House of Cards

Today is the perfect day for this song.

Mt. Kilimanjaro

{all photos via flickr}

Well, since Grant and I don't have any big vacations or travel plans in the near future (besides Utah in June woooo!) for now I have to settle with just planning our dream trips.

While I was studying at BYU I had several classes from Dr. Durrant. Although his tests are killer, he is so awesome and is passionate about what he teaches. Two of the classes I took from him were Global Adventure Travel, and Studies of Sub-Saharan Africa. They were two of the best classes I had at BYU. Dr. Durrant was a great teacher because he has spent an extensive amount of time living in Africa and studying the people of both Tanzania and Chad. He was the one who first sparked my interest in climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak you can climb that doesn't require any technical climbing experience, which is good because I don't have any! :) Dr. Durrant once told me that you'll never forget the first time you see Kilimanjaro. At 19,341 ft. it is one of the tallest free-standing mountains in the world. It takes between 5 and 8 days to reach the Uhuru summit depending on how much time you want to take to acclimatize.

It's a unique climb because although you at the base of the mountain where you begin your trek it is a jungle, the top of the mountain is covered in glaciers and snow. You experience such a variety of climates!

So, who wants to come???

Menorca

While Grant and I were dating we always used to talk about all the places we travel to together. While we already realized our Brazilian dream, we still have some other places we want to see (like the whole world!!!). Grant's brother Mark served his mission in Spain and for part of the time he served on the small island of Menorca. We all decided that once Mark got married the four of us (Me, Grant, Mark and his lucky lady) would all go on a trip there.
Well, Mark, I'm still waiting!! I'm kidding. But I do hope that the day is coming soon! Until then I'll just have to keep looking up pictures of Menorca and daydreaming of the day when I can roam these quaint street and swim in the perfectly clear water.. sigh.

I did it!

Last Saturday I did something I've been wanting to do for a long time: I ran a half marathon! My dear sister-in-law Carin ran it with me up in Olathe, KS.
My goal was to run it in under two hours, and I made it! My time was 1 hour and 58 minutes (including TWO bathroom stops! whoops!)
We had such a great time running and Grant and Barry brought the kids to see us at mile 9 and then again at the finish line. I felt so good when we finished!! As we ran through the finish line the announcer said, "and here come Carin and Maren! Hey, you guys must be friends" and then we hugged. It was sweet.

Anyway, it was great experience, and I'm definitely open to the idea of one day running a full one!
Carin and I have such a good time together. I just wished they lived closer!!