Hobble Creek Canyon Half Marathon

This past Saturday Karen again followed her passion and was running hard down Hobble Creek Canyon. I was barely able to get the camera out in time to snap this picture at mile nine so it might be a bit blurry.

Karen's mother always said that she would take up running as soon as she saw someone smiling during their run. Check out the smile in this picture. I was smiling too because she was almost finished and that meant cookies and chocolate milk for me. (I make sure Karen sneeks some of the runner's munchies for me too, the faithful spectator)

Back to Life, Back To Reality

Here we are, together again... Well, Brady's last year of school starts tomorrow. School's been going for me for a full week, and I already love all but one of my classes.

We ate at the Cannon Center (the fine dorm dining...hehe) for free with my cousin and sisters. Brady walked away a bit depressed (I'm going to school with these KIDS???), but he is actually still excited to look through books and get his resume ready to send.

So far, the most exciting thing I've done was go to see Terris. (Sorry, I have no memory space on my camera, so I can't capture the moment...). She peed EVERYWHERE when she saw me. She is a bit odd looking--her fur is bleached out a bit, looking much like a cheap highlighting job, but she has been taken care of well. I took her on a car ride. She instantly stuck her head out the window and hung her tongue out to dry. It was pretty cute.

Brady and I finally broke down and bought a computer, so we'll be posting a bit more frequently. Until next time...

From One Sports Enthusiast to Another

It was a fine week of sports. As you can see, I have been turning over to the dark side and showing favortism towards the "silver and black." A few days ago, I had the opportunity--no, the priviledge--of attending an Oakland Raiders Training Camp. Yes, I was only feet away from Randy Moss as he was making spectacular catches, face to face with Robert Gallery as he signed an autograph, and chummin' with Coach Turner as he signed and almost stole my marker. I also saw -- but kept my distance -- from the infamous Brett Engeman of BYU. I spent two hours on the sidelines watching the Raiders practice and then "broke bread" with the players afterwards. Too bad they stunk it up with the 49ers, but that was mostly just a game for rookies and bench warmers.

Considering how well the A's are doing, we decided to "splurge" by purchasing the $2 nosebleed tickets (Wed nights only). We picked the right night--(cold) hot dogs were only $1! The A's were tied for first place in the AL West with the LA Angels coming into the games, and the Angels had whooped up on them the night before. The game was pretty intense, and we were sitting on the edge of our painfully-far-away seats up until the 9th. The A's came back from a 2-0 deficit in the 7th and scored 4 runs. We've never sung "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with such enthusiasm! It definitely ranks in our top 10 events of the summer (coming soon...).

'Cuz I'm Leavin On A Jet Plane (but not quite a jet)

I flew a plane! Thanks to Mark David, my uncle (on the right), I got to go flying. He is currently working towards his commercial pilot's license, and needs lots of practice hours. Halfway through his time, he decided to have the other pilot give me an introductory flying course. What an experience! The seat didn't get moved up quite high enough, so I couldn't see much, but I could feel every movement while hanging on to the controls. It was comforting to know that the pilot could correct my errors, but I still wasn't brave enough to take us on a roller-coaster ride. I loved it!

Brady said I had to put this one in. These headsets allowed us to hear what the pilot was saying. Sadly, I couldn't understand half of it due to his HEAVY accent.

Our Week in Ohio

We took one afternoon and went swimming in a friend's pool. Thank heavens! Those of us not accustomed to humidity find swimming a welcome relief!

Eric is in this picture on the right (with his hand up). Pretty soon, he will also pass me up in the height department.

I haven't included a picture of Scott yet. He is on the left. It's crazy for me to realize that I teach students who are now a year younger than him. That's probably annoying for him to hear ("Oh, you're growing up so fast," and all of that.) I guess I figure it's not that big of a deal to say things like that, especially since in not too long, I'm going to be referred to as, "My OLDER sister, you know the 45 year old, gray-haired one."

This is 5 out of 6 of us for the girls. Janece is on my lap, Mindy (9) is sitting next to me, and Natalie (off to BYU in 3 weeks) has Anna (5) on her lap.

Check out Janece's face (the girl on the right). I told them to be silly...they didn't let me down.

Everytime I visit my sisters, we do nails.

Quick Visit To Lansing Michigan

Karen's family drove us to Lansing, Michigan to see my parents. The drive was only four hours from Karen's home in Ohio. Among helping Mom and Dad with computer/blog stuff, we had a great time checking out the neighborhood and mission office. They are so excited to be there and will do great things.

Mom and Dad Edwards in the Lansing Mission Office.

We also all enjoyed the mission office candy jars.

"Pres Kool!!" This is one of the cars Mom and Dad drive around in. It actually is the name of a dealership, but it's also a nice fit for "Kool" Mom and Dad.

Mom and Dad took us to the university just a couple of miles from their home.

We also made time to go the university dairy store where we enjoyed some fabulous ice cream cones.

The Michigan State University football stadium was closed for repairs so we resorted to some beautiful flower gardens on the campus.

We had great time checking out all the flower designs. Karen and Janece pose in front of the giant bloomin' peacock.

"Luminoso!"

My first experience with Fire Flies! Those things are amazing. We found a whole herd of them in backyard of the mission home. I kept trying to get a picture when the things would light up, but it proved a bit too challenging.

The Wedding

Me and Jillian. We actually met in 6th grade, but I don't remember that. All Jillian remembers from that time is that I wore really dorky stretch pants. (I agree, they weren't exactly flattering...hehe.) We became friends in 9th grade, while running Cross Country and Track together, and just got closer as the years went on. We've kept in touch, and see each other every time we're in Ohio. She is the reason that I don't wear stretch pants anymore.

Jillian with her bridesmaids and flower girl. There were about 10 cameras going at once, so I'm sure there is a better picture than this out there somewhere.

Jillian Dapore and Eric Phelan, the night before the wedding.

Jillian and Eric Phelan! This is the best picture of the wedding that I have right now. They both looked gorgeous, and it was a very touching ceremony.

Sweet car! Jillian and Eric drove to the reception with the top down. It is the same car that Eric's parents drove off in when they were married. It was so fun to watch Jillian's veil blow in the wind, and see the stares and waves they got. Eric said it wasn't the easiest car to drive, but it was worth it!

Jillian and I getting our groove on. Seriously, Jillian danced during the ENTIRE reception. She maybe stopped twice for some water. It was just like she said it would be--guests dancing all night non-stop. The food was great, the party was great, everything was perfect!

Me and the Girls

A lot of you have asked me when I'm going to put pics up of the girls I watch during the day. Well, I finally got some, and here they are! This job has turned out to be a really meaningful experience for me. I've completely fallen in love with these girls and their family. It's made it hard to realize that I'm leaving for Utah again in a week. Not only has the job been meaningful, but I've had a lot of perks--going to the fair, out to eat, to movies, to parks, running through sprinklers, hanging out with Kristen and her kids, to the Jelly Belly factory, and all sorts of adventures. I'm really going to miss it!

This is me with Sedona, the 2 year old. She is probably the spunkiest kid I've ever met (including my sister Janece). She thinks that she can do anything her older sisters do, and that makes for good times.

This is us with all the girls. Savannah is sitting next to me. She is 6, and about to go into 1st grade. She tries hard to be the "peacemaker" in the family. Sierra is the oldest, and she is 7. She does a good job helping Sedona out, and being the big sister. All three girls are in a performing group that their grandma runs, and they are ADORABLE in their outfits on stage.

Sedona calls Brady "Marty." I don't know if she just can't say his name, or that was the name she thought she heard the first time she met him. It confused the family for a while, until they realized she was asking for Brady every time she said "Marty."