Bike Date Night

We look forward to Date Night. This time we didn't spend any money, and we didn't eat any food, instead - we burned calories. We loaded our Subaru Outback up with our bikes and drove out west a little ways.

We found an empty church parking lot and pulled in. For almost 1-1/2 hours we explored the open roads out by Willard Bay. The air here is very bug infested. I had lost my shades so my eyes had no protection from the bugs that pelted my eyes fairly often. In spite of the bugs, this ranks among the top 5 of our most fun dates. Doesn't Janna look good?

Things we Pray For

The other night after we sat down at the table for a nice dinner, Lauren volunteered to give the prayer. She had already seen what we were having for dinner and she is usually a very good eater - not picky. Her prayer expressed her true feeling for the dinner when she said, "Please bless this food to not be poisonous and also please help us to not eat things off of the floor."

How can you not laugh? After the prayer, she frankly reminded Janna & I that we are supposed to be reverent during the prayer and not laugh.

Interview with Rylee

What do you think Rylee's favorite food is? You will be suprised.

The Zoo and the Doctor

We need to make hats like these in Priesthood.

We went to Hogle Zoo and saw some very cool stuff.

Rylee had been asking about the snakes all day. So we went to find them.

My Curly Sue waits on a nice rock while Janna and Adrian swim in the ridiculously cold water at Deer Creek Reservoir.

Lauren kept telling me she was "Dr. Clawson" (her pediatrician). We were applying medicine to Rylees feet. Our Doctor sessions at home are much more creative than the real thing. And they are free.

Cache Valley Triathlon - June 21, 2008

Training for the open water swim at Deer Creek. Janna & Adrian practice an open water swim a few weeks before their triathlon. This water was danger zone cold, not sure how they swam in it. . . even Lauren didn't want to be in it.

Transition Area. It was a nice day, perfect for a triathlon.

They rented these high powered wetsuits for the race.

Janna felt like the swim didn't go well, but she performed excellent on the bike and the run.

This is where Janna is the strongest. She always does well on the run.

Best part of the race. . . the finish line.

Gymnastics Recital, June 2008

Rylee received her first gymnastics recital medal. She is very proud of it.

Lauren took care of Rylee during the recital lineup afterwards.

Grandma & Grandpa Call made the trip to Ogden just to see the girls.

Do you have one of these?

The gym instructor will occasionally strap the girls into this contraption and swing them around. They love it.

They call it: "Going to the moon."

Buffalo Duathlon

I competed yesterday in the 2nd Annual, Buffalo Duathlon on Antelope Island. The race started in the parking lot of the Antelope Island State Park about 45 minutes away from Ogden. Starting gun was at 8:30 am, and I was off with about 400 other athletes. The race was for 25 miles on the bike, topped off with a 10K run. There was not a flat spot all through the cycling leg of the race. But the course was awesome, I saw buffalo, antelope, snakes, and some other wildlife. I didn't do well in the race, but I finished my course and enjoyed the ride. It took a little over three hours to complete the race (3:18). I wish I had some pictures of this event, but apparently they are not going to publish them.

Things I learned for my next race:

1. Get on my bike and explore the first mile of the course before the start so I know how to position myself during the chaos at the beginning of the race.
2. I need a thicker pad on my competition day biking shorts.
3. Pocket two carb-loading bars for the bike leg, eat them at miles 13 and 23.
4. Drink water bottle slower but more often
5. Don't laugh at the logo on anyones jersey or shorts
6. Be sure to bring a set of allen wrenches to tighten anything that comes loose. I forgot them yesterday and I needed to adjust my seat angle. I have the sore to prove it.
7. (Bring Ibuprofen. . . Why am doing this again?)
8. Pay the extra $10 for the massage afterwards
9. Don't stop and tease the buffalo laying in the middle of the road getting warm (just seems like a bad idea). He didn't mind us sweeping by him, I guess he is used to the cyclists.
10. Watch for loose sand on the turns (I observed a guy crash when he hit it - not pretty)

Sunday

This morning as I was getting the girls ready for church, I can't remember how but we all ended up in the storage room downstairs. The big bags make a perfect seat. Lauren was teaching Rylee about the Prophet from the picture in her Book of Mormon. Getting the girls dressed is the extent of my abilities, I'm not good at doing hair and they remind me often.

But dad, I don't want to take a nap - I'm not tired. . .

Mouthful of Chips

If you have chips in your mouth and try to say words such as: Tarantula, Nebula, Ambulance, and marshmallow, what does it sound like? This video was taken right around Christmas 2007, I found it last night as I was browsing through my video files - this is what we do when mom's not around. Stay up late, eat chips, say "Nebula," then wrestle. It's funny until the next day when Janna asks me, "How late were the girls up last night?" . . .

Spring is Approaching

Janna took this picture, I don't know anything about it. But I sure love my girls!!

This is where Rylee normally spends a few minutes in the morning after she wakes up - in front of the heater vent, wrapped in her blanket on the kitchen floor eating a piece of toast with Nutella spread on it. Here is where she wakes up.

It's April, but we have had a few days of great weather. - it's on these days that Janna will always be found tending to her garden boxes. Rylee was taking a nap at the time, but she loves to get her fingers dirty too.

I took this picture earlier today. The girls discovered Janna's foot spa and spent a lot of time satisfying all points of curiosity.

More from my Archives

Is this picture worth more than life itself? This is Dallin. I found this picture while digging through my archives - I couldn't resist. This is Lauren & Rylee's cousin (Laurie & Tim).

This picture demands explanation. That's Aaron bent over the flight receptionists desk. This was taken on our way to New Mexico for my grandmothers funeral. When I handed my license to the lady, she dropped it and it fell behind her monitor into a small opening and down into a locked bin underneath. At one point Aarons feet were sticking straight up in the air, it was awesome. We took turns digging until we found it. They flew us first class for the trouble.

Here's another shot from my archive. Far left is me and Aaron, Jeni, Janna, Lindsey. I think Adam took the picture. Camping in Cottonwood canyon near Salt Lake City. This tree had uprooted and fallen because there was a small stream flowing nearby and it had no roots deeper than 3 or 4 inches. When a big windstorm passed through, it had no foundation and fell. I reflect on this experience often.

Lauren's third birthday, July '07. She loves uncle Adam, so does Rylee now too. This is a salute to him - what a stud.

Lauren & cousin Annie pose during our trip to Bear Lake, I think this trip was during summer '06.

Adventures In Disk Golf with Brent

Summer 2007: Brent, Dad, Aaron, Craig, and myself went Disk Golfing. I don't recall if Brent found the disk that landed in this ravine, but he did find a cell phone.

Bowling In Leesville

From my Archives

This looks like the parking lot by the Country Club tennis courts in Leesville. That is Lauren on dad's shoulders. I don't remember when I took this, but what a great photo.

Lauren & Seth. I believe this was taken in Craig & Jordan's old apartment in Metarie.

This is a shot from our dating days at Ricks College, in Rexburg, Idaho. I'm betting this photo was taken in the fall(?) of 1996. The quality of the photo is questionable, but the content brings back a lot of memories. I invited Janna over for dinner and a soccer match one night. I don't think the dinner was very good, but our soccer match in front of my apartments was memorable.

Here's a winner. We found dad out in the backyard riding the mower cutting the grass. We decided to take some shots at him with a water balloon launcher. As I remember, we hit the mower but didn't quite get dad as he was hiding behind skinny trees. Dallin & Taylor are in the background behind Brent.

This picture of Lauren was taken at the zoo in Baton Rouge(?) She was almost three at the time.

Tunnels