Love this time of year

I love being outside this time of year...the smell of the air, the crisp mornings and beautiful leaves all make it pretty great to be alive. I really want to go up to Silver Lake and walk around the boardwalk. UEA weekend, my friends and I would try every year (we didn't always get it planned in time) to take the kids up to see the leaves, hike around the lake, have lunch and take photos. I think the first year that we went Morgen was 3 years old (photo on the left). We didn't go over UEA this year though, so I would like to still go up there soon.


Silver Lake 1998

Silver Lake at Brighton Fall 1998

l to r: Jessie, Abbie, Chloe, Jackson, Morgen, Weston



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Zumba

I have been reading about this fitness class on Facebook from my cousin that teaches one up in Oregon. So today I went and tried it out at 24 hr. fitness. I had such a blast and the time flew by, since I was just dancing the entire time, it didn't even feel like I was working up a sweat. But by the time I was finished I was dripping sweat. You can check out a clip of that type of class here.

I also went to look for a new mixer. The one I have isn't nearly big enough to make bread in, and the flour always spills all over the counter when I do. So I went to Orson Gygi to check out the kind that my friend Laurie uses (pictured here) and to Trolley Square to see the Kitchen-aid at Williams-Sonoma. But I saw the same kind at Costco for a little bit less. I think I may check E-bay as well to see about getting a better deal. They are kind of spendy but I think they are a must have for making bread, cinnamon rolls and other yummy stuff to smell baking this time of year.

Groceries

After I dropped the boys off at school I went to Wal-Mart. Now I need to go and put all the groceries away before I start cleaning the house...again. I am going on a run later as well.

Sunny Day

It almost seemed criminal to stay inside today. After Stake conference this morning I just wanted to be outside.

Monet invited us out to her house for dinner tonight and we had a fun time playing games and the boys had a great time running around and playing with with the Star Wars toys again. My parents were there and my dad told me that he is running the outdoor rink in Midway this winter. I already had heard about it, from someone else, but I am glad that he will have a job again. My mom seemed a lot more at ease.

Bring it on

Max had football this morning against Bountiful. Their team lost...again - 28-7. They really hustled and tried so hard. Beautiful day for a football game though. He stayed out after his game was over to watch his friend James play. His team is undefeated and they won again today. Then he watched James' brother, Justin's, game as well and got a ride home with their parents.

Meanwhile I took Markus to his hockey game and he is getting so much better at handling the puck. They didn't keep track of the score of course but I think the black bears scored a few more goals than the badgers.

Morgen had a Pokemon game at Hastur's, so Ben shuttled him around. Then I had a few lessons to teach, so Markus and Morgen came with me. Morgen hasn't skated with me for a couple of years, but he actually did pretty well, considering.

My friend Sharon texted me that she wanted to go for a bike ride today, so I went for a quick spin up Porcupine hill before Max's hockey game. It was a perfect day for a ride too.

Max had a great game and scored two goals. The Knights won 5-2 against the Eagles. It was really an exciting game to watch. Markus invited his friend Bryce over to play afterwards and we had pizza. I took Morgen to Game Stop to buy a replacement game for one that he had lost. Max is watching the U game. How is that for a busy day?

Lost my marbles

As I was riding my bike this morning I was thinking about the jello salad that I had committed to take to a funeral in our ward today, and totally spaced it. My marbles are completely gone -




When I came home I was looking for some training tips for the next season of triathlons, since I didn't do any this year and came upon this article from my friend Debbie, of Salt Lake Running Co. You can read it here but I really liked the part about being able to lie on a beach somewhere...sounds like a great idea to me.

Hip & Humble

My sister Monet texted me to join her for lunch and shopping today at a little store on Ninth and Ninth called 'Hip & Humble'. So I did...I had driven by the store before but never been inside. It was a very fun and clever store with some fabulous smelling soaps, fabric softeners and flirty aprons. We both picked out our favorite scent of softener - mine was lavender and hers was beach, then went to lunch at an Indian restaurant called Mazza. She also bought these beautiful flowers for me...just because she liked them.

Morgen was studying for his Pre-Calculus math class tomorrow when I went upstairs to take a photo. He loves to study late at night...better late than never. He has been home all night while I was gone teaching and at Markus' hockey practice. He had time, he just prefers to leave it until bedtime.

Thunder & Lightning

After school today I stopped to get the boys haircut. They have picture day on Friday.

When I came home and checked my email, I found out Max had made the Lightning hockey team. Markus was excited and ran upstairs to tell Max. It sounded like thunder, as Max came running down the stairs. All I could see was the big grin on his face.

Then I took Max and his friend Easton over to football practice.

Just In Time

I just came home from picking the boys up from school and now I'm running over to the rink to teach Amanda and the club group number for the Halloween show. I am supposed to finish the choreography on both of the routines, so I am glad that I feel like dancing today. Thoughts just keep popping in to my head. Love it when I feel like that...

Then Max has one more night of try-outs for the Lightning team. It is fun to watch him try his best. Hopefully, he makes the team, but even if he doesn't I know that he will have tried his hardest. Got to run...

Best Day

I have been having the best day today...I have so much energy. I finished everything on my list for today and even went to teach an extra lesson to Callie (that I forgot about) on top of that. Luckily her mom drove by and reminded me that Callie was waiting at the rink.

Running Max to hockey practice after I finish making dinner. Ciao...

Keeping Busy

Max had a football game yesterday morning against Taylorsville. The game started out well but the Taylorsville team kept getting touchdowns to have the final score be 28-7. Three more games... maybe we can win one game this season.

After football was over, I drove Morgen down to Provo to his tournament and Ben took Markus to his hockey game out at Accord. I came back from Provo to take Max to his hockey game just in time for him to get dressed. He scored a goal and had one assist to win the game 3-1 against the Pioneers.

The Knights were pretty excited that they pulled off another win.

When I went back to Provo to pick up Morgen, he was excited as well. He took 4th place in the tournament today and won two packs of Pokemon cards. Whoa!

Birthday shout out to my brother Adam

Feliz cumpleaños

Otanjou-bi Omedetou Gozaimasu

Joyeux anniversaire !

Wish I could say this to you in person, where ever you are and what ever you are doing today, I hope you have a great day. You deserve it!

Girl Night

Girl Night last night at Nicole's was fun...

Quick Post before I am off to the rink for some teaching and hockey practice for Max. Then he has tryouts again later.

Learn

Today after I helped in Markus' class with some Halloween bookmarks and some watercolored leaves, I went down to see how Max was doing at the assembly he was in, for Obert Skye, the author of Leven Thumps. I peeked my head in the door and couldn't believe the smell that came wafting out of the assembly hall. Nothing like a room full of almost 300 - 4th, 5th & 6th graders together for almost an hour. Quite the contrast to the smell of lavender water I had just been spraying in Markus' class, on the leaves they had colored, so that the colors would bleed into one another.

I went out in to the fresh air just in time to catch Markus lining up for lunch. He asked me to stay and eat lunch with him so I did.

His friend Daniel poked his head in to the photo right when I took it. Markus just laughed - he is so much fun to spend time with, always saying whatever is on his mind. He makes me smile.

Lightning

Max tried out for the Lightning hockey team last night. He said that he had a fun time and learned a new drill. So even if he doesn't make the team, at least he tried. The photo is not the greatest, since it was just from my phone, but until I get a new camera, it is hard to take action shots. Especially from a distance. My phone doesn't take very good photos up close either, but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

I just returned from a beautiful run up Millcreek canyon with Kelly - Miles' mom. I used to teach Miles in my hockey class and I was talking to Kelly last week after hockey practice for Markus and Miles when she was telling me about this fun trail run that she does up Millcreek. So I suggested we go sometime, she called me last night and I went. I didn't know that the trail run that she does (Birch Hollow) is about 9.4 miles round trip. I feel all right I guess, but I think I may be sore tomorrow, haven't run that far since the marathon. It was perfect weather for it though and the leaves were all so beautiful.

Classic Skating

Since the boys were out of school yesterday, they wanted to go to Classic skating. Here are some photos of their fun day.

Too much fun

Max went to his friends birthday party after his hockey game on Saturday night. It was at a gymnastics place and he ran around and was learning back flips into the pit. He had a great time but today he is paying for his active weekend. He has strep throat. I took him to Urgent care yesterday and he is on antibiotics now, so he should be feeling better soon. Luckily he didn't have school today either, they go back tomorrow and he should be fine by then, the Dr. said.

Markus met a new friend at hockey this week, Bryce. They have played together at the rink several times, since their older brothers are on the same team and played each other's team in the game on Saturday. Markus invited Bryce to come over to our house after Max's game, so he came with us to drop off Max at the party. When we came out of the gymnastics place the moon looked so cool. I tried out some different settings on my camera but none of them turned out very well. I think I need a tri pod to be able to use the low light setting.

Yesterday morning Markus and I were reading books and he looked outside and said, "That looks like fun to play in!" So we put on our rain boots and went out to play in the rain. He jumped in a few puddles and we floated a stick and a straw down the gutter to the sewer drain in a race to the finish. His stick won by a hair. Then he was ready to come back inside and get dry. Life is too short to let moments like this pass you by...

Knights

Max had his first hockey game yesterday as well. He was so excited to play and couldn't wait to get to the rink.

He started as center and scored a goal within the first few seconds. What an exciting way to start off the season for him.

The Knights have an exceptional goalie and some good team players. As a result they beat the Black Bears with a score of 10-1. Max had 3 personal goals and two assists.

Coach Steve and Max after the game

Coach Ryan and Max

First

Markus' first ever hockey game was today, right after Max's football game against Hillcrest. He was so excited and played really hard. They still lost but in Mite's they don't keep track of the score or put it on the score board so he didn't really care.

Max told him afterwards what the score was, 17-1 but all Markus cared about was what kind of treat they were giving out.

Markus and Coach Derek

Coach Matt & sweaty headed Markus, aka "Curly"

Fate

I have been wanting to go see this movie since I read about it on a friend's blog. She absolutely loved it, so I went to go see it tonight. I thought it was funny and different from what I was expecting - this quirky love story in which fate, coincidence, dreams, expectations and reality are chaotically intertwined.

School's out

So the boys are playing in...the playroom, dressing up like robbers, crazy french men and masked bandits and then chasing each other around the house calling for their treasure. Fun times.