Mesa Temple Open House

 This weekend we had the opportunity to attend the Mesa Temple open house in Mesa, Arizona.  I have wanted to attend an open house all my life.  It took a lot of work to make this weekend happen.  My parents are in the middle of moving, so we disrupted their schedule and drove down to Phoenix on Saturday morning.  Edward also had a NICA bike race in Phoenix.  It ended up being perfect timing for us to also visit Susan and John at their new house.  Jonah, Sonya's oldest just happened to be staying with John and Susan so we were also able to visit with him.

Saturday, we arrived at Craig and Blair's house in the afternoon.  We dropped off my parents and then headed to Edward's race ride through.  Nolen and I went on a three mile run while Edward practiced with his coach.

We then drove over to the East side of Mesa to have dinner with John and Susan.  I am so grateful to have them in my life.  We had a wonderful time visiting then drove back to Peoria to sleep at Craig and Blair's house.  Nolen had so much fun playing with Turbo!  

Sunday, we woke up early and drove over to the race.  It was a 25 minute wait at the gate just to get in.  So frustrating.  We finally got to the start line and they moved the start of the race back to 8:30 because so many cars couldn't get through the gate in time.  Edward had a tough race.  I think his heart wasn't in it because he was really looking forward to seeing his cousin, Logan.  Logan didn't show up until 3:00 on Sunday, so had a very short visit.  

 

After the race, we stopped and go doughnuts then had fake Thanksgiving with Jared, Faith, Logan, Craig, Blair, Mom, and Dad.  It was delicious!!  Blair made such great side dishes and Craig made stake! Best fake Thanksgiving, EVER! Craig read everything he loved about my Dad.  He remembered so many great moments in our childhood.  It was so fun to relive those moments through Craig's memory.  My dad really is a special person.  He seems so tough on the outside but so soft on the inside.  He loves all people and will help anyone.

Monday, I got up early and did a two hour exercise with Craig.  He really is one of my favorite people on this planet.  He makes me so happy.  He is always trying to help others be happy.  After our tough work out, we packed up and headed to the Mesa Temple.  WOW!  It was amazing.  I can not express in words just how beautiful it really was inside all the different rooms. There was so much color!  Purples and greens and soft creams were everywhere.  I loved that my boys had the opportunity to walk through a temple as a child.  

This is my dad's grandma's house.  It is on Kimble street just down the road from the temple.  My mom's grandmother lived across the street!!  Her house was gone and there was a dirt parking lot in it's place. 

Duke City

 Stephen and I ran the Duke City race this Sunday.  We had a blast!  I got first in my age group and Stephen got fifth!  WHAT?! I ran the 10K and Stephen ran the half marathon.  

Sipapu!

Sipapu is my favorite weekend of the year. I absolutely love heading up to the mountains to breath in the fresh air and run up the ski hill.  This year, I invited my parents to join us at 9,000 feet above sea level.  We had a blast.  Nolen and I ran our guts out and Edward played with all the kids while my parents help cook all the food for the high altitude training camp.  

I ran my fastest times up the mountain this year!!  It was incredible to be one of the first people up at the top of the mountain.  For the third year, I didn't walk a single step.  It was tough but such a huge accomplishment.  

 

Hinkle Family Fun Center

 Well, since the state fair was a bust, we told the boys they could go to Hinkle Family Fun Center to ride all the rides and play the games with their friends.  At the last moment, Nolen's friend Dylan, backed out and so it was just Edward, Nolen, and Titus.  We still had a blast. 

This last week, we helped my dad pick apples at his house.  The boys had fun trying to find any apples that didn't have worms inside them.  Nolen cooked pasta for his home school project and Edward and I had fun mountain biking with his club.  Edward even convinced his friend Kyle to join him on the team.