July 4th

We celebrated the 4th of July by running in the Waffle Run again this year (even though it was on the 3rd instead). It's always a fun tradition that we can enjoy on the weekend of the 4th, especially since Chris won't watch fireworks or parades. This year, the shirts had the face of last year's Waffle run who looks like a cross between a very patriotic Jerry Garcia and that guy from the Hangover, which made everyone who saw them laugh. Chris and I ran it in record time, for us, and my little brother who was up visiting from Nevada ran it with us too. We went to a movie at the dollar theater instead of watching the Sugarhouse fireworks but, unfortunately, the movie ended just as the fireworks ended, so we got the full experience of fireworks mania as we sat in the parking lot for over an hour trying to escape. On Sunday, my little brother and I were able to sneak a peak at the fireworks from the country club from my living room while Chris was away at his brother's house for a bit, which was nice and we didn't have to stew in the car to watch them, which was nicer.

Denver

Though it's been a while since we've been able to continue our quest, Chris and I were able to check another baseball park off the list recently. We went to Denver to see the Rockies play. It rained on us the whole time, but we had a lot of fun.

Law Day Run II

Last Saturday, Chris and I ran in our second Law Day Run. Last year it was kind of horrible, it rained on us so it was really cold, and I definitely wasn't prepared for the hills. This year we were more prepared. The weather was nice and the hills were not as daunting and we finished 2 minutes faster than we did last year, which was nice because I had been training for less time this year. So it went pretty well.

The Champions

Chris’ youngest brother Tyler came out with his prediction at the dinner table months ago, much like the great Babe Ruth and his fabled home run prediction, bat pointing at the horizon. “I’m going to win state this year,” he informed us with no sign of doubt in his voice. There were a few eye rolls from the members of the audience, the skeptics remained skeptical, and not much else was said about it except a few updates on the tennis season as it went along. Not being one to trust to his luck in anything, he practiced for hours every day, buoying his teammates to the same goal as himself. This past Saturday, his hard work came to fruition. Chris and I were witnesses to triumphant victory as Tyler and his doubles teammate Preston defeated two teams to become champions of the world (okay, just Utah)! There was cause for concern after they lost the first set to hearty Timpview team, but they were able to pull themselves together and play like the champions they were, not losing another set the rest of the day. Their final victory not only propelled them to State Champions of the #2 doubles teams in Utah, but it was also integral in helping the entire team, the Highland Rams, become the State Tennis champions of Utah. So his prediction was correct. I wonder if he would be willing to predict a similar future for my bowling team?

My First Garden

I've planted a garden! And look at my sweet hat!

To The Tailgaters Go The Spoils

For those of you dying to know who won the first ever University of Utah Tailgate Contest, fear not, I have the results. Blowing the competition out of the water was “What Would Kyle Whittingham Do”! Headed up by Buck and his posse of faithful tailgate planning geniuses, this stunning design was developed. The banners stood out well over the other entries, being hoisted 20 or so feet in the air (thankfully making it easy for me to find them at 10:00 a.m. when I arrived 4 hours after they had begun setting up). The décor also boasted a live band, a video of past Utes glory and tailgate action, games including a cougar dart board and pin the tail on the Bronkey in honor (or dishonor) of the BYU head coach, all of us decked out in our best red, and some great food. Buck got the call that he was a finalist as we were all walking into the spring game and he was told he could bring anyone he wanted down to the field to accept any award he may have won. He graciously allowed those of us who had even the smallest part in the victory come down to the field with him and we cheered enthusiastically as they announced the winner during half time. And so this coming football season, Chris and his friends will be enjoying their traditional pregame tailgate in the prestigious and very official tailgate lot. Lets Go Utes!

That Man Is Poking...

I was meant to be a junior primary teacher. Since Chris and I have been married, I’ve been put in the primary in all three of our wards, sunbeams twice and 5 and 6 year olds once, though maybe that wasn’t divine intervention, I was lobbying for the job shamelessly in our new ward. Luckily, there are 17 sunbeams in our ward, so they had to split them up into three classes and they were desperate for teachers. This is where I come in. Chris and I have 7 kids in our new class and they are, of course, adorable and full of surprises. We have one kid who can read already. That’s right, he’s reading at 3 years old. It’s amazing, but also a bit tricky. I’ve had to replan a few lessons because I was counting on the kids not being able to read captions on pictures or clues to the lesson. And teaching them the lessons is always an experience. There is a picture of Jesus in the temple when he is twelve years old, teaching. In the picture, there is a man holding a scroll standing close to Him, which inspired one of our kids to say “That man is poking Jesus!” We’ve had kids say that they need an extra treat so that they can share with their brother and then gobble everything up before the end of class, we’ve had a kid yelling the primary songs at the top of his lungs when we were asked to sing louder, and we’ve had a kid tell us that he feels good when he does bad things, just to be contrary, then laugh. And we can’t laugh when they do these hilarious things, it just encourages them to continue, which would make us laugh harder and we’d never get anything done. Any fears I had about moving into a new ward when we bought the house have been alleviated by this sweet calling.