Happy 1st Anniversary to Us!

As crazy as it may seem, it's already been a year since our wedding in Maui. I can't quite believe it's our first anniversary already, yet so many great moments have happened in such a short period of time. In addition to many firsts as husband and wife, we also became puppy parents to the most adorable puppy ever. The last year has been an amazing one, spent with the best husband I could ever ask for or dream of. I can't wait to see what happens in the year ahead.

In celebration of our anniversary, we packed Roxy into the car and headed to Suncadia, a luxurious mountain resort just west of Cle Elum. Suncadia was built in just the last few years and it truly is a beautiful, amazing, relaxing place. In the lodge where we stayed, you have everything you need - a pool, hot tub, restaurant, coffee bar, boats and bikes to rent, golf, a spa, and miles of paths to wander along. We had a great time this weekend exploring all there is to offer and look forward to a trip back.

Some of my favorite photos from the weekend are below. The rest are on Corey's Flickr site.

Happy anniversary, hubby!

Setting out to explore what Suncadi had to offer.

With temperatures close to 90, we had a hot, thirsty pooch on our hands.

View of my cute hubby...and the forest and hills behind him.

Suncadia is such a pretty place, nestled right in the middle of the forest. This is the view from the pool.

Corey enjoying a REAL beer (something he only does at destination weddings and in this case, on destination anniversary celebrations). I think he was in heaven.

Mr. and Mrs. Moran, one year later. This is taken right after our delish anniversary dinner.

The paths around Suncadia are lit with fun strands of lights at night.

Taking a stroll on one of the many paths this morning. Roxy loved the cooler, morning temps.

View of the pool and rest of the lodge from our patio.

This pic, taken on our drive home, sums up how much fun Roxy had. She slept almost the entire way back.

180 Challenge (Corey)

The last time we were in Yakima visiting Jenny's parents, I wondered if I could get down to 180 pounds by our anniversary. That was June 13. When we got home I did an official weigh-in: 193.6. Clearly, I had my work cut out for me, especially since a) I like to eat; and, b) I don't like to exercise.

My compromise was that I would follow Jenny's running schedule (NOT routine. No way I was running that far), running Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. More importantly, I tried a little self-restraint on portion-control and tried to limit myself to only a portion or one and a half at each meal.

Well, almost a month and a half later on the eve of my anniversary, here we are. I weigh less after going for a run, so I did my longest run I've ever done (7 miles--about half of what Jenny's been doing on the weekends) and even ran into (not literally) Jennifer Margolin 6 miles into my run, who probably thought paramedics would be paying me a visit soon.

By now you're probably thinking, well, he wouldn't have made a post if he'd failed, right? Wrong. Sort of. Below is my final weigh-in, and I'll take it. Next goal: 200 pounds by my birthday.

Marathon Training Update

Today, I completed my 8th week of marathon training with an early morning 13-mile run. After next Saturday's run, I'll be half-way done with training! That means just two more months and I'll be all done running for a little while. Wahoo!

So far, training has gone pretty well. Believe it or not, the hardest days of running are the shorter Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday back-to-back runs. After going to bed late on the weeknights, getting up early to run and running three days in a row, I'm pretty pooped by Thursday. After getting a day of rest on Friday, I usually feel pretty good by the time my Saturday runs roll around. Today I felt great for the first 7-8 miles but the temperature started rising as I was finishing up my run, which really took a toll on me, since I really only like (and have been) running in the mornings when it's cool. I also hadn't eaten since dinner last night and I was SO thirsty so the last 5ish miles were pretty sluggish. Needless to say, I am glad I don't have to run for a few days!

Corey recently said he wanted to start practicing taking more photos of people and decided that if he drove down to Golden Gardens a few minutes before I ran past, he could practice by taking some photos of me running by. He got some cool shots, some of which I've shared below. (Others can be found on his Flickr site here.) In looking through all the pictures he took, I realized I need to fix my stride...it looks kind of silly. I guess that is what I can work on over the next 10 weeks, right??

He got this shot as he drove past me on the way to Golden Gardens.

Feeling good...since it was only mile 2.

Not sure what I'm doing here...leaping?

One Cute Puppy

Corey was playing with his camera tonight and captured some great pics of Miss Roxy.

You may say that I'm partial because Roxy is our dog, but how can you not think she is one of the cutest pups ever when you see these photos?

I can't believe we've had her almost a year. I don't remember life without her but I know it definitely is much better now that we come home to this every day.

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Gorden!

Whew! The last few days have been a fabulous whirlwind of exciting wedding festivities for Nick and Gina. The entire weekend has been amazing but to top things off, the weather, which looked a little iffy earlier in the week, completely took a turn for the better, leaving us with sunny, 80+ degree weather for all the festivities. This made for a beautiful setting for all the celebrations, especially considering that they were all outdoors!

We kicked things off at Agua Verde on Thursday evening for their rehearsal dinner. Their families, wedding party and significant others were there to celebrate. The company was fabulous, the food was delicious and we all had a great time as we geared up for the wedding.

After dinner, many of us headed to Hotel Sierra in Bellevue for the night so that we could spend more time together and so we were near the wedding / reception site for set-up the following day. Us girls got to spend some time quality time together too, which was awesome.

Yesterday morning, the day of wedding, Nick, Megan, Kelsey and I headed out to Pike Place to pick up the centerpieces and flowers to make our bouquets. The vendors there are awesome - Nick and Gina worked with one that allowed them to bring Mason jars ahead of time and when we arrived, the table centerpieces were all put together. All we had to do was look for flowers to make our bouquets.

Once back at the hotel, many of us set up shop prepping for the wedding and then we all headed to the site (Robinswood House in Bellevue) to set everything up. The Robinswood House is amazing - you feel like you're at a rustic location in the mountains, when in fact, you're really just about a mile off of I-90. It was beautiful - it was perfect for Nick and Gina's wedding.

Prior to the ceremony, Nick and Gina did 'first look' pictures, along with wedding party and family pictures. The photographer was great - he arrived several hours before the ceremony and stayed through the entire reception. He was hilarious, which helped people show off their genuine smiles. I absolutely can't wait to see all their photos. I think they'll be amazing.

The ceremony was perfect - short and sweet and very romantic. Nick and Gina were literally glowing and I know they will be so happy together. The toasts, bouquet and garter tosses, first dances and Dollar Dance (during which my red, sequin fanny pack may have made an appearance) were so much fun. Everyone had a blast chatting, eating and dancing it up until late last night.

It was seriously such a magical day - everything went exactly as planned and everything turned out wonderfully.

We are so happy for you, Mr. & Mrs. Gorden - have an amazing time in Cabo!

Here are some of my favorite photos from the rehearsal / wedding festivities. More of my photos from both days are on my Flickr site and Corey took some great wedding and reception shots that he uploaded to his Flickr site.

The bride and bridesmaids at the rehearsal dinner.


Me and my cute hubby at the rehearsal dinner.

Gina and I just before heading off to her get hitched!

Snuck a good shot of the bride while she was posing for the photographer.

Lining up for our walk down the aisle!

Here comes the bride!

They did it!

Mr. and Mrs. Nick Gorden!

Mmm, cupcakes...


Sara and I signing the guestbook so everyone knows we were there.

Wouldn't be a successful wedding if the bride didn't get to have one of her favorite foods. Love this photo.

Kels and I at the reception.

Monday Night M's Game

Tonight, I headed out to the Mariners vs. Orioles game with Gina and Nick and some of the wedding party. While the weather looked a little sketchy this morning, it turned out to be a perfect evening for the game - not too cool with some warm sun throughout most of the game.

The M's won 5-0 and to top off a perfect evening, an M's game means that I got to enjoy a hot dog from one of the street vendors - my fave!

Here are a few pics from the evening. (Don't mind the pseudonyms for each person - we decided we all needed alter egos tonight and thus, gave each person a new name. We may have been in a bit of a silly mood.)

Gina, Nick and Mike (aka Nina, Dick and Miguel).

Sara, Mike and Megan (aka Sue, Mick and Marci).

Gina and I (aka Jan) mid-game.

Kels and Mark (aka Kath and Mitch).

The soon-to-be newlyweds. Only 4 more days!

We had a great view of downtown. (Don't mind the big circle in the sky - apparently you're not supposed to use a flash for this picture??!! Who knew. This is what happens when I am in charge of the camera.)

The girls at the end of the game.

In the market for some amazing jewelry?

Kelsey, one of my bestest friends in the whole world, is amazingly creative and has been making jewelry for awhile. Just recently, she decided to start selling some of her pieces online.

Kelsey made the jewelry I wore on my wedding day, as well as the jewelry all the bridesmaids wore. Everything turned out beautifully. Take a peek! (Click on each photo to see it larger.)

Necklace, earrings and bracelet were designed and made by Kelsey.


The bridesmaids' jewelery (necklace and earrings) was also made by Kelsey. (That's her on the right!)

If you're looking for some beautiful, unique pieces for yourself or for a gift, check out her site! She is also loves to make custom pieces too, so if you have an idea of something that you'd like but don't see on her site, contact her!

4th of July 2009

With Nick and Gina's wedding less than a week away (!!!), some of their wedding party started to arrive in town. Catching up with everyone seemed liked the perfect way to celebrate the 4th.

We kicked off the evening with happy hour at the Matador after I picked Mike up from the airport. We joined Gina, Nick, Megan (Gina's bridesmaid) and Mike (Megan's fiance) there. It was the first time we'd officially met Megan and Mike and we had a great time getting to know them and visiting with the other Mike, who I hadn't seen in months.

Following dinner, we caught the Lake Union fireworks show from our rooftop deck, which made for an awesome view of the show, without the crazy crowds.

The gang at the Matador.

Corey, Nick and Mike on the rooftop.

The girls waiting for the fireworks to start.

Gina, Nick and an awesome sunset.

Mike and Megan.

Corey and I.

Our view of the fireworks (not a great picture, but this is what you get when I'm taking the picture).

Hike to Lake Margaret

With another beautiful, sunny day forecasted, Corey and I met up with the Gossetts and Reeders for a 4th of July hike to Lake Margaret.

The 6-mile trek gave us plenty of great shots of Mt. Rainier, a good workout and even a little snow. At first, all we saw where small patches of snow on the way up the first big hill. But after reaching the top and starting to make our way down to the lake, we realized the trail had all but disappeared underneath deep snow. After attempting to hike down the snow, we realized it was easier if we sledded down on our butts, which made for a fun (and wet) adventure.

All in all, even though this was a fairly strenuous hike, we had a great time with great friends and look forward to more hiking adventures in the future.

Our view of Mt. Rainier as we navigated up the trail.

Cool shot of the sign pointing us towards the lake...before we realized this would take us through tons of snow.

Much of the way down the trail to the lake was spent on our butts.

We made it! Corey and I in front of Lake Margaret.

The girls at Lake Margaret.

Group shot on the way back.

Check out the rest of Corey's photos on his Flickr site. And here is the GPS route of our hike.