This is why I ride

If you ride in Redlands you know where this was taken, and you also know that this picture doesn't do justice to the view or the day.  It is the most beautiful day and there is this one spot that has the most beautiful panoramic view of the canyon, sometimes if you're lucky there is a freight train running through there also which makes this picture perfect.

My ride today was like appetizers, veggies and dessert.  You start off zooming down Mariposa, to Garden, it's fast and downhill and you remember why you ride.  You remember when you were 7 years old and joy of riding a bike, you feel 7, sometimes it's nice to feel 7.  Left on Highland and the road flattens out, it's fast and flat, you're feeling good, then you hit Serpentine and your speedy boys drop you before you've even made the corner.  It's eat your veggies time.  I slow to a crawl (didn't put my Garmin on so I can't post just how slow I can go and still keep a bike upright). When I ride with my boys it's like sitting at the table (alone) picking at the veggies because mom said you can't get up until you eat three bites.  My friends and Craig are much more generous they will slow and chat me up the hills.  When you've finally gulped that third bite of veggies just past Caroline Park life is good.  It's dessert time, ice cream sundae time you're loving the bike and the road again, you hit the turn off where Sunset winds around the point and it's like the cherry on top.  That's why I ride.

Way to go Kerri

 Kerri just called, she has just finished all of her clinical hours!!!!

Look who woke up in Redlands

He got me out on Doc we are up on Sunset and I have noodle legs.

Bounty!!

Brad has not been able to find his new iPod touch since Saturday.  He has been very distressed over this and we have looked everywhere and everywhere again.  Last night he took all the sofa cushions off (again, this was about the 3rd or 4th time) and discovered that there is a deep, narrow pocket that runs around the entire sofa.  I was aware this pocket is there, I have occasionally pulled socks out of it, but I have never plunged my hand down into this abyss, it is probably 6-8 inches deep.  First he found his iPod video, that has been missing so long that I forgot he ever owned one, next came Kyle's old blue phone which Brad lost when it was relatively new, almost a year ago, then there was a key and a remote, being a Ford key I knew it was either the truck or Focus, I emailed Bri a picture of it and sure enough it is a Focus key.  This is great news because obviously we didn't have a spare and Bri has already been locked out a few times.  There were also assorted socks, including a favorite cycling sock and about a million pencils.  Who knew it was all down there.  And then.........last of all ta da, can you believe the iPod touch was really down there too!!!  We are all iPod happy now, Brad generously (Brad really is a generous, loving, nice kid) gave Brent his iPod video, which means I permanently snagged Brent's iPod clip since I never replaced mine and have been using it anyway.  Bri is happy that he will have a spare key and Kyle will have a back-up phone since Kyle seems to have Brad's iPod type problems only with phones.

Ok, Maybe It's Really Just a Little Hail

Snowed in, couldn't take Craig to the airport, we're building a snowman right now.

Who Let Dr. Madone in Anyway?

This message just somehow appeared attached to my bike.  It seems I am going to have to get back to it and the sooner the better.

Secrets to a Great Eagle Project

Food

More Food

FRIENDS
MORE FRIENDS

GREEN PAINT


THE YM PREZ

MOM AND DAD

And a little entertainment for the slow times

BEFORE AND AFTER

SWEET GIRL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  I KNOW YOU HAVE A CRAZY DAY AHEAD OF YOU, I'LL BE THINKING ABOUT YOU.

Will It Rain??? We Hope Not!!!

Saturday is Brent's Eagle Project. He will be cleaning and painting the grates around the trees in downtown Redlands. The sky is looking a little dark and gloomy, I hope it doesn't rain. Even if it does rain, if it's not pouring come on down anyway, 8:00am by Winchells. There will be lots of yummy doughnuts and pizza later. He has to knock all the rocks and debris out of the grates before they can be painted so we can get started on that even if it's a little drizzly and paint on another day if we have to.

Kyle and Piano Lessons

I took Kyle yesterday to meet the new piano teacher.  We are sad that our old (not old, current is a better word) piano teacher is moving. A few years ago at a time when Kyle hated the piano, he would get out of the car for his lessons crying and slamming the door (if you know Kyle's personality you know that this is atypical of Kyle, he is a pretty mellow kid) I begged him, "Let's just try a different piano teacher and if you still hate it you can quit."  So we switched to our moving away teacher.  I never sat in on his lessons, I don't know how she taught or what she did (except he always left with a piece of candy in his mouth!) but I feel a deep sense of gratitude to her for the fact that my child is still taking piano lessons.  That is no easy feat considering the schedule he keeps, from early morning seminary, after school sports, homework, church activities and a few minutes to eat and sleep.  Does he practice as much as I or his teacher wish that he would?  No. But he has continued to progress and I am happy.  I watch Kyle sit down at the piano and pick up a piece of music and play it for his own enjoyment.  Thank you, for whatever magic you worked, it is truly magic to hear your child playing for the pure joy of playing.

We have stepped up our lessons and now have a professional teacher at the U of R.  When I called the School of Music they said, "I think Mr. _______ might be a good match for your son, I will have him call you."  His reputation preceded him, I gulped and thought, well you never know they might click.  Our meeting went well last night, he is anxious to get Kyle out of his current set of books and even had him sight read then skip some pieces.  He also assigned him a Grieg piece which will be fun to learn.  No Bri, not March of the Dwarves, you have marched them all off the cliff!!  Change is good and I think Mr. Intense will be a good match for Kyle.  

This picture just popped into my e-mail.

Date Night

Date Night is definitely one of those things that has fallen into the rather large and vast category of disintegration in our life.  What do you mean Costco or Albertsons doesn't quite meet the definition of "date night".  So I am making it my challenge of the year to consistently "integrate" quality date nights back into our life.  Actually for Craig and I we'll just make it date weekend, since our time together is somewhat limited, lets count Fridays and Saturdays as ....No on second thought, lets not.  That's just more planning.  Baby steps, I think we need to take baby steps here.  While Craig is at Chaparral with Kyle I'm home supposedly planning our date.  I have checked the Krikorian, Seven Pounds sounds good, but since it's been out awhile it doesn't play till 10:40, nope that doesn't work for me, I would end up sleeping through it.  There's a chick flick, Bride Wars, that sounds pretty good but I made Craig sit through Mamma Mia with me and then something else that was so bad I can't even remember what it was, oh yeah The Women (what a guy!) maybe we should see something with blood, and guts (I can close my eyes).  Hmmm the only other choices seem to be some dog movies that we'd better save for Papa Night, the night each week he takes Kael and Kyle to the movies.  

Well I suppose date night doesn't have to be a movie, or dinner and a movie, there are lots of other options like...........Well really there are lots of other options when the time changes and the days are longer, we can run and ride, or go on walks.  But it's January, the weather is nice and warm but the nights are dark.  Can anyone give me 52 date night ideas?

Alright! I did it!

I just sent a picture of Craig as I was picking him up at the airport let's see if it works.  

Integrate!!!

This morning was my first day back at the gym after about a month of too much holiday. It was hard to go and harder to do anything once I got there. I usually have some certain training plan that I'm following for some certain event. I go, pound out the miles (with the help of Queen) and I'm outta there. This morning though I was missing Queen (rather missing iPod), missing a training plan and missing a line up of events for the year.
I decided it is time for a little integration! I read my friend's blog, she has a word of the year. I have never had a word of the year. I've had lots of short lived New Year's resolutions and visions of what the year "should" bring but a word of the year sounds like a deliciously simple idea. Her word is "Serendipity", a pretty word that rolls off your tongue and makes you smile and feel lucky because that is what serendipity is all about. My word "integrate" came about as I walked (remember I haven't ran in a month) in silence (remember missing iPod) on the treadmill. To be honest it came about as for some reason my mind perseverated on the word "disintegration" which is not a positive word like you would like your word of the year to be, though it describes many events in our life. If you give some more thought to disintegration you realize it is the normal course of life, all things that are created naturally disintegrate in some amount of time. But along with disintegration comes integration. As things change, or leave us we have the space to integrate or weave in the new. This can apply to almost everything in our lives. My stodgy new word of the year is to help me remember to weave in the fresh, positive and new for the year, rather than resist change and dwell over disintegration.
So this year I will integrate _______________________ into my life. I will fill in the blanks as I go and keep you updated.

Ok, one more attempt to post from my phone.

BB's, Laundry and Brent

Here it is Monday morning, I threw in another load of clothes after my airport run this morning and this is what my laundry room looks like.

 Yes we got home Friday night and there is still laundry on  the floor.  If you are feeling sorry for me you have missed the point of this post.  I am ecstatic.  Do you know how long it takes to do Christmas/Cabin laundry when there are six children at home?  Honestly, it takes so long that along with the daily manufacturing of laundry I begin to wonder if I will ever see the floor.  But now my life has been simplified, I only had two children at the cabin that I actually brought home with me and am doing laundry for.  I probably only have two more loads to go, besides the ones currently in the washer and dryer.  And so what happened to the third child that should have been at the cabin with  us.  He survived.  He had more important things to do:

Yes, probably against our better judgement he went home early, because there was this beautiful girl home from school. I secretly hoped he would be bored and miserable and miss us terribly (what was I thinking?!) but he seemed to have survived just fine. And since he couldn't have any friends at our house while we were gone all the reports from his friends parents indicate he was well behaved and functioning just fine.

Oh and one more note on the laundry.  Did you know that BB's, you know those little round things that go in BB guns fit perfectly in the holes where the water drains out in the washing machine.  Just in case anyone would like to know that tidbit of info.  Guess what, you can't get them out.  For years I washed clothes in my old washing machine with BB's in the holes.  Now that Brad got a BB gun for Christmas I checked and double checked pockets for BB's.

More Cabin Pictures

Click HERE for more great cabin pictures from Kerri's blog.

Celebration

Craig had a birthday this week. How do you think we celebrated?
1. A quick romantic midweek getaway to Park City, Midway, or Salt Lake?
2. A rain check for a sunny romantic getaway in PS, Newport or San Diego?
3. A mom and dad only cabin trip?
4. A dinner for two at a cozy little restaurant?

Well if you guessed any of the above sorry, you are wrong. This is how we celebrated Craig's birthday.


We went to McDonald's!!!  Have you ever seen a McDonald's with such a great play place, it is seriously the biggest I have seen.  Kerri is doing her preceptorship at St. Mark's in Salt Lake, so we are helping with the boys.  Kendall, Kev, Bri and Sarah were busy so McDonald's it was.
Last night we were able to get a few more of us together and we went to Spaghetti Factory.

Kevin and Kyle are teasing Brian and Sarah

happy birthday dad! I love you!

-kevin

Spudman registration opened today

Spudman registration opened today, this year it's a lottery. I'm already in, because of last years race, but dad and Kyle are in the lottery. Anyone else in? Yep, dad said he's really going to do it. Swim and all. Kev's birthday wish was for all of us to do the St. George Marathon this year--I'll just put out a maybe on Kyle and Brad, if Kyle is doing Cross Country Ghengis probably won't let him, and I'm not so sure about Brad's age and the training schedule, but everyone else....I already have one hotel room, I'll try to get another if you are all serious.

It's a New Year!!!

Hey everyone, thanks for a great New Year's celebration. I can't think of a better place to bring in the New Year.

It's New Year's Eve, why do we have to go to bed?  (Do you really think they did?)

It's New Years Day, there's something very important we have to do today.

Hey everyone, I'm ready, come on, lets go.

It's time to get out the Mini Z, here's Uncle Brad and Uncle Kyle getting it ready.

With a few lessons from Uncle Kyle and Mom running alongside

Kyle J. was off, and never stopped.

"My thumb's getting tired!"

Racing mom through the meadow.

Grandma and Kael

Kyle J., Brad and Big Kyle

Friday we decided to go to Big John's, we weren't sure how Kyle would take not being able to ride by himself, but he didn't seem to mind.

This was Sarah's first time snowmobiling, she did great.
Sarah and Bri

Well,  does this look like Craig and Melinda?  When I'm home I'll look and see if I have a pic of Craig and I in our so cool snowsuits.  Kev somehow got there without his snowpants, and he and Kerri found some of our old snowsuits in the basement.  Kev actually wore Craig's the whole time.  I know he felt very cool in this fine retro shell.  Kerri couldn't do it, she couldn't leave my old neon suit on except for the picture.  (Was it really, that bad....ok don't answer that.)

Lining up before we head out to Big John's, we checked out the ditches, everything looked fine, except for that berm, oops rolled the green Summit, I'll order a new windshield for it tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Snow Angel!!!

Kerri and the boys at Big John's

Mom and Ker

Papa with Kael and Kyle

Kerri and Kael are making Snow Angel a birthday cake

All wishes come true today!!!

Can't have birthday cake without a "few" sprinkles

Hey Kael, I'm pretty sure it starts just like the Mini Z, lets wait till Papa's not looking

Brad on the rope swing

Saturday's big project was "the jump", building a jump is way more work than it looks like, especially with the powder

Do you remember me saying that Kyle got a trampoline for Christmas, now you can see what he wants to practice.  The first video is Kyle's 360 and the second is Kevin's backflip.

Packing up and heading out, the end of a great trip!