Christmas Joy

Trying to walk the baby out.

No baby yet.  We are just waiting and waiting...and waiting.  He was supposed to grace us with his presence but has decided it is much more comfortable in his little bubble.  If he doesn't come by Sunday then we go in Monday morning to be induced.  :P  Pray he comes this week. 

Wise-woman and Shepherd for the family Nativity

We stayed in Seattle due to the possibility of baby being born.  I was a little sad since it was a Rietz Christmas and most of my family was gathering in L-town and we were stuck here in Seattle.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved staying here.  That is because we have some amazing friends and family here who took us into their homes and made this holiday season so special.  We loved it.  It was really neat to see the different traditions and feel the love.

My dear friend Bonnie came to visit me.

My family came up after Christmas for a few days and we explored Seattle.  It was Ryan's first time in Seattle and we packed it in. 

Walking downtown Seattle with the fam

We attract weirdos and we sure do love 'em.

the bump

I have never been good about getting my picture taken or instigating picture taking.  Someone brought it to my attention that we had not done a very good job of documenting this baby bump of mine.  Which really was ok with me but there have been requests/threats.  Remember you asked for it...well some of you, the rest can just ignore.

24 weeks along

26 weeks

30 weeks

WHOA 36 weeks!!!

36 again cause I was tired of the same shot...

We are now entering 39 weeks and everything is looking good.  We are excited to meet our little boy and hope that he comes right on time....PLEASE!!!

Hawaiian Surprise!

The lighthouse at Kilauea.  We didn't pay to go down and see it but were able to stop and see it from this viewpoint.

D  and I had the opportunity to go to Kauai, Hawaii for a whole week.  It was FABULOUS!  We haven't had anything like this since our honeymoon so it was much needed.  We are so grateful to those that made this possible and we can never repay you!  We stayed on the North/East end of Kauai and had a blast exploring the island.

The view from our bedroom...literally lying in bed this is what we saw every day.

We went on a couple hikes.  One was near Poipu along the cliffs.  You had to be careful near the edge because the ground would crumble and you would fall hundreds of feet into rocks and ocean. 

Another hike we did was in Waimea Canyon, specifically the Wai'po Falls Trail.  Considered the Grand Canyon of Hawaii there were amazing vistas.  We could see the canyon stretching out for miles. There was a lot of red rock and many times I was reminded of Zion's National Park in Utah.  It was breathtaking.  The falls were a bit of a disappointment since there hadn't been much rain, little did we know that we would soon have A LOT of rain. 

We had to take this picture since we are from Seattle! :) And yes it was raining.

We of course hit up the beach, many in fact.  Poipu Beach, Queen's Bath, Anahola Beach, Shipwreck Beach, Sealodge, Ke'e Beach, and Salt Bond Beach.  I think I am missing a few but we swam, boogie boarded, snorkeled, body surfed, and D even tried some skim boarding with the locals.  It was very entertaining. 





This was the perfect time to go.  The busy season had just ended so we had some of the beaches practically to ourselves.  Sealodge Beach we did have to ourselves and watched the sun go down. 

Where we were staying looked out over a beach.  We came down to explore it and found a beautiful beach with four other people who eventually left, and we had it to ourselves.  We spent the day swimming, reading, and talking.  It was the ultimate beach day.  Here is D in his homemade sand chair that was really comfortable!  Leave it to my hubby to invent such a creation.  Love it. 

 When D and I walked into the place where we were staying we thought we were at a resort.  It was paradise.  I was almost content to just stay there all week and not go anywhere.  We had the place to ourselves.  The best part?  The outdoor shower.  With a view of the mountains, the beach, palm trees, plants, and flowers surrounding you it was hard to leave.  The water came out like a waterfall and it was so fun to shower.  (and those who know me well know how much I dislike showering, so the fact that I showered once a day here shows how great it was! :) )

Caution:  The next two pictures show some skin.  Also don't feel bad if you think this man is ridiculously handsome, as I do.

The pool while it was pouring rain.

THE shower.  It is hard to see how AMAZING it is.  You will just have to trust me.

 We bought some local Ahi tuna and enjoyed the best meal we had in Hawaii.  We grilled the fish, mushrooms, and zucchini, with a fresh salad - it was the perfect last meal in Hawaii. 

Thanks for putting up with all of the pictures.  As a reward.  Here is a little surprise that I have kept quite quiet...

6 months pregnant and on our Baby-moon.  You can't tell here but I was uuuooober out of breath.  Hiking with 1/2 the lung capacity and all that extra blood pumping through is CRAZY.  This hike of course was STRAIGHT up hill the entire way but as you can see from the view, worth it.

WE ARE PREGNANT!  :)  We are expecting our little boy in December.  I am 6 1/2 months along and can barely believe it!  It has gone by so fast. 

A bun in the oven! :) haha. Cheesy I know. 6 1/2 months pregnant.

YAHOO for Baby-moons and BABY! 

Chelan Man 2013

I have to take a moment to brag about Dal.  He and some buddies from Dental School decided to do an Olympic Triathlon this summer.  They decided on the Chelan Man located in gorgeous Chelan, WA.  For those who do not know it is a 1500 meter swim (1 mile), 24.8 mike bike, and then a 10k run (6.2 miles).  It is quite the feat.  

Pre-Race

 Everyone finished the race, although there were doubts at the beginning.  I hung out with two other wives at the event and their children.  I loved being there.  It was a hot summer day but being by the lake and being at the site was great. There is something about the race atmosphere that just makes you feel good.  I almost felt like I was about to race and was so jittery and excited all at once.  We would race from place to place to try and catch a glimpse of any of them in action.  I am so grateful that there was someone smart enough to realize that a camera was a good idea for this type of thing (thanks Ash).

7:30 am start, Swim.

 Dallin told me to plan on slow race times for him.  Yeah right.  He was so fast (except in transitions, I was dying at how long he took his time :) ).  He did the swim in little under 1/2 hour.  Then was a beast on the bike.  All the Dances are good runners so I thought he might be fast in this and boy was he.  He was a champ.  Which is pretty amazing seeing as he had an injured toe, hurt shoulder, and little time to train.  Regardless he kicked butt.  So glad I got to be there to get a sweaty hug from him as he crossed the finish line. 

Still smiling post race

Goat Rocks

Catch up time.  We went on the most beautiful hike last summer.  It was in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.  My brother-in-law Dave, his kids Dallin and Annie came, along with D and I and my sister Alli.  It was an Awesome group and those kids can hike!  It was a 17 mile round trip hike and they were troopers.

We climbed quite a bit but the landscape was so incredible that you hardly noticed.  We started out in the typical forestry but then came to green fields full of run-off brooks and wildflowers, to rocks, to snow, to crags with icy lakes.

We all waded into one of those lakes.  Holy freezing.  Little Dallin even jumped in all the way and got out FAST. 

It was BEAUTIFUL.  If you ever have the chance to do it, make it a priority.  It is worth it.  We hiked in and made it up to a viewpoint that could see Mt. St. Helens, Rainier, and Mt. Hood from one spot.  We decided to camp there and it was comfy, beautiful, and glorious.  We saw about 50 mountain goats up the slope from us. 

Thanks Dave for the incredible hike and for the mountain house dinners.  Channing, thanks for sparing your husband and for the banana bread. 

What a perfect way to spend a summer weekend.  It truly is a marvel what glories our Creator made for us to enjoy. 

I love Seattle

When I first came to learn that D and I would be moving to Seattle I was STOKED!  It is probably one of the most gorgeous places I had ever been and still is.  The water + greenery + surrounded by mountains was breathtaking.  We moved here at the beginning of January and I was confidently gung-ho for this adventure.  Taking me down a notch...the first year here was a bit of a slap in the face what with it not getting sunny until August and lasting only until October, me making no friends, wishing I could just go to the grocery store and buy the preservative packed snack and not have people give me dirty looks.

                                           (me in Uggs, next to a fire, in the middle of May)


And having the hardest time trying to understand what it meant to be a true Seattleite...

Well after 2 1/2 years I have figured it out.  A true Seattleite...

wears Uggs with black leggings with everything
goes on outside adventures regardless rain or shine
gets up at the crack of dawn to stand in line at the REI garage sale
composts pretty much everything...I didn't even know they made compostable plastic
brings a rain coat everywhere, just in case
rides their bicycle like a boss everywhere
plants a garden, even the bums here have tin cans filled with vegetables
considers their dog their child
yells at people who forget to pick up their dog's feces
dislikes outsiders but will talk if you compliment their city or are wearing Chacos.
can't drive to save their life and always blame it on the weather, too sunny, too rainy, other drivers.  Seriously it is comparable to Utah. :)
buys EVERYTHING organic or makes it themselves.
wears socks with sandals

For all its quirks I love this city!  It has a certain culture that I have yet to find anywhere else.  Its artsy, eco-friendly, outdoorsy, and tech-savvy all thrown into one with a dash of resilience and passion that makes this city special. I take a certain pride in saying I live in Seattle, although I do complain about the weather occasionally.  But I do catch myself judging those who don't pick up their pooches poo.  Baby-steps, I will be a Seattleite yet!

Catching up...

I feel as if time is on fast-forward and yet I look around at what I have been doing and it looks like I hit pause.  What with moving four times since May and Dallin's new very busy calling, I feel as if we just started Summer and then I realize that it is almost Thanksgiving and I have a heart/panic attack. 

Whoa.  I am DEAD MEAT.  ( I have to finish my online class by January 10th and I am only on lesson 6 of 20 and I still have to write a few research papers on top of that.  Procrastinate much?  Oops.) 

Now that I am being forced to work hard at my classes I will be taking a few breaks from blogging (not that I post that much anyway), but mostly I will be taking a break from pa-rousing your awesome blogs.  Come January 11th though, it will be an epic day of catching up on blogs!!! :)

Pumpkin Carving with the guys, I was invited and yes I was the only girl.  So what if most of my friends are Dallin's.  I'm not lame or anything.

Here are some pictures to prove that we are alive and are not lame and have been doing stuff other than work, school, and callings.

Dal was a Mad Scientist and he fit the role perfectly

Me with creepy hands as a black cat

the great UW sunglasses Dal designed and got for free from Living Social.  SUHWEET.

Learning to make Chinese Wontons and Pot stickers from our "Nai-Nai" or "Chinese Grandmother"

She drilled the directions into me so hopefully I will be able to make these in the future because they are DELICIOUS