Beauty, Weddings, Last days of Summer...

We had some great days to close out our summer. After we stayed with Sherrie in Utah, she came here to spend a week with us and attend a wedding of a friend of hers. Of course it was great for me! I had lunch and dinner plans, movie nights, etc. My kids seemed to enjoy her too (Nate even says she's okay :)


Right after Sherrie left we headed up to Spokane for something Megan has been excited about since May: Andrew and Eva's wedding! Megan got to be their flower girl. She adores Eva and thinks she is beautiful!
Megan and Paul, my cousin Kati's son, are the cutest together! He really likes her and was the ring bearer so she tried to help him with what they were supposed to do. I love this picture of him looking at her!




They are an amazing couple and we are so happy for them! I am so impressed that these two young people are dedicated to putting God first in their lives and trying to live their lives accordingly. We look forward to all the future holds for them!
The reception was held in the Greenbluffs area of Spokane and in an absolutely gorgeous setting. Amanda took advantage of the scenery and had a little photo op. At one point in time we looked over and saw about 10 deer running through the fields around us. Amazing!

Of course, Kevin and Emily were so nice to let us stay with them and drive back and forth to the festivities and then spend a little time with them. Their property is my favorite at this time of year. The kids loved the paddle boat on the pond, the wildflowers, 4-wheelers and all the fun stuff we get to do when we visit.


The weekend was quite a busy one and Nate and Jared made it to the wedding and reception then had to sneak away to Cataldo, Idaho for a campout and a scout 50-mile bike ride. Jared made it but wiped out the last mile, scraping himself up a bit. We were glad it wasn't serious and wish someone had taken a picture. Other than that, it was a really nice end-of-summer trip. *sigh*

Catching Up

I'm not done with summer yet! Good thing the weather is still nice! We spent some quality time on the river this summer, which was fantastic since we didn't get to go at all last year due to a very long broken boat story. We also tried to squeeze in some swimming lessons. I mean, really squeeze them in--both Meg and Bradley got some sort of major summer flu right in the middle of the session which left us attending about half of the session. Whatever it was wiped out each child for about a week--crazy! Once we got past that and scout camp and volleyball camp and Gonazaga camp, etc. etc. It was time to head to Utah to pick up Amanda and several others who attended EFY together in Provo.
At that point in time, Jared was the only one able and/or willing to go with me and it was SO MUCH FUN to take that one-on-one time with him! We took advantage of the situation and stopped in Boise where he was *dying* to see the blue turf and spend some time at BSU in the bookstore. He was very excited about that!


Even the bathrooms were decked out in orange and blue.
Once we got to Utah, we were lucky to stay with Sherrie and hang out for the time we were there. We wasted no time getting to Rumbi Island Grill for dinner--I hadn't had my favorite salad in three years!!
Pretty sure these pictures are out of order but Jared was about seven years old the last time he had been to Utah and really wanted to see temple square, the conference center, etc. It was nice to be able to take the time to do that.
On my list was to hike the Y. It was a nice, warm day and we really enjoyed our hike.





Of course, more eating! Yum!
Sherrie is such a great hostess! We love her (and Jeremy too)!

A Good Tri

I'm not sure exactly how it came about but I got talked into training for and competing in my first Triathalon early in July. Starting in the late winter we stayed after our regular 5:30 a.m. workouts at the gym to start incorporating swimming and running on top of our regular workout routines. Cold swimming pools, boring treadmills and dark, early mornings took up the long winter and spring that never seemed to really get here. Then, one day we started to enjoy it. And we realized those workouts were getting easier. Next thing I know, I was registered and committed to the sprint triathalon--1/2 mile swim, 12 mile mountain bike and 5K race. Here we all are getting into the river. I have no idea where I am. We all look the same. This was definitely the most horrible part of the whole thing for me. The water current was very fast and the water temperature was unseasonably cold this year due to lots of moisture and a very late spring. I believe it was 57 degrees the day of the race. Although I had done okay during the practice swims, I totally panicked here and had to have a little direction from a rescue kayak to get me headed in the right direction. Not a great start but I got it done...
A couple of transition pictures. I made up a little time in the mountain bike portion.
Here I come! Not fast but not too slow; I was in the range I'd hope to finish in and boy did it feel great to accomplish that goal!
I couldn't ask for a better workout/training buddy than Lori! She is amazing and won 1st place in our age group! This was her idea and I am so glad she let me drag myself along; it was such a fun experience and I definitely would do it again!

10!

While we were in Washington, D.C., Megan had her 10th birthday! M & M pancakes were her breakfast request.Her reaction when she found out she was going to the newly opened American Girl doll store at Tyson's Corner!
She had a wonderful hair dresser for her doll. We all had a great time watching her do Charlotte's (her doll's name)hair. She was really great with Megan!




Later we went to dinner at Bob Evans (which she loved) and dessert was a Dairy Queen cake--mmmm!!
She's such a sweet girl and an important part of our family! We love her spunk, her hugs, her piano and soccer abilities, the fact that she is a true book worm and even her EXTREMELY picky eating habits--all part of the package! We love you Megan!

Washington, D.C.

We took an opportunity to spend a few days in Washington, D.C. on the way back from Outer Banks. We loved it there last year and wanted to take in a few more things we didn't get to last time. Arlington National Cemetary was amazing. Below is the eternal flame where the Kennedy graves are/memorial area.

The Tomb of the Uknown Soldier andchanging of the guard made a huge impression on us, especially Bradley who walked like a soldier for the rest of the day.


We also went to the National Cathedral and a couple more museums (Air and Space, Declaration of Independence) on the national mall.




The temple was definitely a highlight. There were deer everywhere on the drive to the temple and the grounds were beautiful.


Another wonderful visit and I hope we get to go back there too someday!