The Kurtstanimal

Logan, UT
to
Jackson Hole, WY
206 miles
3 states
1 day

Kurt did the Lotoja bike race on Saturday. He was given 13 hours to do it. His goal was under 11 hours. He was tired from working like crazy (think 60-70 hour weeks for the 3 weeks up to the race). He was under trained because of his hectic work schedule. And he did it! He completed the race in 10 hours and 55 minutes. I am so unbelievably proud of him!!

Getting ready!!


The starting line

Feed zone in Afton--James and Camille drove along to cheer Kurt on. What great friends!

Support Crew in action!

He's in the back of this pack.

And this one too.
And then he finished! I went to take a picture of him making a face that expressed how he felt, and accidentally had it set on sports sequence still. So, I got a ton of pics of him doing this:





How's that for a taste.

So proud of you, babe!
Then we went to Jackson to eat at my family's favorite spot, the Merry Piglets.

Oh, and they're Married Piglets! Bahahaha!
We drove to my uncle Brad and aunt Michelle's house, went to bed, woke up and spent far too little time with the family, then packed up and headed home to Denver. Here was our last view of Idaho:

Family Pictures

While we were in Logan, I asked my fabulous cousin Michelle if she would be so kind as to snap a few pictures of Kurt and I for our family pictures this year. They turned out fantastic! Michelle is incredibly talented at photography and I can't say enough how awesome I think these look! Thanks again Michelle!












I think this is my favorite.

Dad and Caroline

So, after St. Louis, Dad, Caroline, and I drove back home to Denver (well, back home for me). On Monday, we got yummy breakfast at Toast then took them up Mt. Evans. This time we brought Zumi along! Caroline and Dad both loved Zumi and why not? He's uber lovable.

Pit stop just before the entrance gate.

Caroline took this cool pic of snow falling up in the mountain tops.

Yes, that is a man on a unicycle. Of course.

We couldn't drive all the way to the parking lot up top because it was so busy! So we parked and hiked a bit just to get to the short hike to the tippy top.

We all got winded (it's 14k feet, after all) and actually Dad didn't feel up to hiking all the way up.

The top!

Yes!

We're tired!

Thumbs up? Am I really that dorky?

Caroline and Zumi at the very top of the mountain.

This man has a little Captain in him.

That gives you an idea of how far up you have to hike. Not that far.


Kurt took this awesome pic of Zumi. Man, that's a cute puppy.

Then we went to Hacienda Colorado and stuffed our faces. Then Kurt had to work, so Caroline, Dad, and I took Zumi to the park down the street from our house. We played fetch and laid in the nice, soft grass. The next morning when we woke, Dad and Caroline were gone. Another 1-day trip from my family! Loved having them here!!

September Goals

Well, I'm going to be mostly consumed with applying to grad schools (I have 3 deadlines in October), so I won't have a whole lot of time for much else this month. I actually have 3 goals this month:
-Mail off applications to Whidbey Writers Association and Converse College
-Be more productive at work and take more initiative
-Start a trial cut and stick with it for a month

I should probably also add try not to be a distraction to Kurt until after September 15th. :)

The Spirit of St. Louis

For Labor Day weekend, I was able to go to St. Louis and spend time with Ryan, Mandi, and the boys. Kurt was originally going to go, but his 16 hour days got in the way. I still had a great time, though! I flew in on Wednesday night and the next day we took the boys down to the duck pond.

Then we walked to Sonic.



I love this pic, lol.

Making breakfast on Friday morning. On Thursday night, Mandi and I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (ala Jessica's super easy recipe!) and Mandi gave one to Max. These cookies are a bit messy, so he's got orange all over his face. Classic.
Then we took the boys to the park.


Then Caroline and my dad stopped on their way out to the Y of I and Ryan and Mandi took all of us to get some amazing fried chicken.




And on Saturday we went to the zoo!

After the zoo, we watched the Cougars beat the #3 Sooners. We freaked out--Ryan ran up and down his street he was so excited. It was seriously the best game.
On Sunday, Caroline, Dad, and I packed up the ol' Sunfire, said goodbye to Ryan, Mandi, Chris, and Max, and drove 13 hours to Denver. It was so great seeing my family--I haven't seen Ryan and his family in over a year. Thanks y'all for letting me stay with y'all!

Music I've Been Digging Lately

The Ting Tings


Regina Spektor


Matt Nathanson

What about you? I'd love to discover something else new.

Eating Area

is slowly becoming a dining room. This "room" amazes me with how much little work can improve a room. We painted the walls white, replaced the fan with a chandelier, and hung curtains. Sorry the picture's not great. It's hard to take a picture into light and there's no way around it! Anyhow, this is the first thing you see when you walk in the house. I seriously love it!