Copacabana at Midnight and a Win for Team USA Basketball in the Semifinals

We loved the breathtaking views of the ocean from our hotel and the USA House but one thing we learned quickly in Rio is not to stay on the beach after dark.  With the short daylight hours in the middle of winter and our packed schedule there wasn't as much time to enjoy the beach as we wanted.  The beach was quite the happening place though.  Crowds of people sunbathing, vendors selling to tourists, people trading pins.  The mild winter weather made the beach still quite comfortable most days.  One of the events we really wanted to go to was beach volleyball.  The arena had been built right on the famous Copacabana Beach.  Tickets were hard to come by and expensive when you could find them and many of the games were being played before we arrived in Rio.  I was finally able to find some tickets for the men's semifinals.  I had to pick between two evening sessions and since I bought the tickets before the tournament started I had no idea who would be playing in which session.  In the end I picked the 11:00 pm start.  It was late but I wasn't sure how transportation would be and if we would make it back from track and field in time for the earlier game.  It ended up being the wrong choice.  We missed watching the USA and Brazil in the earlier matches.  The matches we saw were Italy vs Russia and Cuba vs Russia. Going to the beach that time of night wasn't a problem with so many people and security around.  Jason had a closer seat than us due to the limited number of tickets and I couldn't buy more than four together.  He had a great place to watch in the bottom section.  The kids and I sat up near the top.  It still wasn't a bad view of the game due to the size of the outdoor arena that had been built.  What I loved about our seats is that we could look over the top of the bleachers and see the waves crashing on the beach.  What an incredible view to experience the beach like this at midnight!  The games were a lot of fun, even if they weren't teams we really cared about.  The Brazilians really know how to have fun at beach volleyball!  The music, the dancing and the atmosphere was unmatched in any of the other events.  Both matches went to all three sets and it was past 1:00 a.m. before it was over.  Kaitlyn finally gave into the fatigue and fell asleep on my lap sometime during the second match.

The USOC gave us some basketball tickets and Jason a few hours off to see Team USA play in the men's semifinals.  So we made the long trip out to Olympic Park again and this time Jason got to come with us.  The US played Spain and handled them easily.  The crowd seemed to be cheering for Spain (maybe going for the underdog?) but we had fun cheering them on to a win to set up the final game where they would win the gold medal.

Track and Field: It Doesn't Get Better Than This!

Jason finally got a few days off from work and we headed to the track stadium.  Track and field doesn't get any better than the Olympic Games!  I was surprised to find a lot of empty seats in the track stadium (and most of the events we attended.)  I'm not sure how much of that was the bad media Rio got leading up to the Olympics that kept foreigners away or if the locals just couldn't afford to buy tickets.  I did feel bad for the athletes because it was probably a bit disappointing to make it to the Olympics and then have such sparse crowds there to watch.  We had a fantastic time attending four sessions of track and field.  Here are just a few of the highlights.  We saw Emma Coburn win the bronze in the women's steeplechase and Evan Jager win the silver in the men's steeplechase, the first two steeplechase medals for the United States!  We had some great seats on the bottom level near the water jump for the men's steeplechase.  We saw a world record broken in the women's hammer throw.  We saw Usain Bolt run the 200 meter prelims and semis.  He was a great entertainer and the crowd loved him!  It was the only time the crowd was as loud as when the Brazilians were competing.  We were able to mingle with several athletes that we met as we were leaving the stadium including Bernard Legat.  Our last session was an evening session and we had great tickets right in the middle of the home stretch in the lower section.  We were right in front of the action for several finals.  The highlight of the night was the US women sweeping the medals in the 100 meter hurdles!  We had so much fun cheering on the world's best athletes and Team USA!

Celebrating 19 years in Rio!

Last year Jason and I missed celebrating our anniversary because he was doing a volunteer rotation at the USOC training center in Colorado Springs hoping for an invitation to the Olympics someday.  The rotation was a great experience and he left feeling like he would be invited to help with future events but he thought and invitation to Rio in 2016 was a long shot for someone as new to the program as he was.  What a thrill it was when he received the invitation in January!  He felt a little bad about missing our anniversary last year but so much of our marriage has been about supporting each other in achieving our goals that I didn't mind too much.  He is my constant support in my success as an athlete and I have definitely put in years and years supporting him in his career.  We commemorated 19 years on August 14th and we celebrated together in Rio!  What a great way to celebrate 19 years of working together to accomplish something amazing!

In reality though we didn't get a ton of time to spend together that day.  It was the day of the women's marathon, the event I had planned the whole trip around to be there.  In February it was such an amazing experience to race with the best marathoners in the country but I was so preoccupied with my own race and how I wanted to perform that I couldn't fully enjoy it.  This time I just got to sit watch and cheer on the women that I had been privileged to compete with just a few months earlier and it was incredible.  Jason needed to work that day but with the marathon being first thing in the morning and at the Botofogo beach area just a few metro stops away he decided to go catch a bit of the race with us.  Unfortunately the metro ride wasn't quite as smooth as we anticipated.  The kids and I bought an Olympic pass that gave us access to the public transit we would need later in the day but Jason just bought a single ride pass since he was returning to work.  What we didn't realize is that the line we were trying to get on required the Olympic pass so the machine wouldn't give Jason his ticket.  Even with Jason's Portuguese we were having a difficult time explaining to the people working what we needed.  They were in the typical Brazilian way of not in any hurry to get anything done and I was starting to panic as it was getting closer and closer to the time we needed to be to the race course.  I had come all this way and this was the event I really wanted to see and I was afraid we were going to miss it!  In the end, we had to run several blocks down the street to catch a different line.  Luckily we made it to Botofogo with about 5 or 10 minutes to spare before the runners reached that part of the course.  We were at a turn around point where the runners would pass three times, 10k, 20k and 30k.  It was a beautiful setting with the beach, the bay and Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background.  The leaders came by with all three Americans, Shalane Flanagan, Desi Linden, and Amy Cragg in the lead pack.  I was surprised to see how strung out a lot of the runners were already getting.  It was a hot, humid day, definitely not ideal marathon conditions.  The kids asked how I would be doing in the race and although the lead pack would have left me in the dust I could have run with the slower runners.  I was intrigued about each of their stories and how they got there.  Even though I have run the Olympic Qualifying mark I realized looking at each of these runners that some of them come from a life with so many more disadvantages than I do.  I'm sure given many of their situations it is much more impressive for them to be there than many of the athletes that medal. I admired each of them for the strength to get there.  We enjoyed watching life on the beach between laps.  There were teenagers playing soccer on the beach, a lady out walking her chicken, parrots in the trees and Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the beautiful morning in Rio.  Soon the runners were passing again, almost half way and the Americans were all still in the lead pack while more and more runners started to drop back.  It now took almost 20 minutes for all the runners to pass.  Due to the conditions many obviously weren't even going to run the qualifying mark they ran to get there.  Finally the last lap was passing, the heat and humidity was getting more intense and the lead pack was breaking up.  The Americans had started to drop just slightly off the few who were making a move in the lead.  It was looking like it wasn't going to be an American's day to medal but a strong showing by USA with all three still in the top 10.  In the end we later found out Shalane was 6th, Desi 7th and Amy 9th.  If that event had been team scored the US would have taken the gold.

As soon as the runners had passed for the last time Jason rushed back to work and we got back on the metro to navigate our way across the city to Olympic Park where we had tickets to gymnastics.  I was nervous about trying to find my way around on public transit without Jason but had been assured it would be the quickest and easiest way to get to events.  I was pleased with how organized the transit system was.  The line we were on had been shut down to the public and they were only letting people on with tickets to events.  When we got to the end of the subway line we followed the crowds to the buses which took us to Olympic Park.  Once we got off the bus it was a long walk to the village but they were handling the crowds well and the lines moved quickly.  It took a full two hours and we made it just in time for the event finals.  Kaitlyn had been saying ever since she found out we were going to the Olympics that she wanted to see gymnastics.  The tickets were expensive and difficult to find but she was so excited to go.  The first event was the men's floor exercise.  Two Brazilians were among the first contenders and did well.  They were sitting in 2nd and 3rd place.  The crowd was really into it and every time another athlete would make a mistake (including two Americans) they would cheer knowing that kept the Brazilians in medal contention.  The Brazilians won the silver and bronze and you would have thought it was the gold as excited as the crowd got!  It was fun to watch.  The next event was the women's vault where we got to see American Simone Biles, the star of gymnastics at the Olympics this year, win the gold medal.  The American crowd was fairly small there so we had a great time waving our flags and cheering her on.  We also watched the men's pommel horse and the women's uneven bars where we saw two more medals for the Americans.

We made it back to Ipanema late in the evening and met Jason at the USA House.  We had a one day pass for all of us to go into the house but wanted to save it for a day we had more time to spend there.  So we browsed the store and waited in the lobby for Jason.  He ran into a two of the 10,000 meter runners and brought them up front to meet us.  Here we are with Shadrack Kipchirchir and Leonard Korir.  These guys were tiny and obviously super fast runners but very friendly and down to earth.  They weren't the big names that were winning medals and getting the media attention but they were loving their first Olympic experience!

After dinner we were back to the hotel and crashed in bed.  It had been a full day and the next day we were starting early (a pattern that didn't end until we left Rio!)

Rio Here We Come!

After months of preparation, we finally had all the passports, immunizations, credentialing (for Jason), tickets to events, Team USA gear, plane tickets and hotels booked and were thrilled for the Olympic Games to begin.  Two days before the opening ceremonies and here's Jason at the Salt Lake airport ready to join Team USA!

Jason kept getting stopped in the airport and asked what event he was competing in.  I guess he looks more like an athlete than a team physician!  He had a layover in Houston before the overnight flight to Rio. He found the terminal in Houston to be a big party sending off the athletes to Rio, many of which were on the same flight as him.  He ran into several Olympians he had worked with last year at the USOC training center and Jared Ward (marathon runner from Utah) as well as meeting several other athletes on the team.  He hadn't even left US soil yet and he was having the time of his life being part of the excitement heading to Rio.

Jason arrived in Rio and went to work right away.  He was stationed at the USA House in Ipanema.  The USA House was the hospitality house for athletes, VIPs and corporate sponsors of the USOC  His hotel as well as the USA House were both beach front property.  The building was a school that the USOC had rented out and remodeled for the month.  The nuns who worked at the school were still staying there and enjoying the US Olympic spirit.  Jason was thrilled to be back in Brazil.  He used his Portuguese frequently.  He often got strange looks from Brazilians who weren't used to Americans that could speak their language.  He even had several ask why he was wearing USA gear if he was Brazilian!  At the USA House he was mainly taking care of the USOC staff and corporate sponsors.  The athletes were in and out of the house constantly though and he had a lot of opportunities to interact with the athletes as well.  He was working long hours from first thing in the morning until 11 pm when the House would close but loving every minute of it.  This experience was a life long dream for him and one he has spent countless hours, really years, working for.  Occasionally he'd get out for a run on the beach in the morning or get away to grab some Brazilian food.  Although he had access to great food at the USA House, it was American food and so he got away for some authentic Brazilian food when he could.  Here he is in front of his home base for the month.

We were anxious to get to Rio and meet him.  I had decided to wait a week to join him since we were leaving Skyler at home with grandparents and I didn't want to leave him too long.  We waiting for the second week of the Olympics so we could be there during track and field and the marathons.  It was so exciting to watch the opening ceremony with the anticipation of being there in a short time.  We watched as much as we could on tv although the week was so busy with preparations to leave that we didn't see as much as we would have liked.  Finally the day came, Friday August, 12.  We said goodbye to Skyler and  the four of us boarded a flight to Houston.  I wondered if I was slightly crazy taking three children on an international flight alone.  We had a short layover in Houston and just had enough time to catch the red eye flight to Rio.  Here are three of the most excited kids you have ever seen!

The night went about as well as you could expect sitting in coach.  I didn't sleep too much but that wasn't a surprise.  At one point I woke up and wondered where Andrew had disappeared to.  I finally realized he was sleeping on the floor at Kaitlyn and Jared's feet. At least he found somewhere he could get some sleep.  I tend to get motion sick and by the time we arrived in Rio I was feeling quite ill.  I'm not sure how much was motion sickness or if it was something I had been coming down with for a couple days.  I'm sure a night with no sleep didn't help the situation.  Jason had been hoping to arrange a ride for us but all the USOC drivers were busy so we were on our own to find our way from the airport to the hotel.  Luckily it wasn't too hard to find a taxi and communicate where we needed to go.  The driver tried to point out points of interest along the way although his English was worse than my Portuguese!  The kids were quickly introduced to the crazy driving habits of Brazilian taxi drivers!  We made it to the hotel without any incident and were thrilled to be greeted by Jason in the lobby.

It had been a long 20+ hours since we had left home. I felt terrible and just wanted to crash in bed but decided it would be better to try to stay awake for the day.  We had to go pick up some of our event tickets at will call, so the next adventure was trying to take an Uber across town to the ticket collection site.  We were on our own again since Jason had to get to work.  The Uber ride was a bit of an adventure again.  My phone had put the address in behind the hotel and we were waiting in the front.  The driver called me when he couldn't find us but of course didn't speak any English.  Once he did find us he couldn't find the building we were supposed to be going to.  We could actually see it but kept driving in circles around it but his GPS wouldn't tell him how to get there.  I was no help without speaking the language and the crazy Brazilian roads and drivers.  He finally got us there and I was ushered into a courtyard where we would wait for our tickets.  Other people were waiting as well and I was told some had been waiting for hours!  By this time I was really ill.  This wasn't just motion sickness and jet lag.  I had a fever and was shivering in spite of the fact it was a beautiful sunny 70 degree day and everyone else was comfortable in shorts and t shirts. I must have looked as bad as a felt because a couple men that were there also waiting for tickets asked if I was ok.  They found a sunny spot for me to sit and had the boys wait with them for my tickets.  Luckily ours came more quickly then some of the others and the Uber ride back to the hotel went much smoother. I finally gave in and crashed at the hotel.  I felt bad because the kids were looking longingly at the beach across the street but I just couldn't fight it anymore.  I was worried about what I had and hoping I wouldn't be sick the whole trip.  It had come too soon to be something I picked up in Brazil but I didn't want the trip ruined by all of us getting sick.  After some Tylenol (luckily I had brought a bag full of medication) and a nap I started to feel alive again and we wandered over to the beach for the little bit of time before the sun set.  Since it was winter in Rio the hours of daylight were short.  Jason got away from work long enough to take us to dinner.  It was some amazing meat that we grilled on a skillet in front of us.  Jason had brought pins for the kids and they got started on the fun of trading pins with people.  Soon Brazilian dancers were outside the window of the restaurant doing flips, dancing, singing and entertaining the tourists.  It was a great introduction for the kids to the Brazilian culture and the Olympic spirit and Jason was thrilled to have his family around after a week and a half alone.  The next morning I woke up feeling like a new person. The fever was gone and I was so excited for the adventure to come! 

Summer: Camping, Scouts, Lagoon, and Cousins

This summer was one thing after the next all summer long, especially for Andrew.  Between, scout camps, EFY, youth conference, a family camping trip, cousins visiting and finally our trip to Brazil (more on that to come) there was never a dull moment.

Jason didn't have any vacation time to use this year since he was taking a full month off to go to Brazil in August so we had to try to fit in vacation when he was off.  We took advantage of the long 4th of July weekend and went camping at Flaming Gorge.  Three nights in a tent is about as long as I can stand with kids but we had a good time.  We did end up stranded out in the middle of no where one night.  We were fishing a small lake and the kids had left the lights on in the truck getting in and out so many times.  We went to start the truck to head back to camp and the battery was dead.  The small shop by the lake was closed and everyone else had left and we had no cell phone reception.  Our campground was a good walk from there but I was starting to think it was our only choice when someone came along.  They didn't have cables but were finally able to track down someone that did.  We kept having to jump the truck every time we had to go anywhere and someone at church finally gave us a set of cables until we could get home and replace the battery.  We had a lot of fun running and biking the overlook at Red Canyon.  Andrew enjoyed photographing the canyon and the boys had fun sleeping in their hamocks and didn't mind the deer walking right through the camp all night.  There was also a herd of big horn sheep running around we were lucky enough to spot. Before we went home we spent a day on the river below the dam.  Jason, Andrew, and Jared fished while I hiked with Kaitlyn and Skyler.  Well, until the thunder storms rolled in and we kept running to the truck to get out of the downpour! 

My niece, Danielle came to stay with us for a few days this summer.  We went to the rodeo and Lagoon.  Neither are my favorite but the kids had a lot of fun.  Melanie, with her kids, and Brittany met us at Lagoon and the big kids and little kids were all entertained so it was a win!  Kaitlyn wanted to go on all the wild rides with the big kids.  I think they rode just about everything there.  I think we left with a few motion sick kids by the end of the day!

In August we had my sister, Rebecca, visit with her family from Ohio and my brother with his girlfriend and Calvin here from California.  We went to the pool to escape the heat and to a Real Salt Lake game since Calvin loves soccer.  It was our first game at Rio Tinto and it was a lot of fun although I felt like I spent half the game in line at the concession stands.  It was a crazy week because I was helping with cross country camp, Jason left for Brazil, and I was trying to get everything arranged so the rest of us could join him.  We didn't get as much time as we would have liked to spend with everyone but it was fun to have all the Brown cousins together.

Andrew's high adventure with the scouts was in the Wind River mountain range in Wyoming.  They camped at the Green River Lakes and backpacked a long trip into Square Top.  It was a much longer hike than they anticipated.  The weather also turned off quite cold for the middle of July.  Many of the boys ran out of food but luckily Andrew caught some fish to keep them alive!

Jared went to Camp Newfork for scout camp the same week Andrew was backpacking.  The scout camp wasn't far from where Andrew was in the Wind Rivers so they also had to deal with the frigid temperatures with many mornings below freezing.  He braved the cold though and even swam in the lake for the swim check and canoeing merit badge.  One night they took canoes across the lake and spent the night.  He was able to finish up all the merit badges he needs for his Eagle except camping.  Jason was able to spend a couple days at camp but couldn't get any more time off work and spent so much time dealing with the administrative issues that he didn't get any pictures of the boys.

The Blackham backpacking trip had to be cut short this year due to the lack of vacation time Jason had.  He took advantage of the long 24th of July holiday weekend and took Andrew and Jared with Brian and Brian Jr. to Red Castle in the Uintas.  Jared was thrilled to finally be included on the big backpacking trip and Andrew didn't complain about another weekend in a tent.  They caught a lot of fish and had a lot of fun.

Summer Running

In June, my friend Janae asked me to help coach at a running retreat she was holding in Park City.  We spent two nights at a beautiful house in Deer Valley.  We enjoyed some breathtaking views on trail runs and enjoyed a couple days of speakers with tons of information.  It was a lot of fun to meet runners from all over with varying experience levels in running.  It was fun to make some new friends and spend a couple days with some old friends.  The highlight of the lectures was having Jared Ward who qualified to run in the Olympic marathon this year come talk to us.  He was a very down to earth guy and it was fun to chat with him about our experiences at the Olympic Trials even though his was vastly different than mine. The last morning of the retreat we all participated in the Park City Trail Series 5k.  I don't feel like I'm a great trail racer and my friend Angie and I decided to take the race easy and just run it for fun.  We did that the first mile and watched a lot of women race ahead of us.  Cynthia was way ahead of everyone. We hit the first mile pretty slow, around 7 minutes and started catching the runners that had gone out too fast.  Then the competitive side of me kicked in when I realized there were a lot of the runners ahead of me I could catch.  I picked it up a bit and caught most of them still running at a pretty comfortable pace.  Janae, Alyssa and Cynthia were still ahead so I finally kicked it into race mode for the last mile and was able to catch everyone but Cynthia right before the finish.  It was a fun race having the girls from the retreat pretty much sweep the awards.

I hadn't been doing a lot of racing in the summer.  I felt burnt out after what I felt like were failed attempts at the Olympic Trials and the Ogden Marathon. My uncle convinced Andrew to run Farmington Days with his family and I decided that I could use a fun easy race for a change so I signed the whole family up.  Jason ran the 10k and Andrew, Jared, Kaitlyn and I ran the 5k.  My aunt was nice enough to keep an eye on Skyler while we all ran.  When we were all lining up for the race Kaitlyn decided she had to go to the bathroom right now. We ran off to find one and I really thought we might miss the start.  Maybe this is one reason I don't usually race with the kids... We made it back just in time.  There weren't any women up close enough to race against.  Jason was just ahead of me until the 10k course separated from the 5k.  Then I started passing up a lot of the men.  Andrew was up close to the lead and it was so fun watching his race from behind.  The last half mile I watched him catching the guy in front of him who he out kicked for the win.  I didn't push too much out of my comfort zone with no women there to race.  It was Andrew's first road race win and a lot of fun to get a win with him.

By late July I was ready to try to race hard again.  I always like to run the Deseret News 10k but this year I decided to try to run the half marathon instead.  The Deseret News races are always competitive with good prize money so I figured I probably wouldn't win but my goal was to run a good time.  I wanted a 1:17 and thought maybe if my race went perfect a 1:16.  I met my friend Jasmine Sessions when we caught the bus and was glad to have someone to run with.  At the starting line I was surprised to see there weren't very many competitive women.  It looked like it would be between Jasmine and me.  I knew Jasmine was running really well and I could never count her out.  However, I knew I'd beaten her before and I started to be hopeful I could win this race.  The beginning of the race was down Emigration Canyon. The race was going almost the way I wanted with most of our mile splits around 5:50.  One of the men we were running with asked what we were aiming for.  At the same time I replied 1:17 and Jasmine said 1:18.  I really started to think I had a good chance to win.  I had actually been hoping for splits closer to 5:45 down the canyon.  I noticed Jasmine kept getting half a step behind me.  I wondered if I picked up the pace just a bit she would drop back and I would take the lead for good.  Near the bottom of the canyon I decided to risk it.  We hit a steep downhill section and I took off.  It seemed to be working.  Jasmine started to fall behind.  I was aiming for 5:45 but instead hit that mile in 5:35.  Looking back it was a mistake but I wanted to win this race and I decided to take the gamble.  After two miles in the 5:30s we turned onto Foothill Blvd.  My legs started to tire after those blazing fast miles.  I had the lead but Jasmine hadn't disappeared.  She was still close and it worried me.  I worked the downhill section by the football stadium but I couldn't shake her.  We hit the uphill stretch on 13th East and she was starting to catch me.  By the time we made the turn onto South Temple she was right on my shoulder again.  I stayed with her until the 10 mile marker but my legs had taken such a beating from the fast downhill they just wouldn't go anymore.  I watched her slowly pull away, ironically the same place I watched Melody pull away in the 10 last year.  I remembered last year though and kept pushing as hard as I could so no one would catch me from behind.  It was a struggle to get through those last few miles but I fought hard for my goal time.  I finished in 1:17:25, right on my goal pace and my second fastest half marathon ever.  Jasmine finished in 1:16:33, well ahead of me and a huge PR for her.  She killed those last three miles.  I was disappointed to miss the win again but happy for Jasmine to have such a perfect race.  My average pace was 5:55 which was only a few seconds slower than the pace I ran last year in the 10k.  In retrospect I might have been able to take a few more seconds off my time if I hadn't been so aggressive in the middle of the race and saved more for the end.  I don't think I would have beaten Jasmine though. I think I still would have been a low 1:17.  I was happy to meet my goal time and still make the podium and walk away with $500 cash.  I'd still love to win that race someday so I'll keep working.

Photos from the Deseret News. Caption on that bottom picture should say, "Are you really taking my picture right now?"

Spring 2016

Here are a few random pictures from all of the spring activities.

My mother-in-law celebrated her 60th birthday this spring.  She hasn't wanted to celebrate her birthday with a big party the last few years since it reminds her of when Vance passed away.  We figured we needed to do something to celebrate the milestone birthday though so we threw a surprise birthday party at our house after the kid's piano recital.  Everyone came and set up while we were at the recital.  We actually pulled it off and completely surprised her! This cake Tiffany's mom made for her was perfect!

Andrew on the  podium at the region meet!

Andrew had another successful track season.  Here he is pictured at the region track meet.  He placed 6th in the 3200.  He ran a 4:41 1600 at the BYU invitational and 10:00 in the 3200 in St. George.

Andrew at accolade with Teal Christensen

Andrew had a great time at prom and accolade!  His dates were beautiful!  We had fun hosting his prom group for dinner at our house.

Skyler had his preschool graduation at the end of the year in Miss Erica's class.  He loved Miss Erica but he hated being in front of everyone at the program!  He sat in his chair and stubbornly refused to participate!  He wanted nothing to do with singing songs, saying his part or even wearing the graduation cap.  You can tell he didn't mind the treats though.

I helped coach the youth track club again and Kaitlyn enjoyed running.  She's gotten to be quite competitive and you can really see in this picture how hard she is trying.  She made it to district in a couple events and her relay team even made it to state!

This was just too cute of these three cousins.  We were at the Noble family reunion on Memorial Day.  The food had all been cleaned up and it was about time to go. This watermelon had been brought by someone but no one had cut  it up. Skyler was determined to get some to eat even though we kept telling him no one had a knife.  Well, you can see these cousins found a way to open it and enjoy it!

Jason spoiled me one evening with dinner at La Calille.  It was my first time there and I loved it!  It was like stepping inside a French Chateau.  It was a beautiful spring evening.  The food was amazing and the atmosphere was incredible.  We loved wandering around the beautiful grounds.  This has been one of our busiest years ever and it seems like there is never time to spend together anymore so this evening was wonderful.