HAST Swim Meet

On Wednesday, June 30, Ryan competed in the HAST (Hilltop Aquatic Swim Team) Red, White & Blue swim meet in American Fork. Since I was back at work, Rara & Papa took Ryan. They left at about 7:00 am to be there for warm-ups at 8:00 am.Ryan swam 4 events, the 50 Backstroke, 50 Breaststroke, 50 Butterfly, and 50 Freestyle. There were a total of 64 events, and most events had three heats, so they were there most of the day. All of Ryan’s events had between 24 and 28 kids competing.

Here are a couple of pictures of his Backstroke…

Breaststroke…The end of his Butterfly. You can see – he knew he did well! (far right)Freestyle…The meet officials were good to calculate the results quickly, so the first two sets of results had already posted by the time Ryan finished his events and they left. He placed 9th in Backstroke (and got a ribbon for that). He placed 17th in Breaststroke, but this was the first time he did this event, so I’m very proud of him for doing so well.

The most exciting news came a few days after the meet. The head coach of the team came to practice to distribute the awards. He pulled Ryan’s awards out, and he took THIRD PLACE in Butterfly! He won a BRONZE MEDAL!!! I think I’ve mentioned before that his coach calls him “Fly-man” since he does so well at the Butterfly. She was standing a few feet away when the kids were getting their awards, so Ryan was excited to go show her his medal. He said, “I won a bronze in Butterfly!” Her response was so cute – “I expected nothing less.”

Here is his “Michael Phelps Medals Pose.” He just needs seven more!

Family Reunion

On Saturday, June 26, we had our annual family reunion. This is the reunion with my grandpa’s siblings’ posterity. Only one of my grandpa’s siblings is still living, Aunt Billie. She brought some things to display that belonged to her parents and other family members.We had a great time visiting, eating, and playing.Every family came up (descendants of each sibling). Here is our family photo.Those attending from my mom’s generation, with Aunt Billie…Those attending from my generation. (Justin - far left - was a competitive swimmer through high school & college, and continues swimming to this day. He & Ryan really hit it off!)I was the oldest of my first cousins, then Jon, and then Marc. Our other six cousins are all younger than Marc. Now that we’re older, we spend more time together. When we were younger, I spent more time with two of my second cousins that are closer to my age. This is us now…Mary, Holly, and me.One of my cousins, his wife and son are currently living in my ward. They are moving to Illinois in just a couple of weeks for graduate school. It was fun to spend some time with them, too. (Nick, Kelly, and Luke Reynolds, far left.)The family reunion was held up Hobble Creek Canyon (above Springville), so it was a long day. But we had a great time together, and enjoyed catching up and seeing everyone.

Cousin Deb’s Wedding

On Saturday, June 25, my youngest cousin, Deb, got married. It was a beautiful ceremony, held at Log Haven up Millcreek Canyon. Here’s our family row before the ceremony started…Here comes the bride…Jason is a little emotional watching Deb walk down the aisle…During the ceremony…Parents of the bride – my Uncle Ted & Aunt Jean…“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now update your Facebook statuses.” (No joke! He said that!)
YES!!!The wedding party...

Posing for our own pictures…The kids found where the REAL fun was!All of the cousins were together but one.The reception was held in the upstairs party room at Squatters. The food was AMAZING, but what else would we expect from Squatters?The quilt our family made as Deb's present. (The beer belongs to the dude that we grabbed to take the photo. Like how he features it in the photo? We did enjoy our personalized wedding glasses with water and soda.)

Marc took the kids outside for a break. Not sure who the break was really for.Congrats, Deb!!!

Cub Scout Day Camp ~ Camp Tracy

I have now been a cub scout leader for 4 years. The first three years, I was the Wolf den leader, and attended Camp Tracy with the Wolf and Bear dens (always on Monday and Tuesday). This year Ryan attended camp on Wednesday and Thursday with the Webelos. Since I am now the cubmaster, I was able to go with him again! (Don't let him kid you, he loves having me there. He just won't admit it in front of his friends.) :)

We currently only have three boys in the Webelos den, so it was pretty mellow. Here are the boys while we waited for our other leader (the Webelos den leader) to check us in...

The Webelos also go on a 2-mile hike. The Webelos leader asked me if I was able to accompany them. It was straight up the mountain! Here are the boys as we started on the hike.

We enjoyed working on the "Readyman" (first aid) pin...

We were reminded how to conduct an official flag ceremony...

I was also the one that took the boys out on the lake in canoes. Knowing we would probably not emerge dry, I didn't take my camera in the canoe. I'm glad I didn't! We were literally chased around the lake by some of the other groups! I mentioned earlier that this was a mellow group. I would ask them if they wanted to have a water fight with the other groups, and they always said no. So we enjoyed rowing around the lake, observing caves in the mountainside, a family of ducks at the side of the lake, and a lot of different fish in the lake. We were "the nature appreciation boat" instead of one of the water-fighting groups. I didn't mind that they chose that route AT ALL!!! Of course, some groups just couldn't understand that we didn't want to get drenched - or worse - dumped into the lake like one of the other leaders! Several of them insisted on getting us wet anyway. (The Webelos leader took pictures of us in the canoes. I'll have to get copies from her.)

We ended the day in the lodge with a relaxing game of chess. Once the physical challenges were over, they were ready for the mental challenges. Just look at that concentration!

Fun Summer Outings, Part 2 – Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum with MORE Cousins!

After the zoo on Monday, we all went to Rara’s & Papa’s house. Marc & Frances are doing some work on their house (Nana’s old house), so Alice & Claire had a sleepover at Rara’s & Papa’s Monday to Tuesday so Marc & Frances could get some work done.
My cousin and her kids were up from St. George for the week, so ALL of the second cousins (and the two grandmas) met at the Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum on Tuesday. Here are a few pictures from the museum…A couple of hours into our museum visit, it was obvious that Alice needed a nap. I spotted the “nursing corner” in one of the quiet-ish areas of the museum, so Alice and I snuggled on the couch and took a nap for almost 1 ½ hours. The rest of the gang finished at the museum, and then went and played in the Gateway fountains for a while.When they finished at the fountains and decided it was time for lunch, they came and got us. We joined them in the food court for lunch and a group picture.