Swimming Lessons for Me!!

I never learned how to hold my breath underwater without holding my nose. I took swimming lessons as a kid but I always held my nose. The teacher told me that I wouldn't pass unless I could figure it out so I quit lessons. Bryan has tried to teach me but it just didn't work for long. I was just really scared.

Last year I asked the kid's swimming teacher if she would hold an adult lesson. She told me she would if I could get at least 3 students to take it. I had 5 people ready to take it but one-by-one they dropped out and she didn't offer the class. This year I tried and tried to get people, the teacher even offered it in her schedule, but no one signed up but me...until my parents decided to take it with me! They were life savers.

We started with bobs, holding our breath (which I finally, kind of, figured out), floating and then we moved on to strokes. I even learned to dive. We did so well that she only gave us 4 lessons (instead of 8) and refunded our money.

On the last day of lessons we got to show off and it was fun. My mom got smooth with her front crawl.

Diving (I didn't realize that I pull to one side):

After I dove in:

My parents and I (I'm the splash between them by the slide):

Me and Mom:

Swimming and Biking

Julie, Ruston and crew were in town for Ruston's family reunion. They invited us to swim with them, eat dinner and then go mountain biking. The kids had a full day but loved playing the pool with cousins and then going biking. The place they went was in Green Valley past the Green Valley Spa. It was evening and the sun was going down but they had time to find some hills to bike over. Courtney rode her own bike for a little while and then hopped onto the tag-along behind Bryan. Ethan loved going down the hills.

After a while they were pretty tired and ready to go but they had fun!!

Bryce Canyon and Panguitch

Friday we drove to a camp area between Panguitch and Bryce Canyon to meet up with my parents. They have a new motor home that the kids were BEGGING to sleep in. When we got there, we unloaded our van and then we all went into Bryce Canyon to look around. It is gorgeous there and so much cooler (temperature-wise) than in Zion's and St. George. It was great. After dinner and s'mores, Bryan took a bike ride up toward Bryce Canyon until it got too dark.



Saturday morning we woke up at 5:45, got ready and went into Panguitch for the hot air balloon festival. It was fun because you could stand right on the field where they were launching the balloons and watch them get ready. We had a lot of fun guessing what the balloons were and betting on which would get up first. The kids had a great time and there were muffins and cocoa for everyone! It was a fun time.



After the balloons, we loaded everything up and the kids got to ride home in the motor home. They loved it and I loved the quiet drive home with no kids fighting in the backseat!! BONUS!

Swimming Lessons

The kids just finished their first session of swimming lessons. We take from a woman in Diamond Valley who has a pool in her backyard. She is a great teacher and the kids love going!

On their last day of class they got to show off for all the parents. It was fun to see what they have learned and to watch them swim. Courtney is really coming along. She is a bit afraid of treading water, but she can do it just fine. Ethan is really good at the underwater swim. He can swim from one end of the pool to the other completely underwater. It makes me a bit nervous but he loves doing it!

They are going to take more lessons in the next session and are pretty excited.

Happy Father's Day

Bryan had a good Father's Day. The kids went nuts!!! On Saturday morning, after we had volunteered at the Utah Summer Games, we went to Home Depot where Ethan and Courtney built a mini-tool box for Bryan. They wanted to run to the store to buy some candy bars to put in it. Then Ethan came up with the idea of making Bryan find his presents on a scavenger hunt. Santa did this for Christmas when he hid the kid's presents and they had to figure out the clues before they could find them. They loved it and so now it is that they want all the time.

Ethan wrote the first clue by himself and then he and Courtney helped me write the others. They were so excited and all night kept trying to put more and more presents (things they found in their rooms) in the hidden places. It was cute.

On Sunday morning Ethan brought Bryan the first clue:

Hello Dad. Are you awake?
If you are, listen to this case.
Your presents have up and disappeared
And we think it's really weird.
They left a clue for you to use.
Find it in your running shoes!!

Bryan had to go to the closet to find his first gift from Ethan...a trophy for Best Dad (along with a frisbee, golf ball and baseball). With those gifts was the second clue:

Something sweet and just for you
Is waiting up in Courtney's room.
Go over to her desk and you'll see
A present and clue number 3.

In the cabinet above Courtney's desk was a bag with her mini-toolbox filled with two Kit Kat bars (one of Bryan's favorite). With that present was another clue:

You slept just fine I know you did.
You don't know where the last is hid.
Present number 3 is hid
Under where you slept in bed.

The present was under our bed. This one was Ethan's mini-toolbox with a Twix bar in it (another favorite of Bryan). With that was the final clue:

You worked up quite an appetite.
You've worked real hard with all your might.
Out in the kitchen is your last prize.
It's what you eat....at Sunrise!

Bryan's breakfast of fruit, juice and an english muffin were on the table with his Father's Day cards. The kids were so happy with how well their hunt went! They had a great time doing it and they certainly love their dad.

The Bishopric gave all the men candy bars for Father's Day after Sacrament Meeting. Bryan got a Reeces Peanut Butter Cup. He was in heaven. That is three out of his four favorite candy bars!!

We had my parents over for dinner (grilled lemon pepper chicken, melon, wild rice and strawberry shortcake).

It was a great day! We love you Bryan!!!

Volunteering

After Bryan's last triathlon we saw the volunteer coordinator for the triathlons asking for volunteers to help with the Utah Summer Games Triathlon. The swim was going to be held at Gunlock, the bike route went right past our house to the high school and the run was going to be on a biking path new our house so we decided to volunteer. We even signed the kids up to help. Ethan was a bit upset at us because we didn't ask him if he wanted to help but he lived.

We got the phone call on Friday afternoon telling us to show up at Gunlock Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. We told the kids and we all tried to go to bed early. At 4:30 a.m. our alarm went off and Bryan and I got up, got dressed, loaded a bag with snacks and water and then he woke the kids up at 4:45. We were out of the house about 5 a.m.

When we got to Gunlock it was breezy and cold!! We found the volunteer coordinator, got our bright green t-shirts, ate our donuts and then sat around for an hour until the athletes began to arrive. They were bussed up from Snow Canyon High School, where the run finished.

Bryan and Ethan were given the task of checking all the bike handles to make sure they were properly plugged on the end. If they weren't, they had to put a penny on the hole and tape it down. Courtney and I stood around watching them work. ;)

When it was time for the start we made our way down to the water to watch. The water was about 68 degrees, the same temperature as the water at Quail Creek when Bryan did his last tri. But with the wind it felt a lot colder to me! Some hardy...or dumb...people weren't wearing wet suits. One lady was in a bikini. Go figure.

Anyway, the swim began and we watched for a little while and then made our way to the beginning of the bike section, where the timing mats were located. Our job was to tell the people to "mount after the line!" No one really listened to us but I felt like we were actually doing something.

It all went pretty fast considering there were around 200 athletes. When the last woman and her son (who stuck with her to make sure she was okay) finally exited the water and began biking, we helped to take everything down. The kids did a great job!! They helped to dismantle barricades, pick up bags of clothes the athletes left behind, pick up trash and do anything else that was needed.

We were out of there at about 8:30! Not a bad way to spend the morning. Then we drove to Home Depot so the kids could build something (but it's a surprise for Bryan so I can't tell you what it is), we went to breakfast at Golden Corral, did some shopping and then went home to relax and take naps!

Ethan was so happy with how it went that he now wants to volunteer for every event in St. George. I guess he has forgiven us for signing him up to volunteer without asking first. And we now all have a cool, bright green t-shirt! SCORE!

The "Old Men" vs. the Young Men

The Young Men in our ward, specifically the Priests, have been mouthing off for a couple of years saying they could beat our Elders/High Priests (the "old men") in basketball. The old men have said they would play whenever the young men would arrange it, but it never happened. Some believed it was out of fear.

Well, the young men needed a fund raiser and were feeling pretty good about their basketball skills ... they won the region championship for Church ball this year... so they arranged the "Big Game." We have 3 of the Snow Canyon basketball coaches and the vice principal in the ward so the game took place in the high school gym with the sound system and scoreboard going. The vice principal was the MC and he did a great job of it. He even found a "pacman" song to play when Bryan got in the game. ;)

While the Priests were playing ball, the Teachers Quorum washed cars for a $10 donation in front of the school. Then there were all kinds of treats and raffle tickets sold to make some more money. They even had an auction for Tuacahn tickets (which I won for both shows!).

The Beehives were the cheerleaders for the Priests. Courtney felt bad that the old men didn't have any cheerleaders so she grabbed a couple of friends and they were the cheerleaders. They even asked the MC if he would let them do a half-time show (well, fourth quarter show) and they were really cute. Courtney has no fear getting up and dancing in front of everyone and she can move! During the breaks in the game they had kids games to play. Courtney twirled around a bat to get dizzy and then ran to shoot a shot. Ethan had a bunch of friends at the game and they played capture the flag and other games. Everyone had a great time and I hope it becomes an annual thing.

Unfortunately, despite their age and knowledge, the old men lost the game. They didn't play that well, although many will blame the officiating. But I think they were just out played.