Relay for Life

Michelle had called me earlier in the week and asked if I wanted to do the Relay for Life with her. Target was putting together a team and her mom wanted to know if she was interested in doing it. We decided that it would be fun to go out there and walk. It made it so that we didn't have to do our Saturday morning run. We had a lot of fun. It was good to get out there and just chat. Michelle had the girls so we pushed them in the stroller or carried Brooklyn on our shoulders. Brooklyn actually ran around the track 4 times. That is a whole mile. She was non stop. She kept saying come on Macole. Come on Macole. That is what she calls me. I think that it is so cute. So I ran with her. It was not very fast almost a speed walk pace. But she sure was having fun running around.

At 10 pm they had a ceremony where they lit a bunch of paper bags that people had put family names on, survivors and those we have lost. Then they played some music and lit them all up. They were shaped in the word HOPE with a heart above it. It was so special. It brought tears to my eyes. I could never imagine having to go through what these people have experienced in their lives. There were many teams there that were there for children. It is so sad to think that all of these young children have to endure this. I am so glad that I was able to take the time and go down there and support a good cause.

Stephanie was there for awhile and she walked around with us. We really did have a good time. I didnt really get my camera out much even though I had it. I really need to get better at that. Michelle and I walked 7.5 miles on Friday night and around 5 on Saturday morning. I was very impressed with us. I can only imagine how many other people did that stayed there all night.

My hope is that one day they will find a cure for cancer and that we can take away all of the pain and suffering that people have to endure when it becomes a part of their lives. I am so glad that I got to take part in this. It really helps put into prospective all that I have to be thankful for. I think of all of the people that I know that are suffering from cancer or who are living with a person that is and I am grateful that all of my friends have the love and support that they do. I know that if anyone in my family were to get cancer we would be a strong support system. I know that I personally would want to do everything possible to help in anyway that I could.

Laughlin

This post is all about Geoff. Over the weekend he had the change to go on his first long distance bike ride. He was pretty stoked about it. My dad invited him to tag along on the annual all guys Laughlin trip. I have to say that I was a little  bummed that it was all guys but it was good for Geoff to get out there and have some fun. I don't have much to say about it because I was not there but Geoff said that he really had a good time. They rode out to Laughlin and stopped in different places along the way.

Funny story that Geoff told me when he got back. They were in some town (Ottoman) I believe. When Scott Gibson stopped to take a picture with a burro. He was speeding to catch up with the group and got pulled over. Problem was that he does not have a motorcycle license, the bike is not in his name, he has no insurance for it, and the group was ahead of him so he had no one to back him up. It may sound like a bad day for him. But he managed to talk his way out of it all. Smooth talker!

Geoff said that they also rode over the Hoover Dam. He said it was crazy because you are so high up. He then said something about how it would only be scary if you walked up to the edge and looked down. He said that if a person ever thought about killing themselves this would be the place to do it. Kind of a bad thought but I guess when you are looking straight down from way up in the air it is a thought that would cross your mind.

He had a great time and cant wait to go again. Next time I will make him take me with. I would love to go on a long ride and one day it will happen. I just have to wait my turn! Soon enough. To all of you that are riders you will know what I am talking about when I say there is nothing better then sitting on a Harley with the wind blowing you in the face. It is a wonderful feeling.

Walk for Diabetes

This morning Geoff and I and some of his family had the opportunity to walk/run in a walk to help fund diabetes. Geoff's sister Jill was diagnosed with Type 1 a few years ago and she called and asked us if we would like to come and support her team. It was the first annual walk held her in St. George. It was a huge success. Geoff Sarah, and Kathie took off in the beginning and ran the whole thing. Michelle and I had the girls in a double stroller so we ran and walked with them. We then waited at the finish line for Momma Kathie, Karen, Braxton, Jill, Brett, and Bart. They all walked the whole thing. It was a 5k and I was impressed that  they all did the whole thing. Marian only ran one lap and then was done. Geoff did give her a little bit of crap about that.

I love this picture of Michelle and I because I think that it makes me look skinny. Yes I am allowed to be vain like that it is my blog and since no one really reads it I can say it!

Some of the gang that was there. This is not everyone but most of us. I sure do love being a part of this family. They make everything so fun.

Brooklyn sure does love her Uncle Geoff. She would chase him and then when he would turn around towards her she would start to run away so that Geoff would grab her and swing her around. He sure is a good sport about playing with them.

After the race they had a BBQ and let everyone sit and enjoy the nice weather. They had a bounce house and a slide for all of the kids to play on. I just so happened to run into Megan and the girls who had walked a lap and then played for awhile. I really love getting to see those two little ladies and I wish that I had time to see them more often. They sure do brighten up my day.

Harley!

After much consideration, Geoff and I finally decided to buy him a motorcycle. We have been talking about it for a couple of years. Ever since the last one died. On account that Geoff fried the motor. We learned that a car jump pack is not safe on a motorcycle. Lesson learned. We spent a couple of weeks looking online at different places seeing what was out there. We finally decided between two different bikes. Lucky for us they were both in the same Harley store in Vegas. So we made plans to head down there on a Friday afternoon.

When we pulled into Vegas, I was driving and Geoff was giving me directions. After driving for what felt like forever we finally reached the Harley store. We walked inside and this store was huge. I mean it was like a shopping mall for Harley Davidson!. I was in heaven. As we are walking around looking for the ones that we saw online a friendly salesman comes up to talk to us. And when I mean friendly, he was pushy and arrogant. Come to find out that there is really two different Harley stores on the same street in Vegas only the other one is 15 miles in the other direction and that is the one that has the bikes that we wanted to look at. So after convincing out friendly salesman that he can not sale us a new bike because we already know what we want to buy and just want to go and look at the bikes we came down for we get back in the car and head the other direction.

When we got back in the car Geoff looks down at the map that he was giving me directions of and says I will never use mapquest again. I take the map and realize that he has been looking at it upside down. We just got lucky in finding the Harley store that we did. Driving down the street at 5:30 pm Vegas time is not what I would call fun. No matter what part of Vegas you are in.

We finally make it to the right place and can only find one of the two bikes. It really narrowed down our decision on what bike we had to get. But in all honestly the one there was the one that I liked the best from the pictures that we looked at. Just looking at Geoff's face as he looked at the bike was all the encouragement I needed to spend the money on the new bike. We find someone to help us and tell them that we would like to purchase a bike. We are buying it cash so we figured we could just write them a check and be on our way. We were sorely mistaken in that. They have to have a finance guy do all this paperwork and get everything set up for you. With our luck it was to late in the day for him to be able to do that so they asked us to come back in the morning. Not really what we had in mind. We didn't want to drive home and then back down again in the morning. So we decided to stay the night in Vegas. It was fun to have a little unplanned get away. It was a quick trip but it was nice to spend some one on one time with Geoff. We went to dinner at a resturant in the hotel. The food was not great nor was the service so I was sad about that.

We got up in the morning and headed back to the Harley store. Today was the day we were finally going to buy us a motorcycle. The weather was not nice and Geoff was worried that it would rain on him on the way home. We were not looking forward to that at all.

After spending a couple of hours at the Harley store we were finally able to purchase the bike. We had a few problems with our bank but it all got resolved. I joked with Geoff that we had just purchased a new motorcycle with out even turning it on. While they finalized all of the details on the bike and we waited for the insurance company to fax over proof of insurance Geoff took the bike out for a spin. He was in heaven.

When all was said and done we hit the I-15 to head home.  The sky was dark and over cast so we were nervous. We made it all the way to the gorge before the rain started. I am glad that we were able to make it that far but wish we would have made it all the way home. Geoff was soaked and freezing when we got home. I felt so bad for him. He said it was all worth it to bring his baby home. He said he now has 3 loves of his life. His bike, his car, and me. And yes he did say them in that order!

Sand Hollow Triathlon

We competed in the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center Triathlon. It was Geoff and Michelle's first triathlon. It was a lot of work but in the end we all did amazing. I don't have the times for us off the top of my head so maybe I will look them up and then update this post. Who knows though. I had to included this photo because I love all of our faces. This was just as we were getting ready to begin.

For those of you that do not know the Triathlon that we did was a beginner one. That means that we swam 200 meters, biked 5 miles, and then ran 1.5 miles. It was a lot, and when I say lot, I mean a lot of stuff to do.

I did this same race last year and I remember the swim being the hardest part for me. I could not even get out of the pool last year. This year I did much better. My arms have gotten stronger from Crossfit. It was still pretty hard but I think that the whole race was pretty hard for me. It really makes me know how out of shape I really am.

Geoff decided pretty much at the last minute that he was going to do this with us. He is in pretty good shape but the pool killed him. He was in the water the longest of all of us. But he still did amazing. I love how he looks like he is smiling for the camera.

Geoff and Michelle were at the bike transition at the same time. I was just getting my bike off the rack when Geoff showed up. So I have no pictures of me at this point. I was faster then both of them up until this point.

Geoff smiling for the camera as he takes off on the bike. He sure is handsome. Even though the helmet does not do any justice for him.

Unfortunately for me, Geoff passed me about 2.5 miles into the bike ride. I guess all the spin classes that he has been going to every morning paid off for him. Here he is crossing the finish line.

I am proud to say that I finished and with a pretty decent smile on my face. The face should say it all.

Here we are after the race waiting for Michelle. She was not to far behind me so we did not have to wait long. She really is improving so much. I love to have her to workout with. I know that I have said that like a million times but it is so true!

Here we are all together. Happy to be finished and talking about the next one that we will be doing. There is one in June that we are planning on doing. Geoff has been hitting the pool at least twice a week to get ready for it and I have started riding my bike to work and school. We know what we need to work on and are hoping to improve out times.

First Swim of the season

In preparation for our upcoming triathlon we hit the pool for some laps. We ended up playing around a lot more then really swimming. I did manage to get in my 8 lengths before we got out of the pool. It was a lot of fun and made me more excited for the warm weather to be here all the time. The water looks so blue in the photos. It is so cool. Sorry for all the squinty eyes we were looking into the sun.

Michelle and Addison getting out of the pool to go talk to Bart. He is away for work and they Skype him every night. I am so glad that we have the technology that makes this possible.

After the pool we headed over to Bart and Michelle's house to cook up some burgers. It was a lot of fun to be able to hang out and just have a good time. With how busy Geoff and I have been lately there is not really a lot of time to get to do stuff like this. I really hope that we can continue to make time.

Brooklyn had fallen asleep after the pool and was just waking up when this photo was taken. I could not get her to smile for me. I tried really hard. She was hungry though she ate two whole hotdogs. That is a lot for this little lady that does not like to eat.

Addison on the other hand loves to eat. She was getting mad that we were not getting the food to her fast enough. I sure do love hanging out with these two little ladies!

Jonathon joined us. Courtney had to work so she missed out on the fun. We are sure excited to be attending their wedding this summer. So exciting for them.

And what is a post without a picture of us. I sure do love this man with all my heart. Funny thing he said to me. I looked at this picture and was like man my forehead looks huge. (don't judge me on that). His response is that it is because I turn my chin down so that I don't look like I have a double chin. I guess that I will have to take the big forehead then. He is such a crack up. But I love him so much!

Just a thought

Do you ever get the random idea that you can be a better person? As I sit here thinking of all the things that I need to do around my house and of all the things I want to accomplish in life I ponder on how my life is different than I ever expected it to be. It is not a bad thing not in the least. I love my life and all the people in it. I guess what I am trying to say is that we all have trials that lead us to the end. You become the person that you are by picking which path you are going to take. Not all of these paths are the right one but they all lead to the same destination. I have decided that I am going to strive to do better and enjoying the path that I chose no matter how hard or not fun it may be. I will be a better person. That I can promise to!