Liberty, ...
• A father who requested that Nate high-five his infant daughter as he passed by

Memorable Signs, Cheers, or Quotes:

• Pain is temporary, Glory is forever
• Marathon: the triumph of desire over reason
• If your feet hurt, then you're kicking a**
• My sport is what your sport does for punishment
• Have you ever seen so many healthy people in one place? (Nate, when we arrived before the race)
• There are cookies at the finish line
• At the 10k marker: If you were running a 10k, you would be done now (I was personally not encouraged by this one!!)
  

Miscellaneous:

• There were medical aid stations at least every 2 miles, and most of them were holding out wooden sticks with globs of vaseline on them for those who needed chaffing prevention. Nate and I were talking after the race and I found it funny that he initially thought it was some kind of edible energy gel which he may have taken and eaten had he not heard some guys in front of him reveal that it was vaseline.
• In one of the few hills in the course (around mile 14 or 15) my momentum was decreasing, but when I heard someone yell "Hey! There's 400 man! This is his 400th marathon!," I looked to my left and saw an older man passing me and picked up my pace. If he can run 400, I can do it once!
• Men urinating in the trees/bushes, despite the fact that port-o-cans were plentiful along the course and thousands of people were passing by
• I accidentally wrote "Baylor College of Marathon" today. I'm apparently still in marathon mode.
  

A few photos:

Here we are, around 6am, mentally prepping for the race. Can you see the look of anticipation in our eyes? I almost think we look more tired in this photo than in the after-shot.

After the race:

And here we are with the Grafs. We are so blessed to have had them bike along the course with us and hand off gels, food, or fluids to us. It was incredibly encouraging to see them at intervals of the run, which made an impact on my decision to keep running instead of stopping to walk.

And finally, here are videos of our finish. In the first video, look for me alongside the man dressed up as the statue of liberty (to your right). I just barely beat him to the finish line. As I was approaching the finish, the crowds were extra loud, cheering for the costumed runner, but of course I pretended they were cheering for me, which made the finish even more exciting.

In the video below is Nate. You'll see him appear in a white sleeveless top and blue shorts. I'm still amazed that he finished so closely behind me despite the pain in his leg. I am very proud of him!

And to followup on the last post, the weather was great. Slightly cooler conditions may have been more favorable, but it was almost perfect!

Guessing Game

Any guesses as to what this is?

Perhaps a second picture will help: