Swimming Lessons

Monday was the first day of swimming lessons. It is so much fun to sit by the pool and watch the kids. The country club where they take lessons is so pretty, and sitting by the pool is very relaxing. It doesn't hurt to have a bunch of country-clubbers to watch, either. There's not many things I enjoy more than a good people-watching session, and I haven't been dissapointed yet! The only people I watched yesterday, however, were the kids. Dylan was looking pretty slick in my sunglasses: He looks really relaxed in that picture due to the fact that it was not during his lesson. He even looks somewhat at ease in the next picture:

Of course, this was pre-getting in the water. Things slowly started to go downhill after he got wet and had to get out of the pool to jump back in. There was a brief moment that I thought his teeth were going to break because they were chattering so hard:

The following picture illustrates how excited he was to turn over and practice kicking:

He really did do a great job, and today was better than yesterday. I am hoping tomorrow will be even better.

Of course, swimming lessons are old news to the girls. They jumped right in where they left off last year, and didn't want to get out of the pool:

Isn't summer great?

Happy birthday, Daken!

We hope you have a great birthday today! Here are a list of some interesting things that happened on your birthday:

1865 The American Civil War ended.
1935 Babe Ruth retired.
1967 The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. The album topped Billboard's charts for 15 weeks!
1997 Timothy McVeigh was convicted for the Oklahoma City bombing.

Also, ten years ago today, the number one album in the country was "Spice" by the Spice Girls. I think that this fact alone goes to show that you and music have both come a long way!

Do you feel lucky? Do ya?

Yes, I do feel lucky. I get to do what I love, with people I adore, and get paid for it! I would say that's pretty lucky. Not many people can say that. I love teaching dance. My students are great. I am always being inspired by the dancers I teach with. They are insanely talented. I work for an amazing woman who is always positive, supportive, and downright cool (not to mention an Emmy Award winning choreographer). It's awesome to be a small part of something so fabulous. Click here to check out this guy's blog--he posted after he saw the Odyssey 2 show the other night.

I have no idea what language this is,

but I thought it was really cool. Sort of random, but still blog-worthy. Check it out. And, if anyone can tell me what the commercial is for, I would really appreciate it. Hopefully it is something awesome. With my luck, it is an ad for mutual funds or genital herpes. Not awesome.

Today We Fight a Bully

On Saturday morning, we got up early and went to 'The Race for the Cure'. It was pretty amazing. Luke and I both tried to take a picture that would show how many people were there, and this is the best we could do. None of the pictures can illustrate how awesome it was to see thousands of people walking together in downtown Salt Lake City, each of us hoping that a cure for breast cancer will be found soon. If you look close, you can see that the street is filled with people for quite a distance. It was humbling to participate in something so incredible.

Luke and Cody found a little time before the race to be goofballs. Is anyone surprised?

Isabelle helped Luke out by doing a little stretching with him. I'm not sure why she needed to stretch, due to the fact that she rode in the stroller the entire time. I suppose it never hurts to be prepared, just in case.

I'm not pictured stretching, because (big surprise) I didn't run the race. I walked. However, I did walk in celebration of my Aunt Vivian, who is a breast cancer survivor.

We were surrounded by family and friends, and everyone had a really great time. Most of us were on Team ReMax, thanks to Aunt Kathy. Aunt Teri walked with 'Val's Pals', in memory of her good friend Valerie Ruff.

All in all, it was a great day. The race is held around the same time each year, so if you didn't have a chance to participate, there's always next time! I'll make sure to post a reminder when it comes around again. If you want to learn more, click here to visit the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure website.

Wham Bam Tammy!

Heather,

I thought for your birthday I would inspire you with a fabulous picture of a sickled foot. You know me...always thinking of others. I hope you had a great day, and if you feel really brave, you can check these out. Make sure you have a barf bowl handy!

Green circles

The first Christmas gift I received from Luke after we got married was a snowboard. Hint, hint. It was pretty obvious I was going to learn. I had never attempted skiing. I didn't even enjoy going sledding when I was a child. I hate being cold, and I am afraid of heights. So, why would I ride a lift with no seatbelt up to the top of a snowy mountain and head downhill as fast as possible with both feet strapped to a slippery piece of plastic, you ask? It's amazing what lengths we will go to in order to impress the opposite sex.
I started out on the bunny hills. Those are referred to as 'green circles'. I was doing all right, so Luke decided to take me to the next level. Blue squares. I'm not going to lie. I thought I was going to die. There was a good part of the hill that I spent on my backside, I crawled for quite a while, and Luke was probably the most embarrassed he'd ever been. I'm lucky to still be married. Luke is the kind of guy who isn't afraid of anything. He boards the black diamonds (really difficult) and double black diamonds (insane) like it's no big deal. He amazes me.
Long story short, I wish I could be a little more fearless. I want to face challenges, big or small, and become a stronger person. My epiphany was sparked by this video. It inspired me.