Visitors From China and the Big Race!

Jen, Will and June arrived from China about the middle of April.  They came just in time for Jen's brother's wedding.  Taylor flew to CA later in the month for corporate meetings and then they met up in Utah for a few days prior to their big Iron Man race in St. George the first weekend in May.

Steve managed to paint the bead board in the kitchen prior to my book club.  It looks nice.

It was good that Jen could spend time with her family and participate in wedding festivities.  She was also able to spend some time with her sister, Jamie.  They are special friends and sisters. They squeeze in dental appointments, hair cuts and restaurant excursions.  The big focus of this trip was the Half Iron Man Triathlon for Jen.  There were about 2500 entrants and that included pro -racers as it was also the North American Triathlon championships.  Jen was amazing and finished in the top 10 women in her age group.  Wow!  It was a cold, windy and rainy day and her times were incredible.

Taylor rode the bike in a relay with Tyler doing the swimming and Seth doing the running portions while Taylor did the cycling.  They took first place overall among the relay teams.  They were really strong and beat the next team by about 5 minutes.

All the families stayed in a big house near the start of the race.  That was really convenient.  Fortunately the day prior to the race was nice enough that the kids could swim in the pool.  After that it was too cold and rainy.

Jen is among the sea of green caps waiting to enter the water for the swimming portion.  BRRRR!

Tyler is smiling because he hasn't yet entered the freezing water.  Well, for some reason he was smiling after he swam too.  Maybe because he did so well.

Here is Jen after her swim.  She is just starting the cycling portion of the race.

Here is the group waiting for Jen and Seth to complete the run.

Jen didn't even looked tired as she neared the finish line.  I bet she was though.  She is one tough gal!

By the time she finished, Jen was freezing and after 41/2 hours for peak athletic performance, I'm sure she was exhausted too.  Congrats, Jen!  It amazes me that so many people are willing to torture themselves this way!

Tyler, Taylor and Seth are the big winners of the relay!

 Here is a picture of Taylor, Jen, June and Will at a yogurt shop in CV a few days prior to the race.  I get challenged when it comes to getting photos in the order I want.  Sorry about any confusion that creates.

Jen and Taylor both gave impressive performances.  Congrats to them!

This picture includes Tyler, Sarah, Kristen, Larry (Sarah's Dad) and Karen, Jen's very supportive friend.

Ah! Spring!

 We loved coming home from China and seeing the signs of spring with tulips blooming at the SL house and daffodils in CV.  Our walks along the river parkway have been delightful as we have watched spring unfold as the world turns green.  We love to see the snow-cap next to the green canyons on the mountainsides.  God truly gave us a beautiful world.

 Steve has worked diligently to get the riding lawn mower running.  It still has its challenges but he is continuing his quest.

 One weekend we had an "it's just like in the movies" laugh when Steve accidentally got toilet paper stuck in his pants.  He had no idea he was dragging around half a roll of toilet paper.  I didn't notice it until I looked down the hall at his long streamers.  Ha!  Ha!

 Our blooming trees have been gorgeous this year.  We surely got lucky when we picked this one out. It's leaves are abrilliant red in the fall so it is a pretty tree most of the year.

 I spent several weekends tying a quilt for Baylee Kerr's wedding shower.  I doubt that I would have finished it on time if it hadn't been for Jenna's help.  Thanks, Jenna.

 This tree is in the neighbor's back yard in SL.  We really enjoyed it's fluffy white blossoms from our deck and dining room window.

 I hosted book club the end of April so my desk got its spring cleaning.  It can look nice if I try really hard or don't do any work.  I have been doing plenty of that lately so it isn't this clean now. Darn.

 We love looking at the valley from our deck and most evenings there is a colorful sunset to add to the beauty.  CV is a great place to live.

 Our front lamp quit working.  We finally ordered a replacement and Steve spent a lot of time installing it.  Then it stopped working so we finally called an electrician.  It worked for about 1 day and quit working again.  Steve has left another message for the electrician to return and fix the issue.
This has been a disappointing challenge since both of us really like having a lighted post in front of the house.

First Grandson's Mission Call & More...Yahoo, Tanner!

On April 15, 2016 Tanner received his mission call to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania mission.  Family members and friends had submitted their predictions as to where he would go.  I submitted Pennsylvania and won the big prize--having my first grandson go to the state in the US that has the lowest per capita membership in the Church.  Way to go Tanner.  You will be an awesome missionary!

Two weeks later, we made a quick trip to ID for Tanner's ordination to the Melchizedek priesthood.  We just couldn't be more happy to see our first grandson's spiritual progress and his willingness to serve the Lord and the people of Pennsylvania!

 Friday, May 27, 2016 we drove to Rexburg again to join Tanner and his family in celebrating his graduation from high school with high honors.  He received 4.0+ grade point average.

Here in the middle of the graduation photos is a picture of Aaron returning home from a 50+ mile ride on Saturday morning.  He had is first accident and banged up his fingers but fortunately the bike wasn't injured and his injuries were uncomfortable but not major.  Congrats, Aaron, on that milestone.

 I took this gorgeous photo of Cache Valley on our way home from ID.  With all the spring rain, the scenery was so lovely all throughout our drive.

 On our way up for the graduation we stopped at the Blackfoot and IF cemeteries to place flowers on the graves of our parents.  During our IF stop Heather and Aaron joined us.  What a pleasant surprise.  They had been driving home from a trip to local nursery and Heather thought to look at the cemetery and saw us there.  God is full of tender mercies!

 We helped with a little planting in their yard on Friday afternoon.  The men finished up just in time before it starting raining.

 Tanner's cheering section included his Grandma Jeanine, Grandpa Bob, and GreatGrandpa LaVerne.

 The other kids enjoying a French toast breakfast with strawberries.

We arrived back in CV to wonderful weather for working in the yard and planting the garden.  Korinne and Jenna both stopped by at different times to help us.  Britton takes care of the mowing during our extended absences.  We really appreciate their help.