Happenings

It has been awhile since my last post.  All things of a blog nature are organic and they wax and wane.  I have definitely waned.  We have been around a bit this summer with trips to Mexico, Lake Tahoe, Brianhead and Seattle. 

In May Shauna and I went with our friends to Playa del Carmen and had many adventures and some great food.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt and had the breakfast included, which was a total win for us.  The food was delicious and the one meal allowed us to get out and sample the food around town as well. 

We went fishing and exploring on the ocean and hit a storm that would later become a hurricane that hit the US.  We met a bunch of nice people and were still able to hit the gym.  Shauna picked an excursion to Sian Kahn which turned out to be really fun. 

Fishing the Maya Riviera

Blake reeling in a Dorado.

Me reeling in a dorado.  Took me like 20 minutes.

On the boat.

The catch.  Sorry Blake luck of the draw.

Shauna and Isaias.

Look at the food here, not the expressions.  El Fogon!  Awesome. 

Sian Kahn.

View from a tower that was swaying in the wind.

Crocodile

After the storm passed.

Lunch and a salsa lesson from Flavio. Name fits him perfectly.

Hotel restaurant on the water.

All of us at dinner. Aubrey thought her drink was spiked.

Aktun Chen caves.

View from house in Anacortes.

Sunset.

Our team Vik, Amy, Shauna, Josh and Paul.

Vik in his BYU Hawaii shirt.

Shauna looking awkward while supporting Josh.

End of the race.  I was the last runner that is why I am sweaty and in a different shirt.  Front - Shauna, Vik, Heather, Amy. Back - Paul, Josh, Todd, Tiffany, Jill, John and Gary.

Lake Tahoe team - Blake, Kyrah, Servando, Shauna, Paul, Jill and John.

In June we went to Lake Tahoe to run the Lake Tahoe relay.  This is the 10th year I have run the race.  It has changed a bit, but we had a bunch or cool people running this year. 

In July we had a family reunion up at Brianhead with 32 people and considered buy something up there.  It would be great for race training because you are at 10,000 feet.  We did a bunch or running, hiking and hanging out with family.  Also, watched the World Cup. 

A couple weeks later we returned to the Northwest and ran the Northwest Passage Ragnar which was beautiful.  John also found us a house right on the race course with an amazing view of the water.  I do miss Seattle in the summer--the winter is a different story. 

The race went well, except my car took a little nap around 3 am and lost track of me.  I ran my 9-mile leg without any support and arrived at the exchange and no one from my team was there.  It turned out okay and I found that I was running really fast miles and they were not expecting me.  This is what happens when you train at 10,000 ft and then run at sea level in nice cool whether. 

Anniversary!

Well, it has snuck up on us and we find ourselves at year 15.  This morning was not really any different than any other.  Hustling and moving kids out the door to school with shoes, socks, toast trailing out the door.  If you would have asked me 15 years ago how I would have invisioned my life, I might have been able to hit on some of the generalities of my life now, but I could never have invisioned the cotidian details that really add the contour, smells and flavor to a life.  Sometimes these are not always pleasant--but at least they make things interesting. 

It is awesome to think we have been together for 15 years and we have managed to pull together a reasonably competent life.  It has taken loads of work and a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears, but again this is what makes up the substance of life.  I guess maybe you can say this is the "dark matter" of life.  It is the bulk of what makes life, yet it is pretty much unseen and unacknowledged. 

The other day Sam got in trouble for doing something he should not have been doing and his response to being disciplined was to say "I am not going to school!"  Well, needless to say I was not that worried because Sam is not in school.  This gives you an idea of the what our kids say when they are trying exercise power in a situation. Pretty much all of the time I do not like to hear this, but one day I may miss it so I am glad I wrote it down. 

We are not problem free in our house by any means and we have arguments, power plays, fights, bites, scratches, hurt feelings, mean words and faces.  However, we also have hugs, kisses, sybillings reading to each other, family home evening, trampoline time, hoops, passes, parks, hikes, hills and meals. 

May the next 15 be even better!  Love you Honey!

Lice infestation.

April Fools!

That hair!

Two year old.

Too small, but classy.

Quite a hike. 

Joaquin at one.

Who's the underdressed one?

Temple wedding.

Goofballs!

Taking a break.

This is Sam.

This is Joaquin.

Hugs.

Call of the wild.

Chocolate

Face towards the sun.

Trampoline time.

Jazz dancer.

Summertime walk.

Watching the Ipad.

Sisters.

Track stars.

Gabe and Joaquin.

Reading books.

Love.

Shauna's mission reunion.

Good kids.

Car ride.

Yellowstone.

Good times. 

Winter?

We have been having something around here that is something resembling winter, but more like fall.  Today it will be 55 degrees around here...uh it is January 18th mid winter.  I am not complaining, just pointing out that it has been a strange winter and come summer we may be toast.  I do hope that we can get some more snow in the mountains--a lot more snow, but I am fine with the temperature down here.  One of the most beneficial things all this is the inversion has not been as bad this year.  This is good for all those of us who care about our air. 

Since Christmas we have been in the daily grind.  This is the time of year that it seems you just put one foot in front of the other. 

The kids are doing well and just wishing that school was over.  Haha! You still have 4 months!  However, they are cool and usually go without too much trouble.  I have committed to be more patient and to try and give myself more time and space to deal with the kids.  I have found that when time and space is compressed with deadlines and the like I am much less patient and more authoritarian toward the kids.  If I plan and look ahead I can avoid a lot of the conflict that comes when you are trying to get reluctant kids ready and out the door. 

We had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and had Shauna's parents here after Christmas to celebrate.  It was a good week and I hope they do not get sick.  I came down with something while they were here that put me down for a couple of days.  Both Sam and I had it and it was a beast. 

Anyway, we are in 2018 and my goals are to be a better father and husband.  This means worrying more about my family than anything else.  I do have to work at this so I will. 

We took the older kids to dinner and the Savior of the World.

Sam was so tired he fell asleep on our walk.

We have come a long way from our newlywed meals.

Not looking too excited about his award.

Brothers reading together.

All the animals at the manger.

Wise men.

Christmas Eve presents from Nana and Papa.

Sam is the girl's guinea pig.

Natural History Museum.

Friends and games on New Year's Eve.

Friends.

Ruby learned to ride he bike.

I hate tablets.