Today's Mindfulness Activity

I am tired. I have been getting up around 5 and getting to the gym by 6:15. Then I work, go to class, come home and either think about studying or I actually do study. By 8pm I am ready to bond with my bed but never seem to enjoy the bonding till about 10pm.

So, I am sitting in my office feeling tired. I decide I need to do a mindful activity and just slow down the pace of things for a minute. What better way to do that then by enjoying a fresh Lebekuchen that my parents recently brought back from Germany.

So, here I sit with my eyes closed and enjoy the few seconds it takes me to eat my Lebekuchen wishing that I could spend my time strolling along enjoying the booths at a Weihnachtsmarkt.

Okay...back to work!

3 Men and a Hat

When we went on a family hike up to Cecret Lake, Heidi had a little hat for Gavin. Matt and Adam decided that they also look good in Gavin's hat and that I needed to document it for posterity.

A New Tradition: Biking Hidden Peak

Owen and I decided we would try biking to the top of Hidden Peak this year. We spent the summer training and decided to conquer the mountain on Monday. The first 1 mile or so wasn't to bad. We rode on the rode towards Alta and then accessed the service rode that led to the trail.

We were riding along and I was thinking that I could do this and then we hit our first hard hill. Holy Moly, it was tough. I thought we are not going to make it to the top.

We decided that to brake this daunting task into chunks. We would ride up a hill and then rest, then ride and rest. There were a couple of spots that were either too steep and you felt like you were going to fall of the bike or that were to rock or sandy.

Owen pushing through the pain to get to the top of this hill

I love this picture of Owen because you can tell he is working hard and you can see what he has already conquered.

When I was looking up at this hill I was not sure if I could make it to the top, but some how I did.

This summer I spent a lot of time working out on the spinning machine at the gym. There is a video workout with a spinning "master" named Josh. The video does help me to push myself during a workout and throughout the ride I could hear things that Josh says.

For example, "The mind needs to be tough so the body can follow." Or, "The hills getting steeper, can you come with me? Add some resistance." To which I always answer "Yes" and add the resistance. "Like my coach always says the race doesn't end at the finish line." Or my personal favorites, "YOU...ARE...AWESOME! and Let yourself out of the cage." It is cheesy but when you are riding up a hill like this, it keeps your mind on something other than the current lactic acid build up in your thighs.

Well, by the time Owen and I got to the top we were more worried about staying warm and resting that we forgot to get pictures of us coming up onto Hidden Peak so this picture is a reenactment.

It took Owen and I 3 hours to get to the top. We started at 8000ft and rode a little over 5 miles to end at 11,000ft. I am really proud of us both. When we finished I thought I don't think I will do that again, but now that I know I can do it I just might try again next year.