retirement, riding, etc.

A lot happened this past week...

On Monday, November 10, we were invited to go to Barry's (Daren's dad) retirement party in Salt Lake. He has been selling drugs, legally, for the past 38 years, most of the time with Proctor & Gamble, and will be retiring at the end of this year. Many of his colleagues were there, at The Roof, for dinner and a "roast," and his family, including Susan and their boys (and spouses) were invited to attend. It was neat to hear all about Barry in his working life as "the great provider," as he is affectionately called by his boys. He has been a hard worker and is well respected by all who know him. Congratulations on a successful career, Barry. You and Susan raised five wonderful, hard working boys, and you have been a great role model for them. And I have to include, because I said this in his "roast," what an amazing, loving grandpa he is to all his grandchildren. (He just got an awesome 2-seater four-wheeler, and the boys can't wait to spend more time with Grandpa on that!)

Later that night I played in a soccer game with my friends, and I had such a lousy game that I felt terrible in, that I decided then and there, and I did tell everyone, that I was quitting Diet Coke at least until after the half marathon I'm running in January. It's not like I drink a ton of it, but it can get a little out of control, like when I wake up in the morning and wonder where my Diet Coke is going to fit into my day! And I want to see if I feel any difference running since I'm going to run a half marathon in January...we'll see. 10 days so far!

I meant to get this picture last Wednesday, when regular gas finally fell under $2 a gallon. I think the most expensive we ever saw gas was this summer on our Route 66 trip for about $5.25 a gallon; maybe just a bit more. And by Monday of this week gas was at $1.77! It's crazy how quickly the prices fell, but I'm not complaining. Yes, I am always watching the price of gas everywhere I go--it's a curse I think! Jake, Will, and Ben are here with their friend, Nathan.

Speaking of four-wheeling...Daren took Jake on his first four-wheeling trip ever this past weekend. They went from Friday night to Saturday with Daren's brother, Brandon, his son Jack, and their dad, Barry. So then Susan took Jack's brother, Aydan, and Ben overnight on
Friday, which left Lori home (in Logan) with Ike, and me home with Will. Too bad Lori doesn't live closer so we could hang out together! Will and I had fun, though. We rented "The Legend of Sasquatch" (dumb!) from Redbox, which has become my new favorite thing. The best is reserving them online at redbox.com, so you know where your movie is and you just swipe your card when you get there and your movie appears, all for $1 a day. It's awesome!! Anyway, we had fun while the rest of the boys were gone--Will watched a few movies and played Santa a lot (in his sleigh with his toys behind him--see picture above), I got to organize my new room (Ben's old room upstairs) which has my computer and my new sewing machine (early Christmas present) in it, and Will and I went to a U of U basketball game--good times. I didn't get a whole lot of info about Daren and Jake's trip, except that the propane ran out about 3am, so it was a bit chilly in the trailer when they were camping. Ben had a blast at Grandmas with Aydan--they went to see Wall*E at the dollar show, ate out, did a bunch of crafts, etc. Everyone had fun while apart for the weekend, but it was good to be back together again Saturday night.

I have been meaning to get a picture of our bikers, and I finally remembered. I tried off and on this past summer to get Jake to try riding his bike without training wheels. He gave up easily on it every time...until just a few weeks ago when Will gave it a try. Will was an instant biker, and has gotten so good the few times he has ridden, which in turn has influenced Jake to try it more. I can't wait to go on some good bike rides next summer with all of us!

Ben loves to ride his bike.

Will picked this up in less than a day, and whenever he wants to go riding he says, "Mom, I want to learn how to ride bikes."

Jake was a little sad after he had a good little crash.

I love this picture! Before Jake got confident enough to ride the bigger bike, he would ride around on Will's little bike--he looked like a clown riding a teeny tiny bike.

My parents were very involved in the campaign in California. They spent numerous hours organizing, knocking doors, and holding flags for a honk and wave. I'm proud of them for their commitment and dedication to this cause.
Well, it's late and that's it for this week.

p.s. Less than 2 days until the big rivalry game between Utah and BYU. We've got our tickets, do you?! GO UTES!!