"Irongirl" Triathlon in Boulder

I really can't believe I got talked into doing this thing but now it's over, I am glad I did it! One of my good friends, Amy, asked me to do this triathlon with her up in Boulder. It was Aug 27 and since I had turned the big 4-0 only ten days earlier, I decided it was a great challenge for me to take on! I am NOT a swimmer... that part scared the crap out of me and this particular swim was in open water- at Boulder Reservoir! Seriously??!! But Amy was an awesome training partner and pushed me out of my comfort zone (you know, barely breaking a sweat 3 times a week at the gym!!) The swimming was probably the hardest part for me but after a month or two of training, I felt more and more comfortable in the water. Amy's friend, Courtney, had done the "Ironman" in St. George this past March. Now THAT I will NEVER do!!! She is amazing! She was also very instrumental in getting me through this crazy thing! She had a wetsuit for me to use, and she met Amy and I at a local reservoir a few times before race day. The wet suit was very helpful but the great advice and training tips from Courtney probably saved my life!!!



For me, swimming is hard work. But swimming in a wetsuit in open water is nearly impossible! Just getting the wetsuit on is a challenge!!! This is Amy trying to get into the wetsuit- Courtney is helping her! It seriously took two people to get those things on! We laughed so hard that day, just picturing how we were going to do this on our own on race day! Oh well... that's what practices are for, right??!







Since the race was in Boulder, the four of us, Courtney, Amy, Denise and I drove up to Boulder the night before and stayed in a hotel. The morning of the race, we woke up WAY early and TRIED not to panic... I, personally, didn't do too well on that!! I was really nervous! I just didn't want to drown or have to be "rescued" by the spotters in the reservoir!!! (I had dreamed of that happening for weeks before the race!) But as we pulled into the race area at Boulder Reservoir, it was a beautiful morning and the adrenaline started kicking in! Whether I was ready or not, the big day was here so I might as well enjoy it!





This being my first race, I was shocked at how many people were there! The transition areas were really crowded and I wasn't sure how that would all play out! The picture on the right is my "transition space". This is where I had to change from the swim out of my wetsuit and into my biking clothes. It was chaotic and pretty close quarters! Lots of women coming and going at different times, shoes and helmets being thrown on and wetsuits taken off!! All the while the clock is running so you are hurrying to get done! It was crazy but overall, a pretty smooth transition!






Once the swim was over, I felt so much better! It was only 1/4 mile swim but for me, that was LONG! When we first started swimming back in June, I couldn't even swim one length of the pool without stopping! So I had definitely made progress over the course of training through the summer. But 17 lengths in the pool still just about did me in! Having finished the swim leg of the race, I was thrilled and ready for the 17 miles on the bike. It was a beautiful ride through Boulder and after that, we finished with a 5k run along the reservoir line.





Yay! So glad I decided to do this!! After a big milestone birthday, I needed something to push towards! I had a blast with these three ladies and appreciate them helping me along the way! I was definitely not fast but I was just glad to finish! We are already talking about doing this again next summer and who knows, maybe one or two similar races between now and then! Now that I know a little more of what to expect, I would like to try again and would work on getting my time down!! My friend Amy definitely has "the race-bug" now... She and Courtney are training for the "Half Iron Man" next August! Don't worry, I am NOT setting my sights THAT high... I would DIE if I had to swim a mile, run 13 and bike 56!!! Kill me now!!! But I will be cheering those two on for sure! I'll stick with the smaller ones- these distances were just about right for an old lady like me!

My "BIG- FAT Birthday"!!! URGH!

Oh my.... I still can't believe I am the "Big 4-0"... ahhh! It's killing me! But I had to blog about this because my family & friends were soooo nice to me and made this milestone a pretty easy transition!






Brian was supposed to be out of town but ended up flying home early, that was a nice surprise! Then, he brought flowers, ordered take-out food and cake and the boys sang me happy birthday.








I had lots of yummy treats and flowers brought over by friends and neighbors and I also got a great package in the mail from my friend Marnae from Utah... it was so cute! A bunch of candy with rhyming little notes attached to each all relating to me turning 40! (So creative!)











I really thought I'd hate this birthday but I decided age really IS "just a number"! Forty does sound kinda old but I'm gonna take it and run, baby! Thanks to everyone who made my day so special!

Elder & Sister Excell are home from Boston!

My parents have been serving a mission for the past 18 months. They drove home the first part of August and our house was one of their pit-stops!! YAY! It was so great to have them here! I had flown out earlier this year to see them but none of our boys nor Brian had seen them for 18 months. It was a pretty sweet reunion! All three of my boys had grown quite a bit and now Paden is as tall as his grandparents!



They came with us to Grif and Boston's football practices, we had a few card games, played some ping pong and enjoyed their company!










Even though their visit was short, we sure enjoyed it! They were anxious to get back to SLC to be released and finally be "home". But now that football season has started, I told them it's time to come back to Castle Rock and see some football! They will be coming back again soon, I'm sure. But we want them to know how proud we are of them for their dedication and service on their mission. We love you guys!

A VISIT FROM THE ALLEN'S

Yay! My sister, Jessi, and her kids drove up from Albuquerque for a few days! It was so fun to have them visit.. our kids always have a great time together!


We had some fun in the sun... who doesn't love the "Slip-n-Slide" and the trampoline???











We played cards...












Went to "Jungle Quest"





















Went to the pool...












And ate cake pops!!! YUMMY!!








Thanks, Jess, for the visit! Always LOVE having you and the kiddos come to Castle Rock!!!

Happy Birthday Bos-man!

Boston turned 7 last month... seriously??? Where does the time go?? All he wanted for his birthday was to go to the cabin and go fishing with his dad! He asked if I wanted to go with them, then he put his hands over his mouth and said "Please say 'no', please say 'no'!" REALLY???? Oh well... I tried NOT to be offended then realized he just needed a little "one on one" time with his Dad!

The boys and I had all just driven back from our trip to Utah so I really wasn't up for another road trip anyway... plus, Grif had his doctor appt. to check his broken finger so we needed to stay here for that anyway. So before Bri and the birthday boy left, we gave him a couple presents...


He got a cool "Transformers" pillow from Grif




Mom and Dad gave him a new tackle box and an iPod Shuffle...







Grandma and Grandpa Excell sent a new football and gloves from Boston...






Our sweet neighbors, the Kjelgaards', gave him a new dart gun and a cool t shirt that changes colors in the sun! Conner, Boston's little friend, came over and wished him a happy birthday!






And Grandma and Grandpa Rhees gave him a new set of golf clubs.

All in all, he had a GREAT birthday! He DID get to do some fishing with Bri and most of Bri's family down at the cabin and he told me he definitely caught the biggest fish out of everyone! I can't believe he is 7! He is starting 1st grade this week and I am dying! He is way excited for "all day school" and especially to "eat lunch in the cafeteria"!!! (YIKES!)

WE LOVE YOU BOS-MAN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

BYU basketball camp 2011

Once again, the boys and I drove over to Utah for basketball camp on the beautiful campus of BYU. Paden has been there for 5 straight years and this year, Griffin FINALLY got to go- He's been looking forward to this for many year! Each of the boys invited a friend to go with them. We went to registration and got them all settled into their dorm rooms. They had lunch and worked out that afternoon. While they were at camp, Boston and I drove up to Jodi's to spend time with my sisters and their families. On Tuesday morning, I got a call from Grif who said "Mom, I'm in the emergency room and Utah Valley Hospital". I thought he'd rolled his ankle or jammed a finger or something- but after asking him what happened, he said he sat down on a folding chair and it collapsed! He pinched his finger in the chair, splitting it open and requiring 6 stitches. After an x-ray, we also found out he broke the bone in his middle finger. SERIOUSLY??? I felt sooo bad for him! When he called to tell me about it, the first thing he said was "Well, it's NOT my shooting hand, Mom!" Unfortunately, he was OUT for the remainder of the week! He made an excellent scorekeeper and asst. coach but felt bad about missing out on all the game time!








Paden and his friend Brendan had another great year- they think the food at the Cannon Center is about the best food around! They ate well, worked hard and had a good time! I drove down to pick them up on Thurs. Then, after spending the night at my parents' house, we drove Griffin's friend Brett to the airport on Friday and headed up to North Ogden.








Brian played in a golf tournament with a good friend from high school. So the boys and I spent a couple of quick days with our friends, The Fisher's. We always have such a great time with them! They have 3 girls and we have 3 boys but strangely enough, they all get along really well! Marnae SPOILS my boys and I love going shopping and doing "girl things" with her darling girls! We did a lot of fun things in the two days we were there. Movies, Boondock's, dinners, video games, and the list goes on!













Brian and Mike ended up taking 2nd place at their golf tournament. They always have a good time playing together and do well most of the time!






After a great weekend with the Fisher's, we went back out to Jodi's and stayed with her. We had a big BBQ with Jill and Jodi and their families. It was so fun to catch up with them and watch the kids play. All the cousins are so cute and my boys love hanging out with them.









We had a great time in Jill's awesome backyard~ we went to the pool and the kids loved being together.