Warrior Dash-Kansas City

On Saturday a couple of my running partners and I decided to do this crazy race called the Warrior Dash. It was crazy....it was a total of only 3.1 miles, but we encountered all these crazy obstacles along the way. We crawled through mud, under barbed wired, over cargo nets, jumped over fire,ran through swamps and hoisted our bodies over 30 foot plywood (you get the picture). The race terrain was more challenging than the obstacles, as it was hard to run over the rocks and slippery surfaces. We did this crazy race for fun and wanted to finish without twisting an ankle.......only 9 weeks til marathon!

A celebration of Reading...

We rewarded the kids this past weekend for keeping up with their reading over the summer with a Royals vs. Rays game and a little waterpark fun.

Riley County Fair

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Our busy 4H week concluded with a parade and the start of the fair. Our family was part of the float committee-so this week also consisted in helping to construct our 4H float. We decided on a Superhero theme, and our characters consisted of the "Bionic Bovine", "Pollen Puncher", "Super Click", "Super Whipper", and the "Incredible Logo". The theme was "Dare to Fair", and I think our group did an excellent job. A big thanks to Amanda P., Kerry W., and Jen P. for their amazing creativity (You girls are awesome!)

More 4H judging...foods and yeast breads

The girls also entered the foods judging this past week. Karli submitted a chocolate chip bar, and Kiersten entered yeast pretzels. We learned a lot about baking through this experience-and next year will be more prepared. Taking on yeast for a 1st year 4H'r was a little ambitious, but I am so proud of the girls for their fortitude and confidence that they both portrayed during the interview process. Great job!

More 4H Fair Entries.....

Karli showed our cat Luna at the fair this week. She did an excellent job and received the highest award with a purple ribbon. The judges interviewed Karli and asked her questions about how she cared for Luna, where we adopted her from, and questions about her breed. Great job Karli on your first purple!

Busy Week with 4H

We have been so busy this week with 4H Fair entries and float preparations. Kiersten turned in her sewing project last week, as well as modeled in the 4H fashion revue. She interviewed with a judge and answered questions about her project. She came home with a blue ribbon, which she was extremely proud of. She sewed every stitch of her dress herself. She picked out the fabric, pattern, stitched, hemmed, and made the button holes (these are all things her mother could never do). A big thanks to Majorie and Nana for their contributions. A great overall learning experience-what a joy 4H has been!

Umi Visit

Yum!! We visited our town's newest restaurant Umi's this week. Hibachi style cooking-great food-great cooks :)

Cycling Contest

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I have been conducting a 90-day cycling challenge in my SPINNING classes. The contest just ended and I snapped some pics of my amazing students. Students were given points based on attendance, winning a contest within my class, or doing something outside of the gym exercise related. A total of 9 trophies were given away, along with some gym gear. The class had so much fun and it was a JOY to see the progress made.

Abraham Lincoln Re-Visited!

While I was at my HS reunion in June, Kiersten spent the weekend with my parents. They decided to take her on a "10" year old trip to Springfield to visit Ab's home town. It was just awesome...Kiersten now knows everything there is to know about our 16th President, and has taught me some interesting facts. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Nate for the memories!

Orioles Softball comes to an end

Kiersten played Parks and Rec softball this year. Her team was the Orioles, although they did not fair too well this year (1-8), Kiersten played her heart out for the last game. She pitched 2 innings, striked several girls out, and even got a home run. (I guess money really does motivate....I offered her $100 if she got a home run-and guess what -SHE did)-Go figure!

Practice...Practice...Practice....

Kiersten has been busy working on her 4H projects for the County Fair this past week. She is submitting a sewing project, participating in the Fashion revue, and submitting a yeast bread food item. We practiced this past week on her pretzels. She will be judged on taste, symmetry, and also be interviewed in regards to how the preparation took place.

Jammin' at the lake

It is never a dull moment with Kaden-he always entertains us....while having a camp fire this past weekend at the lake he, Zach, and Luke started dancing like crazy up on our rock wall.



Christie and Aaron



The girlies-Kiersten, Miss Dina, Christie, and me (plus Kaden)....having smore's and a campfire at dusk.

more great 4th pics.....