The start of a new journey for George

George has never been a very sporty boy. He liked gymnastics when he was littler. He is very strong and has great balance. He swims every summer, mostly at my insistance. He likes it okay, but doesn't consider himself a swimmer. So when he asked me if I could sign him up for a triathalon I jumped at the chance to get him involved in something new, but didn't really expect it to be anything spectacular. Just a fun experience, which it was, but it was also pretty spectacular.

We showed up with signs and were ready to cheer!

We knew he would be good at the swim. He chose to do the beginner tri, since it was his first! It is half the distance of a sprint, so his swim was just 200 meters. Easy Peezy Swimmer Geezy. He was the second one out of the water and we followed him out to the first transition.

He borrowed a road bike from Shana,

he and Kyle went on one ride before the race and Kyle said he did really well but we didn't know how he would do racing by himself, on a course he had never ridden on before...

without his hearing aids, 

since he was so wet still.

 Okay so I was a lot anxious about how it would go.

George just jumped on the bike and rode, and rode fast.

Beckstrands all raced in the races before and after George so they were all there to cheer with us. We watched George ride away and then we waited and waited and 6 miles later we saw a bike coming back and pretty soon I realized it was George....he was in first place! There were not age parameters, so he was racing grown men and women, and kids his own age, and he was in first place!

He had to run 1.5 miles and he doesn't love running, so this was the section I was most worried about, but he kept a good pace and only one very buff middle-aged man passed him (this guy looked like he should have been doing a half ironman, not a half sprint...but whatever)

I know I wasn't around then, but this could be 13 year old Kyle high fiving Lauri.

 We were very proud of George and he was very excited and had a great time.

That is one proud ironman dad.  I see many great bike rides in their future!

When they announced his name as 2nd place overall, he ran down to the stage and back up the hill to us like he was still full of energy!

Disney Christmas Memories

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My parents journey together.

This will be out of order, but I got some great pictures and wanted to honor my parents for just a minute.  We were able to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary all together this year.  It was May 10th, well the party was the 11th, but we are just lucky we got to have a party at all.  Mom consented to letting us have just their children and siblings (and honorary siblings Uncle Gary and Aunt Kaye).

Paula planned a great event.  Jan made an awesome replica of their wedding cake and Kyle BBQ'ed 40 chicken breasts.  It was a great day.  I love my parents so much.  They are an inspiring example of patience and long suffering.:)....or hard work and endurance.;).....I mean love and charity.  They are actually examples of all of those things, since any married person knows it will take all those things to enjoy 50 years together....and eternity.

The grandkids all stood in a row and blew bubbles as they came in to the park...someone gave mom that flower so it seemed like she was carrying a bouquet.......kind of funny.

Baby Brynn, Grandpa and Sarah

Aunt Marsha Ann...there is not a picture in existence where these two are just smiling nicely!

I think everyone was waiting for a blessing on the food...and I made them look at me for a picture instead!

So worth the trip to get to spend this awesome day with my parents.

Love her!

Right where he wants to be......by himself with his back to the crowd....chicken done Wells.

Crazy cousins!

This is Grandma reading the surprise present that Grandpa got her...a tour of Western Canada.

We told mom to laugh a little right before the picture and that would make her smile look more natural, but then she got the giggles and couldn't stop laughing!

Andy wrote a new song for the occasions, and also played all our old favorites.

and I hope Andy is always by my side!

The best Subway hike ever!

This is practically a throw back blog, since this hike actually happened like 3 months ago, but school is finally back in session so I am playing catch up.
I have done this hike in Zion 4 times now with Kyle, and it really is phenomenal.  I was the veteran of the females, I think that that gave them some comfort, knowing that if I can do it, they surely can do it. :)  Spencer originally wanted to take the kids, but I protested because it has been so long since I have been, and they broke the kids last time they went.  The stars aligned for me and Shana was the only one that got a permit, and she said she was only going if the other moms were going.  So Spencer, Shana, Mason, Mandy, Kyle and I headed up the canyon.

The only pic we are all in, thanks to Spencer's long arm.

We made it through the forest,  off the beaten path a little, but we ended up in the right spot.

Mason decided he was going to ruin all my pictures today......

I am going to send this out as Christmas cards from the two of us....

 I kept trying to recreate these pictures with Kyle and Mason kept jumping in...you can't tell behind my glasses but I was laughing so hard I was crying and couldn't do anything-  He tried to bomb the next picture of me and Kyle too, but Spencer just pretended to take his picture so he would move.

We have this same picture from 17 years ago...a little older, but still so happy to be spending the whole day hiking together.

 Our first swim.....Shana was not very excited, the water was a tid bit nipply,  Mandy was trying to lighten the mood with her 80's rap music and pop and lock routine.

We tried to stop on the tracks for lunch but some tourists came up on us so we kept moving so we didn't have to wait for them to harness up....

This is where Laynee broke her leg last year.  Kyle did bring a rope this year and sat at the top and helped us down, and then he threw down the pack and scaled that rock like it was a step ladder...it was very impressive.  I left Mandy's head in the corner of the top right pic, so you could tell how big it really was.

 About an hour earlier, Mason was telling us about this poster he saw for this hike with people in full harnesses, and helmets and wetsuits, and he thought how ridiculous it would be to see people actually hiking like that.......and then we round the bend and here they are!

We came around another turn and ran into this....a whole herd of waterproof sheep waiting their turn to be lowered into the canyon, so we politely asked if we could pass them, and shimmied down the tree.... I think at this point they were starting to second guess their attire and the b.s. their guide had been feeding them about required safety measures.

I finally got him back...sorry Mandy!

Trying to get some color on those pasty legs....if only he had remembered his pointer.

We made it!  We look a little ragged, and by us, I mean me; but it was worth the sore muscles.

  It was the funnest day.  

I am very lucky to have great in-laws and to be able to make great memories.