Ragnar Relay

What happens when you take twelve ordinary people split them between two vans and then force them to run 187 miles through the Wasatch mountains? Well, besides having two stinky vans you get twelve exhausted yet jubilant people. I ran the Wasatch Back Relay a week and half ago, the reason it's taken me so long to write this entry is because it has taken me a week and half to recover! I ran as part of team "Not a Scrub in the Bunch," a family team put together by Bev's Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Doug.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Ragnar races, the Wasatch Back begins in Logan and ends in Park City. Each of the twelve runners has three different legs to run during the 187 mile experience, and the race never stops, you run all through the night. We started at 6:45 am on Friday and finished a little after 2 pm on Saturday. We had a lot fun being together and cheering each other on. We were also entertained by the other 650 teams, 1/3 of which belong in mental institutions, there were some crazy runners. Some of my favorites included the Winder Dairy van equipped with a microphone and blaring music, the disco team that ran in 70's shirts and Afro wigs, and team tumor (a team made up of cancer patients/survivors). It was clear that it was not about being the fastest, but more about having fun and loving the experience. Our whole team met just before the finish line and we all ran in together, a true team effort.

Even though I'm not a runner, by any stretch of the imagination, I enjoyed every minute of it, even the running. It was great to have a team cheering you on as you ran, encouraging you to keep going, and supplying you with water and food. To say that we were exhausted at the end would be an understatement. My body hurt so bad Saturday night that I could barely walk, but I still had a smile on my face. You may be wondering if I would do it again or recommend running a Ragnar Relay. The answer, absolutely!!! I'm planning to run again next year. Honestly the toughest part of the whole experience was being separated from Bev for two nights, this was the first time since being married that we were apart for more than a day. Hopefully next year we can do it together.

This is van #1 at the starting line in Logan.

My first leg, 7.5 miles up Avon Pass.

Our team running across the finish line together.

I forgot to mention that Megan and I are now famous. We were interviewed by the illustrious Park City news team. I'm sure the interview was seen by at all 10 people that watch the nightly park city news.

Our team at the finish line with our medals. Me, Sheila, Clint, Danielle, Megan, Nelly, Scott, Heather, Doug, Carolyn, Ben, and Kendal.

Happy Birthday Jake!!

This last Monday was Jake's birthday. We were able to spend the whole weekend and Monday (his actual birthday) celebrating. We spent most of the weekend in Vegas. Neither of us are huge Vegas fans, but we won a free trip there, so we decided to take advantage of it before the baby comes. This is how the free trip came about:


Last fall I was home sick and Jake stayed home from work to take care of me. We decided to turn on the TV that morning and happened upon a contest one of the local morning shows was having for a free trip to Vegas. We heard them announce it and didn't really think much of it, but then about 5 minutes later they announced it again and said they still needed people to enter. At that point we thought maybe we were the only ones watching (it was a pretty lame show and we have tried to find it since then and are pretty sure they have canceled it). So we sent an email in to the station with the answer to the question. A couple minutes later Jake's name appeared on the TV as the winner. Well, long story short, we didn't really know what we had won until we got the prize pack in the mail a few days later, and we still didn't realize what a great prize we won until we went to Vegas. This is what we ended up winning:

A free hotel stay at the Palazzo. This was not just any ordinary room. It was a luxury suite on the 43rd floor looking out over a beautiful golf course (Jake was excited about the golf part). The bathroom was bigger than our living room, there were 3 TV's (one in the bathroom, one in the sitting area, and one by the bed). The curtains even had a remote to open and close them from the bed. It was the nicest room either of us have ever stayed in.


We also won tickets to see Blue Man Group. Our tickets were on the 6th row, which made for a very loud concert that the baby danced all the way through.


We also won tickets to see Phantom of the Opera. We both agreed that we like the Broadway production better, but the special effects were still amazing and they had the whole theatre set up as the opera house.


The last thing we won was a gift card for $50 to spend at the mall there, but it is also good at some of the malls here in Utah. We spent some of the money on a souvenir and a few treats like yummy gelatto and will probably spend the rest on some more practical things.


Since winning this contest Jake has become a crazy man entering every contest he can find. He hasn't won anything as great as this trip, but some of you may have heard him a few weeks ago on Good Things Utah. You will have to ask him more about what he won and the whole story. It is pretty funny and a little embarrassing to him, but I don't think that has stopped him from entering more contests!


So, on to the rest of Jake's birthday. Monday (his actual birthday) we both had to work during the day, but we had fun celebrating that night with some of Jake's family. We surprised Jake at the local bowling alley and had such a fun time bowling. Jake even ended up being the big winner! We ended the celebration with a yummy dinner at the Cheesecake Factory later that night.

Happy Birthday Jake! Thanks for being such an amazing husband! I love you!