Cruising on By

2011 is already cruising by at a breakneck speed!  Here are just a couple of photos from our Caribbean cruise we took Jan 2-7th.  It was a last minute vacation deal Matt & Erianne found (as in we only had a couple weeks notice).  How's that for bargain-hunting spontaneousness?  Had a great time!  Re-charged our batteries & got us ready for a fun year ahead of us.  For ALL the pics, go to our Facebook album. Here's a taste, though.

Just not feeling long-winded today, so hopefully the photos will give you enough of a play-by-play :)

Happy New Year From the W8s!

Surprise! Let’s call this a New Year’s letter and practice non-judgment, ok? Haha!  Looking at our 2010 in hindsight is comically full of upheaval but filled with good times and lots of memories.  Now that we’ve completely obliterated the “W” section of your address book, the biggest news of 2010 was of course our move. 

Although we both loved Madison, Wisconsin and our friends and family nearby, us gypsies felt a bit stale being there for 4 years, and so Sarah began looking for positions still with Northwestern Mutual anywhere in the country.  In March we were lucky enough to receive 3 job offers and we chose the one in Denver just for the adventure of it.  And off we went!  Sarah moved out April 13^th and stayed with some friends in the suburbs for a month.  Doug continued to work in Madison until something panned out here in CO for him.  Doug & his brother Matt drove the moving truck out May 15^th & moved us into our new downtown apartment, then Doug flew back to WI.  Sarah & Frank were watching a movie one Saturday night in late June, 3 days before Doug was supposed to arrive, when there was banging on the interior apartment door.  A barking pup & a scrambling-to-get-decent Sarah ran to the door, and it was Doug!  He had driven cross country secretly and in all our phone conversations that day hadn’t let on that he was on the road.  Our family was together again!

Sarah works as an Associate Financial Representative for a team of two financial representatives in downtown Denver, one being a Wealth Management Advisor & the other being a Business & Estate Planning Specialist.  She loves working with the two other associates on the team and is pushed to grow by the constant challenge to squeeze 15 hours of work a day into a 8-9 hour day.  Sarah specializes in the underwriting/case prep side of things, while one colleague handles the investment/advisory side of things, and another handles the marketing / planning side of things.  Doug works for the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank as an Ocular Tissue Recovery Technician and speaks with the next of kin, recovers corneas from recently deceased donors for use in cornea transplant surgeries, and recovers whole globes for use in ophthalmology research.  He enjoys the constant change of scenery in flirting with the nurses at all of Denver’s hospitals.   They do all his medical chart copying and most of his paper work for him in exchange for chocolate-covered pretzels and a handsome smile.  100% Dougyness.

Frank….well, Frank the dog doesn’t do much, who are we kidding.  But he does a fantastic job of loving us and filling our lives with laughter.

This year we’ve kept active and accomplished some more milestones.  Doug’s at his healthiest ever and is a beast of a cyclist in the summer.  Sarah began the year running a lot but mid-year replaced that for the most part with yoga.  We did a P90X fitness program January through March with a big group of friends & family members.  Sarah ran a 50k race in January at a state park in Wisconsin and a Sprint Triathlon in June at a reservoir in Boulder, Colorado.  Doug rode the Trek 100 Century bike ride again with his dad in Wisconsin in June.  Together we rode the Tour de St. George Century bike ride with friends & family in Utah in October- Sarah’s first Century ride- Doug was a patient and amazing coach the whole way.

Sarah did a 200-hour yoga teacher training program this summer and has had a busy autumn building up and teaching yoga around Denver on the weekends.  She is now up to teaching 5 regularly scheduled yoga classes a weekend and subbing as needed.  It has been such an amazing journey.  Every class leaves her happier than the last, more fulfilled and excited about life.  If you’re ever in Denver, you’ll have to come see the smiley, redheaded, hot yogini!   

We made fast friends with some other new couples in our very “eclectic” J Capitol Hill ward in church here, as well as just people we’ve met along the way in our daily endeavors.  Together we love checking out new restaurants and new fun Denver-must-do’s.  On Memorial Day, Sarah swam and had a cookout with friends in Castle Rock.  We had a cookout with friends at our place for the 4^th of July, and celebrated our 7^th wedding anniversary in August.  Living 30 minutes away from the mountains has been so wonderful; we’ve stolen away on quite a few day hikes and attempted our first 14-er.  Labor Day weekend we spent camping at the Flat Tops with a friend’s family, hiking & mountain biking.  We enjoyed a weekend in Breckenridge in October.  This summer we sold the Porsche & this fall we traded in the Land Rover for a new 2011 Subaru; officially Coloradans now.  Being a one-car family for the first time in our marriage hasn’t been too bad as Sarah enjoys the 1 mile bike ride to work (and fingers-crossed, the city winter’s been really mild so far).  Sarah’s grandfather passed away and despite the sadness, we enjoyed gathering with almost all of Sarah’s immediate & extended family in Kansas the first weekend in November- the silver lining of life’s hard moments.  For Doug’s birthday in November we did away with the white gold and got wedding ring tattoos, black Hebrew lettering of our wedding date.   With how active we both are (and considering Doug was on his 5^th wedding ring), Doug had wanted this for a long time and we absolutely love them.  Although we’ve had 2 full years now of infertility frustrations, we have been very healthy and extremely blessed, not waiting passively by for life to just happen to us, but instead creating our own adventures and happiness.   We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas this year just lying low and maximizing time together.   We are very excited for a January 2^nd-7^th cruise with Doug’s family.  We’re overdue for some sandy beaches & time with the W8s!

All in all, 2010 found us pretty blessed and happy, uncovering life’s adventures in a new place and growing together!  We would love for any of you to come visit us!  Please make Denver a stop on your 2011 Summer Tour. 

With Lots of Love & Continued Desecration of your “W” Section,

Doug & Sarah Weight

P.S. Keep an eye out in early 2011 for the launch of Prana Fitness (Sarah’s new non-profit) and the location of the new fitness blog (formerly the Ten in Six Challenge): www.pranafitness.org.   Jump on the 2^nd annual W8 Family & Friends P90X journey January 10^th-March 13^th 2011 at the support blog: www.w8p90x.blogspot.com (it’s private, so email us & we’ll grant you access). 

Easter

We spent Easter weekend at Doug's parents' in Batavia, IL.  Matt, Erianne, & Aleah where there, too, so it was extra fun.  Loads of shopping, including the routine Kohl's clearance rack scouring, and the routine outlet mall browsing.  The kids all got pedicures.  Saturday morning breakfast at Lume's.  And an Easter egg hunt, done diva style.  You know you want those shades!

Weekend w/ the Weights

Aren't these boys cute? :)  This past weekend we went to Doug's parents' in IL for a visit because Doug's oldest brother Jeff (far left) & his wife Jannan & their daughter Avalon flew out from Cali.  So we came down from WI and Doug's middle brother Matt (far right) & his wife Erianne & their daughter Aleah flew out from OH.  First time in 13 months we've all been together at the same time! 

We had some headaches getting to IL and some headaches getting back, unfortunately.  Doug hadn't requested the weekend off being on-call, because the date changed for the weekend trip a million times.  We had headed out Friday evening, got partway down, then Doug got a call for a case back in Madison, so we turned around.  Then again Saturday mid-day we headed out, 3/4 of the way down, then Doug got a case back in Madison, so we turned around.  We finally made it to Doug's parents' at 4 am on Sunday morning, then were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for Church on Sunday morning 9 am in his parents' ward :)  It was neat for Gran and Grandad to have their whole brood there to show off.

We played double 15 dominoes, us girls all got in naps and reading, a good pup pup walk & sleigh pull, some outlet mall shopping (of course, jeesh we're predictable), and of course, we BROUGHT IT w/ P90X :)  We're all doing P90X (just finishing 3rd week now) together as a fam w/ a blog Matt's running that has in addition to all of us, a bunch of cousins w/ their wives, Erianne's sisters, & a few friends.  Pretty proud I've made it this far!   This picture is from Monday morning when the Weight Boys were "BRINGING IT" in the Weight Room in Doug's parents' basement :)  Did you know they were so popular in high school that they named a room after them?  0. Insert Eye Roll Here .0

The plan for Monday was we were going to all drive up to Madison in 3 cars and have lunch, play all afternoon, see where we live, etc.  But when we were a little bit further than halfway up in Rockton, IL, the engine in Doug's mom's Audi All Road blew (timing belt) and we spent some time hanging out on the side of I-90 waiting for the tow to get there, then we followed the tow truck all the way back down to the Audi dealership in Naperville.  By that time it was 6pm :( We all had Mom's birthday dinner at Red Lobster and then Doug and I left from there to head back to Madison alone :(

All in all, if anything could have gone wrong it did go wrong, but it was still a fun, quick little weekend trip.  I absolutely love my brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law!!!  We have such fun together :)

Thanksgiving Weekend

After traffic fun on Wednesday evening, we got to my family's pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner at my brother's house in IL for a good time of yummy food, movies, & games.  Thanks for sharing the statement-picture-statement game with us, Bethany!  It was so fun :)  Of course Boggle ensued.... 48 points for me in the first round! I had the word "PANTHER."  How awesome is that?! Needless to say, nobody wanted to play further after 3 rounds, but I was still wicked proud.  Gets lonely at the top of world, jk.  No pictures, unfortunately, but if anyone in my fam has any, please do share!

Later that night we drove on to Doug's parents' in IL, getting in around midnight & crawling upstairs to sleep.  But the next 3 days were awesome!  Doug's brother Matt & his wife Erianne & their daughter Aleah were there visiting from Ohio.  We played games and had a great time hanging out.  Thanksgiving morning the boys all went and played the annual Turkey Bowl w/ the Geneva Ward.  Some older guy from their ward asked Doug which son was he, and he replied "I'm the one with the hot wife."  Doug's dad had to tell that one over the Thanksgiving dinner table :) A few little boys may have also been accidentially bulldozed during the game.  It's quite serious, I guess!  Er & I went for a run together while the boys were playing & Gran was watching Aleah-Bear. 

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful as always, put on scrumptiously well by Doug's mom and with the traditional Baker's Square pies.  The day after Thanksgiving we did NOT go shopping.  We instead all went out to brunch at Lume's and drove up to Huntley to Lee's Trees to pick up this year's Christmas Tree.  As we were pulling out of the driveway that morning, Doug got a call for a case to go into work, so he drove back to Madison & missed out on that day completely, getting back to his parents' in IL at 4 am the next morning (case was in Wausau).  That afternoon I went rock climbing w/ Doug's dad, Matt, & Er at Vertical Endeavors inside Lifetime Fitness in Naperville.  Fake nails were a hinderance, but it was so much fun!  I am definitely going to do it again :) I'll have to see if there are rock climbing gyms here in Madison.  My arms were wasted for days.  Then the 4 of us went out to Noodles & Co in downtown Naperville, then headed home for relaxing. 

Saturday morning I went for a 20 mile run that was much needed, cleansing, relaxing, and rejuvenating.  It just feels so good during & after a run.  It's a beautiful thing.  Then me & Er went shopping at Kohl's and devoured their clearance racks for a good 2 1/2 hours while the boys all lifted weights downstairs at Doug's parents'.  Then we picked up the guys in the late afternoon and we all went to the Outlets which are about 2 minutes from where they live.  I had such a great time!  Lots of wonderful deals :) Didn't buy any pants yet- waiting for the last couple pounds to come off first then I'm rewarding myself w/ a new hot pair of jeans!  We got home & had yummy leftovers & yet more pie, then watched the end of the BYU-Utah game.  Go, Cougs! Sorry, Er :(

Sunday morning Matt, Er, & Aleah headed to the airport to fly home.  Doug and I headed to see his friend Joe, deliver a car to him (our neighbors' who sold it to Joe), and had a pug party.  Joe and his girlfriend Ashley have a pug named Dyson who's the same age as Frank but purebred.  I'll never complain about Frank's loud breathing and snorting again!  Dyson was louder than a real Dyson for sure!  So hilarious.  We made it back home finally Sunday afternoon, and then all the fun that ensues of course....LAUNDRY!  :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too!!!!

Oprah Show

I took my mom to an afternoon taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday.  It was fun downtown at Harpo Studios- but not quite was I was expecting- the hours of waiting around was a lot longer and the actual time she was on stage was a lot shorter maybe 15-20 minutes- it was all over so quick- but it was a good day spent with my mom- soooo exhausted still.

We got a goodie bag w/ free Cosabella pajamas, book, makeup set, Oscar Blandi root touch up highlight pen, and Oscar Blandi dry shampoo. No car keys- darn. Air date not determined yet, but sometime in the next month. The topic was Look Great at Any Age and it was on makeovers.  The guest was Rita Wilson, who I didn't know who it was til I googled her.  She's Tom Hanks' wife, producer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding & Mamma Mia, acted some, and now she's a style column writer for Harper's Bazaar fashion magazine.  For some reason I feel kind of "eh" about the whole experience.  I can't really put my finger on why.  It was definitely a very fun adventure, and my mom's excitement made it all worth it :)  I'm glad I could do it. 

Grandpa Weight

On Saturday the 17th, we drove down to Doug's parents' in IL to visit w/ Grandpa Weight, who was out visiting for the week from Utah.  So good to see him!  We got in a good walk w/ the 4 pups, grilled out some killer burgers, and watched some movies. 

Go Redwings!

Last night I drove down to watch my niece Britney's middle school volleyball game. She's got a great serve! I can't believe how old she's getting! She turns 13 this December and that makes me feel...well...not old...but just like too much time has passed too quickly and where the heck have I been the last 13 years and what has changed so drastically about me since these guys have changed so much?

Serving diva

In this pic she's all the way on the left

I also got to see my nephew Logan (Brit's little bro) for the last 15 mins of his football practice.  He's the cute little #3 in the red jersey. 

Logi's tight end- ha!

Sorry these pictures are junky- they were on my cell phone AND zoomed in

Tackling drill

Labor Day Weekend

Over Labor Day Weekend we drove out to Ohio to visit Doug's brother Matt, our sister-in-law Erianne, & our niece Aleah (a.k.a. Mattyanleah). It was such a nice visit, chance to veg, laugh, play, and workout all at the same time. I went running on the Slippery Elm trail on Saturday, we made taco salad Saturday night and pizza rolls Sunday night, I learned how to play poker (no talent whatsoever- I mean- why not go all in when you're playing w/ plastic chips?- yeah, no wonder I lost first), we went to an apple orchard that had a petting zoo and we picked apples and raspberries, and about a zillion and a half other things. I wish there was just more time in the weekend! I miss you guys! Wish we lived closer! The "pup pup" misses Aleah...
(More pics will come later when Mattyanleah emails them to me :) )



On our way back from Ohio on Monday night, we stopped at the Indiana Dunes, our old stomping grounds from my college days. We showed Frank our old beach, where we'd kick it a few times a week back in the day, the secluded dune we made out on top of, the massive dune we'd sprint up, and of course just ignore Chernoble in the background. Oh how we miss being by the dunes! They're the midwesterner's version of being a beach bum :) Now Valpo, Merrillville, & Gary? Not so much, Little MJ.

Happy Birthday

I turned 25 on August 8th. The night before we had the family birthday shin dig with my family. Celebrating birthdays were me, my brother Adam, my nephew Carter, and my niece Alaina. Aunt Jeri was visiting from Kansas, too! Jamie was visiting that weekend (Sheboygan halfie was the following day) and as she so astutely pointed out in response to me not feeling any older, "Well now you have you buy TWO boxes of birthday candles." Thanks, Jamie! We had a YUMMY dinner of Navajo tacos at my brother Adam's house in Rockton, IL. Doug bought me birthday presents that were things that HE wanted. Hmmmm...interesting ;) Let's hope he enjoys girly birthday gifts when November rolls around! jk

HHH

Horribly Hilly Hundreds- we went & watched Doug's brother, his dad, his uncle, and some family friends Bill, Stacee, Manny, & other people from their ward in IL complete it. Whew! Good work, guys! We all climbed the East Tower afterwards, even the little Frunkers!

Avalon

Since I can't be biased and just but pictures of our baby niece Aleah on here, here's a cute recent one of our baby niece Avalon that I just got from Doug's brother today. What a ham! Can't wait to see her in California in less than a month!
(& she's posed w/ Doug's mom, Gran Jane)

Dust Storm

My brother Mark who's in Iraq for his civilian but military-related job emailed me these pictures of a dust storm they had on June 17th. CRAZY!!!!

Updated Trek One Hundred Pics

More pics from the Trek 100 race Doug did on June 6th

Next race is the Horribly Hilly Hundreds this Saturday! Good luck, guys!

Century Ride

I am one proud wifey! Doug rode and completed his first Century bicycle ride this past Saturday, the Trek 100 ride in Waterloo, WI. He was a champ, rode 100 miles in drizzly rain. The support system of friends and family was unbelievable- still makes me misty-eyed to think about how awesome everyone was. He rode with his Dad, his brother Matt, his uncle Steven, family friends Stacee & John, his friend from our ward Grant, & uncle Steven's friend Ben. Dad, Matt, Stacee, & Grant stuck w/ Doug the whole time, encouraging him, cheering him on, supporting him. It was so phenomenal! Most everyone crossed the finish line together. Erianne, baby Aleah, & I supported & cheered as bike groupies at the last two aid stations and the finish line. There are so many pictures from so many cameras and it's going to take a week or two to collect them all, but here are some lousy ones from my cell phone to tide you over until I get all the high-quality ones from digital cameras. I am SOOOO PROUD OF YOU, DOUGLAS! MUAH!


Doug's Dad

Matt, Erianne, & Aleah

Grant & Stacee

Sweet Baby Aleah

Ben & Uncle Steven

Memorial Day Weekend

Have I mentioned how much I adore my sexy husband? Well, tons & tons... Family BBQ earlier in May at my Brother's in Madison

Family BBQ at my other brother's house in Rockton on Memorial Day


My brother & his wife Bethany- her birthday is the day after Memorial Day

And some randoms from that weekend- my first time swinging a golf club at a driving range- good thing there are protective walls or I would have totally smacked some people accidentally- I'm pretty horrible

Lots of fun times at the dog park now that the weather's gorgeous