We don't like the Packers

Yeah right! While the whole family was together in Phoenix for Christmas Karin and Brad arranged for us to get family pictures taken at their house (perfect backdrop if I may say). Their friends came out and did an amazing job!

Our one casual pic that turned out quite nice after chopping down branches and fixing the bench that kept sinking in the ground.

All the kids

The girls with one of their horses butts...how convenient

The manly men....how do they not have a horses @$$ in the background? hummm

Me and my baby

K, so Jody is probably going to kill me for selecting this picture but I had to. Among all the green and gold Jody's red striped socks kept peeking out in all the pics so she decided to show em off and not hide them. I think its pretty darn cute!

And last but not least Brad and Karin. We had such a great time and the whole family was such a joy to be around during the holidays. Thanks guys!

PS...Stay tuned, more Xmas pics to come including another fab pic of our bro Justin.

Skating in Phoenix

Among the many activities we did as a family ice skating was one of them. I must say it is much harder than I remember, it probably did not help that our skates were dull as jello.

Dan used to play hockey, eventually all of us migrated off the ice to the benches to stuff our faces with way over priced hot dogs and rest our aching feet. But little Danny was no where to be found, we finally spotted him skating his little heart out with a huge smile on his face, round and round and round and round he went. I have a feeling it brought him back to the good ol days. And once again our super special brother Justin, yes the kid that we snap ridiculous Kodak moments of (usually in front of the mirror). Look at the person that is balancing so gracefully doing a swan-like sweep across the ice....yep, that would be Justin, ONCE AGAIN!

Thanksgiving...now that it's Xmas!

For Thanksgiving my brother Jason and his fiance Kate stopped by our place in Cheyenne, spent the night, then we all drove to Denver(ish) Colorado to Kate's parents super cute cabin in the mountains. First I have to say that I was so excited that they made the time to stop by our place since they were my first visitors since I moved out. In preparation I sprayed the crap out of our place with allergen reducer since Jason is allergic to cats, I was sooo worried that he was going to be miserable but he held up pretty darn good. We did not do much that night, we went to dinner and the country bar, went to bed a bit early so we could get an early start on our Thanksgiving day meal and travel into the mountains. We ended up eating our turkey and everything about noonish and left shortly after. We arrived to some snowy mountains which was a good thing since we were going snowboarding the next day.... Me and my bro Jason. We had not been snowboarding together for about 5 years so it was a ton of fun to enjoy the fresh snow together. Luke however had to leave at 5 am to head back to Cheyenne cause he got called in to work. He woke up to an additional 5 inches, good for the snowboarders bad for him and my little Honda. But he made it there and back safely.

Jason (well, at least his goggles and helmet) and Kate.

When we got to the cabin Kate called her dad only to find out that she had to do a very risky task....check the laundry. Yes, Big Al forgot his laundry in the washer...Not the dryer but the washer. The best part is he said "its fine, just throw it in the dryer...mildew and all" we had a pretty good time bustin a gut.

Within 5 min of setting foot in the cabin Luke found Kate's dad's (who is also as tall as the jolly green giant) special spot. In front of the TV watching sports with a shiatsu back massager, foot massager and a icy cold can of Coors light.

Here is a random photo of my tea. I went to take a sip of it and saw something staring back at me, do you see it? The ice cube eyes and the lemon smile! It cracked me up and I could not stop laughing :0)

Okay seriously, I can not believe I am putting this on the Internet. Just take a guess at what I am doing here......yep, I am peeing in a cup in Luke's brand new truck. As some of you may have heard it took Luke and I 5 hours to get back to Cheyenne from the mountains, it usually only takes 2 hours max. We were stuck in traffic going up the mountain and guys started getting out of their trucks and peeing on the side of the road in the snowbank. After awhile it started to occur to me that I might be facing a difficult situation some time soon. And when it came down to it I decided to dump out my soda and, uh...do my thing. VERY AWKWARD!

Luke and I went back skiing to Breckenridge after we said by to Jason and Kate, very sad but we were stoked to hit the mountain.

Throw some Cavanaughs in with a holiday celebration and before you know it you have created a 3 dimensional beer-a-mid. The best was after they had fully finished it the guys were all standing in front of it, in their PJ's, taking pictures.

Saving the best for last...my little lukey poo. He found Kate's mom's PINK cowboy hat, some goggles and poles. Who the heck knows what he is doing but he sure does look happy...Should I be worried?

First Day

My first day at UoP went well! Like any job it will just be nice to finally know everything, it's a four week training program so I just need to be patient. Everyone I work with seems very nice and has done a great job welcoming me, they all have totally different personalities so it should be interesting. It is a little weird cause I have no boss right now. The guy that hired me, our director, got transferred to Iowa so they are in the process of hiring a new one....? I hope our new boss is as cool as our old one seemed...that would totally suck if he/she isn't but I am going to be optimistic and hope for the best. I am not sure if I mentioned it yet but my training schedule is pretty crazy, here is my next month in a nutshell. This week Mon and Tues I have full days observing, Wed is a half day and potluck for turkey day, Thurs and Fri we are closed and I must say it is a good feeling knowing that I will be getting paid for the holidays we have off! My bro and his fiance are driving out and we are all going to Colorado from Wed to Sat(ish) and then I have training the whole next week in Lone Tree Colorado which is a couple hours south of Cheyenne. The week after that I am back in Cheyenne applying what I have learned and then the week after that I will be back in Lone Tree for my final week of training. The last day is on Fri the 19th. WHEW! I'm gonna be pooped but I am not going to complain, I am just happy to finally have a job after my long search.

Face Wash

I had an appointment yesterday to get my hair cut. I was going to cancel it and let it grow out until I walked outside into the Cheyenne wind and realized that it would probably be in my best interest to keep it short while living here so I don't end up with a rats nest in my hair every time I decide to go get the mail.
I found the best hair lady ever at the Aveda Ten Salon in Loveland CO. Yes I drive 45 min to get my hair did but it is totally worth it since I am kind of picky. My hair lady is from Orange County CA and is so eccentric it is funny. She was wearing huge furry boots while doing hair. Anyway, I thought she was maybe just out of it a bit last time (the first time) she did my hair cause when she was washing my hair at the sink her hands kept washing further and further up the sides of my face. SAME THING this time, and this time she was successful in washing of half of the makeup on my right eye, I wonder if she realizes it? I don't know how to tell her or even if it is that big of a deal but I just can not give her up, she is too good.
At doing my hair....and washing my face I guess!

FINALLY!!

So finally after 10 years, Luke got a degree. Well, it is only a Associates Degree in Criminal Justice but he is still working towards his Bachelors. He just finished another class and started another one. He has 3 more after this one and if he stays on track....he will graduate with a Bachelors in Business Administration. I am so happy for him that he finally made it past the first mark, he has been waiting so long for this since his job has always gotten in the way of taking classes. The second mark will come real soon with his Bachelors if this crazy work schedule ever stops for him. With my new job at University of Phoenix they will pay for 80% of his tuition so I believe a masters is also in his future! Yeeahhh Luke!!!!

Come on baby, stick me one more time

Luke's seriousness about trading plasma for lute continues. He got called out on a camper (they go out to the field for days) the other day after his 14 hour shift. He is the only one that can drive the camper so he got stuck going out after being awake for 23 hrs. Anyhoo, he got home at 6 this morning and I was so happy he made it back but felt bad cause I knew he was totally beat after getting maybe 4 hours of sleep in two days. So I woke up, went to work, came home and little lukeypoo was still zonked out. I had decided that he must have been super tired and way past his bed time since his uniform was sprawled out on the floor and his coolers had not been unpacked (Luke is always very tighty and never leaves any task undone, I am a very lucky wife) so I had decided not to wake him. About an hour after I got home he woke up and told me the events of his trip, I was showering him with sympathy only to find out that he stopped on his way home from work at 6am to yes....stick his vein and suck liquid money out. The best part is that they told him that he was a day early and to bring his anxious tooshie back tomorrow! LOL, I have been giggling about it all day long =)

Screw this.

This post may be a bit negative if some of you want to veer away from reading this right now....... &%$# chili's. I am so tired of making only 2.13 an hour and guess what I had to do today, clean under the chip machine which is done daily and there was a frickin cockroach...YUCK!!! For those of you who know me I absolutely hate bugs, spiders ok but a damn cockroach? It was so nasty, I moved the baskets that chips go in and it sprinted its happy ass across under the tea machine. I was so close to throwing my apron on the floor and saying "F this, that's it! I quit!" While I do pride myself in having good work ethic, there have been MANY times where I wish my parents did not do such a good job at building my work morals so I could just say F-it or tell someone who stiffs me "Hey Mcfly..do you have any clue that I only make 2.13/hr and work pretty much just for tips?" AHHHH! I was supposed to be done with this job last Wed but could not get anyone to cover my shifts (since they put the schedule up earlier than normal) today and tomorrow so being the good little employee that I am I did not want to leave them hanging. So I showed up to work this am only to find out that they covered my shifts today...nice of them to let me know, but I stayed anyway to help out and play with a damn cockroach. Then I was trying to get done with my sidework aka: cleaning up cockroaches, and I gave the manager my checkout slip, credit card slips, and cash so that I could go home for an hour lunch before I had to go back for my second shift. Ya know what she said...you need to wait till there are more servers ready to check out, I'm too busy. What? I said um, no. If you want me to come back for my second shift you need to take my stuff and clock me out or I will not come back. I just want to know what the hell she was thinking, "sure can I please hang around for 2.13 and hour and maybe play with more cockroaches, pretty please?" Okay, I'm done.

Luke's Part Time Job

So asking Luke to do a good deed and donate blood has not gone over well at all in the past. He says he will get sick. I however see it as an opportunity to give something that I have to someone who's life could depend on it...if in fact I get a little cough or sniffle for some reason because of it...so be it, chances are some day I will need some good clean blood too.

So Luke came home the other day and said "Hey hun, I made an appointment to donate plasma" I thought wow, he is coming around! Then he added "I can make up to $240 bucks a month!" I knew there was a motive and when it comes to money Luke will do just about anything. A couple days passed and he had obviously been brainstorming about it, he started talking about all the things he was going to buy with this new found cash flow. "Hey I think I'm gonna look at some rims, oh and I'm gonna see if I can find vent shades, maybe a bed liner too!" If I had not mentioned it before Luke recently got a new truck, but the fact that it is a brand new 2008 is just not satisfying enough, little stinker wants to add all the details that his old truck had. So far he has gotten his windows tinted, attempted to install auto start (best buy jacked it all up though) and talked Ruben (the truck salesman) out of installing some new mudflaps as a trade for a referral he sent him.

Luke's first appointment went well, came home with a pricked finger and a bandage on his arm and a new cash card from biolife. He was so pumped that they just handed him this credit card with cash on it, it all seemed too easy. So he made appointments for both of us today, me a new patient and him to go get more plasma sucked out of him in return for a higher balance on his new credit card. Come to find out I failed my pre physical because of my dang heart murmur, I have to get it signed off by my doc and then approved by the plasma people. So I went back to the waiting room and started reading my book and waiting for Luke, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting. So I text him and he texts back "I had a little situation" I was sure the big guy passed out cause he gets woozy with doctor's offices. He returned to the waiting room 45 min later with bandages on BOTH arms and walking all stiff. Genius decided to move too much and got hematomas (a collection of blood underneath the skin) and bubbled up so they had to tap into the vein on his other arm half way through to finish. Here I felt bad for him that he got an owey but as we left the building a huge grin grew on his face and he pulled out his card with his bandaged stiff arms and says with a huge smile...."I got 70 bucks now! I'm goin to the ATM tonight and ordering my vent shades for my truck!"

I am just hoping that his new job will not cave his veins or give him tracks making him look like he has been shooting up drugs!?!

Lol, he just walked around the corner limping and said am I flushed? I just got dizzy? Will you make me some food? Haha, we will see how long this lasts!

WAAAHOOOO!!!!

I GOT THE JOB!!!!! I am so super happy, finally I do not have to go back to that $%*& hole and make 2.13 an hour!!! Instead I get to go to a real job!!! OK can you tell I am excited, all I can think of is "FREE WILLY" when I think of chili's and exclamation points!!! So I will just make this a short post because I think the only other thing I can type to express my excitement is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy Wind.

People were not kidding when they warned us of the wind in Cheyenne. I feel like we have been stuck in a tornado for the last 24 hours. I woke up at 3:33 am to this horrible sound, like thunder or a plane crashing in our back yard and could not fall back asleep. Come to find out that it is only wind. Who the heck knew that wind could be so violent. Since I had another interview this am I definitely needed some zzzz's so I found my custom fit ear plugs (thanks to RJ's) and curled up on the couch. That was not the end of it, I could still hear the wind and my ear plugs kick @$$ so I had to turn on the TV to help drown it out. This is some serious wind out here people so be prepared if you ever decide to come visit us. Hopefully I do not wake up at 3:33 tomorrow morning with a car or something planted in my living room!

Interview...

So I had my interview with University of Phoenix this morning. It went Great!!! Not only was it what I was hoping it would be, but more. Everyone seems very friendly there including the Director that I interviewed with. They seem very upbeat and exciting and are moving into a brand new "up to date" office in Feb which looks way cool from pictures and the floor plan that he shared with me. I could not imagine working in some of the old drab buildings in this town. I was not formally offered the job yet (gonna be optimistic on this one) because they are waiting for a background check which they should get on Friday, hopefully. He said that I was the top candidate and is very excited that I have ties to the military since it is such a huge population of people here and they currently have no access to recruit students on base. It is a sales position but not like used cars (yeah, I think of that stereotype too when I hear the word sales). I will be talking with potential students who have contacted us for information which is nice. While I am sure there will be some occasions in which people may think that I am bothering them but they are the ones that contact us...we just follow up and get them enrolled. The pay is pretty good too. There is a very livable base pay and then as long as I recruit a minimum of 4 students a month I will receive pay increases accordingly...sounds like the sky is the limit. The team they have working there right now has been beyond successful recently, he said that it did not used to be that way since it was hard to get good solid management in little old Cheyenne Wy but they are very strong now! So hopefully this is the right opportunity and the right path because I am very excited about it!

Job Fair

I just wonder sometimes what the heck people are thinking. I went to a job fair here yesterday in hopes to find a job or at least get some more interview experience talking with employers . I walked in there and could not believe how dressed down people were....HELLO People, have you ever heard of first impressions? It was all types and ages of people and I kid you not people were wearing holy jeans and t-shirts. I stuck out like a sore thumb...some people amaze me. Anyway, I only had 45 min from when it started to when I had to work and the fair was much larger than I anticipated. Even though I had to skip through there real fast I was able to make it all the way around and got one possible interview for an HR Position (I am waiting to get a call back from them) and an interview Monday with University of Phoenix for an enrollment councilor/account executive position. It is not exactly human resources but I will still be recruiting students. Guess there are some pretty sweet benefits too, they will pay 100% of my tuition for my masters! They have locations everywhere too so there is always the option to transfer to Minnesota or Arizona. Well gotta get back to spending my day off staring at this dang computer trying to find a job. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

One of those days....

Yesterday was one of those lazy Sundays. I kid you not I was in my pj's ALL DAY. I feel a bit guilty but it is just getting sooo cold here. I know it is not as cold as Alaska (-2 reported by my friend Sarah who still lives there) but this Cheyenne wind just sucks. Maybe the sour attitude is because I just left that wonderful little paradise the Dahlman's have in Arizona but I have made the decision that if we do not have to, there is no way that I can live in this town much longer. Fairbanks was a cool small town, Cheyenne is just...well...a windy, cold, small town. It probably helps that we had awesome friends up there and none here. So back to my lazy pj day, I did not even get out of my pj's to go to the grocery store and to get new tires on my car. That's right, I just slipped on clothes over my warm cozy pajamas. That is one thing that I do appreciate about AK now is that if I were up there I would not have even had to hide the fact that I was wearing my pajamas at 3 in the afternoon. It is just an understanding that everyone had up there....if it is balls cold you just do what you got to do.

Resume update: I have sent my resume out to quite a few places in Minnesota and have received one call so far for an interview, they want to meet with me sometime in the next month or so. Other than that....nothing. Not the best time to be thinking about getting out of the military and finding a job. In addition to Minnesota I am going to send it out to Arizona, Colorado (we totally love Fort Collins) and see what is available around here. Still thinking about going back to school for my teaching certificate. So cross your fingers and say your prayers that hopefully we will figure out what we are supposed to be doing and where we are supposed to be going!

Farmin in Phoenix

Luke's parents asked me to come and stay at their pad with Sam and Kali while they went to their annual trip to Belize and I gladly excepted so the kids and I are going to post this blog! This is a little hard to see but it is a banner that Kali and I made for Sam for his Birthday, he was really surprised when he woke up in the morning. That night we had Sam convinced that he was cooking us dinner for his birthday but we decided to be good siblings and take him bowling and to dinner at Bucca Di Beppo where they embarrassed him and sang the dreaded "Happy Birthday" It was a ton of fun because Justin was able to come out with us!
The Dahlmans have all kinds of animals, it is seriously like going to the zoo. I got to watch baby chicks hatch for the first time in my life, pretty cool. I was surprised how long it took, well not that long but the only chicks I have seen hatch before was on cartoons when I was little.

The next day they are all puffy and cute.
Kali was being a goof and tried to create a way to go in the pool with out getting too wet since the water was only 72, Sam on the other hand was our guinea pig and dove in first to test the waters for us, what a man. We did make it in the pool 2 days and we will see how warm it is tomorrow.

Back to animals, this is Paris the mini pony......too cute! And she has got quite the little attitude. I am amazed with my little bro and sis, they have run this operation all by themselves. Kali gets up at the crack of dawn and feeds the horses, chickens, cats, dog, and whatever other animals they may have hiding and Sam cleans all the stalls and takes care of their tortis, Max. I decided to try and help Sam wheel the horse poo out and dump it, I had no idea....NO IDEA how serious this was. It is very smelly and I never thought that it would be hot but then Sam (the good brother that he is) warned me after we dumped it. He said "And here comes the hot stink" EEEWWWW!!! and the best part.....we were wearing sandals, big , Huge mistake. It was sad we had to have a little funeral for 3 chickens since a chicken hawk decided to grace us with its presence, not. So what did we do? Shoot it with a bb-gun, I must say I was pleased with my shooting skills since we have not seen it back here.
This is Cassie their super cute Yorkie.
And Max the turtle.
Last but not least Sophie and her fab haircut. I have never seen such a thing. I guess her hair on her tummy got too tangled and she had to get a little hairdo, now she has a huge head, feet, and puff at the end of her tail. It is so funny cause you can tell that she feels awkward and totally naked, when she runs she will kick her feet out all crazy....needless to say this is definitely one of those things that you have to be there for!

2.13/hour?

I have been working 2 jobs for a little over 1 month now, chili's being one of them. Wyoming only pays 2.13 an hour for servers, is that even legal? Needless to say, I have received 3 paychecks so far and they total $70.....What? I have been working doubles and my tail off for what? And on top of that they are very slow this time of year apparently. I am making great tips percentage wise (in comparison to the amount I sell) but come on, this is such a waste of time and energy. I am totally missing the chili's in Alaska that I worked at, on a slow night I would go home with $100, here I go home with $20. It used to be so frustrating living in a town with only two choices for restaurants, I guess it was a good thing. The serving/bartending job is in place just until I find the job I want and the location I want. So if any of you in Minnesota know of a company that needs a Human Resources Assistant I am their girl! Thank God I make more bartending on base.

The Boys Weekend

I suggested to Luke that he should create this post since I was not on this trip to experience all of the highlights but he is too busy watching the game right now so I will do my best. Last weekend was the Dahlman boys annual Packer/Viking game at Lambeau Field. I think they took it a little easier this year since they finally made it to the tour of Lambeau Field.

From what I hear they each took turns hugging the trophies, here Dan is loving the crap out of it. Ya know, the more I look at these I believe they are hugging the trophies with more love and passion than I think they have ever hugged their own wives.

Here they are with the Super Bowl trophies. What a bunch of cute nerds, I can just picture them with their cheeks smashed against the glass, eyes closed, and smiling leaving behind happy grease smudges. I guess if this is what they do while they are away from us having a manly man weekend we should not be too worried!
They got to walk out of the tunnel that the players walk out of before the game.

I think that Luke believes this is what Heaven is going to look like when he gets there!
Guess the place was packed as usual. He said they got there a little early this time so they had more room for their seats than they did last year since they are bleachers and not individual seats.
Oh my sweet sweet brother-in-law Justin. He just graduated from ASU and apparently they did not tell him before handing over his diploma that when you are applying costume makeup you have to be sure to write it backwards since mirrors reverse everything. For those of you who have been following our blog since our trip to Belize, he was also caught in front of the mirror at the little powder room area they had for us. This poor kid always gets himself in sticky picture situations it front of mirrors. He is so lucky to have siblings that are so camera ready for the many kodak moments he offers us!

It was a fairytale ending, Packers won 24-19.

Best Coffee Ever!

My sister Donna is a barista at this wonderful little coffee shop called the Mocha Monkey. Last Christmas one of the things she got me was a bag coffee beans and some syrup. Well, in conjunction with the espresso machine I got from Luke's parents I had myself a great time making my own coffees. I do not realize how much I absolutely love this coffee until I run out. I have been out for a while but finally ordered some along with some products that the coffee huts in Alaska used that we were also addicted to, needless to say my little coffee shop is in full force now! The reason for this random post is that I thought I would share the web address with y'all so if for some chance you feel like getting your mitts on some fab beans you can. It is www.specialtyjava.com and I order the Organic Velvet Soul, It comes from Waconia MN, a little town out in the country of MN. The best part is that they print the roasted date on it........it was only 2 days old!

My First

I went to my first football game. Not only was it my first but my first Green Bay Packers game too. It was a preseason game so I am guessing it was not as exciting as it would have been if it was a regular game but it was still a cool experience. We drove a little over an hour to the stadium in Denver to watch them play the Broncos.

Luke in front of Invesco Field.

We went to the game without tickets, planning on to buy some off the street since general admission was 40 bucks per seat and we, or should I say I, was not willing to pay that much for a plastic folding chair. We did end up spending $40 per ticket but they were seats in the season ticket area which cost $70 each. So we did end up getting a good deal but it was a little nerve wrecking handing over $80 cash to some random guy and getting two pieces of paper in return.
The Broncos display was pretty cool to watch. They had the bronco on the left that blew up and then flames that shot out, we could feel the heat all the way back from where we were sitting.
I must say that physically being at the game is way more intense and exciting than watching it on TV. Now I understand a little more why Luke spends the amount he does on attending the Packers/Vikings game in Wisconsin.
The stadium was almost totally full if you can see here in the back ground (you may be able to double click on the picture and it will blow up) how full it is. And yes, Green Bay did win which made it even better for the rude broncos fan that was sitting next to us!

I'm a Proud Cheesey Auntie

One of the main reasons I went to Minnesota was to be there for my 8 year old nephew Oliver at his triathlon. He participated in one of the largest kids triathlons in the world and I am so so so proud of him, he was so great. It was not only a huge personal accomplishment but he did this to raise money for kids who have cancer. Yeah, totally hits the heart :) My sister Donna and her hubby Bryan were such great supporters. They were all about it and were there for him every second of the way. Their excitement for him and what he was about to do was so awesome!
So there were kids EVERYWHERE and they had their age written on one leg and the name of a sick child who they were doing this for on the other, very touching.

This does not show it well at all but it started from boys and girls age 7 all the way to boys and girls age 17. There was a huge line, about 5 kids wide, all the way weaving up and down the hill, and all in orange swim caps. I think Bryan said that there were about 600 kids total.


This pic is Donna, Bryan, Oliver, and Albert who was being such a trooper. He fell off a playground set from 10 feet high. SCARY. My sister had to drive him to the emergency room, his head was cut so bad that she thought he was bleeding from his ear but thankfully he wasn't. She told me that after she had left with Albert, Oliver got his brother Henry and the other family's kids that they were at the playground with, in a group and had them all say a prayer that Albert was ok, what a good and caring big brother they have. It is so funny though because that is totally something that Donna would have done when we were that age.
So as I was standing and waiting in for the race to start I finally actually realized HOW MANY kids there were with all their orange caps.

Oliver played it cool and aware. It looked like he kept checking out where he was in line. We were all waiting to see how the first part was going to go, the swimming, since he was only 3 days into his swimming lessons and the water that they had to swim in was pretty darn deep for a kid who was just learning to swim.
The anticipation kept building for him...
...and he was off!
He did not turn back, no matter how deep it got he kept going
and going even though it was up to his chin (he had not willingly gone in water that deep before) so it was a pretty big deal.

He finally turned the corner and was making his way to the track to run to his bike.
Oh, and the smile on his face when he got out of the water. You could totally tell that he was so proud of himself that he made it through the swimming part of it.
So he ran to his bike station where he changed the Grandparents were waiting for him on the hill with signs.
And he was off for the bike portion of it.
Mean while, Henry was hanging out with only one shoe and sock on. When Oliver was swimming, Henry wanted to play in the sand and had started to take his shoes and socks off but only got half way through before he was scooped up and running to meet Oliver at the bike hill. So Bryan had his one shoe and sock on the other side of the parking lot, it was pretty darn funny and I still find my self laughing when I see this picture. He did such a good job of staying by us and not wandering since there were so many people.

Their little bike stations with towels to wipe the sand off their feet, shoes, and helmets.
He made it back really fast. It was so cute, every time he would be passing us you could see his huge eyes scanning the people and as soon as he saw one of us he would get the biggest smile.
Okay, this was one of the highlights for me. He had just dropped his bike off and began the running portion of it. They had a water stand at the beginning of it and he was running all the way up the hill with his coke cup of water. This is when it got pretty dramatic, as he was running he took his last sip and chucked the cup like a pro, wiped his brow, and hauled it out of there! I probably did not do the best job putting it in to words but it was totally priceless, and made him seem so grown up!
I love this picture. The finish line, he was picture perfect, big smile and hands out catching all the high fives that were waiting for him! After he finished he received a metal that I am sure has found a special place to hang.
I think it was definitely a growing opportunity for them as a family, Donna just could not believe that he did this all on his own. It was so cool to see the love and pride that Donna and Bryan had for him, that he made it through it and did it for the sick kids.