the red rock recap.

this weekend i earned my stripes... even if my team misplaced our sharpie the entire race and only marked our calves after the whole shebang was over!
remember when i posted a little bit about the red rock relay down in moab in may?
it happened again. enter red rock relay: zion.  here's the breakdown
2 days
186 miles
12 team members
210 teams
4 hours of sleep in a 48 hour time period
obviously, it's a recipe for a really great time!

this time our team of "red rock relay rookies" was a conglomeration of coworkers and a coworker's extended family. the fun started in cedar city thursday night with a big sign in party and pasta feed. i was worried this mass produced food would be disgusting, but thanks to the best veg pasta sauce i'd ever inhaled and great harvest cookies the size of frisbees, i was pleasantly surprised.

after a quick trip to walmart for the goods, ie tons of clifbars, chocolate milk, trail mix, string cheese, and enough bagels to feed a small county, we slept for a couple hours. then it time for van 1 to make it to the starting line for our 6 am debut.

demon eyes. they come out in the wee morning hours

 obviously we were pretty bright eyed and bushy tailed.
the first part of the race was freezing cold and i didn't feel the least bit envious of our first runner, who had to ride a ski lift twenty minutes up a mountain in the freezing just to run all the way back down.
what did we do for these twenty minutes? jump in our car without knowing where the next exchange was and drove around completely lost, only to go back to the starting line and find out that the first exchange was right by the ski lift.  we're a good team.

 i was the second runner. do you like my ninja suit? when i was thinking "relay in st. george" i was thinking running tanktops and shorts, not underarmour and ear muffs. its a good think i threw those pants in at the last minute! my first leg was a baby 2.7 miler, but a big hill that kind of chewed me up and spit me out at first. i blame the elevation!

 while we took turns running, the rest of us stood around on the road playing cheerleader and justified eating way too many bagels. six hours later we got to our van exchange, passed the baton, and went to chili's for lunch.

 chili's is gross. i had a salad and it was mediocre- not even picture taking worthy, and that is saying something... i should have gotten the molten lava cake. next time!  after that it was two hour nap time, then back to run our second phase of the race. my next leg was a 3.7 miler. since my legs of the race were short, i set little goals, mainly consisting of passing as many men as i could and finishing this run in under 30 minutes. it took me 28. i was proud of those 7.30 mile splits!

then it was dusky and dusty... and i thanked my lucky stars i didn't have to run down this eternal road.

 it got dark and pretty. just look at that sky! the sun went down and the headlamps came out while the rest of our runners hauled up the mountain.
when our phase was done we exchanged with van 2 and went to st. george to shower and "sleep". i closed my eyes for two hours, then it was up again so we could meet our team and finish our last leg.

 enjoy this picture. it kind of shows how sleep deprived crazy i was feeling, just look at those bags under my eyes! 4 am is the prime time to run. your brain is so tired, it doesn't even know what it's doing. my third run was 6.2 mile, then i ended up running another 4.2 for a team member who'd gotten sick. i'd never run in the pitch black darkness with a headlamp, and  it was kind of fun! our van finished our part of the race, handed off to van 2 to finish, and went back to st. george to shower and eat.

 nielsen's caramel cashew custard. i would run any number of miles just for a cone of it!
after eating, we made way to zion to run across the finish line with our team members.

 again, so gorgeous.

 we waited and waited for our van to finally show up. my favorite part of the day was watching all the teams before us finish. they were so creative! i especially liked forrest gump's guest appearance.

our van finally showed up and we ran/hobbled across the finish line as the announcer told everybody to give it up for the"red runners relay rockies". rookies, rockies, tomato, tomahto. we were just happy to be done!
carbo-loading/snacks devouring ensued, then the long ride back to provo with a delirious bunch of women. let's just say that trivia and my aunt carolyn's jokes are a lot funnier when you've had four hours of sleep.
i am now accepting applications for team mustache 2012 (get it? must-dash? i'm hilarious) next september.
til then i will probably be trying to scrub these inch wide stripes off my calf. i don't doubt i'll be loofah-ing until next year's race rolls around.
the strange looks from my bishop are well worth it.

we'll all float on okay

utah lake is a funny place.
when i was, oh- 10? 11? i went boating here with my family and almost capsized thanks to a freak storm and some torrential winds. let's just say my most vivid memories of a near death experience are linked to this mucky reservoir, and needless to say, my views on this lake are a little tainted. i hadn't been back since.
however, yesterday i was feeling a little restless, and finding this place via bike was on my list. sundays do that to me. many thanks to my gps for helping me get out there, the wind for not completely blowing me away, and the ticket girl at the gate for letting me in without paying after i promised i just wanted to ride around. (i think i could have taken her)
it was windy, flooded, and bleak looking, but charming nonetheless. plus i found the provo river trail, which doesn't really hold a candle to the boise greenbelt, but is an acceptable substitute. for now at least.

***
so i've been thinking a lot about this article lately. john huntsman and his comments in time. i am not much of a stars and stripes, red white and blue republican, but found his comments on being mormon a little unsettling, nonetheless. that was, however, until i read this article, and then got a good laugh at the comments. now where shall i cast my stone? ... i mean vote.

red rocks and calf cramps

this is me getting artsy with my phone down in moab this weekend during the red rock relay.
what is this, you ask? a 70 mile relay split between 6 (in our case 5) runners down in moab, ut. pretty awesome, i might add.
we started at 9 am and passed the slap bracelet baton all day between two uncles, aunt, and cousin of mine. i ran two legs of the race, one at 7.2 miles, the other at 7.3. it was killer, but great times all around. while our runner was running we played water boy in the car, driving up a couple of miles, taking lots of unattractive pictures (this is a warning to you, carolyn. that ONE PICTURE you took is on lock) and eating clif bars, banana chips, and uncrustables.
ten-ish hours later we were finishing our race and i could barely walk. note to self: just because your socks have the nike swoosh does not mean they are running appropriate. good company, great scenery, and awesome atmosphere made for a satisfying weekend.
that and all the great food (minus the moab brewery. that place is crap) and a stay at green river's finest. five stars, baby.

 moab, ut. need to get back there. robber's roost? i'm thinking i'll pass.

ten things and i should be sleeping

a few things I would like to share as of late:

1. The new job is great. however, the sick children have donated their sickness to me. I need a stricter regimen of purell... this cold is getting me down!

2. I found a new old pair of jeans at Plato's Closet and I am in love. 35$ MEKs? I will take it.

3. My roommates have returned to the state, and that means I've got friends in Provo again!! We move into the new apt. in two weeks, and that makes me happy.

4. you should probably go to Walmart and pick up some Great Value brand bean and corn salsa. No, don't judge, just do. It is delicious.

5. I tried key lime pie bars for the first time yesterday, and that is all I can think about lately, besides a tortilla bocadillo from Spain. That sounds really good, and I miss Spain. (big surprise there!)

6. Someone should come fold my laundry that has been washed since Tuesday. Honestly I know I've got time, I just can't get around to it.

7. it's Lindsay's birthday today, and I wish I was home to celebrate and eat chocolate pie with her. I love you, Linds

8. I can't get enough Spanish music lately. Domingo Astroromantico is the best song, and if you want to hear the best version, click here. If you want to see good ol' music video that captures the Spaniards in a nutshell, click here. It's rich, corny, and I love it.

9. I went to Idaho Falls last weekend for Chayden's farewell, and it was great to see everyone (that is left there, anyways) and I wish him the best of luck in England!

10. There is a random rooster running around my grandma's street, and I have no idea where it belongs, but it is hilarious, and the neighbor girls like to cart it around like it's a baby.

well, ¡basta ya! that's enough. hope life is great. keep on ramblin'

Spring Break. For REAL

You've waited. I'm delivering.
Here is the recap!
Last Friday we embarked on our Spring Break adventure. The 20th, to be precise, and my birthday. (To be even more precise.) Our first stop was in Idaho Falls, ID to celebrate and to paint my grandma's basement. We drove there in the morning, ate my very favorite thing, Olive Garden's Endless Salad, Soup, and Bread sticks, and then later that night my family surprised me with a party at Leo's Place. Seriously, the best place ever- it was like a cross between Chuck E. Cheese and a public restroom.The guest of honor
Saturday was spent painting Grandma Ball's basement. Lex and I thought it would be fun, and much more special, if we wore some nice muscle shirts.

It was quite the time, let me tell you!
Sunday morning was spent at Eric Roisum's mission farewell. He leaves for the MTC April 8th, and is serving in the Rosario, Argentina mission. I'm so excited for him... and jealous. I've been trying to learn Spanish for 5 years, and pretty sure he will learn it in 3 months. Honestly! Anyways, Elder Roisum is going to be a great missionary, and those Argentine people will absolutely LOVE him.
After the farewell, we departed for UTAH.

When we left, it was basically a blizzard outside, but it turned out nicely- like the picture shows. Plus, Mom and I decided that we like driving from IF to Springville A LOT more than going from Boise to Springville. It seems way shorter.. well, maybe cuz it is.
The rest of Sunday was spent with the family, eating dinner, relaxing. It was a good Sunday!
Monday began by working out with Ashlee at Gold's Gym. Yeah, it was the only day we went there, seeing as they wanted to charge us 10$ each for a visitor's pass. It was lame, and we don't need no stinking gym! :)
After working out we went to Chuck E. Cheese to watch all the small ones play games, and then to JCW's- the Burger Place my family loves for some reason. Okay, they have good and HUGE shakes, but my grilled cheese was not that superb.

After eating, Teressa, Carter, and I went to the salon to fix my hair. NOTE TO SELF: Never get the crazy notion to dye your hair almost black again, Alyssa. No matter HOW hard Lex tries to get you to!

Ahhh it is good to be my good ol' blonde self again.
Tuesday came and went pretty quickly! We spent the whole day doing what we do best in Utah, whether I like it or not- Shopping. And I don't think that needs any further explanation.

On Wednesday I was supposed to get my senior pictures taken in Salt Lake, but because the weather just didn't want to cooperate, they were postponed until Friday. Since we were plan-less for the day, I spent much of it watching TLC with Kourtni.

We did finally go to Walmart, and here is Kourt, Linds, and myself showing our new hair.
We then ate dinner, took a pic for posterity, and went bowling at Fat Cat's.

Now THAT was a sight to behold, I am sure. Since our whole crew was there after 9 PM, we got to do some cosmic bowling, and it was just grand seeing all my aunts and cousins belting Def Leppard. Sometimes I wonder what exactly people think when they see 15+ kids and 4 or 5 women who basically look the same. But the I remember that we're in Utah. :)

And, why yes! I did get a strike off of this move dripping with technique.
Thursday I woke up to this.

Nice.
However, that didn't stop me from going to BYU for the day with Emily. I met her in the morning, and tagged along for Art History. What an experience! The room was so dark I couldn't believe everyone was staying awake, but the class was pretty interesting, so I guess that is how everyone stays wide eyed?

After class I joined back up with the family, and we walked around the BYU Art Museum, I bought some I <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34fc-1035qy6KIJ-fPNWOvp6Hx1Y9wiz5fEl8_5BNhmPKy9kO7qNXPpiGowo4z86rp-b0NHk74hyphenhyphenTf9D9si0e9v2JEXQTtdtbtffnZUC7jqPjocXyxU6KoebHGBLMLt4MKTl-wKIrd9o/s1600-h/P1000652.JPG">

Some guy thought it would be a good idea to park real close to my Mom.
And her true colors shown through. Don't get Kris mad! She'll write you a NASTY note. Maybe even call you a loser once or twice. :)

Later Thursday I went back to hang out with Emily and her collegiate friends. Oh. I can't wait to go to the Y.
Friday was our BIG day. For one, it was not raining or snowing, so our moods were good. The kids were all excited cuz we were going to Boondocks, and we were all stoked for the night, when we would meet cute MAX!
After spending the morning at Boondocks, Mom and I had to take a trip to SLC to get my senior pics taken. If you haven't gotten yours yet and will be in the SLC area anytime soon, go get them done by Sara Boulter. I got them done in the downtown SLC area, and this is the only one I have right now.. but there should be more in a few weeks, so stay tuned.

After pictures, we made a quick stop at IKEA to buy a few home essentials, and then it was off to Aunt Aly's house to meet Jared, Amanda, and Max!

As you can see, my aunts couldn't get enough of him!

And quite frankly, I don't blame them! He is just too cute.
The rest of Friday was just spent hanging out with the family, taking lots of pictures, and relaxation. Oh- and Little Caesar's 5$ Pizzas. It's tradition. :)

We came back to Boise on Saturday. Spring Break was extremely fun, and I'm glad I could go see my favorite people in the world. I am so blessed to have such great friends and family in IF and UT. :)