This last week was fairly low key. We've been invaded by all the auto-philes in town for the Barrett-Jackson car show. I helped out the TGen Foundation last year when they started a colon cancer fund with Craig Jackson, but I was unable to go this year. The cars parked on our soccer fields across the street so we couldn't run around there too much with Rohan and the dogs. It will be even crazier next week when the PGA's Phoenix Open is here, and right next to our place. They are already blocking/fencing things off in preparation. I'll be working the world famous 16th hole Tuesday and Saturday, and hopefully going with Mara on Sunday next week (sans Rohan).
Rohan has been loving the tee ball set Sasha got for him (much to my delight!). He asks to play almost every night and he really smacks it well. Mara got tons of cool pictures last weekend too.
We haven't been running since the marathon, just to let our muscles heal a little. My foot is still sore (probably tendinitis), but we've been walking almost every night we don't climb.
Saturday I had a symposium to attend with TGen at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. It was more of an attempt to spur more collaboration between the two institutes, but it was really pretty interesting. I had two posters to present on proteomics and epigenomics which drew some interest from researchers, so it wasn't a total waste of a Saturday morning! :)
After the symposium I meet Mara, Heather, Grandma Hansen, and Rebekah (who Heather mentors) at AZR and climbed. Heather & Rebekah did great for their first time climbing! They both made it to the top of a route or two, and Rebekah really seemed to like it! Hopefully they'll be back soon!
Sunday Mara, Rohan and I went to the Phoenix Science Center for their Body Worlds exhibit. It's the 4th time we've been to it since our honeymoon in 2005, and it still is absolutely amazing. We see something new and cool each time (especially with Mara learning more everyday and me picking some of that up too). We REALLY encourage anyone and everyone to go, at least once, to get an up close view of the human body in it's most exposed and vivid presentation.
The rest of Sunday was spent watching the Packers and Steelers win their conference championship games to go play each other in the Super Bowl. Should be a great game! Mara spent some time at Starbucks writing a paper and studying, then we went for a good walk to get us and the dogs some outside time. With the weather being absolutely gorgeous, at 75°F and sunny, we can't pass up the chance to enjoy it!
Hope everyone had a great & active week/weekend!
Rohan...Yoga Master:
Rohan's New Pen From G&G Syring:
Our Little Godzilla:
Monday, January 24, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Marathon Complete!!!
When Mara and I set out running almost 3 years ago we never thought we'd run a half marathon (13.1 miles). We've run 3 halves, and now the unthinkable. We thought 13.1 was long, but not unreasonable anymore. We started training for the full marathon back in July (in the desert heat!), and did very well in training until we hit our 3 week European vacation. We ran ~18mi over those 3 weeks and ~30mi in the ~2 weeks after we got back and before the marathon. Sunday we set out on a 26.2mi journey. The route took us from Downtown, North to Camelback Rd, East to Camelback Mountain, and South to ASU's Sun Devil Stadium. We were doing awesome, running about a 5hr marathon pace, until around mile 17 my right knee started locking up. It had bothered a little for the last few miles, but after a water station it hurt bad. I got some ice and tried running a little more, but the knee said "No". Mara was nice enough to hang back with me, and I really appreciated it. From the beginning we've run together, and our goal is to finish and feel good, not focused on times. We tried jogging a little bit here and there, but ended up walking it in most of the last 10mi. But coming around the corner and seeing the finish about 50yds ahead, I jogged through the pain and we finished (at 6hrs 18min). After we stopped running and got back to the car and sat for a bit my knee felt fine. Must have just been irritated running. My left foot hurt a little from compensating for the knee, but other than that we both feel GREAT! We feel like we did after our longest run (18mi prior to the marathon). We are very thankful to Heather & John for taking Rohan Sat night & Sun day. Rohan has also been a big part of our training, putting in over 1000 miles since we've been in Phoenix!
Last weekend we also celebrated Rohan's 2nd birthday with a small party at the Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. Rohan got some awesome gifts including a noise cube and a tee ball set. He has always watched baseball, but never really played with a bat and ball, but he took to it like he was a pro! He plays outside with it about every other day now and can really smack the ball! So fun to watch! Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us!
Rohan has also had some additions to his climbing wall. We go stickers from all the country's he's been too, as well as some running/climbing ones as well. We have a few more to get too since we weren't in Luxembourg long enough to get a sticker, but he's got a stamp in his passport!...:)
We had some time to watch the BCS game with Rohan last Monday. We got him a cupcake for his late birthday gift which he devoured in typical Rohan fashion. He also entertained us with some sweet dance moves during the singing of God Bless America and the Star Spangled Banner...never a dull moment with that kid...:)
We are VERY proud of ourselves for accomplishing our marathon. We really had to fight some demons to attempt it (especially after our training fell off in Europe!). To think about a marathon 3yrs ago was a joke, even 5 miles was a HUGE feat when we did it without stopping. It's been nice to have Nike+ too so we can track our progress. We'll look back someday and see how insane we were...or still are! We'll probably take a short hiatus from running to recover, and fill the void with climbing instead. We'll get back into it soon. One thing we've set out to do is make running enjoyable. By running slower, talking, and running in new and beautiful places, we've made less of a chore and more of a exciting adventure!
Hope everyone had a great 3-day weekend!
Rohan's Birthday Cupcake:
Super Rohan!:
Rohan's Interpretive Dance:
Rohan Plays Baseball:
Last weekend we also celebrated Rohan's 2nd birthday with a small party at the Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. Rohan got some awesome gifts including a noise cube and a tee ball set. He has always watched baseball, but never really played with a bat and ball, but he took to it like he was a pro! He plays outside with it about every other day now and can really smack the ball! So fun to watch! Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us!
Rohan has also had some additions to his climbing wall. We go stickers from all the country's he's been too, as well as some running/climbing ones as well. We have a few more to get too since we weren't in Luxembourg long enough to get a sticker, but he's got a stamp in his passport!...:)
We had some time to watch the BCS game with Rohan last Monday. We got him a cupcake for his late birthday gift which he devoured in typical Rohan fashion. He also entertained us with some sweet dance moves during the singing of God Bless America and the Star Spangled Banner...never a dull moment with that kid...:)
We are VERY proud of ourselves for accomplishing our marathon. We really had to fight some demons to attempt it (especially after our training fell off in Europe!). To think about a marathon 3yrs ago was a joke, even 5 miles was a HUGE feat when we did it without stopping. It's been nice to have Nike+ too so we can track our progress. We'll look back someday and see how insane we were...or still are! We'll probably take a short hiatus from running to recover, and fill the void with climbing instead. We'll get back into it soon. One thing we've set out to do is make running enjoyable. By running slower, talking, and running in new and beautiful places, we've made less of a chore and more of a exciting adventure!
Hope everyone had a great 3-day weekend!
Rohan's Birthday Cupcake:
Super Rohan!:
Rohan's Interpretive Dance:
Rohan Plays Baseball:
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Last Europe Post...Paris
Paris is gorgeous. It has all the history, all the mystique, and all the traffic you can imagine. We took of early from Bechhofen and headed across the German/French countryside, taking course through the Champagne region of France. We arrived at our hotel (Holiday Inn) in Bougival, a Western suburb of Paris. We got the kids ready and headed out in search of Paris. We hiked along the Le Parc Naturel Urbain in Rueil-Malmaison. After about 2mi we hopped on the underground and took a "bullet train" to the heart of Paris. We grabbed Lunch/supper at the Hippopotamus Hippo Club before we began our epic night in Paris. The journey to the bathroom of the Hippo Club was something else. 3 flights of stairs below street level and you enter a hallway that resembles the Catacombs of Paris...really cold and really cool...
We began by walking towards The Louvre we had some neat view of Saint Eustache, Saint-Germain, and countless other attractions. The Louvre was breathtaking in size and architecture. We took in all we could of the former Palace and upgrades such as the giant glass pyramid. Heading out of The Louvre we got to see the Obélisque de Louxor, as well as La Grande Roue ferris wheel. We walked along the Seine River to Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris (1578!), and across to Notre Dame, which is also pretty old; 1160! We really with the Crypte Archéologique would have been open!
We walked a little bit further and caught another underground train this time to the Parc du Champs de Mars and the
Eiffel Tower! The grandness of the tower was pretty impressive, more-so than I was expecting. The trinket peddlers were a little annoying, but eventually we learned to ignore them. Debora did manage to get the boys a helicopter to play with...:) We crossed over to the Trocadéro, through the Palais de Chaillot, before heading North to the most amazing roundabout I've ever seen...Place de l'Étoile. 12 roads converge on the Arc de Triomphe! An amazing site. We walked under the Place de l'Étoile to check out the Arc de Triomphe. It was an awesome structure and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was very cool to see as well.
After an exhausting 6 hour hike around BEAUTIFUL Paris at night we hopped on a rail to La Défense then catching a bus back to our hotel. What a night! But it wasn't over yet. Mara and I wanted to do a run, and even though it was 1am, Holly looked after Rohan and we took off into Bougival. We ran a long a really cool, and all uphill, street past another Notre Dame...very cool views of the valley to the North. We ran back a street called Rue de la Croix aux Vents that was INSANELY steep and icy...lots of fun at 2am. Actually, it was fun since we were on vacation in Paris! :)
The next morning, Dan & Holly took Rohan while Mara and I went on a walk (the other direction this time). After walking the rain for a while, we finally found a somewhat ghetto coffee/lotto cafe called Bar Brasserie Les Ecus. We were really wanting to find a nice area to walk, but really didn't find much. Then the adventuresome Mara took a turn down a cool street and we found one of the coolest Farmer's Market we've ever seen (and we've seen a lot!). It was centered around the Paroisse Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul church and had dozens of tents and tons of vendors. We found a great cheese tent and picked up some Camembert to bring back to Germany. We also found a brownie for Thomas since it was his 3rd birthday that day! It took us forever to get a toy from another cake put on his cupcake (language barrier), but we finally got the little red axe. After everyone got moving we headed South to the Château de Versailles. First we ate at an awesome crepe place called (ironically) La Place Creperie. The Palace at Versailles was absolutely stunning in its immense size. Seriously cannot convey the grandeur, inside or out, effectively, you just have to see it. The painting, the statues, the rooms...everything was done bigger than anything else in the world. Just amazing. Because of the fog we couldn't get a taste of the immense 3 sq miles of gardens behind the Palace (there are 2 other palaces back there too!!!). The grounds should be on the list of modern wonder.
The drive home was a little interesting...:) We got off the highway at the worst possible spot...Champs-Élysées...at rush hour (4:30)...with no way out. We drive right at the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, and our drivers, Mara & Josh, can say they've conquered the 12 road Place de l'Étoile! Unfortunately the only "easy way out" was to traverse Paris, driving along the Seine River for about 2 hours to reach the other side of Paris. Made for a long trip home, but wouldn't have traded the trip for anything!
We began by walking towards The Louvre we had some neat view of Saint Eustache, Saint-Germain, and countless other attractions. The Louvre was breathtaking in size and architecture. We took in all we could of the former Palace and upgrades such as the giant glass pyramid. Heading out of The Louvre we got to see the Obélisque de Louxor, as well as La Grande Roue ferris wheel. We walked along the Seine River to Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris (1578!), and across to Notre Dame, which is also pretty old; 1160! We really with the Crypte Archéologique would have been open!
We walked a little bit further and caught another underground train this time to the Parc du Champs de Mars and the
Eiffel Tower! The grandness of the tower was pretty impressive, more-so than I was expecting. The trinket peddlers were a little annoying, but eventually we learned to ignore them. Debora did manage to get the boys a helicopter to play with...:) We crossed over to the Trocadéro, through the Palais de Chaillot, before heading North to the most amazing roundabout I've ever seen...Place de l'Étoile. 12 roads converge on the Arc de Triomphe! An amazing site. We walked under the Place de l'Étoile to check out the Arc de Triomphe. It was an awesome structure and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was very cool to see as well.
After an exhausting 6 hour hike around BEAUTIFUL Paris at night we hopped on a rail to La Défense then catching a bus back to our hotel. What a night! But it wasn't over yet. Mara and I wanted to do a run, and even though it was 1am, Holly looked after Rohan and we took off into Bougival. We ran a long a really cool, and all uphill, street past another Notre Dame...very cool views of the valley to the North. We ran back a street called Rue de la Croix aux Vents that was INSANELY steep and icy...lots of fun at 2am. Actually, it was fun since we were on vacation in Paris! :)
The next morning, Dan & Holly took Rohan while Mara and I went on a walk (the other direction this time). After walking the rain for a while, we finally found a somewhat ghetto coffee/lotto cafe called Bar Brasserie Les Ecus. We were really wanting to find a nice area to walk, but really didn't find much. Then the adventuresome Mara took a turn down a cool street and we found one of the coolest Farmer's Market we've ever seen (and we've seen a lot!). It was centered around the Paroisse Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul church and had dozens of tents and tons of vendors. We found a great cheese tent and picked up some Camembert to bring back to Germany. We also found a brownie for Thomas since it was his 3rd birthday that day! It took us forever to get a toy from another cake put on his cupcake (language barrier), but we finally got the little red axe. After everyone got moving we headed South to the Château de Versailles. First we ate at an awesome crepe place called (ironically) La Place Creperie. The Palace at Versailles was absolutely stunning in its immense size. Seriously cannot convey the grandeur, inside or out, effectively, you just have to see it. The painting, the statues, the rooms...everything was done bigger than anything else in the world. Just amazing. Because of the fog we couldn't get a taste of the immense 3 sq miles of gardens behind the Palace (there are 2 other palaces back there too!!!). The grounds should be on the list of modern wonder.
The drive home was a little interesting...:) We got off the highway at the worst possible spot...Champs-Élysées...at rush hour (4:30)...with no way out. We drive right at the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, and our drivers, Mara & Josh, can say they've conquered the 12 road Place de l'Étoile! Unfortunately the only "easy way out" was to traverse Paris, driving along the Seine River for about 2 hours to reach the other side of Paris. Made for a long trip home, but wouldn't have traded the trip for anything!
Neuschwanstein Castle
While everyone was recoving from our epic trip to Paris (post coming soon!), Mara, Rohan and I borrowed Josh's car (THANKS!!!) and headed out on a 5hr, one-way, roadtrip to Schwangau, Germany. Schwangau is the location of Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the model for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. We got some great tips from Josh about driving on the German Autobahn. It really is very nice to drive. Some drive very fast, but we usually sat at around 130 KM/Hr (~82 MPH). It was a nice trip through other larger towns such as Mannheim, Heilbronn, Stuttgart. We didn't get to explore those cities, but it was nice to see them, as well as more of the German countryside. On a side note...we stopped at what we thought was a rest area, but there were no bathrooms at this one, just a wayside. What was there was a couple getting "frisky" in the car...ahhh, the allure of the Autobahn...:)
To get to Schwangau, we had a breif stint through Austria, but were quickly back in Germany. The Alps really started to jump up around the area too...part of what gives Neuschwanstein Castle it's appeal. We ate at Hotel Müller Cafe before we got in line for the horse carriage to take us up the 1mi, very steep, road. After waiting in line for almost 30min it was clear we'd be late for our tour start time so we hauled ass up the hill with Rohan in tow. We made it with about 20min to spare...and didn't have a single horse carriage pass us! We took some time to explore the courtyard and entrance before our tour. The castle was smaller than I expected, but it also was only about 20% finished before the king died under mysterious circumstances. It was also VERY foggy which kept us from seeing the surrounding hills, waterfalls, and bridges (which we heard are beautiful!), but the fog did add some mystique to the castle...very creepy. Pictures weren't allowed inside, but I did my best to keep it nonchalant...what are they going to do? Deport me? :)
After the tour we stopped at the Hofbräuhaus (original is in Munich) for some Belgian Snowballs and a nice cold beer. The mug somehow made it home with us...strange. We had a blast on our road trip, and a HUGE thanks again to J&D for the use of the car!
To get to Schwangau, we had a breif stint through Austria, but were quickly back in Germany. The Alps really started to jump up around the area too...part of what gives Neuschwanstein Castle it's appeal. We ate at Hotel Müller Cafe before we got in line for the horse carriage to take us up the 1mi, very steep, road. After waiting in line for almost 30min it was clear we'd be late for our tour start time so we hauled ass up the hill with Rohan in tow. We made it with about 20min to spare...and didn't have a single horse carriage pass us! We took some time to explore the courtyard and entrance before our tour. The castle was smaller than I expected, but it also was only about 20% finished before the king died under mysterious circumstances. It was also VERY foggy which kept us from seeing the surrounding hills, waterfalls, and bridges (which we heard are beautiful!), but the fog did add some mystique to the castle...very creepy. Pictures weren't allowed inside, but I did my best to keep it nonchalant...what are they going to do? Deport me? :)
After the tour we stopped at the Hofbräuhaus (original is in Munich) for some Belgian Snowballs and a nice cold beer. The mug somehow made it home with us...strange. We had a blast on our road trip, and a HUGE thanks again to J&D for the use of the car!
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