two indians in the same canoe

Interlude!

2012-01-18T17:39:00.007-07:00

Lola is 4 freaking months. 1/3 of a year. She's rolling over, she slept through the night last night, she can take her pacifier out of her mouth and put it back in, she smiles like crazy, and is turning into quite the flirt. That's all I can ask for. She has exceeded all expectations. Well done good child.

Baby blog? Guilty indeed. She's really the only interesting part of my life these days so if it's way boring to you, then I completely don't blame you. But she might.

Road Trip. Part Solitude. Part 2.

2012-01-17T11:25:00.006-07:00

Lola went for her first run in the snowy mountains and loved it. Although it almost killed me.

Towards the end of our week, John's sisters and the twin came up and stayed with us since we were blessing Lo in Church that Sunday. Lara, Jennie, and I all have girls that were 1.5 months, 4 months, and 7 months in this pictures. So crazy to think how much Lola will grow in just a couple months.

Lola wore her first dress for her blessing. She was so excited. Just kidding. She hated those tights and crapped her way out of them. John and I were just a little late to church that morning so we did 95 down the freeway only to walk into church right up to the stand to give the blessing. Oops?

Lola's mom is pretty crazy about her...

And thus ended our time at Solitude.

Road Trip. Part Solitude

2012-01-09T12:08:00.012-07:00

During the month of November, we rented our place out to some strangers. Good idea? Probably not. Especially when we checked back in and found packs of cigarettes, stained sheets, and a dirty fat guy sleeping on our couch without any sheets. But it was an easy 1300 bones so we said what the H. So for the first week of November we rented a little condo up at Solitude. The first thing we did was have a Halloween party.

John and I were cat burglars and baby was our bag of moneys.

Our loot

A last minute addition to the party was a Halloween gift exchange which was awesome. so funny. Some of the highlights was Hassen getting the complete series of Twilight, a jumbo pack of pads, some old grapes, and some shredded cheese with cigarette butts in it.

How great is Tanner as Honest Abe? Kills me every time.

John and I also spent some time in the solitude hot tub (my first tubbing in almost a year? Pitiful).

We built a little cave for Lola so she could come along too. She can't wait to 'tub.

Road Trip. Part Nebraska

2011-12-26T22:46:00.009-07:00

My sister and her fam moved from Tahoe (Yay!) to Nebraska (Boo!) so the end of October we decided we should probably go visit them at least once and so why not now when it's still pretty easy. Plus Lola was getting super antsy to see the Midwest. Who could blame her? Unfortunately, once we got there, Lola decided she did NOT like the Midwest and cried non-stop for the first 3 days we were there. Maybe it was the super spicy food I kept eating but...probably not. After I cut everything out of my diet except bread, squash, applesauce, and water she loved the Midwest again!

Lola's first flight - she actually slept the whole way so thank goodness (says the man sitting next to us).

While in Nebraska Lola....

Took a bath!

Compared head sizes with her (cute) big-headed cousin!

Wore a cat hat!

Watched her dad cut pumpkins with her other cousin!

Went for a walk while her dad went to this Nebraska game!

Even with Lo's breakdowns, it was still a great trip. I love spending time with my sister and her fam. Wish I could do it a lot more. We just might have to make it out there again to redeem ourselves since Lola made us look so bad with all her wah wah wahing.

We were on a boat.

2011-12-26T21:55:00.008-07:00

I thought after I had a kid, my blogging skills would greatly improve. Documenting someone else's life might make me feel a little less awkward about such a public display of the documentation process all together. But like most plans in my life, they fell by the wayside. Now with New Years coming up and a new running list of intentions, lets get this going while the enthusiasm is running hot since this fire will probably only burn for about 2 months if I'm lucky.

So after 2 weeks of sitting around the house, waiting to heal from baby ripping my body in half, I was starting to lose it a little. I was pretty helpless and frustrated and hating the recovery process (why didn't anyone tell me this part was 50 times worse than any part of the pregnancy? It's like mans greatest secret. Well words out ladies, a sore, fragile body, with major constipation, zero energy, being light-headed, engorged boobs, raw nipples, little sleep, and a leaking, night sweating body sucks. hard.). So when some friends invited us on a pretty much expense-less trip to Lake Powell, we decided to jump on it and take our 2 week old baby and introduce everyone to nights with a crying baby. Fun! The doctor said I couldn't even get in the water which sounded a little unbearable but I figured if we went, I could hold this trip over John's head and get a list of favors and loot out of it, cause that's really what marriage is about. bratty negotiations. er I mean, compromise. Anyway, it turned out to be a great trip and Lola did pretty well. I mean, all they do is sleep at this stage with just a touch of inconsolable crying so why not take a trip?

I recognize that this picture makes me look like a pretty negligent mother with my new born directly in the sunlight but I swear she was only outside for 5 minutes just to take these pictures. Plus, Lola realllly needed a tan.

It's crazy to look at these pictures and see how tiny she was. Especially compared to the little Jabba the Hut she is now. Baby's first trip - a slam dunk!

Whatever Lola wants

2011-11-07T13:00:00.001-07:00

I'm not the type that is all "my baby is cuter than your baby" but...my baby is way cuter than your baby.

Short Term Memory

2011-11-03T10:55:00.003-06:00

It's an amazing thing what a baby can do to your memory. When you have a night where baby is up from 2-6am crying and there is no consoling her, or when she constantly needs to be held and bounced during the day, leaving you a few minutes to run to the bathroom and think about brushing your teeth but then you reconsider because baby is crying and you aren't to the point where you can just let her do that yet, you think, why did we do this? How can I be honestly happy and feel fulfilled in this position? When will John and I have time for just John and I, without worrying about baby and giving all our attention to her? And then you come back to am I really that happy with this? And then the next day she is amazing. Happy, sleeping well and it seems like nothing has ever made you happier. Like nothing has ever done better things for your relationship, like there truly could not be a greater role than being a mother to this little girl and all you can remember is how great things are with this little stranger who is quickly becoming less and less of a stranger. And then you have a tough day again and you fall back but not quite as deep this time, but still have doubts and question what your life has come to, if you are really that satisfied. And then baby starts smiling and not just when she's falling asleep, we can actually make her smile when she's wide awake. Me smiling makes her smile and that alone makes me feel like I have the greatest power on earth. And she's really looking at us, looking right at me and when I move my head, she moves her eyes to follow me. She grabs my shirt when I feed her and nothing is greater than when she falls asleep on my chest. And again, you feel like this whole parenthood thing has been nothing but bliss the last 7 weeks. Anyway, the point is, it's not. But when baby girl lays her head in between your neck and your shoulder and puts her hand on your chest, the hard seems like the easiest thing when that is the reward.

Lola Jane aka Baby.

2011-09-27T13:03:00.006-06:00

Baby. is. here. And she didn't exactly come how we expected - it was longer and harder and more wonderful and emotional than I expected. No need for the bloody details but I will say, I couldn't have ever prepared myself for the moment she popped out of my bod. I guess I thought it would have been more like a slow crawl out - a little bit at a time, but I guess when you have spent an extra 17 days crammed someone else body, you don't slowly crawl out. You jump. It was like a jack-in-the-box. She sprung out and it made me scream and then bawl. There is nothing like that moment. And then to have them hand her to me and snuggle her up to my chest...unreal. And now little baby has made herself comfortable in our downtown digs. We haven't been able to call her Lola yet - we've been calling her baby for the last 9 months so it's a difficult transition to refer to her as something different. We'll see how long this lasts - could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. We love baby. And all her red, mullet hair.

Right after baby was born

Little red

Post bath shot

Baby loves to sleep

Dear baby...part deux,

2011-09-14T11:07:00.002-06:00

Hahahaha, alright baby. I get it. Jokes on me. You are clearly getting back at me for my devastating, woe is me, the world is ending outlook on this whole pregnancy when the news of you was confirmed. Baby 1, Krista 0. And I know I have even said that I wouldn't mind being pregnant for a couple years instead of actually having you around since that sounded easier. I wasn't serious baby. You need to learn that sarcasm is the only way we communicate in this family. But baby, 16 days is a little extreme when it comes to making a point. Everyone is pretty anxious for you to come and we are starting to get a littttttle nervous everyday you make us wait. I hope this dramatic entry you are trying to make isn't indicative of a dramatic personality to come (which will obviously be evident of your father's genes that you have acquired). Baby, we're ready - we even packed our bags last night. We really want you here. Really. Please come today.

Love,
Your very patient mother.

Dear baby,

2011-09-06T09:39:00.004-06:00

I don't mind that you are 8 days late. I won't even mind when we hit the 14 day mark, which I'm feeling at this point will most assuredly happen. But baby, lets please try to avoid 21 days. We will lose any chance at doing this song and dance naturally and will be sent to the hospital. Not only that, but you will probably rip my body in half if you wait until then for your grand appearance. Your dad tells you 8 times a day that he can't wait for you to come and I promise we will take at least equally good care of you as that suffocating sack of a room you've been living in for the past 41+ weeks. We are trying to not take it personally that you prefer the sharp edges of my ribs, the bitter taste of amniotic fluid, and the dark and gloomy red walls of my uterus to Utah's finest URBAN LIVING! We even got you this sweet bed with a penguin! (which ps, you're going to have to make work for at least 6 months, but you like tight spaces so no worries there).

So baby, please come out soon. We are really nice people. We don't know what the freak we are doing but you won't mind. Enjoy your last couple days with everything you've known up to this point and we'll do the same and then we can take this all on together. And baby when you come, please try to pull your weight around here.

See you soon (remember, that means 12 days or less),
Your mother.

The Dirty

2011-05-23T22:48:00.002-06:00

Rain on rain...Dirty Dash is starting to take over our days and nights so we will be spending most of our time inside on our computers. But on the bright side, I'm 6 months pregnant and I slaughtered John in tennis on Saturday (6-1). So you know, life isn't all bad.

*pictures of the Dirty Dashless Spring trip soon to come. Well...hopefully.

Solitude.

2011-04-20T00:20:00.003-06:00

Life after John quit his job and reduced his workload to one work-from-home-job has been pretty plush. Hanging out at DQ at 3pm, tennis, bike rides, and the slopes. We had to squeeze in 2 more trips to Solitude before we left and our passes expired so we headed up one Wednesday afternoon. There were exactly 4 people there and it was 50 degrees so...pretty awesome.

Baby's first black diamond.

And with that we're out for a month. Spain, Morocco, Spain, New York, Boise, Bend and then back to the motherland. Peace fools.

Better Birth Bed and Bath

2011-04-09T15:54:00.004-06:00

So we've been seeing a midwife since the news of the impending bundle of joy since the plan is to have a water birth at a birthing center instead of going to a hospital. Today we got to see the newly renovated facility and it's a beaut. It makes me a little more excited about the labor process but still a little sick to my stomach knowing all the pains will be mine to feel and remember. But we aren't dwelling on that quite yet.

While I've never been of the bath philosophy (sitting in a pool of your own filth should not be considered a method of cleansing), I am looking forward to sitting in a jetted tub of my own bodily fluids until baby pops out and takes her first swim in the shallow end.

and then to my recovery room...

Anyway the place is sweet. It's an old house converted into a few examination rooms, a classroom, and birthing suites and all the midwives and assistants are abnormally friendly. So far we've been quite pleased with this decision and I don't see regrets looming in the future.

three.

2011-04-07T18:14:00.002-06:00

Today made it three times since I started working at the homeless shelter that someone has stopped me on my walk to work and asked, "you stay at the shelter, right?" These aren't even questions anymore, they are assumptions and soon they will be blatant statements. So I get it, I need to shower more and use a brush even more often, but freak. I thought I looked pretty good today. Clearly not the case. At least John always tells me I look and smell nice, even if he hates it when my hair touches him.

Purchased.

2011-04-04T18:40:00.003-06:00

We bought our babymoon tickets! We're headed to Morocco, Spain, and Portugal in 2 weeks. We fly in and out of Madrid and try our best to see the rest in the 3 quick weeks we'll have. Hope baby is happy about this little trip we're taking her on.

girl.

2011-04-04T17:37:00.003-06:00

It's official. Our little "it" is now a she. it was so interesting driving over for our ultrasound of all ultrasounds - we were both so nervous. No surprise that I was nervous, since a casual frisbee game gets my nerves in a big messy ball but seeing John more nervous than our wedding day was so fun. I've never seen him like that and man I loved it. Don't ask us why we were nervous cause neither of us can really explain it but we were light-headed and dizzy with anticipation. Watching the monitor as the doctor showed us what was what is such a cool thing - don't get me wrong, it's totally science fiction weird, but also really pretty awesome. John and I made this little girl and now my body is allowing her to grow. Getting to see these little glimpses of her obviously makes this whole thing a little more real and I'm actually starting to be excited about it which has taken me about 4.5 months to say but I'm getting there. I feel pretty lucky to have had an easy pregnancy thus far. The first couple months were emotion and I felt annoyingly nauseous but definitely nothing unbearable. And now I feel 100% fine except it's hard watching your body mutate into something a little less desirable but not really believing it's because of a child growing inside of you. I think I just needed the pictures to prove it making that pill much easier to swallow. Little girl is healthy which is the whole point here. All in all, in the words of Miley Cyrus "it's pretty kewl."

death.valley!

2011-04-01T14:14:00.005-06:00

So it's been a somewhat non-committal tradition to escape the tired cold of February or March and head down to Death Valley to see my sister and her in-laws. People always seem to be confused when I express my love for Death Valley and maybe that would be understandable if I was talking about an August Death Valley and not a perfect spring escape Death Valley. Anyway, we went down last weekend and met up with my fam and and the others for some much needed sun. John, my bros, and I headed down to what i like to call a more aptly named sports camp since that really is the intention of this "camping trip." With 80 degrees and ZERO wind (how terrible is wind? it ruins everything) it was perfect weather for playing volleyball, tennis, riding bikes, laying by the pool, and playing ultimate pool frisbee (PS, playing this game in the deep-end is a freaking joke, it's the new workout of the century). Needless to say the trip ruled and it was great spending time with the fam. I think we are all fully recommitted to this tradition.
Note: I'm terrible at taking pictures, I never think of it and when i do I hate interrupting the moment to take them even though i always regret it. I also married a guy who is worse than me so this is all we have. Wah Wah.

John and I just after our big doubles victory. I was super annoyed with John during the match so I don't know how we pulled off a win.

We road our bikes to the lowest place in the Western Hemisphere. So that's pretty cool.

and here's a dumb unintentional 'belly shot' for all you stupids who keep asking to see pictures of my enlarged size (which yeah, i think is weird.) and yes, i wore the same thing the whole weekend.

Bird Man

2011-03-13T13:00:00.002-06:00

My favorite and only little brother is strange, born and raised in bizarro town USA. No one knows where he came from, but it's no secret that he's probably the family favorite. For his birthday one year, all he wanted was a Book of Mormon in braille and is always seeking out books on math equations or weird diseases. For years one of the only things on his wall was a hand colored picture he drew that said 'The Day of Doom'. I have never met someone who is more genuinely fascinated by people than he is - if he knows there is going to be confrontation, he gets excited not because he's confrontational but because he finds it interesting. He will talk to any and everyone and immediately get into the meat of who they are and what their story is. The list goes on. However, what's really cool is ever since he was a kid, he could pick up an instrument, focus, and learn to play it by the end of the day - he plays the guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, drums, harmonica, piano, accordion, trumpet, and maybe a couple of other things too. He loves writing songs and always comes up with something interesting - I think he's really talented and just such a cute kid. Anyway, thought I'd post a video from a recent house party he played at. He wrote it for a girl's birthday he lives by who him and all his friends called 'the dresden doll' for one reason or another but I don't think she appreciated it as much as others.

and lyrics:
The dresden doll named Aryel fell right on down from heaven,
Onto the world below,
The gods above said "how we love her, she's one of our finest,
But sadly she must go."

The dresden doll don't like the cookie dough being all touched by
The fat girl's dirty hands,
She'll take the elevator even though it's just one story,
Because she knows she can.

Dresden doll flew here to grace our planet earth,
Delivered through on November twenty-third,
Dresden doll flew here to grace our planet earth,
Let's take a thought or two and give it to Aryel's birth.

Rumor has it the dresden doll has a brother she's dating,
With an eight year old son.
When he scares her the bed of Lauren is easily taken,
While Vampire Diaries run.

And dresden doll, with you I'd like to have a good connection,
As kids will do these days.
Hope it's not out of line to give you this one small confession:
You are the one I praise.

Dresden doll flew here to grace our planet earth,
Delivered through on November twenty-third,
Dresden doll flew here to grace our planet earth,
Let's take a thought or two and give it to Aryel's birth.

And ok here's one more...

Chewy granola bars no more.

2011-03-07T14:24:00.005-07:00

John and I went down to Saint George the other weekend ago to participate in my first bike race/ride. Now, the last time I road more than a mile was probably 4 months ago and the furthest I have ever gone is 12 miles on a mountain bike but I've been so anxious to actually use my bike for something other than errands, it didn't take too much convincing. Now, something you may or may not know about me is I'm a slightly obsessed with 2 things: knowing what time it is and knowing the weather. Weather.com is probably the third most commonly viewed website in my history. John has done wonders at teaching me how to not let weather affect activities or fun but I still can't keep myself from checking multiple places multiple times a day. So when I saw that sunny southern UT was going to be anything but on Saturday, my bad attitude and snotty demeanor started to bubble out. But we made a commitment to go so that was that. So after 4 layers on top, fleece-lined pants and bike shorts, wool socks, and my ski gloves, I was set. We started off in a group of 6 but after 2 miles, John and I peeled off on our own and never saw another biker until we reached the end. Just me and my man, my freaking rad bike, and all the 40 degree wet weather one could ask for cruising around the perimeter of Zions. It was actually super beautiful and really enjoyable (minus our frozen feet). We only did the 27 mile ride which i totally don't regret. Everything went super smoothly except at mile 26 when we thought we were at mile 20 and hunger hit me with a vengeance so John went up to a random house and asked for some food. my hero. This mom came out with a Costco sized box of Chewy granola bars and I ate 5 on the spot. Seriously, 5. Super ready to take on the last 7 miles, we turned the corner and there was the end. The moral of the story is, waiting for optimal weather is really dumb. and always take food from strangers.

*honorary note: Jed (3rd from the left) was the only one to finish the full century, coming in just over 9 hours. nut job.

60.

2011-03-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

My old man turned 60 a few days ago. John, the brothers and I were set on jumping into the car and doing a quick surprise trip to Oregon for his birthday until an hour before we planned on leaving, we checked the weather report which said the weather through the pass was no bueno. So we kicked the curb and bagged the trip much to our dismay. My pops is one in a couple billion. He taught me how to play the guitar, play tennis, love hot tubs, play ping pong, love board games, Willie Nelson, and educated me in the delicate art of humor and sarcasm. There is an endless list of other things that man has done for me but I'll save that for another day. Anyway, I'm blessed beyond belief to have a dad who has always been fully committed to my mom, my family, his friends, the church, his work, loving life, and everything else good. For my wedding, my dad and I danced to Willie Nelson's My Hero's Have Always Been Cowboys, so for his birthday my brothers and I did a little rendition of the song and made sure the recording had terrible audio quality. Love you dad man.

Untitled from Krista Martin on Vimeo.

Better than Fine

2011-01-28T16:53:00.005-07:00

The best part about it being 2011 is that Fiona Apple's next album has been confirmed to come out in the Spring. Just another 6 year hiatus from Fiona but lets face it, her albums are worth the wait. I would say she is one of the best lyricists of our time. The genius that comes from that woman's mouth is nearly unmatched. I saw her 10 years after her first album came out - 10 YEARS! That's a long time that she was playing these songs but what was awesome was she performed them like she wrote them yesterday, like the experiences that inspired those songs had just happened. What a gift. Every couple of months I find myself spending hours perusing the internet looking for any interviews new or old the woman has done. Probably not a great use of time but she is so fascinating. Gosh I just adore her. Yes, it's been decided, she's just moved into my number one female spot. Sorry Jenny, you're gonna need to make some changes and step it up before you once again become a contender.

Cross Plank

2011-01-20T15:24:00.004-07:00

John Boy and I are finishing up our second full week of Crossfit and we are rocking it, or it's rocking us. It's an exercise program of a 12-31 minute, high intense, full body workout. Usually after the workouts I come home and fall to the ground where I stay until starvation requires me to stand and ingest and then I immediately return to the ground. And then the next day I feel like I was hit by a truck which is kind of an awesome feeling. It's a good life. The best part is, the workouts are based around competing with the others in the class which duh, is the greatest motivator and then the results are posted online.

Look, I know John is clearly stronger than me, faster, and so forth so whenever I beat him in a workout or a weekly skills challenge, I can't help but slap myself on the back. Krista: 2; John: like 7. Now the reason why we started doing crossfit was due to a spontaneous event that took place over Christmas with my family (well and because we can do it for free). Somehow my my brothers and in-laws and I decided to have a plank off. The rules were simple: whoever can hold plank position the longest, wins. Really I just wanted to see how close I could get to my oldest bro. Well I went down at 5:10, he went down at 5:13, and my bro in law went down at 5:46. John and I figured after a year of crossfit we should come out victorious at the next annual plank off. Here's to hoping. Here's to Christmas. Here's to Crossfit!

My Man

2011-01-12T16:34:00.003-07:00

Sometimes when you are kinda sick and your man comes home early and brings you flowers and crawls into bed with you to watch movie trailers, it makes me think...I sure know how to pick 'em.

Shugga

2011-01-09T18:10:00.003-07:00

John and I and the frisbee kids started a futsal team to hold us over until Spring lets us get back to what we are good at, well kinda good at.

These are the Shugga Nuts

and it's deceiving because from this picture we look really serious/talented, but in reality, we are the worst in the league, by a long shot. Probably because most of the teammates had never touched a soccer ball before our first game. Our game on Tuesday ended in shouts of jubilation, and tears of joy because we held our opponents under double digits of scoring against us- a huge feat for the Shug Nuts. While Hassen was shaking our competitors hands he told them that we basically won, which I don't think they really understood. And while most of our games end 4-16, we always clearly have the most fun and always cheer the loudest. Our last game is on Tuesday and I'm pretty sad about it. Anything is a great time when you get to be competitive and a little aggressive. Plus, I love this team - I love people who are up for anything and show up for everything. Play soccer at 10pm in the park in the middle of December? Yeah we'll be there! Anyway, come to our last game and cheer on the greatest team in Salt Lake, coed, low division, futsal history.

The most beautiful girl in the world

2011-01-04T17:35:00.004-07:00

Plain to see (plain to see) she's the reason that God made a girl/bike.

I got a new bike which I will claim as the greatest bike ever made. It's a Surly crossxcheck, robin-egg blue, 105 components, with a brooks seat. And while riding it around in the 25 degree weather has been fun, I am much more looking forward to the 73 degree rides in the late Spring. Man are we great together - never has there been a better pair.

And note to anyone with even slightly questionable character - if you as much look at this bike wrong, let alone steal it, I will end you. Hearts!

Readymade

2010-12-07T15:00:00.004-07:00

So I've been getting Readymade magazine for the last couple years and have never done anything with them except peruse the pages. But then I saw something terribly easy and festive so I gave it a shot. Happy season.

And then I made a couple more.

Out on the Wire

2010-11-19T17:19:00.003-07:00

We went and saw Brandon Flowers play the other night and as expected, it was better than expected. Everything struck hard, creating such a positive sense of energy, I would challenge even the snobbiest snob to deny the pure joy and talent Brandon spewed across the audience. Every aspect was great, but even still, there were a couple specific moments that reminded me what exactly it is that makes live music so good. During Only the Young, the power of the drums and bass was pouring out to the point where your body is beating to the same tempo as the song, not just your foot or hand, but your heart and adrenalin. Everything is in sync and it’s exhilarating. Then on the last song before the encore (ps, how annoying are encores? I’m all about ending the encore and fully respects any musician who feels similarly – here’s looking at you John Vanderslice) he played Playing with Fire which was definitely the song that grew on me the most from the album but listening to it via car stereo hardly compares to the magnitude of a live version. It just felt so big and made me want to burst out into tears. Just seeing what people are capable of creating is sometimes a little overwhelming for me – especially when it comes to a live performance of a song with backup singers, and harmonies, and multiple instruments, and lights, and great lyrics, and all of it, and how much it’s able to affect people. I cannot fathom having that capability/power. I’ve always been somewhat unhealthily envious of people’s creative abilities. To add something to this world that not only didn’t exist before but that can connect emotionally to other people, strangers even. And although I desperately crave the ability, adding something to the world so inherently unique seems completely out of grasp and foreign. Which makes me think that despite my grave hesitancies and fears to have children, I’m completely in love with the idea and unwaveringly committed to do so since it may be my only shot at creating something completely great. And now I’ve gone from a Brandon Flowers show to the inner fears and complexities of childbirth. I think I’ll end here.

Fall at Your Feet

2010-11-05T14:25:00.005-06:00

Fall is universally understood to be the best season of the year. An ease away from the harsh heat of summer, golden splendor draped over everything, and then baby steps into the reality of winter. Fall is the transitional period between two jarring opposites. Sometimes I think I could handle big changes in my life a lot better if I knew the change would come with a Fall. But Fall is just that - a transition. It's not something to rely upon or settle into. It should be appreciated and valued but not entirely expected. However, it seems Fall was tired of playing that role this year. No longer did it want to be recognized for its two week glory but solidify itself as a legitimate season. I will go out on a limb and confidently say that this has been the best fall in Utah's history. It's November and we are still biking in shorts and a t-shirt and regretting our decision to not wear a tank top. Gold, green, and red leaves are continue to smother the trees. I went on a mid-day hike with some friends earlier this week up Dry Creek and was shocked that we were commemorating our November 2 hike by profusely sweating during our meandering walk.

I could really get use to this but I won't. I know what a cruel joke weather will play once you start taking something for granted. Thank you for staying a while Fall, please continue to make yourself comfortable.

And a Happy Hallows Eve

2010-11-04T14:03:00.004-06:00

The wheels are typically spinning months before Happy Halloween hits but this year the inspiration was reduced to a drip and then a full on drought. I hate not looking forward to Halloween, especially when everyone else is set with their creativity and the horror hype. Luckily, John was in the same boat. But then he pulled out some of my old tennis shorts, a brown floppy wig and presto - Richie Tenenbaum. So 30 minutes before we were set to leave for the evening, I grabbed a cream fitted sheet and cut 2 eye holes, John threw a helmet on my head to keep the sheet in place and then finished the look with a tie, just for good measure. With a costume secured, we headed out.

It turned out to be a great holiday. So many great costumes accompanied by real commitment. I really enjoy seeing people not only in costume but character as well. I wish it was mandatory that you had to act however you dressed, a character clause if you will. But the most surprising part of the evening was the lack of girls confusing a slutty dress, thigh-highs, and some cat ears for their costume. Is society finally moving past that or do people in their 30's just recognize the absurdity and embarrassment of it all? Regardless, I like it. But I must admit, when I was riding down the elevator with a group of stranger girls in sexy "peacock" outfits and I in my old sheet and a helmet, I was glad they couldn't tell I was a 27 year old girl but probably assumed I was an autistic 13 year old boy.

To Ohio

2010-11-03T14:02:00.013-06:00

John and I traveled east and stopped just short of NY, in Ohio. That's right, we used our free SW tickets to go to Ohio. Can you sense my previously held bad attitude? It was snotty bad. But the good thing about snotty, low expectational attitudes is that they are easily dispelled. Columbus is in actuality cool. It was great to meet some of John's extended fam who as well are cool. We stayed with his cousins who live on this flat 2 acre lot surrounded by trees and gardens and trees and all in the thick of fall, it was outstanding. Especially with dog there to keep our throwing arm in check.

One of the main reasons we went out there was because cousin Mike played football for THE Ohio State University (THE is actually part of the college name now) and got us first class tickets to the game. I had no idea how big of a deal going to an OSU game was, but learning it is the biggest stadium in...the US? solidified the importance. We showed up promplty 3.5 hours before the game to participate in the tailgating festivities - well, mildly participated at least. There were parking lots after parking lots of people out gearing up for the game in their old converted OSU buses, trailers, RVs, and so forth. This is a completely new world. AND to top it all off, the marching band was amazing.

Great victory Buckeyes, and great job to this man on the left who snuck into our little family picture

And after a weekend of eating and talking football and eating, we ended the stay with a little frolfing through this..

But luckily the bush wasn't always so thick. The trees added a little break. and a little bust.

But check out this form.

Ohio, you did well.

Happy Birthday to the Ground.

2010-11-01T18:06:00.010-06:00

John turned 31 the day before the Dirty Dash which meant he spent his special day setting up walls, inflating a 600lb slip and slide, and digging ditches. Fun! Luckily the twin came out for the big event so that was certainly a consolation prize. I would have been pissed if that's how I spent my big day, but John claimed he liked it so that is all that matters. Plus Alyssa made him a dirty dash pig cake which I failed to document so use your imagination. or don't because it was ridiculously realistic. Sooo after the dirty D (see what I did there?) was behind us, I secretly orchestrated a team of friends to join in a surprise skydiving jump. To be honest, this was more for me than John. I thought John would like it but I KNEW I would love it. So decision made. The ten of us made our way up to Ogden with John still in dark as to what the celebratory events were to be. We arrived and the adrenaline was pumping. I assumed we'd have some class to attend, skills to learn, and risks to understand but apparently there was no time for that.

Firstly, We signed our lives away

Secondly, we were army rushed into the 80's, I mean these jumpsuits.

And after a beautiful plane ride up and a lot of questions to my tandem guide like "so...is there anything you want to tell me about this?" we jumped and it was everything I was hoping for. Watching John take that step out of the plan and get sucked down was awesome. However it was nothing like stepping out yourself. Mentally thinking about the free fall was so interesting. I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Once the shoot was pulled it was a easy ride to the ground. but then I felt my face and it was covered in slobber. it was gross. but then I thought about it hitting my instructor and that made me laugh.

It was a grand success. and John loooved it so double success.

and Natalie was there!

Team Adventure.

But the truth is, I'm so happy john was born. clearly. I have found the more time I spend with him, the more I think he's really awesome. I keep finding all these qualities he has that I am so lucky to be married to. I love him and wouldn't trade him for anything except maybe a big bag of gold. but when he found out that's what I would trade him for, he went down to Mexico and mined gold himself just so no trade would ensue. I really love this guy.

Happy Birthday John. You're stuck with me and I hope that's ok.

Annd we're back

2010-11-01T17:13:00.005-06:00

(thanks gchat)

You can attribute our hiatus to the DD. September was all work and no play. Life is hard. But the Dash was a smash hit which was a relief but not a huge shock (pompous face).

I don't know who this man is.

Concentration Camp

This is Jeff. He's single.

The Dirty Dash was sooooo fun. Just kidding. It blew. For us. So we've been greatly enjoying back-burning it for a couple months. But seriously, John boy, single guy Jeff, and Matt the ADD did a fantastic, labor intensive, calm under pressure, cool under stress job. I was thoroughly impressed and honored to be part of the team. See you next year Seattle, Boise, and Salt Lake (times 2).

The Thrill is here

2010-09-10T16:31:00.007-06:00

I feel like I have somewhat of a bipolar relationship with music - one minute I'm starving for something new and feel like I need a good couple hours every day to surround myself with sounds that shake me. Other times, I go months listening to only the radio and I'm completely fine with that (especially when the radio plays Jay Z's Big Pimpin). Part of this feast or famine is going to shows. I could go a good year without a decent show and not even realize it, then all the sudden, good live music is all I need in my life. I've had a bit of a feast lately, which fills me and then immediately leaves me hungry again.

First, Laura took me to BB King for my birthday - freaking raddest gift ever, am I right?

BB has been good to me a long time - his voice just commands attention, and you have no other option but to give it to him. He's one of those legends that should be dead but is still touring so missing out on the opportunity would have been a real shame. I've never had a musician knock me over by simply saying "hello ladies and gentlemen" but hearing him speak in person was so awesome and so familiar and felt oh so good. And hearing him play the guitar - I've never heard an instrument sing like that. I do wish he would have played longer - he kept flirting with the ladies up front which ok was awesome too but it cut into the music time. But the huge added bonus was Buddy Guy opened and the man certainly still has the old dirty blues locked into his bones. It was perfect. Next came freaking Al Green who clearly exhibits the perfect balance between soul and gospel - I didn't even care that he had no idea which state he was in - he was that good. These guys are old man, but they bring it like it was their first big break and they had to sing it to prove it. I've realized that there is nothing better than sitting on a blanket, on a summers day, in an awesome ski resort setting, with good people, good food, listening to legends freaking bring it. Here's a little taste of what BB had to offer - my camera died after 12 seconds which was really unfortunate...

A Little BB from Krista Martin on Vimeo.

Thanks L Catch for a very memorable evening

Next, Nici and I went and saw Jenny Lewis for the 5th time. Jenny has and will always have a very special spot in my heart - even when she makes a crappy album, or collaborates with a total lush who is obviously riding her coattails and is knocking out all emotion, and diluting the songs with boring riffs and lame lyrics (I am NOT a johhny fan), she still has my heart. It was pretty cool to be right up front - and when I say right up front, I mean sitting on the stage front. It took everything I had to not put Jenny in my pocket and bring her home with me. She's got it man. But the show was fun, kind of a let down, but fun. We took advantage of the fact that we were front and center and asked her to play I Love LA to which dumb johnny said no and then proceeded to play one of HIS songs. stupid johnny. However, they ended the night with this cover and it saved the show. Probably the best live covers I've ever seen.

FYI this is the song we requested...so good, right?

and just for your viewing pleasure...here is one of my top favs - this song was never released and never received a name which is why we couldn't request this one...

Age of Consent

2010-08-17T16:16:00.014-06:00

26 sounds so young, so childish, so unwise now that I am 20 days into my 27th year. Whenever I hear someone say they are less than 27, I instinctively want to bend over and pat them on the head. This is how I view the aging process. No freaking out, no agony or pits of despair, no I should have-could have's, just a new condescending look on those younger than me. I don't desire to be a day younger than where I am - this may be subject to change but at this point in my life, I doubt it. I have always viewed the 26 to 27 jump one of the larger jumps. Larger than the 14 to 15 or the ever famous 29 to 30. The only contender could possibly be the 64 to 65 when you are officially recognized as a senior citizen by societal terms. However, that comes with restaurant discounts so who the H cares. However, 27 is great. I naturally feel like I have more validity and more authority. A large jump, but a great jump indeed. This being said, 26 will be a tough year to beat. A lot of greats and many firsts took place. When I turned 26 I told myself it would be the best year to date. And that it was my friends, that it was.

1. I started the year off with my college dream coming to pass - driving around in a swimming pool in the back of a truck and it lived up to every expectation we dreamed of.
2. I hit 3 new countries and got to roast marshmallows over lava (this should probably be on everyone's bucket list).

3. Got my advance scuba diving certification.

4. Went to Havasupai

5. Met the last of John's family to meet in Nantucket

6. Finally made it to our nation's capital

7. Got engaged

8. Witnessed the greatest sports event to date - RSL victory (nicole barker photography)

9. Spent my first Thanksgiving away from my family
10. New job
11. Brought a boy home for Christmas
12. Cross Country skied for the first time and rocked it

13. Downhill skied for the first time since middle school and ruled it

14. Married

15. Hawaii with just my sweetest sweet

16. Moved in with a boy
17. New job
18. First time to Disneyland since I was 12
19. First gambling rush
20. First time floating in the Great Salt Lake

Every year brings more to be thankful for, more to be excited about, and more that has been discovered so why regret our age? Why be shameful of the glorious amount of time that we have been able to be on this earth? When you look back, nod and pat yourself on the back and then turn around and sprint forward and grab and give as much as you can. 27, you have a lot to live up to but I think we are already off to a good, healthy start.

Happy Birthday Krista...and me.

2010-08-01T16:59:00.004-06:00

So for Krista's Birthday we ended up making it last a week. She didn't mind...those of you who know her...know that she is really really into Holidays. Me?...not a big deal...but it's her deal so I guess I'll conform.

I had these things in the works for a while and keeping them a secret is very difficult with a snooper around...I have to say...she did do a good job restraining herself.

First...we did a slip n' slide after frisbee...pictures to come later. Everyone had a blast and we even had some cupcakes. Everything was great...except for one little concussion...sorry Miaken.

The next morning Nici gave us a ride to the airport where we were off to SUNNY SAN DIEGO!...not.

It turned out to be the two least sunny days of the summer...but we salvaged the day by getting some breakfast at Pipes and heading to opening day at the Del Mar race track...you know..."where the surf meets the turf"?

So Opening Day is an interesting experience. All the girls dress up super classy (slutty) and wear giant hats. The guys try to look rich and they all get drunk. It's a spectacle to say the least.

Mega Heals...Krista felt a little left out in her jeans and Tom's.

Krista told me to take these pictures...CLASSY!

These cool guys know what to do...follow the ladies...

This is a hat...in case you were wondering.

Forget the fashion...we are here for the ponies!

Krista almost won in the last race...her horse was winning or in second the whole way but was edged out at the end.

After the craziness we met up and had a BBQ with a bunch of friends are Kurt's place. Good thing Lindsey showed up because otherwise it would've been all my friends and it would've looked like I was throwing a birthday party for me...Happy Birthday to Krista...and Me.

We spent the night at Evan and Megan's and had a nice little chat with the one of the many other newlyweds we know.

The next morning we hit the Rainbow Outlet to get Krista some new sandles...Happy Birthday...oh wait...I got some too...Happy Birthday to me again.

Then the real surprise...we were off to Disneyland! There is just something about going to an amusment park with a girl...and Disneyland is even better...Happy Birthday Krista...and me.

Krista told me a story about how when she went as a kid. Apparently she was a brat...I know...hard to believe huh? Her mom wanted her to take pictures with the Princesses and Krista was just to cool for that. These are the only characters we were able to see...bummer...but she was such a good sport.

Not an awkward shot at all.

I immediately emailed this photo to my niece and nephew...they were pretty excited.

Our first stop was California Adventure and we hit all the good rides...we went on a crappy one to get a good picture of said good rides.

Isn't she a cute Birthday Girl?

Tower of Terror (First Time). Pretty sweet huh? Where are we?

Tower of Terror (Second Time). Notice how scared Krista is and how cool, calm and collected I am?

Did I mention this was our second time? She knew what to expect...but was still a little baby. Me...just chewin' some gum blowing bubbles...no big deal...cool.

We then moved our way over to Disneyland.

This is what The Thunder Mountain Railroad looks like...WHILE ON THE RIDE!

It was a great 2 days with my girl. We ended the day at the best ride ever.

Yes...Space Mountain is the best ride of all time...nuff' said.

I may have a tough time making all her birthdays this great...but I figure I can celebrate my birthday at the same time and then I have the perfect excuse to spoil her every year. Krista...27 will be a great year.

Media Dash

2010-08-01T13:57:00.001-06:00

Covered in Mud

We did a little Media Preview for The Dirty Dash. It was nearly 1 Million degrees but the little mud pit we made at the end made it all worth it. Oh and the two sweet articles we got in the paper were nice too.

Runners to get Hog Wild in Dirty Dash

10 Reasons to Run The Dirty Dash

Preparation...nothing like spraying a fire hose straight into dirt! I got it in my mouth several times...yes my mouth was closed.

The Mud

They got a couple great shots of our little mud pit. This one is actually of one of my old mission companions (Richie T, the morning show producer from a local radio station) struggling through the mud.

Here is the aftermath caught on camera of one of the reporters.

Some of the kids

Causey Cares

2010-07-26T11:15:00.012-06:00

We hit our 3rd annual Causey Reservoir canoeing trip and it was the best trip yet. It was a complete success, however coordinating 3 carloads of people who all leave at separate times to get to a last minute spot where there was no reception and you have to canoe to in the dark could have been disaster town but was easy breezy town.

The row in was awesome - so still and quiet until some loud mouth beavers started circling the boat (ps the beaver is Oregon's state animal) which was sweet.

We found a cool split-level campsite that came ready with fire pits, riverfront property, and a grave site for Tommy, uh...

Night time made for great hotdogs, jumbo marshmallows, and a dividing conversation on space travel vs. everyday travel. I won't disclose who came out the intellects and who came out the losers since it should be fairly obvious (quote "I would take Jazz season tickets over a free trip to space" said by loser). By the morning we buried the hatchet, or at least left it on the ground, and made our way around the reservoir jumping off rocks, swimming in circles, and practicing crew.

Five in one canoe was just about the limit

I stood right up there and jumped off. It might look like it took me 20 minutes but that's just the angle.

As we were standing around, setting up for this picture, Greg was talking about doing 'the gallop' which was essentially jumping from one rock to another and then just landing into the water. We were all against it due to high levels of danger and stupidity. The young man who took this picture was listening to our unanimous agreement on the situation, snapped the shot, asked us a few more questions, and then mid sentence did the gallop with a flip twist right into the water and than just swam away. That guy will live on in your memories for years to come. It was like a big suck it right in our faces - we looked like darn fools. Gotta love the locals.

And with that we hit the Burger Bar and called it a weekend.

Wyoming the Beautiful

2010-07-16T10:31:00.010-06:00

I decided to head up to America's wild west for the 4th of July because what better way to celebrate our nations birthday than with the Snake, dutch ovens, the Tetons, and a whole slew of strangers. Despite John being gone, taming the Mexican desert, I still managed to have one of the better 4th's to date (should I feel bad saying that?). Regardless, it was. There is no doubt that Jackson continues to be one of America's favorite gems. Every view deserves a photograph, at the same time, photographs should be outlawed since they could and will never capture the majestic sights. However, here are some lame attempts...

A friend of a friend....of a friend let all 16 of us crash on his floor and this is what we had to wake up to every morning.

Saturday we ran the river and Michelle and I took the duckie down and well, we owned it. PS, it was 65 degrees outside and the river was 45 degrees and 5 layers of waterproof clothing was just enough to keep me warm. Thanks friends with gear.

On Sunday we headed up to Teton national park for some hiking, swimming, and a 2.5 hour long conversation on what it means to be American - don't be fooled into thinking this conversation had any depth, it was essentially a list of things America can claim, like potato salad, demolition derbies, and beach volleyball.

Next we were peer-pressured into swimming to an island in a very cold lake and little heat from the sun. I was surprised to discover that peer-pressure still works - I always thought it was just a middle school thing, but not so. After running a few stairs to get our core temperature up, we made it to the island, only to realize that it was still cold and we still had to swim back. The only thing that kept us from sinking was shouting "hot springs" since that was next on the agenda. Please note that I am a complete cold water wussy so I was feeling pretty tough after the conquered swim, however John would have been mortified at my form.

On our way to the hot spring, we ran into a Swede who was traveling the country solo - we asked him what he loved about America since it was her day and he replied "the curly fries?" It was a good answer so we let him tag along.

The hot spring rocked the party. At one point, we were all sitting on a log and then spontaneously started singing the Star Spangled Banner which ended with us standing and saluting. We dedicated it to the Swede and then in true American fashion, patted ourselves on the back for being so great.

For the festivities, we headed to the park where the rest of the state gathered and made some of the best dutch oven dinner and dessert I've ever had.

The firework show started off a little eh but quickly became a huge wow. It was especially exciting because you could see where the fireworks were set up and shot from. And then when you could feel the ash falling onto your face, it made it really great.

Monday we ran the river again and then headed home. I love the 4th of July. I love a day where you can just love where you come from - no questions asked. We have our faults, we've made some big mistakes in the past, we are probably making some big mistakes now, but I see the good out weighing the bad and I hold a lot of gratitude in the fact that I was born in America the Beautiful.

Idaho

2010-07-15T12:01:00.006-06:00

After the Wasatch Back, John and I took a quick trip up to Idaho to do some shiz for the Dirty Dash Boise, see the fam, and get a little R&R before John ditched me for Mexican gold (ps, he's back now safe and sound and yes he has the gold disease). Idaho is pretty awesome and every time I head up there, it gets more and more awesome. John's sister Lara lives in Emmett with lots of land and animals and beauty and whenever I'm there I always think, "this is what living is all about."

Land

Animals

Beauty (notice the jeep covered in Dirty Dash advertising? Yes, we are now those people - I swear the Red Bull car always waves at me whenever I pass it.)

Next we headed to Boise to see his sister Jenny and the bight lights of the big city. While John was shmoosing up some big wigs, I went for a little bike ride through downtown and I must say, the folks there are so friendly. People kept saying good morning to me, waving, starting up conversations out of no where and then on the way home my chain popped off and a nice young man who was riding the opposite way turned around to help me put it back on. So thank you Idaho, you are so pleasant.

In a Westerly Direction, This Car is my Train

2010-07-15T11:02:00.002-06:00

By the time winter finishes up her damage and the sun starts producing a little heat, I forget that summer provides more than warmth on my skin. And thus, road trips to some of the most beautiful places within a five hour radius begin. I don't know how every year I forget how beautiful Utah and surrounding areas are and once reminded, my jaw drops and just like the year before, I marvel at the fact that this is where I live. So to all of you Utah haters (especially those of you who have never even been here) we applaud your decision to stay away. It keeps our beautiful lands clear of your filthy attitudes.

Ragnar Take 5 and 6

2010-07-11T14:42:00.006-06:00

So John and I finshed our 6th and 5th Ragnars (respectively) last month and I think we are both fine calling them our last...well maybe. This year, however, we mixed it up a bit and put together 2 teams to add some additional competition (surprised?). We also created His and Her vans which girls van loved but boys van thought was dumb. go figure. Anyway, another day another 200 miles.

The great thing about girls van was we had all the trashy magazines we wanted and no one to judge us for it and then steal them to read.

The main difference between girls van and boys van (well and men and women in general) was while we all would get out of the van during exchanges to cheer each other on, provide water, and talk about how great they did, the guys would just continue sleeping and maybe toss them a bottle water from the bed of the truck. Lucky for Bob, we caught up just in time to provide the assistance one really needs when running up a 4 mile, 1500ft climb, when it's 90 degrees outside.

After 185 miles of trying to beat out the other team, our final two runners ended the relay crossing the finish line holding hands with the rest of the 22 of us following behind cheering. It was a great decision.

I was kinda dreading this one - being out of shape makes you feel that way. Also, let's face it, the novelty has worn off by now. However, being in a situation like this creates bonds that other activities are unable to do. I'm so glad we did it and freak, if someone puts a team together next year I won't be surprised if I say sure.

Gold vs Love

2010-07-03T22:03:00.001-06:00

So I have turned into the worst blogger in the world. The only thing I hate about blogs are when people let them die. Fortunately Krista has done a pretty good job keeping ours alive. But...I'm back...kind of.

A lot has changed since I wrote last. I had a divorce with Ragnar. Well...I thought it was a nice break up...but recently it has turned into a divorce. I got word last week that they (Dan) want to sue me. C'mon! It won't hold up...and I doubt they will...but still.

Anyway...so I've been planning on starting a Mud Run in Utah since...well...ever since I moved back to Utah. My friend Wyatt and I tried to route one about 3 years ago but it never happened. It was a big reason I took the job with Ragnar. I just wish I had realized back then that it really isn't that hard. Of course I am saying that before I have actually put on a race...but...we have a website...have done a bunch of marketing and have over 100 people running so far....that's something right? Oh and did I mention we are doing a race in Boise too? The race is called "The Dirty Dash" and I'm pretty proud of it. Check it out if you like www.thedirtydash.com The brand looks great with the thanks to boredom in church and Phil Smallwood. The website looks great thanks to Easton Harvey. The company is moving forward thanks to Jeff Harps. The first race is at Bogus Basin on September 18th and the second one is at Soldier Hollow on September 25th. Here's to hoping they are good.

So since investing all of our money into this...I have to pay the bills somehow. Fortunately Steve has an entrepreneur father-in-law and he let me come down to his gold mine in Mexico to help him mine some gold. Crazy huh? It is so great because if I could pick one time and one place to live it would be during the California Gold Rush. My dream has come true...only it is in Mexico and I have to be away from Krista to 2 weeks. I love my wife...but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to mine some gold now could I?

So obviously this is the reason I am writing. I am in a trailer in the middle of nowhere Mexico on a Saturday night and Krista is rafting with friends in Jackson Hole. One week to go. Happy 4th of July!

Please Proceed to Hit with Car.

2010-06-17T10:48:00.004-06:00

I'm not an angry person, but there are a select few in this world that make me day dream of hitting them with my car over and over again. Thieves. It's not a new topic to the blog because well, they are people that seem to invite themselves into my life on a regular basis. Remember when I got this beauty? You should, because it only happened a month and a half ago. Well I've traded the excitement of the bike for denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and no certainly not acceptance. The a-holes made off with my bike AND John's a week and a half ago and the incident continues boils my blood. So, if you happen to see a 2007 red Specialized Allez or a 2007 black OCR1 Giant being ridden by someone who looks completely worthless to society, please hit them with your car.
Many thanks,
The Malfattos.

The Swell

2010-06-17T08:58:00.024-06:00

For Memorial Day, we headed down to the San Rafael Swell with some very great people and it rocked the party that rocks the body - it definitely went down as a superior Memorial day. And now, here are about 100 pictures.

John and I shared a one man tent. It was...sort of awful.

The better halves

da boys da boys

Nature created this, the camera took it, but look how pretty we make it.

This part was very fun, but what was more fun was behind the camera 2 lizards were suicide diving off the side of the mountain. It was National Geographic awesome.

We had to cross this 200 year old water by walking across this branch that was on the verge of snapping with every step. we loved it...

I kept thinking we were going to see dinosaurs at every turn. and so did john, that's why he stayed behind.

And this river of gold ends our first days hike

Day 2 we hiked for hours up the side of this stupid mountain which I thought made for a pretty lame hike BUT THEN we climbed down into the canyon and got to all put on matching wetsuits which regardless of what came next, i thought made for an awesome hike!

This was cool

And this was cool

I really wasn't as miserable as this picture makes me look. It's probably just a bad angle.

Although THIS picture probably doesn't make me look as miserable as I was, it was makes you want to throw up cold.

But the 100 degree weather while climbing up the mountain and the 30 degree water we swam through was all well worth it. Props to Chase our fearless scout leader. I love southern Utah in my life.

Keep Manhattan, Just Give Me That Country Side.

2010-06-01T11:36:00.005-06:00

We went to New York for a few days and it was hard living. eating and eating and eating and playing and strolling and observing and visiting and running and watching and a couple more ands all took center stage (awesome movie, am i right?).

We went to a Yankees game - they were playing the Red Sox. Greatest rivalry in sports history! (ps, lately everyone has been saying everything is the greatest rivalry in sports. so what is it? Yankees/Red Sox; Celtics/Lakers; Agassi/Sampras; Beavers/Ducks(!)? There should be an official committee that decides these things. Sort of like an official committee that decides what really is the worlds best cup of coffee or the nation's favorite pizza - you know what I'm saying). Anyway, don't ask us how the game ended. Literally, don't ask us. We left early which was a really bad mistake on our (john's) part.

We spent an afternoon and the American Museum of Natural History. When we got married, we decided that each year we wanted to learn a little more about something so this year we really narrowed it down and decided upon space. The AMNH had this really interesting film in the planetarium about the birth of stars. We were sold. We spent the rest of our time learning about the relative distance and size of planets and stars. Talk about addicting shiz. and then we found this very nice man who talked to us about meteors and gravity and then took our picture.

This was a meteor found in Oregon (wha wha) and is thought to have hit the earth during it's formation - I'm guessing it's the oldest thing I will ever touch.

And finally on my third visit to New York I finally made it Grand Central Station and my what a beautiful ceiling.

AND THEN we went to the New York Times building and it was really great. There were these walls that displayed current electronic feeds of news stories, opinion pages, interview questions, writers, and so forth. The feeds were constantly changing making this great technological sound. It was almost mesmerizing, hypnotic at times. Very awesome.

And then a screen popped up asking "how is the transition going" and I thought to myself, "really great".

We also had a great tour guide while in "The City" John's friend (now my friend too) Leslie. She showed us some great spots and I even got a little something from the fashion capital. However, after all is said and done, my most favorite thing New York provided us was a pick-up game of Ultimate at Central Park. My old roommate mel was a gem and let us crash with her and the husband one night and took us to their usual spot in the park with the usual friends where casual conversation turned to a casual game of toss which turned to a competitive game of ultimate. It. Was. Awesome. Funny how you can travel across the country to a city 100% different from the one you live in and the highlight of the trip is an activity you do once a week in your own backyard. For me good people, green grasses, and a dash of competition will always beat everything out.

Two of us riding nowhere

2010-05-21T15:01:00.002-06:00

John and I went to Kauai on our honeymoon and had a lots of fun. So much fun we were put in a music video! Come home John, I miss you.

Honeymoon from Krista Martin on Vimeo.

Happy 1 month and 11 days.

The BB to my Bonnie

2010-05-14T09:41:00.002-06:00

So, I love Bonnie Raitt. She is a woman. A WOman. And when her and BB King do anything together it's magical. Enter the song, 'Baby, I love you'. My obsession with this song has been growing over the last couple years and it was then that I decided this was the song I would dance to at my wedding, if I could ever find a recipient worthy of dancing/singing this song to. Enter John Boy. I had my mind set on using this song so when John told me there was no way in H E double he would do it, i audibly said ok but mentally thought, 'duh I'll get what I want, I'll just have to use guilt and tears now.' The night before the wedding, we were working on our playlist and he was still hesitant so out of the goodness of my heart, I threw on some sort of sap song that we could awkwardly sway through as everyone else was praying for a 2 minute song instead of 4 and a half minute one. THEN as we were driving to the reception, John told me he had actually listened to my song 20 times that week and had all the lyrics memorized. Winner! So when we got to the reception we did a quick run-through and sealed it with a High-five. Thanks Aly for capturing this. and Thanks me for the execution. and thanks John for going all in.

The best part was after, one of the swim-kids came up to me and said, "when you started singing I was just thinking to myself, man, John is HATING this. and then he started singing and I thought, jokes on me. jokes on me."

The Best Cinco de Mayo to Date

2010-05-05T22:29:00.003-06:00

I usually don't get my hopes up for Cinco de Mayo, since, well, I usually forget that it's even happening but THIS YEAR I decided to treat myself right and celebrate this holiday to it's fullest, do something special, ya know? No I didn't wear a sombrero or learn the history of the holiday or eat tres leches cake or really any Hispanic food but what I did do was purchase this beauty.

So buying this had nothing to do with the holiday cause once again, I forgot it was happening, but what a fun little coincidence. Maybe from now on I'll make a grand purchase for number one every C de M. John's totally on board and very encouraging of it. I've been thinking about getting a road bike for a couple years but never really put enough energy into doing it until now (ps, john is watching Lost in the other room and that show sounds way stupid - all they do is scream and cry, wah wah wah so someone got hit by a door and died, big deal. I just wish it would hurry up and finish so I could watch rw/rr fresh meat 2 challenge, the best show on television). This summer is gonna rule now that I have this baby. It's been the best day. I think this was a great choice to spend our wedding loot on. Thank you marriage.

Suck It

2010-05-03T22:17:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I'll look over and catch Krista watching stupid tv shows on her computer and I'll watch her as she realizes she is dumb.

Shred It

2010-05-02T21:48:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I'll look over and catch John playing the air-guitar to the Strokes and I'll watch him as he corrects his air-chords when he makes his air-mistakes.

Pictures. Stolen Pictures.

2010-04-30T11:23:00.012-06:00

Thank you Cherie for letting me steal a few of your photos.

Blue skies in Portland. God exists fools.

My big, beautiful barn. We love each other.

People mingling outside! I hope everyone fully recognizes the miracle of this.

Thank goodness for other people's ideas.

Let us eat cake. and cupcakes. except we didn't eat any cupcakes. mistake.

Moss. and more moss.

My mother, dancing.

Our team of professionals. and me glaring?

John looks like he has a toothache and my hand look GIGANTIC

Our gift to you for coming. We are even now, right?

Marriage comes but once a year

2010-04-30T10:33:00.005-06:00

Well we did it. Although plans to change my last name aren't exactly in the near-future works. I'm just too busy (sarcasm?). I think this union really was meant to be and that was made manifest by the lucky break in weather. If you get a rainless day in April in Oregon, things are headed in the right direction. If you get a rainless day with breaks of sunshine? Well just go with it cause there could not possibly be any other option. I've heard a lot of people say how long the wedding day can be and that it's great but you are so tired by the end and you are kinda ready for it to be over. But I felt like it couldn't be long enough. It turned out exactly how I'd hoped and I couldn't have asked for more. It was incredible having so many friends and family be there, it really made the whole experience. I'm not gonna go into too much blah blah blahing but it was the best day followed by the best week, thank you Kauai. Although there was one day during the 'moon where John beat me in tennis and that turned into a very dark day. Marriage can be very hard sometimes. I'm not going to turn this into a cheese-fest but the right guy, the right place, the right time, with the right people there to support you easily made me confident in one of the best things I have ever done with my life. Throw in an old barn in the middle of a forest, a first dance I didn't think would happen, and sustained dancing at a MORMON WEDDING(!) into the mix and you end up with complete perfection. To everyone, to my mother, thank you for helping to turn this happiness into eternal freaking joy.

So you like to travel ehhhh? WELL HAVE ALL THE TRAVEL IN THE WORLD!

2010-04-08T10:31:00.000-06:00

Ya...that's about how it feels. In the past week and in the coming 2 weeks (3 week span) I will have visited and actually stayed a night in:

Baltimore
Washington DC
Nashville
Memphis
Miami
Orlando
Tampa
Portland
Corvallis
Hawaii
Orange County
LA
Santa Barbara
Salt Lake City...finally

I sure do like traveling...but holy hell. Actually...I can't really complain about going to Portland and getting married or going to Hawaii on my honeymoon. But I can complain about the rest!

The only thing that is getting me through it is...now I bet you think I'm going to say something really nice like...my future wife...or...great airplane conversation. Unfortunately...it is neither. Technology gets me through all this travel. Whether it is work, gchat, facebook, pandora, espn, checking our gift registry, or plain old fashioned email...it has been amazing having internet on the plane. Notice how I didn't say blogging? Well that is because this is the first time I am blogging on a plane...the jury is still out as to whether it gets me through the flight or not.

Sorry...I just got into a 30 minute long gchat conversation with like 8 people...I think I may be the greatest gchatter of all time.

Anyway...where was I? Ah yes...technology. So if having internet on the plane isn't enough...I decided to test something. I logged onto the wifi with my phone...which was harder than it sounds. Then I watched a movie while it streamed to my phone because it only works through the phone. Amazing...flights will ever be the same again....then of course i gchatted through my phone on the plane...ridiculous!

Oh ya...and it doesnt hurt to get upgraded to first class either.

Women be Wise

2010-03-31T18:39:00.002-06:00

I had a bridal shower with the girls before i came to Oregon and it was wonderful. Laura dressed up like john and nailed it - sweatsuit, swim cap, duh perfect. We did a lot of eating, chatty chatting, and then played that question game - you know, where a question is asked about John which he has already answered and then i try my darnedest to answer similarly. Really it's just a game to expose how little you really know about each other and that a mere year and a half courtship was probably too short. However, I did answer two questions correctly - take a trip anywhere and what he loves most about me - which clearly is how GD competitive I am, who doesn't love that about me? Next was the shower in Corvally with a 2 old besties from high school and all the ladies who watched me grow up. It was quite wonderful as well. They all gave me advice how to best put up with men. It came down to a lot of jokes on their behalf which is always fun when they aren't there to defend themselves.

I'm lucky to have so many girls, women, and females in general in my life who are incredible people. I've been fortunate to always have a couple close gf's who are there to watch my back and a plethora of others who are always willing dance, listen, and giggle. There is nothing quite like a band of women rooting each other on. My religion does a really great job of encouraging this - bonding women together through a sense of service and understanding. I'm excited to live with this boy, it's going to be a blast but a part of me is sad to bid farewell to nearly a decade of living with my fellow gender. However, I'm glad that having female cohorts is strongly embedded into my being and that won't change after marriage. And to you men, be wary of the girl who says she "just doesn't get along with girls" for there is clearly something a little amiss with her. We are a strong breed, difficult at times, headstrong, stubborn, and seemingly overly emotional but we are the movers and shakers, the constants, the compassionates, and ohhh how we love to laugh. I love us.

March Madness before April Awesomeness

2010-03-15T19:12:00.000-06:00

The best time of the year. March Madness. This may be one of the only things that can help get my mind off of the fact that I am getting married in less than a month. Not that I need to get my mind off of that...but...having two things to look forward to is really great. I have tickets to the 3rd and 4th rounds right down the street and let's just hope that BYU can make it. BYU in the sweet 16 in Salt Lake City would be one of the greatest sports moments in Utah history. Too bad my lovely bride to be won't be able to enjoy it with me. Unlike last year when she came to the opening rounds in Boise...she will be getting ready for her most exciting moment...marrying me.

To Tahoe!

2010-03-12T16:01:00.015-07:00

Last year, John and I went to Tahoe and it looked like this

and talked like this

and felt like this

Last weekend we went to Tahoe and it looked like this

just kidding - that's the great salt lake. A lake that has a much different water purity level and smells much much worse.
Her cold beauty

and this time it played like this

and crossed country like this

and then he dropped his hat

and then we posed

and swung

and then we peaced the H out

Oh Tahoe how I love you

please don't let my sister move and plant new roots in Nebraska.

notice how the sun makes john look like he hates taking engagement pictures

2010-02-21T18:40:00.009-07:00

really, it was the sun. it wasn't the fact we were sitting and walking around memory grove (the mecca of engagement, bridal, and family portraits) or that we were concentrating on our "longing eyes" or perfecting the "in love" laugh. no, it was the sun. i mean, how can a chin rest, head grab not make you want to melt into a big puddle of love? actually, it wasn't that bad. 40 minutes of john, me, and my bro laughing at how badly john sucks at a fake smile or how his attention span is around 4 seconds. garrett was awesome to do these and was a natural even though we were his first clients. oh love, thanks for being in our lives so we could capture you in these heartfelt, sincere photos (sarcasm?).

I'm guessing we will be equally bad at the posed, wedding pictures as well. we are who we are.

To Fred, to Frisbee

2010-02-15T11:12:00.005-07:00

Fred Morrison's contribution to society cannot be measured. It's too big. It would be like trying to count the stars, or Abraham's prosperity, or all those starfish that washed up on the shore that one time. He brought us the Frisbee and how glad we are that he did. More on his story can be found here . He died the other day in Monroe, Utah so naturally out of respect, we held a game of ultimate in his honor. 16 of our favorites showed up in the off season on Saturday to run around on dead grass and goose crap. It was a good day. Even though it had been months since we've played, it still felt like this

but with a wet wintery ground, I think in actuality it looked a lot more like this

I've been loving winter this year but running around with the frisbee made me crave the green grasses of summer. This is for you Fred, this is for you...

Sometimes I wish I had a reason to say these things

2010-01-29T15:35:00.004-07:00

THAT IS OUT OF YOUR JURISDICTION
It's airborne
Hold my calls
We've been compromised

Maybe I need a little more danger in my life, or at least a higher paying job. I'd even settle for an encounter with Harrison Ford. I hope before I die, I will have a legitimate excuse to say one of these phrases.

So it has been a while...

2010-01-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

Krista and I made a deal that I would write once for every 2 or 3 times that she writes. Well...I haven't really held up my end of the bargain. I've just set reading my scriptures as a high priority...I wish that were true. So anyway...what do I write about...well...I am starting a week long business trip...to the coldest state in the lower 48 and I am super pumped. That is not true either. What else isn't true?

1. I didn't watch 3/4 of the Bachelor tonight in my hotel room.
2. I know exactly what the title of this blog means.
3. I didn't eat a salad for dinner tonight.

4. This blog entry is really good.

The Bachelor...

2010-01-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

is a really stupid show. That is all.

Thank you society

2010-01-25T13:19:00.003-07:00

For the last couple weeks I have been working in my office alone with only the company of Pandora to talk to me (until today when I reached my monthly free listening limit - such a thing? shame). However, working alone has lead me from 'no need to brush my hair before work' to 'no need to put on my face' to 'no need to change my clothes' to the most recent logic of 'no need to shower' and now here i am, in all my natural scent and beauty. But when i caught a glimpse of myself in the elevator mirror, I remembered why society asks us to look otherwise. Regardless, I don't think I'll be taking its advice.

Go Morgan Freeman, Go World

2010-01-21T10:15:00.004-07:00

I would say it is universally understood that Morgan Freeman is a good actor, nay a great actor. There is a comfort, a confidence, an authenticity that seem to continually follow him around, and not to mention a voice that almost rivals that of David McCullough. However, regardless of his great roles and portrayals, his best work can be witnessed every two years around this time. I am not an overly emotional person, but every time Morgan gets on the tube to narrate the Visa Olympic commercials, I find myself repeatedly blinking those stories of triumph out of my eyes and unsuccessfully trying to swallow that lump forming in my throat. I love the olympics and I love an Olympic commercial. My appreciation for the games was not fully realized until i was living in Utah during the 2002 games. During our week off, I found myself glued to the television, and for a moment became an expert on events i previously hadn't even heard of or people i didn't know existed. The Olympics is a time where despite who is president, or what political party you belong to, or religion you believe, or your socioeconomic status, or whatever separates us and makes us hate one another, we can all love where we come from, and love where we don't come from as well. Morgan said it best when he stated, "we come together to stand, to cheer, and celebrate as one. We forget all the things that make us different and remember all the things that make us the same." oh i can't wait.

i'm late

2010-01-16T11:10:00.006-07:00

but i figured i would post about christmas regardless. However, after 3 frisbee games, runs through the forest, lunches with old friends, great christmas gifts, lots of games, karaoke, name that running tune, a christmas pageant, chimes, all the nieces and nephews, wedding planning, the entire fam together, and 8 tons of food, the only 2 picture i have are these:

my brother lives on the edge of the forest and has become quite the night bike riding expert and whenever we come home, he takes all the boys for a ride. yeah, boys. however this time i got my chance to go and it was one of the more awesome things. my bro and my niece were on their tandem mountain bike and john and i on our own bikes. the lights used are incredible - it looks like day but with the comfort of the dark night resting on your shoulders, the clean forest air hitting your face, and not a soul in sight. The fog was so thick that when someone was riding behind you, you could see your shadow in the air, sweet beauty. Sure i've spent time on these trails before, but being there at night is like stepping into a new dimension. ohhh i loved it. oregon, you will always have my heart.

Utah I love you, but you're ruining my lungs

2010-01-13T13:03:00.002-07:00

Utah is beautiful

Except when it looks like this

and when the air quality forecast indicates that we are in the red, i think it's a shame and seems a little unhealthy. But when i'm on my way home from work and essentially pass this guy

i can't help but roll my eyes and sort of swerve to hit him. Lets hope for snow just so these idiots stay off the streets.

all you need is to stand by me

2010-01-11T16:26:00.004-07:00

these videos cause me to jump on the table and laugh and cry because they make me so darn happy. Hopefully you have the same reaction

first

and then

there is nothing better than a video montage - well except maybe an international music video montage. If someday I sell all of my possessions to play music on the hills of Montenegro, now you know why.

trunks and genes

2010-01-03T14:13:00.009-07:00

I'm not an artistic or crafty person. I have bad handwriting, I cut crooked, and am envious of most children's ability to draw. Combine that with the fact that I don't really have many skills and am terribly unsentimental and you get very low expectations for a personalized, homemade-ish gift. So when i saw this trunk at an antique shop in Seattle, I knew I had to come up with a logical reason to buy it, other than the fact that it was awesome, since I was unemployed and already spending way too much money on a weekend trip in support of the love of my life...uh i mean the second love of my life. Anyway, I immediately thought of three things: Christmas present, maps, john. And with that the trunk was stuffed into the back of Lindsey's car and headed for UT. John loves maps so I decided I would attempt to recreate the belly of the beast and this is what happened..

the belly

our great nation

his and her's home/current states and the narcissistic love affair

the final product

and now our new coffee table

with a natural lack of creativity and artistic genes that seemed to have skipped my DNA, i'd like to think, hmmm it turned out alright.

a good thing part 2

2009-12-31T14:38:00.004-07:00

merry christmas and a happy new year to me indeed. john certainly had me in mind when he got me my christmas present this year (unlike when i get him a present - i usually have me in mind). Something that would make me handle the snow a little better, something that would make me comfortably 3 inches taller, and something that makes me want to kick over anthills, snowmen, and children of any size. the school bully is back and it's all thanks to these babies.

seriously, i feel like i'm driving a monster truck when i put these on. the world is my domain and i will treat it however i want. it's kinda like when you are in the ocean and the waves keep coming and you just yell back, "IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT?!" yeah, that's how these boots make me feel. however, to balance out this more masculine based gift (i mean, he also has the exact same pair) he got me this.

i've only been wanting it since 2005 when we use to run to the local Thai "mall" to drench ourselves in it to cover up the fact that we constantly stunk. for some reason running to the store seemed more logical than just simply taking a shower, but don't get me started on our illogical behaviors in the country - our ability to make rational decisions was constantly escaping us.

sometimes

2009-12-31T00:39:00.003-07:00

you are stuck at the portland airport for 15 1/2 hours and your boyfriend is too busy "working" to hang out so you end up signing up for 2 different airlines credit cards because they come with a free cup and then end up buying, reading, and finishing McCarthy's The Road and you have to hide the fact that you are crying through the final pages because the stranger sitting next to you keeps tapping you on the shoulder to point out the snow through the plane window and sometimes that day doesn't end up being so bad.

two good things

2009-12-30T23:04:00.007-07:00

john knows a good thing when he sees it - i mean clearly, ehem, that is obvious. however, this fact was not completely realized until after we found our new place. it essentially went like this: he found the place, we went and looked at it, 2 hours later john had finally put that MBA of his to good use and successfully convinced me of the pros and we signed our lives away - well at least one year of our lives. I had only one qualification for our place - exposed brick - and the man came through. Why i was hesitant, i know not. the point is, it's ours and it's lovely.
The Kitchen (yes, you do see two full cupboards devoted to water bottles...)

The Guest Bed

Our Neighbor Trax

My Contribution
all are welcome to come over and share a cup of cheer as we silently stare at the bright lights of the gateway or throw a few harmless water balloons at the passerbyers.

Girlz Nite!!!

2009-12-19T23:02:00.002-07:00

Yes...it is "Girls Night" tonight for Krista's dear friend Lindsey's birthday. Well...I guess Lindsey is a friend of mine too...but I guess since I am not female...I am not invited to her birthday party. Which seems kind of strange since the party is being held at MY house. Technically this will be our house soon...and yes...I am preparing to be kicked out on occasion for "girls nights".

Honestly I think it is great that Krista has some close friends. There are soo many girls out there that don't have any girl friends. It is ridiculous and in turn these girls become a strain on society. It starts by the girl refusing to let her boyfriend hang out with his friends. She'll come up with some sort of excuse like cramps or a headache and guilt her boyfriend into staying home with her watching a chick flick. In reality...all she wants is to make sure he doesn't have any fun without her. Soon enough this guy turns into the least reliable guy in the world. Guys who are unreliable and high maintenance are the bane of my existence.

I'll explain...

Let's go back to when I was 10 years old or so. Playing backyard football (this story also works for baseball and basketball). It's around noon and the whole neighborhood is out. The teams are even...we've been playing for 3 hours with no end in sight. It is bound to be the best day of competitive sports ever and if it keeps up we will all be in the NFL in just a few short years. But instead...that one kid (you know the one) looks at his watch and says,

"Guys...I gotta go...its lunchtime"
"Skip it"
"But I hear my mom...I always eat at noon"
"But we will have uneven teams"
"Sorry...but I gotta go"
"C'mon...wait until the next touchdown"
"I really gotta go"

Then the chain reaction...

"I better go too"
"Me too"

So in the end...the one unreliable momma's boy ruins my life. It happens...all the time...and it is always a female's fault...and it typically involves food or guilt...which just so happen to be very interchangeable.

Anyway...back to what I was saying...I am glad Krista isn't one of these depressed girls who doesn't have any friends. Sure...I may be kicked out of my house from time to time...better to be kicked out because we have a sweet place and she has friends than be stuck at home with a girl who only wants to hang out with you because she has nothing else to do.

So...Happy Birthday Lindsey...here's to you!...and GIRLS NIGHT!

Oh...and this just in...girls just want to have fun.

beatable

2009-12-17T00:28:00.001-07:00

It’s an interesting thing, getting married. It’s as if you are making a public proclamation that everyone previous was wrong, which, duh, I typically realized after the first month of dating but this doesn’t just incorporate ex’s but friends, potentials, could have beens, and strangers. It certainly accentuates the fact that the one right in this sea of wrong is a complete miracle. Ever since childhood I have known that love was a miracle. I could hardly comprehend being in love let alone having that one person who you have somehow come to love, pick you to love back, I mean, the odds are completely against us. In my early twenties I loved a boy and he loved me back but confidence in marriage requires more than love and I will always stand behind that so it ended, slowly and painfully. However, I can now say confidently that against the odds, right prevails. So to my past: you were great, but you were wrong; to my future: you are great and you are right.

starting and staring and loving the man in the mirror

2009-12-15T23:35:00.003-07:00

Blogging consistently is a difficult thing to do. Blogging consistently and making it interesting? Nearly impossible. I have realized that a greater sense of narcissism is required to keep the readers coming back (readers being well, John and me) so I’m committed to escalating the self-adulation. That and I swear once I finish the third (and forth) season of The O.C. I’ll be much more committed and focused, but you know, priorities. The real news is I’ve succumbed, joined the forces, bowed down to the man and let him slap me across the face only to write me a check. I got a job. And it’s wonderful. It’s actually a dream, well sort of. Stuffing envelops, answering phones, updating the books is not exactly the American dream but working for someone who is not delusional, dishonest, and all the negative qualities of Michael Scott is certainly a breath of fresh air. The organization is One Heart International and it epitomizes what humanitarian work should be. That and my boss is a saint. She is pure goodness. Seeing what she has accomplished by 50 makes me want to roll over and die. And how did she start One Heart you might ask? Oh, well the Dalai Lama personally asked her to of course, same old same old. Anyway, it feels good to be contributing something to society again – not that you have to have a job to do so, it’s just I have to have a job to do so. So farewell pilates at 3 in the afternoon, so long spontaneous trips to Oregon for weeks on end, goodbye hours of wedding blog surfing, nice knowing you midmorning bike rides. Hello self-righteous attitude toward everyone who doesn’t have a job and immediately forgetting how effing difficult it is to get a job and that it was only by the grace of God that I landed mine. I’ve missed you so. To me!

...and the children

forgot to mention one little thing, a ring.

2009-12-02T21:07:00.002-07:00

So I must admit, I feel a little stupid wearing a wedding ring. Not so much because I still love flirting up a storm with whomever walks by but because I feel like I’m trying so hard to look like an adult with it on, yet it’s apparent to EVERYONE that I am hardly pulling it off. It feels like there’s this club with these members only rings and now I have one but everyone, including myself, thinks it’s a joke. I mean, when I’m standing in a circle with a bunch of married ladies, I have to resist the urge of apologizing for making a mockery of such a symbol and excuse myself to sit at the kids table. It’s sort of like when I try to wear lipstick – it’s so blazingly obviously that I’m just not cut out for it. The ring itself is beautiful. It was his mom’s and since John was the last boy to be wed, she gave it to him before she died. I mean, really amazing and clearly means way more than a ring from Kay Jewelers (no offense to rings purchased there) or the like. It actually makes me want to wear it less since I’m scared to death of losing it, which let’s face it, is eventually going to happen with my luck. It’s a good thing I’m not a day younger than 26 or else I would feel even more stupid and justifiably so (again, no offense – this time to children tying the knot). And I think, eventually I will just get over it and then it will seem oh so fitting, but like calling John my husband, or fiancée, or boyfriend, I just can’t imagine it feeling normal. So, let’s raise our glasses and toast to feeling completely out of place and kinda like an idiot, forever.

I post this picture for two reasons; first as a reference for you of simplistic class and second for a reference for me after I accidentally drop the ring down the drain in years to come.

Uhhhh....

2009-11-22T18:34:00.004-07:00

So this is my first try at the whole blog thing. In all honesty I kind of think blogging is a little narcissistic...but after some more thought...I guess it has its advantages. The main one being that it replaces my non-existent journal.

So Krista and I discussed a "blog" during a walk/run in Oregon a month ago. It was about a week after I proposed and I secretly think that she had been patiently awaiting my proposal just so she could start a blog. I think this means that now we can move on from our single Facebook "friends" to "blog stalking" new married friends in hopes that they will "follow" us and accept us into their very exclusive culture.

Tangent: Where did that stupid word "blog" come from anyway? I'm sure I could google it and get some sort of explanation...but I don't really want to know...I won't think it is less of a stupid word if I actually knew where it came from.

Right or wrong...it seems to me that all married couples love to get together and play games. Although I may be a bit apprehensive about making new married friends...I am not concerned about my future teammate in all things competitive. It has come to my attention that people view me as a competitive person. Good thing I have Krista (who most have agreed is even more competitive than I am) to deflect all the negativity associated with being "too competitive". We just had a competitive outing last week to play tennis with/against Scott and Carly. It turned out to be a tie....we let them win the first set.

So if you've gotten to this point you may be asking...why isn't he spending every waking moment with his bride to be? Well let me tell you. Krista Martin is way more interested in The Real Salt Lake than she is in hanging out with me and left me for Seattle and the MLS Championship Game. In turn...this leaves me sitting by myself on a Sunday night writing a blog crying on my back-lit keyboard...and explains the picture above. :(

say my name.

2009-11-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Krista. Apparently it’s a difficult name to remember. Probably due to the excessive number of syllables, unconventional pairing of vowels and consonants, and the surprise A at the end. Whatever the reasons, people feel much more comfortable using Christy, Kristen, Crystal, or Sharon. I will be standing in a group of 12 people where everyone’s name is remembed but then they come to me and its….just…to…difficult. I went to church with a girl for 3 years and after a plethora of introductions and interactions, my last conversation with her was her confidently asking, “it’s Ashley, right?” Nope. Maybe it has to do with the fact that my face is evidently forgettable as well. Sure I’ll give you “I’m just bad with names,” but “sorry, I’m just terrible at remembering people I’ve met 6 times,” is not going to slide so easily. I mean, I’ve met boys who after hanging out, people inform me they are interested yet a couple weeks later there is no recollection when we meet again. At first I would pretend to not remember people I had met so that I didn’t come across as a freak that remembers names and encounters. Then I realized that they are the freaks and it is my social obligation to make them consciously aware of this fact. And I will tell you that it feels good.

The problem now is John has a face that whether people have met him or not, they remember him on first glance. This very fact was perfectly exemplified earlier this year on our way to Portland. So through various unfortunate events, I ended up spending part of Christmas Eve with this certain, undisclosed family. I have known their son Nate for sometime, I know their daughter-in-law pretty well from Thailand, and the family is old friends with my best friend’s family. All this aside, let’s remember it was Christmas eve, a day people tend to remember. Now, fast forward a few months later when John and I were walking down the aisle of the plane. I sit down without interruption and when I turn around, John is yacking it up with some joker. The conversation was something like, “hey, John Malfatto, right? I met you once 4 years ago, you lived with my son Nate for like 2 minutes, blah blah blah.” No mind to the girl who spent one of the bigger holidays of the year at his home. This is my life. And after tying the committal knot with old Malfatto, I will now only be recollected because of my significant other. I think I’d rather be forgotten then remembered because of someone else's face.

The point is, if you are cognizant of your general apathy towards remembering, I don’t know, people then stop hiding behind the ‘not good with names’ excuse and learn to actually pay attention when you ask someone their name. And I’m stepping off my soapbox.

the consequence of swiping.

2009-11-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

except when people steal things. then there is only one perspective to be had.

I've been the victim of various accounts of theft. In africa, my daypack was stolen containing my ipod, camera, wallet, only jacket, favorite pair of pants, etc, i've had 2 bikes stolen, my car stolen, oh and my house was broken into a year ago where the thieves made off with all my electronics, jewelry, and so forth. The point is, people who steal should get their hands cut off. It's just that simple. I found this picture a couple days ago which we took right before i left for Uganda. I had taped the polaroid to the inside of my journal which, consequentially was stolen in Africa as well. So instead of reminding me of the great experiences i had there, it just reminded me of all my shiz that strangers have swiped. I hope this little Polaroid RIP's and the man who stole it RIH.

raincoats, dresses, and ugly beaches

2009-11-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

So i have this problem where i know exactly what i want. Well, this isn't really the problem - the problem lies in the fact that the reason i know exactly what i want is because i have created it in my head which in turn makes reality a little unsatisfactory and not terribly obtainable. (Please note: this is a materially shallow post). This has happened with watches, boots, dresses, swimsuits, and so forth. I remember once i wanted a kelly green raincoat - one of those classic vinyl raincoat that was well fitted, mid-thigh, and fully lined with red flannel on the inside; that's just how i saw it. Well i never found this raincoat so needless to say, i never got a raincoat. My mother can attest to this personal characteristic and does actually, on a continual basis. But the thing is, if i don't end up getting the item of desire, it's fine. i move on without much problem to the next item of fabrication. A wedding dress, on the other hand, isn't so easily disregarded. I mean, you have to have one. However, i do have the option now of throwing some ideas out and having the dress made. Retribution for all the items that were never materialized, sitting on the mental shelves labeled "didn't quite make it." Yet even when you think you have a clear idea on how great something can be, or how badly you want it, once you get close enough, you realize somethings are better left imagined. Sort of like this story:
So Whitney and I went here after our program ended in Northern Thailand
We met my friend Ryan down there and basked in the awesomeness Ko Phi Phi had to offer. While sitting on the beach, we noticed a little island a short ways out that seemed to posses an unadulterated beach that we felt inclined to adulterate (so maybe we had just finished watching The Beach and were feeling slightly idealistic..). As we took off, I was feeling a little nauseous but trudged on like the champ i am. After swimming for what seemed like hours (John is the swimmer of the two of us, well and the successful one and i'm everything else) and swallowing copious amounts of salt water, our secluded beach was finally in reach. Once we arrived, i immediately threw up and then stepped on something and cut my foot. then we realized that the beach sucked compared to where we were and that it wasn't an island at all, we just couldn't see that it was actually connected. So we walked back home cursing the beach. Sometimes it's best to just keep things in your head where you know they will stay perfect, sort of like a well-imagined wedding dress.

The Slash to my Rose

2009-11-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Halloween. The holiday where societal norms are thrown out the window. Boys are applauded for looking like women (ps, boys dressing like girls for Halloween are like mustaches - thoroughly overdone, unless you are over 55, then it's hillarious!), girls are congratulated on how little clothing they can wear, and parents continue to send convoluted messages to their children (and by 'don't take candy from a stranger' i really mean, take as much candy from strangers as you can - whether they offer it or not; and while we're at it, go ahead and jump in their van, they probably are going to Disney Land after all). And I look forward to it every year. My 6 year streak of goth and goth variations (cheerleading goth, jock goth, the BYU modest goth, etc, etc) was broken when it was realized that i had a little Lindsey Lohan in me and a bf had a LOT of Sam Ronson in her.
However, I discovered this year (alright, i've heard it for years but finally accepted it this year) that i'm a little less Lindsay and a little more Axl. Actually a lot Axl - we have the same body, hair, and unfortunately..face. In my defense, i'm much more an '84 Axl than a 2005 Axl but in reality, that just makes me dread my visual future even more.

This all started when John and I were driving to Tahoe in May and it hit him, "you look like Axl." So sweet. So naturally, John was totally the Slash to my Rose. True love.
Needless to say John's favorite part of the night was looking in the mirror (sidenote: john is still unaware that this blog has begun so the jabs will continue to be uncontested. As it should be.

the birth

2009-10-29T13:43:00.000-06:00

It started with a chase, led to like, turned into love, which has recently transformed into an engagement which naturally means the next step in life is a blog. I use to think that rings, wedding dates, and a color pallet solidified this significant level of commitment but apparently 'I Do' comes second to 'I Will' start a blog with you. Huge. I mean, the internet isn't going anywhere, it will last long after death and destruction. John made me swear that i wouldn't let it fade, dwindle, and die. I naturally assumed he was referring to our love (gross, our love? gross) but no, he of course was referring to the blog. Well, no promises (side note: I have found myself repeating that phrase quite often since dating john, always followed by 'you never know what could happen' - he says he loves it but the single tear may suggest otherwise, i think i'll continue to say it) but i'll give it a shot because who better than the www to help me express my unwavering sense of commitment. That and I am completely unemployed. To us!