boo!!!

funny, and a little frightening. wouldn't you say? this is the closest i've ever had to glamour shots. it kind of looks like deb from napolean dynmaite helped me out here. it is actually a visa picture i had taken for back in the days when i'd travel to china. the "photographer" wouldn't let me smile in the picture. i was told that smiling changes your face structure. go figure. one thing i can't blame them for all is all the lipstick i applied that day. i'm not really sure WHAT i was thinking while liberally painting that bright red substance on my lips. nonetheless, it is with great mirth that i post this lovely picture for you all to see. i'm always grateful for a good chuckle. i thought you all might appreciate it too.

the lights are on, and somebody's home...

my brother, lance, happened to be in salt lake city this weekend. i loved getting to see him. he stayed at my house on saturday night. he got to my house and went to bed before i made it in. i've been living alone for the past couple of weeks, because both my roommates just got married. when i come home at night, it is usually to a dark, empty house. when i got home on saturday night, i was pleasantly surprised. although lance was not awake when i got there, he had left the porch light and a light inside on. all growing up, my mom and dad used to do this for us. i didn't realize the impact of having somebody who cares for me do something as little as leaving the light on meant. it brought back a flood of warm memories. having a home filled with love and people who care for me is something i always had growing up. i will forever be grateful to my family for providing such an enviroment...and most recently, i'm grateful to lance for reminding me of it.

bacon grease

my grandma della used to brush bacon grease over the top of her rhodes rolls to give them an extra special flavor. since we were making rhodes rolls as part of our sunday feast, and we had bacon grease, i decided i'd carry on the family tradition. while the brushing of the bacon grease was going on, my friend ryan said, "erin, that is the last thing i would expect YOU to do."

what can i say, the big city is changing me. i'd like to believe i'm a little less uptight about a few things. bacon grease being just one thing on that list...

i don't think i'll ever be able to make rolls like my grandma did. however, just trying to recreate her masterpiece brought back some wonderfully nostalgic memories.

peek-a-boo, i see you...

i promise i'm not hiding. i know it's been awhile. i also know how some of you worry when i don't write. so, i thought i'd give a quick update. over the 24th of july i went with my ward on a pioneer trek. i had a bad attitude about it at first. (mostly i didn't want to wear the pioneer skirt, and most of all the bonnet, that my mom made out of drapes when i was in young women's and we went on a mini trek.) however, i donned the apparel and my bad attitude and i got on the tour bus to wyoming for 2 1/2 days of walking. as we walked and walked and walked...just like the primary song says, my love and respect for my pioneer ancestors grew. i'd always recognized that they had done a great thing but i don't think i ever really realized HOW great. i had one of those "ah ha" moments as we pushed our handcarts. my testimony of the pioneer's sacrifice for their families, both present and future, and most of all, their God, grew and became solid. how grateful i am for the sacrifice of those who went before me. their love for me motivates me to be better and do more. although my attitude changed and my heart softened as we walked the desolate plains of wyoming, my attitude of bonnets did not change. while i recognize they are functional, i just couldn't force myself to put the bonnet on my head. much to christian's dismay, it hung around my neck the whole trek.

another big event - the sabey family reunion! (see picture above.) christian and i headed to island park for a few days of sabey family fun. meeting family always gives perspective. while i teased him about the perspective it gave me, it really was a delight. his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are all really good people. they are very comfortable to be around. (i assume that playing the spoon-tied-to-a-piece-of-yarn-and-weaving-it-up-and-down-each-other's-clothing game naturally lends itself to being comfortable with each other. ask me about it later...) we ate, played rook, ate, played jeopardy, ate, talked, ate, went to the first homestead in island park, and ate some more. christian's parents called to talk to everyone. they are on a mission in south africa. it was fun to watch the excitement of everyone as they got the chance to talk to president and sister sabey. the whole weekend was a good experience. on sunday we had a testimony meeting. i really appreciated the spirit i felt as his family bore testimony of families and of our Saviour. i also really appreciated having grandparents around. christian's grandpa burns and grandma elaine were an absolute delight. it was really special watching them interact with each other and with the rest of the family. there is something very calming about having grandparents around. it made me miss my grandpa reid and grandma della, and grandpa pete and grandma amy. it also made me grateful that i had the opportunity to grow up near them and have a close relationship with them. i look forward to being with them again someday. is this the part where i am supposed to say something like, "family, isn't it about time?" i think i am and i think it is. i am really looking forward to the petersen family reunion. i love spending time with my fam, both extended and immediate.

last but not least, i've been on my bike a whole lot....and i think a whole lot might be an understatement. two days ago i rode my bike 140 miles. that was a first. my friend, jessie, and i rode the first canyon of lotoja. we wanted to prepare ourselves for what is to come. we felt pretty good...until the last 20 miles. at that point, i'm not sure what didn't hurt. we knew we had to keep eating, but it was a chore. our backsides hurt, our hands hurt, our backs hurt, our toenails hurt, and jessie's lungs even hurt. i am not ready for the big 206 miles now, but i am getting close. mentally and physically, i'll be ready on sept. 12th. until then, if you can't find me, i'll probably be on my bike somewhere.

let freedom ring

july 4th is always a special day - one of my favorite holidays. bright sun and hot weather, kids running through the sprinklers during the day and with sparklers in their hands at night, the nostalgia of a fireworks show, the smell of summertime - all of it brings a sense of peace and a feeling of gratitude for the blessed country i am a part of. the big event this year, as pictured above, was the delta demolition derby (or d cubed as i affectionately like to call it). christian, generously invited me to be a part of this tremendous traditional. really, what is more american than old cars ramming into each other, exhaust filled air, dirt flying into your face, and people watching the show before them in absolute awe. the derby was really fantastic, the people watching even better. my top picks for the people watching contest were unbelievable. there was a gentelman standing near us (yes, you heard it, standing room only at this derby). the first differentiating characteristic that caught my eye was his camo neoprene cover on his bottlenecked beverage. what kept my attention was his turquoise bling. i've seen turquoise before, but NOTHING like this. he had 3 HUGE stones on EACH hand and a MASSIVE bracelet on EACH wrist. i can't imagine what that guy was worth! just seeing him would have been worth the drive to delta. however, even better was my next siting. i saw a woman...i think. her hair was butched on top. the sides were super short. the top was spray painted red, middle was spray painted white, and the bottom blue. oh, but wait, she had stars buzzed bald on the bottom section of her hair that didn't have any spray paint color filling them in - so they REALLY stood out. it was absolutely amazing. i have NEVER seen anything like it before. talk about patriotic! i was so amazed by both of them that i completely forgot to pull out my camera and get a shot. the only disappointment of the whole derby - not getting a picture to document these people who, without even knowing it, made my heart leap with joy.

on different note, the drive to delta was loads of backroad fun. we didn't take the freeway. christian's GPS led us on a road less traveled. one of my favorite parts was a section of smooth blacktop. as we drove down the oscillated path, i felt the same way i do when riding a roller coaster. we were like little kids at the fair - wide eyes and laughter filled the air conditioned vehicle. what a pleasant surprise. the conversation to delta was also very pleasant. one of my favorite parts was talking about the gratitude in our hearts for what we have been given. we discussed the star spangled banner. while the whole anthem is eloquent, i'd like to make special note of the fourth verse:

oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

between their loved home and the war's desolation!

blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

and this be our motto: "in God is our trust."

and the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

let freedom ring.

greener pastures

as i was riding the little red riding hood century in cache valley last weekend i looked around and couldn't help soaking in the beauty of the valley. the air was so clean and the pastures so green. i began longing to road ride on a daily basis in such a picturesque place. as i began aching to be back in the place i call home, i suddenly realized that although, literally speaking there are greener pastures in cache valley...

figuratively speaking, there are far greener pastures for me elsewhere...

and i was reminded how grateful i am to be in the lovely slc.

let the games begin

lotoja is a road cycling race held annually on the first or second saturday in september. the race is believed to be one of the longest single-day road cycling race in north america, if not the world and is the longest one-day race sanctioned by the usa cycling or the united states cycling federation. lotoja starts in logan, ut and travels into southeastern idaho and finishes in teton village, wy. the current course covers 206 miles and includes three mountain passes. the total climbing during the race is nearly 10,000 feet with the race finishing about 1,800 feet higher than it began in logan.

this race is something i've heard about since i was a kid. as i young lass, i thought it sounded like an insane thing to do. as i approached adolescence, i thought it sounded like a really cool thing to do, but never thought of myself as being an individual able to accomplish such a task. as i am approaching my 30th year of life on this earth i've decided to take the plunge and participate in this dauntingly exhilirating event. i have been mentally preparing myself for about 8 months now. last september i had an epiphany that the celebration of my 30th year needed to be a unique sort of revelry. i've been thinking about it ever since. i made it through the first step - the lottery registration. this was a feat in and of itself. now, on to the training. i've started long rides each saturday. i've also started interval training each week. i've tried to become more proficient in riding in pace lines with a group - a definite work in progress. starting to train again for something has been a welcome change. after last year's half ironman, i had a lapse of motivation to train for any type of endurance event. as most people with an addiction, i've relapsed, and i'm back on the training bandwagon. i'm trying to be a bit more realistic about this training. fitting it into the balance of the rest of my life is the task at hand. it's been a gratifying challenge. i've still got a few months to figure it out. we'll see how it pans out. at this point i'll just say, let the games begin...