Best of Times in Bear Lake

I can't believe my sister, Krat, beat me to the blogging. I would recommend reading her report and also looking for something on Andersonian soon. I'm having trouble uploading pictures so I'll write now and post my favorite pictures as soon as I can.

First off, my two sisters Jen and Kath (or is it Kath and Jen) planned for a fun weekend up at Bear Lake. We were all going to stay in a cabin close to the lake. It's too bad that Sharon P and Wolf were in Germany because they really missed out on a great family experience. After school (and after Tri-Rich and I finished the B-Fit B-Day Challenge) the kids and I packed up the TL. An SUV the TL is NOT but we got everything in that we needed and headed out. JJ was super excited because I let him drive for the first part. He got to drive on I-215 and also I-80. The kids were excited to see their cousins and to have a mini-vacation.

We rolled into Garden City not too late and everyone was still up waiting for us to get there. The cabin was plenty big for all of us (5 adults, 4 teenagers, and 5 younger ones).

The morning of the first day we started out with a bit huge breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice, yogurt, and course oatmeal for me. The day was gorgeous and we went to the lake. The lake temperature was around 66 degrees. We had a nice spot on the beach and drove our cars right out on the sand. We thought that was a great idea until the mob came and boxed us in. By mid-day there were tons of people, cars, waverunners, and such all having a great time. BA in an effort to run back to the cabin to watch his Utes pound on Michigan got stuck trying to get out. We had to borrow a shovel and with the help of a dozen or so people we were able to push him out. Krat got a pic and put it on her blog. I think for a few minutes, BA was thinking that he wasn't going to get home to see the game.
We had a great time at the lake. We had little raft boats and floaties. Of course the kids made sand castles and buried themselves in the sand. Adrian and Terrell (I mean Matt and Jake) played football for a good portion of the day.

I had a great time playing with my kids and nieces/nephews, talking to my sisters, and also reading. I picked up this book this week. Pretty good stuff. We decided to leave my car and come back later after everyone had left. Good choice.

Time for dinner. Again, it was tons of fun all being in the cabin. Lots of noise, TONS of food, and great memories. We had tacos and everyone was super hungry. After dinner it was time for shakes. On thing that Bear Lake is famous for is their fresh raspberry shakes. Yum Yum!

I think I'll end this post and continue with another one. How could any day that ends in yummy shakes not be the best day?

B-Fit B-Day Challenge

Several months ago I learned about the Birthday Challenge. I thought it was pretty cool. I don't know how many people really do it. Frankly, I don't really care. The important thing is I was going to do it. Actually, this was my birthday present to Tri-Rich. The idea is that you swim the number of miles in your first number (4). I think the original idea has you swim your first number * 1000 yards. So that would be 4000 yards. Well, that is pretty weak. So what did we swim? 4 FREAKIN MILES, BABY! Have I ever done that? Yeah, right. That's a long way. To keep track we brought a small white board to make marks for every 10 laps. The first couple of miles wasn't too bad, but by 3 miles, my shoulders were starting to ache. 4 miles later (132 laps) we jumped out of the pool. 1 down 2 more to go. Next was the run. Lucky for us we only had to run 1 measly mile. Easy. With Olivia riding her bike and being our pace setter, we ran around the neighborhood for less than 8 minutes. Last but not least, we had 41 miles on the bike. Normally, this would have been a piece of cake. But 41 miles later, we were done. We both were tired and ready to call it a day. I'm not sure if it was the heat, or what but 41 miles was tough. We didn't even really hit many hills. Oh well. We did it....and I can't wait to do it again in 4 more months.

Happy Birthday, Tri-Rich

This guy deserves a GREAT birthday. Rich turned 41. We got him balloons including a big Patrick balloon. Jake made a poster with many of Rich's past finishing times (tris, runs, marathons, etc). I also made a poster and listed all of the things Rich loves. What a great friend he is. I love him like a brother.

Welcome, TriZac!

Way to go, buddy!

Hey, can you make it a smiley face?

#712 and a smiley face on the left calf. Great day to race. I guess I'll just post a few pictures before the race. We don't have any pictures yet during the race. This particular venue is where it all started for me. This would be my 3rd time here. Last year I beat my time and I was looking to do it again. I even thought that maybe a 2:30 time was within reach. That was before I got sick coming home from Australia. I'm not going to make any excuses. It is how it is. I wasn't completely up to snuff and I was still coughing and struggling to breath under heavy exercise.

The race setup was a bit different. In year's past, when you came out of the water you ran up the road for 1/2-3/4 of a mile to the transition sone. This year a new parking area allowed for the transition zone to be right next to the water. I always wish the athletes had a bit more space to setup but what are you going to do?

The venue is very pretty. We are lucky to live here. Conditions were prime. Water temps are probably low 70s, air temp at 9:00 this morning was probably in the 60s. I wish I would have had a sleeveless top since I got a bit toasty. My swim was decent although I really thought I could go sub 30 minutes. Oh well, next year. Heavy breathing and coughing just doesn't help.

One of the reasons we don't have any pictures after the swim is because our photographer, Zac did his first triathlong today! Major props to him. He is 16 and one of the youngest that competed today. He was awesome! Next year I hope that JJ joins him.

So, at this point we don't have our splits but I can describe a bit how the bike and run went. I was quite pleased about the bike. Of course my bike computer stopped working so it was just go as hard as you can and stop trying to pace yourself. A few weeks ago we rode the course and we averaged about 21 mph. I think we were probably a bit faster than that. Pretty good for not running on any fancy racing wheels.

Then things started getting interesting. Coming down the last mile or so into the T zone I was doing the usual stand up stretch, get ready to run stuff to hopefully avoid the cramping I had last year. Just as I was approaching the dismount, I unclipped, and started to get off. First of all, I was approaching WAY too fast. As soon as my cleats hit the pavement, they skidded and I was falling. I landed on top of my bike and continued skidding on the pavement. Next thing I knew I was bleeding all over the place. Falling caused my leg muscles to completely cramp up and I soon was in TONS of pain. Maybe not "I'm having a baby" pain but "Crap, this really hurts pain". I picked myself off the ground and made it to my bike rack. The paramedics were quick to arrive and they worked on me while I was trying to put on my gay socks. "Are you going to run?" they asked. Duh! After what seemed like FOREVER, I hobbled out of T2. With TriRich by my side, we completed the 10K run. It was painful, I had tons of cramps but after about half way I was able to run. We finished together and as with Oceanside, we rolled across the finish line.

So now I'm home (well where I call home) and I'm feeling pretty good. I want to go for a run in the morning and see how I feel. My front wheel will need some fixing up but other than some scratches the rest of "Donkey" came out okay. No stitches for me. Just some nice road rash, and a nice bruise on my right leg. Still, the question stands. "Why do you tri?" Because I can.

A sight rarely seen

I'm not shy to post this. TriRich thought it funny. I really can't say I have too many (if any) pictures of my butt. So there you go. Certainly much smaller than it used to be. So what's going on here? Getting ready for body marking this morning before the Jordanelle Tri.

Friends Down Under

My visit to Australia afforded me to see and visit with good friends. One of these was my friend and colleague, Andrzej Druzynski. Since my Polish is not too good, I normally just call him Andrew. Andrew and I met a number of years ago when I was working in South Africa. He lived there but was becoming more and more uneasy about living there. Shortly after I left he decided to move to Australia. So while I was in Perth, he and I were reunited and I got to meet his beautiful wife, Alicja. We had good food (hot waffles and ice cream) and some interesting items (bubble tea). Most enjoyable was our long talks about spirituality, God, and life in general. Quite fascinating discussions. I hope we will be reunited much sooner than this last time.

Please be safe

So to more fully enjoy our trip from Perth to Freemantle, we opted to take a ferry down the Swan River. The boat driver seemed to stuck on all of the homes that line the river and how much they cost (millions to tens of millions). Notice that no pictures are here. Just didn't care. What I did care about was this dangerous possibility of falling off the boat and not living to tell about it. Seriously, do you REALLY need a sign like that? Of course I stayed COMPLETELY away from the railing. Too risky. I did lean over to catch a possibly sighting of this man-eating wildlife. Saw nothing. At least the Australians seemed to be more concerned about this said wildlife getting sick than the poor sap that is no more.

Caversham Wildlife Park

There are just a few more pictures that I want to post to remember my time in Australia. Shortly after arriving in Perth I took Super Todd to a wildlife park to 1) feed the kangaroos and 2) meet some koalas up close. I'm not quite sure what the fascination with the koalas are. They sleep on average about 20 hours a day mostly living on leaves. No energy whatsoever. Is that a life?

This is the dominant male of the group. Actually, it's really the ONLY male of the group. Doesn't he look intimidating? He has a dozen or so girls in his group to keep him happy. Any boy babies that he helps create are moved away once they are big enough to leave momma's pouch.

My favorite pose. Just stick your head here and rest for a day or two, maybe a week. Who knows. A rare picture of a momma and her baby.

Stepping up to Second grade

Olivia as usual was up bright and early, happy as a lark, super excited to be back at Renaissance Academy. Decked out in performance dress, she is the cutest (and smartest) of the Davis children.

Watch out or I'll pwn you

Jake, officially a freshman this year is looking to be BMOC at Mountain Ridge Junior High. He loves sporting all of his new UCL Pride gear.

School Time (yeah!)

JJ, now a junior at Lone Peak High School was very excited to start school this morning. He loves his Obey shirts and the feel of new shoes.

Life is beautiful

I had to take a few minutes to record how I felt this morning. Out for a morning run a bit cold but I had to do the bridge-to-bridge loop here in Perth. It's about a 10K distance. On my iPod I was listening to "Life Is Beautiful". I couldn't think of a more appropriate song. Life is indeed beautiful. Here is part of the lyrics:

Life is beautiful, but it's complicated,
we barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
There are miracles, miracles.

Stand where you are.
We let all these moments pass us by.

It's amazing where I'm standing,
There's alot that we can give.
This is ours just for the moment,
There's alot that we can give.

Perth Temple

Snapped these pictures this morning after getting out of church. The temple is right next to the meeting house for the Dianella ward.

Olympics!

Okay, I just had to give a shout out (sounds kind of a dumb thing to say) to all of the athletes competing in the Olympics. I watched quite a bit of the opening ceremony but I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed the events thus far. I've watched volleyball, field hockey, gymnastics, even a bit of horsey competition. But by far the most enjoyable have been the cycling (road races for men and women) and the swimming. Has the swimming thus far been anything but phenomenal? I watch in complete awe as those fish just crank out those strokes. I wish they would show just a bit more from the camera angle under the water. It is just a treat and I am glued to the television. Anyhow, I will continue to enjoy the next couple of weeks. Go athletes from whatever country you might be representing.

Sunday in Perth

Okay, I have a few other pictures and stories to share from earlier in the week but I thought I'd just take a few minutes to share (or just record for my sake) how Sunday went today. First off, I was SO happy to be able to sleep in. It felt SO darn good to get up at 7 instead of the ridiculous hours I've been doing for the past week. Then a good hour run through the city of Perth. It included a run up to the top of a hill through some dense brush (just couldn't stay on the trail could you?). Then we went to church at a local meeting house. Using the LDS meetinghouse locator it wasn't too hard to find the church. We happened to pick the church that was right next to the Perth temple. It was nice to go to church today and it once again strengthens my testimony that this work is true. Afterwards we were invited to Nick and Marilyn Geracitano's home for dinner. There were a number of members that came along with a few people that are currently investigating the church. I'm so grateful for these kinds of opportunities that I get to meet such wonderful people from all over this world.

This is why I enjoy teaching

Dear Jeff,

I’m “A”. I wish you would remember me, your Thai student, who learned with you in Melbourne. I would like to send you so nice pictures of you, me and our friends. I will leave for Adelaide on 10^th August in early morning. I will live there for couple weeks in the hotel before going back Thailand on 23^rd August.

I would like to tell you that you are my idol teacher, who makes me smile, laugh, and really happy whenever I met you. I hope you would also happy to be my teacher. I will keep our contact forever. I would like to thank you for your kindness. I will think of you whenever I’m facing problems.

Warmly regard,

A

Footy at the MCG

So Friday night we went to our first "footy" match at the Mebourne Cricket Ground. Australian rules football is a fast paced game similar to rugby, soccer, handball, and football. The field is HUGE so I would imagine the players must be in pretty good shape. On Friday we watched Geelong (the best team in the country) slaughter Melbourne (the worst team). The stadium looked mostly empty but when we learned that there were 36,000 people we guessed that it was a pretty big stadium. Back before renovations the stadium could hold 130,000+. Now it's around 100,000. Watching the game was entertaining and trying to figure out the rules and strategies was fun.

Royal Botanic Gardens

Even during the winter I would recommend a visit to the RBG. They had rainforest section, a number of flowers, and a greenhouse area. Note the screen on the palm tree to keep those darn possums from climbing up and having a feast. I can't remember what type of flower the pink one was but I thought it quite lovely.

Shrine of Remembrance

I was able to visit the Shine of Remembrance in Melbourne. The is a memorial for fallen soldiers in various wars. It was quite interesting to read their stories, see the pictures, and take a few minutes to remember those that fought for freedom and peace. I would recommend a visit there if you're in Melbournene.

Mebourne by night

Quite the beautiful city by night.

Melbourne by day

So I just finished a week in Melbourne. Southern part of Australia. Winter time now so it is a bit chilly. You could run around wearing shorts and thongs (flip-flops) but it's just a bit too cold. Second biggest city in Australia with just under 4 million people. The Yarra river runs through town. Since they have hosted the Olympics ('56) and Commonwealth games ('06) the city has a number of sports venues. Probably the thing I will remember most is the wide variety of food. Each night we had something different (Italian, Greek, Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese).

Let's play leapfrog

On Sunday we took a stroll through the park here in Melbourne. Lovely day. When we came across a group of people acting like frogs. We stopped to ask and they were actually doing some parkour training. If you don't know about this you can check out a number of youtube videos. Fun to watch but I'll stick to SBR (swim, bike, run). After looking at the picture I snapped, maybe I should have named this post "say no to crack".

Bathroom sign

So what is your interpretation of this sign? Does it really mean that you shouldn't stand on the toilet while taking a leak? Hmmm. Do people really do that? Too funny.

Possum, Possum, who's got the Possum

On our way back from the theater tonight we run into a passel of opossum There were pretty curious to watch as they certainly were not afraid of the people walking along the sidewalk. Many of the trees are covered on their trunks with a mesh like material to prohibit the opossum from climbing up the trees. Kind of cute, yet kind of creepy.

Now THAT'S a movie

Both of my boys have seen Dark Knight (JJ at least a couple of times). I wanted to see it but being in Australia I didn't think I'd have the chance. That's when we found out that not only is it playing here, it's playing in an IMAX theater. Can I tell you, it was WAY cool. If you have the chance, experience it IMAX style.

Westwater Canyon

Well, it's high time that I post a write up of the river trip. I was invited to join a number of guys in my neighborhood for a quick day trip down Westwater Canyon. I hadn't been here since I was a teenager, chasing Katie McComber and listening to Pink Floyd in my dad's truck with Mike Bascom. That's a long, long time ago. Anyhow, we left Thursday night and it took about 4 hours to get there. Some slept out with the bugs under the stars. Me? In a tent. After eating yogurt, bagels, bananas, and cereal, we were off. The first 7 miles or so is pretty calm so there was time to get in the water and float. Water wasn't too bad. We paddled in 5 man rafts. There is no way you could take something like down that part of the river. We had about 2 hours of good rapids. I got thrown a couple of times from the raft, one of which stole my hat, bandana, and sunglasses. Darn! It was pretty dang fun. We stopped at a couple of places to cliff jump. Nothing too serious. We had yummy sandwiches for lunch and were off the water by mid afternoon. While we were waiting for the cars to come back and get us, we played this fun game called - Run-down-the-boat-ramp-slide-across-the-underside-of-the-raft-and-get-thrown-through-the-air. It was a riot. If I get other pics I'll add them to this slideshow. Thanks, Ryan! Please let us come next year.

Swissbit

How cool is this? Read more about this and other cool travel gadgets here.

Stay a.....w.....a.....k.....e

After a 20+ hour journey I arrived here in Melbourne, Australia. It's winter time and 16 hours ahead of home. I'm sure I looked like a fool in my shorts and flip flops while the Aussies were all bundled up in winter coats, scarfs, and gloves. It snows outside of Sydney just a few days ago. The weather was actually quite nice. The goal today? Stay awake. Just a couple more hours and I'll be able to crash. I"m looking forward to it. Last time I was here in Australia, I got up each morning around 4:30-5:00 and ran and swam. But that was in the Spring. Not quite as much daylight now. We had Chinese clay-pot meal for dinner and a walk around the town. Even though there aren't any leaves on the trees, the gardens are quite nice. The city is quite nice and I look forward to a good week here.

Yummy yummy

Okay, just a quick post. Back in May we planted our garden. We were really excited to see so many vegetables grow . Although I haven't taken a picture of it recently, it is growing just fine. Kath commented that she wanted to see a picture 2 months later so that she could get a good laugh. We've been eating snap peas for a few weeks now but tonight was a big feast. First of all, Jake picked a bag full of bush beans. I simply steamed those. We picked a bunch of red leaf lettuce and cucumbers and made a tasty salad (the tomatoes aren't quite ready yet). The fun part was digging up the red potatoes. I had never grown them before and Olivia was simply fascinated with this. She loved digging and finding them. We filled a grocery bag. I took a number of the smaller ones, sliced them, sprinkled some dill and microwaved them until soft. Yummy Yummy. So with our salad, fresh beans, red potatoes, we grilled some tasty flat iron steaks. Oh, and the other night I made zucchini bread. I'll share my recipe later.

Reflections of Christ

So yesterday while reading a few blog posts I came across this short video. The story behind this group of artists is quite amazing. To me it doesn't matter what faith you are, this should touch your heart. You can find out more about the artists and their project here.

Friends

Just had to take a second and give a shout (more like a sincere heartfelt thank you) to friends and family today. You cannot make it alone in this world. You just cannot. That is why we are all here together. That point was reinforced for me this week. I also wanted to include a link to Shelly's post to remind us all to "bring our own weather".

Great day

So what do YOU do to have a great Saturday? You ride the bike course of your next tri with your buddy. We were just over 21 mph for the course and about 47 mph max speed coming down the final hill. It was a warm summer day so getting in a nice open water swim afterwords was VERY refreshing. You should have been there.

My sister, the pleasant girl

Nice shirt, eh? I would like to publicly announce that my OTHER sister has NEVER worn her BYU shirt that she got for Christmas. Look how happy Kath and I are. I bet SHE'D wear the Y shirt. Do you know how I know this? Because she's a pleasant girl.

Happy Birthday, JJ

Even though it was a few days ago, I must take a few minutes to celebrate and pay tribute to the newest 16 year old. JJ turned the sweet 16 on July 17th. I cannot believe 16 years have passed. JJ is truly an amazing person. I am grateful for the chance to be his father and not only to teach him what I know but also to learn from him as well. If you get a chance, give him a shout.

My heart goes Bang Bang Bang Bang!

Little bit of check up last night - 105 over 54 with a pulse of 52. Not bad for this kimchi eating fool.

Cars and Models

Okay, so as part of our adventures a couple of days ago, we had a couple of hours to spare and thought that this "Cars and Models" show would be interesting. It definitely was interesting. I can't remember when (if ever) I have attended a car show and I thought we might see some new concept cars or technology here in Korea that we probably wouldn't see for a couple more years in the US. The first thing I noticed is that there were TONS of people with VERY nice cameras. Huh? Well, it quickly became obvious why people were there at the show. Take special note of the slides showing the people taking pictures. It was pretty funny. Enjoy.

Do you ever go back?

Was looking for my posts on my first trip to Korea (a number of posts) and I came across this post that I wrote about stress management. I think this goes hand in hand with my previous post on starting your day with a few minutes of meditation.

Bongeunsa (Temple) in downtown Seoul

We spent some time walking around the grounds of this Korean Buddhist temple. Lots of temples actually, and a fair number of people praying and meditating. Hanging throughout the grounds were these prayer lanterns. I should have hung a few for people that I know.

Say cheese!

One of the most popular stores at the mall was this Quickfoto shop (for lack of a better name). Basically wall to wall little kiosks that takes pictures of you and your friends. You can add borders to your pictures and all sorts of stuff. Interesting. Who's the Indian? My terrorist friend, Prabhakar Clement, the preeminent modeler of bioremediation.

Going for a run

In a city that boasts 10 million plus people, there aren't too many places to run outside. A couple of days ago I thought I'd try my luck. I did find a nice trail down next to the Han river but the trick was getting to it. I jumped over a couple of walls and crossed two streets but got stuck playing Frogger across a 4 lane highway. Although you see no cars in the picture, crossing the street just wasn't possible. So I gave up and turned around. Not a good idea to have a stupid American with no ID killed while crossing a freeway.

Can you do this?

This week I thought I'd try something. If you're like me (maybe you're not) you have a bazillion things on your mind. Each morning, before I get out of bed, I lie on my back, get comfortable and meditate for a few minutes. Here's the catch. Try not to move at all. Count to 100 in your mind one for each time you exhale. And mostly importantly, try to focus on a place where you would really like to be. The first couple of times, I pictured myself in a mountain meadow, with lots of mountain flowers. I seem to do better picturing myself on a beautiful, warm beach. It is difficult for me to "keep" myself there at my relaxing place. About a half of dozen times, I find my mind wondering to something else. Sometimes I even forget what number I'm on. But it is getting easier. I think it is a good thing. I'm going to keep doing it. Try it. It's hard. Can you free your mind?

Get your one-a-day vitamins

A couple of months, I mentioned that I started taking the Nutriex Sport supplements and I promised you an update. Now, since then I don't think I've competed in any specific races. A few long bike rides and some good training but how do I tell if it is making a difference. First off a few details. I take (if I remember) 4 pills in the morning and another 4 in the evening. Seems pretty excessive especially if you're not a pill taker. The cost is about $55/month. The product is co-developed by Dr. Rosenberg, Tiger Wood's orthopedic doc. So naturally, he has Tiger on these supplements. I also found a good article about suppliments from a back issue of Cycling Utah. Search for the article "Rocket Fuel or Rubbish". So the real question is - Can I tell a difference? Well, I can't fly, stop trains, nor do I have X-ray vision but I do feel better. I believe that a couple of months ago I had some serious pain in my right leg which after talking to people, being the doctor that they, and I are, diagnosed it as an issue with my IBT band. Now, I do realize that I was recently properly fitted on my bike but more importantly, I have NOT had any issues with it since May. And I've had some pretty decent bike climbs and hard running sessions. I am SO glad that this hasn't given me any fits. Now, any coincidence? Maybe not. I do believe that even as well as I eat (no junky food) at my age I need extra vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Dr. Rosenberg claims that there is up to a 25% reduction in time required for safe return to sports compared to athletes experiencing nutritional deficiencies. Hmm. I'll take that. Anyhow, read the page, and see if it makes sense to you. Now, I strongly beleive that it just wasn't the supplments that had the positive results. I also paid MUCH more attention the past few months in good, solid stretching, and working on both IBT bands. I have found that a lacrosse ball works just fine although it is often recommended to use a slightly larger ball (from softball to basketball).

Additionaly, I recently started taking Glutamine after my workouts that last more than an hour. Not sure about this but it makes sense so we'll see how this goes. Here is a good (fairly short) read if you're not up on the benefits of taking L-Glutamine.

I welcome any and all comments and suggestions.

...that they might have Joy

Long day of traveling to Seoul today (okay, mostly yesterday). On the flight from SLC to LAX I sat next to Joy. She was going to Kona for 6 days of relaxing and a chance to rediscover herself. Wonderful lady and a wonderful opportunity to share, learn, and be heard. I wish her all the best in her life (although it is likely I'll never hear from her again).

So how do you fill 12+ hours of flying? Well, you discover Bibimbap and you watch lots of movies. I often tell people that I'm really not much of a movie goer however, I think I end up watching most movies. This week I saw Hancock (decent movie) and the week before was Wall-E (even better movie). On the flight there were 20+ movies to choose from. I watched 21 (pretty entertaining), Snow Angels (depressing), and Be Kind Rewind (dumb, and didn't finish it). I watched Definitely, Maybe and would recommend that to any dad that has a daughter and is going through or has gone through a divorce. Even so, if you have a daughter I still recommend it. The BEST movie that I watched was The Bucket List. I CANNOT believe I haven't seen that one. It was fantastic! If you ever wonder, if you are thinking about life, if you need help, if you want to help, see this movie. Here are my two favorite parts:

“You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. ‘Have you found joy in your life?’ 'Has your life brought joy to others?’” - Morgan Freeman

"I believe that you measure yourself by the people that measure themselves by you." - Morgan Freeman

Something to think about. I'll have pictures but won't be able to post anything until I return. It is Seoul and certainly not Costa Rica.

Stadium of Fire

Okay, after putting the little montage together last week, I finally have a few moments to post a bit about SofF. I think this is the maybe the second time I've been and maybe the first time Olive has been. If you live in Utah and you have a daughter then unless you live under a rock you were well aware that Miley Cyrus was the main attraction to this year's event. I was able to get tickets and surprised the kids. They were sad to leave their cousins but were happy once they found out where they were going. JJ was excited to hear Glenn Beck and we were also excited to see Blue Man Group. To my surprise, my favorite part was the dancing by the 1300+ girls from 3 difference states. I really liked that part. So what about Miley? Well, I'd have to say that it was somewhat of a disappointment. The biggest reason was because the sound simply sucked. You couldn't hear her. But that doesn't matter really. Watching Olivia in awe of seeing "Hanna Montana" live and in concert and singing along was worth the ticket of admission. Of course the firework display is one of the best (if not the best) in the country. They do NOT disappoint (ever). If you like fireworks, this is the show. Well, there you have it. Long day for sure. Freedom race, followed by the parade, then on to the Andersons, and finally the Stadium of Fire. Happy 4th of July!

Olive's endless pool

Ever since Oceanside, my buddy has been dreaming about those Endless Pools. Well, wait no more, here is one just as good. I could simply tie a rope on one or both of your legs and pull you back when you reach the other side. Pure and simple. As I've said before, Olivia LOVES the pool. On the 4th we were at the Andersons, and I timed her going from one side to the other. Her best time - 1.16 seconds. Look out, Kona (in about 15 more years).

Cougar Fans!

Hanging out at the Honey Bucket we find the cutest girls in Provo. Notice the Y stickers supporting the mighty Cougars.

Who doesn't like a parade?

When I was little, I used to watch the high school band practice near our house. I would often exclaim, "Look, Mom, a big banner!" I love parades. I love the floats, the military machines, the horses, but mostly the bands. We are lucky to have one of the best high school marching bands in the US here (American Fork High). The parade was a bit shorter than usual, and the skies were a bit overcast, and that means happy people (okay happy kids). The non-runners staked out a spot while the runners did their thing. We had a great time.

Freedom Run 2008

It is hard to believe that a whole year has passed since we ran in Provo's Freedom Run. Last year Rich and I ran the 10 K. That was Rich's VERY first race and it was the start of everything else. That led to more road races, getting a bike, riding the ULCER, doing the Jordanelle triathlon, and here we are a year later. Well, this year we wanted to get more people involved. Rich succeed in getting all of his family to race. My boys were excited to do it again. For JJ this would be his first race of the new season. He is really looking forward to cross country this year. Jake wanted to beat not only his 5K time from last year but also time at MRJH Fun run. I also tried (and failed) to get some of the Andersonian clan to run. Maybe next year. There were thousands of runners this year. My favorite is all of the strollers! The race was fun. I'm not telling my time because it wasn't as good as I thought it should be. What a fantastic way to start out the 4th of July!

Earl McCormick Davis

Okay, so the Davis name continues on. Up until this Thursday, the only boys to carry on the Davis name were JJ and Jake. Welcome, McCormick. Born Thursday morning to Josh and Jessica (by brother and his wife). The kids and I went to see the baby and present him with his first blanket/stuffed animal/rattle gift. Congratulations. Grantsville just increased in population by one. Jessica delivered at the new IHC Mega-complex. That place is HUGE. My sister, Kath works there in the Women's Center (on one of the lower floors).

Lagoon! It's what fun is

Okay, here in Utah your best option for amusement parks is Lagoon. I can't remember when the last time I went but it's been at least a few years. It is by no means anything like Disneyland but it is pretty decent place. I surprised the kids last week by taking them there. My sister and her family went a few weeks ago and sharing all of their adventures with my kids made them even more excited to go. Olivia was awesome and went on ALL of the big rides. We pretty much stuck together (the 4 of us) but I let the boys do their own thing a couple of times. JJ had a good friend (Bri) there and we all hung out for a few hours. Going during the week was MUCH better. We had little wait on any of the rides. Temps weren't too hot. As I mentioned, Lagoon doesn't really do much for me personally, but being with my kids and seeing how much fun they were having is what it's all about for me. If they are having a good time, so am I. A couple of comments on the slideshow: Olive did NOT like Terroride. Olive also was pretty nervous getting ON or OFF the big rides. If I tried snapping a picture before the ride, she was always strongly urging me to hurry and get on the ride. After the ride, she was VERY quick to get off just in case the ride operators decided to have us go for another go around.

A few nice photos

Here are my favorite shots from last weekend's ride. It is cool that we have the opportunity to have our picture taken and then we can order the pictures. My position and form looks pretty darn fast. Again, I'm so glad I went and for all of those that contributed to such a great cause.

Best Dam Bike Ride (part II)

Well, back from a wonderful weekend with a great group of people. As you may recall last week I wrote about a possible ride that I was doing this week. The catch is that I had to raise at least $250 (in less than a week). I kind of had my doubts but after just a couple of days I had reached my mark and the contributions continued to come in. I first wanted to give a shout out to all those that so generously gave. Thanks!

Now, I knew that I was going to ride and whenever I get to ride that is a GOOD thing. But I seriously had NO idea about this particular ride. This is THE biggest ride here in Utah. More than 3000 participants. It was amazing. There were many teams. Some as big as 150+. It was pretty cool. We decided to leave early Saturday morning instead of staying up there. Then we realized that MOST of the cool people camp at the Fairgrounds. It was a serious bike party. I don't know if other states have similar activities but this a pretty big party.

Saturday we had the option of riding, 40, 75, or 100 miles. Of course we wanted to be out there as long as possible. Few of you know that I was born in Logan so Cache Valley is home. We rode a basically flat course (a few rolling hills) thought the countryside of the Valley. Part of it was in Utah and part in Idaho. A number of tiny town none of which I had ever been (or heard of before). Towns like Cache Junction, Newton, Trenton, Lewiston, Cornish, Weston, Franklin, and Richmond. It was a beautiful day, good support, and of course awesome riding.

Afterwords, a big party complete with salad and lasagna, music, awards, and even the Harmons' guys, Bob and Randy on stage. We learned that the organization was planning on raising over 1.7 million dollars for the MS Society. That is the biggest fund raiser in Utah.

Today, we rode another 50+ miles namely up to Hardware Ranch. Another beautiful day and a great ride. This was my first back to back riding days at these kinds of distances. I have often thought of going on a multi-day cycling trip in Europe would be a dream but I'm not sure how your body takes that kind of a beating.

The only sad part was because of the large numbers there were a number of accidents. No one died but there were a number of "ambulance come and take people to the hospital" tragedies, I plan on riding next year and raising more money than I did this year. No pictures yet because Rich took his camera with him on his trip back East this week.

Am I moving?

You know this has so many meanings, so many possibilities. You could never know. But today it is a reaffirmation of an idea posed by David Pollay. Like he said, "momentum is powerful". We must always be moving forward. Hmmm. Where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah, in Sunday school each week for the past 40+ years of my life. So I'm here to state to all those in Blogville, I'm on a mission. I want YOU to be on my team (if you're up to it). I want your help. I want your support. Do you know why? Because it feels good. So ask yourself, "Am I moving?" Because I am.

IT'S OFFICIAL!

Best Dam Bike Ride

This weekend I am riding for a good cause. The Harmons Best Dam Bike Ride is this weekend in Logan, UT. I'm pretty excited about this. Here is their home page. Here is the catch. In order for me to ride, I have to raise a certain amount of money. All of the money goes directly to the MS foundation and it is tax deductible. Furthermore, they have made it SUPER easy to contribute. Just click on this link to go to the website and there you can contribute even just a small amount. I sent messages to my "friends" this morning but I know that a number of people read this blog. I want to ride this weekend and this is a way you can help me. Let's make it happen!

An Inconvenient Truth

Someone PLEASE explain to me how this is "energy-efficient". The revered Al Gore apparently requires his own mini power plant just for his home. AFTER making his home more environmentally-friendly last year his home requires 1,600+ kWh MORE energy. HUH? $16,533 a month on electricity a month? Are you freakin' kidding me? Read the article yourself.

Carbon footprint

Yeah, whatever. Even though I deal with environmental issues every day, I'm not really buying this carbon footprinting stuff (sorry). However, I thought I'd do my part and ride to work yesterday. That was great! Just over 20 miles in just about an hour. Felt great and I even didn't get too sweaty. My colleagues reminded me that we do have a bike rack outside the office (as my bike was instead brought into my office). I was planning on riding home AFTER the 5 o'clock traffic but a late invitation to see my niece/nephew's piano recital necessitated that I leave early. Not a super pleasant experience but I still maintained the 20+ mph average. I figured I saved about $8 yesterday in gas. I can bet that it won't be only day I give the TL a rest. I enjoy riding. Yeah, no snow!

Worlds colliding

Thanks to my blog friend, Tim Sanders, for pointing out this article about the day and age we live in with Facebook, blogging, Twitter, and all of that. Yes, I have a face book account. Most of my friends are family and I really don't have many friends. I like it to be able to keep track of my cousins and other (mainly my teenagers). I have been keeping this blog for 4+ years. I've never done Twitter and I IM once in a while. My favorite part of the article is where the author likens today to an episode of Seinfeld where George freaks out about his worlds colliding when his fiancee starts hanging out with his friends. Well, that's my thought today. Now I'm off to the pool!

Happy Father's Day

Can't think of a better Father's Day gift than having my children by my side. JJ was supposed to give a talk today in Church but was feeling under the weather. We had a great time. (picture to be added)