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Saturday, September 15, 2007

My Girls

I can't really explain it. . . Some of the best wrestling matches occur right before bedtime as we are winding down and getting ready for sleep.


This is Rylee's new tricycle, Lauren was determined to help her learn how to work the pedals. What a great picture.


Rylee telling the story of "Chubby." Lauren & Rylee are pretty good at relating this story.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

End of August 2007

We went to Cinnamon Creek to camp on Friday night. Janna took this great picture of us as we were roasting marshmallows. We had a "Megabed" in the tent, locked the keys (both sets) in the car at 11:30pm, and went fishing on the river, got spooked by racoons, saw amazing spider webs near the road, had hot chocolate to drink, and rode in a pioneer handcart. Adam was the brains behind rescuing the keys from the locked car. We ended up using a hot dog roasting rod to break in, it was actually some good challenging fun.
Me & Rylee were standing in the middle of the river fishing. The water was very cold, but clean and refreshing. It was a beautiful area. I actually look like I know what I'm doing. Adam teaching Sam to fish for trout in shallow water. We used Salmon eggs. Lauren was patient, but her bladder finally overpowered her desire to fish and she
was done. But she refused to go in the "Wilderness" so she held it a bit longer and just danced around a bit. Janna & Rylee had a great time just throwing pebbles into the water. Rylee was in a great, laughing mood and wore those nutty red glasses all morning long. Lauren & Annie sat on this rock and fished - somewhat. Adam caught the only fish, a trout about 7 inches long. We all touched it then let it go. This river empties into a reservior called Porcupine Dam, owned entirely by the church. This area is absolutely beautiful.
I set the record for carrying the most camping stuff at once. Two bags of supplies, two sleeping bags, two egg foam pads, one blanket, four pillows, Rylee's red jacket, and a flashlight. Let's see you beat it. It was a late night after I locked the keys in the car. We finally got to bed at about 11:30pm and the girls didn't make a sound but went straight to sleep. We slept good and woke up the next morning around 8am and had a great breakfast before we cleaned up, then went fishing. The ride home was nice and quiet.

Jordanelle Triathlon, August 25th, 2007. The Jordanelle Reservoir was perfect - about 70°. I got there late and got into the water about 15 seconds before the starting signal. Just long enough to wet my hair, seal my cap and temper my goggles. I completed the 800m (1/2 mile) swim in 19 minutes which is my best time so far, but my goal is 17 minutes.



What a lame picture, I saw the photographer and I couldn't help but lose my concentration and laugh a bit. Honestly, I really did have a great time doing this race and I think my lack of "Game face" here shows that. My average speed was 19.7 mph, my top speed was a stunning 46mph coming down the hill out of the nearby town - Francis. What a rush!!
My traditional "Jump" across the Finish. The clock actually reads 2:36. My wave started an hour after the first wave, so my actual finish time was 1:36. I finished 19th of 70 guys in my age group, there were over 1000 athletes there that day. What a great feeling to finish so strong in the race, I should have left more of my sweat on the trail - but I sure did enjoy it. On my left ankle there is a timing chip that tells the announcer who I am and he announces it over the loudspeaker and everyone cheers. There are few things that compare to that feeling at the finish line.

This little girl is so curious, observant, and creative. She found this swim cap in my bag and put it on. When you see the toungue sticking out, you know she is enjoying herself. The other side of the cap reads "Poco Loco." Fitting.