I've Officially Lost My Mind...

I signed up to do the Ironman Arizona next November 22, 2009. I watched the race last week and just felt like it was something I wanted to challenge myself to do. My mid life crisis. I will actually turn 40 soon, within the next 10 years I mean, and have always said I would do one at some point. The way it works out is to get into a race you actually have to be at the race site to sign up because they fill up within a matter of hours. I was there and thought why not so I asked Kristi for permission and she said yes. So I have 359 days until I swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles one after the other. I'm already feeling the pressure. If you want to go for a bike ride, swim, or a run let me know I need the training. I will also be doing 3 half ironman races one in California one in Boise and one in Lake Stevens, Washington to prepare for the big one. I know I'm crazy so feel free to tell me but I already know. Encouragement and support would be greatly appreciated along the way. If you want to come to the race it is a great time and very motivational and we have plenty of room in the big van... the more the merrier. Thanks to Kristi and the kids for allowing me to go crazy....

Back from Arizona!!!

We made it back on Monday night and had a great trip. We spent the first five days with Kristi's parents in Sun City West. We had a hotel room with a heated pool so the kids swam alot and played with their cousins Austin and Jordan. The kids hadn't seen their cousins in almost 4 years so it was good to get together with them.

Grandpa Faris, me and the boys went to a Winter league baseball game with is made up of minor league players and that was fun. The boys got about 30 autographs so hopefully one of them will make it big. We went to the Heard museum and learned about the southwest Native Americans. It was a little much for the littlier kids but there were different activities for them to do. We also got to eat some deep fried Okra which is a favorite for Kristi and I.

One day we went to Cabelas and were able to see all of the stuffed animals. It was quit a deal if you haven't been to one I would suggest it. There were hundreds of stuffed animals like bear, elk, polar bears, snakes, goats, lions, zebra....the list goes on. They also have fish tanks with trout, catfish, bass, etc.

We spent the last five days in Gilbert with my folks. Grandpa heated the pool so again the kids swam a bunch. It was in the mid to high 80's the entire week which was great. Kristi went to the women of faith conference with my mom on Friday and Saturday. I took Kody and Kailin to a run in Surpise where they both ran a 5k and I ran a 10k. Grandpa also went and Margie met us there and ran with Kailin. Margie was a lifesaver because Kristi forgot about the conference when we signed up to do the run and had it not been for Margie Kailin wouldn't have been able to do it.

We all survived the run and had a good time. We just swam a bunch for the 5 days but mostly relaxed. The last Sunday I went down and watched the Ironman Arizona in Tempe. I took Kody at 0630 to watch the swim start. 2200 people alll swimming in the lake at once was quit a sight. Kody and I had breakfast at the Waffle House, which is my favorite breakfast greasy spoon on earth. They don't have them in Oregon so I happened to find a way to go there 3 times for waffles and hashbrowns with cheese, onions and ham, mmm mmm good.

Kody and I went back and got the rest of the family and went back and watched some more. The poeple have 17 hours to finish it so we watched for a while and went to lunch. The swim is 2.4 miles, the bike is 112 miles and the run is 26.2 miles. The pro triathletes finish in about 8 hours and 15 minutes while others took the entire 17 hours.

Kristi and I came back at about 8pm and stayed until midnight when it was over. It was like a huge party but nobody was drunk. The music was blaring and people were just going crazy cheering on the finishers and they seemed to appreciate it. We had a great time and were very glad we got to see it.

Anyway, we had a great trip but it is nice to be home. Nothing beats home!!!

Gone to Arizona

We are off to see the grandparents. We leave Friday for Arizona for 10 days. We are all looking forward to a little warm weather. It has been raining off and on for a few days so nice weather will be a nice treat.

We haven't really been up to much for the past month or so. Kristi's grandma passed away a couple of weeks ago so we made a trip to Nampa, Idaho for the funeral. We were able to visit with Kristi's family before and after the funeral. Kristi's grandma was in her mid 90's so she lived a good life and we all should be as lucky as her. Nonetheless her passing away is still a bummer. We were fortunate enough to have her come and stay at the house last year so we have some good memories of her being here.

After Kristi's parents left back for Arizona we went into Boise and visited my Aunt Pam. We went to lunch with her and then went a visited with Grandma Kantola for a couple of hours. Grandma Kantola is in a care facility in Boise and seemed to be doing good. We enjoyed hanging out with her and her memory is still really sharp. She hadn't met Kirik yet so it was good to introduce them.

Her hearing isn't the greatest so when we would ask her questions she would answer something totally unrelated and kids would giggle. So grandma did provide a little entertainment for the kids. We miss having her so close to us like when we lived in Portland and she was just a block away. We wish we were closer so we could have her just hang out with us and see the grandkids more often.

Anyway, no major problems with the motorhome on the trip which isn't always the case. The front heater was acting goofy so there were some issues but it wouldn't be a road trip without something going wrong. You pretty much add $500 to any trip to fix the problems once you get home.

If you notice we have no pictures from Boise then you are right. Somehow we managed to lose the digital camera. So all of our pics with Kristi's family, the funeral and our visit with grandma are gonzo. We have gotten a new one so hopefully the arizona trip pics will be posted when we get back.