Fun at Grandma Nona's

Where were these slides when we were kids? My brother got one because he has about a zillion grand kids and it gets used well I think! He brings it to mom's house for family parties.

This is my one and only Gus going down the slide. He really enjoyed it last year...this year he said "the line is sooooooo long!"

I remember putting the hose on our metal slide so we could slide down with out burning our butts, and that was pretty fun. I remember playing in the ditch in front of grandma's house. I used to love to run through the yard kicking lots of water during "water turns". So I guess we had lots of summer fun with out one of these slides.... but someone needs to tell these kids how cool this is!

TRI- THIS!

The Runners!

Sophie and I just did a Tri...the Dinotriathlon. I did the same triathlon 2 years ago and my goal was to do it in under 2 hours this time around. The first time I did it in 2 hours one minute. I did meet my goal ( yippee!) and beat my old time by 7 minutes. A lot of that I attribute to my new bike "Blossom" . It was awesome to actually pass people on the biking section. In this Tri, they write your age on your calf, which makes for a fun game. You can try to see all the ages of the people you are passing. One guy I had to pass twice because I went crazy on the shifting and through my chain off!

Gus got to race too! All the kids got to run 1/2 way around the track and he shot out like a rocket. He was in first place ( with about 50 kids running) and a tall red headed boy passed him in the last 10 yards. What a fast little runner he is!! He takes after his mom.

If I knew I looked like this from the back I probably wouldn't have worn my Tri suit! South Beach here I come. Time to lose the last few excess pounds :)

They said I was the only person to sit down to put my running shoes on. Who knew I was supposed to have my shoes off before I ever got off the bike?

Sweet adventure!

Ok, so I want to be here right now! When I grow up I want to be Spencer and Barbara! At this moment, I am living vicariously through my son and daughter in law. They sold everything that they could, and the rest they gave away. Then they took off with just a couple of back packs ...destination Belize. These pictures are in Mexico...but they're working their way south.

How much stuff do we really need in life to be happy. It's just stuff, right? Isn't it true that our possessions begin to own us, instead of the other way around. Who really wants to spend their days off mowing that lawn, or fixing up that house? I think I'd rather be reading on the beach!

That being said......don't know how my bike would get on the plane with me, but that is the one thing I don't think I could give up!

Family photos

Yay! We finally got a family photo! Oh we have all kinds of casual shots of everyone separately but here we are...all together in the same house at the same time. It's amazing :)

Yeah, Gus was being a pickle and didn't smile, but that's ok...he's still cute. I just have to say here that I am so happy with who my kids married. All 3 of my " in-laws" are just awesome, and absolutely perfect for their prospective spouses. All completely different, just like my kids are all completely different.

I remember my mom saying " you raise them all the same, and they just turn out differently" All I can say is thank goodness for that! That's what makes our family so wonderful, the unique personalities of everyone. And here's the cool part....if I met any one of my kids on the street today for the first time, I would like every one of them...not because I'm their mom and I HAVE to like them. I would love them for who they are as adults.

Oh, and we finally got a picture of Spence and Barb together, with no one else in the shot. Something we didn't manage to do at their wedding! They're taking off to another country for awhile. I'm happy for their adventure, but I'm going to miss them so much.

Happy Trails you two!! Hope you get a blog set up so you can keep us posted.

Who wants to join me?

I'm talking about the DinoTri! The Dinotriathlon June 27th. I did it in 2007, but skipped last year due to a sprained ankle. Yeah, I tangled up with a motorcycle riding my bike in Moab and the darned thing took FOREVER to heal. I guess that's a by product of my age. Anyway, I digress. I am committing today to do the Dino Tri , it's a super fun atmosphere. We swim in Red Fleet Reservoir, bike to the high school and run around neighborhoods, then finish in the football stadium. I swear I about cried when I ran in the stadium and they announced my name. Yes I was stumbling around the track half dead, but I made it! My friend Troy was the announcer, and he talked about the fact that I was riding my "trusty mountain bike Spooky" in the event. Yes, I ride a mountain bike...I fear skinny wheels and I'm not too worried about breaking world records in the time category...just improving my fitness.

So I'm throwing it out there. Who wants to join me? Sophie has committed! Maybe her friend Dot...I'm thinking Christina? Who else? It will be lots of fun and maybe we'll get a little more fit in the process.

I'm hoping I get the same number again this year. 303 was perfect...when I held my arm one way it said wow and the other way was mom. Can't beat that!

GOOOOO UTES!

Wow what a fun game! The Utes are undefeated...13 and 0, and just rolled the crimson tide. BCS? More like BS! I think it's time the Mountain West Conference got some respect.

It's such a bummer being a Ute fan where we live because we can very rarely get the games on TV because none of the satellite carriers here have the mountain.

We went to Matt and Maya's and watched the game with the family and lots of friends....what fun!

Yep, we're a Utah family and we bleed red :)...then again who doesn't?