PPP 2012

It's that time of the year again...the annual Pole, Pedal, Paddle Relay Race!  This year Aaron and Annie did it as a team again...and they WON their division!!  First place!  It was an awesome victory and a fantastic long weekend in Sunriver & Bend.

Annie is finding a spot for her bike (she's in blue).

 Parker waiting for the event to start! 

 Officially started!  That's Aaron (center, red & white)coming down the first leg of the race...the downhill ski.

 He quickly changes into his Nordic ski gear, with the help of Annie and he's off!

 Waiting for Aaron to come in off the Nordic ski, Parker realized she can't wait to try downhill skiing!

 Coming up the home stretch of the Nordic...he then tags off to Annie and she's off on the bike!

 We were driving down the mountain to meet at the next transition when I spotted the bright pink Annie!  I snapped this photo of her HAULING down the mountain!!

 Meanwhile, Parker caught a quick power nap...

I missed all photo opps as Annie took off on the run...doh!  But after the run, Annie tags off to Aaron to kayak.

Lastly, Aaron tags off to Annie who is off on the final leg of the race...the sprint to the finish line!

This was our entire crew at the finish line.  We had three teams...a girl's team, men's team and a pair's team.  Not to mention Team Cheer- the most important of them all!

 

Chile

My sister, Jaime, and I went on a week long trip-of-a-lifetime to Chile at the beginning of May.  She was awarded an all expenses paid trip for two, and she took me!  To say it was pronominal is an understatement.  And I'll try and not put all 432 pictures I took while we were there!

When I say "all expenses paid"...I mean it!  From breakfast, to dessert, to snacks, to excursions, to transportation and beyond.  

 The view from the top floor

 The first full day we went on a city tour and ended up at this amazing little village filled with great little shops and cafes.

 And in the middle of it all a band started playing rock classics like "Sweet Caroline"!

 The next day we went to Isla Negra and toured the home of Pablo Neruda, the famous poet.  The weather was perfect the entire trip for everything we did!

 This was the "snack" they provided

We then went to lunch in a little village called Pomaire, which is known for it's pottery.

Moving right along...the next day was spent touring two wineries!  One of them even had a horse track and we were treated to a little race between Starwood, Hilton and Marriott.  Who do you think won?  Starwood of course!

 Carmenere is the type of wine Chile is known for...such a yummy red!

 The grounds were beautiful...

 The jockeys!

The last night in Santiago we drove 2 hours away and went to a rodeo!  The grounds of this place were amazing...we also ate a fabulous dinner here and capped off the night with fireworks and a dance party!

 Our crew we hung out with the whole trip...great people!

 Oh ya- there were fire dancers as well!

Jaime and I spent the next two days on our own in the coastal town of Valparaiso.  It was the best way to end the trip- we had a spectacular time and met so many people on the walking tour we took!  We stayed in the cutest bed and breakfast...even splurged and sprung for the suite!

 The top of our B&B

 Our B&B

 Our walking group...and new friends

Tilly Jane 2012

The weekend Aaron's Dad, Al, was in town happen to be the same weekend as our annual backbacking trip up Mt. Hood to the Tilly Jane cabin!  Our good friend Mike gets the cabin reserved and then it's just the task of either skiing or snowshoeing in.  I decided that Parker and I would sit out this year (and a good thing since she got so sick!) and just have it be a boys trip.  Our good college friend Brian flew in from Minneapolis for the weekend to join in.  From the pictures and the stories I heard, it sounds like they all had a blast!

Once they reached the cabin they dumped their backpacks and went off skiing.  Here's Brian and Mike enjoying something out of a flask, my guess is whiskey!

 Aaron and Mike at the top!

Mike, Aaron and Al

Cruising back down to the cabin

I know from experience that Mike is the best cook on a backpacking adventure!

Sounds like they cruised down after a couple nights up on the mountin and took time out to check out the scenery.  There was a fire up on Mt. Hood a couple years ago...a section of the forest is singed.