A Washington Thanksgiving and a Vancouver Dolphin

Winter vacation has been fabulous.  I can't tell you how much I am enjoying the relaxed pace without the stress of work, school, or extracurriculars.  On a normal day, Brooklyn leaves the house at 6:45, we walk Eli to the bus at 7:00, Talia leaves at 7:50 to help out at the library, and I drop Annika off on my way to work at 8:25.  In contrast, for the past two days I've let the kids sleep until 10:00.  What can I say?  They needed to catch up.

This photo of our sleepy Eli was actually taken during Thanksgiving vacation.  The long drive to Washington must have really worn him out since he was too tired to make it into bed.

Come Thanksgiving morning, we were re-energized and ready to go.  Our first order of business was a fun family turkey trot at Point Ruston.

We were a bit underdressed, so Aunt Callie helped us accessorize.  Looking foxy, Brooklyn.

Zoe seemed less thrilled with her ensemble.

Here are Eila and I coming down the chute for our grand finish.

This sweetie seemed to thoroughly enjoy her running debut.

Back at home, it was time to start making some table decorations.

Eila and Anders enjoying some yummy appetizers while the turkey cooks.

This turkey's sizzling.

All gathered for our fancy feast.  With much to be grateful for, family is at the very top of my list.

The next morning, we gathered together once again to crack open the Thanksgiving pinata that Annika assisted we make/bring.  She wanted an octopus, but I think it turned out more like a squid.  Here's Anders giving our creation a whack.

Annika gives it a whirl, as seen from up above.

Eila's next.  Note how Callie has wisely nominated herself wall protector.

That's a dangerous job, especially when Eli up to bat.

In the end, it was Brooklyn who defeated our very own Kraken.

Bounty for all.

Some might think that the drive from Salt Lake City to Seattle is long enough, but we decided to tack on a few more miles.  Any guesses where we went? 

(Tim Hortons gave it away, eh.)

Vancouver, Canada!  Here we are making our way onto Granville Island.

It may have been a bit drizzly, but with Washingtonians in our midst, we still had plenty of fun.

Inside the market, Annika was completely fascinated by the fish.

In the end, tourtiere (French Canadian meat pie) seemed a better purchase.

The cranberry chutney they served it with was delicious!

Last but not least, some family photos taken in front of the Vancouver skyline.

Callie and her little Eila goofball.

The Wilhoit men (Adam and Anders) join the photo fun.

Love this family!

Sisters forever.

Adding in the next generation of big and little sis.

Brooklyn looks happy in toddler land.

Talia Lily in the rose light.

It was pitch black by the time we made it to our airbnb in Burnaby, so this is what we saw when morning arrived.  While it may not have been perfect, it had plenty of beds to accommodate our crew.


We didn't hang out long, however,  We had places to go and something very special to see.

After months and months of daily begging to see a "real life dolphin," Annika found out that her dreams were coming true.

Meet Helen, Vancouver aquarium's white-sided dolphin.  You can see here that she lost her pectoral fins after they got caught in a fishing net.

A great look at her blowhole.  (Photo credit goes to Talia.)

Eagerly waiting for the dolphin training to begin.

At last, here she is!  Note Papa Kay applauding in the corner.

Pectoral fins or no, Helen sure has hops!

Amazing!  Annika has great taste in her obsessions.  (By the way, since our visit to the Vancouver Aquarium, Annika prays for Helen by name at every meal.)

While Helen may be their biggest attraction, the Vancouver Aquarium has lots of other fun animals as well.  I could watch these sea otters frolic all day long.

Hard to believe this walrus is only a toddler!

Inside, I was less thrilled to see the electric eel.

However, I did find it pretty cool that this Christmas tree is powered by the eel's electrical current.

 

Jellyfish are so hypnotizing.

Annika was particularly intrigued by these garden eels that burrow into the sand.

And remember: a little kelp goes a long way.

After watching the sea lions, otters, walruses, and dolphin dine on fish, we were ready for some vittles of our own.  This Australian Bakery was the perfect solution.  No fish to be found, but had anyone ordered the Hopper, we could have eaten kangaroo.

I ordered my steak and mushroom pie "peaked" with mashed potatoed, smashed peas, and gravy.

Oh my goodness, it was so tasty!

A meal to delight diners of all ages.


That evening, Papa Kay took the older crew out to the Heritage Christmas display at the Burnaby Village Museum.

If we'd known how much fun it would be, we probably would have dragged the rest of the crew with us.

Check out Papa Kay riding the vintage 1912 carousel!  Definitely an evening to remember.

On Sunday morning we headed to sacrament meeting in Vancouver.  Don't Annika and Eila look sweet in their matching Christmas dresses?

After church we took one final excursion to Burnaby Mountain Park, a scenic spot that Jason discovered while out for a run.

Thanks for the memorable weekend in Vancouver, NomiAnn and Papa Kay.  It was delightful.

And now Anders, I'm afraid it's time to settle into the carseat.  You can count on a long wait at customs.

Back to Edgewood, Washington at last.  Tired, but happy.

Adam and Callie, thanks for always making us feel so welcome.  An especially big thanks for sharing your little ones with us as well.

We promise to bring our crazy back soon.

Dead Horse 30K

Oh jeepers.  This running post is going to make me feel guilty because I haven't been doing any running lately (our Christmas Wheeler Wobble excluded.)  Granted, it's currently seventeen degrees outside, but I turned off my alarm and didn't even go the gym this morning.  We are planning on night skiing this evening.  Hopefully that counts for something?

Back to the subject at hand, all the way back in May I registered for the Dead Horse 50K in Moab, Utah, out near Gemini bridges.  I was turning 40 and wanted a challenging, meaningful goal.  An ultra-marathon (31 miles) with 3000 feet of elevation gain promised to both deliver and whip me into shape in the process.

Well, August arrived with the unexpected twist of me accepting a new job.  It quickly became evident that I'd never find time to squeeze in four and five hour-long training runs.  So, I downgraded to the 30K distance (18.6 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain.)  Still plenty challenging while allowing me to stay more balanced in life.

The best part?  Training got me to explore the trails right around our home.  These runs may be tough, but they are oh so beautiful!

Just looking at these pictures is enough to make me want to strap on my running shoes right now.  But then I remember the ice...and the snow...and the cold.

After a fall full of glorious runs, race day finally arrived.  The Dead Horse 30K may be one of the best race starts I've ever experienced.  Friday night we stayed at Moab's Springhill Suites, enjoying the outdoor hot tubs and heated pool until ten.  After a great night's sleep, I got up at six, hit the treadmill for a few minutes (that was dumb), ate a light breakfast, and had Jason drive me ten minutes up the road to the trailhead.  No 4 am alarms, no loading school buses in the pitch black--it was delightful.

Race start.  Kind of nervous, but super excited.  Nearly everyone around me had hydration packs, but all I was carrying was my cell phone and an inhaler.  I sure hoped I wasn't underestimating the day ahead!

I had only two goals for the race--to enjoy the experience, and to not run so hard that I was miserable for the rest of our time in Moab.  Given those parameters, I felt plenty comfortable pausing every now and again to take a few pictures.

Plus, given some of the climbs, I was grateful for the excuse to stop and walk.

My favorite part of the race was the single track marked by a yellow dashes.  I felt like such an explorer winding my way through all the twists and turns to territory unknown.

I needn't have worried about not having my own hydration pack.  The aid stations were fantastic.  Forget about gu and gels (although they were available.) Here you could load up on real food--peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, m&ms, fruit, salted potatoes, even bacon and quesadillas fresh off the grill.

At one point, I passed a sign that said, "Not worried about your time?  Take this short spur to see Gemini Bridges."  So I did.

More glorious desert.

The trail formed what you might consider a lollipop shape.  We ran up the stick, in a big loop around the candy, and then back down the same stick to the start.  I felt delightfully strong all the way until I got back to the stick.  Then knowing the challenging trail that lay ahead of me, the road suddenly seemed very, very long.  Still, I persevered.  Every once in a while I would get passed by a 50K runner and envy their superhuman stamina.

Jason joined me for the final half mile, and thank goodness.  I was completely out of gas!  Here I am running the final 100 meters with the kids, still wondering if I would actually make it.

At last, the finish.  Nothing terribly speedy.  If my math is correct, 3:27 equates to just over an eleven minute mile.

Still every reason to feel proud.  Finishing is always an accomplishment, plus within half an hour I felt strong enough to eat a Mad Moose enchilada.

As for the kids, they didn't mind waiting around for me.

Best of all, I had enough energy left over to go hiking that afternoon.


Oh autumn, I miss you!

Winding its way along a creek, this trail was super fun because you got to pick your way across the water...

...twenty times!  (Ten each direction.)  When you're a kid, there's nothing more fun than hopping from stone to stone.  As an adult, I really like it too.

The kids also enjoyed finding some rock "hotels" like the ones they used to frequent in St. George.


Such goofballs!

Nearly there.  I had to roll my eyes as the kids kept complaining about how they were tired.


In the end though, everyone thought Morning Glory Bridge was well worth the journey.

Who knows?  Next time we come, we might bring our ropes for a good rappel as well.

One final plug for the Dead Horse Ultra.  The race was beautiful, fun, and well-organized. Really, it's hard to beat the Moab desert trails.  For me, the 30K distance was perfect: challenging, but not (extremely) punishing.  Anyone want to join me for 2019?  :)

Talia's Twelve

Happy New Year!  Merry Christmas!  Much has happened in the Wheeler household since last I blogged, so let me rewind all the way to mid-November when our Talia Lily turned twelve.  We love this gal so much that time ought to hold still just so we can celebrate.  Unsurprisingly, life keeps spinning anyway.  Knowing the day would be busy, we dined on monkey bread for breakfast to make it special.

Despite an evening filled with Girl Scouts and Brooklyn's school musical (The Adams Family), we squeezed in a few moments for gifts.  Talia seemed pretty excited about her new ukulele.

She was equally excited about her Kindle.


Spark joined us for the celebration since November 15th is his year-mark with our family as well.  I love how Annika is intently petting her stuffed guinea pig while Jason holds the real deal.

We held off on birthday pie until Justin, Brianna, and Ruby could join us.  Here we are counting candles.

Ablaze with joy.

Perhaps the best part of Talia's birthday was keeping her home from school the very next morning so that she could go to the Salt Lake Temple.  It was such a special experience for Jason and I to accompany her to the baptistry where she got to perform proxy baptisms and confirmations for deceased ancestors on the other side of the veil.  As almost no one else was in the baptistry on this weekday morning, it was a beautifully personal experience.  Little did we know that this twelfth birthday pilgrimage would be one of the last.  Just a few weeks later, the Church announced a change in policy.  Beginning in 2019, youth will be able to do temple baptisms starting in January of the year they turn twelve, meaning that Eli will attend when he is eleven and a few months.

Following our temple trip, we headed over to Kneaders for some tasty french toast.

Next up, a quick stroll around City Creek.  I dunno, she doesn't look very Wicked to me.

Somehow our beautiful Talia grew up before I was ready.  A couple Sundays ago, she gave a remarkably insightful talk in sacrament meeting, explaining her experience reading the Book of Mormon and how it had impacted her life.  Listening to her speak, I was both inspired and a little regretful that this spunky little gal who used to sneak out of the house to steal popsicles from Brittney had matured so quickly. 

Talia, you are creative, intelligent, motivated, and most-importantly, kind. We love the passion with which you seize life, giving your best to everything you do, whether it's learning a new song on the piano, delving into a book, or crocheting a new project. 

As the Primary song leader, I may be sad to see you graduate to Young Women's, but as your mother, I am so grateful to know that you will always be part of our family.  Happy Birthday!