Virginia Beach

We've been on a few little over night trips recently that I forgot to blog about!

First up, Virginia Beach;

A couple weeks ago we made a quick little trip down to Virginia Beach. First time all summer! Last summer we got to go 3 times, but our work schedules this summer don't mesh very well, boo hoo. This trip was a bit of a last minute scramble, but it was still fun times.

The drive down felt like it took FOREVER, but we made it. We had left pretty early and drove straight through without stopping for lunch, so our first pit stop was a sushi place a friend told us about called Soya. We got to enjoy Virginia Beach like a local thanks to our friend who grew up there and gave us some pointers. 

The sushi was amazing and we wolfed it down! And another bonus was that it was right across the street from the beach! So we made our way across the boardwalk to the beach. It was so busy. It was horrific. I didn't take a picture of it because I was just in such shock and so annoyed! We had come all this way and it was just too busy to even enjoy. Clearly we are not a fan of crowds. 

Despite how much I did not want to get back into the car, we went to the car and decided to check out a beach our friend (thankfully!) recommended. It was still busy, but much more tolerable! We realized we had never actually come down during the peak of summer. We had always visited during off times. We won't be making that mistake again! It's not lovely Florida beaches, but it does the job for a last minute trip. The sand doesn't feel the same, or look the same, but the look and sound of the waves is the same and that's pretty much all that matters. Right?

For dinner we went to our favorite taco place, Pelon's Baja Grill. So good! 

And then back to camp. We always camp when we are in Virginia each to save money so we can spend more money stuffing our faces with yummy food instead! I bought Dave a new tent for our anniversary and this was our first time using it. 

BEST PURCHASE EVER!

It is crazy easy to set up! You don't have to slide the tent poles through those terrible little sleeves, you just clip them to the tent! And I love the color too, but that's really not all the important. We hadn't been camping in a long time as the last time we had gone camping our cheapie Walmart tent turned into a swimming pool in a rain storm (you can read all about that disaster of a trip here). This new tent has a HUGE rain fly that certainly won't be letting in any rain. Luckily it was clear skies while we were there so we didn't even need the rain fly. 

I bought this Kelty tent from REI. We bought our sleeping bags from them a few years ago and already knew we loved the Kelty brand. The sleeping bags are great because you can zip them together so we can cuddle! Perfect in Utah when even in the middle of summer it's crazy cold at night! Here in VA in the summer we usually sleep in the buff (hahaha, don't judge) and without any blankets because it is so terribly hot! It's so gross. I am ready to do some fall camping! I'm pretty sure these are the sleeping bags we bought.

Air mattresses are also a must! We don't love the ones we have right now, but are in the market for a new one. If you have a good one, let us know! 

After setting up camp we decided to run to the movies. Our favorite thing to do in the evening at Virginia Beach because the tickets are so cheap there! We decided to see AntMan as it really was the only thing that looked like it was worth seeing. We had low expectations, so that probably helped, but we thought it was hilarious! Marvel does it again! 

We went back to camp and I actually had a great nights sleep! Other than being a little too hot. We woke up and made our way over to our favorite place in town for breakfast, Citrus, which was on the TV show Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives! I tried their breakfast burrito, which I hadn't had before. I usually get an omelette or their waffles. Bad choice! It was a pretty pathetic burrito. Oh well. 

While Dave loves the huge waves at Virginia Beach, I am not good at surviving in swimming in the big waves. So we went to a different beach that was thankfully pretty empty and had essentially no waves. Usually it has some waves there, but that day there were no waves at all. It was actually kind of boring. Ooops, another bad choice. Oh well! We soaked up some sun, watched a cute dog splash around in the water, and then went off to get lunch before hitting the road home. 

Lunch was another place our friend recommended, called the Beach Bully, that had some great BBQ. I should have ordered what Dave ordered. I am learning that in almost all cases, I should just order the same thing Dave orders because he seems to order the better thing! This was certainly one of those cases. He ordered a beef and cheddar sandwich, like what Arby's is known for, but with legit meat. It was AMAZING! Hopefully we can get down there again soon just so I can have that sandwich! Again, thanks to our friend for all the recommendations! 

Since I drove down, Dave drove the whole way back. Being the led foot he is, he shaved off nearly 30 minutes off our travel time. Hopefully we can make it down again at least one more time before it starts getting too cold! Or maybe we can just book a trip to Florida for a third time this year...!

Oh Florida.... 

Spartan Super - Wintergreen August 2015

This past Saturday Dave joined a friend from work in completing the Spartan Race at Wintergreen Resort in VA. If you don't know what that is, Spartan Races are obstacle courses ranging from 3 miles to over 20. They have a few different types. This one Dave did was called a Super; the Super will test your endurance, perseverance and grit. The 8+ Mile Super packs more than 25 Signature Spartan Obstacles through tougher and more rugged terrain. 

(the pictures really don't do it justice!)

The one at Wintergreen is considered to be one of the hardest Super courses as it's up and down ski hills including black diamond and double black diamond slopes totaling over 9 miles including 29 obstacles. Needless to say, it's quite the intense race. Absolutely insane. It was honestly exhausting just watching him do it.

We got to the resort extra early and watched the Elite men finish. We recognized some of the guys as we had been watching some of the Spartan Races that had aired on NBC. We were fans of one guy in particular, whose nickname is The Bear, and were excited to be able to see him finish in 1st place. We later found out that his sister lives in our ward! We had no idea! Small world! 

Matt "The Bear" Novakovich 

Dave started at 11:30. I tried to keep up with them from the time they started until about 4:30 when I crashed on the grassy slope. I snapped some photos and made a little video from the day that you can check out at the bottom of this post. 

Since Dave was the one who experienced this grueling course, I asked him to type up what it was like. Enjoy! 

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Adria and I woke up early to get up to the resort and to be signed in for the race. Upon arriving at the general parking lot, we got on a bus that drove us up to the resort. After being signed in, receiving my race packet we went to the festival grounds to await my start time at 11:30. Prior to starting, we saw the men’s elites finish, where we saw Matt Novakovich finish first. I was excited to see him as we had been watching a lot of Spartan Races. Matt is from Alaska and is 41, which is very impressive to be competing at this level on course such as Wintergreen.

At 11:15, a friend of mine and myself headed down to the starting line to begin our experience with the course that lay ahead.  As we started, the first obstacle that we came to was the log hurdles, somewhat quickly traversing these obstacles we continued. We then ran a short distance where we came to the Over Wall obstacles going over one wall under another and then through the last. Continuing from there, we climbed a hill leading to the third obstacle. We then descended through the woods again.

The Virginia Super was my first Spartan Race ever and I wish I had trained more than I had especially since I signed up for the course at Wintergreen Resort, known for being one of the hardest Spartan Supers as you are continually climbing up and down black diamonds and double black diamond slopes. The first third of the race went fairly well as I was still excited to be out there. My excitement never went away but it definitely changed. 

For nine grueling miles, I carried my 270-pound body up and down hills and completing most of the obstacles. At around four miles, my body began shutting down. I was not accustomed to the relentless climbing and descending. My endurance quickly ran out even with continued hydration and fueling. At that point, it became a choice to finish, that even though everything in my body told me to stop I could not allow myself to do so. I was not going to stagger over to some support staff and ask them to med evac me off the mountain on some damned ATV because I could not finish, because that was not why I signed up. Even though I am not in the best shape of my life (hell far from it), I signed up to prove to myself that I could overcome hard things. Therefore, I pushed through the fatigue and I would climb one heavy step after another until I crossed that finish line. 

At around mile marker seven we came to the mother off all hills, if I am correct it has been called names such as the “Death March” or “Trail of Tears,” you climb for what I believe was a mile. Though to be completely honest, I am not sure because by this time, I had been out there for over six hours and I mostly was looking at my feet and moving at a pace that a tortoise could have beaten. 

Finally, at eight hours and forty-three minutes I crossed the finish line in daze. I did not do as well as I wanted to do but I put everything I had into that race and when I crossed that line, I had nothing left. 

Two days later as I sit here typing this, my entire body especially my legs, are screaming in pain and I can hardly move. I have been sore before from workouts, this is a completely new level of sore that I have never before experienced. Even with all of that, I am determined to get back out there and do better than I did. I swore to myself as I limped to the bus that night that I would never come back to Wintergreen, but I do not think that I will be able to keep that promise to myself. Yes, it will be some time before I return but when I do, I will be a lighter, stronger version of myself.  

I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to see Matt Novakovich finish first in the elite race, grateful for my friend who stuck with me for as long as he did as I seriously slowed him down, and grateful for all those Spartans who saw me and offered their words of encouragement. It may have been my first Spartan Race but it certainly will not be my last. To any of those who are thinking about doing a Spartan Race I cannot recommend them highly enough. You will be pushed to your limits and then much much more, but in the end you find a strength within yourself that you did not realize that you had.

I am a SPARTAN! AROO! AROO! AROO!

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Despite my efforts to keep up with him, I lost him and I couldn't find him for quite awhile. It was starting to get dark I started getting worried! But I know him too well; he wouldn't give up and wouldn't give in to being carted off the course unless he was seriously injured. Sure enough, just when I was really starting to get worried, I saw him start to hit the peak of the slope and I ran over to him. My poor Bear was so tired it took me quite a while to get his attention. But despite how tired he was he finished! 

I am so proud of my Bear! I would like to do a Spartan Race one day, but I don't know if I will ever have the guts to do Wintergreen. I sat watching and waiting for Dave to come up to the top of the slope for over 3 hours. I sat in view of 3 obstacles, including the last bit of hill up to the final obstacle and the finish line. I heard so many people say these exact words; "This was way harder than I expected" as they made their way up the last bit of hill to the final obstacle.  You know when you see some very fit people who are clearly in pain and are positively exhausted that this was some tough shiz. But my Bear finished! I am so glad he was able to accomplish his goal. 

Enjoy the video and pictures from the day! 

Easy Tikka Masala

A couple weeks ago, I had sunday dinner all planned out only to find I missed a vital ingredient! So I had to make a last minute switch. I was still wanting to make something somewhat similar to what I had planned so I hunted around for some recipes.

I have been made tikka masala a few times recently, but haven't found a recipe I loved. But this one turned out great! I made some changes from the original recipe since I was short on time, but it turned out pretty great even with the shortcuts I made. See the extended recipe here.

-adapted from Food.com-

Here's what you will need;

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala (which I bought online from Penzeys)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

What to do;

Melt butter over medium high heat, cook chicken until fully cooked. Add onion and garlic and cook until sauteed. Add all remaining ingredients except cilantro. Simmer 10-15 minutes over medium heat until sauce has thickened up. 

Serve over rice (I like basmati rice) and top with chopped cilantro.

And that's it! While it's a cheater addition of Tikka Masala, it was way better than any of the time consuming recipes I have tried so far!

My mom made the naan pictured above. I'm trying to find the recipe, I'll update this when I find it! 

5 Years of Bliss

Thursday August 13th was our 5 year wedding anniversary! I can hardly believe it. It certainly does not feel like it's been 5 years. I am so grateful for my Bear. I am so blessed to have such a loving, thoughtful, hardworking man by my side.

I am so grateful for all the fun times we have together, just the two of us. I never would have thought that we would live in the greater DC area, and have been able to visit 7 states just in the span of a year, as well as visit gorgeous Florida twice (and possibly be going for a third time) in the same year! We are very blessed! I can't wait to see what more adventures the future holds for us!

Here is a little video I put together of some of my favorite shots;

A video posted by Adria Cavanaugh (@adriacavanaugh) on Aug 13, 2015 at 7:49pm PDT

Uplifted

Lately I've been trying to expand my studying of the gospel. Of course, we are supposed to read the scriptures and I can personally attest to how much that strengthens my testimony and love for this gospel. But there is also so many other sources we are able to study and learn from and be uplifted by. 

(I know this is not the July 2015 cover, I couldn't find a full res pic of it!)

Confession time; I have never actually really read the Ensign. 

I grew up reading the New Era and the Friend, but as an adult I have never read much from the Ensign. But the past couples months I have been trying to make sure to read at least one article from it every day. I LOVE IT! Guys! I can't believe I missed out on it for so long. And you don't have to pay for a physical subscription to have access to it (which I foolishly used to think was the case) you can access it for free online, or through the LDS Library app. Of course the physical copy is nice to have too (and is actually really cheap) but online and free works great! I read it almost entirely through the app while on the go and read a little bit throughout the day whenever I have a free second. It really helps uplift my day and add a little light to my heart when I'm having a hard time, on top of reading the scriptures. 

So to maybe convince you to start reading it if you aren't, I have compiled some (just some, not all, cause I have SO MANY) of my favorite quotes just from the July Ensign;

My absolute favorite parts are bold!

All is Well
By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The pioneers serve as a good reminder of why we must break away from the temptation to isolate ourselves and, instead, reach out to help each other and have compassion and love for one another."

"The pioneers, who sacrificed so much, went without and hungered for even the most basic of necessities to survive. They understood that happiness doesn’t come as a result of luck or accident. It most certainly doesn’t come from having all of our wishes come true. Happiness doesn’t come from external circumstances. It comes from the inside--regardless of what is happening around us."

April 2015 Conference Notebook
Bonnie L. Oscarson

“… Let us help build the kingdom of God by standing up boldly and being defenders of marriage, parenthood, and the home. The Lord needs us to be brave, steadfast, and immovable warriors who will defend His plan and teach the upcoming generations His truths.”

Preparing to enter the House of the Lord
By Elder Kent F. Richards

"Each time you enter the temple, you can feel of His Spirit and receive additional revelation and understanding while providing the necessary ordinances for others. You will understand and receive assurance of your eternal existence and the unending power of your covenants. If we were not eternal beings, the temple would have no significance."

"The promises in the temple are rich and noble. They are the “great favors” and “great blessings” (3 Nephi 10:18) that our Father has reserved for you personally. So smile when you think of the temple."

Filled with life and energy
By Randal A. Wright

"“If you are to be successful, you will need to be inspired. You will need to receive revelation. I will give you one piece of advice: Go to bed early and get up early. If you do, your body and mind will become rested and then in the quiet of those early morning hours, you will receive more flashes of inspiration and insight than at any other time of the day.”

"Additional blessings are pledged to those who follow the Lord’s counsel on sleep. Consider these incredible promises: “Cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated” (D&C 88:124; emphasis added). Invigorate means “to fill with life and energy.”

There must be an excellent reason for the injunction to retire and arise early [see D&C 88:124]. … The world is a more beautiful place early in the morning. Life is so much more calm. Much more can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.”

God's plan for families
Mark A. Mathews

President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) explained: “Marriage as established in the beginning was an eternal covenant. The first man and the first woman were not married until death should part them, for at that time death had not come into the world. The ceremony on that occasion was performed by the Eternal Father himself whose work endures forever.”

Thus, the crowning event of the Creation was not just when Adam and Eve were created in the image of their heavenly parents but when they were sealed in eternal marriage like their heavenly parents. From the beginning, marriage between a man and a woman was ordained of God and established as the ultimate purpose of our creation.

Reaping the Rewards of Righteousness
Elder Quentin L. Cook

Living worthy of a temple recommend, receiving temple ordinances, and being true to our covenants gives us the focus and vision to stay on the covenant path. When our youth live worthy to perform baptisms for the dead, their lives will be in order.

The most important thing you can do is to make sure your children and those you nurture know that you love them. Love is the key ingredient to happiness.

The Lord God is indeed a sun and shield and will give grace and glory. No good thing will be withheld from them that walk uprightly (see Psalm 84:11). My prayer is that you may reap the rewards of righteousness as you faithfully follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon
By Matthew S. Holland

Joseph translated an astonishing 588 pages of the Book of Mormon in what was, at most, 65 working days. It is also instructive to note that the translation of the King James Bible took 47 trained scholars, working in languages they already knew, seven years to complete.
But the greatest miracle in all of this is not found in how fast things were accomplished but in the complexity of what was produced in that highly demanding time frame.

“Not only are there more than a thousand years of history [in the Book of Mormon] involving some two hundred named individuals and nearly a hundred distinct places, but the narrative itself is presented as the work of three primary editor/historians--Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni. These figures, in turn, claim to have based their accounts on dozens of preexisting records. The result is a complex mix that incorporates multiple genres ranging from straightforward narration to inserted sermons and letters to scriptural commentary and poetry. It requires considerable patience to work out all the details of chronology, geography, genealogy, and source records, but the Book of Mormon is remarkably consistent on all this. The chronology is handled virtually without glitches, despite several flashbacks and temporally overlapping narratives; … and the narrators keep straight both the order and family connections among the twenty-six Nephite record keepers and forty-one Jaredite kings (including rival lines). The complexity is such that one would assume the author worked from charts and maps, though Joseph Smith’s wife … explicitly denied that he had written something out beforehand that he either had memorized or consulted as he translated, and indeed she claimed that Joseph began sessions of dictation without looking at the manuscript or having the last passage read back to him.”

You have a Brother who watches over you, ready to rescue you and advance your service with arms far stronger than your arms--far stronger, in fact, than all other arms of the flesh combined. Those arms are there to sustain and bless you, “in every time of trouble” (D&C 3:8), no matter how alone and discouraged you may feel. Therefore, as you move forward with your life, trust in those arms and “be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid … for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Joseph discovered this and changed the world. You can too.

Vine and Branches
Various

Christ’s gospel and His Church help us overcome the tendency of the natural man to sag in sin and selfishness and to wallow in worldly things that harm us spiritually. By living the gospel and keeping covenants, we are lifted up to greater joy, peace, and service.

“Jesus said, ‘Without me ye can do nothing’ [John 15:5]. I testify that that is God’s truth. Christ is everything to us and we are to ‘abide’ in Him permanently, unyieldingly, steadfastly, forever. For the fruit of the gospel to blossom and bless our lives, we must be firmly attached to Him, the Savior of us all, and to this His Church, which bears His holy name. He is the vine that is our true source of strength and the only source of eternal life. In Him we not only will endure but also will prevail and triumph in this holy cause that will never fail us.”