Cracking Up

Jameson and I went down to Cedar City to visit Alycia and Steven, my sister in law and her husband. And may I just say . . . it was lovely. We got there pretty late on Friday night. Then the plan was to get up early and go for a brisk 3 mile run. Instead we just slept in. I know. It is all that I have ever hoped for. Alycia did have to get up early to get her bountiful basket (I will have to blog about this later, but here is the site for the fruit/veggie co-op).

We eventually got ourselves together and went to Kolob (part of Zions National Park), and went for a 1 mile hike. Then we did some touristy shopping and I ended up with a crock-pot cookbook, an old copy of Sarah, Plain and Tall, and some stuff from Bath and Body Works. We met up with our friends Eric and Chelsea who made quite the ballsy (sorry, I couldn't think of an adequate substitute for that word) move and left for St. George on a whim. They have this great apartment and I was impressed with thier moxy.

We all journeyed to the red rock to do some hiking around. We checked out the crack and I *almost made it all the way through. I was excessively impressed with myself since I suffer from claustrophobia in a mild (kinda crazy big) way. I held the panic at bay and made it all the way. Finally, we hiked up Dixie rock and watched a first time repeller go over the rock. We applauded her when she made it all the way down.

Sunday it rained and I read a book. Might be my favorite thing we did.

That's right. I am AWESOME!

This is Alycia and myself as seen from above in the crack (please, we are all adults here).

In case you haven't seen enough of him, here is my handsome husband himself. We made an attempt to visit a discovery park in the rain. It turns out Jameson looks great in the rain too.

Great Book to Read: I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to everyone. But it talks a lot about food, something I happen to love. The writing isn't exactly riveting, but I really enjoyed reading the book. Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer.

*My boobs were too big to let me through the smallest part. Yet another reason to lose weight.

Triathlon Training

This is really just an update on our lives. There are no pictures or really interesting links to share on this fine day.

First of all, my run this morning was really hard. You know how some days you cruise, like you have a motor in your legs and nothing is going to stop you? Yeah, that wasn't today for me. It could be because I upped the run to 2.5 miles. Just a thought. If anyone has any thoughts or comments on the best ways to train for a sprint tri, now would be the time to post those thoughts.

Second, Jameson has been fishing nearly everyday, and hasn't caught anything. If anyone has any thoughts on that (besides the obvious comments regarding the fisherman) those would also be appreciated. Particularly in regards to how to get the line to NOT break.

Third, I have been making a LOT of bread lately and would appreciate any recipes. So if you have any, please share. Here is my favorite white bread recipe. I am also reading a book about desserts, and, as I am dieting, I love to make other people eat dessert (it's a twisted need). So any great desserts would be appreciated as well.

The Living Room

So a few weeks ago (and I mean like a month ago), Jameson and I decided to brave a hike that has eluded us twice before. Determined that it would not defeat us thrice, I was armed this time. All it really came down to was having an additional set of directions. Normally I can hang my hat by Falcon Guides, especially just for day hikes. Anyway, the name of the hike is the Living Room. It is so named because there are sandstone rocks that have been placed by well-meaning and creative people to look and feel like chairs. Here are some pictures of us sitting in them:

This here is me. I am sitting on a recliner. I think I am in love with this picture because it shows none of my sweat (which was profuse), or my rolls of fat. Thank you Jameson for making me look good -- as usual.

Speaking of looking good, here is Jameson in the same recliner (they also had a love seat, but all the pictures on the other pieces of furniture were less than desirable. Anyway, as I recall, this was more of a throne than a recliner anyway. That makes it cooler).

I just wanted to include this photo because it makes Salt Lake look like Japan. A feat to be admired. And yes, I did it on purpose. I just thought the trees looked cool in the smog.

As a side note, the hike was nearly impossible to climb. Also, it nearly killed me. Mostly because I was out of shape. I am embarrassed to admit, but I could hardly walk for a week. It was two miles straight uphill. Jameson was fine. It might have been this hike that made me take a long look at the best way for me to train for the triathlon in August. So far, the training is going really really well. I ran 2 miles today! Also, Jameson is giving up soda (2 days so far) and I am giving up treats (unless it is sugar free, then I can have one per day). We are so awesome!

Great Book to read: Matched by Ally Condie -- she was an English teacher in Salt Lake so you gotta respect those English teachers. I just want to say, I would choose Xander. Every time. I am more like the character's Mom. I keep the rules because I love my family. I liked this in some ways more than Hunger Games, and not because it was more lovey-dovey. I think that Katniss's society was obviously evil, and begged for revolution. Cassia's society is not quite so obviously evil. I think that raises more difficult comparisons in our own lives. Do we go gently, or not?

Rockin' The Suburbs

Hey all. I know that you have been waiting with baited breath for this post. I just wanted to say that I have been crazy busy. Also sick. It seems like whenever life gets really crazy or even really good, my immune system just seems to give right out. What was the flu has become a sinus infection.

Anyway, Jameson had a full week last week. He graduated and had a great concert where he totally rocked Pleasant Grove. Here are some pictures.

Here are three of the band mates. Tonio is a guitarist, Jameson the drummer and the one who is looking out the distance (that was intentional -- he wanted to look mysterious and creative) does vocals/guitar.

Jameson is going to hate this picture, but he really doesn't read my blog, so I don't feel so very bad. I like it because he looks so happy drumming. He has been working really hard and has improved a lot lately. I am very proud of my hubby.

I know this is short, and there has been quite a bit that has happened in the last few weeks, but I think we covered the biggies. I know you are all thinking, 'why no pictures of graduation'? The answer is because I left the xd card in the computer at home, and the student bookstore didn't have the right kind of card for our camera. So it is documented, just not with me. If you want pictures, ask Debbie.

Good Series to Watch: Dead Like Me. It is fairly heavy on the F-bomb, but really covers some subtle aspects of grief and the grieving process. Don't watch the movie though. It is really disappointing.

Le Easter Bunny Goes For A Hike

So a long standing tradition in the Packer household was to put out our shoes for the easter bunny to fill. The 'Easter bunny' would then hide said shoes, and we would go and find the shoes (the oven was always a good place to look). So now the Jacksons (meaning Jameson and I) now do this. Turns out, I am a terrible hider. I mean terrible. Jameson always finds his shoes in a matter of minutes.

We went down to Bicknell (rhymes with Hicknell) to spend some time in a family cabin with some family for Easter. Most of Debbie's (Jameson's mum) side of the family showed, and it was really fun to have everyone there. Especially the new addition from Parker and Beth, see previous posts. We did all sorts of things, but here are a few photos.

Here you can see Parker shooting a water balloon from the water balloon launcher that I got Jameson for his birthday last year. Good see that it is money well spent. I would like to point out that it was snowing, and we could get the balloons past the road (a really really really far distance -- it totally rocked).

Here is Jameson standing over a crack (let's all be adults here). We stopped at this . . . area in capital reef. I guess there is a hike, but it was too cold for us to venture out too far. There were still some pretty cool rock formations.

Here are some petrogylphs that we viewed from a safe distance. I think they look like aliens and prove that aliens existed amongst Native Americans before we got here and took them to a different dimension. That, and they like sheep.

We then went to visit a waterfall. Now, you can't see it in it's glory here, but my favorite part was laying down and letting the water run through my fingers. It was cold, but satisfying.

The next day, we did some adventuring and visited Hickman's Bridge. The difference between a Bridge and an arch is that one (bridge) is made by water erosion and the other (arch) is made by wind. I think that arches are prettier, but bridges are sturdier. This is obviously not the bridge. Instead it is just after we found the bridge and I decided to kiss Jameson and make Alycia take a picture of it.

That about covers our adventuring over Easter. Of course, stay tuned for more as we have some pretty exciting business coming up.

Good Book to Read: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (yet another Charlotte that I love -- Please Jameson, can we have a girl, name her Charlotte and call her Lotty? Please?)

Dandelions and Triathlons

Today I have officially been training for a sprint triathlon for a week. Jameson has been super supportive and it makes me really really happy because this is also my weight loss plan. And it is much needed!

I was also discussing weight loss with a friend today and she gave me this great recipe for oatmeal pancakes. I guess that she also eats a lot of Greek yogurt which is better than mayo. I don't know, I'm a little skeptical. Right now I think I will just stick to the regular workout and focus on eating healthy. I've been thinking a lot about the Word of Wisdom lately and the Lord's Law of Health. I think that there is some weight to the idea (no pun intended) that we need to be healthy and exercise. We are to be held responsible for how we treat our bodies. I have definitely been abusing mine the last year or so. I have been exercising sporadically and it definitely shows.

Of course, I would like to take the opportunity to state here that we all live the Word of Wisdom on differing levels, just like any other commandment. Exercise and eating healthy can be very hard for me. However, I really don't have a hard time with not drinking alcohol or not doing drugs. However, there are others who find my challenges easy, and alcohol and drugs tough. Anyway, this is my little way of declaring my resolution to be better.

I haven't been reading books lately having been horribly distracted by the beautiful spring that has sprung. I think that next week might necessitate some pictures of the beauty I see all around me.

Good Series to Watch: Arrested Development -- I have been a fan for years, but the movie is coming out recently and I have renewed my love affair in order to 'freshen up' for the coming comedy storm.

McKell is Born and We Play D&D

As may have been posted all over the internet in facebook, twitter, email, and other means of electronic messaging, McKell Joan Jackson was born today. Thus making her the first grandchild and first niece on Jameson's side. So we dropped by the hospital on Thursday morning and took a few photos for memories sake. She is pretty darn cute. So here you go:

Here is Jameson and Debbie fawning over the baby. I would like the say that Jameson was a natural at the baby holding thing and he loved it. The truth is that this picture gives him way more credit than he deserves.

Beth might kill me for this picture, but I am fairly sure that she doesn't read my blog. So I feel much less guilty. Here is Beth and Parker both looking very tired as the baby was born super early and everyone was trotting in throughout the day and night to check out McKell.

For the first little bit, Cloie wouldn't have anything to do with her little sister. Here is a photo of the first time we got her to hold her little sister. It's pretty sweet. I understand that she doesn't have the not touching her sister problem anymore.

And here I am. Just so we are all aware, holding nieces and nephews is all the baby photos or talk that anyone is seeing from us in a long time. Am I clear? (This means we are happy when other people are pregnant, but don't plan on seeing a suspicious bulge in my tummy for the next while)

So I am sure that many of my faithful readers are hoping that I also have pictures of this next bit. I want to point out right now that I don't and for good reason. We came to be involved in a game of Dungeons and Dragons through a twisted chance of fate involving Reverend Robbi Richardson and my insatiable love of fantasy novels. Inevitably, we were coerced into this ultimate of all nerdy endeavors. And it was a BLAST!! It was a little long, but loads of fun. I can see why it is so addicting. Not that I want to play every day, but it was fun. My character is a super awesome Gnome names Gillian Wolfsbane. She has a Wolf named Nightrider. He was pretty tough. Anyway, it was a fun little way to cross a life experience off the list. Next? Sky Diving!!

Good Movie to Watch: Tangled -- I love it. Especially . . . all of it.