savor it

2014 was a big year for us. We dove into our third year of teaching. We finished up grad school. We found out that we are expecting a new little adventure buddy in May of 2015. With all of the amazing things that have been going on, it has been easy to just let the time slip by. 

It would be easy to continue in this manner too. Even though we will no longer have grad school taking up whatever free time we thought we had before, we will always find ways to fill our time - with adventures, with good books, with creating, with long runs - but will we be approaching each of these activities with purpose? Will we be living in the moment, or letting the moments pass us by? 

These past couple of years we have taken advantage of our location and have ended one year and begun the next by doing something that we love - running (or walking, or hobbling, depending on the time of day). We have surrounded ourselves with a community of crazy runners as we ring in the New Year as a part of Aravaipa Running's Across the Years 24-hour event. This is a great opportunity to meet other runners, have thought provoking conversations, and push yourself to the limit. During these past two years I have had the opportunity to engage with some very interesting people, and this year I was left pondering two words: savor it. 

Throughout the first 15 hours of the event I found myself chatting with a fellow runner, Cliff, whenever our paces matched up. Cliff is full of motivational wisdom, and at one point he shared the story of his first 50 mile race and being told to savor the final 1.5 miles (or so). This sounded as odd to me as I am sure it did to him when he first heard the words, but as he explained what happened during those final footfalls of the race, no two words have ever sounded sweeter. He savored those final miles and as a result, the time flew by and he was finished before he knew it, leaving the pain of so many completed miles behind and taking in the experience as opposed to suffering through it. After all, as he later pointed out, there isn't anyone forcing us to do these crazy things that we do (such as signing up for 24-hour events), so why not savor the moment?

speaking of crazy... midnight in the cold... before running my first mile of the new year

 As I continued moving through the event, I found myself returning to these words over and over again. However, I was not thinking of them with regards to the race itself, but with regards to life. How often have I been guilty of pushing through or suffering through, and not savoring the blessings that have been laid before me? As I pondered these words, I thought about the year to come, about living with intention, and about being in the moment. I thought about other wise words that have been shared with me by friends and the conversations that have arisen as the result of my pregnancy. I thought about books that I have read that portray women suffering through their pregnancies and not savoring the miracle that their body is capable of creating. After all, when you're walking around in the middle of the night you have a lot of time to think.

And so, I now find myself approaching this new year with a new outlook - savor it. What a simple mantra to bring me back to the moment. As we meander through life we can never experience the same moment twice, so why not savor each and every one. The good and the bad. The celebrations and the challenges. The ups and the downs. After all, the good wouldn't be quite as good without the bad, and we learn more about ourselves and about life when we encounter struggle. And with these thoughts (if you have managed to suffer through my ramblings up to here), I challenge you to savor it. Savor the moment, the day, the year, your life. After all, we only have one life, why not savor it?

pausing to savor the first sunrise of 2015

and so it began

Once upon a time I said I would write about spring break happenings. Then it never happened. The school year ended and the mister and I did some contract work for our schools and before we knew it sumer began with a fun-filled week of exploring and showing our family around the Gallup area.

We were blessed with a week of amazing weather when Bruce and Linda came to visit. We were able to spend long days in the sun seeing all that the southwest has to offer.

We started our time together on Saturday with one of the best breakfasts you can find in Gallup (if you've never been to the Plaza Cafe and you're local, you're missing out) and a trip to a garage sale that some of our friends were having. We were lured there by the promise of lemonade being sold by cute kids, and that promise was met (with an added bonus of being PINK lemonade, something that I have a weakness for). I also managed to walk away with some great new-to-me scarves and a new book, Chris picked up a bolero tie, and Linda scored big with a whole new library for her daycare and some new noise-making toys. Our shopping for the day wasn't complete though, as every visit to Gallup should also include a trip to the local flea market. I finally purchased some earrings that I have wanted for about two years and Linda found a horse to take home!

Linda's new horse

On Sunday we made our way into Arizona where we spent our morning exploring Petrified Forest National Park. With the painted desert surrounding us, discoveries of petroglyphs and pictographs, blue mesas, and an abundance of petrified wood we relished the beauty of the natural world (I particularly enjoyed chasing lizards) and contemplated the lives of generations past. What would it have been like to live in the open desert? Where would the people have gotten their water? What brought people to the area and made them want to stay? The National Parks Service has a way of making you think about things in a new way, and for that I am always grateful. 

one of my lizard friends

petrified wood

We stayed in Gallup on Monday and did the touristy things that the mister and I typically overlook, but have secretly wanted to do during our time here. We visited the Storyteller Museum, checked out new trading posts and did the city mural walk. Gallup has a rich history and an abundance of talented residents and this was a the perfect opportunity to take all of that in. We also made a point of visiting another landmark in Gallup, Glenn's Bakery. Chris brought me donuts from Glenn's once upon a time after a run, but we really haven't eaten there, even though we had heard that we should. We had a great lunch and it will certainly be a place that we go back to (don't worry, they sell more than donuts!). 

Bruce and Linda with a Code Talker

Chris, our ever faithful tour guide

On Tuesday we went back to Arizona, this time to Canyon de Chelly. Since moving to the southwest, I have found Canyon de Chelly to be one of the most beautiful places that we have visited. It is majestic, full of history, and peaceful. There is something about visiting this place that is just relaxing, even when making the trip down into the canyon and then climbing back out of it. We hiked to the bottom of the canyon to show Bruce White House Ruins and then spent the rest of our day going to the overlooks. One of the things about Canyon de Chelly is that it is a living monument. There are still families that reside in the canyon, therefore visitors are not allowed to explore on their own (unless you are willing to run a long way). From the top though you are able to meet artisans from the area, learn about their families that reside in the canyon, and of course buy beautiful artwork (which we all did). On our way home from Canyon de Chelly we stopped in at Hubbell Trading Post for another glimpse of life in days gone by.

replica hogan 

the four of us at spider rock

white house ruins

Wednesday was a day of recovery, to some extent. We returned to Arizona (though just barely) and visited the Navajo Nation Zoo and the Nation Museum. The morning was nice and mild as we made our way through the zoo, and then we escaped from the heat of the day by visiting the museum. It was a relaxing morning, followed by an afternoon of Chris and I playing catch up with grad school (yes, even though it is summer, we are still working a little bit).

Linda petting animals at the zoo

window rock

We wrapped up our time together with a trip to Zuni, Ramah and El Morro National Monument. We were fortunate to find the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center open in Zuni. This is a great little museum of the history of the Zuni people; the mister and I were introduced to it as a part of our new teacher orientation with the school district, but had not been able to go back on our own. The museum covers the long history of the Zuni people in a small space with unique artifacts and images. Our history lesson did not stop with this trip to the museum though, as we ventured down the road to El Morro. Here, travelers made their mark as they passed through on one of several trails heading west. There are marks from ancient tribes, western settlers, and railroad men, all stopping for a break from the hot desert sun and to refill their canteens from the spring that made the place noteworthy. While one would't want to drink water there today, the shade is still a welcome respite during the heat of the day. Instead, water is consumed, along with delicious food at the Ancient Way Cafe, one of our favorite eateries in the southwest. 

the pool at el morro

the story of antelope passing through

the marks of spanish conquistadores 

Our week was full of adventure, good food, and of course Nightly Indian Dances. It is always fun to show people around, and it's even better when it is family that comes to town. We were sad to say goodbye, but fortunately it is summertime which means we'll be able to squeeze in another visit before the school year begins in August. 

one of my favorite dances of all time, the hoop dance

the buffalo dance

end of year adventures

We try our hardest to live life to the fullest in the Hall house. That typically means that we do not allow ourselves much down time, because there is so much out there to see, do, and explore. This year we have crammed as much as possible into our two-week winter vacation.

Following our brief stay with the Nebraska Halls, we embarked on yet another adventure, to make sure that 2013 ended with a bang. We began by stopping off at Fort Union National Monument in northern New Mexico on our drive home. We were both unaware that the Civil War took place this far west and enjoyed the little history lesson that we got there. We spent a lot of time talking about how differently historic structures were made, comparing the longevity of Puebloan sites and these Anglo sites. The Puebloan structures have withstood the tests of time and the elements much better than their Anglo counterparts. It's worth checking out and comparing them yourself if you are ever out west. New Mexico has a good supply of both kinds of historic sites.

Fort Union National Monument

Fort Union National Monument

Our next adventure took place in the outskirts of Flagstaff a couple of days later. We visited Sunset Crate Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument, enjoying a variety of landscapes and nearly every type of ecosystem on the 35 mile loop road between the two sites. At Sunset Crater we were amazed at the towering mounds of cinders. At Wupatki we were once again taken away by the structural integrity of Puebloan buildings. The two locations were breathtaking in different ways and left us wishing that we had had more time to explore, but alas, we had one more adventure to squeeze in before the end of 2013.

Twisty Trees at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Wupatki National Monument

It's a good thing we're not very big people!

Wupatki National Monument

Upon leaving the Flagstaff area we drove south to Glendale, home of Camelback Ranch, the spring training site for the White Sox and the Dodgers, and of course to Across the Years! Our final adventure of the year was to test ourselves in the 24-hour endurance run at this fantastic event. We got into town Monday evening and camped out (another bonus! one more night of camping in 2013!) before the 9AM start on Tuesday morning.

As the name suggests, Across the Years is a run from one year into the next. The event consists of 24-, 48-, 72-hour runs and a 6 day run. We clearly took the easy way out by only doing the 24-hour event! Everything was incredibly well run (no pun intended, but it is there none-the-less) and I was impressed by the thought that the Coury family and Aravaipa Running put into every component of the week-long event. The food was fantastic, warming tents were available, and the first aid support was by far the best I have experienced at a running event.

The start of the 12/31 24-hour event

Motivation from the families/friends of runners 

Inspiring race participants

For me, the beginning of the 24-hours was fantastic. Going from our home elevation of 6500 feet to the nice thick air at 1100 feet was a blessing and a curse. I knocked out some quick for me miles, walked some, and ran some, and walked some more. Until I simply could not run any more. Never having run in an ultra event, I hadn't really come in with a great strategy for doing anything in particular. Mostly I had just wanted to cover 50 miles. I did achieve that goal. I had also decided that I wanted to move for the whole 24-hours. I made it close to that one. My lack of planning early on left me with super tight hip flexors which rendered me nearly motionless as I embarked on my final lap of the event. I had decided to push on, but my inability to move very well meant that I was not staying warm and the shivering that commenced made my hip flexors even more painful. An hour and a half and one mile later I crawled into the warming tent and called it quits at 21.5 hours and just under 57 miles. I learned my lesson and have a better idea of what I can do next year to make things go more smoothly (hopefully). The mister ended up with just over 71 miles and lessons learned as well. 

Ready to toast to the New Year! Sparkling cider and champagne for all!

Happy New Year!

Yes, the New Year did happen to fall on hump day - thanks to the support crew at this table for evoking smiles

We're now home and recovered and preparing ourselves for the second half of the school year as well as a whole new year of adventuring. Time flies when you're having fun!

This is what my recovery looked like shortly after arriving home

Happy New Year to All!

[belated] thanksgiving

Once upon a time I mentioned that I would write about the epic adventure that occurred over Thanksgiving vacation. Since that time life has been quite crazy, a little out of control, and of course, full of adventure. Now that things are slowing down a little bit, here is a glimpse of the adventuring that took place when my parents came to town.

We were fortunate to have the whole week of Thanksgiving off, which meant that we were able to squeeze in quite a bit when my parents visited. Their first full day in town we took it easy, thanks to being snowed in more or less. The mister and I went for a snowy morning run, and then we all went out for a delicious breakfast at the Plaza. If ever you are in Gallup and it is breakfast time, I highly recommend stopping by either location and ordering the french toast, or the huevos rancheros, or an omelette, or a burrito, really, it is all excellent. They are famous for their french toast though, it is out of this world. The rest of the day progressed with movie watching, game playing, and catching up after not seeing each other for a long time.

On Monday morning, we ate some breakfast and then hit the road. We headed west with the Grand Canyon as our destination. Our journey, however, also included a visit to Petrified Forest National Park. An hour outside of Gallup we hit our first stop. Mom and dad were introduced to the painted desert, we met a cool park ranger, we did a little bit of hiking, and hit up old Route 66. 

Painted Desert

Route 66 (in case you couldn't guess)

Dad on Route 66

In front of one of the massive petrified trees at the park

After leaving the "forest," we continued our journey west and took the scenic route from Flagstaff up to the Grand Canyon. Even for being late in the season the park was packed. We got a quick peek into the canyon before the sun went down and then had dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge. The service wasn't great, the food was mediocre, and I guess that was a good predictor for the rest of our stay at the park.

Tuesday morning we were all up dark and early to embark on our most enduring adventure of the week. For mom, dad and I, the destination was the Colorado River. For the mister, the goal was Rim to Rim to Rim. As the sun began to show itself we snapped some quick photos and then began our descent. The mister took off and the rest of us took it all in. The canyon is deep, that is for sure. Beyond that, I cannot honestly say that I think it is so grand. Perhaps after all of the adventures and amazing places that the mister and I have had the honor of experiencing, this was not on the top of the list. Maybe it is because the park is so commercialized and overrun with people. I don't know (though I will say, since our visit we have seen photos from other parts of the park, and maybe we were just in the wrong place?), but we still enjoyed ourselves, so I can't really complain.

Ready to hike! (and run as the case may be)

We were all on the Bright Angel Trail which goes down, and down, and down, as you would expect when dropping into a canyon of immense proportions. We watched the strata in the rock change as the age of the formations changed. We enjoyed watching the colors changes as the sun continued to rise high into the sky. We talked, and laughed, and had a great time being together. Before we knew it we had hit our stride, were passing other groups that had left before us, and the Colorado was in sight. Checking our watches we decided to push for the suspension bridge and have lunch on the river bank before beginning our climb out of the canyon.

Mom and Dad at the Colorado River

On our return hike we kept a slow and steady pace, allowing us to complete the ~18 mile round trip adventure in about 11 hours. We were happy to see the top after what seemed like an endless climb and were excited when we sat down to dinner, though a little concerned for the missing mister. We filled our bellies though and while we were waiting for dessert I went out to investigate some "really awesome lights down in the canyon" that a kid at another table was talking about. Sure enough, I could see the mister's lights making progress up the trail and went back in to enjoy my sundae. As we wrapped up the meal, the mister was at the top and I had his dinner, hot from the oven, ready to take back to our room.

Almost to the top!

Chris finishing his R2R2R adventure

The next morning we grabbed one last meal at the Bright Angel Lodge and then began our return to civilization. Our first stop was at Walnut Canyon National Monument, just outside of Flagstaff. It is a small canyon, but incredibly impressive and historic with the remnants of cliff dwellings all around. We stretched our legs by climbing around in yet another canyon and enjoyed the breathtaking views. Upon completing our visit there, we stopped in Winslow, Arizona for lunch and to check out The Eagles landmark.

Walnut Canyon 

At Standing on a Corner (in Winslow Arizona)

One might think that this is where our adventures ended, but no. They continued once we got back into Gallup. On Thanksgiving we worked up an appetite by running in a Turkey Trot and then climbing Pyramid Rock. Then we had a traditional New Mexican enchilada dinner (it was the easies thing to do and accommodate gluten-free and vegetarian diets). More games followed before digging into our garbanzo bean and black bean brownie sundaes. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day.

Mom and Dad made it to the top of Pyramid (even with snow, ice, mud, and slippery junk)

Dad's gluten-free vegetarian Thanksgiving (and he was FULL after!)

On Friday, we drove south and visited El Morro National Monument in Ramah. This historic landmark holds the inscriptions of those who passed through the area once upon a time. We were also able to check out some of the Puebloan structures that have been being excavated. We followed our hike up with delicious eats at the Ancient Way Cafe - another place that I highly recommend trying out if you are ever in the area. Everything is phenomenal. On the way home we stopped in Zuni where mom did her Black Friday Shopping (for herself - you can't pass up the amazing deals that she got on some pottery). Then we returned home for some more game time (no, not football, board games).

Checking out El Morro National Monument

On Saturday, mom and dad were scheduled to leave town in the afternoon, which meant that we had time to squeeze in one more hike! We went out to the High Desert and hiked through some amazing freezing fog. Everything was crystalized and beautiful. We enjoyed the quite morning surrounded by nothing but nature. That was heavily contrasted later on when we went to the flea market, but that is what Gallup is. A mix of serenity and crazy. We got both in just a few short hours. One more meal, and then we had to say our good-byes. 

One of the beautiful aspects of hiking in frozen fog

It was a whirlwind of non-stop adventure, and I wouldn't change it for anything. I am so fortunate to have crazy adventuring parents that will go out and squeeze the most out of every day when we only get to see each other about once a year. Granted, after they left I think we all had to take some serious naps, but it was worth it!

success

On Friday we left town and began our Navajo adventure. We began our journey by stopping in Window Rock, AZ, the capital of the Navajo Nation. We walked through the zoo and enjoyed seeing some of the animals that live in our area - porcupines, owls, elk, mountain lions, black bears, wolves, and bobcats (to name a few). The Navajo Zoo has done a good job of providing the animals with the space and natural environment that thrive in as the park is build into one of the numerous canyons in the area.

Porcupine!

Horned Owl

After leaving the zoo we continued our journey to Chinle, AZ, the home of Canyon de Chelly. The mister checked in for the race and then we set up camp. Thanks to dual management of Canyon de Chelly, we were still able to camp near the mouth of the canyon and the start line of the race. Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation has stepped up in this time of the government shut down and has kept activity in the monument running smoothly. We were able to explore the north side of the canyon after setting up the camp, enjoying that none of the overlooks had been closed as we have heard happening in other areas managed by the National Parks Service.

After our quick tour of the north rim, we returned to the park for the pre-race meeting and an introduction to the Navajo culture by the race director, his father in law, and a resident of the canyon (at other times, a park ranger, but for now, just a resident he pointed out). The Navajo tradition of running was explained to the race participants and their families, a brief history of the canyon and its significance to the Navajo people was described, and a fair number of jokes were shared, and everyone had a great time.

We all retreated to our tents, campers or hotel rooms and prepared for race day. The mister and I ran into town to get some food and then climbed into our tent for a fantastic night of sleep in the cool fall air. When the alarm went off in the morning we were ready to roll. 

The race began with a blessing and prayer ceremony around a bonfire. The racers gathered around to keep warm and to receive a blessing to stay with them throughout their journeys into and out of the canyon. The race course went 17 miles into the canyon, ending at the top of bat trail, and then came back out of the mouth where racers were greeted with mutton stew and fresh fry bread.

Preparing for the blessing and prayer ceremony

At the starting line

The race began at roughly 7:00AM, with the rising of the sun and a great yell by all of the runners. In Navajo tradition, the Gods come out with the sun, and so the people run to greet the Gods. The great yell is a way to clear the lungs after a night of sleep and to present yourself and say, "I am here."

After the runners took off, I drove out to White House Ruins, and hiked down into the canyon where I would be able to see the mister as he came through mile 5.5. He was looking good as he ran through the water and subsequently through his clothes from the cold morning start at me. He continued his journey into the canyon and I stayed at the Ruins for a while talking to the family members of other runners and cheering as more people splashed through the muddy water at the bottom of the canyon.

The mister running at 5.5 miles

White House Ruins

After I while I climbed back out of the canyon, only to hear Shaun, the race director finish up a conversation with two of his cross country athletes - the truck for the next aid station had gotten stuck trying to go up a hill and was only about halfway to where it needed to be. He quickly made a plan with his runners and sent them running back to the truck to execute the plan for providing aid to the runners as they progressed through the canyon.

I climbed out of the canyon and drove further down the south rim and pulled into the Spider Rock overlook. I hiked down to the edge of the rim and stood with a Navajo family for a long time, cheering on the ant sized runners as the passed the base of Spider Rock. I believe that cheering from this location was one of the most enjoyable cheering experiences that I have had at a race. From the top of the canyon you cry out your support and then hear it echoed back about 10 seconds later as it makes its way into the canyon and to the runners. It was fantastic!

Spider Rock

After spotting the mister's bright red cap running back from the turn around I returned to White House Ruins. The hike is so beautiful that it was hard to resist another chance to descend into the canyon. My efforts were blessed with these views:

As I waited at the bottom of the canyon for the mister to come running back through, I kept checking my watch. Based on the times that I had seen him running earlier, his pace had fallen off. At first I had thought that perhaps I had been too slow and missed him coming back through, but I checked with the Navajo family that I had been cheering with earlier and they said that all of the runners that they had seen come through were wearing shirts, so I knew the mister was still out there. He eventually came through, but was hobbling along thanks to an old knee injury that had flared up. However, he pushed on, and eventually made it out of the canyon, rounding out the top third of runners.

The mister coming through the finish line

Receiving his hand beaded turquoise finisher's necklace from Shaun, the RD

After the runners crossed the finish line, they received hand beaded turquoise necklaces. Shaun's (the race director) grandmother made all of the necklaces, with some help from Shaun and other family members. All of the prizes were created by family members and included moccasins, star quilts, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and photographs of the canyon. After all of the prizes were handed out there was a traditional toss out of other gifts to the runners, including magazine subscriptions, runner's vests, posters, and t-shirts. Not to be forgotten, all of the runners also received their fill of homemade mutton stew (or vegetable stew) and fry bread. Family members could also enjoy these delicious creations by giving a donation to the local cross country programs.

All in all it was a fantastic event, culturally rich and centered on the community. All of the proceeds from the race are going to the local cross country programs, and thanks to some amazing sponsors, I believe that the programs have been really blessed by this event. We cannot wait to go back next year, and I am already thinking that I want one of those finisher's necklaces too. We'll see!

As a follow up to my post prior to our trip, the federal government shutdown has not been able to shut down the Navajo Nation. In this we were truly blessed on this adventure, and look forward to exploring many more cultural landmarks throughout the nation.