Ending with the Best

After football and wrestling, I was pretty depressed about what we had done for our oldest son, but he moves well and showed it.  He went into track with determination and found some amazing coaches that helped him reach for his potential.  Coming out of Stuttgart, I think he only had a 17 sec (something) for his best time at the 110 meter hurdles and maybe 5'8 for his high jump.  Of course it was his first year in high school running or jumping.  He mastered the 3 step technique this year and learned to deal with ice baths.  

Even I became involved with the team, because the coaches were so awesome!  Rob and I tried to make most of the meets.  

So many parents were never there.  They are long and some think really boring, but I have always found track fascinating and it helps when you personally know the kids and their struggles.  We rooted for all kinds of kids, including from other teams, because we learned of their stories, or guessed at some.  A lot of the boys would come say hi to us and give me a hug.  Sam's hurdle coach was also named Debi and so we talked lots.  Such a great group of kids and adults! 

Sam made it to state in the 110 hurdles, high jump and as an alternate for the sprint medley team.  

For those that qualified they had a special dinner.  I was invited to participate.  So amazing to watch! 

 Hats were given out at districts for those who made state

 Goodie Bags!

 The 6A boys track team

 Isn't this cake amazing!

The meet itself was hot but the competition was fierce.  Those kids gave every last ounce they had.  We watched lots of throwing up.  They even had to move the podium because of a big pile of puke in front of it.  Do you know where they moved it- on top of the puke!  NICE!   

Our meet had 4 A, 5A, and 6 A.  It was interesting to see the difference.  Sam would have won or come close to winning the races of the 4 and 5 A schools.  He ended up getting 5th in the 110 hurdles for the big schools.

Our team was winning the whole meet.  We had got a good amount of people into state finals, so we were super excited and hopeful.  We lost in the very last race of the day and ended up getting 2nd.  Second in all of New Mexico for running is not bad. In fact it is very very good!  We had a kid high jump who tied 6 other kids in the nation that had jump the same height- only 7 kids in the entire nation! One of our teams racers went on to sign for BYU track team.  I expect him to do great things.  He was the national 400m winner.  I think we are pretty competitive.  But just as every one knows 2nd stinks.  1st you're the winner, 3rd you are happy you are on the podium, but 2nd?  Blah!  It was so sad to watch! It all was quite an experience and they have one more year to try and win it all- at least with Sam on the team!

So glad Sam chose to do track.  He ended with a 15.3 second PR I believe and a 6 foot high jump.  Not bad for a 5'8 kid!  He also ended up with another Varsity letter and another coaches award!  Way to go buddy!

 Coaches award- hugging Coach Nord

The Varsity Hurdling team

Summer Birthdays Aren't the Same!

My poor boys don't quite get the celebrations that most kids get.  We are either traveling or moving around their birthdays every year.  They say they don't mind- and they do get to do cool things on their birthdays, usually.  It just doesn't involve friends very often!

This year Max turned 11 on our big trip.  That day we saw Arles and the lavender of Provence, 

France.  He did get to choose presents and souvenirs, though!  That's how he got his Neymar shirt in Barcelona the next day!

We went out to dinner for Sam's 17th birthday.  I know- lame.  Sorry buddy!  We will try and do something fun for the big 18!

For Joseph's 14th birthday we were up visiting family- which was nice.  We went just for a quick weekend to pick up our truck and see everyone.  It was a nice visit, but a quick one with lotssssss of driving!

At least we were all together!  And they take it all in good stride. They are the best military brats ever!

So Many things to Love about New Mexico

We arrived in the summer, so it was obvious that there would be a lot of sunshine here, but I had no idea that there would be so many pretty rainbows too.  Many days there was a very brief rain shower in the afternoon or early evening and there would be these beautiful rainbows afterwards.

 Many times there would be double rainbows and they are all so brilliant!  This place and it's sunshine has blown us away.  I have never lived somewhere with so much of it!!  You have to wear sunglasses constantly.

 We went to the 4th of July celebration soon after we arrived.  Albuquerque is actually big enough to have bands playing that we have actually heard of.  They also had some fun fireworks!  But the lines at all the booths were ridiculous so we didn't get anything to eat.  Big does mean lots of people!

 Balloons!  We see them out our windows and on our runs every morning. They are so pretty and make me happy.

 They have a real life state fair!  With performances like these pogo guys (this one was from Russia) to real concerts and a honest to goodness official rodeo.

 They had sponsors like the dairy guys where you could pretend to milk a cow

 They had rows of places to eat and lots of buildings with people selling stuff and competing!

 This was a little place inside one of the building where they were racing pigs.  It was a cowboy exhibit where you played horse shoes, saddled a horse

 milked a cow- hee hee, I had to take a picture of that sign!  It was so tempting to drink the cow water!

 And make rope!

 They also had a little exhibit of Aussie animals.  See the Albino Kangaroo?

 We finally get to have our trampoline up again.  The boys are ecstatic!  Sam is learning a layout full twist right now and Joe has perfected his front flip.

We got to go watch a Lobos versus Boise state game.  College football is fun. 

Max's class got to go to the balloon museum.  They made their own balloons using a tutorial online.

Then when they got to the museum they had these stations where they filled them up with hot air 

 and let them fly!

 Then the kids caught them and if they need repairs, they went to a repair station and then they did it all over again!  The kids had a ton of fun.

The balloon festival is amazing!

 These two balloons- Darth and Yoda were obviously owned by the Lucas company.  They had all these guys dressed up that were just there to interact with the crowd and take pictures with them as the balloons filled up.

They even sent two balloons off from Max's school yard one day.  You just had to get up a little early to come see it.

 This is an English bobby.  He had a robber that he floated with most of the time.

 A Heffalump!  The kids didn't even know what a Heffalump was!

I know some people think I don't like Albuquerque much, because of the difficulties we have had in this move.  Everything has taken 3 times as long.  The schools are crazy about their registrations.  I had to go in 3 times for Max and Sam until they decided I was finished and twice for Joe.  I have had to fight the high school over issues with sports and grades and AP credit.  The closing of the house took over a month, just because that is how long it takes to approve people for loans here.  The ward is huge and full of mostly Utah transplants that have never moved in their lives until now and find it extremely hard and cry about it often, or have lived here their whole lives and have family and friends all over the place.  They are also very young- very young!  It's hard to feel wanted, needed or even a part of a ward like that.  But in the end, I am trying to keep a positive attitude.  I think the stuff with the schools is finally worked out!  I got to advocate with them for military children and that was a good thing.  I am loving the sun and all the outdoors stuff.  We are playing tennis and running and riding bikes on the many trails.  We have hiked the Sandias.  Life is good- for now.