Again with the mud.

For today's meet in Vermillion I broke out the the huge eskimo coat. Very windy, very cold, and very wet. You can hear the wind in this video of the start of the race...

You can also hear 150 girls squealing as they splash through the mud.

Freezing girls wishing they would shoot the gun already!

Here's Emma's finish at 16:09. 11th overall!

And here's Leah a few seconds later at 16:51. 27th place!

Here are the girls in the chute. Emma got her ribbon here. Love the sportsmanship!

And here is the muddy aftermath. Not only did Emma get mud on her glasses, she also got it on the side of her nose behind her glasses.

Will we catch a break next week?  We've been here long enough to not expect much and to not count anything out.

And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go put some running shoes in the dryer for the third week in a row...

Mudslinging.

The last two cross country meets have been pretty ooey and gooey.

Two weeks ago the girls ran down in Brecksville/Broadview Heights. I was running getting drenched in Race for the Cure with Melissa and Jill, so I didn't get to see the girls race.  Yay for Glenn for snapping some pics of the damage.

Two good sports waiting for the race to start.

Leah at the finish line.  The times are all off because of the course conditions.  Leah finished at 19:09.  But that was still 60th place out of 227 girls!

Emma finishing.  Look at that stride!  Her time was 17:55, which was 32nd place.  She was supposed to run in the team race (top 7 girls from each team) rather than the open race (all the rest) but the coach made a controversial call (in my opinion) to sub in a girl who hadn't even run in race all year.  It really bugs, but Emma is still continuing to show how valuable she is to the team.

Got mud?

Today's meet was down in Lodi.  It wasn't raining, but it was cold and foggy, and since we've had a lot of rain this week...yep, you guessed it.  Mud and muck, and not just on the course!

My shoes looked as bad as the girls'!  Almost.

Again we had the two separate races, open and team.  Again, I think it is slightly controversial (and again in my own head) that Emma doesn't get to run in the team race, but she totally proved a little sumpin supmin in the open race.  I have a feeling that in two weeks when she gets back to our familiar home course, she is going to blow 'em all away.

Emma at the beginning of the race.  She was at the head of the pack the whole time!  She put in a great time, considering the conditions--finishing first for Westlake and 12th overall!  Her time was 15:41.

Leah at the beginning.  She put in a sweet performance today, finishing 3rd for Westlake and 30th overall at 16:26.

Emma at the end of the race.  She is about to run down a short but steep little hill.  I am so surprised more people don't just trip and roll down it.  And she ends up beating that girl in black!

Here's Leah at the hill, elbows out for balance!  Who was the brains behind this course, anyways?

Good thing I had blankets in the car...it kept the seats clean and helped warm up two cold and muddy runners. We have been keeping our washer and dryer in business today for sure.

THE END.

Air show, indeed.

The true star of the Cleveland Air Show last weekend was the wind!  It was in rare form near the lake and made things just a little chilly.  But it also made for a much smaller crowd than usual, thus resulting in prime viewing spots and lots of space to play in.

Under these blankets are several children trying to stay warm.

Jenna keeping Leah warm

Front row seats!

This year we saw the Blue Angels.  They were ok.  Not as long of a show as last year, but I don't think anyone was complaining that we got to head for the warmth of the car sooner.

Classic picture of Brooke with her fingers in her ears.

Jenna looking through the "astronauts."

Tyler's exclusive fan club has a new member.

Despite the fact that the wind stole the show, we were glad we got to keep the Labor Day tradition alive.

Better run, better run.

 Two cross country meets under our belts this season, and one thing's for sure.

These guys can outrun my gun and are faster than my bullet.

She's the type of girl...

...who had no idea that after these ice cream cones there was a big surprise waiting for her at the mall.

...who has been dropping MAJOR hints about wanting to get her ears pierced.  SURPRISE!

...and who showed no fear in the chair.

...who loves being with her friends and even invites her older sisters to come along.

...who is obsessed with all things Harry Potter, and decorated herself the same kind of cake Harry got when he turned 11.

...who directs everyone as they sing "Happy Birthday" to her.

She's also the type of girl who has already 
started making plans for next year when 
she turns 12 and enters Young Women's.  

That's our Brooke, and that's just the way we like her.

Bear with me.

No, seriously.  There's a Bear with me.

Andrew earned his Bear rank, one gold arrow, and three silver arrows!

Ba dum dum.  But seriously, folks...we are so proud of Andrew!

You never know.

Who knew my apartment would look out onto his balcony.

Who knew I'd think he and his friends were goofy.

Who knew we'd be kinda sorta interested in each others' roommates.

Who knew he would stop by the reference desk where 

I worked at the library and we'd talk baby names.

Who knew that year in college hanging out and 

being friends with him would be my favorite.

Who knew we'd keep in touch even though we were on opposite sides of the country. 

Who knew when he came back to Utah to visit and asked me out on a date, 

I'd realize that with him, I could be totally me.

Who knew he'd come to California on business and 

look me up when I was home for Christmas.

Who knew that's when we'd know.

Who knew we'd arrange to see each other a couple 

more times during my last semester.

Who knew he'd find me a place to live down the street from him.

Who knew he was waiting to see me get mad before he asked.

Who knew when he did, it would be under a blue moon.

Who knew we'd plan a wedding in two months.

Who knew it would be everything I had hoped my wedding day would be.

Who knew the next fifteen years would be over in a flash.

Who knew we'd compliment each other so well.

Who knew he'd be the perfect one for me.

Who knew that fifteen years later, we'd still be just as in love.