marshmallow world times two

Iowa turned white this week. It's been beautiful and frustrating at the same time. Why Beautiful:
1. I love fresh snow
2. I love cancelled school
3. I love hot chocolate

Why Frustrating:
1. Car
2. Running
3. Utility Bill



It's hard to have hops in the snow... so don't judge.

Don't worry, this is NOT one of our bikes. Ours are safe and sound.

We had this guy named Lorenzo come and stay with us while he was interviewing for a residency at the hospital. He drove down early from Ann Arbor, MI to avoid the blizzard. We helped him clean off his car so he could get to his interview. Good thing he had four wheel drive or he might still be here!

9-0

What a year to be a Hawkeye fan, eh? Dave and I witnessed our first Hawkeye victory at Kinnick stadium on Halloween. Iowa has never in their history been 9-0 and are probable Big 10 champions. It was a nice, sunny, but windy day in Iowa City and we weaved our way through lots of excited and very tipsy fans to get to our seats. Despite 6 turnovers (including 4 interceptions in the third quarter!!) the Hawkeyes stole a win from the shell-shocked Hoosiers of Indiana, thanks to 28 fourth-quarter points. Needless to say, it was a very exciting game.

Pumpkins and more running

We carved some sweet pumpkins last weekend. We got really gooey and sticky and slimy and all that good stuff that comes with the pumpkin-carving territory. I love carving pumpkins, and I think Dave just does it to humor me....

I thought Dave's looked a lot like Jack from the Nightmare Before Christmas, except not as evil looking.


On Saturday, we participated in the "Muddy Monster" Cross Country race in Cedar Rapids. And it definately lived up to it's name. The course was super muddy after two days of rain, making us feel extra hard core. That's true cross country! Lots of people were dressed up in Halloween costumes and the volunteers scattered around the course were instructed to "scare" us as we ran by. It was actually really annoying.
Luckily for the rest of us, this guy didn't get scared enough.



It was a beee-yooo-tee-ful day!

We won neon green bags. Cool, huh?

Dave post-race. He was so awesome! It's no wonder he was tired. See results here

Results

I found the results from the race. Click here:
http://theracershub.com/results_view.php?id=718&result_type=db

run, run, run

Dave and I ran a fun 5k last weekend. We hadn't run one together in almost a year. The course wound it's way around the University of Iowa campus. The weather was nice, we got sweet orange t-shirts, and there were free cookies post-race, so hey, we were happy. We also both placed high enough to win prizes! Wahoo!

A very foolish thing

So a couple mornings ago Dave and I were heading out the door on our bikes for school and Dave specifically asked me, "Would you like a rubber band for your pants?" Being my stubborn self, I declined his offer, declaring I would be fine, and continued on my way. Behold the result of my foolishness. You can laugh, it's okay. I did.



Luckily, my pants didn't get caught in the chain and send me flying. Next time Dave offers, I'll take!


The culprit

And here come the pictures....

Here are a couple pictures from the first day of October. The rain hasn't let up much since! It is raining again today... and I'm still loving it. :)



The view from our lovely front window....

A very wet day

Hello family. October arrived in Iowa City with a splash! These Iowans get really serious about their rain. No messing around. When it rains, it RAINS. It stormed all day today and it was absolutely marvelous. I can hear the rain hitting the roof of our little cottage right now, running down the gutters and making puddles everywhere. I went running right in the middle and got soaked. It was beautiful though. The leaves have really started to change and the rain seems to make the colors even more vibrant. I took some pictures, but have had trouble uploading them to the blog (I'm actually pretty frustrated... grrrrr!) For now, you'll just have to imagine it. :)

the colors of fall

Fall colors are returning to Provo.
Aren't they beautiful!

photos taken during a recent trip to Stewart Falls

Sunset on the Iowa

Hello darling family! I got out of class a little early last week, so I was just in time to snap some pictures of the sun setting over the beautiful Iowa River. Iowa sunsets are superb and they happen pretty much every night. I wish I had Brita's photography skills so I could capture it more eloquently. Despite my longing for mountains, I have found that every place you live has it's pros and cons, and this is definately a pro.

Football and Kittens

Our new kitten. We don't know her name yet, but she MEOWS a lot! Lenny, our yellow manx cat disappeared over a month ago. So, we acquired this one. She's pretty cute and playful. Any name suggestions would be helpful.

In the meantime, James has been playing football and really likes it. He wishes like could translate into win. We are just glad he is injury free so far. We hope to keep it that way and have pleaded with any spare guardian angels to take up his case. He is a busy man, going to seminary at 6:15 and sometimes not coming home from practice until 7:30; on Scout nights it's 8:30. He is enjoying high school though.

The Subway

Here is a sampling of pictures from the latest Bill and Lisa adventure. There's nothing like discovering new places with the one you love. Featured is the Subway, a slot canyon in Zion National Park. We were lucky enough to get the last 2 permits of the day. It was a warm day so the water felt really nice. We enjoyed a cool shower at the end of our journey. We interrupted the lives of several reptiles, fish, and amphibians. We also ran into some dinosaur tracks.

Little Beauties

Hey there! Ever since Brita showed me how to use my camera, I have been going crazy with the flowers around here. There are so beautiful.
Mostly I think of Mom when I take flower pictures. Maybe you'll recognize a couple of these.





Today has been overcast and drizzly all day. I'm loving it! And I think the flowers are too. I never want summer to end.