mike

5th Anniversary “Road Trip”

Anna Blankenheim Family, Vacation , , , ,

Yes, I know it’s been forever. Life has been busy, and blogging has been at the bottom of the list.

Each year, in lieu of gifts for each other, Mike and I go on an adventure to celebrate our anniversary. We like the idea of having an experience together as a reminder of why we got married and why we stay married. We still kinda like each other.

This year was no different – we drove down to Springville where our good friends Chris and Kassie live. We spent the night at Kassie’s family’s ranch – a working roping ranch. It was so much fun to watch the cowboys (and girls!) practice their team roping – so different than the cow work we do! The adventure this year was to spend a few days at their cabin in the woods… like REALLY in the woods. In fact, there are three ways to get there: horseback, hiking, or helicopter. The boys chose to hike in (10 miles!) and since that long of a hike and riding are out of the question, I got to take my first ever helicopter ride with Kassie.

The chopper landed at the ranch and before I even had time to get nervous, we were in the air!img_1624

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Our pilot was amazing and talked me through everything. The cool thing about helicopters is that you don’t feel a lot of the pressure that you do on planes (you know, that roller coaster feeling in your belly). Instead, it’s just kind of like floating.

About 20 minutes later, we landed at 9,000 feet at the cabin and got to work setting everything up. The boys showed up a few hours later. The cabin has running water (plumbed from a nearby stream) and a generator to provide electricity. We used the various fireplaces to keep warm. It was so much fun to literally be out in the middle of nowhere!

The first full day there we went on a hike as a group. I was a little nervous about my knee, but it held out really well. I used trekking poles and took it nice and slow. We ended up at these beautiful lakes where we hung out, ate lunch, and watched a storm roll in.

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Almost every day we would do some sort of outdoors activity in the morning, come home for lunch, and nap in the afternoon. It was so relaxing!

On one of the last days there, Kassie and I decided to go stream fishing – something I’d never done! My daddy would be proud – I baited my own hook (worms), handled the fish I caught (four golden trout), and even cleaned one I couldn’t save when Kassie decided to eat it! It was so peaceful and beautiful out on the stream! We were proud of ourselves on our girls fishing trip!

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This was such a wonderful trip! There was so much time to just hang out and it was amazing to be where there was no phone, no cell service, no internet!

The Birth Of A Pizza Oven

Anna Blankenheim Cooking , ,

About a year ago, my husband casually mentioned that he wanted to build a pizza oven. One of our close friend had just finished his and we had sampled some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. Keep in mind that my husband is a very handy guy… he built our house, our dog run, an in-yard BBQ, a waterfall, and loads of other cool things on our property. He’s kind of amazing.

I came home from work one day to this:

Building the Foundation
Building the Foundation

Mike had been digging out a little hollow in the side of the hill, but I was not quite expecting this kind of production. Once that was all set and dried, it was time to begin the really tough stuff… the arches. Keep in mind, there’s way, way, way more to this than I’m writing… Mike could walk you through step by step, detail by detail… he very much did not just pour some concrete and stack some bricks. The arches are truly works of art!

The First Arch
The First Arch

After the arches were complete, it was time to encase the whole thing in another layer of concrete (for insulation).

Surrounded!
Surrounded!

That was followed by packing in vermiculite, a fantastic insulator. Finally, the pretty stuff was added… walls, tiling, and a roof. All of the design was done by Mike… I love the colors he chose! My only contribution to the project (besides moral support) was to help grout… I like to think that’s the best pizza oven grouting job ever!

The Final Product
The Final Product

We had our inaugural firing and haven’t looked back… we’ve had some of the best pizza and have had the best time experimenting with different recipes (FYI, all purpose flour is the best and who knew I’d like an egg on my pizza?). Our go-to recipe has been pretty simple… tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and prosciutto. So delicious!!!

Fire In The Hole!
Fire In The Hole!
The First Pizza
The First Pizza

Newport Beach Fish-a-Palooza

Anna Blankenheim Critters, Family, Vacation , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The past week was the annual Blankenheim Newport Vacation. We co-own a boat with my brother- and sister-in-law, and have started a tradition of spending a week or so in Newport Beach each summer (my husband and his brother went to college down there and lived on Newport Beach).

I headed into the trip with a heck of a head cold… because that’s how I roll. The very first day, the guys went out fishing, but the girls/kids stayed on shore. I did a bit of napping and then hit the beach. My niece Katie is a serious beach girl… the two of us probably spent more time in the water than we did on land! The hotel we stay at is fantastic – one of the perks is they loan you boogie boards and beach stuff, so you have tons of options. We have become expert boogie boarders… I have the sunburn to prove it!

Then main goal the boys had this trip was to catch a shark. I must say, they were (mostly) well prepared. They found the spots the sharks were at (saw them with my own eyes), they had the right bait (caught my share of mackerel), and they had the right equipment… sort of. They were definitely catching them (mostly thresher sharks, which scare the crap out of me), but ran out of the metal leaders. This is a very important thing because threshers use their gigantic tails to slap at their prey – the fishing line in this case.

On our last full day there, we got up early (well, at the same time we did every other day – 4:30am so that we could get on the water) and headed over to Catalina Island. It was a beautiful boat ride over… we saw all sorts of cool marine life – flying fish, dolphins, seals, sharks (mako sharks, we think), and mola (very cool, prehistoric looking creatures). My favorite part of the journey over was the dolphins. I am not exaggerating when I say there were probably hundreds of dolphins swimming around our boat. We found a pod that was feeding, so there was much breaching of the water. They chased our boat, played in our wake, and lead the way. It was absolutely breath-taking to see. I took pictures, but they don’t come close to capturing how amazing it was to be there.

Dolphins
Dolphins

Once we got to the island, we got serious about fishing. I caught the biggest fish I’d ever caught in my life… a roughly 15 pound yellowtail. I have not done a ton of ocean fishing, and when I have, I haven’t caught anything really big. This one was amazing… I was letting my line out when I suddenly felt the reel start to go faster. I clicked over and the pole practically bent in half. It took 5-10 minutes for me to reel it in, with Mike and Charlie coaching me/moving things around on the boat as I went. It was hilarious to watch the two of them try to buckle the pole holder on me while I kept reeling. I even baited my own hook!

My Yellowtail
My Yellowtail

Yup – I definitely outfished the boys that day. We caught a ton of calico bass (seriously, like 50+). Mike got a really nice one:

Mike & His Bass
Mike & His Bass

I’m sad to see this week’s vacation come to an end… it was so nice to spend time with my hubby and family! Tomorrow it’s back to the grind… gotta work hard to play hard! Stay tuned for posts on the rest of the week – including the Western States Horse Expo!

A Beautiful Hike

Anna Blankenheim Exercise, Family , , ,

Lately I have been a very lazy blogger and a very busy girl. I guess that’s not a bad problem to have, but I like to keep this thing updated, so here we go.

A few weekends ago Mike and I decided to take advantage of a break in the weather to go for a hike. Shadow got to come along, which seriously made his day. I don’t know how he does it, but I’m fairly certain he is fluent in English… he knew exactly what the word “hike” meant, even though it’s not something we do with him very often.

We headed up to the fire lookout in Pine Grove and started walking. Here’s my happy, sweaty family about halfway up:

My Happy Little Family
My Happy Little Family

Shadow seriously had the time of his life – we ended up hiking a few miles (just over an hour). The views were absolutely beautiful. Sometimes I forget what a beautiful state and city I live in. And take it for granted.

Valley View
Valley View

It seriously already looks like spring! Thankfully after this we got a good deal of rain, so things look a little less dry, but this drought is killing us! Mike wanted to hike some more, so Shadow and I headed down the mountain while Mike hiked another hour or so. This is us on the way back down:

Me & My Dog
Me & My Dog

It was a wonderful morning out in nature and a beautiful hour with my family! Life is good!

Thoughts On Marathon #2

Anna Blankenheim Exercise, Family , , , , , , , , ,

Just like that, marathon #2 is done! This is the marathon that I knew I could do… my final time was 4:42:37, which is over an hour faster than I ran San Diego. While I wouldn’t trade the accomplishment/experience of getting through San Diego (long story short, I had severe “tummy troubles”), this was an entirely different experience. I actually got to enjoy (well, as much as one can enjoy running for 26.2 miles) the course, the people, the music, and the overall experience. It was 22ish degrees at the start and a balmy 40ish degrees at the finish, which besides a little discomfort at the beginning (running with frozen toes anyone?) was actually nice weather to run in. I’ll take cold over hot any day!

I Did It!
Me At The Finish Line

The Signs: There were the traditional funny running signs (“Worst Parade Ever” and “Who Needs Toenails Anyway?”) and some new ones I hadn’t seen before (at mile 2: “You’re not almost there!”). One that really touched me read “Someday you won’t be able to do this. Today is not that day”. I don’t know why, but that was really inspiring to me, because it’s so freaking true. Unless you’re that 80 year old guy who passed me at mile 25. Apparently then you can do it for the rest of your life.

The Spectators: My mom was amazing… she was absolutely everywhere! It was so great to see a friendly face among the supporters. I think she ended up making it to four different spots on the course and screamed her lungs out! Kati, Nate, Mike, and Chloe all joined her at the end… it was much-needed support to get me across the line! Kati even made me laugh, which at that point in the race is really hard to do! Poor Dad was home sick, but was proudly posting to Facebook! I can’t believe how many people were out there in the cold cheering all of us runners on. I began to actually think “They must be freezing… at least I get to run to stay warm!”.

The Aftermath: I am seriously considering writing Dr. Seuss to come up with some new running inspired books, such as Oh The Places You’ll Chafe and One Gu, Two Gu, Chocolate Gu, Vanilla Gu. I went home and took a long, hot bath in our jet tub… it was the most amazing thing ever. This time around I am not nearly as in pain as I was with the first one. I am definitely sore and stiff today, but I think that by tomorrow I’ll be the “hurts so good” sore. And, I’m starting to get hungry. I wasn’t really yesterday, and I know that by tomorrow I’ll want to eat everything in sight. Hooray for running!

I am really proud of myself for doing this one. Honestly, this could not have been a better marathon experience. I felt like from the start of training all the way through the day-after pains I was able to actually enjoy the experience. My training runs were beautiful and I took time on the course yesterday to reflect on the whole process. There’s just something about setting your mind to something and actually doing it. Something that you have to push your body to do. More so than your body, your mind.

I think this might have been my last one, but I’ve learned to never say never! 🙂

My Husband Is A Stud

Anna Blankenheim Exercise, Family , , ,

That title reads true for many different reasons, but today it’s because he completed all five passes of the 2013 Death Ride. In case you’re wondering, it’s a 129 mile bike ride over five mountain passes with 15,000 feet of climbing. Yeah, definitely a stud.

He and our friend Mark (also a stud) have ridden it together for the last few years and this year was no exception. I headed up to Carson Pass to be the photographer and cheerleader extraordinaire.

Before I get to the pictures of the studs, here’s a little gem… no way on earth Mike would pull my slow butt up five mountain passes…

No Way
No Way

Ok, on to the serious pics. This is Mike on his way up the last pass. He looks like he’s smiling, but I think it’s actually a grimace. Although this could have been when I yelled “You look just like Lance Armstrong. On steroids.”

My Stud
My Stud

Here’s us when he was done:

Love This Boy!
Love This Boy!

And, finally, the two studs together:

Two Billy Goats
Two Billy Goats

We stopped on the way home for burgers at this little place across the street from Kirkwood… they were delicious! Now that we’re back home it’s time to catch up on the Tour!

 

 

Sharkfest!

Anna Blankenheim Bucket List, Exercise , , ,

Well, today was the big Sharkfest Alcatraz swim… I’m proud to say I not only completed it, but did it in 36 minutes and 42 seconds, much faster than I was anticipating! For those of you who don’t know, this is a 1.5 mile swim that starts at the Alcatraz Island, crosses the San Francisco Bay, and ends at the Aquatic Park.

Yesterday before we left town, I headed over to get a mani/pedi and decided to go with a shark theme. I think it turned out really cute, especially considering I had to explain what a shark was to the nail lady. I did get some compliments on the ferry this morning, so I consider them a hit!

Shark!!!
Shark!!!

After that, we dropped Shadow at the kennel and headed for the Bay. Little did we know until about a week ago, but today San Francisco hosted the Amgen Tour of California, Sharkfest, AND Bay To Breakers. No wonder we had a really hard time finding a hotel! We ended up at a shady place out in Alameda, but it was clean and we got there late, so all we did was sleep.

This morning started with a 4:30am wakeup. Those of you that know me know that I get really nervous before races. I normally have an upset stomach, a hard time eating, and sometimes a headache. This morning actually felt pretty good… honestly, the best I’ve felt in a long time about any race. We headed over the Bay Bridge (note to self: they don’t take credit cards, so if you don’t have the cash, you get a $30 toll violation) and into the city. One thing I have to give the race organizers credit for was being very clear on what roads were closed – they gave fantastic directions into the city and listed out the times that the different roads would close.

Once we got to the Bay and parked, it was time to walk in. We had about a mile walk to the check in, but it was along the shore and was really nice. The weather could not have been more beautiful today… clear (no fog at all!), warm, and calm. We stood in line to get our hands marked (you had to have your numbers on both), get our mandatory yellow swim caps, get our timing chips, and pick up the very important t-shirts. My favorite part of any race is the t-shirt/medal!

Swim Shirt
Swim Shirt

After that was the inevitable wait… the sucky part. We hit the porta-potties and then did what I’ve now termed as “the wetsuit wiggle”. Those of you who have ever watched someone try to put on a wetsuit know that there is generally a lot of wiggling, sweating, and pulling. Now imagine ~800 people doing that. It was pretty hilarious. We had the pre-race briefing and then it was time for what the organizers called the race “parade”, which basically consisted of all 800 people walking about a mile to get on the ferries (there were 2).

Once we got on board, we headed out to the Bay. Everyone was excited and talking – either asking questions about where to sight (you have to pick a point to swim at and stick to it – if you’re not careful you can get caught in this funky current that sweeps you towards the Golden Gate Bridge) or sharing past Sharkfest experiences. At this point, I still wasn’t that nervous. Once we got out to the island we had to wait for about 20 minutes and then they opened the doors. This was where shit got real – you made the jump from ferry to water. Mike and I were some of the first swimmers in the water. It was not nearly as cold as I had expected… my hands and feet were a little cold, but I had been expecting to feel like I had hypothermia.

We waited about 10-15 minutes for the rest of the people to jump and then the ferry horn blew. Everyone started cheering and screaming and swimming. The beginning was a little scary only because everyone was all bunched together and swimming over the top of each other. Once I got into my own space and my rhythm it felt pretty good! I even made a point to stop about halfway across to look back at the island and to look over at the Golden Gate – how many people get to see those things from the water in the middle of the Bay?

My sighting was almost dead on – I came in pretty darned close to where I wanted. The problem was that I was about 100 yards off and right in the really strong current, so for a minute I had to swim like hell to get away from it. I actually had the conscious thought “this is how people drown in the ocean!”. After that it was smooth sailing in… the finish was lined with people cheering and a bunch of guys dressed like prisoners (get it? Alcatraz?). I headed over to the refreshment area where I had the best cup of water and trail mix of my life! Then I met up with Mike (who finished about 2 minutes after me).

Post-Swim Car Shot
Post-Swim Car Shot

This race was so much fun! I’m so glad I did it and I might even do it again next year!

Bucket List Update:

  • Buy a house – completed 2007
  • Get married – completed 2011
  • Run a marathon – completed 2012
  • Ride my bike up the Alp d’Huez – completed 2012
  • Swim Alcatraz – completed 2013
  • Own a horse
  • Have babies
  • Climb Half Dome
  • See the Fall on the East coast
  • Visit Africa
  • Visit Australia

Daffodil Hill

Anna Blankenheim Family, Gardening , , , , , ,

Ever since I moved in with Mike I’ve wanted to visit Daffodil Hill in the spring. Each year, something has happened that has made that impossible – mainly, a brief period of warm weather followed by a cold snap and snow. The snow kills off the flowers for the year, so that pretty much ruins the trip. Today I headed over with Dad, Kati, Nate, and Chloe. According to their website, it’s estimated that Daffodil Hill is carpeted with over 300,000 bulbs when in full bloom. That’s pretty impressive! It was a beautiful day and it was really nice to walk through. They have a bunch of different varieties that I didn’t realize existed.

Daffodil Hill
Daffodil Hill

This was my favorite one:

Orange Daffodil!
Orange Daffodil!

This one was really pretty, too – I think it was more luck than skill, but the picture turned out really amazing!

Yellow & Orange Daffodil
Yellow & Orange Daffodil

When we got back to the house, Mike made some amazing burgers and then we hung out for a while. Chloe was such a good girl and even consented to hang out with Uncle Mike for a while!

Chloe & Uncle Mike
Chloe & Uncle Mike

I love that little girl so much… she’s getting so much more inquisitive and interactive!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Anna Blankenheim Holidays ,

I have the best husband ever. Period. Yes, better than yours. I woke up today (my birthday) to two envelopes on my counter – one said to Anna from Mike and the other said to Mommy from Shadow. I was told to open Mike’s first. In it was this:

Birthday Horse!
Birthday Horse!

Yup, he got me my horse. He said I could pick the color and everything. And it gets to stay in the house. On the refrigerator. Isn’t he great? Shadow, on the other hand, got me tickets to see Rock of Ages in January and Les Misérables in June. He’s the best dog! I can’t wait!