Swimming Fun!

Yesterday we headed up to Misty's apartment and went swimming with Mike and Sherrie. Lauren and Danielle came along. We had a lot of fun. Mike and Sherrie are so great about playing with the kids and making them laugh! I just loved having ALL of my kids there! The kids enjoyed racing each other, teasing one another, dumping Sherrie in the pool, and having a few chicken fights! Thanks Mike and Sherrie for letting us hang out.

We missed you Misty and can't wait for you to come back so we can swim with you too!!!

Wasatch Back 2009

This year Rod and I ran the Wasatch Back for the 4th year in a row. I have to admit it was not as fun as it has been in the past. I'm not sure if it was because of the lack of sleep or conditioning! The Wasatch Back is a relay race that is run from Logan to Park City. We had a team of twelve people who take turns running different legs. Thankfully my team was nice enough to give me the easiest sections! The thing I do enjoy about this race is doing something with Rod. He is so kind and sweet to me. He always has great words of encouragement to keep me going! Thanks honey for putting up with your "non-runner" wife!

Rod and I before our Van began the race.

These pics show Rod and I on our first run of the race. We're still looking fresh! Notice the great scenery behind Rod. One of the great things about this race is that we get to see parts of Utah that we wouldn't normally see.

This is the whole team, minus Nate, who was out running. The top picture shows Van 2. Jim, Rod, Me, Rhett, Tracy, and Rob.

The bottom picture shows everyone on the team minus Nate and I. Rhett, Shauna, Paul, Jim, Sandy, Mike, Rob, Tracy, Rob and Justin.

So right as we got to the finish line, and we were waiting for our last runner to come in, Park City had a huge downpour. Rain was coming down in buckets. There was even some hail! Tracy and I were wrapped in our soaking wet blankets! (Thanks Misty)

I know, it sounds insane, but for some reason we keep going back and doing it again. We shall see what happens next year!!

Wesley's 16!!!

It's hard to believe that my first born is 16 years old! Where does the time go? Although he sometimes causes me a lot of grief, he truly is a great kid and I'm lucky to have him as my son! Wesley has many things that are wonderful about him, here are just a few...

* He has a caring personality. He is the one who worries the most about his siblings. When we were on a hike in Zions, he was right with Halle the whole time, holding her hand on the dangerous parts! He even refused to allow his brothers to hike Angels Landing, because he said he wouldn't be able to handle the stress of worry about them.

*He genuinely wants to be a good person! He may not be perfect, but he does try to be sensitive to things pertaining to the Gospel. He tries hard to make good choices!

* He loves his family. Even though we sometimes disagree, he still kisses both Rod and I good-bye and will most always choose a family activity over his friends.

* He is sensitive and loving. He will often apologize when he knows he's wrong and sometimes when he's not so sure.

Wesley is a great kid and I'm so lucky the Lord was gracious enough to share him with me!!

I Love You Wes!

London!

Okay, so believe it or not, I have been working on this post for a month now. I just have been so busy, I could not get it finished. So here it is, the long-awaited post from our few days in England. There are so many pictures here, sorry. I left so many out just to spare you. It was a wonderful trip, but way toooo short. We'll have to go again soon!

This first picture tells why this whole trip came about. Our friend, Sean (middle), was receiving the priesthood, so we decided to head across the pond to be there for the big moment.

Here we are at Warwick Castle. Some areas date back to the time of William the Conqueror (1066). Wow! That's old! It was really cool to hike all up and around and through this old and fascinating building.
This is Halle's favorite picture from the whole trip. Notice how I encouraged Rod not to actually touch the sword! Can you imagine all of the germs on that thing?!?!
The interior view of the castle was pretty incredible also.

This portion of the castle was where William the Conqueror established a fort for monitoring the surrounding area.

The River Avon. It was more breathtaking than this picture shows.

Rod and Paul outside of the church where Shakespeare is buried.

The River Avon again. It was such a cool place. There was a park on the other side. There were boats going up and down it. A kayaking class was taking place. It was just a relaxing area.

The burial spot of Shakespeare.

Here we are outside of Windsor Castle. This picture is taken in front of just one corner of the castle. It was so enormous!

Here we are having our picture with a "Bobby". Poor guy, he probably gets so sick of people doing this.

The rest of the gang. Shauna, Paul, Sean, Mary, and Merrell.

I thought these gargoyles were pretty cool. Not what I would have expected. They had a life-like quality about them.

Here is the front view of the castle. It was foggy, so the picture isn't too good.

We look like tourist for sure! Riding the Tube was our main form of transportation.

Our first stop had to be to see the mission home. Paul's old stomping ground. It was a nice clean place to use the potty!!

Time for the classic Red Phone Booth picture! Where's the hand sanitizer?!

Leftover from the war, these marks, caused by the bombings, serve as a reminder.

Harrod's. I was amazed at the size of this store! My mom says they have the best chocolate she has ever tasted! (Of course we wouldn't know, because she wouldn't share!) Next time I'll have to get two boxes.

Of course we had to take a ride on a red, double-decker bus.

While we were there, the Tamil Tigers, decided to hold a protest. Unfortunately, it made it difficult to get to the area by Parliament. In the end, this protest caused Rod and I to miss seeing the inside of Westminster Abby and the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to go back!

The good ole Tube!

Picadilly Circus. It was Spring Break over there, so it was CROWDED!

Paul was nowhere to be found, so Shauna borrowed Rod to snap a cute picture. (He is much more photogenic than Paul, anyway!)

My first Real Fish and Chips experience! Not quite what I was expecting. It looked like they had taken the whole fish and battered and fried it. Despite it's appearance, it was really good!

Rod and I went to see Les Mis one night. This picture was taken right afterward. The show was so good. I loved it!!

Hyde Park was so big and extremely beautiful.

I forced Rod to get a picture with a Red Phone Booth. This is as far as he would go though!!

Royal Albert Hall

Shauna and I at Tower of London . Here we are standing in front of the Tower Green, where Henry VIII beheaded his annoying wives!! Hopefully, Rod and Paul weren't tempted there!!!

This guy is a Beefeater (no one really knows where that horrible name came from). He was our tour guide and did an excellent job. He has been in the Bristish Army in service to the Queen for over 22 years!

Tower Bridge

Rod and Paul outside of the Tower of London.

Unfortunately, this is as close to Westminster Abbey that we could get. We arrived 15 minutes late to go inside. Dang Tamil Tigers!!

Big Ben

Buckingham Palace Kennsington Palace. The statue is of Queen Victoria.

Kennsington Gardens. Rod loves stuff like this. These gardens will be incredible when everything is in bloom.

We went to see Wicked. Okay, so everyone in our group loved it, except Rod and I. It was good, but just not great. Maybe it had something to do with having just seen Les Mis.

The trip had to come to an end sometime! Here we are on the Gatwick Express, off to catch a flight home.

Thank you to all our great travel companions. Thanks to Paul and Shauna for letting us tag along. We had a great time.

A huge Thank you to the best parents in the world. Watching my kids for a week is no easy task. Thank you for ALL that you do for me. I love you!!