Painting

I've never really thought art was one of my talents.  I draw stick figures if that gives you any idea.  Cara is an amazing artist. She has an incredible talent for drawing and painting. Brandt also does amazing drawings. I've always said that those 2 got the artistic talent in the family. However, when we moved to Idaho and I realized I was going to get the chance to live with Cara for a few months before she left on her mission, I asked her to teach me to do acrylic painting.  We've done 3 paintings - she always does the same one I'm doing and I watch her and try to do it (except the 2nd one).  My first few paintings have turned out a lot better than I ever expected. Cara and Brandt's talent is still leaps and bounds above mine, but I am learning and it has been a lot of fun. I've learned that I need to be more open to trying new things even if I don't think I will be very good at them.

This is the first painting I did.  I really struggled getting the technique down to blend the colors together, and there are some things I don't like about it like the leaves on the trees, but considering it was my first one I think it turned out pretty.

This is my second painting.  Cara said that doing a black and white painting would probably help me learn to blend better. She was right. I finally figured it out. I'm still not very good at it, but I can at least do it now. This painting isn't finished yet. I still need to add clouds to the sky and trees.  Cara didn't do one like this. She just helped me figure out what to do and then I worked on it on my own.

This computer is rotated correctly on the computer, but for some reason turns sideways when I upload it. I can't fix it!

This is my 3rd painting. Cara and I were really excited to do this one.  I think it is more my style - it has a different and less careful blending technique and then a lot of just dabbing the brush on the canvas.

Aaah, can't get this one to upload right either. I guess just turn your head to the side to look at it. It's hard to tell from the way it's turned, but it's a path through trees.

I really love painting and am hoping to get my own paint set soon so I can start doing and learning more. It's a lot of fun, and it has been a great activity for Cara and I to do together. 

Here is Mason doing some of his own painting with Daddy. Thanks Daddy!

This is an old practice painting of Cara's that Mason painted over. He did the red, blue, and white splotches. Some of the paint he put on the canvas himself and some I squeezed on the canvas and he smeared around.

Yellowstone National Park

Last weekend we went to Yellowstone with our good friends the Johns Family.  We all stayed in a big cabin together about 20 minutes from the West Yellowstone entrance. We arrived on Thursday night and just as we pulled up there was a loud bang and the power went out.  Luckily we had a flashlight in the car and found a few candles in the cabin. We sat in the front room in the dark and visited for a while. The power finally came back on about an hour later and then we were able to explore the cabin.  On Friday morning we did the lower Yellowstone loop. Our first stop was the Lonestar geyser. It was a 2 1/2 mile hike to the geyser and then 2 1/2 miles back.  It was a pretty hike and on a paved path for most of the way which made it easier with all of the kids. Unfortunately Mason was really tired and not too happy on the hike. He screamed in his stroller so Chad and I ended up switching off carrying him most of the way. The Lonestar Geyser only goes off about every 3 hours, so my mom said a prayer that when we got to the geyser it would be close to going off.  Her prayer was answered and the geyser started pretty much right as we walked up. It went off for about 30 minutes and was really cool. We had some snacks and then hiked back to the car and had our picnic lunch. Then we finished the lower loop. We saw bison, antelope, elk, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the Upper and Lower Falls, the lake, and lots of other smaller falls.  We also saw some mud pools and a mud volcano.  It was all really pretty and cool to see, but it was also a lot of driving.  We got back to the cabin and had dinner, watched movies, and sat in the hot tub outside.  On Saturday we did the upper loop of Yellowstone.  We saw quite a few waterfalls.  We were planning to swim Saturday afternoon and then do another hike to Mystic Falls, but the Johns had tire trouble and we ended up having to go back to the cabin early.  We watched the BYU football game and relaxed at the cabin for the rest of the evening.  The next day we went to church and then headed home. It was a really fun trip with great company and yummy food. The lower loop of Yellowstone was my favorite and I would probably do that one again, but not the upper loop - too much driving.  Thanks Dad and Brandon for planning such an awesome trip!

These pictures are from Lonestar Geyser and the hike there.

The rest of these pictures are from other parts of Yellowstone.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Mason loved just going up and down the stairs and he wanted to do it by himself as much as possible.

This was our last stop and Mason's clothes were already filthy from going up and down the stairs, so when he wanted to run through this puddle we let him.  We had other clothes in the car that he could wear an we decided after all day in and out of the car he deserved to run around and get dirty and have fun. He ran back and forth through this puddle over and over again laughing and splashing. Other people started to stop and watch him and laugh. Some people took pictures too. He was attracting quite the crowd. He had so much fun - and was so wet and dirty by the end!

The Way A Teaching Career Is Supposed To Be

I have been teaching Social Studies at my new school in my new school district here in Idaho for about a month now.  I learned many invaluable lessons about teaching and about life while working in Washington, D.C and I wouldn't trade the time that I spent out east with my family for anything, but I believe that my new job is the way a career in teaching is supposed to be.  I am not saying that there is something wrong with teaching in the District of Columbia Public Schools, just that I have found a much better fit for me.

I am loving everything about my new job.  I love the content matter that I teach (World History and U.S. History); I love my school administration and all of my assistant principals and principal; I love how respectful the students are and how fun they are to work with (not to mention the fact that they enjoy learning); I love that my school is 10 minutes from home and that I get to spend 2 more hours a day at home than I used to (I used to spend 2 hours commuting each day); I also just like the logistics of how this school works: the bell schedule, the hours, block periods, the way you request time off, the way you get a substitute to cover your class, and the list goes on and on.  I don't mean to say that my experiences in my prior teaching job were negative or that I didn't love these things out there too, but so far everything about my new job just feels like such a great fit for me.

It's a great feeling to look forward to going to work.

The Expedition Man - My Fourth Ironman Triathlon

 At the finish line with my uncles and aunt

Biking 

 Crossing the finish line -- always such a releif

T2: going from biking to running

Swimming like a dolphin

More biking 

 Leaving the T2 area and starting out the run.  My legs always feel surprisingly fresh after the bike ride...for a little while

Michelle walking with me on the run course 

My mom walking with me on the run course 

T1: going from swimming to biking

Last Saturday, August 24th, I competed in the Lake Tahoe to Reno, Nevada, Ironman-distance Triathlon called The Expedition Man.  This was my fourth Ironman-distance Triathlon.  Despite finishing in my worst time for this race distance, I managed to finish first in my age group (29 and under).  It is always cool to get an extra award to take home with you!

The race was tons of fun.  It was the most fun I've ever had on the swim portion of an ultra distance Triathlon (2.4 miles).  The water was warm and very clear.  I had a lot of fun looking at the sand, rocks, and pieces of metal objects like chains that had been left in the lake by boaters.  I think this helped the time pass and gave me something to think about other than the normal "3 strokes then breath on the right....3 strokes then breath on the left....3 strokes then breath on the right" that is normally going through my mind on an endless loop.

I set a new PR on the bike portion of the race, finishing the 112 mile bike ride in 5 hours and 21 minutes.  This is well above 20 mph (20.93 mph to be exact), which is what I now consider my new minimum standard for long bike rides.  There were some very big hills on the course, which is what allowed me to pass a lot of people because the bike portion is my biggest strength.  On one of the long, steep downhills I hit 52 mph.  That's definitely the fastest I've ever gone on my road bike, maybe the fastest ever on any bike.

So I did really well on the swim and the bike, but I did not do so well on the run.  I really didn't have much left in the tank at the start of the marathon run, and I was only able to run about 8 or 9 miles before I had to just walk the rest.  This really didn't come as a surprise to me because my training leading up to this race was nothing like in the past, mainly due to the major transition of moving out west to Idaho and starting a new job and trying to develop entirely new training routines (something I am still working on).  Luckily Michelle walked 7 miles of the marathon with me and then my mom walked the last 3 miles with me.  That helped keep me moving at a good pace and get me to the finish line.

Overall, I had a great time and would do this race again without hesitation.  I liked the race venue (starting out in Lake Tahoe and riding all the way to Reno where the finish was), I liked the race organizers and staff, and the volunteers were all very nice.    Maybe next year I can set a new PR there.