"There are several ways to react to being lost. One is to panic. Another is to abandon yourself to lostness, to allow the fact that you’ve misplaced yourself to change the way you experience the world."
Audrey Niffenegger - Her Fearful Symmetry
"The Torrey Pine, Pinus torreyana, is the rarest pine species in the United States, an endangered species growing only in San Diego County and on one of the Channel Islands, endemic to the coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion in the U.S. state of California." -Wikipedia Tim woke up a little early one Saturday (after getting home around 6AM from graveyard) and we drove to Del Mar and the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and Beach. The trail we took was amazing. It took us right along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific and through some of the best-kept and most accessible parts of the reserve.
Tim loved taking pictures of these Yucca plants.
And we both loved the views from this lookout point - this is currently our desktop picture!
After we came down from the reserve, we went to the beach to watch the sun set over the water.
It was a great way to spend our afternoon/evening together! And that evening I'm pretty sure we ended up at the same movie theater as Mitt Romney and his wife. We weren't able to get tickets to any movies - they were sold out - but we did have dinner at the shopping complex. It reminded me of our honeymoon when we, unknowingly, went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial the same day as President Obama and ended up leaving before he arrived.
I traveled to Spokane to meet my parents over Veteran's Day Weekend. On Saturday my Dad and I drove down to Pullman for the Cougar Football game against UCLA. I couldn't miss the opportunity to see my cousins!
I ::FROZE:: in the stands. Oi. California has made me a wuss when it comes to cold weather. But I persevered and we stayed through three-point-five quarters before my Dad finally relented. The Cougs didn't win, but they did manage to make a small comeback (we listened to the radio broadcast from the car.)
The other reason we met in Spokane was for a family friend's wedding on Sunday. It was a beautiful winter wonderland theme and we all had a great time!
My parents and I also managed to dress exactly alike without any planning. I have no idea how this happened, but I guess good taste runs in the family.
The next morning I flew back to Sunny San Diego and my parents drove home in the snow. Ha!
November seemed to fly by, because about two weeks later Tim and I both flew home for Thanksgiving. Only this time we flew to Bellingham - there are two direct flight from San Diego to Bellingham and we took them that week! Tim loved driving his car again, especially after having to drive rentals while we've been here.
Thanksgiving day was celebrated at my parents' house.
We completed our traditional puzzle in what felt like record time.
And that evening Tim and I did some Black Friday shopping from about midnight to 2AM. Tim was still on graveyard and would have to go back to work Sunday night, so we made a point to stay up later than usual during this trip.
On Friday the Cougars were playing the Huskies for the Apple Cup, so we donned our gear and watched the game at my Aunt and Uncle's house.
While everyone else watched with eager anticipation...
Tim slept.
Thankfully he woke up in time to see them play the last quarter and overtime, where we WON!
GO COUGS!
After the game, Tim and I drove to his parents' house for some post-Thanksgiving celebrations. On Saturday night we went bowling with the family and after one 'normal' round, we gave 'crazy bowling' a try.
Every frame is a different stance or style of bowling.
On Sunday we went out to Breakfast and then Tim, his parents, and I went to look at cars before they took us to the airport. I may have test-driven a Mercedes...
As most of you know, Tim's birthday is in November, so I'm posting a bit behind schedule. I did want to share some pictures though, because we had a great time and his entire family was able to come down and celebrate with us.
We picked Tim's parents up from the airport on Friday morning in Anaheim and headed straight to the Happiest Place on Earth. Our first stop was Space Mountain (Tim's birthday - Tim's choice!). This was the weekend that Wreck-It Ralph was opening, so the big guy was holding court in Tomorrow Land.
We had a lot of rides to go on and thankfully the park was relatively empty this weekend. Big Thunder is a family favorite and since it has closed (as of this past weekend) for nine months of repairs, we thought it best to go on it as many times as possible. :-)
In California Adventure, the line for the new Radiator Springs Racer ride was only 60ish minutes, but after waits of under 20 minutes...well, that 60 minutes felt like an eternity!
Finally we were all together and the party could begin!
(Don't you love those shirts?! We got tons of compliments from other park goers and the Disney cast members. Oh, you want to see the back...ok, if you insist!)
The weekend was pretty special for Disneyland - they were filming the Christmas Day Parade. We ended up missing most of it, but got over to Main Street to see them filming the end. Unfortunately, when we went to watch the parade on Christmas Day, they never included this section! I know that I would have been pretty upset if I were these kids - they were working really hard to get their lines and moves perfect for the cameras.
No Disney trip is complete without a castle picture!
For Tim's birthday dinner, he chose the Blue Bayou, which is in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It was a delicious and FILLING meal for everyone.
Tim's family all had to leave on Sunday, so after we took his parents to the airport, we got ready to use one of Tim's presents. I had purchased tickets to Book of Mormon in LA! We had an excellent dinner beforehand and really enjoyed the show. Plus, the theater (The Pantages) was beautiful.
Finally it was Tim's actual birthday (Monday) and since we didn't have to checkout until noon, we went to Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast. It just happened to be at the Disneyland Hotel, where we had stayed for the weekend. I will say, that after staying at a Disney Resort Hotel...well, it's going to be hard to stay anywhere else again. It was such a wonderful experience and Tim (whether he'll ever admit it or not) had a great time getting a little extra spoiled by the staff.
Unfortunately it was back to San Diego for us. Tim actually had to work graveyard that night, so as soon as we got back to our condo he went to bed for a few hours before his shift started at 10pm.
On Saturday, Tim and I participated in the Great Urban Race - San Diego! This year the race was held in 20 cities across the US. San Diego was the last city before the National Championships (Nov. 10 in Las Vegas).
The premise of the race is to solve clues that lead to stops somewhere within the city. We were given all 12 clues at the beginning of the race and then it was our responsibility to crack them and create our own plan of attack.
I'm pinning on my bib number.
Like our shirts? I designed them the day before and we got them printed that morning!
Ok, I'm going to post the clue, post the picture and put the answer below!
Clue #10:Holy Flavors! Craving something above-the-clouds sweet? As seen on Good Morning America, this divine location as treats for you and your pup! When you arrive, match the famous flavors with their corresponding photos. Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates with the cupcake on wheels AND the provided flyer as proof of completion.
Answer: Heavenly Cupcakes right in the East Village! We knew exactly where this delicious cupcakery was located!
Clue #8: Feel your way to this 3-digit address on 6th avenue:
Upon arrival, locate the GUR staff to get the clue break down. Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates posing with your egg sporting its new markings AND a GUR stamp on your clue sheet as proof of completion.
Answer: 355 6th Avenue is The Broken Yolk Cafe, also in the East Village! Tim had to take a pizza box with stickers on it and roll the egg around until all of the stickers were on the egg. He did a great job, but the stickers never wanted to stick!
Clue #9: Ezra Pujols and Edward VII have something in common. Determine what it is to discern the name of this grocery store on 14th Street. Upon arrival, go hog wild and locate the designated area in the parking lot where a GUR staff member will explain each participant's role. Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates completing their responsibilities AND a GUR stamp on the clue sheet for proof of completion.
Answer: Albertson's. The task - Tim had to hold a pickled pig's foot in his mouth while I translated a phrase from Pig Latin to English. I did it so quickly, the guy next to us threw his answer sheet over to me to translate because his partner was still googling how to speak pig latin! Tim definitely took one for the team!
Clue #5: Have you heard the buzz? Use the Yelp reviews below to find this clue location that will bring extra color to your life and your skin! (There were three reviews.) Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates in front of the studio showing off your new ink AND the provided flyer as proof of completion.
Answer: Superfly Tattoos, in downtown SD. Tim actually did read through several reviews on Yelp to find this one! When we got there, I was blindfolded while Tim described what I was drawing on him - a fly. I'm sure Tim will want my artwork on his hand forever, right?!
-At this point, we got on a bus and headed to Little Italy. The rules of the GUR say that you can go on foot, or you can use public transportation. While waiting for our bus, another group passed us and, in all seriousness, asked if taxis were considered public transportation... -
Clue #4: Voted Best Yoga Studio in San Diego, you'll never want this clue to end! Nestled among art galleries and antique dealers, use the icon to the right (Click here to see) to serve as your guide through the winding hallways off Kettner Boulevard. Return to the finish line with a photo of TWO teammates in the yoga pose AND the provided flyer as proof of completion.
Answer: Infinite Yoga in Little Italy. And the hallways really were very winding. Oh, and that's the "Titanic" pose, according to the instructor taking our picture.
Clue #1: Repeating parts of words to make new forms is called "reduplication." Unscramble the letters needed to complete each reduplication below to spell out this two-word reduplication, which is the founder's name that started this art store located in Little Italy!
Answer: Dick Blick Art Supplies. We had to complete the canvas puzzle (above) and grab a flyer. This was actually really weird, because the store was so busy and no one was supervising the clue area. We thought we were going to get a penalty here, because we picked up a different flyer than some other people. (But it was all good!)
Clue #6: Discover the correlation between the letters to figure out the correct number that completes the statement. For example: ___ D in a W would be 7 (Days in a Week). This 4-digit address will be your next location on Columbia Street.
___ = Number of W on a U
___ = Number of H on a U
___ = Number of D in a ZC
___ = Number of W of the W
Upon arrival, the GUR staff will explain the clue brewed up for you! Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates in front of their completed challenge AND the provided flyer for proof of completion.
Answer: 1157 Columbia Street -or- The Karl Strauss Brewery. I had to blow a deck of cards off the top of a beer bottle, until only four remained. (1 wheel on a unicycle, 1 horn on a unicorn, 5 digits in a zip code, 7 wonders of the world)
It was REALLY hard and I got so close! But after 5 tries, they let us move on.
Clue #11: Vroom! Pack your bags and head to the Office Depot by the bay parking lot because you're going on a road trip with this mental puzzle driven by Chevrolet. Brush up on your vehicle knowledge and get ready to ride! Using the puzzle pieces found inside each vehicle, write the six items you will need on your road trip on the lines below. Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates outside of a Chevrolet vehicle and a GUR stamp on your correct answer sheet as proof of completion.
Answer: This was lame. When we got there, we used the six spaces to COPY down the things we would "need" on our road trip. It was the token advertising clue, since the six things we "needed" included how many MPG the car got and that it came with 6 months of OnStar. Moving on...
Clue #2: Don't blink...it's time for your vision examination! To determine the three-digit address of this spot on West Harbor Drive, find the three numbers (0-9) hidden in the sentence below (for example: vision examination would be 'one').
Surrounded by boats of all different heights, there is always something fun happening at this Beach House! Don't let the beautiful sights keep you in a daze, "roll" through this challenge using this mode of transportation that kids, even adults, use to get around.
Upon arrival, locate the GUR staff member near the back patio to get started. Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates balanced on their pair of wheels AND the provided flyer as proof of completion.
Answer:
Surrounded by boats of all different heights, there is always something fun happening at this Beach House! Don't let the beautiful sights keep you in a daze, "roll" through this challenge using this mode of transportation that kids, even adults, use to get around.
807 West Harbor Drive is in Seaport Village and is the address of Buster's Beach House and Longboard Bar.
-By this time, we were SO close to being done and we decided to tackle the "tic-tac-toe" clue.-
Clue #12: Let's play Tic-Tac-Toe! This clue will require three separate boxes to be complete. Your team must complete three of the nine challenges listed in the Tic-Tac-Toe squares to the right. The three challenges you complete must be in the "Tic-Tac-Toe" order - either three boxes in either vertical column, any horizontal row, OR on any diagonal. NOTE: All required items in the pictures much be clearly visible. Strangers must be non-GUR participants.
-We opted for a vertical row-
Box #1: Take a photo of ALL teammates with 2 store employees in uniform.
Box #2: Take a photo of ALL teammates holding a fish.
(Those are swedish fish - Arianna for the win!)
Box #3: Take a video of ONE teammate surprising a stranger with flowers.
(It's a good thing I'm so outgoing! We had to film this a few times...)
Clue #7: San Diego's Ronald McDonald House offers a loving home away from home where families can find support and share experiences with others during their journey to overcome a critical childhood illness. Head to the CVS located at 71 Horton Plaza and contribute to the cause by purchasing TWO of the following: A toothbrush, an umbrella, a hairbrush or comb, a stick of travel-sized deodorant. Drop the items off at the Ronald McDonald table outside of CVS. Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates clearly visible holding the donated items AND the provided flyer as proof of clue completion.
Answer: Well, the clue was pretty specific! This was also a sponsored clue, because the GUR partners with St. Jude's Hospital to raise funds. This was the local contribution.
AND FINALLY...
Clue #3: Miller 64 is brewed for the better you! They've also brewed up a challenge that's sure to test the better brain in you. Head to The Local and use the materials provided to sole the puzzle that awaits. After your collection of cans reflects the sample shown, receive approval from the GUR staff and rest your board as your found it. Return to the finish line with a photo of ALL teammates posing with your completed puzzle AND the provided Miller 64 swag as proof of clue completion.
Answer: We had to move the cans around, one at a time, to form a 64. It's hard to see in the picture. Tim did this SO quickly and I was thankful for the all the time he spent doing that "Rush Hour" game. The first place team said this was their most difficult challenge!
After this, we raced back to the finish line!
We officially made it back in 3:19:03 -or- 81st place! We were hoping for Top 100 and we did it! (There were 187 teams and over 500 participants.) And we didn't get ANY penalties for missed or wrong clues. GO LIGHTNING SHARKS!
And here's the map of where we went:
In all, we did about 6 miles, with about 5 of those on foot! It was exhausting!
Monday was the day of our television debut. We were meeting our fellow TV stars at 11:00am to get in line for the taping. Everyone made it safely from San Diego and we were ready for our close up!
Too bad we had to wait several hours for the taping. It was actually close to 4 1/2 hours of waiting!
At one point we got our picture taken:
And then everyone in the audience was interviewed by the producer, Stan, for the opportunity to be a contestant.
About an hour later, it was time for the taping! I've attached the link to the online video below, in case you didn't see it when it aired on October 15th.
Tim loved taking pictures of these Yucca plants.
And we both loved the views from this lookout point - this is currently our desktop picture!
After we came down from the reserve, we went to the beach to watch the sun set over the water.
It was a great way to spend our afternoon/evening together! And that evening I'm pretty sure we ended up at the same movie theater as Mitt Romney and his wife. We weren't able to get tickets to any movies - they were sold out - but we did have dinner at the shopping complex. It reminded me of our honeymoon when we, unknowingly, went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial the same day as President Obama and ended up leaving before he arrived. 
