With the Phoenix Open across the street from our place, how could we NOT go!? Mara and I took Friday off and spent the whole day at the TPC Scottsdale watching A LOT of golf. We hit the high profile holes that big names were playing on. We followed Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Anthony Kim, & YE Yang to name a few. We hit up the one and only 16th hole pretty early. It was not very crazy, since it was 10:30am. We ended up coming back around 2:30 and it was NUTS! People were wasted, and even a couple of fights broke out! Most of the rowdiness was good natured and it's pretty impressive how quite 20,000 people can get right before the player tees off.
Saturday I volunteered at the 16th hole as security. Turns out they had some big wigs that needed a chalet to themselves so I got put on that duty. To say these guys were connected is an understatement. Just as I got there, so did the governor of AZ, Jan Brewer. To say I had great seats is also an understatement. We were even with the tee boxes, and elevated about 20' above the players, with no obstructions, private booth, free food, and a gorgeous day. I got to see a ton of great golf, and the 16th hole on the weekend was something special for sure! No other hole like it in the world. It really was like something out of Happy Gilmore...:)
Since I was security, I was able to sneak my cell phone in and get some pics & vids. They are nothing special since our phones have a shitty camera sensor in them, but they are all I got. Enjoy!
Phil Mickelson (Local AZ St. Grad) Arrives On The 16th:
About As Quiet As 20,000 People Get:
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Busy Again
Mara and I have been trying to wear ourselves out as usual (as if school & work isn't doing the trick). We both had pretty busy weeks this last week. Nothing crazy, just full. We did find time to climb on Tuesday for a bit. Our friend Jeanette showed us some great ab exercises with the gym rings, so our core is nice and tight now!
Mara did get a chance to finally deliver her first baby! This time on the doctor side of things...:) She had gotten called in previously in the middle of the night, but missed a birth by about 2 minutes. She did make up for it later and delivered the baby almost by herself, with guidance from her preceptor. She was pretty stoked, and finally to see a natural birth rather than all c-sections.
We had a nice jog on Thursday, and then Friday I worked a little later so I met Mara, Rohan, and Sasha at Ra Sushi. Rohan showed us his new trick...to climb on anything and everything. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise since he has his own climbing wall, but this is the first time he's really climbed outside the house or gym. He made it all the way to the top of the railing, but we only got a short video of him in action. I'm sure there will be plenty more to come! We then went and climbed at AZR for a while and then did some more of Jeanette's ring ab workout (killer!).
We kicked a rainy Saturday off with a visit to the Scottsdale Farmers Market in Downtown Scottsdale. It was a little wet, but it was no problem. We then met up with Sasha again for climbing. This time Sasha didn't climb since she had wiped out on train tracks on her road bike that morning and was a little sore. She's a tough girl though. Mara and I climbed really well and even completed a couple of routes that had been giving us a hard time. I did a 5.10+ they had just put up, and Mara rocked a 5.10 route and made it look easy! We were both pretty happy with that trip to AZR.
Sunday we met up with Heather, John, and Grandma/Grandpa Hansen one more time before they leave sunny AZ for WI next week. It was a really good breakfast, and US Egg has a great Protein Pancake that Heather had us try. Rohan loved it (of course)! I ran into work to start an overnight experiment (Proteinase K digestion for those who care), then we headed to Greg & Nico's to grill out and hang out. The original plan was to hike, but of course, we have beuatiful weather ALL week, then rain all weekend. I guess we can't bitch too much, Chicago is getting about 8" of snow as I write this. We got to check out Greg's remodeling job (recess lighting) and also got to check out a new Tourino beer he picked up. After we came back Mara and I (with Rohan in tow) went on a 9 mile run. It felt AWESOME! We were hitting our stride at about mile 7, and ran very strong at the end. We cut it short because our goal was 8, we got 9, and we want to be able to run again soon and not overdo it.
This week should be good too. The Phoenix Open PGA tournament is starting this week. It is one of the highest attended tourneys in the nation because of thier 16th hole. It's essentially a par 3 they surround with stadium seating and people go CRAZY for anyone who hits a hole in one (like Tiger did in 1997). Mara and I are taking off work/school on Friday and attending, and I am volunteering as security detail at the clubhouse on Saturday/Sunday. It should be a LOT of fun. We are literally next door to the course, so it should be crazy, but fun at the same time. Here is a Google Earth shot of how close we are:
Rohan Practices Freestyle Swimming For The 2024 Summer Games (AKA: Splash-A-Thon):
Rohan Climbing Outside Ra Sushi (Sorry For The Loud Video!):
Mara did get a chance to finally deliver her first baby! This time on the doctor side of things...:) She had gotten called in previously in the middle of the night, but missed a birth by about 2 minutes. She did make up for it later and delivered the baby almost by herself, with guidance from her preceptor. She was pretty stoked, and finally to see a natural birth rather than all c-sections.
We had a nice jog on Thursday, and then Friday I worked a little later so I met Mara, Rohan, and Sasha at Ra Sushi. Rohan showed us his new trick...to climb on anything and everything. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise since he has his own climbing wall, but this is the first time he's really climbed outside the house or gym. He made it all the way to the top of the railing, but we only got a short video of him in action. I'm sure there will be plenty more to come! We then went and climbed at AZR for a while and then did some more of Jeanette's ring ab workout (killer!).
We kicked a rainy Saturday off with a visit to the Scottsdale Farmers Market in Downtown Scottsdale. It was a little wet, but it was no problem. We then met up with Sasha again for climbing. This time Sasha didn't climb since she had wiped out on train tracks on her road bike that morning and was a little sore. She's a tough girl though. Mara and I climbed really well and even completed a couple of routes that had been giving us a hard time. I did a 5.10+ they had just put up, and Mara rocked a 5.10 route and made it look easy! We were both pretty happy with that trip to AZR.
Sunday we met up with Heather, John, and Grandma/Grandpa Hansen one more time before they leave sunny AZ for WI next week. It was a really good breakfast, and US Egg has a great Protein Pancake that Heather had us try. Rohan loved it (of course)! I ran into work to start an overnight experiment (Proteinase K digestion for those who care), then we headed to Greg & Nico's to grill out and hang out. The original plan was to hike, but of course, we have beuatiful weather ALL week, then rain all weekend. I guess we can't bitch too much, Chicago is getting about 8" of snow as I write this. We got to check out Greg's remodeling job (recess lighting) and also got to check out a new Tourino beer he picked up. After we came back Mara and I (with Rohan in tow) went on a 9 mile run. It felt AWESOME! We were hitting our stride at about mile 7, and ran very strong at the end. We cut it short because our goal was 8, we got 9, and we want to be able to run again soon and not overdo it.
This week should be good too. The Phoenix Open PGA tournament is starting this week. It is one of the highest attended tourneys in the nation because of thier 16th hole. It's essentially a par 3 they surround with stadium seating and people go CRAZY for anyone who hits a hole in one (like Tiger did in 1997). Mara and I are taking off work/school on Friday and attending, and I am volunteering as security detail at the clubhouse on Saturday/Sunday. It should be a LOT of fun. We are literally next door to the course, so it should be crazy, but fun at the same time. Here is a Google Earth shot of how close we are:
Rohan has been a charmer/ham as usual. He's REALLY liking to splash in the bathtub now. So much so, he soaked me while I was giving him the bath, and soaked Mara who caught the whole thing on video. We may have to put a tarp down soon!
Hope everyone has a great week, and digs out from whatever snow storm they got. Sounded like it could be nasty in some parts where we have family/friends.
Rohan Practices Freestyle Swimming For The 2024 Summer Games (AKA: Splash-A-Thon):
Rohan Climbing Outside Ra Sushi (Sorry For The Loud Video!):
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Enjoying The Weather!!!
I don't really care if i ever see snow again. The weather out here is amazing this time of year!
We have been trying, very hard, to take full advantage of the temps and sunshine. Aside from the normal running and rock climbing, we've been trying to take the dogs to the dog park more and also let Rohan run around like crazy.
This week was pretty low key otherwise. Friday night we met up with Sasha & Will for Indian at Delhi Palace in Tempe. It was good as always!
Saturday was a full day. We started out with an 8 mile run at sunrise. It started off weird when we saw a dead javelina (sort of a desert pig) on the side of the road. It was the first time we have really seen one that close. After the run we helped a friend move from Avondale to Awaktukee. After that we took a much needed shower, and met up with Greg & Nico for our first monthly dinner date. We want to get together more, and with Greg & Mara both studying hard, Nico thought it would be a good idea to schedule in a break so we can relax. We chose Bombay Spice this time. Greg had told us about it last year when we came to look at places to live, and they still hadn't been there; Mara and I love it! Aside from the long wait (a sign of a good restaurant I guess) we had a great dinner. We followed it up with copious amounts of wine and semi-drunk Jenga. We capped the night off with a hot tub run around midnight, which felt awesome on our weary muscles.
Sunday we took the dogs to the Chapparal Dog Park where they ran themselves out. Rohan has been loving the dogs and he gets worn out as well! He ran around the whole hour we were there, and just crashed afterwards. We then met up with Sasha for some Dim Sum at Golden Budda, and afterwards hit AZR for some late afternoon climbing. Jeanette showed us some great strength training workouts with the rings and we are feeling the effects now. Talk about a core & shoulder workout!
Hope everyone had a great Valentines Day!
I should set up this video. Sasha & Will hiked Camelback Mountain this week and her calves were hurting pretty bad so Mara did some OTM on her. Sasha's calves were REALLY tender and Rohan was laughing so hard every time she yelled. He found it to be hilarious:
Rohan has been getting stronger so now he can grip hard enough to ride on my back. He wasn't quite sure what to think, but he didn't seem to mind:
P.S. We also wanted to say we hit 25,000 views on the blog!!! We are so glad so many family & friends are able to keep up with us on the blog, especially since we are so bad about keeping in touch sometimes.
We have been trying, very hard, to take full advantage of the temps and sunshine. Aside from the normal running and rock climbing, we've been trying to take the dogs to the dog park more and also let Rohan run around like crazy.
This week was pretty low key otherwise. Friday night we met up with Sasha & Will for Indian at Delhi Palace in Tempe. It was good as always!
Saturday was a full day. We started out with an 8 mile run at sunrise. It started off weird when we saw a dead javelina (sort of a desert pig) on the side of the road. It was the first time we have really seen one that close. After the run we helped a friend move from Avondale to Awaktukee. After that we took a much needed shower, and met up with Greg & Nico for our first monthly dinner date. We want to get together more, and with Greg & Mara both studying hard, Nico thought it would be a good idea to schedule in a break so we can relax. We chose Bombay Spice this time. Greg had told us about it last year when we came to look at places to live, and they still hadn't been there; Mara and I love it! Aside from the long wait (a sign of a good restaurant I guess) we had a great dinner. We followed it up with copious amounts of wine and semi-drunk Jenga. We capped the night off with a hot tub run around midnight, which felt awesome on our weary muscles.
Sunday we took the dogs to the Chapparal Dog Park where they ran themselves out. Rohan has been loving the dogs and he gets worn out as well! He ran around the whole hour we were there, and just crashed afterwards. We then met up with Sasha for some Dim Sum at Golden Budda, and afterwards hit AZR for some late afternoon climbing. Jeanette showed us some great strength training workouts with the rings and we are feeling the effects now. Talk about a core & shoulder workout!
Hope everyone had a great Valentines Day!
I should set up this video. Sasha & Will hiked Camelback Mountain this week and her calves were hurting pretty bad so Mara did some OTM on her. Sasha's calves were REALLY tender and Rohan was laughing so hard every time she yelled. He found it to be hilarious:
Rohan has been getting stronger so now he can grip hard enough to ride on my back. He wasn't quite sure what to think, but he didn't seem to mind:
P.S. We also wanted to say we hit 25,000 views on the blog!!! We are so glad so many family & friends are able to keep up with us on the blog, especially since we are so bad about keeping in touch sometimes.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Michelle Thaws Out In Phoenix
This last week we were graced by a visit from my sister, Michelle, who was here for an energy conference. We picked her up last Sunday and had a nice walk with her before she had to check into the conference for the first part of the week.
Wednesday, when Shell was done with her conference we met up for a quick lunch and got the visit started off hilariously when a bird crapped on Michelle. Couldn't have thought of a better way to start it off...:) We met Mara at the YMCA that night and got a nice workout in while the Y's daycare entertained Rohan.
Thursday Michelle and I had Mara pick us up at the Echo Canyon Trail at Camelback Mountain, where we left a car, and drop is off at the Cholla Trail. The 2 trails meet at the summit and we got to traverse the whole mountain this way. The hike was tough, but awesome as always. I think Michelle really needed the time outdoors. Winter really seems to be kicking their butts right now! We met Mara for lunch at our favorite Dog Park and got the dogs nice and tired. After a nice Indian dinner with Sasha we all headed out to AZ On The Rocks to introduce Michelle to rock climbing. First of all, Michelle is afraid of heights, so this could have gone bad...but she persevered and she did awesome! She was even climbing 5.8s by the end of the night and bouldering too before her hands got torn up. We were really excited to see her enjoy it. Next time she comes, we'll have to take her outdoors...:)
Friday Michelle and I drove out to North Scottsdale and hiked the Tom's Thumb Trail in the McDowell Mountains. There is a lot less city out there and the views were spectacular! We could definitely feel the Camelback hike in our legs, but that was the harder one, and that's why we did that first! After lunch and relaxing we hit the YMCA again (as if we weren't tired enough!) and had a great workout. We picked up Rohan and headed to our favorite sushi bar, Ra. We had a great dinner and then walked around Keirland Commons for a while before heaeding back and playing with Rohan and talking.
We were really glad Michelle took the little bit extra vacation time to hang out with us, we really enjoyed her visit! After dropping her off at the airport at the ungodly time of 6am on Saturday, Mara and I hit Tempe Town Lake and went for a 4.5 mile jog. It felt great to get out and keep those legs moving, especially after such a fun week of hiking. We hit up a farmers market downtown and then relaxed for most of the day. By relaxed I mean we baked granola bars, banana bread and rock climbed.
Sunday we took the dogs to the dog park again and then watched the Superbowl with some friends. We were going for the Colts, but the Saints definitely outplayed them. Hope everyone had a safe & enjoyable week/weekend. Enjoy our pictures and videos!
View From The Cholla Trail On Camelback Mountain:
Living On The Edge At The Camelback Summit:
Wednesday, when Shell was done with her conference we met up for a quick lunch and got the visit started off hilariously when a bird crapped on Michelle. Couldn't have thought of a better way to start it off...:) We met Mara at the YMCA that night and got a nice workout in while the Y's daycare entertained Rohan.
Thursday Michelle and I had Mara pick us up at the Echo Canyon Trail at Camelback Mountain, where we left a car, and drop is off at the Cholla Trail. The 2 trails meet at the summit and we got to traverse the whole mountain this way. The hike was tough, but awesome as always. I think Michelle really needed the time outdoors. Winter really seems to be kicking their butts right now! We met Mara for lunch at our favorite Dog Park and got the dogs nice and tired. After a nice Indian dinner with Sasha we all headed out to AZ On The Rocks to introduce Michelle to rock climbing. First of all, Michelle is afraid of heights, so this could have gone bad...but she persevered and she did awesome! She was even climbing 5.8s by the end of the night and bouldering too before her hands got torn up. We were really excited to see her enjoy it. Next time she comes, we'll have to take her outdoors...:)
Friday Michelle and I drove out to North Scottsdale and hiked the Tom's Thumb Trail in the McDowell Mountains. There is a lot less city out there and the views were spectacular! We could definitely feel the Camelback hike in our legs, but that was the harder one, and that's why we did that first! After lunch and relaxing we hit the YMCA again (as if we weren't tired enough!) and had a great workout. We picked up Rohan and headed to our favorite sushi bar, Ra. We had a great dinner and then walked around Keirland Commons for a while before heaeding back and playing with Rohan and talking.
We were really glad Michelle took the little bit extra vacation time to hang out with us, we really enjoyed her visit! After dropping her off at the airport at the ungodly time of 6am on Saturday, Mara and I hit Tempe Town Lake and went for a 4.5 mile jog. It felt great to get out and keep those legs moving, especially after such a fun week of hiking. We hit up a farmers market downtown and then relaxed for most of the day. By relaxed I mean we baked granola bars, banana bread and rock climbed.
Sunday we took the dogs to the dog park again and then watched the Superbowl with some friends. We were going for the Colts, but the Saints definitely outplayed them. Hope everyone had a safe & enjoyable week/weekend. Enjoy our pictures and videos!
View From The Cholla Trail On Camelback Mountain:
Living On The Edge At The Camelback Summit:
Monday, February 1, 2010
Another Visitor From The Frozen Tundra
Mara and I continued our minimalist ways and went through more clothes, furniture, camping stuff, books, etc and donated more to Goodwill and posted some on CraigsList. Through the last few moves we've done a pretty good job of paring down items we've not used in a while and sometimes even forgot we had. Others can get more use out of that stuff than we can. We've been hanging onto our books for a long time. Since we had similar interests in college we had duplicate, triplicates and sometimes quadruplicate subjects of books like Chemistry, Biology, Physics, & Math. We ended up donating almost 50 books this time around. Sorry to everyone who had to move those with us! It is nice to have the space in our tiny apartment though. Rohan definitely likes the room to run!
We've all been fighting off a cough and cold this last week, but we still found time to run and stay active, even if it is at a slower pace, it still feels awesome afterwards. We've been working in the YMCA a little more to cross-train, and since we both have free memberships through school, it seems like a waste to not use it.
Saturday we had a nice picnic with Sasha at the dog park and let the dogs wear themselves out. They've been a little neglected as of late, so we know they appreciated the time outside. We also met up with most of the rest of the KCOM med students in AZ and had a fun night of tequila and dice games...:) Rohan was a trooper and was up until 11, and being VERY charming all night.
Sunday we hit up a Farmers Market set up by our favorite Indian restaurant, Bombay Spice. Then we headed off to the Airport to pick up Michelle, who flew into Phoenix for the EUEC energy conference and is staying a few extra days to hang out and get her Rohan fix. Rohan was a little sleepy when we met up and "rejected" Michelle. He warmed up to her about 5 seconds later, but the initial high pitch squeaking (from Michelle) didn't go so well...:) It should be a lot of fun to have Michelle here since I haven't seen her since October, and Mara hasn't seen her since May! We hit up a Jason's Deli for their awesome salad bar, and then hit up Dreamy Draw in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve for a small hike on their stroller friendly trails. I think Michelle got more UV exposure in 2 hours than she has all winter in WI...:)
We finished Sunday out with a nice relaxing fire and Rohan was down by 7:30. Little guy was exhausted after this weekend! We are looking forward to a quick week and some more hiking with Michelle when she's done with her conference obligations. I think we are going to try and hike Camelback Mountin and Tom's Thumb while she's here. We're also going to hit the YMCA and maybe even fit in a couple of outdoor runs, especially since Michelle is trapped indoors for the next couple of months...:P
A few pic from this last week (most of Rohan, of course!):
Rohan Rejects Aunt Shell:
Rohan Modeling His Grandpa Pants:
We've all been fighting off a cough and cold this last week, but we still found time to run and stay active, even if it is at a slower pace, it still feels awesome afterwards. We've been working in the YMCA a little more to cross-train, and since we both have free memberships through school, it seems like a waste to not use it.
Saturday we had a nice picnic with Sasha at the dog park and let the dogs wear themselves out. They've been a little neglected as of late, so we know they appreciated the time outside. We also met up with most of the rest of the KCOM med students in AZ and had a fun night of tequila and dice games...:) Rohan was a trooper and was up until 11, and being VERY charming all night.
Sunday we hit up a Farmers Market set up by our favorite Indian restaurant, Bombay Spice. Then we headed off to the Airport to pick up Michelle, who flew into Phoenix for the EUEC energy conference and is staying a few extra days to hang out and get her Rohan fix. Rohan was a little sleepy when we met up and "rejected" Michelle. He warmed up to her about 5 seconds later, but the initial high pitch squeaking (from Michelle) didn't go so well...:) It should be a lot of fun to have Michelle here since I haven't seen her since October, and Mara hasn't seen her since May! We hit up a Jason's Deli for their awesome salad bar, and then hit up Dreamy Draw in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve for a small hike on their stroller friendly trails. I think Michelle got more UV exposure in 2 hours than she has all winter in WI...:)
We finished Sunday out with a nice relaxing fire and Rohan was down by 7:30. Little guy was exhausted after this weekend! We are looking forward to a quick week and some more hiking with Michelle when she's done with her conference obligations. I think we are going to try and hike Camelback Mountin and Tom's Thumb while she's here. We're also going to hit the YMCA and maybe even fit in a couple of outdoor runs, especially since Michelle is trapped indoors for the next couple of months...:P
A few pic from this last week (most of Rohan, of course!):
Rohan Rejects Aunt Shell:
Rohan Modeling His Grandpa Pants:
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