Mark and Ruth Head to California

Ruthie and I took a one-on-one daddy-daughter trip to California.  It was an eventful trip that included a visit to Santa Monica for fun on the pier, Long Beach for a whale and dolphin watching trip, Aneheim for a long fun day at Disneyland, reconnecting with good friends in Yorba Linda, Dad working in Santa Fe Springs, and finally a windy afternoon at Manhattan Beach before a first class trip back to Seattle.  It is a trip full of fun memories that Ruth and Dad won't soon forget.  We look forward to doing this again!

Swim Team Joy

Ruth's Summer Piano Recital

Here's a sweet video from Ruthie's recent piano recital!  Thanks to Auntie Jen and Cousin Sam for coming to support Ruthie.  This year Ruth's enthusiasm for piano has ebbed and flowed, we're so proud of her for sticking with it and playing lovely music!  I love the songs she chose for the recital, these tunes will forever make me think of her.

Moses Lake Triathlon 2015

New Years Resolution 2015 - DONE!  This year I wanted to get a road bike and do a triathlon!  I finished my first one, Olympic Distance (1 mile swim, 22 mile bike, 10K run), YAY!!!!!!  It was extremely hard, but I am so proud of myself for sticking with the training and getting this done!  I had a lot of anxiety before the event, but once I got started it went pretty smooth.  The swimming felt exciting and fun, the cycling was ridiculously HARD, and the run felt just fine.  As you can see from my results above, I did OK!  Hooray!  Here are a few pictures and video from my first triathlon!  I'm gearing up for another one in a few weeks, this sport is crazy, addictive, exciting and fun!

Mark, Thanks for all the love and support!  I couldn't do it without you!
And thank you to my family for hosting us that weekend and coming to watch me compete!!!

Moses Lake Tri For the Health of It: 1 Mile Swim Begins...

Can you spot me???

headed back home!

My Flowerbeds

Summer is a blissful time for enjoying all the hard gardening work done throughout fall and spring, and this June I have fallen more in love with my plants than ever before.  I'd never say I have a green thumb, but I love the loyalty of plants, their growth and personality and I appreciate the trial and error experimentation of gardening.  Here are a few pictures I took this morning while I was admiring my front beds, I often get lost in these colors and flowers... Each plant holds a story, a memory and captivating moments from their beauty.  I just can't seem to get enough...

Summer Swim Team, Ruthie Age 7

We've been deliriously excited to see Ruthie having such a successful entry into swim team!  Here are a few clips from her first swim meets!  She's competing in the 8&Under age group and doing really well despite being only 7.  But then again, we've had her in swim classes and private lessons since she was 3, so maybe we shouldn't be surprised?!#!  Ruthie will be able to swim in the same age category next summer too, so this is just the beginning taste of success!  Her favorite stroke is freestyle, and she loves that you can "Just swim like crazy fast without having to swim your strokes all slow and perfect".  She loves getting ribbons, and always looks forward to her swim meets.  Ruthie's joy in swim team has been the light of our lives lately and we are SO VERY PROUD OF HER.  What a joy.  Way to go Ruthie!

Moses Lake Spring Festival

We zipped over to Moses Lake for their Spring Festival on Memorial Day weekend in May and we had a great time watching our nieces and nephews perform in their events - skate contest, gymnastics performance and street basketball!  The weather was grand, we enjoyed the sun and time with family!  Here are a handful of pics from our trip!

Woodinville Wine Ride

I spent the morning with a fun group of ladies as we participated in the Woodinville Wine Ride!  We rode 15 miles around the north end of Lake Washington, stopped at the break point for yummy wine and snacks, then zipped 15 miles back to Woodinville! I had a blast! And it's the longest stretch I've cycled since getting my bike - 30 miles!  Took us just a touch over 2 hours.  And I LOVED every second of it!  We finished the event with a tasty lunch at Redhook Brewery!