FHE with Friends

FHE has never been so exciting! We had a great mind-reading demonstration by Gregorio the Great and his assistant, Maximus (did I get that right?) The twosome awed the crowd (the kids) which then led to a great paper airplane making lesson by BJ. The kids learned that without a plan and proper instruction, the piece of paper could not fly. But by following instruction exactly that they'd be able to create paper airplanes. The lesson was great - even if the focus of the kids was all over the place. They had a fun time!

We ended the night with apples, carmel, and paper airplane flying contests off the deck.

It was a fun Family Home Evening!

A fUn HaLlOwEEn PaRTy!

A Breaking Dawn Party Event

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Fishin' at Battlecreek Park

Pleasant Grove's Strawberry Days is this week. We got a late start this morning and didn't get to Battlecreek Park until 11. The fishing was over. I guess they let kids fish along the side of the manmade pond/fishing hole from 9 - 11 a.m. That would have been fun to see. At 11 a.m. they had to put the poles away, and the kids were able to run around in the pond and try to catch the remaining fish with their hands or with nets. Dakota and Rylan worked together - patiently trying to find a fish. No luck. That didn't stop them from trying though. Next year we'll see if Daddy can take off the morning and take Kota fishing and catch a real live fish!

The Dance Recital

Last Monday night Sheena and Kris had to perform for a room full. It was their dance recital. I'm glad we didn't miss it. Greg, Kota, and I had just gotten back from the grocery store. BJ came over after failing to find his car keys and wondered if we'd take him and the kids to Kris' recital. We decided to make it a family affair and all went together. It was really hot in the rec center that night. When they turned on the fans, we couldn't hear the music. So, they turned off the fans, and we all suffered together.

Sheena and Kris did an awesome job though. They were the best of the whole group. I'm not biased. I'm just glad we could all be there to see them - two years in a row! Good job you cute girls!

A Woman of Steel

After months and months of anticipation and preparation, it finally arrived - my first Sprint Triathlon. I signed up in January, excited and scared. What was I committing to? I, along with 36 other (approximately) other women from our neighborhood decided to go for it.

Getting to the gym every day for me was the easy part. That was my routine. I loved biking, running, and lifting. Swimming was my downfall. I'm a terrible swimmer, so I hated "practicing". I avoided it like crazy. I did at one point try to get a trainer to help me with my technique, but the two appointments we had fell through. Then it was just too close to the actual event, so I gave up on trying to improve my swim. What a mistake that was. Cute Beccy Martin and I stood together waiting for the swim. There she gave me a mini lesson. But, it didn't help. I joked that I was the comic relief in the pool. I wore black (unlike at the left in the photos) hoping no one would recognize me in the pool. I had a pink cap and goggles on just like everyone else. Surely I would blend in. Then I heard Colby's voice - GROTHE! Crap, he recognized me. And I'm sure he laughed as he watched me struggle in the water. I swear I swallowed half the pool.

After 10:47 struggling minutes I finally finished, climbed out, and jogged (they wouldn't let us run - not that I'd be able to with jelly legs) to the transition area. There was my 2nd mess-up. Transition #1 was awful - 3:05 minutes. All I had to do was secure my helmet, put my socks and shoes on, grab some gum and my bike, and run. But, I took my sweet time (obviously).

Once on my bike, I soared. It felt great. The hills were easy. I passed person after person steadily. While others waivered from side to side, I climbed the hill. I picked up my pace once at the top and biked like I'd never biked before. I finished 11 miles in 38 minutes. I'd cut off 10 minutes from our bike ride on Tuesday. I'm sure adrenaline played a part, but it probably didn't hurt that I'd had my bike adjusted to my height and body the day before. Whatever it was, it worked.

My second transition went much more quickly. I took just over a minute to drop my bike off, take off my helmet, throw on my team "pink" shirt, cram some shot blocks in my shirt, and run. I was on my way. On the hill I was winded and slowed to a fast walk for about 30 seconds. Now I regret doing that. I normally don't stop when I'm running; why did I then? But then I picked back up and ran. I was chasing #59. We all had our ages on the back of our right legs, and I was following some lady who was 59. She had a steady pace. About 2/3 into the run, I picked up my pace, passed her, and then ran as fast I could from there. I ran my fastest 5k yet - 25:05.

I crossed the finish line at 1:18:25. I'd estimated it would take me 90 minutes to complete the entire race, and I'd beat my goal by more than 10 minutes.

Our entire team of "pink" did really well. The majority of us finished within 3-4 minutes of each other. The fastest of our group beat me by 2 minutes. You can only imagine how I analyzed my race. What if my transition would have been faster? I could have easily been in and out of the transition area in 90 seconds. What if I wouldn't have stopped during my run? What if my swimming didn't suck so bad? These are things I will remember for next time.

And oh yeah, there will be a next time. Em, Sara, and I have already signed up for the PG Tri on June 14th. There I will have to swim 400 meters (yuck - I'll probably drown), only bike 8 miles, and run another 3. It's going to be an adventure.

My hero for the race? Sheena Brown. With the flu, she competed. She knew she shouldn't. She'd been sick the day before and the morning of. Yet, she said a little prayer, had Darrin give her a blessing, and she went for it. She is such a trooper.

My other hero? Rebecca Schow. She kicked butt. I remember when we first signed up, she was completely reluctant. She didn't want to. Yet she did amazingly well - beating almost everyone in our ward. Her time was around 1:17:55. That turkey beat me! I'm so proud of her.

This will be a Tri to remember. Never again will we have so many ladies participate, train, and compete together. It was an amazing experience!!!

Our Provo 5K Race

So we had our 2nd 5K Race yesterday. The excitement started on Friday when we went to Fazzoli's to check-in, pick up our packets, and our numbers. They then fed us unlimited pasta (carb-load) for cheap. We took advantage of that - almost making ourselves sick. Yesterday morning Sheena showed up at my door bright and early - early being the key word. I wasn't quite ready. I was still syncing my iPod and charging my Garmin. We picked up Emily and off we went. It was cOlD outside yesterday. We put on our headbands, jackets, and gloves. The wind was blowing, and their was a freezing chill in the area. The adrenalin was pumping though, and through the cold we kept our excitement. After strapping on our time-chips, they blew the cannon, and off we were. We wanted to maintain between an 8-8.30 pace. The first 1 1/2 miles was easy. The wind was with us. Then we turned the corner, and the last 1 1/2 miles sucked. The chilling wind was against us, and we had to run uphill. Our descent pace quickly dropped. We kept going though. The last stretch like the time before we gave it all we had and sprinted through the finish line. This race kicked our butts. We we were beat. Even though we didn't stick to our ideal pace the entire time, we almost cut 2 minutes off our time from our first run. And imagine our surprise when they announced that both Em and I had placed 2nd in our respective age categories. Proudly we wore our medals home for bragging rights with the hubbies and kids.

...and don't forget Sheena! She was amazing. Sheena just had a baby a couple of months ago, and here she was racing in a 5k! How many women do you know that do that? She is truly our inspiration and the one who got us going in the first place. By August when we run in the half-marathon without a doubt she'll be leaving us both in the dust.

Happy Early Mother's Day to Me

Is it Mother's Day yet? Oh, I thought it was. Happy Mother's Day to me. I finally came clean with Greg a couple of days ago and let him know that I'd bought myself an early Mother's Day present. He told me he'd already regripped his golf clubs for his birthday which is coming up next week, so I asked if he'd bought me a Mother's Day present yet. With Mother's Day being nearly 2 months away, he thought I was joking. That's when I fessed up.

What did I feel the need to get for myself? Well, last week Kim let Emily and I borrow her Garmin watch for our 5k. Did I mention how handy it was? It was the best tool ever for the race. We were able to manage our pace, know our distance and our time. With just a quick glance at my wrist, I knew exactly where we were at, if we needed to speed up, if we needed to slow down, or if we were on the home stretch.

Since I'll soon be moving from the treadmill to outside, my new watch will come in handy. One thing I've enjoyed about the treadmill is that it keeps me at a steady pace. My watch will help keep me on track, and I can't wait to test it!

Thank you Kim for letting me "test-drive" your's and Sheena for putting the bug in my ear in the first place! It will definitely come in handy!

Parker's Pool Party at the Poelmans'

Parker turned 8 on Sunday, and last night we got to celebrate his birthday with him up at the Poelmans' pool. We joined the Chandlers, Poulsens, and the Browns (minus Darrin - dang it!). All our kids are the same age, so they had a blast.

I don't know who had more fun - the kids or the grown-ups. We all strapped on helmets and went down the slide - holy cow is that thing fast! Then we ladies climbed on our husbands and had ourselves a wrestling match. It was a great time.

Can I just say that I truly have some of the neatest friends? I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends in my life who love to play - just like me! They mean the absolute world to me, and I am so thankful for them!!!