i'm the king of the world...

You know it's a good vacation when it involves Titanic re-enactments. I went to Vancouver Island earlier this month to spend some quality time with my folks, sister and her two adorable kids. It was what a vacation should be.

We rode a ferry (and saw Orca's on the way back)

Went to Sooke and went on some cool ziplines

Enjoyed the scenery in Sooke

Checked out Victoria Harbour

Sailed!

And rode some rides in Seattle.

This picture really epitomizes how fun the trip was.

Other non-pictured highlights...
-Watching Parker catch rain with her mouth which resulted in a soaking top
-Finally getting ice cream at the Big Moo
-Running by the ocean
-Being told by the Sushi man that I have a "nice shape and beautiful."
-Retelling family sailing stories, especially those involving my little brother
-Having my sister catch me from gossiping about a stranger that happened to be on the same bus as us

timp

Timpanogos at sunrise... need I say more?

Well, I will... For those of you that don't know Timpanogos is the looming peak just up Provo Canyon. I have wanted to hike this mountain for years and this summer WAS the year. We started our hike at 2 a.m. with our headlamps, toques, and snacks. We reached the summit just as the sun came up and it was spectacular... and cold! We decided to go down the glacier but at 7 a.m. the snow was more ice than snow which made for a dangerous trek down (Chris's back is living proof).

Great company and great views. I loved it!

biking aftermath!

Pictures don't quite do justice to this spectacular bruise! I'm kind of proud of it. My own badge of honour.

And to give you a size perspective:

mountain falling

Yesterday Aaron took me on my first mountain biking adventure at Sundance. While my road biking skills helped me know how to clip in to my pedals, that's about all it helped me with! I found it harder to clip out of my pedals, which resulted in some spectacular crashes. We started out by riding the lift and then biking down. After the first ride down the trail I was ready to quit! I had managed to hit a tree, scratch up my hip, arm and ego!

Aaron took a different approach and took me up a trail first, coaching me to "pedal, pedal, pedal." The second trail was beautiful but scary. There were several parts where I had to avoid looking to the left as there was nothing to stop me from falling down a steep ledge if I wiped out (which wasn't too difficult a task for me).


I gained a bit more confidence and the view was definitely worth the work.


Aaron did "force" me to practice going over a tree root. I did it, but looking at the picture reminds me that I clearly have some biking form to work on.


My last spill put me out of commission. I was able to stand up and laugh it off but my elbow wasn't laughing. Today I have some pretty impressive bruises and scratches. It was definitely an experience. I'm not sure I'm a convert yet, but I'm glad I finally tried it out. It will take a lot more practice to feel like I can conquer it... but maybe... maybe I'll go again...