Badger Mountain Challenge

We are smiling....because we have no idea what we are about to do. A few weeks ago Scott said "Hey...there was a flyer up at the hospital and there is a 15K in Tri Cities.....it is the first one there at Badger Mountain. I want to do it." Okay.....have fun. Well, as it came closer I decided foolishly to be the good wife and join him. His knee is bad and I knew he would be walking it rather than running.....so how hard would that be?

It was so cold this morning and we got to the starting line. Oh....by the way...no parking by the start...had to park a long way away....so it turned out to be a 17K by the time we reached the car. Thank heavens I thought to pack a fleece cap because there was a bitter cold wind blowing. Rain didn't appear till after the race so we were happy about that. Such a blessing. Well....we arrived at the starting point and the cousin of the event organizer tells us we are climbing up the mountain. WHAT? So much for the easy part. Pretty steep hike.....but wait.....there is more.....after coming down......we walk around the mountain and climb up it again from the back side. With all the swelling in the back of my knee it was a pretty rough hike going up......but we did it. I first considered just stopping after coming down the first time.....but I thought "Nope....no matter how long it takes....don't start something and not finish." So up we went again. This is a pic of me when it's all over. Why am I still smiling? Because I'm half crazy.....but you already knew that.

I was so proud of Scott. His hip started cramping on the way back up the mountain....but he kept on going. He stayed a little behind me the whole way....I think he was checking out my butt.....but close enough we could talk when we weren't huffing and puffing. Even though i can feel pretty much every muscle in my body...and I'm pretty sure I'll discover even more of them in the morning....I'm so glad i decided to do it with Scott and say we accomplished it together. Was it smart to do with my bad joints? Of course not? Was it worth it to spend time with my guy? Absolutely!!!

This is how I felt at the end of the race. There you have it. We discovered how old we are really getting....but considering we did it anyway.....I'd say we are both still pretty young at heart.

Happy Birthday Kevin

I don't really know how it is possible....but my oldest turns 25 today. The boy with the pink hair is all grown up. Scott was in school in Rexburg and I was home with my parents. Babies on Alberta Health Care were a lot more afforable than our student insurance. I called Scott and said "I'm in labor." He took off for the 12 hour trip and arrived 10 hours after Kevin was born to find me passed out on the hospital room floor. I'll never forget the hutterites looking at that 9lb 5oz baby and saying "He looks big enough to drive the tractor already." Kevin was the easiest baby. He would lay on grandma Jackson's couch for hours and just look around without a sound. Grandma used to say "I wish he had a clear head so I could see the wheels turning." I had so many hopes and dreams as they placed Kevin in my arms. Raising him was an absolute joy. His toddler years were so enjoyable. Kevin learned to read very young and I'll always remember him laying on the waterbed with me when he was five and reading Tom Sawyer to me. We did this everynight. His love for reading has continued throughout his life. Kevin was a pretty easy teenager. We didn't even have to disagree with his music choices during those years. He was a huge Beetles fan when he was growing up. One of the qualities Kevin has that I love the most is his love for old people. Hs piano recitals were held at an assisted living facility and we had walked in and I turned around and there was no sign of Kevin. He had stopped to talk to this older gentleman in the hall and they were deep in conversation. Kevin was so good to his grandpa Jackson when grandma passed away. He would go next door to dads every single night. They would sit and talk for hours. Kevin knows more about Lloyd than any of his own kids I think. When Kevin left on his mission grandpa said "I miss my best friend." I am so proud of the man that Kevin has grown into. He is everything I dreamed he would be. Happy Birthday my dear boy. Thanks for all these years of joy.