Merry Christmas!!!

I hope you've all had a wonderful year. We have around here (although we're scrambling to get Christmas ready. As usual. Duh ;). I'm so glad to have shared another year with all of you. Merry Christmas!

Peace (on earth) out,

Heidi

Some Hats... As Usual

I like to knit hats. It's a thing. I like to give hats because they're quick and most people will wear them. I had three I needed to make recently and I will regale you with the tales of those. I won't be wordy, I swear.

First we have Hudson. My cute friend JennyAnne had her fourth baby boy about a month ago and clearly this baby needed a hat for his first Utah winter. I recently discovered "More Last Minute Knitted Gifts" thanks to my friend Emily (HOW did I not know about this book before?!) and quickly whipped him up the adorbs Pointy Elf Hat. WHAT?! Cute.

Isn't he the cutest little elf?

Okay, on we go. I have been going to a chiropractor for awhile now (yes, I know I swore off chiropractors and cursed their names forever but this guys is normal, un weird and actually helping me. Really). He's a friend of Steve's and he and his assistant have been so kind and helpful to me that I decided they both deserved Christmas hats.

Amanda's favorite color is purple and I thought she would look super cute in the Unoriginal Hat by the the Yarn Harlot. She does. And she loves the hat.

Cute, huh?

Now for my crowning glory. I haven't done color work in 2 years. I know, shameful. I nicknamed Dustin (the chiropractor) BcDc (Back Cracker, Doctor of Chiropractic) and Steve told him (to my horror). So, I decided to immortalize his name on a hat. I used the Norwegian Star Earflap Hat by Tiennie (sans Norwegian Star) for the pattern and used a cross stitch letter pattern for the letters. I LOVED this pattern. Well done Tiennie for writing such an easy to follow pattern! Seriously! I must admit to being very proud of myself for accomplishing color work after so long. I know it shouldn't be such a big deal, but it is.

Here's me wearing it. I could never quite get the entire BC/DC in at once.

Here's Dustin (aka BC/DC) wearing it. He claims to like it.

And here's his spine wearing it. I told him it's meant for his head, not for some random spine. He says he'll wear it skiing this weekend.

SO, hats. I think I may have knit 131,000 at this point in my knitting career but I just love them so much. They're so FAST and I have so much less chance of getting ADHD. It's just a win win.

Peace out,

Heidi

Last Race of the Season...And a Knit.

The last open water race in our area was called Slam the Dam and was held in Lake Mead Nevada. I used to go to Lake Mead with my best friend when I was a kid and I love it there. You will find no hotter place on earth but you can always escape into the water :). The lake is lovely and the conditions were so perfect (in my opinion) on race day.

Steve had been deathly ill and we weren't planning on doing the race until the day before when we got all sad about missing it. There's such a great vibe at races; wonderful, positive people and good fun. Plus, you get a fun t-shirt and for swim races, a new swim cap ;). See, fun.

So at the last minute we decided to go. Steve was just going to swim it alone because we ended up taking the kids and we couldn't just leave them alone on the shore ;). My angel of a cousin offered, out of the blue heavens, to babysit the kids so we could both swim. This put me in a ditherspaz because I had gotten out of the "swimming-kind-of-a-long-distance" mind set and needed to get back into it VERY quickly. Like overnight.

Anyway, the morning came and we dropped the babies off at Chris and Jess's house and drove over to the lake (about 5 minutes away from them, lucky buggers). The air temperature was divine, about 80 at the start, and the water temperature was about 79!!!! You have no idea how amazing that felt to me after my Deer Creek fandango! I turned to Steve about halfway through and yelled, "this is so great!!!" However, for that distance, it's probably better for it to be a bit colder. Your body just feels better after.

Steve had a really hard time because he had massive chest congestion and if you've ever tried relieving yourself of chest congestion while treading water, it's nearly impossible. We spent a good amount of time treading water until he could hack up his innards and now Lake Mead is about a foot deeper thanks to his phlegm. You're welcome for the visual. I sort of made Steve finish the race as he thought it might not be a good idea to swim with the way he was feeling (do I get wife of the year for that or do I get turned in to the police?). I know he was really happy he finished. Our time was terrible. Steve asked me, when the results were posted, how I felt that we were the second and third to last to finish. I told him that was about normal for me! Slow and steady, baby!

After the race. We are covered in dirt. The lake is really low (thank you California) so we had to wade through a ridiculous amount of mud at the start and finish. Yuck. Once out a few hundred yards, the lake was crazy clear.

After the race we went back to Chris and Jess's and spent the morning and early afternoon with them. Our kids got along with theirs like peas and carrots. So cute! We got pizza and went to a park and just let them run wild. At this park there are frequently mountain goats and we were super excited about that. They're adorbs, as you can see. There are signs warning people not to approach them. Really? How dumb would you have to be to approach a wild animal with massive horns? You honestly deserve a bump to the rump ;).

Adorable little mountain goats.

Later that day we went to see Hoover Dam (which holds Lake Mead together, thus Slam the Dam). That is an architectural masterpiece. So amazing. They recently completed a bridge across it and I have to tell you, job well done! It's so beautiful. It was opening like 3 days after we left so we didn't get to drive on it but seeing it was pretty dang cool. Our kids can't wait to go back.

The new bridge over the dam.

So, a knit. I still knit. I've lost my mojo a bit and I've started at least 15 million projects and have completed none. Shameful, I know. This one I had to complete because it was needed to adorn a baby's head. A really cute baby. Steve's brother Matt and his wife Hilary just had their first doodle bug, Madelyn. She's adorbs. I can't post a picture of her because I wanted to post this today and haven't got her parents permission (and I never post pictures of kids without parents permission). But here's the hat. Just the basic cotton baby hat from LMKG. They take about 20 seconds to complete and are soft and fabulous. We didn't know if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl (her parents are weird like that ;), so I knit it in a gender neutral color and waited to embellish it until I knew. Girl=button. Done.

Cotton Baby Hat for Madelyn. Cute, huh?

So there you have it. A slow swim race and a 20 second hat. Fun, right?

Peace out,

Heidi

Hawaii

I was born in Hawaii. We used to visit quite frequently when I was youn

ger. I am absolutely smitten by Hawaii and, until this recent trip, Steve and I hadn't been for 6.5 years! What?!

Steve surprised me with this trip for our 10 year anni. How cute is that? Very cute is the answer you're looking for. We took the kids (much to the dismay of most of our friends) and they had an absolute blast. So did we.

Will and Lizzy did amazingly well on the flight. It's long and hideously boring but they were super troopers (yeah, that's an ABBA reference). The only problem was keeping everyone awake once we got there. The time difference is a KILLER with kids. And me.

This trip was a bit different from our "usual" trips to Hawaii. We did a

LOT more relaxing and beach going. The kids loved the beach more than anything and they loved driving around the island just looking at the scenery (who wouldn't?).

Our first morning there was Labor Day and the day of the Waikiki Rough Water Swim. This is one of the most popular open water swims in the country with over 1,000 participants. I had planned to participate but was advised not to because I'm not yet used to sea swimming and, apparently, it has gotten extremely rough in years past. We decided to just observe. It starts at a section of the beach that is generally uncrowded so we basically had the

beach to ourselves (with the exception of the thousand or so swimmers off to the side ;). The kids thought they were in heaven. It was a great start to the day. We stayed for a few hours, went home and showered and got on with things.

We had absolutely no plan for this trip. We took each day as it came and it worked out perfectly. We decided one day to call one of my friends, and met up for s

hopping and dinner (at the most amazing Japanese BBQ restaurant). If we wanted to hit the beach, off we went. If we wanted a cultural experience for the kids, that's what we did. It was marvy.

I was afraid since there were no rides involved, the kids would think Hawaii was boring. Wrong. They honestly loved almost everything we did. Nearly every morning we'd pop over to Leonard's bakery to feast on malasadas which are these amazing portug

ese sweet doughnuts. You cannot die without having tasted one. Also, no day was complete without shave ice. We tried 4 different places and found our faves. Ice Garden and Waiola. Seriously, TO. DIE. FOR. Lilikoi with azuki beans, ice cream and mochi balls... mmmmm. The kids keep asking for it. So sad.

We decided to take them to the Polynesian Cultural Center one day and you'd have thought they'd died and gone to heaven. The PCC is this fabulous place that's owned and run by BYU Hawaii. The people that work there are mostly students and are from the

islands represented at the center which are Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Tahiti, and Marquesas. They give the kids "passports" that they can get stamped as they visit each country. All the countries have little (and I might add, very entertaining) productions which tell you about their islands. Most of them have some hands on craft or food tasting or dancing... so fun! I'm telling you, it may seem twee but if you're ever there, don't miss the PCC. Especially with kids. You'll love it.

One of the highlights of every trip to Hawaii is going to church. It's like no other place on earth. You'll never feel so welcomed and loved as you do there. I was a little kid when we moved to Utah but I'm always completely gobsmacked at how many people remember me. My dad was the bishop of our ward before we moved and there can't be a single person who was in their ward, young or old, who has forgotten them. People will come up to me and say, "you look so familiar..." . When I tell them who my parents are, the recognition registers and they regale me with stories of my parents and of myself when I was little. So cute. I absolut

ely adore the people there. Not just at church, all the people.

Will and Lizzy have asked me no less than 50 times when we can go back and if we can move there soon. Obviously we're going to have to visit Hawaii more often. This 6.5 year fandango will not do.

Since the trip was vair vair long and I failed to write everything down, I shall now regale you with a slightly out of order photo log of the trip. Here goes...

Our first day at the beach. How cute are those kids, I ask you.

Some of the crowd getting ready for the Rough Water Swim. Notice the idiots in wet suits? The water was 79 degrees and the air temp 85. Get. A. Grip.

Japanese BBQ with Kahala and Kira (Will's part time girlfriend).

Matsumoto. So delicious but not the "best" shave ice, as it happens.

Steve and the kids at Shark's Cove. They would ride on his back and stick their little goggled heads in to look at the fish.

Um, pardon me but how cute is this?

Our doodles with a sea turtle. Highlight of their day.

Happy family on top of the Pali.

Getting blown away.

Will and Lizzy with a Samoan Chief at the PCC.

Will and Lizzy with a cute Samoan lady who helped them make toys out of grass. Immensely clever.

Us with some Fijians. You would not have believed the size of the man on the left. He was very nearly a giant.

Steve jumping off the rock at Waimea. I never have and I never will.

Will, Kira and Lizzy at Ko Olina. Amazing, calm, man made beach.

Lizzy made some adorable little friends at Ko Olina.

Kahala and I collapsing the ridiculous floaties the kids were playing on. They took FOR. E. VER.

The babies at the swap meet. It's always at least 180 degrees there but I love it and can't miss it!

Some love on the boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The kids actually loved that too.

Oil seeping up from the Arizona. Still. It's oddly beautiful and haunting.

And finally, my little doodle pointing to Hawaii. He really got on board with Pearl Harbor. The fact that it all happened right there was pretty fascinating to him.

So, I'd have to say it was an amazing trip. Loved nearly every minute of it. There were a few breakdowns but that's to be expected when traveling with bambini, right?

Peace out,

Hedi

Lizzy's Big Day

Lizzy has been DYING to start preschool. DYING. Every time we have passed the school since Will stopped going several months ago, she's been screaming out, "there's my school!!!"

Needless to say, she was overjoyed when it was finally her turn to go. She's not shy and she loves making new friends. Mostly she's a show off ;). Her first day was v v fun and exciting. Her teacher is adorbs and Lizzy loves her stinkin' guts. Let's just hope her sassy mouth doesn't land her in the principal's office too many times :}.

She could not stop jumping!

She thought this was a super fab pose. She thought...

Lizzy and her buddy Kingston. He kept bossing her to stop jumping while I was trying to take a picture. She couldn't be bothered ;).

So, fabulous day, fabulous girl.

Peace out,

Heidi

The great swim (well, sort of)

This has to be the ugliest picture ever taken. I had to put it up here so you could all laugh with me.

The swim. Wow. I'm so glad I did it! If you ask me about it now, it was one of the funnest things I've ever done. If you'd asked me about it halfway through, I would have told you I was looking for a way out. Preferably the warmest one.

I was prepared for the distance. I could easily have gone further. I was woefully unprepared for the cold. Holy cow! We woke up the morning of the swim and I was horrified to find that the air temperature was only 50 degrees. I thought, "kill me now. I cannot do this, I have to have the sun shining on my back!" I got over the air temp. It was okay because adrenalin took over and my feelings of fear overtook the cold. The water temperature was something else. I'd been used to training (not often enough, apparently) in water that is about 68-70 degrees. The water at the start of the race was 66. I didn't know that or I may have attacked someone and taken their wetsuit. Alas, I had to be brave and I knew the only way I'd be happy with this race was if I swam it "naked" (sans wettie).

Well, I did. I was in the water for 2 hrs and 19 minutes. That is a LONG time to be in water you're not acclimatized to. Also, a long time for a 5K. I'm not quite sure what happened but my mile time increased by about 6 minutes per mile. What?! Whatevs. I'll get that under control before my next swim. Anyway, I started shivering about 1 minute in (yes, really) and was shivering so much that I had a hard time with my feed. Oops. Apparently my lips turned gray at one point and Steve started asking me my date of birth and full name etc., because he thought (rightly so) that I was getting hypothermic. About 2/3 of the way through the swim I stopped shivering and while that is sometimes a bad sign, I think I was okay because my skin color never did anything weird and in the pictures of me getting out of the water, my lip color is back. I am not a quitter but about halfway through I thought I might need to get out. Then I remembered the air temp and decided the only way to end the pain was to "just keep swimming". So I did. Lesson for me: train A LOT more in cold water before attempting the 10K next year. I'm such an idiot.

I'm happy to say that my stroke stayed pretty consistent throughout the swim. I had been trained in Total Immersion just a few months prior to the swim and it's made my stroke so much more efficient. Even though I was freezing to death, my arm entry and body roll were right on track ;).

Steve and his brother Matt were my paddlers and I'm very thankful for it. I still have a hard time sighting and they kept me on track and paddled for what I'm sure was a very boring two hours and nineteen minutes. Ugh. I'm glad Steve had some company otherwise he may have jumped overboard.

I'm so glad I did this swim and plan on doing many more. It was a great experience and I learned a LOT. The organizers and volunteers were fabbity fab. Maybe open water swimming is like childbirth-you forget how much pain you were in during the event and soon plan on doing it again ;).

Steve and Matt paddling away. The moistened bint in the water is me ;).

Nice form, Heidi!

Steve and Matt totally left me in the dust near the finish. I think they were embarrassed because some of the 10K racers were on my tail.

A Watery Tart.

I got major vertigo getting out. I've never had a problem before (it's an issue with swimmers) but I couldn't stand up on my own. Quite amusing.

So, so, so cold. Like an ice cube. Or a giant, tan icicle.

And the lovely hooded towel. My warmth and solace ;).

Peace out,

Heidi

10th Anniversary

Recently Steve and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. We're so old hat at this marriage thing now. We had an awesome midweek jaunt in Park City going to dinner at Zoom (the restaurant we went to on our first date), staying overnight at the Waldorf, and then just shopping and having fun the next day.

I have, it has to be said, the world's best husband. He has named himself "Captain Surpriso" because he loves surprising people. And he's really good at it. And really over the top. He planned the whole "staycation" (a really lame word that one of the valets used) and gave me a new ring AND, wait for it... A trip to Hawaii. What the what?! I'm so excited.

Okay, material things aside, Steve really is the best and I'm so glad I made the decision to marry him (after 4 years of dating) 10 years ago. We have the cutest stinkin' kids and they love him so much. As do I. I couldn't imagine life without him. We have so much fun together and he is so supportive of me in all my endeavors. I love you, beb ;).

Here we are on our balcony.

Vicky Pollard impersonations ;).

Steve's turn.

And now I'm in hysterics.

That's all I have to say about that.

Peace out,

Heidi

First Day of School, First Day of School!

How cute is he? Very, is the answer you're looking for. Will was SO excited to start kindy. He could hardly sleep the night before his first day. *I* could hardly sleep the night before. I was very sad for him to start (he's a big boy now, right?) but I didn't cry.

We got up early, popped him in the shower, had some breakfast and then waited and waited and waited until we could walk to the bus stop. The thing he loves most about kindergarten is the bus. He thinks it goes really fast and the fact that you "don't have to wear seat belts" is amazing to him.

Here's my little guy all ready for school. He thinks his back pack is the bee's knees ;).

He asked me to take a picture of his back pack.

This is Lizzy's idea of a cute pose. Will wanted a picture of them hugging and Lizzy flipped out and yelled, "NO, I do it like this!" and struck this pose. Honestly.

Another of her sassiness.

Waiting on the curb for the bus.

Will and me.

Will and Steve.

Will and the bus stop gang.

I had to sneak into the school and snap a few shots...

Here's the little guy walking out after his first day of school!

Will and a few of his classmates walking toward their moms. The parking lot is under construction so that's nice, isn't it ;).

The day went really well and I'm so proud of my little man. He's such a big boy now and after his first week he still LOVES kindergarten (except at the end when he has to sing, he says).

Peace out,

Heidi