Running through the Summer

Did I mention that Andrew and I have become runners? It is pretty crazy.

Andrew runs with a friend about three times per week. I think they go pretty fast. He is getting better at recovery, which I can tell because he complains less in the evenings when he gets home. His hip is pretty sore, so if you are a runner and have a tip in that department, let us know. His friend is also training for a half marathon and Andrew is still doing all the runs with him. He doesn't want to do the actual half marathon though.

This is good because

I am doing the same half marathon. Which is crazy. I never thought I would say that I am training for a race longer than a 5k (3.2 miles). A half marathon is 13.1 miles. To date, my longest run has been 8.5 miles and I have a little over a month until the race. I feel pretty comfortable running 4 to 6 miles, not that it is easy, but it doesn't kill me. So I'm feeling pretty good about my training and my ability to complete the race. I am pretty slow at 11:30 min/mile and am not planning on being a competitive runner. But I can run and that is great! The race is a trail run and last week I did my first-ever trail run and it was a blast! I think I may need to invest in some trail running shoes in a few months.

Rachel is getting much better at being happy about being in the jogging stroller. She better be, as her longest run has been 6 miles in it. I generally do not do my long runs with Rachel, just my weekday runs. Rachel also likes standing and walking with assistance. Still no crawling. She seems to be getting closer to wanting to move.

Besides the health benefits of running, I am glad that I am training for the HM because it is really good to work towards a goal. I haven't really had a goal since I finished school (except having a baby, I guess) so I really feel like I am accomplishing something. Doing hard things can amaze you at what you are capable of doing!

Memorial Day Fishing Trip

We went fishing out of Anacortes on Memorial Day. We fished for lingcod and greenlings in the beautiful San Juan Islands. It was a fun time.


A beautiful morning on a boat.


Just an example of the pretty places we fished in. One place we were fishing was off of Stuart Island, where we could see Canada.


The GPS, depth measurement taker, and fish finder.


Wes and Maren fishing.


Hannah and I freezing.


Someone caught a sea cucumber!


Me and Andrew fishing.


"Wow, what a beautiful place! Do you think we'll ever catch anything?"


"No luck up here!"

We had only caught a few fish at this point. Nothing really amazing yet. Until...


Hannah pulled in this monstrous lingcod--which actually wasn't hooked! It was trying to eat a greenling that she had hooked!


Way to go, Hannah!
The cod was 36 inches (the maximum length that you can keep) and I don't remember how much it weighed.


Fun in the boat.


Brothers.


Sleeping in the boat. We had to be there by 5! Everyone got up at 4:15, except me, who woke up at 3:30 so I could nurse Rachel so my bosoms wouldn't explode on the boat.
Rachel did not come. :( She stayed with her Oma.

It was so cold. At one point, I said, "This is colder than ice fishing!" And it was.


Our combined catch.
I caught 4 rockfish, which you cannot keep. I am the rockfish queen!


Us holding the fish. I do not like to touch fish. Also I look huge, but I don't think I really am that size. Maren also caught a nice-sized lingcod.


Hannah and her fish. Wesley looking jealous.

We had fun!

Take us fishing again, The Dad!

My Problem Is...

My problem is that I don't know how I want to decorate my house. First world problem, I know.

The only thing I know is that I want to do purple downstairs. It is basically one room, so I have been thinking about it as a whole.

But upstairs? No clue.

Do I want white blinds (totally safe) or faux-wood blinds (could be cool, could be tacky)?

Do I want a brown or a gray neutral nursery?

Do I want to paint our bathroom? What color?

Is doing the kid bathroom under-the-sea style too cliche?

Will I ever finish unpacking the master bedroom stuff?

How will I decorate the master bedroom?

Should I paint the upstairs family room which is furnished with a hodge-podge of furniture?

Do I paint the room I'm planning on putting Rachel in when future-and-not-yet-existing-baby-sibling comes or do I wait until we get closer?

And speaking of that room, do we do a secret garden mural and which wall do we put it on or do something simpler?

Oh my problems.

What is a room in your home you are struggling with?

Thoughts on any of my above problems?

Taking Rachel Fishing

Andrew loves fishing. And now I like fishing too. So, of course, we share this hobby with our sweet daughter.

When she was just a tiny babe, we took her to Cabela's to look at fishing poles.


So tiny. So uninterested and overwhelmed by Cabela's.

We took Rachel for her first fishing trip to Silver Lake.


Rachel and Dad sitting on the dock. Everyone is excited!


Rachel and Mom enjoying the cool evening on the dock.


Dad and Rachel fishing!

No, we did not catch anything. But we had a good time. It was nice to just sit by the water.

On Brainwashing Your Child To Love Airplanes

It is no secret that Andrew loves airplanes. He and our neighbor Ric have "nerd nights" where they geek out over anything and everything airplane. Andrew works for Boeing in aerodynamics and that was his dream job while growing up (and now, though he enjoys his job, it is still a job, and jobs are not as fun as bumming around all day). He is working hard to teach Rachel that airplanes are important by...

Playing Yaw, Pitch, and Roll

Which I unfortunately do not have a picture of. But usually Dads hold their babies above them when laying down and the baby flies. Andrew says the planes that airplanes move on.

Playing Flight Simulator




She is absolutely thrilled.

Taking Baby to Airplane Museums


And posing in front of airplanes.

Taking Baby to Airshows

As illustrated in the previous post.

So that is how you do, it you are so inclined.

The Air Show and Women Role Models

We went to an air show at Paine Field. They had a lot of historical airplanes, which I really appreciated. It made me want to wear WWII clothes and be cool like that. I would probably dress up like a woman in the WAC, or the Women's Army Corps. Don't they look awesome and military and helpful and smart and attractive?


Source

I did see a few women dressed up in WWII attire, but they were dressed as pin-up girls. Seriously women, dress up like something motivational from history. OK, OK, pin-up girls were motivational for soldiers and airmen, but I think there are much better role models from history than sexy women. Intelligence is sexy!

This article where I got the photo from is interesting and informative about the WAC.

Back to the air show.

We saw a lot of airplanes, and if Andrew wants to blog about those, he can, but I will just post pictures of Rachel. Because she is very cute and smart, therefore a good baby role model.


Andrew and a thirsty Rachel in front of a Navy airplane.


These two have so much fun.


Rachel sitting in the airplane model for children.


We went with Ric, Claire, and Dallon.

We had a lovely time watching airplanes and walking around and thinking about interesting things like "women in the military" and "how rich people must be to own and maintain antique airplanes".

Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle Aquarium

I almost entitled this post "Willow Park Zoo," but that is the zoo in Logan, not in Seattle. How crazy that they are practically the same name.

These are our adventures with our friends, Sarah and Olivia. We walk together on the trail near us once a week. We are in the same ward. Olivia and Rachel look like cousins. Sarah and I don't, except we have the same name, brown hair, and glasses. Our husbands are nerds and mechanical engineers.

The Woodland Park Zoo

We went at the beginning of May. I have been lazy and haven't blogged it yet until now. I decided just to get a zoo pass. If we go three times in the next year it will be worth it. Since I don't think Rachel really understood the zoo, so we will have to go again.


Olivia rocking her sunglasses.


Olivia and Rachel looking at the penguins. Sarah taking a picture. The penguins ignoring the people.


We will force you two to be buddies.


Rachel and I in the jungle. It was humid and hot. Rachel thought it was weird.


GORILLA!


Hungry Rachel showing off her bottle-holding skillz.


A giraffe's behind.


A lion cub! It was so cool. He came right up to the window and seemed really interested in the kids. It seemed like he was looking at Rachel's bottle, or maybe he wanted to eat Rachel.


Of course, he walked away as soon as we tried to get a picture.


An elephant with only one tusk.


Rachel fell asleep. I guess the zoo was not all that thrilling for her.


Flamingos. Not as noisy as the ones I remember from my childhood.

We had a great time at the zoo. It was a beautiful day and we spent it with our lovely friends. :)

The Seattle Aquarium

At the beginning of June, we went to the aquarium with our friends.

We began the journey by locking Olivia in the car. We had to wait for 45 minutes for a locksmith to come because the 911 dispatcher was dumb and said the police couldn't help us, but she should have had the fire department come. Anyway, Rachel actually helped cheer Olivia up by patting the windows. She handled the whole situation pretty well.

Be brave, Olivia...

Blessings include:
The car was in the shade
Only one baby was in the car
The older baby was in the car
It was not a hot day

And then we made it to the aquarium.


Rachel enjoying the Puget Sound fish exhibit.


Olivia enjoying the tide pools.


Rachel enjoying the tide pools.


Rachel eating my sandwich bag.


Rachel liked watching this tropical fish.


Rachel and me looking at fish.


A funny picture of Rachel playing with her bottle.


Cute sea otters! They were all playing and barking at each other. I love otters.


A beautiful day in Seattle!


A harbor seal.

We had a really great time at the aquarium with our friends. I think Rachel "got it" better than the zoo, probably because the animals are all right there and are generally bright colors or swimming around.