Thanksgiving 2009 at the Petersen's

Thanks to everyone that came over for Thanksgiving! The food was great ('specially the pies) and the company was even better! Please feel free to come over tomorrow for leftovers and pie!

What a great weekend! We started with Footloose musical at Tuacon. And Thane from So You Think You Can Dance was the lead role as Ren. I forgot how good he was at dancing! The transformation from movie to musical was better than expected. And Thane can sing!

The next day we woke up at 6AM to pack our lunches and water, etc for the 10 mile Subway hike. Serena's knees had been hurting her and she was pretty sure she wasn't going to go. Once we reached the top the rest of us easily persuaded her into it. "I'll carry your bag. " or "I'll carry you!" And so we set off.

The first three miles had some awesome views and the hiking cairns made things a little easier when deciding which way to go. Julius, Oliver, and I held up the party a few times with catching lizards. I named mine Bob. we did get lost once but it afforded us a few good pictures...

When we finally entered the subway propper, water was avoided at all costs, even though Serena informed us we'd have to get in no matter what. The first pool was just plain gross! Stagnant water that was immersed with dark algee and too deep to touch the bottom! After about ten minutes of gripping I took the first dip. Yuck!

The next few miles were spent either swimming, rappelling, or catching tadpoles (kept in a Gatorade bottle). Oh mahn, was it cold! Note to self: next time take neoprine everything! It got a bit difficult to get the rappelling gear on and then get roped in but after the second time I finally got the hang of it but Serena was good from the start and double checking my rope!

When the mountain walls started to open up a bit we still had almost 4 more mile to go. Even though we were tired Oliver found energy to catch a few frogs and we got a picture of one.

Special thanks to Bill for carrying the rappelling ropes.
And Trish for supplying lunch.
Oh, and Serena for kicking my trash (with two bum knees) on the last part of the hike.

Ok... tired of typing... look at pictures now...

Rappelling

A few weeks ago a few of us went out to do some rappelling. A special thanks to Ray and Stephanie.

Park City

Wow! Park City was so much fun and to think I almost didn't go. We had to wake up at 4:30 to get ready and be at the airport in time but Serena didn't wake me up until 5 and I forgot to set my alarm. I was so stressed out I told her I didn't think I was going to go. [FYI, I've been seriously stressed with school-- stupid thermo!!] "Serena, I'm not going to go. You're just going to yell at me all day, all day..." In classic Serena response she said, "I won't be yelling at you all day because Trish, Oliver, and Julius will be around." Not funny then. Funny now. So with that heartfelt persuasion I decided to go...




The skiing conditions were great! A lot of powder and no wind. After a few runs we split up into two groups: Serena and Trish in one then Oliver, Julius, and I in the other. My confidence in thinking I was tough sh*t and could keep up with Oliver and Julius, was soon tested as we reached the very top of Jupiter, a double black diamond. Suffice to say, we all survived but I was completely worn out! lol
>>>VIDEOS HERE.<<< Everyone else still had plenty of energy and we were off to tubing! Skeptical of how much fun this 'tubing' could be, we bought the $8 single ride tickets. But after the first ride we ran back to the yute and purchased all day passes. It was a riot!

We also went to Olympic Park in hopes of riding the zipline and some wanted to try the bobsled (which can reach up to 80mph and experience 5G's of force!). We also met a 'World Champion' of the luge who was only 15 years old! We took a guided tour to the top of the world's highest altitude ski jumps and the world's fastest bobsled, luge and skeleton track. The K90m and K120m nordic were pretty impressive. The Alf Engen Ski Museum was pretty cool and we got to see the Olympic torch... thingy...

All in all, it was an awesome trip! I'd like to thank Serena for convincing me to go, Julius and Trish for the great photos and videos, and again Oliver for keeping my ego in check!

Drifting (Revised)

[I've edited Serena's blog and added a few pics...)

[Serena decked out for a day of skiing]

[Me getting ready for the trip]

[The British air force guys that stopped to help us! Accents and everything]

Driving up to Brian Head we had some difficulty. I stopped in the 'chains on' area and put my car into 4-wheel high. About 500 ft later we were drifting towards our death. Luckily, we didn't roll the car down the ravine. Probably because I was only going less than 15 miles/hr. So we waited around for 2 tow trucks to come pull the car out. Talk about a stressful night. ...skiing the next day was awesome, tons of powder.

The Explorer was at like a 30 degree angle.

New Home (Revised)

Serena's bathroom

Serena's Room

Study (not so messy)

My Bathroom

My Room

(The cats)

(The 52'' LCD)

(The kitchen)

(Harry Potter of course)

(The messy study room)

Snow in Vegas?

My thanks to global warming as it means snow in Vegas! I was so excited when I got home that I decided to make a snowman (using most of the snow in the backyard). After putting the finishing touches of pinecone eyes and a baby carrot nose I could see that he was the one for me. So, later that night we had a small ceremony where 'Effron' and I were married with Serena and my mom as witnesses. It was a wonderfull one week marriage, filled with laughter and love. Sadly, Effron melted that following Thursday, but I will always remember him and my heart will go on...

Forgetful Friday

Lydia and I were looking through some old pics and forgot we had this awesome pic of hottie Zac Efron with us on one of our hikes. He's in his 20's... we're in our 20's. I don't see anything weird about that, do you? I'd go for him but he's not up to the height requirement. Sorry Efron. He's perfect for Lydia as she's always liked the cute ones.

Twilight

Lydia and I to went see Twilight this past weekend. And I am now obsessed with Edward Cullen, aka Robert Pattinson. Um... what's not to want. I'm not much older than he is and I think there's a chance he might respond to one of my many love letters I've sent. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Turtle Head Hike

Tuesday was Veteran's Day with no work and no school. What to do? Answer: Turtle Head hike. Amanda, James, Oliver , Trisha, Chau, Serena and I set off around 10AM for a great 5 mile hike- complete with shifting rocks, elusive trails, and boulder hopping. As we headed for the 'saddle' with James scoping out which trail to take, we were passed by a few hikers. One we named 'stick man' (as he was savvy enough to bring two poles), and the other a woman with only one pole but traveling at almost twice our speed. Both hikers ageing at over sixty years... We asked the woman which trail to take with her reply being "There are many trials." She reminded me of the Oracle from the Matrix...

When we finally made it to the top we wrote on the sign-in book. Serena's comment being "I'm tired, 2.5 mile more?" We also took a few minutes to rest and look at the beautiful view of the Las Vegas valley. The view alone made the 3 hour climb worth it.

Here are a few pics...

Biking Around: Family Style!

Our family's new obsession is to go cycling with our low resistance street bikes. I'm a bit competitive (shocking, I know) and try to get as far ahead as possible while keeping both lungs intact. Its a great ego booster until I realize that my parents are almost sixty...

Serena and my mom have a crossover Trek bike while my dad and I opted for the Novara Buzz. When I decided to buy a bike of my own, I was very adamant about having disk breaks as I'm sort of a speed junkie and had a little incident with a dog and the asphalt. (Don't worry, the dog is OK but I had a nice raspberry on my knee and elbow)

Here are a few pics...

More Posts Soon!

Errr... Work, school, and the flu have sorta impeded any blogging efforts for the past few weeks. But be awares there is more to come! Hope everyone likes ABBA! :)

One is the Loneliest Number!

Alright, so Serena got jealous that I added a blog with only myself. She was fellin' pretty sorry for herself and started singing "one is the loneliest number" which leads us to a new silly video...

(Dancing inspired by Claude and Lora Lee - our parents)

Hart Hat Tour

Yes, yes, I know it's been a wHile since the site's been updated and so I've decided to add a few goofy pics of the Hard Hat Tour for Nev. Power. Last year we interns got to see a few generation plants (Crystal and Chuck Lenzie), where as this year we had the opportunity to fly to Reno and see alternative energy sources (i.e. solar power and geo-thermal). I was a little intimidated by the other interns but ended up having a lot of fun by eating too much, playing DDR, and playing speed (the card game) at the airport.

(Hopefully by this weekend we'll have more pics of the both of us...)

Adventures in Zion

Our adventure in Zion began at 6:30 AM as the shuttle left for the top of our 18 mile hike. The shuttle driver advised against 'day hikers' as there was a "50% chance of rain." Meaning, we might need to make fast friends with the over-nighting hikers. However, after the mind numbing drive to the top, the skies were clear and we became optimistic. Serena finally agreed to go if we "booked it" to make good time.

Once the hiking was underway and we began our winding travel along the river, I could see that this was going to be a walk to remember. The mountains were breath taking, the river was beautiful, and the company was... so-so. J/k. I can't tell you how many times our hiking poles saved us from falling; although, Serena fell enough to warrant two sticks. I became so attached to mine I decided to buy it once the hike was over and name it Bessie. (No, I don't know why.)

As we started moving along, Serena was intensely aware of the time table. If we could reach the 'no safe ground' before any chances of a flash flood then we wouldn't have to overnight. We all knew this, but Serena was determined like no other, leaving us to try and keep up!

Against all odds, be it stormy weather, wildlife, log dams, or misleading trails, we were going to finish the hike in time for the shuttle!!! Eighteen miles in twelve hours! Woo Woo!!!

(A special thanks to: Heather, for being as sore as I was; Trisha, for providing all the snacks and sandwiches; Julius, for the pictures and for driving; and Oliver, for keeping our egos in check.)

Biking Around

Serena thought we should start training for the Narrows and opt for an afternoon bike ride. I agreed and so we suited up in our workout clothes, helmets, and gloves. I wanted a bit more of a challenge and went for the mountain bike while Serena was smart enough to choose the road bike (a lot less weight /friction). In all honesty, I wanted an excuse for when Serena beat me. By the time we got to the top of our destination, I was close to passing out but somehow made it home. Here are a few pictures...

(another scary view of my white legs)

(Who's in first?!)

Mario Kart Madness

Here are the results to our AWESOME Mario Kart Party! (Take a close look @ the botton right corner)

We had a great time at the Mario Kart Wii Party hosted by Ace and Daisey, which started by racing in groups of three or four to decide the final racing order. I came in 7th , Serena in 2nd and , Oliver in first. Although, I do believe there were a few glitchy remotes which made for interesting races. As compared to the last get-together, everyone was allowed to use the nunchuk if they wanted. Ironically, this did not result in a win for Serena who prides herself on using the added controller. Oliver and Brian were in the finals with Oliver coming in first. The committee discussed the race and found there was no 'blue shell' violation (Sorry Brian) . Congradulations Oliver on a flawless performance!

So You Think You Can Dance

Our favorite summer show for the past three years has been So You Think You Can Dance. It usually takes a few weeks to decide who a favorite couple is as we're pretty hard critics. (If I don't get goose bumps, forget it!) The last two years has been difficult to enjoy hip hop but the new choreographers Mandy Moore and couple Napoleon and Tabitha D’Umo have changed all that.

Who is your favorite couple / choreographer / dance?

Here's my favorite dance (Choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha)


Serena's fav.


I still believe that Serena's only hope at dancing is marrying Benji.

This just looks like everyone had fun!

Here are Lydia's nice WHITE legs!

A Beautiful Day!

Here was the start of our AMAZING Charleston Peak hike!!! Only 17.3 miles to go.

Um... and here is where Amanda, Lydia and I decided to head back after 3 miles of nothing but incline hiking. I think we really enjoyed the nice 6 mile hike while the rest of the group went on to hike an impressive 17.3 miles. Overall, I think everyone had a GREAT day!