Sunday, December 4, 2011


Sunday adventures!  Michael is in red.  I'm in white.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Wednesday, November 16, 2011


Hard at work piloting the plane, huh?  Likely story!  oxoxoxo

Tuesday, November 15, 2011





A few more photos from our AT backpacking trip in October!  The top three photos, taken by me, are from our campsite.  The bottom gnarly tree, taken by Michael, is from the second day of hiking.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011


Michael, Pika, Nacho and I went on a beautiful hike today in the Land Trust - we did the Arrowhead/Natural Well loop.  I really hadn't been out in the woods since our trip to North Carolina, so it was extra refreshing!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011


We went backpacking with Brian and Erica a couple weekends ago and had such a great time!  The weather was exactly right, the fall colors were beautiful, the dogs did great - it was perfect.  More pictures to come.

Monday, October 10, 2011



The first photo is from Salt Lake City to Chicago, and the second photo is from Chicago to Huntsville.




We took a short hike in the mountains with Michael's dad while we were in Utah.  I especially like the bottom photo of Michael and his dad on the trail.

We travelled to Salt Lake City two weeks ago to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of Michael's grandfather, Poppy.  From The Salt Lake Tribune:

Ralph E. Christenson
9/20/1922 ~ 9/19/2011

I was born in Salt Lake City on September 20, 1922 to Walter G. and Elizabeth Puls Christenson. Other than the four years I proudly served in the U.S. Navyduring World War II in the Pacific theater, I lived my life in Salt Lake City. I worked many years for and retired from Amoco Oil.

I am survived by my four children Gregory (Connie) Christenson, Marilyn (Jim, deceased) Poulsen, Leslie (Brad) Campbell, Brad (Tara) Christenson, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, brother Frank (Wanda) and brother Grant (deceased). 

I bid a very fond adieu to all of my loved ones and friends. At my request there will be no service. 

Note from family: We love you and will miss your sense of humor Poppy. 

Sunday, September 11, 2011


I've just spent nine days in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Cocoa Beach/KSC, and Orlando.  The trip was great, but I'm so excited to see Michael and the pups!

The photo above was taken after swim practice about a month ago - the sky really looked like that at sunrise.  I've been doing a lot of swimming lately.  My friend Jen and I did the Rocketman Triathlon a couple weeks ago (I did the swim and bike and she did the run), and we got third place in women's relay!  Then last weekend Katie and I did a 1.2 mile swim in the Boulder Reservoir - it was cold, dark, and windy when we showed up for the race, but it felt good after we got in the water and started swimming!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011


Nacho just celebrated his one year anniversary with our family!  I bought him a rotisserie chicken.

Sunday, July 24, 2011




We spent a rejuvenating, reinvigorating, and relaxing (if those three things are possible all at once!)  weekend in North Carolina with friends on the Green Narrows.  This was my first time on the Narrows and Michael's third.  It was just the life-affirming, confidence-inspring experience that we needed - and so much fun!  The photos above show my run in three parts at Zwick's Backender, one of the more challenging rapids on the river.   

Saturday, July 16, 2011





Pika is on the mend!  Nacho is still worried about her, but she's doing just fine considering what she went through.



I've recently had the unsettling experience of finding a recipe I love and then forgetting where I found the recipe.  This happens less often when the valued recipe came out of a cookbook I own, but Michael and I are more frequently using recipes found online.  In my experience with lost online recipes, they're not easily found.

So, it's in this spirit that I'm listing a number of recipes I've recently found online, cooked at home, and thoroughly enjoyed:

Soba with Peanut-Citrus Sauce
This recipe is simple and rewarding.  I tried it while Michael was out of town; he doesn't enjoy nut sauces very much.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Ricotta
Michael thought this was forgettable, I thought it was awesome.

Baked Mac and Cheese with Vegetables
This has quickly become a staple in our house because it's easy to make ahead and tasty.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Ginger
I've made this recipe twice - once overcooked and once undercooked.  Despite the fact that I haven't gotten it right yet, I think the banana/chocolate/ginger combination is a definite winner.

Alea's Eggplant Pizza Bites
This recipe is pictured above and doesn't really need a recipe - it's really more of just a good idea.  We served them with pesto on pasta and salad (made with basil and tomatoes straight from our garden)!

I'm eager to try the following recipes sometime soon:

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
We've been eating almost exclusively vegetarian lately but have yet to find a really great vegetarian enchilada recipe.  This recipe looks promising!

Simple Summer Peach Cake
Michael frequently has to deal with the repercussions following my insistence on making desserts with complex recipes.  This one looks really straightforward.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011



Our precious Pika had a run-in with a branch in the yard that resulted in a large section of her left side being sliced open.  Approximately 30 stitches and a $800 vet bill later, she's all sewn up and feeling much better!  She's been wearing t-shirts to protect her injured area; we've tried several on her so far, and the purple is her favorite.

Sunday, July 3, 2011












Last week I went on a tour of the valve lab to look for valves that might be useful for testing in my branch's test facility.  The photos above show a small sample of the total hardware in the warehouse - it was incredible!  The largest valve is shown in the second to last photo.  I included my feet in a couple of the photos for scale.