Fun on the sidelines-USU vs Boise St.

The best part of Thanksgiving break for me was having the chance to go to a USU football game. Dave Mecham reached out to Jeremy and asked if he wanted to be a ball boy during the Boise St. game. Jeremy jumped at the opportunity and it was the perfect excuse for us all to go enjoy ourselves. The weather was supposed to be chilly, but not awful, so we packed cozy clothes and settled in to enjoy the game. For the first part of the game I admit that I watched for Jeremy almost more than I watched the game. It was so fun seeing him on the sidelines rubbing shoulders with the players and coaches. 

I think I surprised/scared/worried the kids when I joined the crowd in every game day cheer and chant. By the end of the first half I had the kids singing along to the Scotsman, cheering for first downs, and waving their hands in the air. I was absolutely loving life. 

Smile my future Aggies! (hopefully)

Beautiful sunset!

Utah State made such a good showing. Boise St. is good and we had a chance to win right up until the end when we had a couple of bad 4th down calls. Add that to the rain that decided to spring upon us and the fourth quarter wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the first three. But I still don't regret a single moment of it. Go Aggies!

Thanksgiving in South Jordan

We spent the middle of the week down in South Jordan.

The girls hanging out while the boys are running wild at the Kings.

Going out to watch "Wicked for Good"

Playing pickleball at the church.

Or not playing pickleball at the church!

Loving having Cambrie home for the week. That was an unexpected surprise and we were all very excited about it.

Exploring the King's neighborhood and enjoying the sunshine.

Pre Thanksgiving doodle time.

Post Thanksgiving feast football chill time.

Hanging in Logan

The kids had the whole week off from school during Thanksgiving, so we went to Utah to hang out. It was a wild trip as we jumped back and forth between South Jordan and Smithfield, but we enjoyed ourselves. While up in Logan we went bowling...

...and took the boys out for ice-cream. they were very excited to learn that two scoops on their ice-cream cone actually meant three scoops! They weren't sure how they were going to fit all that ice-cream in their stomachs!

My mom bought a new bike and is anxious for any excuse to take it for a ride. I happily obliged! We rode up Smithfield Canyon and down around the temple. It was a great little ride.

The whole week we actually had time just to hang out. It was nice having time to take a breather.

November moments

Moki loves sitting on blankets. And if that blanket happens to be on a person, even better.

Jeremy had an accident on the way to work one morning. Never fear, it gave he and McKenzie a chance to fix up the Veloster. Not that I'm hoping for more crashes, but memories like this are pretty great too.

A good morning surprise from the boys.

Not the way this girls wanted to spend November. Another injury, more doctor appointments, and more time sitting out from the sport she loves.

Impromptu donut run. Delicious!

Found outside Daxton's classroom. I hope he does it.

The northern lights were actually visable from Colorado! I couldn't believe it. They don't look nearly as vibrant as they did in Iceland, but I was flooded with such positive memories of that trip. I could talk about Iceland forever and never grow tired of it.

Purdue made it to the national rugby championships. Cambrie didn't to play, but we still stalked her on the sidelines. She said it was such a great weekend with her team and she is very motivated now to get playing time.

Ironman recovery = walks by the lakes. Moki was so confused why we were just sitting there, but I thought it was fabulous.

Surprise visit from Jacob over Thanksgiving break. The boys were so happy.

Dandelion doodles during church with my girls.

Westlake Orchestra Concert

Kelton had his first middle school orchestra concert. I was having flashbacks from when the girls first walked out with their giant instruments too. At least Kelton is strong so he can haul that double bass around! Their teacher made the concert so entertaining. They showed us what they have been working on this semester as well as some games they play each class. I was seriously impressed by how good they sounded for being beginners. I never thought I'd say this, but I hope there are more middle school orchestra concerts in our future. Look at that handsome goofball! he looked like he was having so much fun out there.

 

IMAZ

This is it, the last race of the season. It has been a long, rewarding season and I can't think of a better way to end it than at Arizona. Last year this was a break through race for me, and while that came with a certain amount of pressure, I also knew that all I could do was relax, do my best, and enjoy the journey. It was the best way I could have gone into the race mentally and I was ready to savor the weekend.

Pre-race photo shoot with Jeremy.

This is definitely my favorite one of the weekend.

Race prep at the expo. So grateful for this guy who gets me to every start line.

Race morning was so relaxed. The weather was pleasantly warm and I wasn't shivering nearly as much as last year. The water was also supposed to be much warmer so I wasn't worried about freezing there either. I've spent this season trying to make new friends. There is some turnover from race to race, and even from 70.3s to 140.6s. But I am starting to feel more like I belong and less like an interloper. I know that those feelings will come and go, but I am so blessed that I get to line up with these professional women. 

I love this shot that Jeremy captured of the swim start. It somehow captures the calm in the chaos for me.

The swim went just fine. I wasn't crazy fast, but I wasn't super slow either. I swam with a pack somewhat successfully for the first half and I was proud of that growth. Still work to do there though.

Onto the bike I was hoping for a fast day. My watts were low, but my mph were fast. I realized that I was going to ride sub 5:00 for the first time ever and I was so excited about that.

 

I was most nervous about the run because of the collapse I had at Chattanooga. I also had the memory of being so successful here last year and that was a lot of pressure. I felt solid the first lap, started fading on the second, and by the time I started the third I started fading. I needed more hydration and more calories. I faked my way through with some Tylenol and was determined to stay under 3:30. If I could do that then I could go sub 9:30 and that was a target I was willing to suffer for.

I wanted to smile as I entered that finish chute, but I was worried about Leslie behind me, about fainting as I crossed, about not believing that I was seeing my time correctly, and about just feeling exhausted. I need to work on that finish line smile.

I love that he was there to cheer me on!

I did it! 18th place and feeling pretty good about that. Just 1:30 faster and I would have crossed the line with legend Meredith Kessler. I still can't believe I'm on course with these ladies. It was a crazy race with a lot of retiring pros: Meredith Kessler, Dede Griesbauer, Mel McQuaid, Simone Dailey, and Jodie Stimpson.

Swim 59:49, Bike 4:57:34, Run 3:26:56, Overall 9:27:21

When I finished I was just so cold. I put on every layer I had and was finally comfortable. Time to keep those cozy clothes on and enjoy the off season.