Mountain Biking

Here are a few pics from Jeff's and my date with the Boise foothills yesterday. It was much hotter than last time we rode this trail, but it was fun. I think it is really pretty up there. We basically rode up to a ridge that overlooked a couple outlying subdivisions. I'm not sure I would like my house being down in a valley like that. It would be weird knowing anyone could ride along those trails and look into my yard...but maybe that's just me...

Have Bike will Travel

I've commented some on my new-found hobby of bicycling. We bought a bike trailer a couple of months ago, so I could ride and take the girls with me on errands, etc. Well, I quickly realized how much I enjoy riding my bike. Soon after the arrival of the bike trailer, and the realization that the purchase wasn't doomed to just sit in the garage (shockingly), Jeff found me a really cool bike computer. It is so awesome. It tracks everything about my current ride, how fast, my average speed, how long I've been riding, etc, and also tracks the total miles I've ridden (like a car odometer). It's great to ride with, it sort of motivates me to keep my speed up, or to ride just a little longer... Well, I've had my bike computer since June 1st, just under 2 months, and I am so excited to announce that I passed 100 total miles last night. It may not seem like very far, but I was excited. That's 100 miles of going to and fro that I did not have to buy gas for. I am 100 miles further away from my next scheduled oil change. Most importantly, I am 100 miles more in shape, especially considering that most of those miles were logged while towing a trailer a 3 and 6-year old inside. I'm going to start tracking my mileage on my blog each week, maybe it will be even more motivation to ride more, drive less. I just thought I'd share.

My computer... the top line is my current speed (yes, I decided to stop before snapping the picture...I'm not that good...yet). The 2nd line is the how long the current ride (last night's) was, 1 hour, 13+ minutes (Jeff and I and the girls rode around some greenbelt trails along the Boise River that we hadn't ridden on before). The 3rd line is the current ride distance, 10.16 miles. The 4th line is my odometer, 108.4 total miles ridden since June 1st.

It's date night again tonight, and Jeff and I are going to try the same trail we tried last weekend, to see if we (mostly me) can do better. It should be fun. Wish me luck!

S'mores Anyone?

I am off to girls' camp in a week or so, and, as a leader have been given assignments. One of those assignments is to certify the girls on fire-building. It has worked out great, since, as I practice in our backyard firepit, we generally roast hot dogs and, most importantly, marshmallows. I can't think of too many things that taste better than a gooey s'more. The girls love them (Regan skips the chocolate...I'm still trying to understand her dislike of the tastiest substance on earth).

Jeff and I also got to go on a date this weekend. I've been wanting to learn how to mountain bike, but have been nervous to try. Jeff goes fairly often to the Boise foothills, and last week, he found a trail he thought would be good for me to start out with. It was really fun. I was surprised at what I was able to do, and hopeful that if I keep going, I'll improve. Jeff is an awesome teacher, and helps me with technique, gears, etc. It was really fun. I will admit that going back down the mountain after the big climb was so fun. It was so fast! It almost makes we want to climb higher next time, just to have a longer ride down...

After we left the foothills, we rode into downtown Boise for the annual Twilight Criterium. It draws professional and amateur bikers from all over the country. It is a speed race, and held basically around a city block. They go around and around for an hour or something. They actually create a breeze as they pass. There's a good chance for wrecks, and since there are so many bikers, if there is a wreck, it is usually big. We got there in time to watch some of the pro mens' race. It was so fast! To put it in perspective, as I was coasting down the foothills, thinking I was going so fast, my bike computer said I reached a top speed of just over 24 miles an hour. When I am riding around town with the girls in the bike trailer behind me, I try to keep my speed over ten miles an hour. The bikers at the criterium, on a level road, were going 33. Wow.

That blur behind Jeff is way too many bikes, way too close to one another, going way too fast... Or maybe that's just my mom-ness coming out...seriously. That's crazy.

Your's truly.

And just to give you an idea of the speed...here's a small clip of the action.

Is it just me, or was that last "biker" cheating...

Zoo Boise

Most days I feel like a zookeeper, so what could be more appropriate than spending the day at one? We had a great day with lots of cousins, lots of sunshine and a few animals that didn't mind the mid-day Boise heat.

All the kids, all ready to go. Cathy was wise enough to suggest a picture before we got started, and before any of these angelic faces became less so during the day. How fun to have so many cousins so close in age. Meet, from left to right, Natalie, Calvin, Jared, Samuel, Ian, Caleb & Levi (twins, and I can never figure out who is who), Hadyn and Regan.

Regan loved the statues of animals which the kids were aloud to climb all over.

The zoo has a playground area that was a hit with everyone. Here are Regan and Hadyn digging for fossils, and Hadyn zipping down the giant giraffe slide.

Just a couple of prairie dogs? This is from the prairie dog tunnels. The place in which they are standing is topped with a huge bubble dome. It allows them to see down into the actual praire dog area, and for those of us looking from the front, we see two cute, red-headed prairie dogs poking their heads out of the ground...

Locks of Love

Regan has two cousins, Anna and Lisa, that have donated their hair to Locks of Love. A while ago, Regan decided she wanted to do the same. She has been growing her hair out, waiting for it to reach the required 10 inches. Today was her big day. Here are some pics from her experience:

BEFORE:

THE BIG CUT:

A LITTLE STYLING:

DRUMROLL PLEASE...

I think she looks beautiful! I know I'm biased, but I really do think she looks great in her new 'do.

Very stylish...

Sweet Land of Liberty

We had an awesome 4th of July here in Boise. We had a great family BBQ at Jeff's parents' home including ice cream with red, white and blue toppings. Yummm. Then, keeping with the tradition that we started last year, our family climbed up into the foothills to the north of Boise to watch all the fireworks from around the valley. It is the coolest fireworks show anywhere. It puts us up high enough to see all the Boise city fireworks, plus all the surrounding areas, and all the illegals (and there were a lot this year) being shot off. There is never a break in the show, since you can see so far. We even make a game to see who sees one first. It's especially good for Regan, since she isn't a fan of the loud booms and whistles. We are close enough to hear the slightly muted explosions, but far enough that you can still talk over them. The best part is that there is no fight for a good spot, parking or traffic to get there. We shared "our mountain" with maybe 10 other people, and most of those we didn't actually see until we were hiking back down to the truck. It was so great, and we were excited that Jeff's brother Matt came with us. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Here is a picture Jeff took from our seats. I think it is so pretty. He takes really cool panoramics. One of these days I'll just post a bunch of them. Click on it so you can look closer at it. Jeff doesn't think it turned out well, but I do, and since I do the blog... He takes a bunch of individual pictures, then uses software to "stitch" them all together. Anyway, this was our view, before the fireworks really got started.

Utah

What a great weekend! The girls and I drove to Lehi, UT on Sunday and spent several days with my sister's family while she (Robin) and her husband played Ma & Pa for their ward trek. It was so fun. Regan and Hadyn loved having Erin, Alli and Jenna to play with, and I loved watching them. Erin is 12 going on 20, and was so awesome. Not only is she beautiful, (see below) but she is the most responsible, helpful girl I know. I would think, I should go throw the swimming towels in the dryer, or I should go sweep, and I'd find Erin already doing it. I'm thinking of kidnapping her...

We spent most of the time in the pool, which was so great. Although, the game they chose to play was called lifeguard, and it's not one of those games that allows the adult suppervisor to read a book. Every 30 seconds or so someone would be yelling help. Looking back I probably should have come up with a better game, but they were loving it.

Here's Alli, amid the sea of swimmers. She was definately my comic relief. I wish I could bottle her energy and carry it around for emergencies. She never stops smiling. Hadyn thinks she walks on water...

Jenna and Regan are only 1 month apart in age, and they love playing together. Aren't they cute!

You can never have too much eye protection...

Hadyn loved the pool. This was as close as I could get to her actually standing still...One of the best parts of my trip to Utah was catching up with my roommate from Ricks College, Courtney. We lived together most of two years, and had since lost touch for OVER TEN YEARS! This was the first time we had seen each other during that time. We (or should I say I...hmmm) had fun getting to know each other again. Here we are as new college students. Courtney is the blond in the red, our super-cool (then and now) roommate, Rebecca, in the middle and yours truly looking super hot in some skinny-leg, navy blue jeans. Cute. There were six of us in that apartment, and the three of us sort of stuck together. I can't believe it's been 16 years since this picture was taken. We have 9 children (I think) between the three of us, and so much wisdom...no laughing. Court is still as cool and fun as ever, and hopefully we'll stay in closer contact than we have in the past. I did convince (beg) her to give me her address, so now she'll have to physically move to lose me.