TOU 1/2

Today Jason, Ethan, and I ran the Top of Utah Half Marathon. I'd say we were pretty successful all around. Ethan finished in 1:40, Jason in 1:41, and I finished in 1:49.
This is me sprinting to the finish. I thought I could easily pass this guy and then when I caught up to him he started all-out sprinting. I kept up with him, but I threw up a little after I crossed the finish line. Gross, I know, but I did make it away from the crowd before I lost it!
This was Ethan's first real race, and he got FIRST PLACE in his age group (about 10 boys).
And it didn't end there. Ethan won the drawing for this little balance bike! It's perfect for Piper. Ethan really was the hero of the day. We are PROUD!

Soaring Eagles

One of Jason's patients, Stan Checketts, invited us over to ride his zipline. Stan used to own S&S, which built roller coasters. Now he has started Soaring Eagles and builds ziplines that you sit in instead of hanging from.

Stan was so easygoing and generous. First he took us through his house and his "Rec Center." Our mouths were open the whole time. Arcade room, bowling alley, swimming pool, racquetball court, you name it. Their family has a lot of fun. Stan said his kids and grandkids gather at his house every Monday for family night.

The great thing about the zipline is that you ride it both up (backwards) and down. At the bottom, instead of just slowing down and stopping, you "crash" into a line of springs, which is scary and fun.
Stan had a tiny gun as his belt buckle. The boys asked if it was real and I laughed and said "Of course not." But it was! He took it off and let the boys shoot it into the ground. It was a .22!!

Unbroken

WOW! I just finished this book last night. It was incredible. You may know by now that I love a biography, and this tops any I've read before. I couldn't put it down; when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it.

It tells the true story of Louis Zamperini, who becomes a P.O.W. after being shot down over the Pacific during WWII. You'll hear about his life growing up in California. He started as a kid - and then teen - who seemed bound for trouble. After his brother convinced him to start track, he became an Olympic runner. [The picture below is after a race where his competitors kicked his legs and tread on his feet with their spikes to get him out of the competition.] I won't tell more, but you will not believe his experiences, his resourcefulness, and his resiliency.

Unbroken is a must read for anyone, and it is going on my teenage kids' reading list. It describes WWII in the Pacific against the Japanese [It seems we mostly hear about Nazi Germany and the war in Europe]. But more than that, it explains it from the airman's point of view: his emotions, his fears, his love for his country and his fellow soldiers. Like action and adventure? This is the real thing! You learn through Louie how to maintain dignity while suffering and how to keep faith in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Since I'm recommending it, I will add that it has a little swearing and lots of violence. Still, without hesitation, I consider it clean, uplifting, and worth your time. Read it!

Anniversary

Yesterday was our Anniversary. Jason gave me something I've been asking for since we moved into this house: a lock for our bedroom door.

I know what you're thinking. I can see your smile. But there were other reasons for needing a lock:

-The master bath off our bedroom has no lock either, just a sliding pocket door. Kids can waltz right in.They crack the door while I am showering and holler in requests: "Can Austin come over?!!" or "What's my job today?!!" or "When will you be out?!!"

-Sometimes I need to go in my room for some peace and quiet. Just for a few minutes. And sometimes locking the door is necessary.

Anyway, Happy Anniversary, Jason. Eighteen years has gone by fast. I love you!

Sweet Sixteen

Bronwen turned 16 yesterday. She's a pretty great girl.

She works hard in school. She is dedicated to volleyball. She is committed to doing what's right.

She's fun to be with, great to play games with, and she is (usually) respectful with us.

And I love it that she takes goofy pictures of herself and leaves them on the camera.

NYC Day 4

Our last day (and a half) we crammed in the remainder of our must-dos. Empire State Building.

These guys are two models outside the Abercrombie and Fitch store. That guy has an eight-pack!

This foosball table at FAO Schwarz was hilarious: Barbie Dolls in miniskirts!

Besides the shows, this was our favorite activity. We rented bikes and rode all the way around Central Park. The main loop is 6 miles around. So, so many runners and bikers. We also saw Kelsey Grammer there (Frasier).

The Lion King. SO AMAZING! Who came up with all those ideas?

After the play, we walked past the Adams Family theater, and Brooke Shields (one of the leads) was just coming out, signing autographs. She is a beautiful woman, but doesn't this picture just make you feel good about yourself?

On Friday morning, we got up EARLY and went to Rockefeller Center to catch the Today Show Concert, Maroon 5. We didn't get there early enough and so ended up behind the stage. Pretty lame spot (that's the band playing behind those lights), but it was fun anyway.

We had a blast in NYC. Jason was awesome to stay home with the kids. He even took them all to Seven Peaks by himself. What a great dad!

NYC Day 3

Wednesday we took the double-decker tour of Downtown NYC. We stopped at Ground Zero (not much to see there), the Brooklyn Bridge (above), and wandering around the shops in Soho.

I love this display in the window of a clothing store. Inside the walls were decorated with hundreds of antique overside spools.

I got to go inside Aero, the store of one of my favorite designers, Thomas O'Brien. I actually saw Mr. O'Brien there but would not be so obnoxious as to ask for his picture. I should have done it anyway, right? This chair in his store is a vintage chair he found, painted, and recovered. I thought it would be so perfect at our desk...until I was told the price. Just $5500.00!


In the evening, we took a cruise around the south end of Manhattan and Liberty Island. It rained and rained on us.

At about 10:00pm, after the cruise, we wandered around looking for a place to eat. We were wearing tacky ponchos the tour bus gave us earlier that day. We didn't look like tourists at all! We found this amazing restaraunt and even though we came in dripping wet, the waiter was very nice. We had licorice creme brulee and peach cheesecake for dessert.

NYC Day 2

Tuesday we took a double-decker tour bus of uptown NYC. Our tour guide was very, um, interesting. We got impassioned speeches about rent control apartments, flipping the bird, and "Hot Latino Man," (a guy on the tour route who leans out his fourth-floor window and blows kisses to the bus).

We stopped in front of the Museum of Natural History (Night at the Museum) and met my Aunt Evie and Uncle Dick, who are serving a mission at the NYC Temple and Family History Center. They treated us to the Shake Shack (YUM!) and then we walked about 10 blocks down to the temple.

This building houses the entrance to the temple and the family history center on the main floor, the temple on the next floor, and the meeting chapel above that.

It was small, but beautiful and peaceful.

Here's the temple from the outside, right in the midst of high rises. My Aunt says the Church owns the buildings around the temple.

We stopped at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is an enormous Jackson Pollock. What do you think of this kind of art? I love it. I don't pretend to have some deep understanding of it; I just think it's pretty and fun to look at.

Tuesday night was Mary Poppins on Broadway! It was a good show, especially the "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" number.

NYC Day 1

Last week Bronwen and I were in New York City with our friends, Lisa, and her daughter, Madyson. We all go way back to dental school in Omaha, Nebraska, when the girls were babies. Now they are turning 16!

We hit Times Square as soon as we got there Sunday Night.

We loved seeing this huge billboard.

Monday: These were some NYPD cops on the beat. We were shameless about asking people for pictures.
Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity.

Dylan's Candy Bar: Candy embedded in the floor, Hot Tamale cotton candy, and any flavor of gummy bear! We did see Dylan Lauren herself there, who is Ralph Lauren's daughter (hence the money to start the store!)