Life in Photos

Italy

The morning I left.

My first meal in Florence. Some kind of salted pork. Unreal.

The view from my hotel in Florence. The Duomo is on the left.

Florence.

Florence.

Bikes. I liked the bikes. Florence.

Another bike. Florence.

A couple in line to see the David. I just liked the way she rested her head on his leg.

Florence behind me. 

The Swiss guy who asked me if I was paparazzi.

Ready to bike the first morning.

Outside Florence, bike and pack in tow.

Our first bike stop in Arezzo. A city almost taller than it was wide.

On our way out of Tuscany.

First stop for lunch. Past peak sunflowers in the background.

Our first lunch. Meats, cheese, salads, bread. Incredible.

Tuscany.

Almost finished with our first 65K. Lake Tarismeno.

View from my hotel. Lake Tarismeno.

Sandra and Gayle, already sweating.

A couple of big hills to get up from Lake Tarismeno.

Vineyard. Who knew.

Perugia.

Our hotel in Perugia.

Perugia.

Leaving Perugia. Day 3 of cycling (see my fingers?).

More vineyards. More surprise.

Old woman walking down the steps in Assisi.

Outside the church of St. Francis.

St. Francis' church and a purty sunset.

Assisi.

Assisi.

Assisi. The sky that night was something else.

Truffle pasta. 

Day 4 of cycling.

Going through the olive orchards. Kathy up ahead.

Stewart, who was sick, taking advantage of random couches.

A fig! A fig!

Ado finding me figs.

Felix climbing to get the figs.

Spello. A really quiet place, hardly any tourists.

Umbria. Lunch spot, the road behind us. 

Kathy and me at lunch. The wind was awful.

Enough said.

Roman aqueduct in Spoleto. Some of the leaves changing colors.

Sleepy eyes at the aqueduct. I had gone up early in the morning before we started riding.

More aqueduct (I just liked it).

Kathy and I after doing an 18% grade climb. 

After descending, we waited for some of the slow pokes.

Fancy hair for dinner that night. When I came down, Stewart said that he looked forward to every evening because I looked like a different person each night. He said he'd never seen a girl with so many "looks." It made my whole night.

Dinner.

Last day riding!

Road out of Narni (where CS Lewis got the name for Narnia). We went up all of those hills.

On the road to Narni.

Oh more Narni.

First sign telling us we were close to Rome. And then it rained on us.

Judith with a bow hooked to her helmet. Ado with more figs.

Pizza.

Outside of the Colosseum. 

Where's Waldo?

Arch of Constantine. I liked the arches for some reason.

Statue of Marcus Aurelius ("your faults as a son are my failings as a father").

The Roman Forum.

More Roman Forum.

The Pantheon. And a little peak at my tan lines (which a waiter pointed out to me two days later. He pointed at me as I walked by and said, "What happened?")

The Spanish steps. The umbrellas!

The view from the top of the steps.

Famous Trevi fountain.

A night walk across the Vittorio Emmanuel bridge. Good moment.

Vittorio Emmanuel monument.

The Colosseum ("Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next").

Inside it.

Walking around the Piazza Navona. 

Hole in the Pantheon ceiling.

View over to the Vatican.

View from the top of the Vatican. 520 steps.

And that's it, folks!

Lately

Riding my bike out in the Plain City cornfields. Sept 2012.

The sunset behind my house. Sept 2012.

 

Summer Riding

August 2012.

  Heidi and I on her maiden voyage of the Morgan Loop on a warm, pre-Fall Saturday.

 

It's My Birthday!

  My cute friends for my birthday threw me a house-warming party for my new abode. Measuring cups, silverware holder, spatulas...all the things I never would think about! I felt loved.

 

Summer Baseball Game

Bee's Field. July 2012.

Me watching the game.

My beautiful Heidi, smiiling.

Courtney, always a breath of fresh air.

 With the soccer game just a few days before, and this baseball game on its heels, I feel like I am doing my part in supporting American athletics (a surprise to some, I am sure). Nothing feels like summer more than grass, slushies, friends laughing, and running into people you haven't seen for a while. It stays light; it stays fun.

4th of July

Festive Real soccer game. July 2012.

What better way to celebrate the 4th of July than with fireworks on an athletic field. There were moments when the sky lit up in all gold (my personal favorite) and I felt like a thousand fireflies were descending on my face. In five minutes of fireworks, it is easy to believe that your life is simple and perfect.

Biking with my Pops

Papa Bear pre-bike ride. June 2012.

Have you ever seen a 74-year-old man look this good in spandex? We were off yesterday to ride, for what may be the last time for a while, the Morgan Loop. Beautiful morning.   

Shopping with the Sisters

Morgan and Amie at City Creek. June 2012.

My sisters are an interesting part of my life. We couldn't be more different nor could our relationships with each other. But having a sister is like having a best friend you can't really get rid of. And as it turns out, those really are the best kind.   

Traveling for Work

Vancouver, British Columbia. March 2012.

I went to Vancouver, British Columbia for work in March. It is, to date, one of the most fantastic cities I have been to. I saw the city from top to bottom (literally, as my meetings were on the 25th floor of our hotel, and I was able to see that many buildings in the city have trees on top of them). One morning, before my day started, I woke up early and rented a BMW mountain bike from the concierge. I set out on the path that lines the harbor. In this picture, I was on the cusp of being "out of town" to Stanley Park, where I circled around the entire tip of the island. It was cold (see beanie under helmet), but fresh and new and an all-time favorite memory. The local man taking the picture filled my ear with lots of stories and also reminded me to look happy, because I "was somewhere beautiful."