Pat's Run 2009

This was my second year running in the Pat's Run. It's a 4.2 mile race in memory of Pat Tillman, whose football jersey was 42. The race takes place at ASU, starting out at lot 59 and ending at the 42 yard line in the stadium. This year, I went with a few friends of mine under the team name WOW (Women of Worth). Cheezy yes, but we adopted the name from my friend's grandma and thought it was a riot. I came in at 45:10, which was about three and a half minutes less than last year, so I'm pretty happy with that. Now my next goal is to finish a 10K, running the whole way!

Happy Easter

I know Jesus is the Christ. How grateful I am for his infinite atoning sacrifice and the many tender mercies that he gives me daily. May we remember him this Easter day and always.

5K Heart Walk

I decided to join Krista and Mom for this year's Heart Walk. It was a blast! I don't get to see Krista and her family very often so it was a bit of a treat for me. But even more special, was the reason why we walked it this year. Not long ago, my dad had experienced some tightness in his chest. After a visit to see the doctor and a few tests, my dad was admitted to the hospital where they placed a stint in one of the main arteries to his heart. Thankfully all went well and we are blessed to have my dad still with us. Love ya dad!

Superstition Ridgeline

Also known as the Superstition Death March, this was definitely one of the toughest hikes I've done. We started out going up Siphon Draw up to the top of Flatiron. The views from on top here are one of my favorites. You can see nearly the whole valley, incredible! From there we trekked it along to the other end down Carney Springs (this is next to the popular Peralta trail head). Total, it's about a 10-12 mile hike and took us about 10 hours. There's a couple of climbing spots and various uphill climbs and downhills to tackle. It was gruelling. I was exhausted. My legs were sore and at times I wondered what was I thinking. But all said and done, I absolutely loved it! We really couldn't have asked for a better day for a hike.

Flatiron

I know it's been another long break between posts, sorry, but you can keep in touch with me on Facebook. A lot of you have joined recently and it's been lots of fun seeing you on there. However, it's not a replacement for blogs and I know I need to be better about posting on here. I've debated on catching up on some past trips/events but it's really too much so I''ll go from here and hopefully I'll be better keeping my blog up to date!

I was suppose to go for a snowboarding trip up at Sunrise this weekend, but the snow conditions weren't so good and on top of that it was raining so we decided to cancel it for another time. Instead, I went with a couple of my friends to hike Flatiron up in the Superstition Mountains. I've actually never hiked all the way to the top before and have always wanted to.

It really couldn't have been a better day! The weather was a bit overcasted and the temps were in the 60's. At times we were hiking in the clouds! And the scenery, I couldn't believe how green it was! Absolutely breathtaking, it was like a tropical paradise in the desert.

We originally set out just to hike up to the basin of Siphon Draw. However, we didn't have any other pressing things to do, plus we were a bit motivated to keep pushing forward after Hot Guy asked us how far we were going. Turns out though, once we caught back up to Hot Guy at the top of Flatiron, he was there with a scout troop and a ring on his finger. Story of our lives!

For those of you familiar with Flatiron, you understand what a tough hike it is, but the views are so worth it. I'm sore today, my left ankle is a bit tight and achy after a nasty spill on loose gravel, I have bruises and scrapes down my leg , and gouged my right hand... but just look at the pics and you'll understand why I'm already planning my next trip back.

By the end of February the plants should start blossoming and based on how green it is right now, it should be absolutely amazing! I would highly recommend taking the kiddos out for a nature hike and enjoy the desert. There's a lot of other really easy hikes in the area and it's a great time of year to go.