Carving out our niche.
Over the last couple weeks we’ve been receiving accessories and parts to brand-new Weber grill, an extraordinarily generous housewarming gift from my Auntie Cathy in Philadelphia. BBQ season is upon us and we can’t WAIT to get grilling!!
4-Piece Grilling Set:
Grill Cover (to make it last!)
Pre-assembly:
In the thick of it:
Post-assembly — looking slick!
We now have a summer full of BBQ’s to look forward to. You’re too kind, Auntie Cathy…thank you!! XOXO
We got invited to our our little buddy Robbie’s birthday party (son of Esther and Rob). What made it extra cool was that Cosmo showed up unexpectedly for the second year running. Robbie was a little afraid of Cosmo, but still said it was the best part of his birthday. The little guy is more Cougar pride per square inch than anyone else I know.
So lately I’ve taken up trail running because I find it infinitely more enjoyable than pounding the pavement. It feels like hiking, just twice as fast. So while the hills are killer, the views and the escape make it one of my new favorite pasttimes (thanks to Nathan for re-igniting this fire).
Anyways, I recently discovered a loop above Canyon View Park that I absolutely love. So this morning, Kristie suggested that we go hike it and do a little additional exploring.We ended up spending all morning (and a good portion of the afternoon) discovering what the canyon had to offer.
On our way home, we invited Leah and Jonny to return with us later that night for a double date. We packed up Cafe Rio, a laptop, a movie and blankets galore just in time to catch the sunset. It turned out to be quite a fun little adventure (which was cut a bit short by passing showers)…but really memorable nonetheless. Here’s a couple shots of us up on top. They got the better lighting, but we got the valley in the background:
So this morning I bought an awesome, used road/multisport bike from Craigslist. I rarely make purchases like this, s it’s kind of a big deal for me. Nathan, having recently been appointed to my cabinet as ‘department of cycling’, volunteered to come along with me to lend his expert opinion. The bike checked out, so I’m now a very proud owner of a Cannondale Multisport 800. This will allow me to accomplish two big goals this summer:
Now I just need to decide whether I’ll have enough time to train for the Sprint (swim .5 mile, bike 12 miles, run 3.1 ), or Olympic (swim 1 mile, bike 24.9 miles, run 6.2 miles) version of the race. According to the countdown timer on the ProvoTri website I’ve got 48 days, 16 hours, 46 minutes, 22 seconds and counting till raceday. I guess it’s high-time to get saddle sore and find a pool..
I just got an iPhone and I love it. Since it has a WordPress app, I can take pictures on the go and post them from anywhere. Here’s my first test, along with a goofy picture of me being happy about my new toy serious-business-tool:
My birthday was on Friday, May 9th–and it was awesome from start to finish.
It began with an killer homestyle breakfast in bed (muchas gracias to my lovely wife) and a couple of really thoughtful gifts presented on my way to work. Then, when I got to the office, I found my desk totally decked out with decorations and food–a special thanks to fabulous friends at work, Charlene and Katie. I even got a “birthday boy” ribbon that I wore almost the entire day.
After work, I picked up Kristie and we headed up to Park City for the weekend. For dinner we hit up Bangkok Thai on Main, the same restaurant we went to the night we got engaged. The food, as always, was amazing. I ordered a curry hot enough to kill us both, but loved it nonetheless.
To top it off, we stayed at a nice hotel with an outdoor hot tub to die for. Oh and Kristie got me the coolest present, the hands-down best pull-up bar known to man. I’ve wanted it ever since my good buddy Michael Davis reclaimed the one he let us borrow for months.
It’s too bad birthdays only come annually. Thanks to all the friends and family that sent their love and best wishes. Love you guys too!
It’s been a while, but I finally got back into the habit of reading good books in my leisure time. Bless those public libraries. Kristie isn’t getting jealous cause she finally picked up the last Harry Potter book and has been pretty wrapped up herself. Over the last couple weeks I read John Steinbeck’s classic East of Eden and loved it. This week I’ve jumped into Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s 100 Years of Solitude. Marquez’s book was originally written in Spanish, which makes me feel like I’m missing out a little, but it’s been great so far.
But don’t take my word for it. (queue Reading Rainbow theme song)
Anyone else reading something good?
For the last two semesters, our good friend Harry has upheld the most-excellent Reynolds tradition of providing and hosting our favorite weekly social event–Sunday night Pizza Night.
The level of dedication, generosity and love required to pull it off still amazes me. Every week he and Sarah would prepare, create and cook the most amazing pizza you’d ever tried…all from scratch. No kidding…the sauce, the dough, everything. And then he’d just have everyone over to enjoy the good company and enjoy the good food. It was heavenly. Now that they’re gone for the summer we miss it like crazy. But lucky for us we’ve been promised that it will be back in full force next fall…along with an all new supporting cast of Reynolds. Can’t wait.
A picture from the Pizza Night season finale:
Saturday night a small group of friends got together for a bonfire in the canyon. For some it was an escape from finals, for others, a chance to catch some rockin’ guitar, and for others yet it was a chance to roast marshmallows with sunglasses on and stand in the fire.
All in all it was a wonderful event. Harry, Joe and Richie got to jam out while we got to listen to classics like I’m A Hard Man To Love, Fickle Tickle, Monsters In My Head, Limo Larry and more.
Oh and another thing…has anyone ever tried Reese’s Peanut Butter cups in s’mores? AMAZING. Thanks, Sarah, for the tip. Here’s a shot of Sarah and Harry sandwiching a roasted PB cup and marshmallow that came dangerously close to melting into the fire:
A couple more from the night:
Who couldn’t love a face like this?
Thanks for throwing a sweet party to commemorate your date of birth. And awesome call on the tacos.
Us with Harry and Sarah at the party:
