Halloween Bash Triathlon--Race Recap

We did it.

Halloween triathlon completed!

Olivia and Owen's first and they did awesome.

We started friday night at packet pick-up. The kids got really cool bags full of stuff and I got a bag full of really cool stuff.

This is also where you get your number. We got some good ones.

We left at 4:30 am to get out to the race and it was FREEZING!!! Here we are pool side waiting for the kids swim to start and just hoping that it started to get a little warmer. Olivia wasn't sure she wanted to do it since she was so cold, but she got over that.

Morgan was our "cheerleader duck". She's really good at it and shouts stuff like, "Come on Owen, I know you can do it!" and "Go MOMMY!" She's great at what she does. She was a mini-celebrity at the race. Everyone kept laughing, "Oh my gosh, look at the cute little duck." Then Morgan would tell me all proudly, "Everyone is laughing at me." I couldn't help but make the contrast between Olivia who nearly dies if anyone is laughing at her. Two very different girls.

The race finally got underway. Olivia kicked booty on the swim. She passed 3 girls in 50 meters. Pretty impressive. She transitioned well and took off like a pro on the bike. Owen did okay on the swim but got stuck behind some kid with his dad in the pool helping him so he had to dog paddle trying to get around them. But he transitioned well too and took off like a pro on his tiny little bike. Then it was in from the bike and off on the run. Livy and Owen both took off like rockets. I missed Owen crossing the finish line because trying to coordinate everything was very tricky, but here is Olivia crossing the finish line.

I was so proud of them and they had a lot of fun. They decided triathlons are pretty great.

Here I am waiting on deck for my swim to start, which started 40 minutes late, btw. That was lame. Shane found a nice warm spot inside for he and the kids to hang out in so I was talking to them through the window.

Out of the swim and onto the bike. I finished 2 in the swim.

Took off on my bike and felt great. No women passed me and only a few men. That's never happened to me before.

Then onto the run.

Here I am sprinting to the finish line because I could see Shane and the kids cheering me on and telling me to sprint, sprint, sprint!!! So I did.

I ended up getting first in my age group (out of 19) and 5th over all (I don't know the total number of participants). I was happy about that.

Also cool is that Olivia got first in her age group! This made her quite happy because she's been stressing since they day we signed her up that she might not win.

Owen got 3rd in his age group. He did great!

Building the big guns already. :)

How sad is it that my 6 year old daughter has bigger calf's than me?

My little triathlete.

My other little triathlete.

My awesome husband who allowed me to do all this and got up at 4 am with me even though he has two performances for his musical today. Thanks Shane. I love you!

P.S. If you want more race details click HERE.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO

...lives in a pineapple under the sea?

SPONGEBOB SQUARE PANTS!

Owen is obsessed with Spongebob so I thought I'd oblige his request for a Spongebob birthday cake.

It was a fun cake to make for his 5th birthday.

It was 10:30 at night, the night before his birthday and I was NOT wanting to make it. In fact, I told Shane several times I wasn't going to do it. Things have been crazy busy around here (and funkish) and I was obviously very tired since 10:30 is already half an hour past my bedtime.

I went to the store to just buy a cake but they were all crappy.

When I came home from the store I told Shane, "I'm gonna do it." Owen was expecting a Spongebob cake and I could not disappoint.

Shane's response, "I knew you would."

So up I stayed until 1:30 am getting things just right.

It was totally worth it.

Owen loved it and that's all that mattered.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN!

**Thanks to Porter and Lana for sharing the day with us and letting us use their house to celebrate since we don't have one. :)

I'm In A....

funk

1  [fuhngk] Show IPA

–noun

1.	cowering fear; state of great fright or terror.

2.	a dejected mood: He's been in a funk ever since she walked out on him. Definition #2 is my problem. I hate being in a funk. I don't know why I'm in a funk. I have no right to be in a funk. But here I am...totally and completely in a funk. I want out!

Grandpa Davis

(This picture was taken a few weeks ago.)

Today my Grandpa Davis died.

What a weird day.

He lives (or lived) in the apartment just in front of me, so my mom flagged me down as I was driving in to let me know he had passed away.

I was just coming home from a hair appointment where my sister-in-law Lana and I were talking about how he would never die.  Literally minutes before.

He has held on for several years longer than "they" thought he would as his quality of life has become more and more tragic.  These last few months my mother has had to take care of him almost like a newborn.  

It's been hard on both of them...and probably good for both of them too.

There were two young boys, maybe 19 or 20, sent from the mortuary to come pick him up.

Inexpertly they hoisted him up on the gurney, nearly dropping him once, and struggled with trying to get the gurney legs to lock at the right height.  They were trying desperately to be respectful while doing their job...but it was awkward.

There my grandfather lay through all of it, mouth hanging open, looking like a wax museum figure and it made me sad.

I don't know that I have ever seen somebody so close up after they just died.  Not embalmed and all dressed up at a funeral.  

Just dead.

As I looked at him lying there I knew it wasn't him.  It was so obvious.  It was the shell that housed my grandfather while he was here, but that was not my grandpa.

The two young boys shuttling him to the mortuary have no idea who my grandfather was.  They just transfer the shell.  They don't know that he's the father of 4 wonderful children, the grandfather of 12 and the great-grandfather of 25.  They don't know he was an inventor, a musician or a survivor of WWII.  They don't know he had a life, full of experiences and people that loved him.

All they met was the shell.

How sad it would be if all was forgotten as they took that shell away.  If grandpa really was dead.

But grandpa's not dead.  

His body is, but he is most definitely not.

See you on the other side Grandpa.

Mr. Rogers Definitely Ain't My Neighbor!

As the kids and I strolled out of the neighborhood grocery store we were greeted by 5 cop cars and a fire truck and I couldn't help but think....hmmmm, something's wrong.

But what was it?

Then it came to me.  What was wrong was that I was totally un-phased by said cop cars and fire trucks.  We'd been greeted by such a scene before.  Just another day in the ghetto.  I wasn' t nervous or even all that curious about what was happening.  

As Shane and I pulled into Mesa from our trip to San Diego last night there were several cop cars, lights a blazing, right in front of our street.  I said to Shane, "Well, just another day on Broadway."  And he laughed because he hadn't even noticed.

It's awesome.

But what's even more awesome is this.  The place that I LOVE to eat, Krazy Sub, is right next to an Asian Massage parlor.  Yeah, I think it's that kind of Asian massage parlor.  We saw a news report about them and I'm pretty sure this has to be what they were talking about.  But, nevertheless, they carry on their business 2 doors down from Krazy Sub where every Mormon kid that goes to Westwood loves to dine.

I made Shane pose in front of their sign.  He was afraid some pimp was going to come out and beat him up.  I assured him all would be fine, just pose for the picture. :)

Could somebody please enlighten me as to what a "free table shower" is?

Please?

This Kid

Amid all his crazy, Owen is a great kid.  

He has one of the softest hearts I've ever seen.

I think he must have heard us talk about him in this way before because the other day he did something nice for Morgan and Shane said, "Thanks Owen, you're so nice."  

Owen replied, "Yeah, and I'm sweet too."

Well, he is.

Spooky Jammies

Who needs Christmas pajamas when you can have Halloween pajamas with matching pillow case to boot?!

Happy October--we're ready for Halloween here.

Just don't tell them it's 30 days away--that's an eternity in kid land.

**I made the pillow cases and shirts.  Aren't you so impressed? No?  Oh well, it was fun.